Leading By Example

I have just been blown away by the number of people that are being saved as a result of the outreaches that are going on in my church. I've never personally witnessed so many salvation's. Just this past week our youth group under the leadership of Shawn Symons, lead 4 young people to Christ at Jackson Square in downtown Hamilton. To my knowledge this is the second time they have been there. There were seven baptized today, four of whom were giving their life to the Lord for the first time as a result of others witness and friendship. When someone gives their life to Christ at my church, a candle is lit at the front of the church. There haven't been very many weeks since I started attending last October when that candle hasn't been lit. I asked myself why? Why is this happening? The answer I received was because there has not been one week go by when the Word Of God and the Gospel has not been preached from the pulpit. God's Word is powerful and sharper than any two edged sword. Now our church is going out door to door throughout this city to bring the gospel to people in their homes, lead by the senior pastor. Wow! That's leadership by example. This is exactly the example Jesus himself and his disciples left for us to follow. It's so exciting to be part of something that you know is in the center of God's will lead by the Holy Spirit.
A growing church is a healthy church.
I'm just so thankful for what the Lord is doing and allowing me to be a part of it.
Praise God!

LEADERSHIP TIPS

I was looking for something to read today before starting my shift, anticipating a slow day, since nothing was open and the strike halted all Canada Day celebrations. That amounts to people not travelling around and a holiday for the bus driver. Lot's of time to read at the end of the line. Nothing was open, so I picked up this free magazine from a stand at Royal York Subway Station called " Fifty Five Plus Magazine". Surprisingly, it had some interesting articles in it. The first one I read was about a retired Major-General Lewis Mackenzie, who is retired from the Armed Forces and is now speaking on leadership and racing cars. He is very highly respected and in much demand as a public speaker and lecturer. What caught my eye was some tips on leadership taken from his book " Soldiers Make Me Look Good". I thought I would like to share them with you. These tips come from pages 231 to 248 of his book.
Here they are:

Definition: Leadership is getting people to do what they don't necessarily want to do, and having them enjoy the experience.

Tip:

-be yourself

-Lead by wandering about: your primary responsibility is the people who work for you.

- Listen: pay attention and pick up good ideas.

- Set difficult but achievable objectives: determine how much is enough to be proud of and how much is too much to ask.

- Accept responsibility, even when you're not responsible. Accepting responsibility frequently makes the problem go away much more quickly.

- Be an actor. This means be consistent. A good leader does not exhibit moodiness.

- Think outside the box. Step back and think about the problem. Don't just tinker with the status quo.

- Strive for ethical decision-making. Imagine that someone you love is looking over your shoulder when the decision involves an ethical issue. Then you will do the right thing.

- Have the courage to disagree. It's a leaders job to create an atmosphere in which honest disagreements are aired.

- Prepare and train your subordinates.

- Be approachable.

Good advice from someone with over 35 years experience and has spoken to over 1,ooo,ooo people. He also wrote a best seller in 1993 called " The Road To Sarajevo".
He is also humble enough to say; " I'm not an author". He'd rather be known as a race car driver. He does that very well too!

Very Interesting.

JESUS A GANG LEADER?

I was watching 100 Huntley Street this morning and they were talking on the subject of gangs and why young people are joining them in the big cities at an alarming rate and have been doing so for the past 15 to 20 years. There were two testimonies, one from a young Muslim man in Vancouver's east side, who was in a gang from a very young age. He had a twin brother in the same gang who murdered somebody and ended up in prison. This tragedy along with his parents converting to Christianity was the catalyst that led to his conversion. His life was totally changed and now he has dedicated his life to helping educate students and street kids against joining the gangs. He stated that the purpose he joined a gang was because he had a deep desire to have some kind of identity that would give him a sense of belonging and self worth. He found this identity in Christ. A peace he did not know existed.
The other guy is a politician from Alberta, who used to be a gang leader. I can't remember his name, but I'm going to find out because he wrote a book I want to read. His first name is Serge, I think. His position is Secretary in the penal system( to do with jails in particular). He is very knowledgeable about gang life and what needs to be done to correct the problem. He too, stated that it is an identity problem in young people that leads them into gang life. The cause of this identity crisis comes from many sources. Partly due to the break up of the family, the introduction of left wing Humanist values in our society, and the taking of God out of the schools and political systems. The thing that interested me about his testimony was how he first saw Jesus when he read the bible for the first time. He was in jail doing time for drug manufacturing and got a hold of a Gideon new testament for something to read. He read the story of Jesus and his disciples and could totally relate to it. He said; " Jesus the gang leader had 12 members, one of whom was a snitch who handed him over to a rival gang and took over his turf and killed him." He could totally understand the story from his perspective as a gang leader himself. The thing that got him though and ultimately led to his conversion, was the fact that after Jesus died, the scattered members ( disciples) came out of hiding and were willing to die for him. This really touched him. Then when he read that Jesus also died for him so he could live. He totally got it. He is now dedicating his life as a politician to bring prison reform in to our penal system.
I thought that was such a cool way to look at it. Jesus the gang leader who was willing to die for his members, then and now. It worked for him!
I'm going to find out his name and the book title and I'll let you know what it is. Should be good.

THIRSTY?

The sermon today was based on John Chapter 4: 1-30. It was a short one because we had 7 baptisms, but as always, a good one. It's the story about the the Samaritan women at the well. You know the story. Jesus is talking to this women at Jacobs well, which was a no no for a Jewish man to be doing that. As we know Jesus was no normal Jewish man, he was God in the flesh. I've read this story many times and as usual, when Pastor John tells it, I see something I have not seen before in the scripture. The conversation starts out about water, because Jesus was thirsty after a long journey, but then very quickly turns into a spiritual lesson. We need food and water to sustain our physical bodies. What Jesus was offering this women was not physical in nature. He was offering her "living water". Jesus pointed out to her that the water from the well only satisfies for a short time and then you keep needing more to be filled. The water he was offering satisfies forever and even creates a spring from within that keeps on filling the emptiness within. Each person has an emptiness and a longing and a thirst for this spiritual living water. We don't necessarily know what it is other than an emptiness that needs to be filled. Before we knew Jesus, we would fill this void with all kinds things. Careers, hobbies, sports, alcohol, drugs,sex, and anything else we liked. But it is never enough, we always need more to keep trying to fill that void. There is only one thing that can permanently fill this emptiness and that is the living water Jesus talked about. Plain water is still. Living water is moving and pure and alive. There is only one thing that keeps us from receiving this water and that is the sin in our life. As he pointed out the women's sin by all the men she had been in relations with, was keeping her from this living water.
So. if we want that deep emptiness within us to be permanently satisfied and filled, we need to deal with the sin in our life and receive the living water Jesus offers us.
Then the things of this world will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.

Talk 10- The Manifesto Of The New Sexual Revolution

This is the conclusion of this series, Sex And The City Of God. This topic is a passion of Pastors John's and is something that has been burning in his heart for some time. It has revolutionized my thinking on the subject of sex, particularly as it relates to Christians and answered many of my unanswered questions and has given me a whole new perspective and understanding of the Word Of God as it relates to our sexuality. One of my questions which was answered is; : Why have so many Christian leaders and churches fallen into sexual sin in recent times?

If you are interested in watching this series it is all recorded and you can see it at www.westhighland.org. It would be an excellent teaching series for a church on Sunday evenings or for a bible study discussion group. CD's and tapes of the whole series can be ordered for a nominal fee.

This lesson is based on principal #5- The Glory of God.
When we sin sexually we are hurting the Lord God.
God's displeasure can be seen :
1) As a Law-Giver- It was God that gave the law through Moses and the Ten Commandments. When we break the law, we do wrong to the giver of the law.
2) As a lover- We can see in scripture that God loved King David. He chose him to be King. When we look at 2 Samuel 12:7-9, we can see how God was talking about suffering a personal wrong. He was telling David of all the good he had done for him from the time he was a shepherd boy to the time he was made King of Israel. God gave many gifts to David and even provided for his sexual gratification. In verse 9, we read the words of a heartbroken lover. It was these words that devastated David and put him on the road to repentance. Psalm 51:4 is really not accurate, because David sinned against many others, not just God. Bathsheba, Uriah, his family, and himself, just to name a few.
The root of sexual sin is spiritual, not physical. Sexual sin is committed not because we lack anything, but usually happens in the midst of great blessing. We want what we can't have. The forbidden fruit. Satan would like us to think this will bring us freedom, but only results in bondage and judgement. His strategy is to get us focused on what we can't have so we forget all the blessings we have received from God. He would have us think God is deceiving us, not him. We think, If I don't act on my own I won't get what I want. When we believe Satan's lies and take matters into our own hands we do great harm to God.
The real fuel that drives sexual passion is not physical, it is spiritual. Sexual sin is the result of Idolatry, greed and covetousness. Sexual sin is rooted in Idolatry. Look at Sodom and Gomorrah. This is a prime example of sexual sin that flowed out of a self centered idolatrous lifestyle. The scripture mentions the sin of Idolatry much more than the sexual sin itself, although it was evident that was the result.

The generation that grew up in the 60's and 70's was willing to lead and to rebel over a cause. We could see that with all the riots in the Universities in the U.S. during that time period. Our current generation, unfortunately has very few leaders. Many would rather follow that lead.
Jesus has given us a cause to rebel against the status quot.
He is to be the center of our life, not only the savior that saves us from hell, but to be Lord of every aspect of our life which should revolve around him, including and especially our sexuality.
We should have the attitude; " I will die before I sin against him"
This is a radical way to live.
We should want not only to live well for Christ, but we should want to finnish well!

At the conclusion of the talk, Pastor John called for all the men who wanted to join the New Sexual Revolution to join him at the front of the church to make a public commitment before God to be leaders in our homes, and our society and to live a life of sexual purity for Christ. Hundreds of men got down on their knees and made that commitment.
I was one of them.
Thank you Pastor John for your courage and your obedience in teaching this series and may God richly bless you.

THE REVOLUTION BEGINS!

Talk 9- The Manifesto Of The new Sexual Revolution

Whether it be a church or a nation, there needs to be a firm foundation upon which to build. Jesus said in Luke 6:48, that a wise man builds his house on a firm foundation. Ideas and philosophies have consequences. For example, look at Marxism or Nazism. They both collapsed. Our current Post Modern Society is the consequence of Freudian Philosophy that goes back 150 years. Freud thought every Human behavior is an expression of their sexuality. Guess what is dominating our society today? Foundations are very important.

So how do we avoid the inevitable consequences in a society that is patterned after Freud's philosophy?

Let's take another look at King David in 2 Samuel. David offered an innocent man ( Uriah) on the alter of his own reputation. Why? To try and cover up his sin. That's what happens with sexual sin. It puts in motion a whole bunch of other sins to try and cover it up. Lies, deception, murder, jealousy to name a few. It creates subterfuge. To deceive through a strategy to conceal the truth. We are so sinful we need to know the potential depravity of our hearts. David was a believer when this took place. No Christian should ever say " I would never do that!". A very dangerous statement. We don't even know how evil our hearts can be. What we should be saying is " I need Gods grace so that won't happen to me. " There is a deeper repentance that needs to take place than for just for the sexual sin. We tend to compartmentalize our lives which diminishes the seriousness of sexual sin. We may say to ourselves, " I have a good prayer life and I read the bible every day, I have a good job and am honest with my customers, so If I messed up in this one area, I'm not that bad off compared to some others I know." In 1 John 1:5, it talks about light and dark. Light is that which reveals, dark is that which conceals. Light is God's nature. Truthfulness must be our approach to God. Honesty is required. What do you find when you lift up a slab of rock? A bunch of bugs and worms running around looking for a hole to crawl into. Why? They can't stand the light. They have been exposed. It's the same with our sin. It's honesty, not holiness that's the basic requirement in our relationship with God and with others!
Just so we don't forget, yes God hates sin, but he loves the sinner and because of that he is merciful and willing to forgive our sin and give us hope, thanks to the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross.
In 2 Samuel 12:14, we can see that David was forgiven, restored and reconciled "but" there was still consequences to his sin that God did not take away. Why? Because if you look in Hebrews 12:4-12 God loved David enough to discipline him. God's hand was heavy on David. He reaped his sexual sin and murder through his children. This was God's loving discipline to remind David of his own sin, so that he could see the seriousness and harm it caused to others. He wanted to make David pure and Holy.

David finally did repent and got honest with God, himself and others. He accepted the consequences of his sin, he didn't try to excuse his actions, he accepted the responsibility. This is why God called him a man after his own heart.

That is the destiny of every believer. To be Holy, as he is Holy.

So, let's get honest with God, ourselves and others, so we can get on that road to Holiness!

Start building a firm foundation. On "The Rock". Jesus Christ!

Watch the final talk # 10. This coming Sunday at 6:30pm at www.livechurch.ca

Talk 8 - The Manifesto Of The New Sexual Revolution -Principal 2- Love Your Neighbour

In Talk # 7 the discussion centered around a truth about ourselves and the dishonour done to one's own body when we sin sexually. This talk is centered around the wrong done to others.
In our culture we have tried to diminish the seriousness of sexual sin by calling it by other than what it really is. Instead of adultery, we say " affair", or instead of homosexual we say " alternate lifestyle" etc. God, on the other hand, takes this sin very seriously, as we can see in scripture.
Let's take a look at King David in 2 Samuel 11 and 12. From reading this scripture and others like it in the old testament we can conclude that when God is displeased, he always responds. His actions and the timing of his actions are determined by his own sovereign will. When King David sinned with Bathsheba, he knew he was doing wrong, but deceived himself into believing it wasn't as bad as it really was. When God sent Nathan the prophet to David who told him the story about the poor man and his sheep to show David his own sin, David was outraged by the story, not knowing that Nathan was talking about him. Here's a man that committed both Adultery and Murder, but still had a proper sense of justice. That teaches us that people can be deceived about their own sin and still maintain a sense of justice as it relates to others.( even church leaders).

So, what is the wrong in Adultery?

It is one of the most calloused sins you can commit to another man. It's like murder and steeling rolled into one. It can bring out a jealous rage that can lead to murder. You steel another man's spouse and it kills the relationship. Not only between the spouses, but other family members as well. Children, parents, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, cousins, you name them and they are affected by this sin. It's not just the two people involved in the sin. It's effects are devastating and permanent. Even though God is full of mercy and grace and can forgive this sin, there are still consequences that nobody can escape. In King Davids case he ended up losing his sons, who were heirs to his throne, to the sword.

What is the wrong in pre-marital Sex ?

1. Misleading occurs- people tell each other things they don't really mean just to get what they want.
2. Pressure to go against conscience- people have an inner sense that they are doing is wrong but feel the power of peer and social pressure and not wanting to look like a wimp if they say "no".
3. Beginning of a slippery slope- once you start and cross the line it is harder and harder to resist.
4. Rob yourself ( and other participant) of the most precious gift you can give your future spouse. Your virginity is the one gift that you should give your spouse that is not shared by anyone else. That's what makes the wedding night so special and unforgettable.
5. Destroys the foundation of future marriage stability- if you have had multiple sexual relationships prior to marriage, you bring a piece of each person into the marriage making it very difficult to give all of yourself to your spouse.

The good news is there is forgiveness for sexual sin and counselling available to help us cope with the consequences, however just like King David we cannot escape the consequences.

Wouldn't it be better to love our neighbour as ourselves? Love does no harm to a neighbour.

We are our brothers keeper!

There will be no Lesson this Sunday night due to the Easter holiday. The next lesson , Talk #9- The Manifest Of The New Sexual Revolution- Principal 3 - Walk In The Light( Honesty)- Principal 4 - Pursue Holiness will tale place on Sunday night, April 19th at 6:30pm. Join us at www.livechurch.ca

This Sunday night join us for "The Sacrifice" musical and drama Easter special at 7:00pm. See www.westhighland.org for more details!

God bless you and have a great Easter!

HE IS RISEN!