The Blessed Life - Part II: Blesings and Curses

Below is the second installment in our teaching series "The Blessed Life."

I received some good feedback from the first article, and I pray that this will continue to grow you in the Lord!

Pastor Clay
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Robbing God?

Many of us are familiar with this scripture:

"Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, 'In what way have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. Mal 3:8-9

This scripture is often used to beat the flock into tithing, but let's look at the reality of what God is saying here.

• The tithe belongs to Him
• He considers it robbing from Him if we withhold it (the same as not paying something you owe)

OK. Those two points need no expounding on. We get it! But there are two additional points that we should look at

• If we withhold the tithe, we are cursed with a curse
• If we give the tithe, we are the recipients of a blessing!

Curses

A curse is simply a state that is the opposite of blessing, where things don't work, where our efforts are hindered. The simple way to think of this is: When I am withholding from God what is rightfully His, then I don't have the power of God on my work, my business, and my efforts to get ahead.

I can't think of a better example that that of Achan. We recently went through Joshua where God had told the Israelites that when they went into Jericho

"all the silver and gold, and vessels of bronze and iron, are consecrated to the LORD; they shall come into the treasury of the LORD" (Josh 6:19). (if you missed the message, CLICK HERE to listen and get the notes)

In other words, the loot from Jericho was the firstfruits, andit belonged to God. The rest of the cities that they conquered, they could keep all the loot they could hold.

What happened? A man named Achan took some of the loot for himself. And when the Israelites went into the next battle, they were defeated - powerless against their enemies. When Joshua asked God "what happened?", God told Joshua

"My covenant which I commanded them. For they have even taken some of the accursed things, and have both stolen and deceived; and they have also put it among their own stuff." Josh 7:11

God called the stuff that was taken "accursed things", because it was stolen from God. And the result of this theft was that the power of God was no longer with the Israelites. They were ineffective, hindered.

I am not trying to be overdramatic here, but when we withhold from God what is rightfully His, we are effectively signing our own "Declaration of Defeat." And we can't blame God, He told us what to do, we just didn't do it!

Now, before we get too depressed, let's rejoice that the opposite is also true!

If I am faithful to give to the Lord what is His, then instead of a curse on my efforts, I can expect a blessing. The world's wisest man told us:

Honor the LORD with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase; So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine. Prov 3:9-10

Solomon probably knew something about provision - he was also the worlds richest man! God tells us in the next verses in Malachi:

Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this," Says the LORD of hosts, "If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it."And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field," Mal 3:10-11

What this means is that if I am faithful to God the area of giving, it unlocks the blessings of God upon my life, and my efforts will not be hindered. God will bless my efforts! He will keep the enemy from hindering my efforts. We will have the power of God behind me!

Now stop and think about this for a second: What would I prefer, the blessings of God on my efforts, or a curse on my efforts? Well, that is a no-brainer. (I'll take blessings for $100, Alex.)

Let's take it a step further: Do I believe what God says? (this is a "yes or no" question in case you were wondering!)

But now comes the hard part: Am I willing to put my belief into practice?

You see, to say "I believe", but then not act on that belief, is not really belief at all. It is self-serving. It's saying "God, I want your blessings, but I am not really into this obedience thing."

Law or Grace?

Now some people will say "But Pastor Clay, that is the Old Testament. That's the law. I am no longer under the law, but grace." True, we are no longer under the law, but that does not give us liberty to disobey God.

The Israelites had made the same type of assumption that they didn't really need to obey all this "old stuff" anymore, and God told them straight up:

"For I am the LORD, I do not change;
Mal 3:6

Even though we are in the "age of grace", we still know that murder, adultery, stealing, and lying are sin. None of these "laws" went away when Jesus died on the cross. Jesus said

"Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. Matt 5:17

Paul taught the church at Corinth:

So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
2 Cor 9:7-8

"So let each one give as he purposes in his heart. " Some might see this statement as meaning "so I can give whatever I purpose in my heart". That is exactly correct.

The first question is: Where is your heart? Do you love the Lord? Do you see that all that you have comes through His hands? Is your heart open to what He wants for your life, His plan, His purpose?

The second question is: What do you purpose in your heart? Do you want the blessings of God and the power of God on your life, your business, your job? If Then give according to that which you purpose in your heart. If you want big blessings, give big!

But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
2 Cor 9:6-7

The Unchanging Principle

Paul was affirming the unchanging principle that had been established by an unchanging God - Give to the Lord, and He will bless you. This is not a formual; He does not bless "because we give", He blesses because He see's our heart!

And that is where I see our church growing and flourishing. As we learn to be faithful and give to the house of the Lord, "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work".

When we as a church are giving abundantly, God is going to bring into our lives the resources that will ensure that we have abundance for every good work. That means that the "good works" that God has put on our heart as a church to do, they will be fully funded!

The Blessing of Giving - Part I

The Principles of Firstborn and Firstfruits

Recently one of our Elders, John Schardt, shared with our congregation that we are experiencing some financial difficulty as a church. Simply put - our offerings are down. We are having to scale back ministry and salaries.

We as a leadership team have been praying for several months regarding our church finances, and one of the things that God has put on my heart is this: In my efforts to not make people feel "pressured" about giving, I may have been remiss in not teaching the congregation what God has to say about our finances, specifically in the area of tithing.

You may recall, that "Giving" was one of our areas of focus for 2008 from our News Years exhortation. I believe the the time is now to share with you some truths from the Word of God regarding giving to the Lord. So for the next few weeks I will be sending out a series of teaching articles on the subject. Later on we will explore this subject deeper in a pulpit teaching series.

I also want you to know that the reason to teach the congregation about finances is not so that "the church will have more money", but so that you can experience the full blessing of God in this area of your life!

I pray that this series will enrich your lives, and reveal a new perspective of God's unchanging principles. May you be richly blessed.

Pastor Clay

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First, let me say that I view the lack of funds in the church as an indicator of a spiritual situation in the lives of the congregation. The issue is not how much money we have, but "what does God want to teach us about money?"

Fact: there are approx 500 verses in the bible that deal with prayer, approx 500 verses that deal with faith, but there are over 2000 verses that deal with the subject of money and possessions. Jesus talked about money in 16 of His 38 parables. Clearly, from the bible's standpoint, God wants us to understand His principles concerning money and possessions.

Why? Perhaps it is because money is a test of our faith & our priorities. Money is something that is near and dear to us. We need it to live. We use it to buy stuff that we need, and stuff that we want. How we manage money reveals volumes about what is important to us.

In this first issue, we are going to explore two principles: The principles of the firstborn and firstfruits.

Principle of Firstborn

The principle of firstborn is found throughout the bible, from Exodus to Revelation.

The first place we see this principle is in Exodus 13:

"Consecrate to Me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast; it is Mine."
Ex 13:1-2

Here, God makes a declarative statement; "the firstborn is Mine". In fact, sixteen times God makes this statement in Exodus: Every firstborn was to be sacrificed or redeemed. Every time an animal delivered its firstborn, it was to be sacrificed to the Lord. If it were born unclean (with a spot or blemish), then it was to be redeemed.

But the firstborn of the animals, which should be the LORD's firstborn, no man shall dedicate; whether it is an ox or sheep, it is the LORD's. And if it is an unclean animal, then he shall redeem it according to your valuation, and shall add one-fifth to it; or if it is not redeemed, then it shall be sold according to your valuation. Lev 27:26-27

This principle was true for man as well, as the firstborn sons of Israel were to be set apart for service to God; they were to be the priests! Later on, after the golden calf incident, God set apart the Levites for His service (and also re-affirmed the principle of the firstborn):

"Now behold, I Myself have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the children of Israel. Therefore the Levites shall be Mine, because all the firstborn are Mine.
Num 3:12-13

Why is this important? This is a picture of our redemption in Christ, as when Jesus approached John the Baptist, John proclaimed

"Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
John 1:29-30

Because man is born with a sin nature, we were born 'unclean'. We need to be redeemed. God redeemed us to Himself with the perfect, spotless, Lamb of God. Jesus was God's 'firstborn", His only begotten Son.

So this principle is not based on "we do all the giving", but in reality God gave to us first. God gave to us first, while we were yet sinners; He gave us His Son Jesus Christ. He gave us something that we could never put a price tag on. I mean, how much would you pay to be assured heaven? Everything you had!

The Principle of Firstfruits

Having noted that, there is a parallel principle that ties into the principle of the firstborn, and that is the principle of the firstruits.

The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the LORD your God. Ex 23:19

This scripture tells us two things: Bring your firstfruits, and bring them into the house of the Lord. Let's look at these two points.

First Things First
The bible doesn't tell us "give God what is left over". It says to give God the first. When an animal gave birth to it's first offspring, that first offspring was given to the Lord. When the crops were harvested, the first were given to the Lord.

How does this apply to us? When we sit down and write our bills, the first check we write should be our tithe to the Lord. This may sound somewhat ritualistic to some people, but trust me, this has meaning. What we do first says something about what we hold to be most important.

You see, as fallen people we are naturally selfish. Think about it, when the paycheck comes, our mind goes to the things we want or need to buy. Bills, clothes, dinner out, parts for my motorcycle. We hope that there is something left at the end so we can splurge a little. Why is it that our first thought is not "I get to give to the Lord!"

Guess what, God knows how we are. So God, in His infinite wisdom, tells me that I need to sit down and give to Him first, to establish a pattern in my life where I am thinking "Praise the Lord, I can give to the Lord! Thank you for your provision Lord!"

Think about it; When we give to the Lord first, it says "Lord I trust you."

Faith Before Feelings
How many times have we run out of money before we run out of bills? Or we have to determine what we pay now, and what we pay later? When we are in this situation, it can seem easy to skip the tithe (we certainly can't let our cable TV get shut off!). Our feelings tell us "I have bills to pay! I have stuff I need!". We feel bound to our bills. But what that says is "God, these bills are a higher priority than you are."

In other words, it requires an activation of our faith to give the tithe first. Giving the tithe first says "God, I am going to be obedient to you, and trust you for the rest." Faith is being obedient to God when we cannot see the outcome. Faith is knowing that it may require the supernatural hand of God to meet our budget needs.

Think about it:

• The first animal was to be given to God; there were no guarantees that more animals would be born.
• The first of the crop was to be given to God; there were no guarantees that more crops would come up.
• God told Abraham to give his firstborn son, and at Abraham's age, it was a certainty that there would be no more children!

When we give to God first, we are saying to God "I trust you". Do you think He will let us down? In my own experience, the answer to that question is unequivocal - NO! God will always come through! Why? Because it is His promise!

"Then it shall come to pass, because you listen to these judgments, and keep and do them, that the LORD your God will keep with you the covenant and the mercy which He swore to your fathers. And He will love you and bless you and multiply you; He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your land, your grain and your new wine and your oil, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flock, Deut 7:12-13

So when Satan comes at you and puts the thought in your mind "you're going to go broke if you tithe", you can respond: "No I won't, because God's Word says that God is going to bless me, and He will rebuke the devourer for my sakes!"

The House of God

Our scripture said to "bring your firstfruits into the house of the Lord, your God." It didn't say "give your firstfruits to whom you feel led". That means we don't give our firstfruits to a TV ministry, or to a missionary, or to some other organization as our "tithe". Now don't get me wrong, giving to worthwhile ministries and supporting missionaries are important, but we are not to take away from our giving to the house of the Lord in order to do so.

We've all heard Christian say "I gave to so-and-so ministry (or person) as my tithe." Think about it; would you send part of your mortgage payment to another bill? I'm sure they would understand. Thankfully, God does not foreclose on us (!), but we should heed the point: The firstfruits belong to God, and it belongs in His house!

Paul echoed this to the church at Corinth:

For it is written in the law of Moses, "You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain." Is it oxen God is concerned about? Or does He say it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written, that he who plows should plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope. If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things? 1 Cor 9:9-11

The church is the place that we go for spiritual feeding, for ministry to our families. It is where we turn when we are having difficulties. It is where we turn when we have a financial need.

But more than that, the church is a place where we come and communally worship the Lord! And guess what, our giving is a form of worship. That's why giving is a matter of the heart:

God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. 2 Cor 9:7-8

When our hearts are turned to the Lord, we are fully aware that all that we have is a gift from Him. He is the source of our provision. When we give the tithe, it is an act of worship, acknowledging God as our provider. And God promises us, that when our heart is in this place, He will direct to us "all sufficiency in all things", so we will "have an abundance for every good work!"

This Week @ CCW

Greetings saints in the Lord! I trust that you have all had a blessed week!

This past week we hosted the CCW Women's Ministry "Day of Prayer" womens day, and from what I heard (I couldn't go because, well, I'm not a woman!) it was AWESOME! God moved in mighty ways in the hearts of His daughters! I also really enjoyed the worship with Jessica McLean, we'll have to have her back soon!

Well, not to let the guys down, we are announcing the opening of registration for our 2008 Men's Conference! The conference will be Friday May 2 through Saturday May 3, at the church. Registration opens THIS Sunday, and goes through April 27th.

This year we have invited Pastor Frank Ippolito, from Calvary Chapel Vineyard to share with our men. You guys will be BLESSED by this conference, and so we are encouraging all of you - GET REGISTERED NOW for this event!

You'll be blessed and built up with the teaching, ministered to by the worship, and perhaps you'll meet some new friends at the fellowship!

CLICK HERE for more info and registration!

Pastor Clay

Oprah has gone off the deep end...

OK - so I am not an alarmist, nor am I one to jump in when then masses encircle someone for a feeding frenzy.

However I just viewed this video of Oprah and her new friend Eckhart Tolle. This is stunning. A person who at one time apparently had a faith in Jesus Christ, has now fallen into new-age apostasy. The thing that is very disconcerting about this situation is the influence that Oprah has over millions of women... she is guiding them right into a deceptive doctrine. What gives this piece of independent journalism credibility is that the piece does not make accusations, but simply shows Oprah speaking from her own mouth this new age rubbish.

Sure, rich famous people get into weird stuff. Tom Cruise comes to mind. But this is somehow different. To me this seems like a direct fulfillment of what the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Timothy:

"Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy..." 1 Tim 4:1-2

If there ever were a 'doctrine of demons', this would qualify. "God is a feeling", God is who we make Him out to be", "You are the light of the world...". I would almost wonder if Oprah could be the anti-Christ, if the bible were not pretty clear that he will be a man. Maybe she's the false prophet.

It is interesting that Oprah has also aligned with Marianne Williamson, founder of the Peace Alliance, a group that is campaigning to form a cabinet level "Department of Peace" in the US government. Sounds to me like what Paul talked about in 1 Thess:

But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman.
1 Thess 5:1-3


Ladies, I am talking to you here... are you an Oprah fan? I understand, she has done a lot of good things. She has really connected with women all over the world. But this is a warning. Don't let your desire to feel good with an "Oprah fix" a few times a week take precedence over your good judgment. Don't allow Oprah to define your doctrine. Take heed to what Paul wrote:

For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
2 Tim 3:6-7

Don't take my word for it - check out the video for yourself - CLICK HERE

Oprah is very direct onher 'new beliefs', she says she is "a Christian who believes that there is more than one way to God". An "open minded Christian".

Jesus said:

"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." John 14:6

I hate to tell you lady, but you are disagreeing on a fundamental point with the only person who ever arose from the dead.

Pastor Clay

To Do Today... Avoid Enslavement

Of all the issues in the church (and there are many), perhaps the one that has been the most persnickety has been finding the balance between legalism and liberalism. Good Christian people trying to figure out "what should I do, and shouldn't I do".

Many well-meaning Christians have fallen into what I call "liberalism" in the church... taking on a perspective that "God has saved me, He loves me, He has forgiven me: Therefore, I can do the things I want to do, and God has already forgiven me!"

The problem with this perspective is that when we sin, we are placing ourselves back into the slavery that Jesus Christ released us from with His death. Paul wrote:

What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? Rom 6:15-16 NKJV

After the Emancipation Proclamation, some slaves did not know that they were legally free. Their masters never told them, or told them it was a lie. So even though they had been made free men, many remained slaves. That is what happens to the Christian who goes back to sin, whether through ignorance, or willing choice. And sin always brings consequences, so many Christians live their lives in a continual state of upheaval and problems because they keep going back to their old master.

Sometimes the pendulum falls on the legalism side. It might look something like this...

• The bible says I should live holy.
• There are many things written in the bible that are clear I should not do.
• If I don't do those things, it pleases God.
• Some things the bible is not clear on, just to be safe I shouldn't do those either. I should stay as far away from sin as possible. Better safe than sorry.
• Just to make sure I don't forget anything, I should make a list.
• This list really works for me, I should share it with ____ (fill in the blank, my friends, my church, the people that I pastor).
• We are doing well living by these rules, God must be very pleased!
• There are some who are not really trying, or don't think it is very important to follow these rules. Don't they want to please God? They must not care as much about pleasing God as we do.
• Then they really are not as spiritual or as close to God as we are.

... and the party goes on - the single becomes a group, which becomes a church, which becomes a network, then a denomination... just add a few generations and 'poof', you have a whole swath of the church enslaved in legalism.

Legalism can take many forms...

1. Imposing extra rules of conduct.
2. Specifying the only authorized version of the English Bible.
3. Forbidding certain kinds of entertainment.
4. Keeping the Sabbath.
5. Adhering slavishly to the opinions of a certain teacher or sect.
6. Having to give a certain percentage of money at church to be deemed spiritual.
   
7. Outlawing certain musical instruments.
8. Setting down particular clothing and/or grooming requirements.
9. Embracing certain political views.
10. Demanding one method of schooling over another.

The outcome of this progression is never a spiritually mature fellowship, but a prideful fellowship. In Col 2 v18 Paul writes...

Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind...
Col 2:18 NKJV

In other words the outcome of legalism is a false sense of humility covering up what is really a puffed up mind. It might be hard to see how trying to strictly adhere to rules of conduct could bring a Christian to this place, but when we strip away the facade of the rules what we find is something that is truly stunning...

A refusal to accept God's plan for reconciliation of man to God, and instead seeking to institute our own plan for holiness and righteousness. That is, in essence, what legalism is. We are seeking to become holy apart from God.

WHAT IS THE ANSWER???

For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. Rom 8:3-5 NKJV

The answer is not in a rule, or a set of rules, or a principle. The answer is in a person - the Person of Jesus Christ.

Join us Sunday morning, March 30th, as we explore this topic of legalism.

Pastor Clay

Seeking Life Among the Dead...

If you were to seek out the most precious and expensive treasures of the world, what would you list include? The Hope Diamond? The contents of King Tut's tomb? What if I told you that the worlds most precious treasure is something that is available to every human being? Hard to believe?

It's true, the valuable treasure in the world is - you guessed it - LIFE! Life is a precious thing, without it, well, there would be no life!

But life itself goes deeper than just having a pulse. Truly having life means having a life worth living. Having meaning, purpose, peace, joy, and most of all - HOPE. There are many who live, but do not have life.

They search, they look, they try everything that comes across their path to see if it might "be the thing". Surely there must be something in this world that can bring me the life that I so desire.

There is.

Join us Easter Sunday, as we learn the true meaning of life.

Pastor Clay

Bill Hybels: "We Made a Mistake"

(If you have come for the March 13 Calvary Connection article, it's the next article down!)

This is old news, but somehow I have just ran across it...

Bill Hybels, pastor of Willow Creek Community Church, and one of the most influential men over the last 30 years (due to the number of "Willow Creek spin-offs" started in communities all over America) has come to a conclusion... "Programs do not help people grow spiritually". Really.

Now, I am not WC-basher, nor do I have the right to judge another man's work (Rom 14:4). Yet as I look at the things that come out of WC and it's spawns, it strikes me that the emphasis is always on "how can we retain our people, and grow". Fine objectives for a business. But should they be the objectives in the church? (it is interesting what Time magazine wrote about him...read here)

Apparently WC has discovered, after 30 years and millions of dollars, that their programs might grow a church, but they do not help people grow into a closer relationship with God. Programs do not help people move to true spiritual maturity.

Not to sound like a broken record, but that is exactly what Calvary Chapel has held to for the past 30 years. We believe that the Word of God, ignited by the Holy Spirit of God, is what moves people from being "spiritual babes" to "mature saints". We encourage our people to spend time each and every day with God, reading His word, conversing with Him in prayer and meditation.

My friend, new can be really cool. But new is not always 'better'. Truth, I recon, is best!

What will be the outcome of WC's revelation? Only time will tell. I do believe that the public pronouncement and the decision to change shows that WC's leadership are not shallow hucksters trying to 'make big church', but that they really do want to do what's best for the Kingdom of God, and the people of God.

I doubt Bill will ask my opinion, but in case he were to inadvertently stumble across my blog, my advice would be...

Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. 2 Tim 4:2-5 NKJV

Read the Christianity Today article here...

Pastor Clay

What's happening in your life?

Since we returned from Georgia, I have been hit full force it seems like with the reality of life here on planet USA.

First, just the hustle and bustle of life here... schedules, deadlines, events, broken pipes in the house, our dryer even had a huge "arc & spark" moment!

Two young college girls gunned down within a few days of each other. Then my friend has a book thrust upon his young innocent son by his high school english teacher (read about it here). Then we get to watch the mudslinging of American presidential politics, then seeing "Mr Clean" Elliott Spitzer's life meltdown in a very public way.

It's enough to make one want to go back to a semi-developing world where things are simpler.

But then, God didn't place me in that place. He placed me here. So, man-up, get with the program, and press on towards what God has for me... right here!

I can say this, going away then coming back, presses in a new sense of what is important in life. Let's just list them...

God
Family
Others

You know, that list applies wherever you are, in any situation, in any country, at any time. Sure, some places have more distractions than others. Big deal. Our job is to cut through the distractions, and press on towards the high call of Christ.

That even applies to our spiritual lives. In other words, we can get distracted in a spiritual sense in a way that can obscure the things that are really important in our lives. We can become so focused on spiritual matters, that we miss the fact that an entire world around us is hurting and in desperate need of Christ.

We can worry and obsess about our own needs and wants, and miss the guy sitting in the back of the church who is detoxing and needs prayer and a miraculous touch from Jesus to be delivered. Peter said to the lame man outside the temple... "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk." (Acts 3:6 NKJV)

We can get so busy making our yard look perfect for this season, and blow off a Men's Breakfast where men are coming together and bonding, building relationships (OK, that was a little promotion!).

We can come to expect entertainment from our church, and miss the fact that the purpose of the church is...

1. Evangelism: Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Matt 28:19-20 NKJV
2. Growth: And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; Eph 4:11-14 NKJV
3. Fellowship: "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers." (Acts 2:42 NKJV)

That is where our church desires to be... focused on the things that God says we should be focused on! And in doing so, we encourage the church - the congregation - all who attend - to ENGAGE in that process!

HOW???

1. Come and be a part. Sure, come to church... but be a part of something. not because we need your help, but because you will be CONNECTED to the body when you are an active participant!
2. Give. People have a misconception that "the church wants your money". Nothing could be further from the truth. The truth is this: God blesses those who give to His work. We need to learn this simple truth. Ask anyone who regularly gives. You will find that God provides all of their needs, and many of their wants. Ask anyone who does NOT give, you will find that they are always running short.
3. Grow. Our church has a veritable plethora of ways to grow: Bible teaching every Sunday and Wednesday, Men's studies, Women's studies, Foundations classes, Parenting classes... if you are not growing here, then you are not taking advantage of all that we have to offer!
   
4. Reach out. We have an Everyday Evangelism class starting in a few weeks. If you are not comfortable sharing your faith (which is not a sin!), register for the class. What better blessing can you be to others than to share the greatest news in the world with them!

So, where are you at? What is happening in your life? Are you distracted by all the 'fluff & stuff" of life? Perhaps it is time to focus in... what are my priorities? Am I investing my time and energy into those priorities? Only you can answer that question!

Till the world hears...

Pastor Clay

Back to the abnormal...

We left Tbilisi at 5:10 am, and landed in Wilmington last night at 7 pm. Back in the states. It seems surreal. Back into the orderly... smooth streets, hot showers, convenience stores on every block, tidy suburban homes, 800 channels, instant information. Did I mention hot showers? All that we have come to expect as our 'existence' in the US.

The first thing we wanted to do (aside from a hot shower...) was some American food. OK, what I mean is some ethnic food, but made in America. We go to On The Border and get fajitas... and I immediately notice how much food comes.

The culture dichotomy between the US and the Republic of Georgia is immediately noticeable. We have, well, MUCH. They have so little. What we consider normal is completely abnormal for them. When you think about it, it's pretty abnormal for most.

I think that they most noticeable thing for me is that we in the US have so much, we expect so much, that a week or so with little is a really good thing. When I am around the people in Georgia, I sense that the most important thing to them are their relationships. Family, friends, brothers and sisters in Christ, God. And whatever they have, they freely share with their guests. I just love that about the Georgian people!

Our trip was wonderful. The travel was uneventful, if long (its about 24 hours total travel each way). The DTS school had a new cadre of students, some Georgian, some Russian, some from Azerbaijan. Some of the students from our last trip there are now on staff (Jenny, Diana, Ira), and it was really cool seeing them. The teaching went really well, and we got some really nice letters and cards from the students that told us how they had been changed by the teaching of the word of God... awesome!

One of the nights was Azerbaijan night, and we got to enjoy Azerbaijan food and dance! Azer, one of the staff, is from Baku, a large city on the Caspian Sea (thats him in the too-cool garb. his wife, Anya, from Moskow, is in white). He told us about the history of Azerbaijan, how it used to be a Christian (legend has it Bartholomew brought the gospel to the country),but now is mostly Muslim. Christians are persecuted there. And yet Azer has a heart for his people and wants to see as many as possible come to Christ. I am going to stay in touch with Azer and see what God does!

We also got the chance to visit the family of Maia, one of the students. Maia lives about 1.5 hours drive from Tbilisi, in a small village. Her family was so honored that we came to visit, they put out a spread of food fit for a king. Literally, you could not see the table fro all the food! In Georgia, when guests come, you honor them with the best that you have. Her brother and wife came, cousins from the village came, it was wonderful! They are some of the sweetest people I have ever been around!

What was the highlight? There were many, but I will list two:

• Worshiping with the students. Their worship just seems... sweet, humble, heartfelt. It was beauty to be there as they opened their hearts to the Lord
• Watching their faces as the truth of God's word illuminated their hearts. I detected a sense of wonder as the word opened up the truth of God to them. Wonder of who God is. Wonder that He would know them and love them. Wonder that they are His.

Wonder is a word that I think will be on my heart for a while. I will miss the people of Georgia.

PS - If you would like to hear more about our trip, and what God is doing in Tbilisi, we will give a talking about the trip on Wednesday night, March 12th, 7 pm.

If you would like to look at some pictures from our trip, CLICK HERE.

Pastor Clay

A week in Tbilisi

Hi gang, so it's Wednesday now, and its been a few days since I could access the internet, things are not quite as 'wired' here as in the states! (I am actually sitting in my friend Dennis' apartment, tapping into his neighbors wireless connection! Works fine in this one room. If I move 10 feet, no connection. too funny!)

So our week here has been good. We started the week out with a four-session series called "The Bible - The Word of God". In these classes I taught the students where we got our bible, how it came to be in it's present form, and most importantly what our bible means to us personally. It was really cool, because most people here, even if they grew up in the orthodox church, know almost NOTHING about the bible. The church discourages them from reading the bible, and then tells them a bunch of stuff that is nowhere near biblical. You would not believe that questions. But thank the Lord that I had an opportunity to give them truth and point them to the Word of God for their information!

Today I started on our topic for the rest of this week - "Our Identitity in Christ". Again, even though the students are all Christians, they have a very limited understanding about what it means to be a Christian, and all that God has for us. We have been covering a lot of scripture!

It is so fulfilling to teach the students because they have a huge hunger for things of the Lord. They are all so teachable, with every truth becoming another amazing realization for them.

So we have two more days of classes, and then the weekend. We are scheduled to go to an orphanage on Friday night.

We love all you guys, and miss you, and look forward to seeing you soon!

Pastor Clay, Brent, Carmen, Chandler

We Made It!

Dear saints!

We made it to Tbilisi one one piece, praise the Lord! Carmen, Chandler, Brent and myself landed in Tbilisi at 4:10 am on Saturday morning (We left Thursday afternoon!) a bit tired, but not any worse for the wear!

We got checked into our quarters at the "Vasi" (the hotel-turned-into-a-school that we stay at), got a little sleep, then headed into town for some food and Turkish Coffee! After a day or so we should get our bodies re-tuned to the time difference (Tbilisi is 9 hours ahead of Wilmington).

Right now we are at Dennis's aprtment, and I am printing off my teaching for tomorrow, Carmen is checking her Facebook, Chandler is bugging me to hurry up because he wants to go back to the Vasi and sleep some more, and Brent stayed back to rest.

Tomorrow we start the DTS, and I'll be teaching the students a two day bible primer.

We love you guys, we miss you, and I'll keep posting here as the week progresses, which will be limited because they lost internet at the Vasi, so my access is restricted. VERY hard for a guy like me! Oh and did i mention that there is a 'hot water issue', which means very limited showers. I would complain but, the fact is, we in America are just spoiled! A little less showering never hurt anyone. Just ask my two boys... the'll tell ya.

Love and Peace,

Pastor Clay

I'll post some pictures on the next post.

Packed and ready...

So this is it, we are all packed and ready for our trip to Tbilisi, the Republic of Georgia. Today at 12:55 Carmen, Chandler, Brent and myself will board the plane, returning March 3rd. I really thought that I was going to have to bag the trip; several of my family came down with this terrible virus a few days ago, we've been sick as dogs for several days now. But thankfully we have some really good prayer warriors at our church, and they ave prayed us back to health! We are going to visit Dennis and Korine Holt and their kids, who oversee a Discipleship Training School in Tbilisi. Brent and i will be doing some teaching, Chandler will help with the worship, and Carmen will be there for the young ladies that attend the school. We are excited to see what God is going to do - please keep us in your prayers! I'll post some updates on the blog to let you all know how our trip is going Pastor Clay

Reaching the world around us

Simply put, as a church we need to ratchet up our outreach. And as the pastor, I am going to take the lead!

Our first step has already started; the Evangelism class that we held a few months ago has been completed and 10-20 people have come through it with a new knowledge and heart for sharing the gospel message. For those who took the class, there will be a follow up class. But more important are some things that we as a church are going to plan for the upcoming year.

This year CCW is going to organize some outreach opportunities to put what you have learned into action. Are you worried that you have never done anything like this before, or you won't know what to do? That’s OK, because the real key to outreach is SHOW UP and SPEAK UP! Maybe you are not yet comfortable sharing your faith one-on-one. Then just be a ‘support partner’, and be there to pray.

Here’s some simple things we can do right now:

First: invite someone to church. When was the last time you did? Don’t be intimidated, fact is if you love your church, so will they!

Second: When we hold an event – show up! Even if you are not yet comfortable talking, you can just go along and watch and pray. You can hand out door hangers, be a helper at one of the events – just smile and hand out coffee!

Part of the growth process is that after we come to Christ, God transforms our lives, and then we reach OUT to others. See, if we only focus on ourselves, our problems, our growth, then we are missing the great commission. We are missing a huge blessing of sharing the new life and victory that that we have through Christ with others who desperately need Him.

Bottom line – we are growing in the area of outreach, but we never want to rest on our laurels and not continue growing.

So – when the opportunity comes, SHOW UP! I guarantee you will be blessed, and you’ll do it again!


...till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay

to listen to the "Going Forward in 2008" message, CLICK HERE

Going Forward in 2008 - Prayer

Last week we finished up the book of Revelation. (here it comes, the big "so what") What does it mean to us?

It means – “Jesus is coming!” So, what are we doing??

Well, as I noted earlier, over the past few weeks I have spent time just seeking the Lord for direction and focus in the fellowship,and so starting today I am going to lay it our for you.

NOTE: We are not changing the purpose or vision of our church. The purpose of the church is clear:

Matt 28 tells us:

Matt 29:18 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you”

And Eph 4 tells us

Eph 4:11-13
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

Bottom line – our purpose as a church is to preach the gospel, baptize, teach and equip the saints for the work of the ministry. That will never change.

However within the framework of that – there some areas that I believe the Lord would like to grow us as a fellowship. This week we are going to start with… prayer.

Prayer

How much do we pray together as a church? Well, if we get honest… not enough! Every Sunday morning we have a prayer time before the first service, to pray for the service, and there are the same 2-3 people there every Sunday. Part of this is my fault – I have not put as much focus or brought it to your attention the way I could have. Well, good leadership is seeing where you are not hitting the mark, and doing something about it!

Starting this year several things are going to happen…

• Our leadership team is going to lead by example, and we are going to start meeting more regularly for prayer – for the church, our city, for the wisdom to lead the church.
• We are also going to start several prayer “cell groups” in the homes of people in the church. And we are going to strongly encourage the church to attend one of these – and I pray that they will expand greatly.
• We are also going to end our Wednesday night service a little earlier, and use the remaining time to come together fro prayer.
  

WHY? If we want to see God move in our lives, our church, our community, then we must start in prayer. Prayer is where the power of God is engaged into the things that we do for the Lord. Prayer is where we come to God and admit that whatever our situation, whatever our calling, whatever the task, WE NEED GOD!

Think about it, when we move into a situation without prayer, we are basically saying “I got it God, I’ll let you know how it turns out.” That’s a fine attitude to take… if we want to operate in our own strength. Personally, I have found that my strength works fine… to a point. But there is always a limit to how far I can take anything (IOW- I am human). Thing is, God is not limited. So if I want to operate beyond my strength, guess what, I need God. Why go on limited human power? Why not run the supernatural power of God in our lives, our ministry, our work, and watch God do incredible things!

We don’t have because we don’t ask (James 4:2) If we will only ask, Jesus promised us that He would work mighty things, if we would simple ask in faith. If we ask, God will move mountains:

Mark 11:22-24
"Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

And more so – if we will come together, and agree in faith, God will answer our prayers

Matt 18:19-20
"Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."

And I’m not talking about praying for a new Porsche. I am talking about having the power of God manifest in our lives.

• Picture yourself talking to a friend about God, and suddenly the power of God comes upon them, and they are suddenly open to the gospel.
• Picture yourself in a difficult situation, and the power of God comes upon you, giving you the direction and answers you need.
• Picture opportunities, and provision opening up in your life, things that you say “wow, where did that come from?”

It all starts – in prayer. If it starts anywhere else, then God is on the sideline.

So what you you do with this? Engage! If your prayer life has been lacking, restart it! Attend a prayer meeting, or join a prayer cell group. Come on Wednesday nights and pray with us. I'll even issue you a challenge - try it for a few weeks. Pray. Seek the Lord. And let me know what God has done, because I believe that if you pray, God will move in your life!

To listen to the message "Moving Forward in 2008", CLICK HERE

Next week... Reaching out.

Moving On

So, we have finally finished the book of Revelation! What a incredible ride it has been. It took nine months to go through this book, and I have to say that I learned more than anyone. I wonder sometimes if the Lord didn't put me into the ministry just to work on me. (We have put the entire Revelation teaching series on our web site, CLICK HERE)

Thing is, where do you go from here? After walking through the incredible things that the Lord has for us (I.E. Christians), and then it all tops of with being in heaven for, like, eternity with GOD... How do you top that?

You don't. You move on the the next book of God's word, as we systematically go through the bible. God will have awesome treasures of truth and wisdom for us!

In the interim I will be sharing some things that God has put on my heart regarding this next year. Areas that we can strengthen, and ways we can be more of a "light" to this city of Wilmington!

Stay tuned, cause I'll post the things that I share on this blog...

Pastor Clay

Stepping OUT and Stepping UP

Last night we covered Joshua chapters 4 & 5 at our midweek service, and one of the points that really hit home was the fact that Joshua was a man that not only stepped OUT, but he also stepped UP! In other words, he was not only obedient to the task that God had called him to, but he stepped up to the role that God had called him to.

An interesting thing happened right after all the men were circumcised in Joshua chapter 5. God told them "This day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you." In other words, the shame and disgrace of being slaves and being in bondage was OVER, and the Israelites were being brought into a new phase of their relationship with God – from being slaves to being FREE! Jesus spoke of this in John 8:

John 8:34 "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. 36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

Joshua and the Israelites were in a place that they not only were to obey the task God had put before them, but they were to begin seeing themselves as a people who had been delivered – who had been redeemed! They not only were to step OUT to obey God, there were to step UP to be the people God called them to be. Joshua was not only to step OUT to obey God, he was to step UP to be the leader God called him to be, to walk fully in the role that God had called him to.

And what was the key to his success? His complete submission to God! When confronted with the Commander of the Lords army, a pre-incarnate Jesus Christ, …Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, "What does my Lord say to His servant?" (Josh 5:19)

To listen to the Joshua series, CLICK HERE.

...till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay

What Makes the World Go Round...

Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God…
2 Cor 6:14-16

Last week we talked about “commercial Babylon” in the tribulation period, the system that will be the ‘mother-of-all-globally-encompassing-economic-systems’, that the Anti-Christ will utilize to enslave the world through commerce and wealth. While that might seem far-fetched, we can see the underpinnings of this system at work today. Stop and give some thought as to the messages that come to us from a thousand different sources; TV, radio, magazines, internet, newspapers… all of them telling you “you can have it all, the “American Dream”, if you only buy their product or use their service.

Truly, “money is what makes the world go round”, so to speak. That would be “this world”. Yet we are still faced with a dilemma. Certain things are needed to live in our culture, such as food, clothing, living space, transportation. Tthe dilemma that many Christians face is “where do I draw the line?” How much is “OK?” When does “it” become “too much?”

Perhaps a good indicator is this: What occupies the throne of my life? What do I dwell on? What do I yearn for? You see, if we are always thinking about the next thing (house, car, promotion, just fill in the blank), that is a good indicator that I am caught up in the trap of the world system. It indicates that I believe that some fulfillment will come from that next objective being met, or item being acquired.

The fact is – we will always act on our core beliefs. If I believe that the things of the world will fulfill me, I will act towards that end. If I believe that there is an eternity waiting for me on the other side of this physical existence, and that the things I do in the Lords Kingdom will be rewarded in that kingdom, then guess what – I will act on that belief!

It seems to me that is exactly what the book of Revelation is communicating to us. This world will pass away. Another kingdom is coming, the Kingdom of God. It’s one thing to build a life here. It takes a good, solid, dose of this thing we call faith to look past all of this and see into the eternal Kingdom of God that is coming!

Pastor Clay

Give Thanks!

Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness. Ps 107:8-9

Thanksgiving is here, a day when we eat, fellowship, sleep, and maybe watch football! But is there more to the holiday than just eating turkey?

The first Thanksgiving is taught as a "harvest festival" at Plymouth, in 1621. In this time of "religious eradication", there is a sense of trying to distance the event from any religious significance. But actually, the first thanksgiving occurred two years earlier...

Two years before the Pilgrims on December 4, 1619, a group of 38 English settlers arrived at Berkeley Plantation in what is now Charles City, Virginia. The group's charter required that the day of arrival be observed yearly as a day of thanksgiving to God.

Captain John Woodleaf held the service of thanksgiving. Here is the section of the Charter of Berkeley Plantation which specifies the thanksgiving service:

"We ordaine that the day of our ships arrival at the place assigned for plantacon in the land of Virginia shall be yearly and perpetually kept holy as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty god."

Now, I feel we should be careful that we don't become possessive and 'stake our claim' on the day, as the bible teaches us "One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind."

And yet we as Christians can make the day a day that we observe "to the Lord" (He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord Rom 14:5-6 NKJV).

We can take this day that the Lord has given us, a day when we take off from work, invite family and friends over, and fellowship over food, and truly "give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness"

Let the Lord satisfy your longing soul, and fill your soul with goodness!

May the Lord bless you all, and "Happy Thanksgiving... in the Lord!"

Pastor Clay

"The Golden Compass is skillfully designed to get kids lost."

The following note came across my email, it originated from Pastor Bob Botsford of Horizon Christian Fellowship:

In our four services this past weekend I referenced the release of an upcoming movie starring Nichole Kidman coming out this December called, "The Golden Compass."

The movie is designed to introduce children to an "anti-Narnia" trilogy of books written by Phillip Pullman in which God is killed. Pullman is a secular humanist and proclaimed atheist whose works recently were accurately described by ABC news as, "atheism for kids." Clearly, Pullman's motivation is to attack the symbolism of Christ that is beautifully portrayed in the Chronicles of Narnia series written by C.S. Lewis.

Pullman has publicly stated that he wants to "kill God in the minds of children". And it has been said of Pullman that he is "the writer the atheists would be praying for, if atheists prayed."

To some "The Golden Compass" movie itself will seem mild and innocent, and they will draw the conclusion that I and the Christian community have once again over-reacted. However, the books upon which the movie is based portray a much darker story than meets the eye. The plot thickens over time resulting in a "frog in the kettle" reading experience that is meant to draw your young readers in unsuspectingly. There are characters in the book series that blatantly describe Christianity as "a very powerful and convincing mistake." In fact, in the final book, characters representing Adam and Eve eventually kill God, who at times is called YAHWEH. Each book in the trilogy progressively becomes more wicked, graphic and bold.

I have received many phone calls of concern, articles and emails, and I believe based on the information I have received that this could possibly be the most dangerous film, to date, ever made for children. At its core, The Golden Compass is about killing God and is skillfully designed to get kids spiritually off course and ultimately leave them lost! I believe we have a "golden" opportunity to stand up in opposition to this assault aimed directly at the heart of our faith and the heart of our families.

Humbly, with the heart of a shepherd, my aim simply is to warn the flock of pending danger and advise that we steer clear of grazing in this patch of poisoned grass.

May God bless you as you raise your families and build your homes upon the Truth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the Glory Forever,

In the Power of His Love,

Pastor Bob Botsford
Horizon Christian Fellowship
Rancho Santa Fe, CA

Grace that changes

The topic of GRACE seems to be coming up quite often in the last several weeks! Perhaps God is weaving it in for a purpose… as I find that He often does!

The topic of grace is so vast – 1 Peter 4:10 speaks of the manifold (or multi-faceted) grace of God in our lives. It can cover almost any area, in any situation.

On the basics of it, we all know that grace is a foundation of our salvation, as Romans 3 tells us:

…But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, Rom 3:21-24

And later on in Romans 5, we see that we have grace as something that we have access to in which to stand:

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand Rom 5:1-2

And yet, there are times when certain aspects of grace seem to come through in our lives. For me recently, it has been the grace of God that manifests through His love for us, and our love for one another:

But as you abound in everything -- in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us -- see that you abound in this grace also 2 Cor 8:7

To me when we see the bible as a ‘rule book’ and God as the ‘rule keeper’ we miss something that God has for us – RELATIONSHIP. When we begin to really understand the love and grace that God has for us and towards us, something happens.

• We stop looking at our Christian walk and wondering “how much can I get away with before God gets angry and punishes me”, and we start to see how beautiful life is when we are at peace with God and each other.
• We begin to experience fellowship with God based on His love for us, not our performance for Him.
• And that fellowship begins to seep into our other relationships, in that we begin to have fellowship with others based on our genuine love for them, not their performance.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen 2 Cor 13:14

...till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay