This Friday finds my wife and the ladies back from the Pastors Wives Conference that they attended this week. Praise God for safe travel, and a time of refreshing for them! I know that when I pull away for a few days at a conference, that I am refreshed and encouraged in the Lord.

Unfortunately we cannot always hop in the car and take off for a conference! But we CAN pull away to a place of quiet, and just be with the Lord. To be honest, this can be hard to do… there is always more to do than there is time to do it.

But I find that when I do pull away and just be with the Lord, that the time that is left is somehow becomes more productive. That somehow I am more relaxed, more focused, more able to do the things that I need to do!

I want to encourage you all – take a few minutes each day… read the Word, pray, allow God to speak to you in the inner chambers of your heart. You’ll be glad you did!

You have put gladness in my heart, More than in the season that their grain and wine increased. I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.
Ps 4:7-8 NKJV

Where Can We Turn?

Have you read or seen the news lately? It seems as though every week that goes by, some horrific deed is reported, or some terrible corruption is exposed. This past week is no exception, with the shooting deaths of 32 people at VA Tech, including the assailant who took his own life.

There is contention and strife everywhere we turn, from the top levels of our government to the people we meet in the street. There are deep concerns worldwide over terrorism, nuclear proliferation, disease, and environmental decay. Even the church is not immune, from pastors admitting homosexual affairs, to pastor's wives shooting their husbands!

Where can we turn for answers in this difficult time that we live in? I give you the Word of God...

...if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (2 Chron 7:14)

If there has ever been a time in our country's history that prayer is needed, that time is now! God promises in His word that if WE, His people, will humble ourselves and pray and SEEK HIM - HE will hear! HE will forgive! HE will HEAL!

Won't you join us as we join together in prayer during the upcoming National Day of Prayer, Thursday May 3rd, 2007.

Our church will be coming together individually and in groups to pray during the day. We are asking people to sign-up to take a 'prayer slot" of one hour, and our goal is to have the equivalent of 24 hours of prayer for that day (not consecutive hours, but 24 hours total!)

You can click below to obtain more information, or come by the Info Desk during any service! I look forward to what the Lord will do on this day!


...till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay

As we have finished up the book of 1 John, I think it would be good to go back and revisit the theme: Fellowship... or as the Greek puts it, koinonia.

The idea of fellowship is one of the key aspects of our Christian life. The ancient Greek word koinonia speaks of a sharing, a communion, a common bond of life. It speaks of a living, breathing, sharing, loving relationship with another person. It is the kind of the kind of relationship that most people long for. What a cool thing that it is the kind of relationship we can experience among Christians. But even greater, it is the kind relationship that the Christian can experience with God on a daily basis.

It still moves me deeply to think that we – mere humans – could experience a fellowship relationship with the God of the universe. And even more so, it is not something that we earn, or work our way up to, or achieve once we reach a certain level of ‘holiness’. None of these things can bring us into fellowship with God... no ... once we believed... it became available to us.

The question for us is this: Am I nurturing my relationship with God? Am I spending time with Him just as I would desire to spend time with a person whom I loved deeply?

Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works! Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD! Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face evermore! 1 Chron 16:8-11

I pray that this week, that as we reflect on what we have been taught through God’s word over the past several months, we will pursue God will a determined heart, that we will seek His face evermore!

“...that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ 1 John 1:3

Till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay

Prayer - Do we believe?

The Lord has brought the subject of prayer to our church family mind quite a bit lately. From Pastor David’s School of Prayer, the Andrew Murray “God’s Best Secret” prayer devotional, our study last week of 1 John 5:14-15, and finally our study last night on Deuteronomy 9. Do you get the idea God sending us a message? I do!

I believe God is challenging us – all of us – to join Him in what He wants to do in and through this church body. I Believe God has great things planned for us, to be a light in the community, to reach people for Christ, but even more specifically and personal – to change lives and set people free!

And the fact is, we cannot do this on our own power. It is too great for us. It is a task too large. Just like when Moses told the Israelites “You are to cross over the Jordan today, and go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourself, cities great and fortified up to heaven” (Deut 9:1), we are being told to go and do things that are mightier and greater than what we can accomplish on our own.

God is putting several things in our path this year

• Expanding into the space next door
• Opening a coffee shop in that space
• Holding outreaches in the city
• Starting a recovery ministry
• Planting a church in the republic of Georgia
• Sending a team to India to minister

All of this is simply too much for us to do in our own strength, but not God’s!

For who is God, except the LORD?
And who is a rock, except our God?
It is God who arms me with strength,
And makes my way perfect.
He makes my feet like the feet of deer,
And sets me on my high places.
Ps 18:31-33

So we as individuals and as a church must press in, and lift up our prayers to the Lord, that He might arm us with strength, and go before us and prepare the path that He has set.

Mark 11:22 "Have faith in God. 23 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.

Pastor Clay

Whispers in the Wind

Today my son Chandler handed me a poem that he wrote in his class at church a few months ago - i thought it deserved publishing!


Whispers in the Wind
Oh God, how powerful you are,
You make the sun and moon shine;
Oh God, how wonderful you are,
You keep the world on its axis;
Oh Jesus You are so merciful,
You forgive me every time I sin;
Oh God, Your voice whispers in the wind.

So thats it - Chandler Ritters first poem about His God... I cant wait to see what comes next!

The Rise of Islam

On Sunday I shared at great length my take on many of the world events that are taking place, specifically zeroing in on the rise in Islamic adherence to Jihad. There are many that believe that the Islamic faith is a peaceful faith, and that we should respect it as so. As well many people would claim that terrible things have been done “In the name of God” by Christians, specifically the Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, etc.

I suppose the only problem I have with this line of thought is this: These events were done by “presumed Christians”, and in my opinion the things that were done were in direct opposition to what the bible teaches. In other words, if those people had truly followed the teachings of Jesus, or even the commandments of how God told the Israelites to live, those things would NOT have been done.

Jesus commands us to “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, (Matt 5:44)

This is not the case with Islam. While true the Christian objective is to win the world to Christ, the bible NEVER tells us to do so by the sword, or to kill those who refuse to convert. Quite simply, the Koran does.

So it is my opinion that the rise in Islamic Jihad is not an anomaly to Islam, or an “extreme offshoot”, it is to Islam what true evangelical Christians are to the church. They are simply following their ‘bible’.

Christians can live in peace with Muslims (as evidenced by the fact that they thrive here in the US – the worst they might encounter is some racial stereotyping, which is illegal by our laws), but the same is not true with Christians who live in a Muslim country – you might want to have an exit strategy!

This is not a slam against Muslim people – God loves ALL THE WORLD, even those who hate Jews and Christians. John 3:16 is for everyone! And this is the answer to all the problems and violence and hate – Jesus Christ!

Related topic -The Fall of a Leader

So ted Haggard has fallen. His family is devastated, his church family are devastated as well. I cannot imagine what his world must be like right now.

Fact is, he sinned, and his sin was exposed. As difficult as it may be for him personally, his family, and his fellowship, it is always for good for darkness to be brought into the light. Paul wrote:

For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says:

"Awake, you who sleep,
Arise from the dead,
And Christ will give you light."
Eph 5:12-14

Chuck Missler wrote an excellent article - which i will share with you below (sorry - i could not find a link on his site www.khouse.org). What are your thoughts on this event??

pc
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TED HAGGARD AND THE IMPORTANCE OF ACCOUNTABILITY - (Print)

Ted Haggard admitted to "sexual immorality" this week - without going into detail - and has been removed from his position as president of the National Association of Evangelicals and as pastor of New Life Church in Colorado Springs. The news of his relationship with a homosexual male has shocked and deeply saddened the evangelical community in America, and - like David with Bathsheba - "hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme (2 Samuel 12:14)."

Haggard wrote a letter to his congregation, apologizing for his actions and accepting all responsibility for what he had done. He said,

…There is a part of my life that is so repulsive and dark that I have been warring against it all of my adult life. For extended periods of time, I would enjoy victory and rejoice in freedom. Then, from time to time, the dirt that I thought was gone would resurface, and I would find myself thinking thoughts and experiencing desires that were contrary to everything I believe and teach.

Through the years, I’ve sought assistance in a variety of ways, with none of them proving to be effective in me. Then, because of pride, I began deceiving those I love the most because I didn’t want to hurt or disappoint them.

The public person I was wasn’t a lie; it was just incomplete. When I stopped communicating about my problems, the darkness increased and finally dominated me. As a result, I did things that were contrary to everything I believe.

He did not make excuses. He did not say, "Oh, my behavior wasn't so bad." He recognized the depth of his sin and failure, and willingly agreed to step down from his positions of leadership.

Aside from his apology, however, Haggard said something in his letter that every church leader in the country, and indeed every Christian, should take note of. He said, "when I stopped communicating about my problems." In other words, when he stopped being honest, when he stopped making sure he stayed accountable to somebody, that's when he lost the fight and slid into the pit.

James 5:16 says, "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

Ted Haggard was a major Christian leader in America, a public figure, and a spokesperson for the evangelical community. Not only did his position require great responsibility, it also required great protection. The Enemy of our souls knows how to exploit our weaknesses to his advantage, and we as Christians, and especially Christian leaders, must have people praying for and with us constantly in order to defeat the efforts of that Enemy.

Every single one of us has an area of vulnerability through which we can easily be tempted to sin. We may struggle with anger, or laziness, lust, or pride. We all have our Achilles heel, our thorn in the flesh that keeps us humble and aware of our need to totally depend on Christ. But, if we do not communicate with one another about the areas where we struggle the hardest, then we won't get the prayer and assistance we need.

Christian leaders are not more holy and immune to temptation than the common Christian man or woman in the pew. This is a reminder that all of us need to pray for our pastors on a regular basis, and for any Christian leader in our lives. We need to keep careful watch of ourselves and make sure that we have trusted, mature Christian brothers or sisters (men should meet with men, women with women) with whom we regularly gather to share our struggles with temptation and the areas in which we need prayer. We need to pray with our spouses on a regular basis, and remain transparent. As the body of Christ, we must take care of one another - we need each other (1 Cor 12:12-27).

Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. - Gal 6:1-2

Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. Follow peace with all [men], and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; - Hebrews 12:12-15a

But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. - Hebrews 3:13

The news of Ted Haggard's sin grieves the Christian community, but it also serves as an important reminder; Christ alone is holy, and only he gave us a perfect example. Christianity depends on faith in Jesus Christ, not in evangelical leaders. Christ is the solid rock on which we stand, and we can have confidence in Him alone.

The Compelling Motivation

Perhaps one of the most difficult things that we deal with as Christians is the battle between our flesh and it’s desire to sin, and the command(s) that we have from God that tell us not to sin. We all want to do right, to live righteously. We start out on the right track. But over time many experience weariness in doing good. The constant temptations from the world wear them down. They find themselves giving in to sin. A cycle starts of giving in to sin, feeling terrible, repenting and doing good for a while, but then falling back into the same sin again.

In the current epistle of 1 John, we have several verses that tell us:

My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. 1 John 2:1

Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. 1 John 3:9

We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; 1 John 5:18

Paul echoes this truth:

Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; 1 Cor 15:34

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, Eph 4:1

...that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; Col 1:9-10

...that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory. 1 Thess 2:12

This doctrine originates in God’s commandment to the Israelites in the desert:

And you shall be holy to Me, for I the LORD am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine. Lev 20:26

Taking the word of God as a whole, we easily come to the conclusion that there is a clear expectation that the true believer in Jesus Christ would seek to live a life free from sin. That we Christians should not allow sin to be a part of our life. We should not knowingly sin.

But – ‘knowingly sin’ is exactly what we do. I would have to say that 95% of the sin that I have committed as a Christian was done with the full knowledge that I was sinning (no doubt all of it many years ago!!! ha ha!). I can rationalize it to others, but deep in my heart I know that I chose to sin before I actually sinned! It was willing participation.

Certainly there is the 5% of the time where we do or say something, and in the moment, we do not realize on a conscious level that it is sin. But I am not addressing that here.

I am talking about that moment in time when you are about to make a decision whether to lie, or take something that is not yours, or indulge in some sinful pleasure. That moment in time that you are at the crossroads of making a decision.

Have you ever thought about this: What is it that makes the difference between choosing the sin, or choosing to not sin? What will make us choose life?

From what I can see of human motivation, there are a number of reasons that people choose to not sin. Here are a few of note:

1) Sometimes it is fear of getting caught. We weigh the likelihood of our sin being discovered, determine it is likely we could be exposed, and we choose to refrain. We don’t want anyone to see that we are sinful. We might lose our position among our Christian peers, or a ministry role. Protection of our “good reputation” important to us. There is also the “God is watching” factor!

2) Sometimes it is fear of the consequences. This is similar, but more of focus on “not wanting to pay the price”. Sort of like an alcoholic who wants to drink, but knows that every time he does he ends up getting arrested of wrecking his car, etc.

3) Sometimes it is an adherence to the law. We know that the law of God says it is wrong, so out of respect and duty, we make the right choice. We do it because “we are supposed to”.

All of us have probably made choices based on one of these reasons a time or two. And, truth be told, they all work – for a while. But after a while, the temptations of the world and its pleasures win out. Or we end up alone where no one will find out. Or we rationalize that “doing it just once wont be that bad.”

What these reasons really lack is a compelling motivation to continue in our walk with the Lord for a lifetime. And John hits dead center of this compelling motivation with his statement “...and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3). I believe that only a fellowship relationship with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ will compel us to walk in his ways for a lifetime, not just for a while.

To give you an illustration: If I were given an opportunity to have an extramarital affair, what would cause me to choose to say no? I could use one of the three reasons I listed above. But in honesty, given the right time or situation, each of those reasons has a flaw.
That flaw is this: The fundamental principle that supports the reason centers around ME and my standing, or my duty. This gives me the option that if I decide to allow my standing or position or duty to be altered, I can change the logic.

So let’s explore a fourth reason:

1) I have a relationship with my wife, and this relationship is extremely valuable to me. I would not want to jeopardize that relationship in any way. I would not want to do anything that would negatively affect my relationship with my wife.

2) I love my wife. I know that an extramarital affair would hurt her deeply, and because I love her, I would not want to hurt her in any way.

3) Because I love my wife deeply, I have no desire to be with any other women.

BOTTOM LINE: My love and relationship with my wife, and her position in my life, are infinitely more important to me than a few hours of pleasure with another person.

Now if we were talking about marital relationships, I could go much deeper into my reasons, but lets think in terms of our fellowship relationship with God, and how sin affects that relationship.

1) Sin, especially continued, unrepentant sin, breaks our fellowship with God. He does not change or go away, we do. It causes us to pull away from God.

QUESTION: How important is my fellowship relationship with God? Is it important enough that when I am tempted to sin, that I will choose righteousness because I don’t want to quench the Spirit of God, and impede my relationship with Him?

2) Sin grieves the Spirit of God. Eph 4:30 tells us “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Its not that God is hurt BY us, but He grieves FOR US. He knows the wages of sin; He knows the repercussions that will come as a result of sin.

QUESTION: Am I sensitive to the fact that the Spirit of God dwells in me (1 Cor 3:16)? Do I understand that what I look upon, partake in, speak; even think in my mind, I am also exposing the Spirit of God to?

3) God loves us more than we can ever imagine. We say it all the time, but I think that we do not even scratch the surface in realizing the extent of His love for us. And even what we do know is supernatural impartation. Paul prayed for his fellow Christians: “that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height -- to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Eph 3:17-19

QUESTION: Is His love for me foremost in my mind? Do I consider the price which He paid to have the relationship we have? Have I responded to His love by opening my heart to Him? Do I value my love relationship with God more than I value a brief moment of pleasure, or gain?

BOTTOM LINE: I believe that if we see our relationship as one guided by our membership in a church, or being a part of a group, or following the law, then we will be one of those who grow weary of doing good, tossed about through life.

But if we realize, as Paul prayed for the Ephesians, the depth and height of God’s love for us, and if we open our hearts to a fellowship relationship with Him, we can experience the compelling motivation to live for God. A motivation that does not dim with time. That we might be filled with all the fullness of God!

comments??

Pastor Clay

The Chance of a Lifetime

As I sit in my office and pray and contemplate our communion service tonight, there are two things that are on my heart. Both of them deal with areas that I believe the Lord wants to strengthen in our fellowship. The two are...

FELLOWSHIP & OUTREACH

While these may seem like two different thoughts, I feel that in the context of the church, and especially here at ccw, they are inextricably linked. If you will...

In 1 John (which we are studying) John begins to explain that part of the reason that he is declaring Jesus Christ to his readers, is

"that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ" (1 John 1:3), and further

"If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 1:6-7)

IOW - John is making a connection between our fellowship with God (I.E. being a true Christian), and our fellowship with one another. Going so far to say that when we walk in the light, allowing every area of our lives to be exposed and penetrated by Him (His Spirit, His word, His very presence in our lives) - WE HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH ONE ANOTHER.

As a result of our relationship with Christ, who dwells in the heart of the believer in Spirit form, we have with each other what Paul calls "the fellowship of the Spirit" (Phil 2). There is a deepness, a richness, an openness, in the relationship between believers that spans any known human relationship. We can go deeper because we have the commonality of the Spirit of God in us, that allows us to relate in a way that mere humans cannot comprehend.

This relationship should be present in a supernatural way in a body of believers. I cannot list them all here - but do a search of the New Testament on the words "one another" - 89 instances, of which about 70 are pointed directly at how we interact with one another - encouraging us to to love, be kind, compassionate, etc etc. Where else could you find a group of people that will love you, be kind to you, be compassionate, pray for you, cry with you, help you up when you have fallen? WHERE? Nowhere - but in the family of God. What a blessing we have to be given such a gift from God - to be able to have relations with others and not having to worry "what do they want from me" or "when will they hurt me".

Yet our fellowship is not only for ourselves, it is a billboard to the world. I can think of no greater way to show the world the love of Christ than in how we fellowship with one another. Jesus said in John 13:35 "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

This is where I see fellowship connecting with outreach - What does the world see when it looks into the church? What does the world see when it looks into yours and my life? If all people see is a group that calls themselves "Christians", but they act just like everyone else... well who needs it? It would seem like hypocrisy with a bunch of rules to boot!

But if they see lives being lived as God intended, and people in fellowship in the Lord - it is like a people magnet. People want real, loving relationships. They don't always admit it.. but they do.

But I also believe it is not enough just to be passive... we need to go OUT and CONNECT. We need to GO. When Jesus said:

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

... there is a going - and a teaching. If we look at Jesus life, He was always going somewhere. Led by the Spirit of God, and meeting people - right where they were. Even going into the houses of the sinners, to share the truth of who God is, and how much God loved them.

Right now many in our fellowship are going through a "school of prayer" study by Andrew Murray. Let us be fervent in our prayers "Lord, where would you have us to go? Who would you have us to meet? What would you have us to say?"

I believe the Lord will answer this prayer - and we will have the chance of a lifetime to change to lives of the people in this town - forever!

Bottom line?

• There are several opportunities coming up where we will have the chance to be together and build fellowship. Let's take advantage of them!
• As God guides, we will be moving forward in outreach in several areas. Be a part - allow God to work through you as we reach out to the community - connecting with those who are lost and need Christ.
  

AMEN!

first post!

hi - welcome to the calvary of wilmington blog! feel free to pontificate about all things calvary of wilmington.

we are a non-denominational church in wilmington nc - we love God, teach the bible verse-by-verse, and love people!

pastor clay

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:

Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man's all. For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, whether good or evil.
Eccl 12:13-14