Me vs. the Bible

Me vs. the Bible

Each day, every day, there is an ongoing battle inside of me. Though the majority of it is unseen, the effects of it are demonstrated across the spectrum of subtle to visceral. 

I am speaking about the battle for my mind. 

Every day there is a consistent deluge of thoughts that originate with me and enticements to let in ones that did not. Depending on what I heed and dwell upon dictates not only my spiritual well-being but also the utilization of the day for the glory of Christ. I can go from being a tool of holiness and hoping to be "a tool" as the cool kids say (or do they? I am old and not hip).

While this may sound dire, exhausting, and dreary to contemplate, the glorious reality is that God has not left me (or you) powerless with such a daunting situation.  

He has given us all we need in Christ with the clarity about that in His Word. 

Each of us can (and should) avail ourselves to the Word to ground and guide our thoughts.

That seems so cliche but consider the difference it makes when we train ourselves to anchor our motives, emotions, thoughts, and choices to the Word.

Choosing the Word grants us the peaceful and beautiful outlook God has shared with us about eternity. This provides clarity, freedom, and enjoyment due to seeing matters from a truthful perspective about us, others, and God. It unlocks the wisdom that teaches us that holiness is actually filled with hope rather than dread, drudgery, or dislike. 

Choosing anything else strands me on the island of self and secularism. My own flesh desires to fulfill its longings which are rooted in sinfulness and selfishness. 

My flesh is also shaped by the secular world I live in each day. The term secular refers to that which is temporally motivated, desirable to our sin nature, and unwilling to bow to God's authority. It redefines terms and values God has given us to make them more palatable or easily weaponized (think a wrong definition of love, gentleness, truth, priorities, sex, etc.)

Maybe a few examples will help us rethink the "Me vs. the Bible" dynamic in my mind:

1. Approaching the Word- My mind must be trained to approach it as absolute truth from God that is vital, even if it does not give me "the feels". I must reject a secular idea that says to approach the Bible with a "what's in it for me" consumerism that meets my wants and needs. 

2. Prayer- My mind must be trained to embrace prayer as a vital, life-giving conversation with God, guided by His truth to melt my will. I must reject the secular idea that prayer is either non-essential or focused on me telling God all the ills of my life exclusively.  

3. Relationships- My mind must be trained to reject the fear of man, seeing others as objects, or viewing myself as superior to them but relish my acceptance in Christ, the value of others due to the imago dei, and my opportunity to be God's holy instrument in their lives. 

4. Church- My mind must be trained to choose to love Jesus' Church because He does...period. I must say no to secular influences that tell me that I go to church for the music, the pastor's personality, a certain relationship, a particular program, an emphasis, a tradition, etc. Such ungodly ideas rob us of the beauty of the Body and create division through discontentment.  

5. Family- My mind must be trained to see them as eternal souls stewarded into my sphere of influence for the glory of Christ and the Gospel's furtherance. I must reject the idea that it is ok to be spiritually passive or to promote what my context may consider normal or even essential (promotions at work for more money in lieu of my family's spiritual well-being, sports, or other activities that will take our kids out of the assembly, etc.).

6. Hurt- My mind must be anchored by God's Word to filter the hurt through the understanding that sin has wrecked everyone and everything. I must also agree with what God has said about handling the hurt, the one who hurt me, and how He expects to utilize this moment in the future to help others. I must reject the idea that hurt entitles me to push away others, seek to escape my circumstances at all costs, refuse to open myself up again with God's love or hold onto sinful outlooks towards those who hurt me. 

On we could go but I hope you see some of what I am attempting to demonstrate; it is far too easy to have secular/unbiblical thinking creep into our everyday lives that then manifest itself through decisions that will impact us for weeks, months, and years to come.  

An overly simplistic approach is to evaluate your thoughts and motives (then choices) with this simple question, "What verse, in context, speaks to this?"; this helps bring us back to the Bible. 

I need this and I imagine you do as well as we are far too prone to know about the Bible and have familiarity with "churchy" stuff but not submit ourselves to its life-changing truth.

Most importantly, this process pushes me back to the WORD Himself and allows me to enjoy His riches as His child and servant.  

In the battle for our minds, let us do our part in giving King Jesus His rightful throne. 

Serving together,

Pastor Paul Norton

The Greatest Gift You Can Give Your Family...

The Greatest Gift You Can Give Your Family...
 

As I write this, I am somewhat mostly done with my Xmas shopping. While I love giving gifts, there is an inherent difficulty that comes with it due to the fact we live in a, "bigger, better, best" climate but also the incredible amount of opulence each of us enjoys as Christians in America. 

It is a tough balance sometimes remembering that I do not need to "top" anything, spend more money to communicate love and value, or give someone exactly what they might want. 

I desire to give gifts but not in a manner that does implicit or explicit spiritual harm to those I give the gifts to; I must consider my heavenly Father's example to guide me.

Our God is a giver of opulent gifts. His gifts promote virtue, spiritual well-being, relational enjoyment, contentment, and a holy outlook. He is not motivated in a curmudgeonly, insecure, egotistical, or haphazard manner. Therefore, what gifts He gives and the directions He gives in how to handle those gifts will always be best. This is an important point for us to remember as dependent creatures; we need to recognize, then embrace what He has given, and then subscribe to how He has instructed us to enjoy what He has given.

While there are so many gifts I could highlight in this article (physical life, sustainment in life, the possibility of salvation, the ability to tell others of Him, etc.), I want to encourage us towards just one gift to embrace, be helped by, and enjoy. This gift radically alters us and then becomes the conduit through which our family, church, and community are blessed in the greatest manner possible.

WHEW...this better be some gift! I am talking red bow on the luxury car level!

What is it? Seeking the Lord. Now, before the Price is Right "I just lost" sound plays in your head, please give me a few moments to extrapolate this idea. 

Apart from this daily, intentional endeavor, name one gift from God that will be fully realized or enjoyed without choosing to seek Him.

Just a few minutes of thought confirm this understanding but also consider the reality expressed in the Scriptures. We are told to love Jesus before anyone else (even making our concern for others considered hate in hyperbole). We are told to love God with our whole being. We are told to seek His kingdom and righteousness as the framework for every part of our daily existence. In short, we are to have this hunger for an intimate, real relationship with God and pursue what He promotes as the driving force of our day; this then becomes the tree stalk from which all the other branches flow. 

Will you enjoy your fellowship with God and all that Christ has shared with you apart from this? No. Can you be the spouse you are enabled and called to be apart from this? No. Will you further the Gospel in your relationships and through your church without this as a daily part of your existence? No.

You may not have an AWFUL day but you did not experience the day God intended with Him and others.

Seeking the Lord is as irreplaceable and essential as the blood pumping through your veins.  

As a friend, please allow me to ask you- how is your "seeking the Lord" going? How did it go today? I am not asking if you know about the Bible. I am not asking what conference you have gone to, what ministry you have served in, what title you have held, what relationships you steward, what others think about you, or what you have accomplished in the past. I am asking about your pursuit of the Lord today and your promotion of His agenda through your life today. 

A pastor friend recently said this to me, "I continue to find that my day is won or lost before I ever have left my house." His elaboration on that revealed he was speaking of his personal time with the Lord in the Word and prayer. That seeking (and the submission that comes from it) flowed into his household interactions, then the church staff, the church appointments, and the community interactions.

Given that each of us has God's Word and the Holy Spirit, how many times this week have you sought the Lord through meaningful communion?

I would submit to each of us that the greatest gift we can give those in our family, church, workplace, and community isn't a "better you" but a "seeking" you. 
 

Your Friend,

Pastor Paul

The Realities of Biblical Accountability

Sin is a reality in every Christian’s life. John warns believers if we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. He goes on to say, “If we say that we have not sinned, we make God a liar, and His word is not in us (1 John 1:8,10). Now if we are honest, we have to admit that the battle against sin is daily and that at times the burden’s that we carry seem unbearable.  

Why do we participate in Church Discipline? 

Why do we require new members to meet and participate in a membership class?

Why do we regularly partake in the Lord’s Table?

Essentially, why do we participate in spiritual accountability? 

Simply, Christ commands his followers to seek each other’s spiritual best through personal holiness. This is not a top-down only approach that just involves the pastors/elders but instead, this is a side-by-side approach in which every believer is fully invested in the spiritual betterment of each other. At Faith, we desire the purity of the church by the admonishment of personal holiness which begins on an individual level. Spiritual accountability encourages, exhorts, admonishes, and corrects. 

Whether you crave spirituality accountability, or not… 

Whether you see the need for it, or not…

Scripture commands us to actively participate in the spiritual lives of our churches as commanded in Galatians 6. Being fully enabled by the same Holy Spirit of Galatians 5, Paul turns his attention from the fruits of the Spirit in chapter five to the evidences of the Spirit. Practically, what does it look like to “walk by the Spirit” (5:16), to be “led by the Spirit” (5:18), and to “live by the Spirit” (5:25)? Paul argues that our life in the Spirit should lead us to live out our faith in biblical community. Ultimately, you and I are responsible for the spiritual health of others within our local church. Paul squarely puts the responsibility of spiritual betterment on the individuals found within Christ’s church. (Gal. 6)

• If a brother or sister is addicted to something, one should seek to help.

• If someone is working an excessive amount of time and neglecting their family, one should come alongside him to encourage him/her.

• If a man is involved in a relationship that is “shady,” then one should confront him gently.

• If a sister has missed corporate worship for a month, then at the very least they should receive a phone call.

• If a sister lacks spiritual life, one should take her out for coffee.

• If a brother seems to have a rough time in his marriage or his relationship with his children, one should come alongside him.

Perhaps you have never taken steps toward spiritual accountability. Here are some practical ideas in which you can strive towards the help and hope that is found in Christ as provided through the local church.

Taking Steps in Active Spiritual Accountability 

1. Choose someone in our local body that you desire to have deeper spiritual accountability with.

2. Advance trust with this individual by opening up with him regarding your personal struggles.

3. Start a “Personal Accountability Note”

   1. Strengths

   2. Weaknesses

   3. Where you need to grow.

4. Reach out to that individual on a bi-weekly basis. (at least)

5. Seek to spend personal time growing together in Christ-likeness

   1. Read the same Bible Study Plan

   2. Go through a devotional book

   3. Study a biblical topic that interests you (Mormonsim, Anxiety, Pride, Evolution vs Creation)

6. Have a meal with them once a month

7. Pray for them regularly

8. Check in with them during “crisis moments.”

9. Actively engage when any spiritual change happens. (positive or negative).

10. Be Teachable