A Watchful Eye

Had a great time with the Lord this morning as I continued reading in 1 Corinthians. The passage I was reading was dealing directly with the Lord’s Supper, but I believe the principles being written about here are applicable to any situation as brothers and sisters in the Lord. Check this out:

Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. (1 Corinthians 11:27-32 ESV)

As I read these things about examining ourselves I was reminded that maybe taking the time during the celebration of the Lord’s Supper to examine is rushed and not enough weight being given to it. Do we take the time to really do this? Especially in light of how the Lord feels about how we should approach his table. The Bread. The Cup. Read and understand that there is much caution in taking the Lord’s Supper. I know for me, often I can find myself simply viewing that as another part of the Sunday morning plan...rather than a time to truly reflect, confess, examine and cast a watchful eye on the motives and actions of my heart.

But it wasn’t just with the Lord’s Supper that these things are true. As I read this, I was convicted that there are so many things that I do....(Plan services, have coffee with people from our church, lead a small group, talk on the phone with people, write music, develop people in my department here at Harvest) where I need to make sure that I’m keeping a watchful eyes on my heart and examining the motives of why I do what I do, when and how I do it and with whom. Is it for my glory? My advancement? Or for the glory of Christ and the advancement of His Gospel. Think about those things today. Examine yourselves and ask the right questions about your heart before a Holy God. Have a great day!

Groove

Here are my two boys getting their groove on. "J" loves to shake his "booty" to this song.

The Upper Room Night Of Worship

We had such a wonderful time of worship last night at our church. Our goal in planning the Upper Room Night Of Worship (URNOW) was to really take people there. What happened there....what did Jesus do....what did He say...?
It was such a joy to see people really engaging with the truths of what took place there. The main focuses of the night were HUMILITY and COMMUNION. Both themes were explained greatly by our Senior Pastor, Ken Gentzler. I think the teaching really helped us understand more fully what was going on in the upper room and the significance of it all. During the time when we were teaching on humility, I had the extreme privilege to wash the feet of the band and praise team. What a humbling time for me and for them I’m sure. I have never had that opportunity before at this church to do that with people and it was a rich time serving them in that way...not only as an object lesson for the night but also just to come before them and tell each person that I loved them and embrace them. What an awesome moment for me personally. Great songs and then a great time of prayer. We challenged people to go and find someone they didn’t know and pray for them thus forcing them to step out of their comfort zone and serve the other person by praying for them and their needs. There was a “prayer buzz” all over the room. It was so fun to watch. We then had teaching and took communion together which was awesome to do near the end of the night. I sensed that people really had a chance to prepare their hearts for taking the elements of the bread and the cup. Wonderful time of reflection. All in all, God was lifted high and glorified last night. I pray that from now until Sunday, He continues challenging us with the realities of the cross. Can’t wait till tomorrow night when we show The Passion Of The Christ and then on Sunday morning when we have an all out celebration of the Risen Christ!

It’s a good day today. Getting a lot done at work and had some great meetings with some people from church. My family and I are getting ready to leave for a couple days and spend them with my sister and brother down in Indiana. Pray for safe travel. I’m looking forward to continuing this preaching series on Sunday. Can’t wait to worship with my church on Sunday morning. God Bless and have a great weekend.

LISTEN TO THIS!

I have been on a completely different planet to have missed this song. A woman from our worship department told me about it and I then discovered that churches have been doing this song in their church for awhile. The version you're hearing is from The People's Church in Franklin, Tennessee. WE'RE DOING IT!!! Get ready Harvest, the weeks leading up to Easter morning will be filled with us shouting this song to the Lord and ascribing worth to Him! You can buy the song by clicking here

Great link

This is a great review of the book. Check it out. It’s long but well written.

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2011/03/14/rob-bell-love-wins-review/

A Little Bothered.

This will not be drawn out..(maybe). But, I did want to write about what I saw today on Good Morning America. I am so deeply frustrated by the recklessness (I’m not going to call it heresy...yet) by Rob Bell. In typical Rob Bell fashion, the guy wants to have the “conversation” and ask all the “questions”, all the while knowing the answers...BUT HE RARELY GIVES IT! I have to say, I’m sick and tired of the “conversation”. Those of you who know me well know that I have zero patience for pointless things. That goes for everything. But even if it’s a conversation with somebody...if it’s not going anywhere or is simply words tossing in the wind....then I’m done. I feel like every time I see Rob Bell in a video, read a book by him, see an interview....it’s pointless. There, I said it. What a waste of time. It’s maddening. When asked a question, he SELDOM answers it. That seems to be his style and I find it very disturbing. Rob Bell strikes me as the kind of guy where I have to wonder...Does he actually believe the things he says and writes? Or does he just enjoy dropping verbal “bombs” and watching people get themselves all worked up while he takes their turmoil all the way to the bank. I find it refreshing that within my circle of friends, my small group and my church, the very thing Rob Bell questions and throws in the toilet...TRUTH, is the very thing we strive to elevate. You know what Rob? Love WILL WIN in the end. I agree with that. Love will win because while we were sinners Christ died for us. Not all will be saved....but some will...and that’s LOVE. God is also Holy and He can’t stand sin. And He has very clear things to say about sin and where it leads. It’s called DEATH and if not for the precious blood of Jesus, we all would spend forever in hell. It’s actually a place. So is heaven. You know what else Rob? Our congregations, or “tribes” as you call them don’t decide the process of coming to salvation. God did in His Word. It actually is through confession, repentance, and turning to the only Way, Truth and Life, which is Jesus. I don’t like the way you disregarded this process of coming to Jesus. I’m tired of the “conversation” that has no answers. You’re a pastor. Return to your first love and preach the Word of God. I’m begging people to return to their first love. I’m trying to do that. I’m striving, not with perfection, but I’m striving to do that. The Word of God holds every answer. How do I know that? Because the “Bible Tells Me So”!

I’m praying for you Rob. I’m praying that the Lord of Lords gets a serious hold of your heart. I’m also praying that if there’s any sinful motive in my heart, that He would first reveal that to me.

Hope this wasn’t too long of a rant.

Let me end by writing this. I am going out today to buy his book because I simply do not want to speak or write with anymore ignorance than I may have already done. I also want to do that because it's really the only way I guess to really know what Bell is attempting to say. If it turns out that I'm wrong about Rob Bell or his book? I will be the first person to say so and I will make that known right here on my blog. God Bless.