One Pastor's Perspective

Here I sit, doing the Monday morning “preacher thing.” Thinking about all of the things I should’ve said yesterday. Yesterday was a great day of worship at Ebenezer, but that preacher thing always involves evaluating the previous day and thinking ahead to the next Sunday. Fact of life for every pastor: The next Sunday is ALWAYS around the corner.

This morning, there is one thought that invades my heart and mind and I cannot shake it … The question “do my Ebenezerites take it seriously?” What does living for Christ really mean to us on Monday morning? In a Southern Baptist church, we will ALL agree to it’s importance on Sunday morning sitting in corporate worship. But the truth is this: The water hits the wheel on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday … (You get it).

One day, we will all stand before God and He will weigh our lives. Will He find that I lived a life worth living? Will He look at my life and say “Wow, Dave … You really didn’t get it, did you?” I hope for the first answer. But I know He will have to look at all of my life … He will look at how I honored Him when no one else was looking. He will look at how I honored Him with every facet of my life: My time, my thoughts, my finances, my charity, my actions, my feelings …

Not that I am trying to set any of us up to an impossible standard. The question I ask myself every day is this: Are you trying to live for Him today? Subsequent to that question: Are you asking Him for help today (or trying to do this on your own)???

The life worth living is a life that honors Him. And the only way any of us will get there is with His help. And the great news for a Monday morning is that He WILL HELP US IF WE ASK!!!

Here we are!!  Right smack in the middle of the DAY for which GOD MADE US!!  This is HIS day, and He has created GOOD WORKS for US TO DO to build His Kingdom.  What will YOU do about that today?

There really are TWO choices.  Some might say THREE, but it really is only two:

Choice 1A:  You can ignore this.  You can claim your rights as a Christian, but decide that you really are not into this sort of thing.  After all, this is what WE PAY THE PREACHER to do, right??  This is why we have a church staff!!  We pay THEM to do all the “God-stuff” so we can go about our day living it our way.

Choice 1B:  Okay, I will do this.  At least, to a point.  I will take some Baby Steps towards it, but don’t rush me.  (Remember when you were a kid and it was time to take a bath?  And the water was a little too hot?  And you either had to ease down into it, or take your hands and wet your towel so your mom would THINK you took the bath???)

Truthfully, both of these choices result in this answer:  God, I love you but I AM NOT READY to trust You.  Not completely.  Not yet.  (Those answers are EXACTLY what the devil wants you to think and say.  And he wants you to think those answers are logical and acceptable.  AND THEY ARE NOT.)

Choice 2:  Okay, Lord, I will do WHATEVER You ask.  (This one is frightening, because it forces US to release control and hand it over to God.  And that makes us uncomfortable, because we LOVE control.)  BUT only in Choice 2 will we EVER know the completeness and fulfillment and peace that God intended for our lives since the beginning of time.  PERIOD.  There is NO OTHER answer that will bring us into the presence of God quite like number 2.

SO … if you need some courage to take the step towards Choice 2, here goes:

Jesus promised that He will be with us ALWAYS, until the end of the age (Matthew 28:20)

Jesus promised that ALL POWER in Heaven and on Earth has been given to Him (Matthew 28:18)

Jesus promised the Holy Spirit would be with us FOREVER (John 14:16)

Paul promised that WE are God’s handiwork, created to do good works that He Himself created for US to do to build His kingdom (Ephesians 2:10)

YOU were created for PURPOSE.  YOU were created to have a relationship with GOD.  YOU were created to BUILD HIS KINGDOM.

And I am praying for YOU today!!!

Anyone who knows me knows I am an NCIS junkie.  I’ve been watching that show since the beginning, and I really enjoy it.  The other day, there was a discussion between Gibbs and McGee.  At this time, McGee was still a green probationary agent.  Gibbs told him to pursue every angle and run down EVERYTHING in the case they were investigating.  He said “I don’t want you to stop until ..” and McGee immediately interrupted him and finished the sentence with “Until you order me to stop??”  Gibbs responded “NO!  UNTIL YOU ARE SATISFIED!”

That is great leadership (with the right motivation).  That kind of leadership will build a young agent into a seasoned investigator.  The value of that in real life is priceless.  But that is a television show … And in the show, the leader is training the young student for a specific purpose.

In real life, the world is all around us asking us if we are satisfied.  In movies, in music, in commercials, and even in television shows, we are constantly bombarded with different things to try to find peace in our lives.  The newest products … The most recent trends … Several upstarts even challenge things like marriage and faithfulness, touting that unfaithfulness is a great rush and thrill and will bring us satisfaction in our lives.  Sadly, many people will follow that particular pied piper and in the end they will not find what they are looking for, what the world promises will bring satisfaction.  And there is one consistent reason for this … There is only one answer … The world does not want to admit to this truth, and it does not want YOU to believe it.  But it is true … and it is right before your eyes:

YOU and ME, WE were created for a relationship with God.  And the only way we will know peace in this life, the ONLY WAY WE WILL FIND TRUE SATISFACTION is in a growing relationship with God.  And the only way for this to happen is in a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.  PERIOD.  You can try every potential solution the world has to offer.  And NONE of them will fill the emptiness in your very soul.  That is a fact that I know, not because I am a pastor, but because I walked the same path of trying to find satisfaction in everything else.  And it is NOT THERE without a relationship with Christ.

So … seriously .. are you satisfied?

It is 5:08am local time, Limon, Colon, Honduras.  I am sitting on the back porch of the clinic.  I seem to be the only one up right now, using the peace and quiet to prepare for a pastor’s conference today.  Yesterday we did a clinic at Plan de Flores, and it was a big one.  Saw at least 200 patients.  But that has nothing to do with the upcoming conference.  And the truth is, I’ve got nothing.

That statement could be a theme for our team this year.  We brought 39 people:  a medical team, children’s ministry team, women’s ministry team, and we have been moving fast and working hard.  I know everyone is tired.  We go until the job is done.  The youth on this trip are remarkable.  But, the truth is, when left to our own devices, we really all have nothing.

I look at this pastor’s conference and think “What in the WORLD could I possibly have to say to 20 or so pastors that could make a difference in their lives?”  I really do believe the devil is good at reminding us of our weaknesses.  Of our irrelevance.  And he might be right if it were all up to me.  But, it’s not.

I wonder if the devil uses that line on other Ebenezerites … Well, I don’t really wonder that because I know he does.  He tells us we are not good enough to serve God … Not good enough to go when God calls.  He tells us over and over again that we’ve really got nothing.

What he doesn’t want you and I to remember is that God’s strength is PERFECT in our weakness.  God never calls us to go without providing everything we need to accomplish the mission.  (I hope when you read that line it gives the devil heartburn)  It’s all true!!  And this is why we put on the full armor of God.  This is why we are called to pray for each other and to equip ourselves for every good work that God has called us to do.  We do have the responsibility to take gather the armor and equipment He provides and put it to good use.  But it is all from Him.

So, I might have nothing … But My Lord has EVERYTHING and no weapon formed against us will prosper when we walk with Him!!  Buenos Dias!

Recently the idea has popped up that a local church doing foreign mission trips is wrong.  Some claim it is a cop out, and we have local needs that need to be addressed, too.  How does that wash with foreign mission projects??

First of all, WE DO HAVE LOCAL NEEDS.  And just as God has called people out to go and serve globally, He calls us to have an impact locally.  And if people are not stepping up to the local needs, that tells me that there are a bunch of people who are NOT listening to God.  I believe that is also true if a Christian is shouting down things that others are doing for the kingdom, just because it is not meeting a need that he or she perceives as more important.  God is big enough to meet all of the needs, and maybe some brothers and sisters need to concentrate their efforts on meeting those local needs instead of complaining about others who are listening to God and walking in other directions.  Ultimately, it is hard for us to judge anyone without knowing exactly what call God has placed in their hearts.

Back to Honduras.  I went to Honduras for the first time in July, 2012.  It was eye-opening to say the least.  And God DEFINITELY used this to move my heart in ministry!!  The things that I saw solidified our need, as a church, to continue this relationship we have with the people of La Ceiba and Limon, Honduras, and the surrounding areas.  The things that meant to most to me were seeing Ebenezerites obey and God work in such a visual way that you cannot deny His hand!!  You could literally SEE Him doing things right before our eyes.  I was also touched and blessed to be able to give away Bibles to people who had never had one of their own.  They treat them like GOLD!!

By the way, if you would like to contribute to the Bible fund, you can mail a check for whatever amount to:

Ebenezer Baptist Church, 524 S Ebenezer Road, Florence, SC  29501….  Put Honduras Bibles on the envelope and the memo line of the check!!  We get the Bibles by the case and each Bible ends up costing a little over $2.  All help is appreciated!!

ANNNNYWAY …  God has used this project to show me perspective and remind me that the North American church needs to have the kind of hunger for Him that our Central American amigos have.  I am praying for that for Ebenezer.  And if you ever have any question about the validity of that or any other mission, give it a chance before you shout it down.  Your life will NEVER be the same.

This past Sunday we celebrated what I believe to be the most holy day of the year for those of us that follow Christ:  EASTER!!  Not because of the Easter Bunny … (He doesn’t even come to see me anymore) Not because of Jelly Beans, which are nature’s perfect food.  (HOWEVER … in spite of my diet, I DID have 8 jelly beans this year.  They tallied 86 calories.  I ate them SLOWLY and enjoyed every bite, even the black one that was in the zip lock I was given!!)

Easter is a time to reconnect with Christ.  Easter is a day in which we all gather in God’s house, and for those of us in the South, a day where everyone AND his brother shows up in the house of God.  And I love it because I know seeds are sown.  It is a day for all of us to come face-to-face with what God is doing around us.  Some will reconnect and their hearts will blaze for Him.  Some will take the seeds that were sown and God will bring those to fruition later.

But, this I KNOW:  The word of God DOES NOT GO OUT AND RETURN VOID.  In Isaiah, God said this about His word:

“So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”   Isaiah 55:11, NIV

God’s word really is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword.  It DOES NOT go out without making an impact.  I believe that with all of my heart!!

That is the coolest thing about Easter to me …  It is about renewal… Revival …  A chance to return.  And God welcomes all back with OPEN ARMS!!  Hope you have a great week!!

This month has truly been March Madness at EBC.  So far we’ve had three special and different Sundays.  Each one was great but we will finally be back on full regular-schedule this Sunday.

What is it about us that craves normality??  Why do we get so out of sorts when things are even slightly different?  The answer can be found in our beds!!  On a cold night, what do you do??  Lay on top of the covers when you go to bed, or do you burrow under the covers and etch out a place and get warm??  Do you hold your head up off the pillow not to disturb it, or bury your head in it and allow it to conform and hold your head while you sleep??

Our nature, in every avenue of life, is to eek out a place and make life comfortable for us.  There is nothing wrong with that.  We want clothes that comfortably fit and we desire a life that is as stress-free as possible.  This desire spills over into every element of our life.  Even in our relationship with God.

The rub, as it is, is that our relationship with God is rarely comfortable.  God loves us and is amiable toward us, but the perfect nature of God is in direct conflict with our imperfect natures. When stand before His perfection, we CANNOT be comfortable with our imperfection.  And even when things change a little, we get uncomfortable.  We fidget.  We don’t like it.  It is both incompatible with our human nature to want things our way, and to want to control the situations in which we live and operate.

There comes a time when we all need to let go and allow God to take control.  At times it will lead us to do different things.  And that is okay!!  After all, it IS all about Him … RIGHT?