".........Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, "The Spirit who dewlls in us yearns jealously? But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble." -James 4:4-6, nkjv
Have you ever heard the expression, "Having your cake and eating it too"? The connotation we usually associate with that term is one of having or pretty much getting all that you desire. Many that make their abode under Old Glory's Stars and Stripes believe that thought to be an unalienable right, probably found somewhere in the Constitution. We tend to think we can have it all. Unfortunately, that thought process leads to a "cultural faith" instead of a "Biblical Faith." James, the brother of Jeses, tells us that friendship with the world is enmity (hatred) toward God. In a cultural faith, a self-involved agenda is in place that says you take care of you first. Get your career underway, purchase that house in the suburbs, get all the things that your upscale lifestyle says you need, then if there is anything leftover, serve Jesus with that. God's word has a term for those who would subscribe to that notion, adulterers and adulteresses (ouch)! Frankly speaking, your passions, your desires and your loves are directed toward this world's enticements and not the Heavenly Father. Friendship with the world is paramount, and chasing after its enticements becomes the goal. We forget that God is a jealous God. His desire is for us to chase after Him first; that's why the First Commandment is the one that sets the priorities for them all. Need an anti-adulterous antidote? Check out the last part of the scripture above found in James 4:6. Remember who God is, and that He's not you. Know that having your cake and eating it too might also mean that you take a bite of humble pie as well.
-Pastor Danny
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Pastors Paragraph Aug. 15, 2010
"...As it is written: Behold I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame." -Romans 9:33 nkjv
Pragmatism: a practical approach to problems and affairs. How many of you folks are pragmatic? You choose to engage common sense approaches to your problems; you choose to be practical in your decision making. Not a bad idea in this day and age unless you are talking about the New Testament Church. Yes, pragmatism is welcomed in many situations in our churches. When a water pipe bursts in church, the pragmatic thing to do would be to call a plumber. If the roof has developed a steady leak, the practical way of repairing it would be to call a roof specialist. If a church building echoes sound like a boomerang, it might be good to give a ring to a professional sound guy and have him out for a listen. So with pragmatic thoughts running through our heads concerning the church you need to understand this: Throw it all out the window when it comes to the New Testament Church of Jesus Christ. What? Why? Please, let me explain. In a culture such as ours that lends itself mightily to the value of entertainment, the pragmatic thing to do would be to follow suit in our churches and develop as good a "worship experience" as we possibly could, right. Pragmatic yes, Biblical No! Years ago I had a friend telling me of how their worship experience had evolved. Everything was computerized, so that lights, music, sound, were all in sync. The elements rose together and softened together, all in theatrical glory. Yes, even a smoke machine was available for effect. It all sounded very Hollywood to me, and I felt my Spirit troubled. Now please understand, I am not saying we cannot use modern technology to better equip and challenge us for the glory of the kingdom. What I am saying is this, a church's first responsibility is not to try and match something you would see on a sound stage in Hollywood. We CANNOT compete with the entertainment industry of the 21st century. They do it better and will always do it better. What the New Testament Church of Jesus Christ must do is proclaim the message of redemption for sinners and teach the Word for the maturing and holiness of believers. We live in a day where the significantly leaning mindset is to make our churches as "user friendly" as possible. The truth of the matter is, the gospel by its very exclusive claims is divisive. Jesus himself is a stumbling block for many. It doesn't matter how much emotion, mood, or production you can generate, our real mission is to proclaim Jesus as Lord and allow the Holy Spirit to do His work. John MacArthur says, "The church has no business marketing its ministry as an alternative to secular amusements. That corrupts and cheapens the church's real mission. We are not auctioneers, peddlers, showmen, used car salesmen or commercial pitch men. We are Christ's Ambassadors (2 Cor. 5:20). Knowing the terror of the Lord (2 Cor. 5:11), motivated by the love of Christ (2 Cor. 5:14), utterly made new by Him (2 Cor. 5:17), we implre sinners to be reconciled to God (v.20). We are to confront the world with the cause of Christ, not give in to market-driven ideas that promote the trends of the culture. Feeding peoples appetite for entertainment exacerbates the problems of mindless emotion, apathy and materialism" (Ashamed of the Gospel-John MacArthur). Drawing a crowd and entertaining can be done, it's the pragmatic thing to do in the 21st century. Preaching and sharing the truth of the "stumbling block" called Jesus must be done!
-Pastor Danny Ashworth
Pragmatism: a practical approach to problems and affairs. How many of you folks are pragmatic? You choose to engage common sense approaches to your problems; you choose to be practical in your decision making. Not a bad idea in this day and age unless you are talking about the New Testament Church. Yes, pragmatism is welcomed in many situations in our churches. When a water pipe bursts in church, the pragmatic thing to do would be to call a plumber. If the roof has developed a steady leak, the practical way of repairing it would be to call a roof specialist. If a church building echoes sound like a boomerang, it might be good to give a ring to a professional sound guy and have him out for a listen. So with pragmatic thoughts running through our heads concerning the church you need to understand this: Throw it all out the window when it comes to the New Testament Church of Jesus Christ. What? Why? Please, let me explain. In a culture such as ours that lends itself mightily to the value of entertainment, the pragmatic thing to do would be to follow suit in our churches and develop as good a "worship experience" as we possibly could, right. Pragmatic yes, Biblical No! Years ago I had a friend telling me of how their worship experience had evolved. Everything was computerized, so that lights, music, sound, were all in sync. The elements rose together and softened together, all in theatrical glory. Yes, even a smoke machine was available for effect. It all sounded very Hollywood to me, and I felt my Spirit troubled. Now please understand, I am not saying we cannot use modern technology to better equip and challenge us for the glory of the kingdom. What I am saying is this, a church's first responsibility is not to try and match something you would see on a sound stage in Hollywood. We CANNOT compete with the entertainment industry of the 21st century. They do it better and will always do it better. What the New Testament Church of Jesus Christ must do is proclaim the message of redemption for sinners and teach the Word for the maturing and holiness of believers. We live in a day where the significantly leaning mindset is to make our churches as "user friendly" as possible. The truth of the matter is, the gospel by its very exclusive claims is divisive. Jesus himself is a stumbling block for many. It doesn't matter how much emotion, mood, or production you can generate, our real mission is to proclaim Jesus as Lord and allow the Holy Spirit to do His work. John MacArthur says, "The church has no business marketing its ministry as an alternative to secular amusements. That corrupts and cheapens the church's real mission. We are not auctioneers, peddlers, showmen, used car salesmen or commercial pitch men. We are Christ's Ambassadors (2 Cor. 5:20). Knowing the terror of the Lord (2 Cor. 5:11), motivated by the love of Christ (2 Cor. 5:14), utterly made new by Him (2 Cor. 5:17), we implre sinners to be reconciled to God (v.20). We are to confront the world with the cause of Christ, not give in to market-driven ideas that promote the trends of the culture. Feeding peoples appetite for entertainment exacerbates the problems of mindless emotion, apathy and materialism" (Ashamed of the Gospel-John MacArthur). Drawing a crowd and entertaining can be done, it's the pragmatic thing to do in the 21st century. Preaching and sharing the truth of the "stumbling block" called Jesus must be done!
-Pastor Danny Ashworth
Pastors Paragraph Aug. 8, 2010
"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." -2 Timothy 2:15, kjv
Time to get up and go to school! If I heard that once, I heard that phrase atleast a few hundred times during my scholastic journey. It wasn't that I particularly didn't like going to school, I didn enjoy it, it was the idea of getting up at all that troubled me. This week for some of our kids and next week for all, school becomes reality again. No more sleeping late, no more staying up too late and no more deaf ears to parental instruction. The school bell has rung! Growing up in a rural area like I did, school wa the one thing that I had to make and be around friends. It was always exciting, particularly in Elementary School, to get off the bus in the morning and play hard until you heard that final bell ring indicating that it was time to head to class. That, as much as anything else in my life, taught me that theres' a time to play and time to learn. While the play time was great and necessary, the times spent in serious learning were even more beneficial. Reminded this week of our young students heading back to school, and the wonderful teaching we received last week from Bro. Brian Johnson, I have to ask myself a serious question. Am I still more interested in play time or am I more interested in learning. It's the same question all of us must answer. Even though our "play times" change, are we willing to do the work to continue to grow in Christ? If you didn't get anything else from Bro. Brian last week (I can't imagine that) you should have been aware of this fact that He was teaching us: it's our responsibility to know the truth of Scripture! Time and time again Israel was pointed out as being disobedient, because they didn't seek to learn the truth contained in God's Word that was available to them. There will be parents over the next few months of the school year that will get all over their children for not studying and knowing the material that they will be tested on. Parents, I want to make a bold statement to you: For us to blast our children for not taking seriously the material they have to learn may very well be hypocritical. It may be hypocritical if we say we're born again and don't ever try to learn the truths that God has given us in His word. Would someone like to share with me the difference? It is much more important that we know what the Bible teaches than it is to know when Magellan circumnavigated the earth. Don't get me wrong. God's word teaches us to do our very best in all that we strive in (Colossians 3:23). We should encourage our kids to do the very best in school and other things that are beneficial to them. We also should encourage each other to live out 1 Peter 3:15, when we are admonished to be able to give an answer for the hope that we Christians have within us. Folks, it's time to get up, the bell has rung! We are responsible for knowing all of the truth that's contained in God's word!
-Pastor Danny Ashworth
Time to get up and go to school! If I heard that once, I heard that phrase atleast a few hundred times during my scholastic journey. It wasn't that I particularly didn't like going to school, I didn enjoy it, it was the idea of getting up at all that troubled me. This week for some of our kids and next week for all, school becomes reality again. No more sleeping late, no more staying up too late and no more deaf ears to parental instruction. The school bell has rung! Growing up in a rural area like I did, school wa the one thing that I had to make and be around friends. It was always exciting, particularly in Elementary School, to get off the bus in the morning and play hard until you heard that final bell ring indicating that it was time to head to class. That, as much as anything else in my life, taught me that theres' a time to play and time to learn. While the play time was great and necessary, the times spent in serious learning were even more beneficial. Reminded this week of our young students heading back to school, and the wonderful teaching we received last week from Bro. Brian Johnson, I have to ask myself a serious question. Am I still more interested in play time or am I more interested in learning. It's the same question all of us must answer. Even though our "play times" change, are we willing to do the work to continue to grow in Christ? If you didn't get anything else from Bro. Brian last week (I can't imagine that) you should have been aware of this fact that He was teaching us: it's our responsibility to know the truth of Scripture! Time and time again Israel was pointed out as being disobedient, because they didn't seek to learn the truth contained in God's Word that was available to them. There will be parents over the next few months of the school year that will get all over their children for not studying and knowing the material that they will be tested on. Parents, I want to make a bold statement to you: For us to blast our children for not taking seriously the material they have to learn may very well be hypocritical. It may be hypocritical if we say we're born again and don't ever try to learn the truths that God has given us in His word. Would someone like to share with me the difference? It is much more important that we know what the Bible teaches than it is to know when Magellan circumnavigated the earth. Don't get me wrong. God's word teaches us to do our very best in all that we strive in (Colossians 3:23). We should encourage our kids to do the very best in school and other things that are beneficial to them. We also should encourage each other to live out 1 Peter 3:15, when we are admonished to be able to give an answer for the hope that we Christians have within us. Folks, it's time to get up, the bell has rung! We are responsible for knowing all of the truth that's contained in God's word!
-Pastor Danny Ashworth
Pastors Paragraph Aug. 1, 2010
If I were to ask you what a catechism is, would you be able to give an intelligent answer? No, it's not some type of natural disaster that we would hear about on the evening news. No, it's not some type of fit pitched by your favorite neighborhood feline. No, it's not something we do with a hot iron to stop the bleeding. And no, it's not a gizmo that has come loose from under your new Escalade! Catechism is from the Greek work "katecheo" which means to teach or instruct. From this word we get our English word "catechize" which simply means to teach Biblical truth in an orderly way. We generally accomplish this in our churches with questions and answers accompanied by Biblical support and explanation. We hear the term catechism and think that we will become denominationally challenged if we try to apply it to our lives. Nothing could be further from the truth. In 1 Corinthians 14:19, Paul says, "In church I would rather speak five words with my mind, in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue." In Galatians 6:6 he says, "Let him who is taught the word share all good things with him who teaches." The problem in our homes today is not that we do teach the "catechisms" to our children; the problem is that we do not. Families that have taken the time to instruct through God's word see results. It is our responsibility as adults to make things plain to our children and the younger generations. how many Space Invaders a child can nuke on their Game Boy or Wii isn't really going to matter long term. The truths or "catechisms" that are ingrained in us however, will serve us well for our entire lives. Today, we are blessed to have Brian Johnson and look forward to the Biblical "truths" he will share with us concerning "the things to come." We welcome Brian and pray that 2 Timothy 3: 16-17 will be realized in your life today.
-Pastor Danny Ashworth
About our Guest:
Brian Johnson, Until the Shout Ministries
www.untiltheshout.com
-Pastor Danny Ashworth
About our Guest:
Brian Johnson, Until the Shout Ministries
www.untiltheshout.com
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Pastor's Paragraph
FEBRUARY 14, 2010
"Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love." Revelation 2:4 (NKJV)
Jesus spoke the words above to the church at Ephesus. The church was doing a lot of good things. Jesus commended them for their hard work, their perseverance in their faith, their testing of those who claimed authority from God, their enduring of hardships for His name, and for not getting tired and just giving up. But, the church had lost its first love - its first love for Him. Today, as we celebreate the time confectioners, florists and card makers alike salivate over, it would behoove us to take an examination of our own lives to see what currently holds the position of love #1. I know it changes through the years. It may start with a Teddy Bear, advance to the little freckled face girl with pigtails and eventually wind up with the beloved Mrs. Yet, somewhere along that path, for those that answer to the truth found in Jesus Christ, there should become a new focal point garnering yours/my first love attentions. Let's face it, there is always going to be something taking priority in your life as first love. It may be your ambitions, it may be a hobby, it may be ice cream, but something has to sit at the top of the list. Wouldn't it be great if we all at the same time made Jesus Christ the pinnacle in our lives? How do you think that would play out for the cause of Christ here at CrossView? Do you remember what it was like when you first fell in love with Jesus? Was it like the love you had for your spouse, when your thoughts were constantly directed toward that person and you wanted to be with them continually? Do you awake each morning looking forward to the time you get to spend with Him? Or, are you simply going throught the motions? Are you passionate in your desire to please Him? Is your service for Him an extension of your love or is it merely a duty you feel needs to be done? Do you talk about Him with others? Does just the thought of Him bring a smile to your face and put a joy in your heart? We need to take inventory of our lives and see if that first love we had for Christ is still active in our lives today. If it isn't, let this Valentine's day of 2010 be one that you send more than a card or a box of chocolates, let it be a time you send the message back to Jesus Christ that He truly is your first love!
Happy Valentines Day
-Pastor Danny
"Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love." Revelation 2:4 (NKJV)
Jesus spoke the words above to the church at Ephesus. The church was doing a lot of good things. Jesus commended them for their hard work, their perseverance in their faith, their testing of those who claimed authority from God, their enduring of hardships for His name, and for not getting tired and just giving up. But, the church had lost its first love - its first love for Him. Today, as we celebreate the time confectioners, florists and card makers alike salivate over, it would behoove us to take an examination of our own lives to see what currently holds the position of love #1. I know it changes through the years. It may start with a Teddy Bear, advance to the little freckled face girl with pigtails and eventually wind up with the beloved Mrs. Yet, somewhere along that path, for those that answer to the truth found in Jesus Christ, there should become a new focal point garnering yours/my first love attentions. Let's face it, there is always going to be something taking priority in your life as first love. It may be your ambitions, it may be a hobby, it may be ice cream, but something has to sit at the top of the list. Wouldn't it be great if we all at the same time made Jesus Christ the pinnacle in our lives? How do you think that would play out for the cause of Christ here at CrossView? Do you remember what it was like when you first fell in love with Jesus? Was it like the love you had for your spouse, when your thoughts were constantly directed toward that person and you wanted to be with them continually? Do you awake each morning looking forward to the time you get to spend with Him? Or, are you simply going throught the motions? Are you passionate in your desire to please Him? Is your service for Him an extension of your love or is it merely a duty you feel needs to be done? Do you talk about Him with others? Does just the thought of Him bring a smile to your face and put a joy in your heart? We need to take inventory of our lives and see if that first love we had for Christ is still active in our lives today. If it isn't, let this Valentine's day of 2010 be one that you send more than a card or a box of chocolates, let it be a time you send the message back to Jesus Christ that He truly is your first love!
Happy Valentines Day
-Pastor Danny
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