Author: Believers Church

November 4, 2019 Believers Church

The Idolatry of Comfort and the Glory of Christ

We are taught from a young age to “be safe” in whatever we do. This isn’t bad advice for the everyday tasks God has given us to do, but when it comes to following Jesus, we can wrongly assume that God would never call us to something costly or dangerous. Our time, effort, and resources are spent on maximizing our comfort. However, Jesus said that following Him would mean forsaking everything. And while we aren’t to seek out suffering, we know that proclaiming the gospel in many areas of the world requires taking risks. In this sermon from Philippians 1:12–30, David Platt reminds us not to let comfort become an idol, but instead to pursue faithfulness to Christ, even if it costs us our lives. Being with Christ is infinitely better than any temporary security this world offers.

Watch the sermon right here:

“The Idolatry of Comfort and the Glory of Christ” -David Platt

To get the audio or download the transcript of this sermon, visit this page:
https://radical.net/sermon/the-idolatry-of-comfort-and-the-glory-of-christ/

David Platt serves as pastor at McLean Bible Church in Washington, D.C.
• www.radical.net
• www.mcleanbible.org

October 4, 2019 Believers Church

Recommended Media | October 2019

Pastor Matt Chandler of the Village Church in Dallas, Texas has begun a series this fall on personal renewal. The series is in process currently and is a group of stand-alone messages that speak to the need in our day to draw near to God. In the series, Matt and other pastors speak wisdom to such elements at the power of God, prayer, fire for Christ, “with-ness”, life in the Spirit, silence, and solitude. In the sermons in the series so far, there has been information that parallels our Wednesday discussions on Simplicity of Life. There have been aspects that speak about spiritual disciplines as we have been discussing in the men’s prayer breakfasts. And this first sermon is to set the stage for those that follow. It speaks in the same direction at our recent October 3rd Place study concerning the act of humble brokenness, remembering, repenting, and committing.

Take some time to watch this sermon from back in late August to whet your appetite for more on this subject. The link below the video will take you to the sermon page where you can pick up the remaining studies in sequence. I hope you will be blessed.

TITLE: A FOUNDATION OF FIRE

Watch More…

Click here to go to the series page.
The studies so far are titled:
1) A Foundation of Fire
2) A redemptive Lens
3) Entering God’s Rest
4) Practicing Prayer
5) A People for His Own Possession
6) Life with the Spirit
…more may be on the way.

October 1, 2019 Believers Church

A Section from the Conclusion

Through the journey of the wilderness, Israel mistakenly believed that they left Egypt behind when they left the country. Then, amid the exposing struggle of the wilderness, their hearts were revealed to be like Pharaoh’s, and they hardened their hearts against God. They did not become the kinds of people who could hear the Word, nor did they give themselves to ways of life that allowed them to walk with God. They were idolaters, and so like the idols themselves, they became people with eyes that could not see and ears that could not hear. They were becoming like the dead idols that looked alive but had no real life in them.

Today, we face a similar problem. It takes a certain kind of life to be a true listener of the Word of God. This does not happen at random, but demands that we give ourselves to the way of Christ. Unfortunately, we can neglect to consider how modern life and technology might hurt our ability to be listeners to the Word. We fail to consider how ways of living could hurt our ability to attend patiently to God’s calling on our lives. We forget that influence and popularity are not intrinsically good. We do not notice that we are becoming like the idols in our lives, and that the rituals of God’s family are boring and lack meaning for us. But this kind of numbing will always be the fruit of idolatry.

In our calling to be fruitful for the kingdom of God, we must discern the way of God (Eph. 5:10), so we must be the kinds of people who can discern this way (Heb. 5:11-14). The “from” and the “for” of our power need to align with God and his way, regardless of how savvy, sophisticated, or skilled we are. As we seek to thrive in whatever position the Lord has called us to, we can still seek to be skilled at what we do, as long as that skill is grounded in our abiding in Christ, and our purpose is oriented to God’s calling to love. In this sense, our skill is like our unblemished lamb that we lay before the Lord in offering to him. Sacrifice was never a mechanistic reality. God wasn’t waiting around for more dead animals. As the psalmist proclaims, “You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise” (Ps. 51:16-17 NASB). Our sacrifice is, in part, the mode by which we can come before God in repentance, trust, and abiding. Our skill, therefore, is the way we present ourselves to the Lord, and is the vehicle by which we abide in Christ and serve him. The focus is always on God, and the sacrifice is our means to partake in his work and live in the freedom of his presence. The more skilled we become, however, the easier it is to seek power from within; and the more fruitful our power becomes, the easier it is to seek power for control and our own glory, rather than God’s.

Power in weakness for love is power that bears fruit for the kingdom. Power in strength for control, used to achieve kingdom ends, will ultimately deceive us into thinking we’re living in the way of Jesus, when in fact we are living in the way from below. This power is the power of straw; it is the power that seems invincible, and then one day just disappears. Power in weakness works the opposite way. Power in weakness appears to be powerless in the face of this world and it may even be denounced as foolish within the church itself. We must be prepared to face opposition, rejection, and mockery. We must be prepared to be ignored and passed over for the promotions of “powerful people.” In these moments we ought to pray with Augustine: “Let the strong and mighty laugh at us, then, but let us weak and needy folk confess to you.” †

Getting Some Wise Advice

The above text is a section from the conclusion of a book I completed recently, called “The Way of the Dragon or the Way of the Lamb”. During the writing of the book, its authors (Jamin Goggin and Kyle Strobel) traveled various places to conduct interviews with many seasoned aged ministry leaders and pastors. Their focus was to consider how Christians and Christian leaders can undiscerningly default to worldly/humanly methods to attempt to build the kingdom. They hoped that the perspective of these wise Christians after years of walking with the Lord might have some insight. Each one revealed how easy it is for us to begin to rely on our personal skills, wisdom, and abilities to inch along the progress of Kingdom work personally and in the church. They talked about how easy it is to employ the strategies of the world to generate spiritual success.

In the text, I could really see the illustration of Israel’s post-exodus Egyptian-like tendencies and how that derailed their progress in the wilderness. See, we all struggle with internal elements leftover from our previous way of life. That’s not surprising to us, or at least it shouldn’t be. We are every one of us unfinished and imperfect in this life. Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not extending a blanket excuse for us to continue living in foolishness while thinking, “well, I guess that’s just who we are…” Instead, I’m hoping to bring to light the reality that the flesh will never produce righteousness, even with our best intentions. If we can acknowledge that fact and repent of those elements and tendencies, we can humbly re-engage God and begin again kingdom work in His power rather than ours. In all honesty, presuming ourselves to be smart enough and skilled enough to do ministry is to say to the Spirit of God, “Stand back, bro, I got this… I’ll come to get you when I can’t handle things myself.” It’s a mentality rooted in our western culture proclivity toward self-sufficiency and independence.

Abiding or Idolatry

The life-lessons expressed by the sages interviewed for this book (J. I. Packer, Dallas Willard, Marva Dawn, John Perkins, Jean Vanier, James Houston, and Eugene Peterson to name a few) all circled back to the slow and tedious means by which the kingdom is built; relationship with God by humbly submitting to and following Him… talking extensively with God and listening to Him and His word. The alternative is to live as Israel in the wilderness, just as it was expressed at the beginning of this article, “They did not become the kinds of people who could hear the Word, nor did they give themselves to ways of life that allowed them to walk with God. They were idolaters, and so like the idols themselves, they became people with eyes that could not see and ears that could not hear. They were becoming like the dead idols that looked alive but had no real life in them.”

How often do you talk with God about your life, ministry, and purpose? …even the stumbling blocks or roadblocks of your life that seem impossible? Or are your conversations with God more often reduced to pleas for His help to fix things or give you things? If the disciples are any form of example to us, we need to consider their day to day interaction with Jesus in comparison to ours. It’s the gospel call to all disciples to abide in Him. From that position comes peace, hope, purpose, direction… and power in love. For what? …the glory of God and His Kingdom alone. It’s not about focusing on making your life count, leaving your legacy, or being a good example to others. The fact of the matter is if you live your life for the glory of God, you will count, leave a legacy, and be a good example; all which are a legitimate side-effect of a proper Christian focus.

Spiritual Activity in the Flesh

This issue affects our lives in subtle and various ways. Compare the effect of a father who abides in Christ before the eyes of his children versus the one who “behaves as a Christian should” in order to be a good example to his children. Which one is correct or most effective? One is done in the power of God and the other in the flesh. Assuredly the one who “behaves as a Christian should” is more concerned about how he looks than being sincere. In fact, it seems God almost guarantees we’ll look like fools if we abide in Him. Compare the Christian who abides in God amongst the Christian community to take part in the work of God versus the one who tries to “do all he is supposed to do” and “struggles to live up to the expectations of God and the church” to gain a position, attention, or some payoff. Compare the one who abides in Jesus day-to-day submitting to the authority and direction of the Spirit versus the one who lives the way he lives so that he will be remembered after he is dead. Something that seems so honorable on the surface reveals fleshly roots that are so subtle and corrupting. There is such a great pull inside us to make something Godly into a work of the flesh. We can’t take credit for something God has done which is such a blow to our ego. And claiming credit for the work is to claim control of it.

The Doorway Out

Our hope in changing direction in this common-to-man problem is in abiding in God. I believe we all could use improvement in our personal prayer with God. In another book by the same authors, they expressed that, “prayer is not the place to be good, but the place to be honest.” I encourage you to join me as I seek to deepen my relationship with God; as I grow in my desire to abide in Him more consistently; not doing the activity of prayer but communing with God. “Here I am, Lord.”

† The Way of the Dragon or the Way of the Lamb: Searching for Jesus’ Path of Power in a Church that Has Abandoned It
by Jamin Goggin, Kyle Strobel – Paperback – January 24, 2017

September 4, 2019 Believers Church

The Father’s Love

Pastor Doug Logan spoke at the Mission: Home conference in Trenton, MI back in 2015. The text for the sermon is the parable of the prodigal son and Pastor Doug relates this story to the mission our families have at home. Pastor Doug underwent a 7 year disconnection from his own son who wanted nothing to do with God or church. The sermon is full of insight and passion as he walks us through God’s approach to His children who disconnect from Him.

August 2, 2019 Believers Church

Just the way it is…

                You’re human, right? Good. Then you’ve probably experienced some of what I am about to write. In this world, things don’t always go as planned. A loved one dies. A pregnancy happens unplanned. A job comes to an end. A relationship turns sour. A terminal illness is discovered. A daughter becomes a victim of abuse. The money runs out. A house burns down. A friend becomes an enemy. Parents file for divorce. A son is found addicted to drugs. A spouse reveals an affair. A friend is exposed as a long-time liar.

                Most of us started out our lives with somewhat of a positive outlook and high expectations, but somewhere along the way, things ticked up a notch. This kind of stuff is the underbelly of life. Stating an obvious reality for himself, an older cousin of mine casually said, “I seem to find myself at more funerals than anything else lately.” With age comes difficulty. It’s entropy, by the strictest definition. Life is like a loaded freight train rolling downhill. It’s gaining speed and there is nothing you can do to stop it.

The unwanted guest

                There are times when we are deeply hurt by situations or other people. For Christians, our feelings can get stirred up and pointed at the people around us (whether they were involved or not), and sometimes even at God. In the midst of these issues (what are typical of the human experience in a fallen world), it is not uncommon for our hearts and minds to become clouded with all forms of trouble. Anger, envy, and bitterness all tempt us to welcome them into our lives with open arms. Unwittingly, we make space for this evil roommate which only exacerbates our situation. It is almost as bad as becoming roommates with Satan, himself. Why would we so quickly make a bed for these spirit-sucking freeloaders? Well, sadly, we do it because we believe we have justification for feeling the hurt we feel when life goes downward. In fact, we believe we’re being victimized and that we deserve better. Jesus said, in Matthew 5:44, “you have heard that it was said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” Indeed, we have! Where have we heard that? From our own voices.

                Have you ever felt a bitterness so deep that you’re hard-pressed to remember what it was like to not feel that way? When we experience hurt, especially in situations which are out of our control or in things that are deeply personal, we naturally push back, emotionally. When emotions take the wheel, they open up what we perceive to be a righteous defense, when in fact it creates vulnerability, instead. At that moment, we allow provision for sin to make his home in us. When that roommate moves in, he tends to keep us from moving on. He rents movies that feature a distorted version of what happened. He hangs framed photos of those who we blame. He tells us that we don’t deserve to be treated like that. And the more we listen to him, the worse it gets.

                I read a story online recently about a woman who said she had been bitter toward her mother for years. The most revealing note about her story was that even years after her mother’s death, the bitterness remained as strong as it was before.

“Bitterness is like drinking rat poison and waiting for the rat to die.”
– John Ortberg Jr.

“Uncontrolled temper is soon dissipated on others. Resentment, bitterness, and self-pity build up inside our hearts and eat away at our spiritual lives like a slowly spreading cancer.”
– Jerry Bridges

Facing the Truth

                Is it too extreme to say that there is absolutely nothing righteous about bitterness? Not according to Jesus. In fact, in Matthew 5:43-48, He says (in opposition to our own voices), “BUT I SAY TO YOU, Love your enemies… pray for those who persecute you… so that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven.” And this instruction comes on the back end of “turn the other cheek” and “go the extra mile” rather than using justifiable retaliation. Jesus calls us up from self-defense and personal wound-licking to (vs 48), “…be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect.” I know… that is a steep order.

                How is this even possible? Jesus modeled this directive when He was bleeding to death on the cross. At one point, in the middle of the pain that He was being subjected to, it became clear to Him that all of those who spat upon Him, punched Him, mocked Him, wrongfully accused Him, and tortured Him would face the reality that what they were doing was evil. At that moment, Jesus turned to the Father and said, “Father, forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing.” Didn’t those who were hurting Jesus actually know what they were doing? Yes, it was an intentional execution. Likewise, Paul was facing an uncertain difficulty which he wrote about in 2 Timothy chapter 4. In the middle of a trial, after a careful survey of the crowd, Paul realized his advocates had turned their backs on him. No one rose to his defense. He told Timothy, “At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! 17 But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me…”

Evidence that demands action

                Do you find yourself stewing about the same situation over and over? Do you hold imaginary conversations with someone in your mind? Do you replay a conversation over and over in your mind? Do you feel anger when you think of a particular person or hear their name? –it’s likely that you have allowed the unwanted roommate to live with you. Believe me, I’d love to tell you that your particular bitterness is permissible… perhaps you are completely innocent, yet hurt. I have my own grievances, friend. But no level of bitterness is considered righteous. So, maybe you have already told yourself (like a thousand times) that you just need to suck it up, get over it, and do what you are supposed to do. That method might get him out of your house for a little while but those freeloaders always come back, and when they do, it’s with a vengeance.

“If you’re a follower of Jesus but you feel distant from Him during this era of your life, if you’re having difficulty resting easy in His forgiveness, could it be because you’re blatantly refusing to let go of your animosity toward another person.”
– Lee Strobel

“Acrid bitterness inevitably seeps into the lives of people who harbor grudges and suppress anger, and bitterness is always a poison. It keeps your pain alive instead of letting you deal with it and get beyond it. Bitterness sentences you to relive the hurt over and over.”
– Lee Strobel

Dumping the freeloader

               To make progress in evicting this nasty roommate, you aren’t going to succeed through brute-strength, but surrender. Begin by talking to God. Jesus did, on the cross, “Father… forgive…” Paul, again in 2Tim 4, also found the Lord standing by him for strength. So, turn to the Lord and confess your sin. Pray for the Holy Spirit to help you overcome and forgive. Then, as Matthew 5:44 tells us, “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” I’m not telling you that this is easy. Far from it, but thank God that it’s this simple. Confess, forgive, bless.

“Bitterness imprisons life; love releases it.”
– Harry Emerson Fosdick

August 1, 2019 Believers Church

By John Ortberg

Many years ago I was walking in Newport Beach, a beach in Southern California, with two friends. Two of us were on staff together at a church, and one was an elder at the same church. We walked past a bar where a fight had been going on inside. The fight had spilled out into the street, just like in an old western. Several guys were beating up on another guy, and he was bleeding from the forehead. We knew we had to do something, so we went over to break up the fight.… I don’t think we were very intimidating. [All we did was walk over and say,] “Hey, you guys, cut that out!” It didn’t do much good.

Then all of a sudden they looked at us with fear in their eyes. The guys who had been beating up on the one guy stopped and started to slink away. I didn’t know why until we turned and looked behind us. Out of the bar had come the biggest man I think I’ve ever seen. He was something like six feet, seven inches, maybe 300 pounds, maybe 2 percent body fat. Just huge. We called him “Bubba” (not to his face, but afterwards, when we talked about him).

Bubba didn’t say a word. He just stood there and flexed. You could tell he was hoping they would try and have a go at him. All of a sudden my attitude was transformed, and I said to those guys, “You better not let us catch you coming around here again!” I was a different person because I had great, big Bubba. I was ready to confront with resolve and firmness. I was released from anxiety and fear. I was filled with boldness and confidence. I was ready to help somebody that needed helping. I was ready to serve where serving was required. Why? Because I had a great, big Bubba. I was convinced that I was not alone. I was safe.

If I were convinced that Bubba were with me 24 hours a day, I would have a fundamentally different approach to my life. If I knew Bubba was behind me all day long, you wouldn’t want to mess with me. But he’s not. I can’t count on Bubba.

Again and again, the writers of Scripture pose this question for us: How big is your God? Again and again we are reminded that One who is greater than Bubba has come, and you don’t have to wonder whether or not he’ll show up. He’s always there. You don’t have to be afraid. You don’t have to live your life in hiding. You have a great, big God, and he’s called you to do something, so get on with it!

Reprinted from the John Ortberg sermon “Big God/Little God,” /Christianity Today International.