Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays

Posted on March 9, 2005 by gophumek | Permalink 0

Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays
Acts 2:42-47

Last Saturday evening, we had a great time of fellowship with the Aggies for Christ (members of the campus ministry at Texas A&M University). It was an encouraging, exciting time, for these college age kids and the youth group at our congregation. This didn’t happen on a typical “church day” of Sunday or Wednesday.

I believe we should be like the Christians in the early church. While many aspects of the first century church are easily replicated, such as gospel preaching and teaching, other areas are neglected or simply spurned. I find many congregations lack true fellowship between brothers and sisters in Christ. For those of you who belong to a congregation where fellowship does not exist, superficially exists, or is in need of an overhaul, take hope. God wants your congregation to succeed. I think a congregation that lets its members experience genuine caring fellowship, is succeeding at real Christianity.
 
Look at the church from the first century. A description is found in Acts 2:46: “They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts”. There were sincere relationships in the early church. We should have opportunities to fellowship outside of our normal services like our congregation provided last Saturday night. There are many ways members can get to know, and love one another more. Make it happen. Begin with prayer, put forth an effort, or in other words, “just do it!”

In small groups, devotionals, and one on one friendships, there are more opportunities for us to grow spiritually, share our hurts, our dreams, our praises, and more opportunities to help others when they need us. In the devotional and singing we participated in last Saturday evening, our youth minister was in need of prayer. We found out his daughter was very sick. She was out of town with mommy and our youth minister shared with us his worry. We prayed for his daughter and for him. Hugs were exchanged, and he was shown genuine concern by us all. Our youth minister was ministered to specifically that evening. My wife and I were encouraged by becoming one step closer to our friends and by the uplifting songs we sang to God. Many others were encouraged for other reasons.

The main point I would like to leave you with is that this occurred on a Saturday evening, a time outside the normal “worship service.” I believe a lot of real ministry happens on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Those are extremely important days of the week for Christians.

Evangelism, Ministry, Struggles

With All Your Faults, I Love You Still!

Posted on March 1, 2005 by gophumek | Permalink 0

With All Your Faults, I Love You Still!
Romans 5:6-8

There’s a song my son and I love to sing. We love to sing the song “It Had to Be you.” You may know the song, if you don’t, let me refresh you with some of the chorus. “With all your faults / I love you still / It had to be you / wonderful you / It had to be you”

“With all your faults, I love you still” reminds me of the love my son has for me now. He’s only five years old, but he loves me, despite my faults, and I have a lot of them. But that kind of love from a child doesn’t remain there all through life. I’m thinking specifically of the teenage years. God, on the other hand, will love me despite my faults for eternity. I’m not saying he will accept bad behavior on my part, but he won’t stop loving me and wanting me to be His.

We are so transparent to God. He can see through the false fronts we put up for our friends, relatives, church members, co-workers, and fellow students. It is easy for us to hide our pain, our humiliation, our sinfulness, and our laments from humans. But it’s different with God. He  knows us. Maybe sometimes we’d like to hide from Him but we can’t. God knows each and every one of our faults and…. He loves us still. That’s the amazing truth about God.

A passage that states it best is Romans 5:6-8,  “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – NIV

I love the way God loves us! Don’t you?

God's Love, Sin

God is full of mercy, and editors are too (I hope)!

Posted on February 15, 2005 by gophumek | Permalink 0

God is full of mercy, and editors are too (I hope)!
II Peter 3:9

As some of you may know, I preach part-time, I’m a full-time student, and I write picture books. I have spent a lot of time lately sending out my picture book manuscripts. I hope one day; God may bless me in having some of them published. However, in reading some information last night about picture book writing, I see I may have been making some mistakes in my writing. I have been writing these picture books for three years, but writing is a continuous learning process. After what I read last night, I thought I’d really messed up my writing. I’d even sent some of my manuscripts out which I now realize may have gone against some of the accepted rules.

After learning what I may have been doing wrong, I could have wallowed in despair. I did stick my toes in that pool of despair for a moment, but I didn’t stay there. As I said, writing picture books is a learning process. If I make mistakes in my writing, I can change my writing style; I can make my writing better. In no way, do my past mistakes in writing make it impossible for me to write good manuscripts in the future, or to be published one day. Editors are a forgiving people. I might even say that editors are merciful with beginning writers like me.

I thought of the mercy editors will have with me because of my mistakes, and then I thought about the mercy of God. No matter how many mistakes we have made in the past, God will always welcome us into his family. We are always welcome to be buried with Christ in baptism. God wants all of us to be saved, II Peter 3:9 states: “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” It is so amazing to know that we all have our own “Wanted” posters. God wants you. God wants me. God wants our loud unruly neighbors. He wants people who talk too much. God even wants people who don’t use their turn signals. In essence, that’s what II Peter 3:9 is saying. God wants everyone to be saved. We all have our own “Wanted” posters

Whatever our mistakes, they can be forgiven. Maybe you can’t believe how merciful our heavenly Father is. Check it out for yourself, repent and make a change in your life for the better. Give God a chance to forgive your sins! I pray that all of us will recognize God’s mercy.

God's Love

Can You Go to Venice?

Posted on February 8, 2005 by gophumek | Permalink 0

Can You Go To Venice?
I Thessalonians 5:16

The city of Venice is one of the most beautiful places in the world. Have you ever wondered how happy the people in Venice must be? They can never be depressed or unhappy can they? After all, they live in Venice. What problems could they ever have? We know of course, that just because Venice is one of the ultimate vacation destinations for many, the folks in Venice as well as anywhere else can and do have problems.

I was reading a picture book to my son a while back titled Little Toot on the Grand Canal, it was set in Venice, Italy. As I was reading it, I came to the following line, “No one can be unhappy in Venice.” After reading that line, my innocent little boy said nonchalantly, “I guess we can’t go to Venice.” His words made me think for a moment. It made me wonder what type of life Daddy and Mommy were showing him? There have been some very tough times in our life over this past year and we have neglected to let the joy we have down in our hearts to be seen at times. I guess my son notices things like this. What five-year old wouldn’t? If that picture book philosophy were true, that no one can be unhappy in Venice, could you go?

I Thessalonians 5:16 implores us to “be joyful always” because as it says, “this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  I know I don’t exhibit the joy God wants us to show as often as I should. Privately, I may show joy a lot more often than I do in public. I don’t think this is what God had in mind. I look at my son and see the joy in his heart, the joy in his words, and the joy in his actions. He’s just happy to be around. I pray that God will protect that joy in him. I pray that no person or circumstance will ever take that heartfelt joy from my son. I want him to be the same joyful person as an adult that he is today.

I pray the same for you. I pray that no circumstance or individual will ever take away the true joy we have down in our hearts. Sometimes that joy is just hidden underneath layers and layers of muck. If your joy is stuck in the muck, may God bless you this week by allowing some of it to melt away.

Struggles