Thinking for a Change

Pastor McGriffin taught a wonderful Bible study on Tuesday night.  His title was "Think for a Change" and his text was Acts 2:38-39.  Huh?  Isn't that the passage that tells us about salvation?  Yes it is, but Acts 2:38-39 also talks about changing your thinking... but I'll get back to that.

We can look at the title two different ways - A parent my say to their teenager, "I wish you would think for a change!"  But the lesson revolved around the long term effect thinking has on us - we need to "Think for a Change."

We are heading into a new year.  Many will make new year's resolutions that are forgotten by February.  But 2014 can be a year for change.  It's never too late to change.  Some things to know about change:

1.  You don't have the ability to change someone else.
2.  You can only change yourself.

You can make the choice to pray more, read the Bible more, fast more, be faithful to church.  Choose to think in such a way to go deeper in Christ.  While you can't change anyone, when you change, those closest to you may change as well.

I Peter 3:1-2 "Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear."

Women whose husbands are not in the church - the direct and demanding approach doesn't work.  Be more like Christ - your husband is watching you.  The husband is changed when the wife is changed.  It is a powerful principle! 

Feelings should not drive your life choices or your thought life.  Think first.  Right thinking will produce positive change in your life.

The book of Acts is a record of triumph.  The primary message is showing obstacles of the early church.  The biggest obstacle was how they thought.  An example of that is found in Acts chapter 10 when Peter is sent to Cornelius.  He had to completely change his thinking!  When Peter said in Acts 2:39, "to all that are afar off," he wasn't thinking about Gentiles!  He thought that salvation was only to the Jews, including Jews who were afar off.  Jewish thinking of that time didn't let him think a Gentile could be born again.

God's greatest challenge is the way we think.

Every Apostolic can quote Acts 2:38 "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." This is the basis for the new birth experience.  The first step is repent.  To repent is to change your mind, in the Greek it is to think differently.

Godly sorrow is a sign of conviction, not repentance.  Being sorry for being caught is not repentance.  Shedding tears of sorrow at the altar is not repentance.  Making a decision to turn from sinful conduct is repentance.  We must have a change of mind, heart, and direction.  We must turn from sin to the righteousness of God.  We cannot be saved until we truly repent.

Change your thinking and you'll change your life. Think for a Change. 

Plan B

While I was training for my first marathon, I read about having a "Plan B."  If the day wasn't going right, if weather was crazy, or if a sudden illness hit, maybe my time goal might not happen, but "Plan B" would mean finishing.  I thought that was a good idea.  When I knew hitting a sub 4 hour wasn't going to happen, I was still determined to finish, no matter how long it took.  Plan A was actually to finish strong and injury free, no time assigned to it.  So Plan B meant stick with Plan A!

Bro. Kerr preached an excellent message on Thursday night about things that tears cannot fix.  Decisions that take us away from God, that lead down paths of destruction instead of righteousness.  He said even if a person makes it back to God, no amount of tears of repentance can restore what was willingly given away.  Sin will leave scars.  He said some of you are already planning on backsliding and then coming back to God, but it will never be the same.  More than once he said, "Backsliding is not cool!"

On Friday night, Bro. Kerr talked about a young lady who walked away from God because she didn't find a husband as quickly as she wanted.  She had a "Plan B" in mind.  If God didn't provide, she would walk away.  She had already decided that backsliding was an option.

I have lived this way my entire life and I don't plan to change now.  I don't have a Plan B when it comes to my salvation.  There is only one way and I'm sticking to it.  It doesn't matter if my day isn't going right, if storms come, or illness strikes, Plan B is to stick with Plan A!

Jeremiah 6:16 "Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls."

Weighty Issues

My latest Runner's World magazine had an interesting article titled "Running on Empty."  It talks about cutting food to gain speed and how easy it is to cross the line from eating smart to barely eating.  You can read about how weight affects running performance on my other blog, McMarathon Moments, but I started thinking about how this applies to us spiritually.  I'm not saying I'm 100% right on this, but here are my thoughts:

Overweight
I really struggled with this one.  Can we be overweight spiritually?   I don't think we can be too full of God's Spirit, but what about the Pharisees?  They fasted often, followed every line of the Law, but were also extremely critical of everyone who didn't measure up in their eyes.  A great example of this is found in Luke 18:10-14.

Slightly Overweight
Perhaps this is a person carrying the extra weight of works ~ at risk of doing too many works and not taking the time to get their spirit filled up.  Not quite a Pharisee, but in danger of going that way.  This might happen when a person is busy in the kingdom and they start looking around at people who don't seem to be doing as much. 

Average Weight
This is the best place to be.  Your prayer life is consistent, you spend time in the Word because you want to, you enjoy worshiping freely and you experience joy even in the hardest of times. You love God and your fellow man.  You enjoy giving of your time and talents.

Slightly Underweight
You suffer from being undernourished.  Your prayer and Bible reading time is limited to church services.  There are still times of joy, but not as frequent. You start looking at the world and wanting a taste. 

Underweight
How do you become undernourished?  Just stop going to church for a while.  Find other things to do with your time.  Fill your mind and spirit with "junk food." You will suffer as your spirit tries to break through every time you do attend service.

Drastically Underweight
Talking about running, the article said "If you've basically stopped eating, you tax your heart so much that you're at risk for a heart attack or stroke."  For the spiritual man, if you've basically stopped eating spiritual food, you will tax your spirit so much that you're at risk of being lost.

Just as there are many charts that suggest a healthy weight, I'm sure there are many ways to find a healthy spiritual weight as well.  The most important question we have to ask ourselves: "Is there anything in my life today that would keep me from heaven?"

Let's Have Revival!

We started revival on Tuesday night with the Michael Brown family.  They are so precious to me - I knew Bro. and Sis. Brown's parents before they were married and I've watched these two go from babies, to kids, to teenagers, to the wonderful adults they are today.  They are a fine example of young people who lived for God through their teenage and young adult years.  I'm sure they weren't perfect, but they stayed true to the truths they were taught.  Their two little ones - Gentry and Avelyn - are a blessing as well.  They sing and worship, and Gentry plays the drums.

As for our revival - it feels like Harvest Time!  I don't know any other way to describe it.  Some revivals are directed more to the church, but this really feels like a time of evangelism.  We have had several praying in the altars.  None have received the Holy Ghost, YET, but it just feels like God has something great in store for Victory Tabernacle!

It's a great way to start a new year!

Divers Places

I saw a headline this morning that read "Oklahomans ask: What's causing these quakes?" A record 5.6 quake hit on November 5th. As of Monday, the area had seen 22 quakes of magnitude 3 or greater since the record quake and more than 200 smaller aftershocks. Geologists are trying to figure it out. Some Oklahomans are blaming the oil wells that have been drilled for decades.

I'm a native Californian. The place with "all those earthquakes." So I don't spend a lot of time thinking about it. But the thought that immediately came to my mind was, "earthquakes, in divers places." The words of Jesus in Matthew 24:7. Japan, Chile, Haiti, Turkey, Colorado, Oklahoma, Virginia ~ it doesn't get any more divers than that.

Man spends so much time trying to figure out why things happen on this earth, forgetting that the One Who created all this with His Word, can shake things up just as easily. No, I don't care for earthquakes, and I'd probably freak out completely if a tornado came our way, but I trust the One Who causes the earth to tremble. I want to do what Jesus said a little further on in Matthew chapter 24, "But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved."

Many things about tomorrow
I don't seem to understand
But I know who holds tomorrow
And I know who holds my hand.
~Ira Stanphill

Moving Forward

We closed our revival services last night - but revival is not over! We are sorry to see the Bellew family leave, but so thankful for how God used them to help our church. We also helped Bro. Bellew celebrate his 40th birthday - with a few "Over the Hill" gift and a new suit.

Bro. Bellew's message last night was about moving forward. To move FORWARD you have to have Faith, Obedience, be Ready, be Willing, have an Altar, and be Determined!

Our total visitor count for the revival was over 180!! Bro. Bellew encouraged us to keep this up - to have even more visitors in the next month. We had so many new people in the altars, praying, seeking God, being touched by His Spirit. That's the only responsibility we have for other souls - just bring them in and let God do the rest. We also had two more people baptized last night - twins, Juan and Carlos.

Ananias and Sapphira

I've been thinking about Ananias and Sapphira this week after reading their story in Acts chapter 5. "But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, and kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet. But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?" It's amazing to me how quickly Satan tried to get a stronghold in the new church.

I've been wondering about this couple. Who were they? Were they in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost? Were they part of the three thousand souls that were added to the church that day? What changed so quickly for them? They didn't have to give any of the money, or they could have told Peter they were giving part of it. Did they plan their deception or was it after the money was in their hands that they gave in to temptation? What a sad ending. "And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost" (verse 5) and "Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost" (verse 10).

I've also been thinking about our response to the judgment of sin. Verse 5 of this chapter says, "great fear came on all them that heard these things" and verse 11 says, "And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things."

I have been in services when the man of God is preaching and sin is revealed. I cannot think of a single time when "great fear" did not come upon me. I am fearful for my own soul, lest I have sinned and not repented of it. It doesn't matter if I know I'm innocent or not, something in me says, "I have to be sure!" I never want to sit pridefully thinking I have no sin. But I am also fearful for others - what if they don't repent when God is giving them the opportunity?

These are sobering thoughts, but this is a story we cannot ignore. May Psalm 51:10 be the prayer of our hearts in 2011 "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me."

Praise Report

Tonight during service Pastor White gave a quick update about the Missions Trip to Mexico. Bro. Glen Wakefield has been working with a pastor who recently received the revelation of Jesus name baptism. A large group from his church in Acapulco traveled to Puebla to be in services while our group was there. Many of them were seeking the Holy Ghost. During their final service Pastor White asked for any who were seeking the Holy Ghost to come forward, none did. That's just the way it is sometimes...

Bro. Wakefield called Pastor White after he got home. The pastor had called SO excited. On the bus ride back to Acapulco the Holy Ghost fell! EVERYONE who did not have the Holy Ghost received it on the bus ride home and all those who already had it were refilled!!! It's real!

I Love a Good Deal!

I've been spending birthday money this week and it has been so fun! I'm a little less careful with gift money, but I still love a good deal. I picked up a little jacket for $17 at Stein Mart and was quite pleased with myself. Then there is this skirt from Coldwater Creek:


Original price - $89.95. Don't think so!

It was on sale on Monday for $44.99. It's birthday money... but still.

Checked back yesterday - marked down an additional 40%! Yee haw! $26.99!! Hello, new skirt.

I have this jacket:


It's a fun, lightweight jacket that I got at Kohl's last Spring for $12. It has a twin at Adidas for $160.

There's also nothing like a good BOGO. Buy one, get one half off. Or even better, buy one, get one free!

But the best deal of all is absolutely free:

John 1:12 "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:"

John 10:11"I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep."

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

No way will I pass up this deal!