A powerful piece of Scripture is Paul's admonition of 1 Corinthians 15:58. In an age where very little is held steadfast Paul recommends we stand firm in our faith.  Draw that line in the sand for following Jesus.

On sea, land, and in the air the military of this nation has and are serving that we may enjoy one of the greatest privileges of a free nation: freedom of worship. They have fought, suffered, and endured so that we may take up the banner and serve like good soldiers of Christ Jesus.

To all members of the military services of this country, past and present and to come, God bless and thank you!

In our society Mother's day is much celebrated; the phone lines light up with calls to Mom, florists have one of their busiest days of the year, and there is a general mass celebration of the sacrifices and dedication of motherhood.

Father's day, other than the effort of retailers to make it a strong holiday, tends to come and go without near the fanfare. What is interesting is that to most men who are fathers this is just fine. Rather than the hope of being remembered or celebrated they want to have passed on some words and actions of hopefully positive influence. The best fathers, like the best soldiers, aren't prone to much boasting.

They are there. They do the best they can. They try to have a meaningful presence.

The tone of the kind of commitment that I am thinking of comes clearing to the fore in a promise of 2 Corinthians 6:18:

"I will be a Father to  you, and you will be my sons and daughers, says the Lord Almighty."

This is an everlasting promise even to the orphan.

Happy Father's Day!

Carl Sagan revelled in the "billions and billions" of stars that are hosted in the heavens. Just a little glimpse of the sky on a clear night is a marvel of God's handiwork for He created the heavens...

And mankind? Mankind has been about creating billions and billions of sites and pages that make up the internet. Paul spoke of all scripture as beneficial for rebuking, growing, edifying and even being chastised in our faith. What of the content of the internet? Indeed, there are many, many great sites for growth and study in the Word. Never before has there been such easy opportunity to access, study and grow in any field.

At the same time there is a huge dilution factor at work, the creation of so many sites that highlight the depravity and sin of humankind.

There is not a disclaimer when you start your googling each day. There is no warning to click on at your own risk.

So here is a little reminder for me and you to beware what we click for. We all know we have the free choice of the material we choose to view. Rotarians put a test to making decisions as to whether it is good for the organization and others before stepping up and out with projects. Probably not a bad idea for us either.

What starts as a choice can quickly become an addiction....for good or bad.

You are commissioned as an Ambassador of the Good News! Have a smile, friendly acknowledgement, helping hand to all those you meet today. It is the small stuff that adds up!

Listen to the radio or surf the internet even for a short while and you pretty much get the "spirit of the world." Most of the time you probably get a good dose of bad news, catastrophes, family strife and tragedies, and the like. Positive or uplifting? Hardly!

"Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God." I Corinthians 2:12

Now we pride ourselves on being pretty smart. Which spirit sounds like the choice for you today?

There have been numerous surveys that show New Year's resolutions are set with the best of intentions but seldom last long into the year itself. Health club memberships are subscribed to in January but fall off by February. Cigarettes are thrown out but soon fished out of the garbage! Plans to talk nice to the wife and kids are made but after the teenage son backs the car into the garage go wayside.

Face it, resolutions are easy to make but hard to stick to.

So what are we to do? How about we resolve to a resolution that has a great chance of success this year. That is, we all resolve to read through the entire Bible this year. Yes, you got it, all 66 books of the Bible.

How can this plan succeed when so many others fail?

Remember that question, "How do you eat an elephant?"

"One bite at a time!"

"How do you sell thirty cars in a month?"

"One car at a time!"

This is how we can all do it. 66 books on the route so we need a map, a guide, to give us a daily, easy to handle, stretch of the road.

The guide is not expensive. It is published by Tyndale's House Publishers and is entitled God Sightings: The One Year Bible.

The beauty of this edition of the Bible is that it breaks the readings down to daily, very reasonable, readings from both the Old and New Testaments. Face it, if you try to slug through Leviticus chapter by chapter with no relief you are setting yourself up for failure. Book by book is driving too far in one day; rather, a few passages a day is hitting the pleasant rest stops.

One last suggestion for success of this resolution. Are you an early bird or late nighter? 24 hours in a day. Set aside a half hour of "driving time" where it works best for you to do the reading and reflection of the day.

Ready to take this challenge on?

Let's put car in drive and let's get started!

Of all the emotions the one that can set us back the most and keep us from moving in the right direction is fear.  Fear of failure. Fear of the unknown. Fear that come in a hundred shapes and forms!

Joseph, husband of Mary, in finding that his wife was pregnant before they had had relations "did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly." (Matthew 1:19)

But after he had come to this plan for the future an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, "do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." (Matthew 1:20-21)

What seems so realistic here is the "fear" that accompanies the presence of an Angel of the Lord whether in a dream or right in front of our eyes! Recall after the death of Jesus how the women at the tomb were accosted by an Angel and terrified at the sight.

Joseph, indeed, was afraid but being a good man and trusting the message of the Angel took Mary to wife and did not have relations with her until the birth of Jesus.

Now the rest is glorious but ongoing history! Only our Lord could plan and bring about the unravelling of this Christmas message. This is no "rags to riches" story, no rags to power broker, no rags to stunning success. No, it is "rags" to a late term ministry of three short years that leads to death on a cross.

Are we to fear this as an awful failure narration?

Hardly!

Let's move the cameras forward to the action surrounding that cross when as Jesus "died" ..."the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split." (Matthew 27:51)

Centurians, the witnesses to this drama, were rightfully terrified. They also got it right as they exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son of God."

Rags to Son of God!

Rags to an open invitation to our personal salvation and eternal life.

Now that is a Merry Christmas to all!!

God bless you all this Christmas of 2009.

A good question came out of today's Ironman meeting.

"Have you ever had to make a decison for God that would be hard for your family to understand?"

The root source for the question comes from one of those hard sayings of Jesus: "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:26-27 NIV

There is nothing watered down about this saying of Jesus. Our Savior clearly states that He, God, is to be foremost in our minds and actions.

The word "hate" in this passage has in the original Greek the very possible meaning of "to care for or love less." I think this is very fortunate and hope this saying of Jesus is that we are not to truly "hate" those we love but rather to love no one more than we love God.

The Christian message is truly the gospel of love but the message of true discipleship is that of  an unwavering priority to carry the cross of Christ.

Family is important. Friends are important. Your own life is important. But above all else the commandment is to the love the Lord with all your heart, all your mind, and all your spirit. Unless this is the case you can't consider yourself a true disciple of Jesus.

Much easier said than lived! This makes the question from our meeting of a bunch of guys who gather early in the morning to listen and think about the word a really challenging one.

Why?

What is the case if you have never done anything offensive to those you love by not proclaiming or doing something clearly pleasing to God?

A call to missions. A call to give something away that is really close to your heart. A call to spend precious time and resources in the service of the church.

All of us who wish  to be disciples of Jesus are asked for this commitment.

Today's exercise is simply to answer the question honestly.

Daily encouragement of scripture is no nonsense, full in the reality of daily challenges and adversity. Scripture reminds us over and over again that we live in a world that tends to sin and disbelief.

Paul, the great realist, the author of putting on the armor of God, commands us to "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong." 1 Corinthians 16:13(NIV)

No wimps for Jesus! This edict of Paul has military-like seriousness to it. Stand guard at your post. Be vigilant. Stand firm. Have no fear. Be strong and prepared for enemies at the gate.

We are admonished to be ready for whatever comes at us.

In Christian response how are we to react when ultimately confronted? With anger? With direct assault? With powerful words or defensive action?

No, here is the awesome follow through requirement of the faith once again....

From Paul.

From Jesus.

"Do everything in love." 1 Corinthians 16:14(NIV)

Talk about a paradox strategy to winning over adversity and unbelief!

Today as you stand ready for attack, and as the enemies creep forward, move quickly into action and strike strongly.

With words and acts.

Of love.

One of Webster's definitions of "emasculate" is "to destroy the strength or force of; weaken." The primary definition of the word is even more scary! No man wants to have his manhood taken from him.

Many a church in America today seems a good place for women but not us men. Men are far less in attendance in a lot of the churches and the programs that exist are predominantly focused on women. A real eye opener book about this issue is "Why Men Hate Going to Church" by David Murrow. This book was first published in 2005 and seems even more relevant today.

Jesus said, "But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." (John 12:32; NIV)

What we need to see more of these days is men drawn to the church and the opportunities for fellowship with other men and service.

A shot at men's stuff here and there is not what I am calling for but rather a powerful revolution to get men interested in checking out church.

I would like to open up a forum on this subject and challenge those of you who have ideas about how to get men interested in church to contact me.

A popular television show is a kind of parable that even with the blessings of a beautiful home, plenty of money to go around, good health, and a family of frolicking children, things can go terribly wrong. Just coming off of the celebration of Father's day, family unity, another set of divorce papers gets filed.

What went wrong? How could everything head south in the midst of new found plenty?

To me part of the root problem is this. Both parents are adamantly saying, "We love the children very much. We want to do right by the children...."  But each parent seems to be saying, "I love the children, but you know, this is really about me!" Surly, angry, sometimes matter of fact, the words speak volumes that what we want comes first, our personal happiness is what really matters.

Now what if Paul were to come along as a kind of family counselor, a marriage advisor. Wonder what he would have to say about all of this?

Well, he probably wouldn't say anything. He certainly wouldn't judge.

But he most surely would offer up prayer as you find throughout his writings and teachings at every turn.

In this case I think of his prayer in Colossians 1:10:

"And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father...."

Now what guidance for a family out of this prayer? Maybe the message goes something like this: God first, God foremost each and every time.

Paul makes it clear that if you miss this priority when adversity strikes, which it most assuredly will, you are not going to have the endurance or patience to make it through. Maybe minor setbacks, maybe huge issues, without this priority it is going to be a short run.

The great Christian paradox to this approach is that in spite of the heavy adversity and challenges you will have the power of endurance to persevere and ultimately enjoy true fulfillment.

Not happiness. Rather the power of joy.

Not happiness. Rather a two sided coin of endurance and patience.

An early realization upon becoming a Christian and trying hard to live the Christian life is that health and prosperity don't suddenly come your way. In fact, it seems often like the refrain from a blues song, "The harder I pray the harder it gets!"

Many of us men are asking, "When does it get easier? When is there going to be less struggle day to day?"

Reading scripture, especially in those red letter editions of the words of Jesus, makes it abundantly clear that Jesus Himself did not promise an easy way. Quite the contrary He taught that the great joy of being one of his followers would mean great tribulation and adversity.

As iron sharpens iron so living the Christian life is a kind of daily forging in the furnace of an unforgiving world.

"A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity."
Proverbs 17:17

Today it is more important than ever to offer up encouragement to one's brother.

Today is a day to pass on judgement and offer up consolation.

"A man's spirit sustains him in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?" Proverbs 18:14

Today is a day to assist a widow, befriend an orphan, visit the sick, forgive an old wrong, contact an ignored acquaintance, serve someone else.

Want an "easier" state of adversity? Try living the paradox of the faith which is doing unto others as you would have them do on to you.....

But do it first!

God often speaks directly in the Old Testament. Jeremiah heard the words, "Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you." (Jeremiah 1:8) The Lord looks for faithfulness and fulfillment: "You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled." (Jeremiah 1:12).

Easter season is a time to get ourselves ready and to stand up for what we know to be true.  What do we know? We know that we are celebrating the gift of redemption through the sacrifice of  Jesus Christ on the cross!

Is there any reason not to be joyful in this knowledge today and to make this a day of partial fulfillment of our promise.

This is a great day to love and serve the Lord!

Matthew unfolds the momentous events following the crucifixion of Jesus: Mary Magdalene and the other Mary going to see the tomb, a "violent earthquake" and the appearance of an Angel of the Lord who rolled back the stone and sat on it.

You can imagine the fear of the women upon witnessing the angel for "his appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow." (Matt 28:3) The guards were even more afraid--"they shook and became like dead men." (Matt 28:4)

Matthew relates how when the women had left some of the guards went into the city and told what had happened to the chief priests. Like what happens when big events take place the chief priests meet with the elders and come up with a plan.

What is this great plan? A coverup!

The priests and elders pay the soldiers a large sum of money and tell them to say of Jesus that "his disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep." (Matt 28:11ff) What is a little dereliction of duty if there is a nice payoff!

The priests figure that if this report gets to the governor he will be satisfied--the soldiers will be out of trouble and any hint of something miraculous dispelled. Matthew states that the soldiers take the money, do what they were told, and that the story of Jesus' body being stolen by his disciples catches on.

But what really was happening in the lives of the now eleven disciples at this point?

The gospel of Matthew concludes with one of the most powerful narrations of all scripture. The eleven disciples were instructed by Jesus to go to a mountain in Galilee. It is here that after the death of Jesus on the cross "they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted." (Matt 28:17)

To me it is revealing of our human frailty and condition that some still doubted!

But when Jesus speaks! 

"Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matt 28:18)

The great crucifixion followed by the great ressurection and the great commission.  All that we might have the grace of God and get to work with the works and acts of faith and fellowship.

What has happened in the world financial markets is not total devastation....but if God so willed.....it could be.  Consider the warning of the prophet Isaiah:

"See, the lord is going to lay waste the earth and devastate it; he will ruin its face and scatter its inhabitants--it will be the same

for priest as for people,
for master as for servant,
for mistress as for maid,
for seller as for buyer,
for borrower as for lender,
for debtor as for creditor.
The earth will becompletly laid waste
and totally plundered.

The Lord has spoken this word." Isaiah 24:1-3(NIV)

This passage certainly has a timely sound to it considering all the "plundering" that has been done in recent history by many of the world's financial systems and "power" brokers.

This passage, like certain others in the Old Testament, has an apocalyptic, end of world, sense to it.

Without getting hung up on end of world scenarios I think we are meant to keep close the knowledge that God, our Lord, is the beginning and end-- all of creation. It is not for us to forecast the future. In fact, when many have "prophesized" the end of things, they have been proven foolishly wrong.

Another day, this is the day the Lord has made, let us be thankful and glad.

But we are to accept that because of sin a "curse consumes the earth" and "the earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant." cf. Isaiah 4-23

Where then, in the midst of all this possible devastation, is the great hope or joy?

Personal devastation replaced by personal salvation!

The covenant hold of the law is replaced by the freely given gift of grace in Jesus Christ.

You talk about power!  With this good news comes the confidence to wrestle with anything that comes our way.

Fears of devastation are replaced by the joys of salvation.

These are days of adversity and challenge but not end of the world! Possibly a good piece of advise is less listening to the news and more prayer and positive thought and action.

Let's make a commitment not to wallow in all the negative news that is being showered on us daily.

The Old and New Testaments are chuck full of stories that take place in times of great political, economic, and moral chaos. The overriding message is clear that if we grow and stay close to God there will be glorious victories coming our way.

As a community of believers we are encouraged to look outside ourselves and our own circumstances. Consider a couple of tips from Proverbs:

"A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need." Proverbs 17:17(NLT)

"Never let loyalty and kindness get away from you! Wear them like a necklace; write them deep within your heart. Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will gain a good reputation." Proverbs 3:3-4(NLT)

Let's turn off the news and listen to what God recommends.

Let's turn up praise, prayer, and a passion to follow Christ!

 

WE ALL NEED THIS!

PLEASE GO TO CCCEV.COM AND CLICK ON "MESSAGES."

CAL JERNIGAN HAS BEEN PREACHING ON THE "SINS OF THE CHURCH."  HIS LATEST MESSAGE IS ABOUT PRAYER.

YOU OWE IT TO YOURSELF, YOUR FAMILY, AND THIS COUNTRY TO LISTEN TO THIS MESSAGE.

AS WE MOVE FORWARD IN 2009 THIS MESSAGE IS CRUCIAL.

GOD BLESS ALL,
CHARLES

Let's admit as men we don't love rules! Especially in these difficult times it seems even more troublesome to have to obey "the rules."

Whether at home or work there is a strong temptation these days to find a way around the hard rules of living and behavior.

"Isn't there an easier way," we often wonder.

"Why do things have to be so tough?"

"Can't I get a break?"

"Why me, Lord?"

A huge reality of the Christian life is this: God's rules exist and they aren't going to change.

Saved by grace. Live by grit. Saved by grace. Live by God's rules.

Timothy, as a young disciple of Paul, got the message served up this way:

"Follow the Lord's rules for doing his work, just as an athlete either follows the rules or is disqualified and wins no prize." 2 Timothy 2:5(NLT)

If you are saved and aren't following the "rules" you are not "growing" in your faith and will go sideways in no time.

When that happens our great Adversary will be there to steer you into real trouble.

Again, English is wonderful for cliches that are grounded in absolute truths. You will go from the "frying pan into the fire!"

But where are the rules to be found for us men?

Come on, you know the answer!

God's Word!  The Bible!

Have you consulted the rule book today?