God Is At Work

II Timothy 2:15
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
It is amazing to watch the enthusiasm someone who has been freed from addiction, brings to their new found life with Christ.
They devour the word, reading hours upon hours. 
They ask a gazillion questions, most of which I have no answer for.
Really....I do not know where the Ark of the Covenant is located.
But I will take those questions any day of the week, considering where this person has come from.

What I see in the long term, is that those who continue to have a hunger for God and his word, seem to be able to remain sober.
Those who have a hunger to connect with a community of believers seem to be able to remain sober.
Those who take part in "Giving away" what they have freely received in this new way of living seem to be able to remain sober.

Sobriety is a byproduct of turning will and life over to the care of God.
Did you catch that? I said that sobriety is a byproduct. A very important byproduct, but none the less one part of a larger picture. 
For with this new life comes all manner of possibilities.
Things that seemed impossible and out of reach are now brought close because of this salvation we have embraced and given ourselves to.

Following Jesus is not a hobby or a part time job.
Funny part in all of this is that when you are saved, you want to chase Him. You want to study His word. You want to hang out with others who are like minded. You do these things because you want to. You have a hunger to be a part.

This is why part of my call to pastor involves what I call the II Timothy 2:2 principal.
"and the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also."
I am called to pour out myself on "faithful" men. Men who are serious about their relationship with Christ. 
Men like Barry Hooks...Seth Barber.....Shane Elmore......Wayne McCurry.....Charlie Copeland....Jonathan Bright.....Mark Cotney.....Red Tucker....Brandon Morgan....Sam Colegrove....Bobby Carson....and many others, that if I took the time to list all the names....we'd be here for a while. 
I do not care if anyone remembers my name or what God has done through me. But I pray that no one ever forgets when they first met God and how it changed their life for the better.

That is why this next season in my life at Vineyard Recovery, has me excited.
God is slowly and deliberately building this meeting. Week after week, we are learning more about ourselves and about Him. We are seeing who we are, as His people, slowly being defined by His hand. We are seeing our purpose as a community of believers and how it fits into our city and our communities. More than anything, we are connected to other meetings that have the same focus and aim as we do. For this I am grateful. God is building a true "Recovery" church in our town.
Pray for us that we remain faithful and true to what God has called us to.

God on you.....
mb

Looking Back @ The Weekend

God Given Gifts Found In Recovery:
FREEDOM: 
Galatians 5:1 - So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don't get tied up again in slavery to the law.

Last night was the ending to a really good weekend.
Saturday night @ Vineyard ReCovery, we took a look at encounters with Jesus. If you read Scripture, people who encountered Jesus were changed afterwards. Some were healed of physical maladies.......some were set free from being demonized.....some had family members brought back to life..........and some were simply changed forever (on the inside) because of the presence and power of Jesus. To me this is one of the most incredible gifts given to us by God. Because of His love....Because of His mercy, He provides a way for us to be changed by the placement of His Holy Spirit inside of us.

Sunday Morning @ Northside Baptist found us plodding along in our study of the book of Genesis. This was our 12th message from Genesis as we finished Chapter 6 yesterday. The one thing that God is showing us in our study is His nature, His character, His faithfulness, against the character of mankind....the nature of mankind...and the unfaithfulness of mankind. We are seeing ourselves in this study. The simple fact that humanity's base nature has not changed since Adam and Eve ate the fruit in the garden of Eden. We are still a stinky mess in need of being saved from ourselves.

Last night found me speaking @ Catalyst Recovery.
The one thing I love about this meeting is that Seth Barber (pastor) has a topic each month. This month the topic is "LIFE AFTER ____". My message was "life after chaos".
Life is more than my heart beating, I'm walking around, I'm a living being. Life is the state in which we are elevated into when we are saved. Because of God's Holy Spirit living in me, I see my surrounding and the people I associate with in a different manner. I like to say, "We are now doing business according to heaven and not the dictates of this world".

It was good to see Kevin Thompson last night. He shared updates on his son Cody who was literally at death's door recently. Cody is on the mend, thanks to the prayers of God's people. Still not out of the woods, but doing much better. 

Ministry time was awesome. Several came down to the front, falling to their knees to do some business with God. Lot of brokenness...Lot of burdens unloaded....lot of healing. That is why I love these meetings. To see people changed as only God can do it.

So heading home after the meeting, I ran back over the weekend in my mind, and a smile broke over my old craggy face. The same thought that I have each weekend invaded my mind..."Boy God! How are you going to top this?" Funny part is I know He will next weekend.

God on you..
mbb

Today

Matthew 6:35 (The Message Bible)
Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

Matthew 7:13-14
Don't look for shortcuts to God. The market it flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don't fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do. The way to life----to God!----is vigorous and requires total attention.

I need to be with people who are intent on chasing after....following this God.
I need to live in the moment...........the here and now.
I need to be aware of right now.
I don't need to let my thoughts run to tomorrow and the day after...and the day after that...and next month...and next year. I have got to stay in the moment.
I don't need to let my mind set up shop in my past.
Drive down my tent pegs surrounded by the dusty, destruction that my choices  brought about.
I need to live in the here and now.

I need to celebrate today, while it is still today.
I need to drink up life today no matter what my situation is.
I need to find gratitude.
I need to turn my eyes, heart, soul, mind to Christ.
Such are the things that will empower me as I simply cooperate with The Holy Spirit at work in me.

This past week has been a week of talking to people who (for whatever reason) have gone back out into the old life. Situations grew too hard to face. Problems multiplied until they seemed insurmountable. Mountains that could not be climbed. The weird part in all of this, because these folks turned to their old ways...old habits....the problems only grew worse. "I think I'll get high!"...."I think I'll get drunk and forget about all of this!"...such actions only added to the problem. It did not make it go away, and it sure didn't help in dealing with whatever they were facing.

I did not have anyone I talked to say, "You know Mike, I think I'll get up and go to a meeting." Not one. If the old way was never the solution, why would you think it would be different now? Such is the deception and blindness that we are sucked into when we turn to "SELF" instead of Jesus. Some who read this may be thinking..."Jesus, Jesus, Jesus..you seem to think this Jesus is the answer to my using." Well.......duh-huh! He is. If you noticed, I didn't say that "church" was the answer. I never said that religion was the answer. The only answer to my life problems is Jesus and the incredible gift of life afforded to me through His death on a cross, and His resurrection from a tomb. This allows me to live in the moment, no matter what my lot or state may be. I want to close with some words of wisdom that were written by a pretty incredible man. His name? Paul.

"I've learned by now to be content whatever my circumstances. I'm just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I've found the recipe for being happy (content) whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the ONE who makes me who I am."

Find HIM, Jesus, today...
Turn will and live over to His care today....
Live in the moment today....

God on you..
mbb

What If It Were True?

Today could be the day....
What IF today were the day.....
How would you react?
With great fear?
Or joy, expectation, overwhelming excitement.

Today could be the day of Jesus' return to take His church unto Himself.
Some call it the "rapture"....
Some refer to it as "meeting Jesus in the air"...
Doesn't matter what you call it.
I believe in the event.

Now I'm not here to debate the "When" of this event.
Some people get all wrangled, tangled up thinking that they have it all figured out.
I've looked at all the possibilities, and there seems to be enough evidence to support all of them.
I think maybe this is one of God's little 'jokes' he has orchestrated. After all, if you believe the Scripture then even Jesus doesn't know the exact time. Another little mystery. If God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are three in one...then how can two of the three not know?  Not for me to say. Not for me to focus on such.

I remember back in the 1980's there was a lot of attention paid to the return of Christ. Of course some of that attention wasn't always good...such as the book that was written "88 Reasons Christ Will Return in 1988". I'm sure that there a few copies lying around in some thrift store somewhere. Such dating for the event always becomes fodder for ridicule. I digress.

Jesus stats plainly in John chapter 14, verses 1 through 4.
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe God, believe also in Me. My Father's house has many rooms, if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going."

Then there are the verses from II Thessalonians chapter 4, verses 17 and 18.
After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage (comfort) one another with these words.

Are you living in anticipation of this reunion? Or are you so wrapped in the day to day that you don't even think about it? I think there is a lot of skepticism in the world today. Not just about the Rapture but about the very person of Christ Himself. There is much spiritual darkness as the devil and his kingdom of darkness seems to have control and eminent victory over God. Well as radio host Jan Markell likes to say...."Things are falling apart in this old world. They are falling into place. 

Maybe it's because I've got some years and mileage on this old body, but the idea of Jesus coming back to take His followers home to be with him grows sweeter and sweeter with each passing day. At the same time, I know that there are those out there who haven't heard the message of the cross, and continue to live outside the will of God. Living in such a manner puts them under the judgement that we all carried about before we were saved. I want everyone to know and meet my Jesus. No one left behind.

So just in case today is the day....
Just in case someone finds this blog and reads this posting....
I hope and pray that you consider your ways and your belief's.
Began a search for the truth.
You'll find it in an event that took place on a hill outside of the city of Jerusalem.

God on you...
mbb

Looking Crossways

Jesus, keep me near the cross

There a precious fountain

Free to all, a healing stream

Flows from Calvary's mountain

In the cross, in the cross

Be my glory ever

Till my raptured soul shall find

Rest beyond the river

Near the cross, a trembling soul,

Love and mercy found me

There the bright and morning star

sheds it's beams around me

Near the cross! O Lamb of God

Bring its scenes before me

Help me walk from day to day,

with its shadows o'er me.

Near the cross I'll watch and wait

Hoping, trusting ever,

Till I reach the golden strand,

Just beyond the river.

In the cross, in the cross,

Be my glory ever

Till my raptured soul shall find

Rest beyond the river.

Not the wood or nail. Not the crown or hammer,  but the life that was given on that cross. The shadow of it covers humanity and either brings life or judgement. Free to all who would surrender and answer His invitation.

It is not pretty to look at. I often wonder who thought the cross should be taken to be shaped and made of gold and worn around as a piece of jewelry. Especially by those who do not understand what it means? Even in my own heart, I do not know if I fully understand the totality of the cross.

The cross has a message that stills rings as clear today as it did 2000+ years ago.
"IT IS FINISHED!"

The debt is paid in full.

I have been set free from the power of sin to walk in newness of life with Christ Jesus.

Free from the penalty of sin....

Free from the power of sin....
And free from the presence of sin...

Amen and amen....

God on you....

mb

One Standard....One Truth....One Compass

Nahum 1:3
The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked.

I realize that everyone has an opinion. If you find this hard to believe, all you have to do is cruise social media and you will quickly see that there is this need to put our opinions out there for all to see.
Of course those who publish their opinions do so with the idea that their opinion is right and deserves to be heard. To be posted and published in every venue even when the exact opposite may in fact be the truth. 

With such understanding, I realize that as I write this, I could be construed as one of those "opinion publishing" goobers that rail against the machine. I do not want to come across as operating in this fashion, but I do feel the need to at least state some things that I believe. In the end, God will sort through the mess and show us what is really true and what really wasn't true.

My Bible reading took me to Nahum chapter one this morning. Not a very popular book, Nahum, and I wonder if you could tell me the last time you heard a teaching from this book. But I do think it contains relevant material that is applicable to our day and age. If Scripture isn't applicable to us, then why read it? If we can't garner some wisdom from it, then why even pick it up and open it? I believe, if for  nothing else, Scripture gives us insight into God's heart and His desire to save people. 

So, with that in mind, we see in the book of Nahum, God sending a prophet to warn the people to turn back from their sin. You see, sin had become so rampant in society that there was a total rejection of God on every level. The government had turned away from God and did as they thought best. The religious rulers had long abandoned God, and their call to serve had become merely a job and a position that had certain perks and benefits to it. Take these two offices into account as being leaders of the people and you can see how their own grievous sin had affected the society of the day. As the leaders lived, so did the people. 

But God's desire was for them not to perish, but to turn from their dark, evil ways and return to Him. They did not. The end result was that God took His hand of protection and provision from these countries and allowed them to suffer the consequences of their choices. Some might claim that God is not fair. Really? If I see you headed in a direction that I know is going to cause you pain and possibly death, and I warn you but you ignore the warning, telling me to mind my own business......who's to blame for any suffering or pain (maybe even death) that you encounter? Me...who tried to save you....or you, who did what you thought was right? 

In my Bible study this morning, I ran across this in the guide I was using.
"Over and over, God speaks to each generation about the facts of sin. The result of sin is death! We cannot continue to live in and develop sin as our goal. It may be legalized by the government, but the result of sin remains death. In today's world, we tend to look at what is right or wrong based on whether it is legal. What if something is wrong, and the government declares it legal? Does such make it right in the eyes of God?"

As our nation has chosen to go down that slippery slope of tolerance, we can see evidence that what is legal isn't always what is right. Our government has made choices to appease people and their belief's, in some instances, to hang on to the power they now possess. If we can appease enough people, no matter whether what we do is right or wrong, they will vote for us and keep us in power. The very fabric of our nation is being changed into a nation of moral relativism which cries out that there isn't an absolute truth by which all men and women are judged. Everyone can choose which truth they want to embrace. If we cry loud and long enough, we can get our view into law. 

Now before you go off on me, I'd like you to know that I do not hold to the view of legislating morality. That has proven to be a failure time and time again. What I am a proponent of is changing the heart. I know it isn't as quick as whipping out a law that affects millions, but I do believe it is the mandate of the Kingdom After all, in Matthew 28, we have been called to make disciples. That is a one-at-a-time process. God is into craftsmanship, not mass production. 

One last point.
I don't look on these days with fear. I look at them as opportunity.
A chance for the real church to rise up and be what it was created to be.
To serve...
To battle for those to weak to fight for themselves....
To push against the darkness and extend the kingdom rule of God.
To feed the poor...
To proclaim freedom to the prisoners...
To release the captives...
To bind up the brokenhearted...
And the list goes on and on and on....

The moral compass of this nation isn't broken....
IT has simply been discarded.

God on you...
michael b

A Righteous Dude

Genesis 6:9
Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.

From time to time, I find myself whining and complaining about how "dark" spiritually our nation has become. The Government is corrupt. People are self-centered. Some churches only tickle the ears with smooth words and false promises. Where is God?
Yet every time I act this way, I am reminded of Noah.
Think about this.
He was the only righteous and blameless man on the face of the planet. Everyone else was corrupt. Imagine the pressure that came from neighbors and so-called friends. I don't think Mr. Noah got invited to too many parties and get together, do you?

I love the last part of this verse. He Walked With God!
Noah wasn't guided or lead by the call and dictates of this world. His mind, heart, spirit and soul were set on following God. He did not have access to a Bible. He didn't have Christian radio and television. He simply had a relationship. In our day and time, we feel like we have to have all the trappings..........the worship Cd's, the latest DVD from the latest conference. The hottest, greatest new word from the Christian author of the month. Funny...........Noah just had God.
Maybe simpler is better.

Noah simply did everything God told him to do.
He trusted that God knew best.
God gave him a plan to survive. Build an ark,leave everything else to God.
Noah carried out the plan.
Day after day. Year after year...building that ark.
Do you think there were day's that Noah wanted to quit? I do.
It would be hot. Sun beating down. Neighbor's walking by where the ark was being built. "Hey Noah! You want to go fishing? Oh yeah, that's right....you've got to build a boat and we don't even live near any body of water large enough to float it........bwahhhhhh!"
Noah kept on.
We don't always understand the "whys" of God. We are called to "do".
Noah, during the most corrupt time the world has ever known, walked with God...was blameless among his generation. God used this man to save humanity.
Not a bad way to be remembered.

God on you....
mb