I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. – Romans 12:1-2

 

Just like the apostles who watched Jesus ascend back to heaven, we modern followers of Christ are struck by the magnitude of the need the world has for Jesus.  Billions of people are stricken by the curse of their own sin.  Where do we even begin to make a difference?  The temptation to circle up and wait for Jesus to call us home is very real.

 

Billy, Daryl, and I beg you not to do that!  The stakes are too high not to let Christ shine out of us.  We are calling Summit as the body of Christ to be courageous and to be completely transformed into the image of Jesus.  The more we resemble Jesus, the more impact we will have in our community.  Christ redeemed us to be his ambassadors in a lost world, not to blend in.  As 2018 begins, purge your mind of everything that is not Christ then refill that space with the Word.  The transformation that will happen will fill you with courage and make you the light in the darkness that Christ redeemed you to be.

 

I pray that 2018 will be your best year yet, in the Lord!

 

What does it mean to be “courageous”? During 2018 our Elders are asking us to exhibit courage.

Two Hebrew words stand out to describe courage. Ḥāzaq and ’āmaṣ are very similar in meaning – to show ourselves as strong or to become strong. The other words show the source of our courage. Our heart and spirit can lose or gain courage (Dan.2:11). Also, if we were to act quickly and remain alert we tend to be more courageous.

Moses, their leader, has just died. Joshua must take over and fill huge shoes. What do you think God’s counsel was?

Joshua 1:6–9 (ESV) — 6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

First, “be strong and courageous” is mentioned three times and throughout the message. Every step of the way, we will need to remember this. I love the middle admonition the most: ONLY BE STRONG AND VERY COURAGEOUS.  To the Jewish reader God was using the word courage twice (ḥāzaq then ’āmaṣ). Together with courage the goal is given – inherit the land. God has promised us that “the fields are white unto harvest”. Our goal is inheriting spiritual land – that is, the hearts of lost mankind.

Second, “being careful to do according to all the law … do not turn from it … not depart from your mouth … meditate on it …careful to do according to all that is written in it”. Together with courage, if we keep His Word, we will “have good success” in whatever direction we are led.

Thirdly, “the Lord your God is with you wherever you go”.

So, the bottom line is: If we are strong and very courageous we will expand the Kingdom because we will have good success and because God is with us.

We have already launched our 2018 “Be Courageous” campaign. Even though we have just begun, we already have 22 teachers teaching 83 souls in 12 countries. Including our prayer warriors and those who will help supply leads, we have 39 courageous volunteers. We are hoping that by December 2018 our main concentration of classes will be around our church building.

Friend, can you find it within yourself to be in the courageous soul-winning business. Remember, Jesus has no plan B.

 

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.  And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.  And suddenly there was with the angels a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.  Luke 2:.11-14

And his name shall be called “Wonderful”, “Counselor”, “The Mighty God”, “The Everlasting Father” And “The Prince of Peace”.   This is what I want people to remember about the birth of our Lord and Savior; not about the baby, but about the Man.  We know that Jesus came into this world to seek and save that which was lost.   Jesus was a humble person who loved his disciples, as he showed them by washing their feet, setting an example of service.   And he would pay the ultimate sacrifice for you and me.

During this season when so many focus on the baby Jesus, I would like you to also think of Jesus, the man, the Savior.  Jesus described himself as a “door” or a gate that leads men to salvation.  We know that if we want to get to something we have to take that first step; that first step toward our salvation is through Jesus.

Jesus also described himself as the “Way” to get to the Father.  When we want to find a location or destination we will map quest it to find the direct path to our destination.  If Heaven is our destination we have only to look at Jesus to find the Father.  Jesus and God the father are one.

He also described himself as a “Savior”, to call all sinners to repentance, to save them from their sins.

“And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shall call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins. Matthew 1:21

Brothers and Sisters, let us fix our minds on Jesus the man.   He does not want us to worry, but to put our trust in Him.  We know Jesus has gone to prepare a place for you and me.  We also know that nothing will separate us from the love of the Father, not even death or life!  What a reassuring promise!

“For the wages of sin is death, but the “Gift” of God is eternal life!” Romans 6:23

Sheryl and I would like to wish everyone at Summit a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year. Our hope is that the new year will draw everyone closer to our Lord and Savior and to his Church family at Summit.  We hope this will be a great year.  We love you all, and please know that you are in our prayers.

 

I was watching a show the other night called “The Bull”.  In this episode, a wife of a billionaire killed her husband – but not before stabbing herself to make it look like self-defense.  The attorneys for her deceased husband’s cable company (worth 6.6 billion) offered to give her $500 million if she would give up all rights and ownership of the company to her 4 non-biological step-children.

Hebrews 13:5 – 6 keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So, we can confidently say “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

What does she do? She thinks she has an open and shut case, overplays “the victim” by giving a little speech in her hospital bed (which gave her away) and finishes with nope, I want the whole company.  Spoiler Alert – she is found guilty of murder and goes to jail penniless.

Proverbs 13: 11 Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.

Greed will cause us to wander from our faith.  So, seek God and His righteousness and teach your children to do the same.

 

Mark 10:13-16 13Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. 14But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.15Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” 16And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them. 

Young people have a natural energy and enthusiasm.  They add a level of excitement to any endeavor through their inquisitive nature and their desire to experience their environment by exploring the world around them.  They can help us reflect on our past and can provide hope for our future.  An active youth group in the church can reflect a level of involvement and commitment by their families but it generates additional excitement through their participation and their activities.

It has been said, “here’s how you change the world – you invest in the next generation and make them better than you were.”  We can all invest in the lives of our young people; not just our children but all of our young people.  They are not only the future, but they are the present.  There is so much that each of us can do.  We can encourage.  We can be a mentor.  We provide an example by the life that we lead; they may not listen to us, but they watch everything we do.  We can be a teacher, inside a classroom or outside of a classroom.  We can be a friend.  No matter what we do, we can ‘be the person we needed when we were younger.’

Steve Farrar, in his book “Anchorman”, says that our influence on children can have an impact for over a century.  Our influence has an impact through the next generation, but also to their children and even their grandchildren.  Let’s make the world a better place today, tomorrow and a century from now, by having a positive influence on our young people right now.

 

Driving to work the other day I heard a song on the Christian radio station K-Love that I thought really illustrated the courage that we should have as Christians.

The song is called “Lions” by the group Skillet and the lyrics to a verse and the chorus are:

Today is ours, it’s always been
Before we face the fight we know who’s gonna win (1 Cor. 15:57)
We live by faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7)
We don’t want safe and quiet, we don’t wanna run and hide
This is not an intermission
It’s our time not gonna miss it
You’ve already called us fearless (2 Tim. 1:7)
Unafraid

If we’re gonna fly we fly like eagles
Arms out wide
If we’re gonna fear we fear no evil
We will rise
By Your power we will go
By Your Spirit we are bold
If we’re gonna stand we stand as giants
If we’re gonna walk we walk as lions
We walk as lions

Proverbs 28:1 … “but the righteous are as bold as a lion.”

Let these words give you confidence in Christ and inspire you to be courageous in Him!

 

When last did someone try to take advantage of your good nature?   Around this time of the year, many real needs go unmet as every con artist, and his uncle, believe they have permission from above to take advantage of Christian charity.

Con artists are experts at gaining your confidence. Their dark seedy world encompasses phony lotteries; 419 scams; and identity theft. To protect ourselves we are taught to ask how they got our name; refer them to professionals (your attorney); get it in writing; request references; ignore pressure; and check for complaints. We also watch out for: secrecy; cash only; too good to be true; and intimidation.

But then, Jesus did say that we should give to everyone who begs, Mt.5:42. So, inevitably, we are going to be taken advantage of. How are we to react to this?

The answer can be found in 2 Chron.25:9 (ESV) And Amaziah said to the man of God, “But what shall we do about the hundred talents that I have given to the army of Israel?” The man of God answered, “The Lord is able to give you much more than this.”

Here the King of Judah made an ungodly alliance with Israel. After paying 3 ½ tons of silver for 100, 000 soldiers to join them in a military campaign, God tells them to cancel – and to let them have the money.

Friend, after having used good sense to make sure we are not joining light to darkness, we should cheerfully give to everyone who asks.