Real Talk from Bishop Lindsey

Love Talk

2012-02-22T19:37:00.000-08:00

At the risk of sounding cliché,“love is in the air”. It doesn’t matterif it’s the love from child to parents, the puppy love of teenagers, thepassionate love of the newly married, or the enduring love of people who’vebeen together for years. Church people,un-churched people, single people, haves and have-nots; makes no difference…everyoneis thinking about love.

Nowjust imagine for a moment that we allowed our love to reside only in ourthoughts. What if we never took the timeto express how we feel? If you’re in arelationship, I know you had to express love at some point in time. You called her, and sent flowers. There wasn’t a time when you were too tiredor didn’t feel like talking. You cookedhim candle light dinners and held hands at the movies. You did that. Why…because love is an emotion that must be acted upon and communicatedfor people to gain benefit from it.

Itaught a couples class some years ago using TheFive Love Languages by Dr. Gary Chapman. One of the greatest benefits we found was that you have to send yourmessage in the language that your spouse speaks and understands. It is frustrating and useless for someone tospeak to me in Swahili. I don’t knowthat language and even if they were offering me a million dollars, I wouldn’tunderstand it at the time. It’s the samewith people. We have to send a lovemessage in the language that the other person speaks, not the one we speak. For instance, a busy wife and mother may notwant flowers or for you to hold her hand; she may want you to say “Let me dothat for you.”

Didyou know God has spoken to us in our love language? He knew what to say because (to paraphrase Jeremiah1:5) God knew us before he made us. John 3:1 (a clause) says,“Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should becalled children of God!” Understand thatwhen we behold, that is when we perceive with our senses and know in our mind. What is it that we should behold? Why, it’s the unfathomable love that God hasgiven to us through his Son. You do knowthat God so loved the world that He gave His only Son for us don’t you?

AllI’m saying is that whether it’s in your house, your church, on the street or ina third world country, love that is not acted upon and not bestowed is of nobenefit. It’s okay to be sentimental ifthat’s your thing...xoxoxo Justremember, express, communicate, and give love in such a way that the receiver trulyknows how much you love them.

Courage, Serenity and Wisdom

2012-02-02T18:35:00.000-08:00

Maybe you’ve heard this prayer on television or at an AAmeeting. Perhaps you’ve read it in anemail or even have it hanging on the wall in your home or office cubicle. The Serenity Prayer, originated by theologianReinhold Niebuhr, speaks to the desire (dare I say need) that lives deep in theheart of man to deal with and react to the ups and downs of life: “Godgrant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to changethe things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.”

Let’s get this out up front: no one is exempt from change. I also want you to see in these words thatare two types of changes: the ones we can make and the ones we cannot. Is it no wonder then that the Serenity Prayeris a cornerstone for recovery programs and an ‘every-day kind of prayer’ for somany that are hurting or just going through a lot?

Kids and parents making the most of every educational opportunityis a change we can effect. The flip sideof that coin is that opportunities may be beyond your control (family, health,money, and where you live) and often times we cannot change.

Although it may be hard to admit, there are many things that wecannot change. Mothers go to court, butstill don’t get child support. Folks goto the doctors and take medications, but still have failing health. People work 2 and 3 jobs and still have moneyproblems.

Even in the face of all these circumstances, someone will play“Monday morning quarterback” and blame the mom for marrying him, or the dad fornot exercising enough, or the minimum wage earner for not going tocollege. (I don’t embrace this logic oraccept it, but I have serenity to accept that I cannot change their minds…onlyGod can do that).

Right here is a good place to tell youthat asking for serenity to accept the things that we cannot change, does notmean that they will notchange. What this means for believers isthat we recognize our limitations, but we remember our limitless God. Therefore I can be serene and calm aboutthings I can’t change because know God loves me and has purpose and a goodending in mind.

No matter how hard you try some people resist change; someorganizations refuse to admit problems and some leaders refuse to listen toadvice. Instead, of proverbially ‘beating your head against a brick wall’,Christians must possess Courage, Serenity and Wisdom and know the differencesbetween all three.

I believe the prayer hinges on having the wisdom to recognizewhich type of change I’m dealing with then knowing which approach to take. How many times have we courageously foughtthings we should have accepted? How manytimes have we accepted things we should have changed? So we finally arrive at the million dollarquestion, “How do I get wisdom.” That’sa sermon series (come to Neriah and I’ll teach it sometime) J. For now, I’ll leave you with this: Proverbs9:10 "The fear [meaning respect and reverence] of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Finding the Found

2012-01-15T21:02:00.000-08:00

A disturbing practice is taking place in the body ofChrist. I can’t pin point the cause withabsolute certainty, but I do believe that modern day advances intransportation, communication, and information sharing have made leaving your self-proclaimed‘home church’ a relative thing of ease. And while each person/family that makes the decision to church-hop is responsible fortheir part in the break up, there is another factor at work that causes megreater alarm: evangelizing the savedand finding the found.

Sounds strange, but this is not some cute preacher play onwords or an exaggeration, this is precisely what is taking place in the body ofChrist. Rather than going into thehighways and bi-ways (for you all that’s under 35 years old, that means intothe environment and culture where folks don’t have Jesus), with the good newsof The Messiah, many church people are evangelizing their saved friends. They are attempting to grow their church bypersuading others to leave the church that they presently belong to and jointheirs. It’s the “my church is betterthan your church” argument (contrasting congregation sizes and composition, choirs,pastors, service times; you name it).

Everyone who leaves his/her home church has not been enticed;I know that. There are good reasons to leave a church; I agree with that too. But I have to tell you there is a right andwrong way to leave. I’ve been inministry for a long time, and I can tell you unequivocally that most peoplewill not speak up, and leave ministries without even so much as a goodbye. They gradually stop coming to church, startmaking excuses and eventually stop answering your calls. For some of these brothers and sisters, theprimary reason for the switch is that a fellow believer evangelized them tobecome a member of their church. And I wonder (I’m just talking now)…have weforgotten that decisions on church membership should be led by the Supernatural& not the natural?

Please, don’t miss the point. I’m not against visiting other churches openin the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (every now and then). I’m not against planting a seed there andpraising alongside them (every now and then). What I am saying is, if you have a church home, you have a covenant andcommitment to primarily invest your time, talents, and treasure through thatlocal church.

(Here’s a free thought: we can’t praise God the way weshould (in spirit and truth) when we’re doing dirt)

In common sense terms, if you see…let’s say a skillet forexample, in your homie’s house, it does not matter how well you think the skilletwill work in your kitchen, or how well you imagine it will fit in with theother pots and pans you already have. It’s not your skillet! Howfoolish would you look saying to your boy/girl, “look what I found.” Now walkwith me. You want that skillet, but youknow your friend wants it too. And youhave a choice—scheme to get the skillet, or go to the store and get your own.(You ought to read the story of King David, Uriah and Bathsheba some time!)

Ask yourself, if it is dishonest and inappropriate to takeyour friend’s skillet, how much more when it comes to the sheep of anotherfold? And don’t try to rationalize yourway out of it by saying it was the skillet’s choice to leave especially ifyou’ve been giving the skillet ‘the business’.

I don’t want you leaving this blog saying “Bishop said”, butI want you to be able to say, “I read”. Start with Exodus 20-17 “Youshall not covet…anything that is your neighbors”, then go to Proverbs 11:1 “The LORD hates cheating,but he delights in honesty.”

For the folks who need to see it in the new testament (I’lldeal with that another time) read Romans13:9 (The living bible) " If you love your neighbor as much as you loveyourself you will not want to harm or cheat him, or kill him or steal from him…

I challenge the body of Christ to uphold honesty and purityin all situations. I pray that we go outand disciple the lost; that we operate in faith, knowing that what God has forour Church is for our Church, and that if we sow the seed of the Good News, Godwill bless and multiply our ministries.

Resolutions

2012-01-07T05:28:00.000-08:00

Have you ever stopped to think about the New Year’s resolutions that we make year in and year out? Certainly the practice of making a promise to yourself to do something (or stop doing something) is something that Believers and non-believers alike engage in with each coming year. There’s nothing wrong with a resolution per se. On the surface resolutions to stop smoking, to lose weight, to eat healthier, to read the bible every day and to come to church more often sound real good. As a pastor, I would love to see these changes take place in the lives of all God’s children. But this is real talk and I have to go deeper than the surface.

Christians have an obligation to look at the motives behind their resolutions. Are you resolved to quit smoking because the Holy Spirit has convicted your heart that you aren’t treating your body like God’s temple, or is it because you’re tired of your clothes smelling bad, you can’t get a date, and cigarettes are too expensive? Are you resolved to read your bible every day because you see how your spiritual life and ability to do ministry will grow, or are you doing it because you heard it’s a good thing to do? Are you exercising because you want to honor God with your body, or are you trying to honor yourself?

(Here’s a free scripture to give those of us needing to get in better shape a proper perspective, “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” 1 Timothy 4:8) LIFT UP THE NAME OF GOD MORE THAN YOU LIFT WEIGHTS.

My friends, the scripture to help us along our way is simple and straight forward, but will only help you if your attitude is one that says, “God’s word is the final authority in my life. If He says it…that settles it.” The New King James Version of Matthew 6:33 says “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you”, but the New Living Translation simply says ”seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously and he will give you everything you need.”

If you say that you are committed to eating better, but it’s always “I’ll start tomorrow”. If you say that you are kingdom minded, but look for excuses to keep from coming to church. If you say that your spiritual health is a major part of your life, but you only dedicate 2 hours to it out of the week. If you say that God’s word is the final authority but your actions say otherwise, I’d like to borrow a phrase that ESPN sports analysts use when players do some “questionable things”, C’Mon Man!

In some way, at some time, God is saying C’Mon Man to all of us, because the truth is all of us have something to work on. The truth is today is another chance to put first things first.I want to challenge the body of Christ to actually COME ON , take God at His word, seek the Kingdom above all else and live right and see God make good on His word. Resolved.

Not Religion, But Relationship

2011-12-22T13:11:00.000-08:00

Psalms 27:7 One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I maydwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, To behold the beauty ofthe LORD, And to inquire in His temple. (New King James Version)

What is this thing we call theChristian walk all about? Here’s anotherquestion, how do we as believers honor God with our lives and manifest His willfor us? I submit to you that it isthrough an intimate relationship with the Almighty (a relationship that seeks Hispresence above all else) is how we will glorify God and fulfill our purpose onthis earth.

The truth of the matter is thatseeking a relationship with God (for many Christians) is not the one thing thatwe seek. We seek interpersonalrelationships (spouses, friends, children, etc), nice possessions, long life,happiness, and to experience some sort of spiritual connection. (Please know that ‘spiritual connection’ isnot the same as an intimate relationship with God and is really a vanilla,politically-correct phrase used to keep from offending someone with the name ofJesus.)

None of the things listed above arebad in and of themselves, but when you look at the fact that we often times chooseto seek them rather than to dwell with the LORD and just bask in His glory, theredefinitely is a problem.

The truth is that it’s not easy. The truth is that it takes commitment,passion, and intimacy to have the type of relationship God wants to have withyou. The truth is that many church folkshave missed the point and have focused on being religious…or at least appearingreligious. Many are stuck on the oldNegro Spiritual “I know I got religion, and the world can’t do me no harm.” They have mistakenly thought that the end oftheir journey was accepting Christ and joining a church, and from then on lifewould be peaches and cream. I’m notsaying that our fore-father’s had a distorted view of religion, because forthem, religion, relationship and their way of life was all rolled up inone. We are the generation that has compartmentalizedour lives and that says “I’m spiritual, but not religious”, or “I believe inGod, but I’m not the church-going type”. So for us, religion (the practices of worship, the music, the corporateprayer, and being on some kind of ministry or committee) does not automaticallymean that we are cultivating a relationship with God.

Yet, in spite of all the challenges, Iam encouraged. When you look at Davidand all that he endured and the missteps he took, yet was still able to writethis psalm, I am encouraged. I believethat it’s after you’ve gone through calamity that you see more clearly thegrace and love of God that brought you through it. This is what will make you know without ashadow of a doubt that He is the one thing that you can’t live without; that theone thing that you will seek above all else is to be near the LORD!

Psalms27:7 The one thing I ask of the LORD— the thing I seek most— is to live in thehouse of the LORD all the days of my life, delighting in the LORD's perfectionsand meditating in his Temple. (New LivingTranslation)

The Dream

2011-12-01T01:56:00.001-08:00

I dream of a church whose head is Jesus, whose help is the Holy Spirit and whose focus is the Great Commission.

I dream of a church that is so dependent on the Holy Spirit that nothing will stop it nor stand against it; a Church whose people are unified, praying and full of God's Spirit.

I dream of a Church whose heartfelt praise and worship touches Heaven and radically changes earth; worship that influences the praises of broken, hurting people throughout the earth, exalting Christ with powerful songs of faith and hope.

I dream of a church that has a message so clear that lives are changed forever and potential is fulfilled through the power of God’s Word; a message beamed to the people of the earth through their television screens.

I dream of a Church so compassionate that people are drawn from impossible situations into a loving and friendly circle of hope, where answers are found and acceptance is given. A Church whose altars are constantly filled with repentant sinners responding to Christ's call to salvation.

I dream of a people so Kingdom-minded that they will count whatever the cost and pay whatever the price to see revival sweep this nation. A church that is a Church of impact. A Church so large that the city and nation cannot ignore it. A Church growing so quickly that buildings struggle to contain the increase.

I dream of a church that is so committed to raising, training and empowering leadership generations to reap the end-time harvest that all its ministries are consumed with this goal.
YES, THE CHURCH I DREAM OF COULD BE OUR CHURCH - NERIAH CHURCH! Let’s make The Dream…A Reality.