Pastor Bob’s Blog

I’m preaching a series entitled, “Faith That Pleases God.”  The foundation scriptures are Hebrews 11:6 (it is impossible to please God without faith) and Romans 14:23 (whatever is not of faith is sin).

If we drill down through unbelief, we’ll usually find a trust problem.  If I trust God, and if I trust His word, then faith is easy.  If not, it’s hard.

It’s true in our natural lives, too.  If I tell my wife that dinner will be ready at 7:00, she’ll be at the table with her appetite – if she trusts me and what I say.  If she doesn’t, then at 6:30 she’ll be on the phone ordering pizza.

Do we trust God?  Or do we trust the counterfeit?

Hezekiah was one who trusted God.  Let’s unpack his story, which is found in 2 Kings 18 and 19.

Hezekiah became the king of Judah at age 25.  He trusted in the Lord (2 Kings 18:5), and the Lord was with him so that he prospered (2 Kings 18:7).

The king of Assyria attacked Judah and captured some of the walled cities.  Hezekiah tried to appease the Assyrian king, Sennacherib, by giving him gold and silver from the temple.  Not surprisingly, it didn’t work.

Sennacherib was preparing to attack the seat of the government of Judah, Jerusalem.  He sent a representative to taunt the people and to tempt them away from the Lord.  He told them the gods of the other nations hadn’t been able to save the other nations from Sennacherib, and the Lord couldn’t either.  He promised them that if they subjected themselves to Sennacherib, and gave him a gift, they would “eat from [their] own vine, and everyone from his own fig tree,” and that every one of them would come to another land of grain and new wine, bread, and vineyards.  (2 Kings 18:31-32).  He offered them a counterfeit blessing that looked deceptively like the Blessing of the Lord.

The people of Judah didn’t bite.  They kept their mouths shut.  Hezekiah went before the Lord, and asked Isaiah, the prophet of the Lord, for advice.  Isaiah spoke a prophetic word that Sennacherib would be routed and killed.

Hezekiah and Judah could have bitten for the counterfeit blessing.  But they didn’t.  No, Hezekiah had read the accounts of how the Lord had saved his ancestor David.  He’d read (and maybe sung) David’s psalms, many of which were written when David was under attack.  Hezekiah knew the promises of the Torah, and what was promised him in the Blessing.  He had a prophetic word from Isaiah.  Hezekiah trusted the Lord and the written and prophetic word of the Lord.

Will we bite for the counterfeit blessing?  Or will we hold out for the real Blessing of the Lord?  Will we fall prey to taunts, even by fellow Christians, that God doesn’t really heal or prosper?  Or will we stand on the promises of His Word?

Until you and I trust the Lord and His word, we will never really live by faith.  And if we don’t live by faith, we’ll never please God.

Trust Him.  He is faithful!

One of my Facebook friends posted this.  It’s really silly – but true.  In times of economic distress, the LAST thing I’d want to do is to stop tithing my tithe to the Lord.  So give it a look, yo!

Tithe Rap

During this morning’s service, I preached from Matthew 25:31-46.  The title of the word preached was “Sheep of the Good Shepherd.”  The basic theme was this.  If we are really disciples of the Lord Jesus, people will be able to see the fruit of our salvation.  In this discourse on the Mount of Olives, Jesus talked pointedly about what that fruit will look like.  Surely the fruit of our salvation will be evident when we minister to our neighbors, but it will be especially evident as we minister to “brethren” of Jesus who are in need.  Who are His brethren?  They’re other Christians.  (Romans 8:29 calls Jesus the firstborn among many brethren).

Isn’t that what Jesus called the “new commandment?”  In John 13:34-35 (NKJV), Jesus plainly told us how we and anyone looking at us will know if we’re His disciples:

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.

If we are really followers of Jesus, we will be moved to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, house the homeless, and visit the prisoner – especially those of the household of faith (Galatians 6:10) – knowing that when we do, we’ll be feeding, clothing, housing, and visiting Jesus.  If we refuse to do those things, we really need to do some serious soul searching and be honest with ourselves about whether we’re really followers of Jesus.  Read the passage from Matthew 25.  It’s true.

Abundant Life Church was just approved as a host site for Angel Food Ministries (www.angelfoodministries.com).  Soon, once we have been trained, we will begin ministering food to people in Southeastern Ohio.  As so many people are struggling in the current economy, we will be able to feed them (and by extension, Jesus) – and to share the good news of the gospel.

I’m excited.  This is just one more way that Abundant Life Church can be the feet, hands, and heart of Jesus in this area.  If you want to be involved, contact Jeff Dolman, who is the elder in charge.  If you leave a message on the church’s answering machine, he’ll call you back.  Or track him down at church.

Let’s all be sheep together, and not goats!  And with the Holy Spirit on us, He can use us to be ministers of His love and to change peoples’ lives!

I read an article today in Ohio University’s student newspaper. The point of the article was that people are giving less at church because they’re worried about the economy. The reporter spoke with some pastors who reported that their churches’ incomes were down.
The reporter had left a message for me, but I didn’t get it until after the story was posted. I’m sorry about that, because I could have given her a different perspective.
At Abundant Life Church, our tithes and offerings are higher than last year at this time. Why? First, the Lord is blessing our people – just as His Word promises.   Second, our people are not afraid. They take God at His Word. He says He’ll supply all our needs according to His riches in glory, and He promised He would open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing to those who tithe. Our people are tithers and givers.  Maybe you’d stop tithing and giving if you didn’t believe what God promised in the Bible and were afraid God wouldn’t do what He said He’d do. But if you really believe Him, and you understand the laws of tithing and of sowing and reaping, you’ll give more in tough times, not less.
What’s the effect of the economic downturn on Abundant Life Church? We’re becoming more attuned to other people’s needs, and are prepared to live out the commandment of love by giving to others from what the Lord has blessed us with.
For anyone who has no earthly clue what I’m talking about, I’d recommend that you read Malachi 3:8-12 as a starting point. Take what the Lord is saying by faith, expect Him to perform His word, and tithe to your church and sow (give above your tithe), and watch the Lord perform His word!!