IN-DEPENDENCE

“And behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17 ESV)

I really appreciate last week’s devotional. Something Pastor Shane wrote really stuck with me throughout the week, “Friends, God is always pleased with humility and dependence!  This is what Jesus himself was commended for!” This is a great point and it causes me to wonder; could we be doing a better job of following Jesus’ example here? I know there are some days when I could look back and answer a great big “YES!” to that question. Hindsight is 20/20, as they say. I think that my level of dependence on God is directly related to my level of humility. If I could possess greater humility, my dependence on God could increase exponentially. Have you ever made that connection? A Psalm of David helped me greatly in my efforts to figure this out.

“He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.” (Psalm 25:9 ESV)

As I become more humble, I begin to realize my size compared to God. I begin to better understand how in-control He really is and how in-dependence I truly need to live. I become more open to His leading; to Him teaching me His way. When I catch a glimpse of how big and how great and how mighty and how powerful God is, I am humbled, and my dependence on Him can only be amplified. Have you caught your glimpse? Are you living humbly in-dependence? Seriously think about this one. Let’s try to be like Jesus this week!

Blessings,

Shawn

POWER FOR EFFECTIVE MINISTRY

Isaiah 10:15 ESV

Shall the axe boast over him who hews with it, or the saw magnify itself against him who wields it?  As if a rod should wield him who lifts it, or as if a staff should lift him who is not wood!

Where do we get the power for effectiveness in ministry?  Jesus knew.  You might remember when Jesus walked the dusty road from Galilee toward the Jordan intent upon being baptized by John.  The scripture reads, “John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented and when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:14-17 (ESV).  Now gang, John was not wrong about Jesus.  Jesus truly had all the right to be the baptizer, not the baptizee.  But even Jesus depended on someone didn’t he?  He looked to The Father.   He knew that apart from the Father his effectiveness would be squashed.  Perhaps this is the message God was trying to convey to the nation of Assyria when he prompts the prophet to ask, “Shall the axe boast over him who hews with it, or the saw magnify itself against him who wields it?  As if a rod should wield him who lifts it, or as if a staff should lift him who is not wood! You see, Assyria is a mere tool in the hand of God as are we.  Friends, God is always pleased with humility and dependence!  This is what Jesus himself was commended for!  So let me ask it again.  Where does the power for effectiveness in ministry come?  How about effectiveness as a husband, wife, friend, father or mother?  Jesus knows.  And so, for that reason, Jesus humbled himself not just before the Father but also before John.  He said, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting.” And he was baptized as a sign of dependence to Him who truly gives all the power for every good thing.  And God said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”   Amen.

Shane

The Apprentice

“Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 1:13 ESV)

Sometimes I try to imagine what it must have been like to have been Paul’s apprentice. Paul seems to have filled the role of mentor in Timothy’s life, yet Paul treated him respectfully as a close friend and partner. I am very blessed that Pastor Shane has chosen to play a similar role in my life; guiding me and helping me mature. I must tell you that as the apprentice, I feel a great sense of responsibility. I want to make sure that things are done in a manner that Pastor Shane would approve of, and this can sometimes be a heavy burden. But this privilege and responsibility also stretches and shapes me, so that I can be better prepared for what God would call me to do in the future.

Who is your apprentice? To whom are you giving the great privilege and responsibility of being mentored by you? How’s it going?

Friends, we’ve got to follow Paul’s example here and help others along. I am consistent in mentoring a few different men, and I have yet to find anything more rewarding than watching a close friend mature in Christ. One of those friends just took over my role as Assimilation Coach with Celebrate Recovery, and he’ll probably do a better job with that than I did. What could happen with your ministry if you decided to raise up an apprentice? Would you have more time to dream bigger; to think more about the big picture? What will happen if you don’t? Probably nothing; and this should be one of our biggest fears.

So today, ask yourself “Who will it be?” And if you’ve already found your apprentice, pour a little more into that person this week!

Blessings,

Shawn

NEVER STOP EXPLORING

[27] Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. [28] And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. [29] Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? [30] Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?

(1 Corinthians 12:27-30 ESV)

The purpose of spiritual gifts is to build up the body of Christ, which is the church. All of the gifts are meant to benefit the church; to contribute to building others up. The question is; what are you doing with yours? Or better yet, do you know what your spiritual gifts are? In verse 29 of the above scripture, Paul asks a rhetorical question “Are all apostles?” The answer is obviously no, setting us up to answer no to each of the following questions as well. This implies that the Holy Spirit does not give the same gifts to everyone, which leads me to believe that we each have our gifts for very specific reasons. Awesome!

Friends, the road to putting your gifts to work for God is really pretty short. We have many opportunities here at NorthPointe for you to explore. The journey to mastering the use of those gifts however, is just that; a journey. And as a fellow traveler, I want to encourage you to find the adventure in the journey. Look beyond yourself, look beyond what you’re doing right now, look beyond tomorrow. What do you think God will have you doing with your gifts next year? What do you think He’ll have you doing with what He gave you in ten years?

I saw a really cool shirt in a sporting goods store the other day. The writing on it said “Never Stop Exploring”. Let that be an encouragement to all of us. Never stop exploring! Never stop asking God what he wants you to do with the gifts he’s given to you. And if you aren’t sure what those gifts are, you can begin exploring right now. Check out the link to a Spiritual Gift Assessment and start your adventure today.

Blessings,

Shawn

SERVING

He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.

Proverbs 19:17 (NIV)

Truer words have never been spoken.  Jesus reminded his followers of this when he said…

“Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why:

I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.’

“Then those ’sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me-you did it to me.’

Matthew 25:34-40 (The Message)

As far back as the Old Testament and at the dawn of the New Testament Jesus equates the love that we share with those in need with the love we have for him in the most literal way.

For that reason, it’s an honor for me to announce a service project in which we get to love Jesus by loving and helping a Fresno church in their time of need.

New Light for New Life church in Southwest Fresno needs volunteers to help with an “Extreme Church Makeover.”  We need skilled and non-skilled help with drywall, plumbing, painting, electrical, and landscaping.  This project will begin Monday July 26 and continue all that week with “Big Saturday” work days on July 31 and August 1st.  Check out the insert in your bulletin for all the details!

Thank you for all you do to make NorthPointe Church a reflection of Jesus’ love!

Blessings,

Shane