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In Matthew 12:35, it says, “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.” The way to become a good man is by storing up good inside of you. The way you store up good inside of you is by feeding on the Word of God. For some reason, the Lord has just given me a passion to know His word more and more. He is reminding me that it is no accident that the thoughts of the mind and the meditation of the heart are what they are. It is done on purpose by what we choose to dwell on.
At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, when faced with temptation from the enemy, He quoted verses He’d learned from the Old Testament. For example, when He was tested in the wilderness following His fast, Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy. The interesting thing is that the Devil also quoted Scripture. He quoted from Psalm 91 but took it out of context. If you want to read the scene, then go to Matthew 4:1-11. The conclusion was that Jesus stayed on course by not only quoting the Scripture but He placed it in His heart and His life reflected that. Even in the last painful moments of Jesus’ life when He was dying for our sins, He quoted from the Old Testament when He said, “Into Your hands I commit My spirit” (Luke 23:46). It was God’s Word that brought clear thinking and the ability to run the race to its final victory. The devil couldn’t rob Jesus of the joy set before Him. How are you doing memorizing Scripture? Have you intentionally taken steps to memorize God’s Word throughout your day? Revival begins this Sunday. Jeremiah Bolich will join us for our services in the morning and then at 6pm on that day. Then Monday through Wednesday will be at 6:30pm with supper starting at 5:30pm. On Sunday and Wednesday there will be special emphasis for the kids. On Monday and Tuesday our elementary kids will be in the worship service with the adults. It is going to be a wonderful week. Plan now to set aside this time to come and revive your spirit with other faithful followers of Jesus Christ. Saturate in these verses today and may God grant you this kind of hope today: “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” Romans 15:4-6. Joy in Jesus! Pastor Mike
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As I was praying and reading this morning, I began to think how God not only created the universe and everything in it, but He created our minds and all the intricate parts of our brain. It is bigger than any computer or any devise that humans have created with the creativity given to us by God. We will never outdo God. One scientist said that the number of connections within one human brain rivals the number of stars and galaxies in the entire universe.
From the very beginning of our life, before we were conceived in our mother’s womb, Scripture says that we were carefully knit together in our mother’s womb (Psalm 139). After we are born, God gave us everything we need to glorify His name by faithfully following Him with every capacity afforded our little minds. Now take note, the enemy is all about distracting, tempting, and enticing us. As we begin to grow, there are opportunities to follow the Spirit and then there are opportunities to follow the flesh. Paul said to the Church of Corinth that the temptation we face is common to all mankind. But God will provide a door of escape for each of us (1 Corinthians 10:13). Some have fallen to temptation, made wrong decisions, followed impure paths or listened to discouraging influences. As a matter of fact, the Scriptures deal with sin in 1 John 1:1-9. Then in the next chapter it says that this was written so you do not sin. My point is that our mind is the battleground of the soul. We can never say we have arrived and yet we don’t give in to the ways of this world. Hebrew 3:1 says we should, “fix [our] thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest”; and Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” In other words, Scripture memory and meditation is a key to a healthy mind. It will begin to clean up the damage that has been done as we have developed and been impacted by the influences of this world. Every word in the Bible is meant to set us free from any earthly oppression caused by stinking thinking. Look with me at a few verses that remind us of the impact of God’s Word. Psalm 19:7-9 7 The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. 9 The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. 2 Timothy 3:16 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, Psalm 1:1-3 1 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. 3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers. Psalm 119:24-28 24 Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors. 25 I am laid low in the dust; preserve my life according to your word. 26 I gave an account of my ways and you answered me; teach me your decrees. 27 Cause me to understand the way of your precepts, that I may meditate on your wonderful deeds. 28 My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word. God’s Word is a doses of Truth that lodges God’s wisdom into our reasoning. I am just scratching the surface. Oh how I am falling in love with God’s Word over and over again. May you be encouraged to saturate in His Word today. Begin to pray for Revival that will be starting on Sunday, October 15 and go through Wednesday, October 18. I believe God wants to do a new thing amongst us. Joy in Jesus! Pastor Mike If you were ever stranded on a deserted island and had no access to any reading materials or cell phones, how many Bible verses could you reconstruct from your memory banks? How about your children if you have any? Do your teenagers know the Bible verses they need to withstand the temptations they’ll face? The Bible was written to be memorized. Take Psalm 25 for instance. It has 22 verses. The Hebrew alphabet has 22 letters; so when we find a passage like this with 22 verses, it’s likely an acrostic. Verse 1 begins with the Hebrew equivalent of our letter A. Verse 2, with the Hebrew equivalent of our letter B. It continues this pattern all the way through verse 22. They call that a mnemonic which is a device or a pattern that assists someone in remembering something. David, who wrote Psalm 25, wanted to make it easy to memorize. When you look at Psalm 119, it is actually composed of 22 segments arranged as an extended acrostic. Proverbs 31 also has 22 segments. So, in other words, these Bible verses were meant to be memorized. Before we had many print versions of the Bible, people were forced to memorize portions of God’s Word. Now we have access to God’s Word in many forms. I can pull up scripture on my phone and read it anywhere. The problem comes when memorization becomes a lost art due to easy accessibility. Something that is so good can actually be harmful. Just remember, whenever you store away a verse in your mind, it becomes a concealed weapon. As the great theologian Barney Fife says, “Your whole body becomes a weapon.” The Word becomes a light, a lamp, and a two-edged sword. It is available 24/7 and can “fix” our thoughts as we fix our thoughts on Jesus and His Words. This Sunday is Grandparent’s Day at the Church. Bring your grandchildren or your grandparents and enjoy the gift of many generations worshiping together. Pictures will be taken and available for your memories sake in the weeks following. Don’t want to forget those special times either. It’s going to be a great Sunday. What verse or passage of scripture are you working on? Start small and work your way up. Joy in Jesus! Pastor Mike I don’t advocate the philosophy of this world that says, “If you can conceive it and believe it, you’ll receive it.” It’s much more than just claiming everything you see. However, the Lord certainly wants us to use all the mental powers He gave us by contemplating His Word in our minds daily. Our minds are an amazing bit of God’s creative genius. They process thought, but they also visualize and imagine. I have known many people who have said that they got in trouble for their imagination when they were a child. I think that teachers and parents do our children a disservice when they squelch the imagination of our children and then expect them to pick it up again when they become mature. Daydreams and fantasies that are driven by lust and greed are harmful; but there’s tremendous power in the sanctified use of imagination and visualization.
Look what Scripture says about practicing spiritual contemplation: Matthew 22:37 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ Ephesians 4:23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; Isaiah 26:3 You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Philippians 2:5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Colossians 3:2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Romans 8:5-6 5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. The simplest way to put this into practice is by printing God’s Word on the walls of our mind. As you begin to memorize, you begin to picture the scenes and hear the words as if they are spoken directly to you. It is the most powerful tool in changing our habits of thought and feeding our mental health. Dr. Martin Seligman of the University of Pennsylvania, wrote a book entitled, “Learning Optimism.” He suggests that depression is primarily the result of wrong thinking. He writes, Depression . . . is caused by conscious negative thoughts. There is no deep underlying disorder to be rooted out: not unresolved childhood conflicts, not our unconscious anger, and not even our brain chemistry. Emotion comes directly from what we think: Think ‘I am in danger’ and you feel anxiety. Think ‘I am being trespassed against’ and you feel anger. Think ‘Loss’ and you feel sadness. . . . If we change these habits of thought, we will cure depression.” So why not join me in Scripture memory. Internalize the Words of God and mainstream God’s thoughts into your internal being? I guarantee that what you find yourself dwelling on each and every day determines the state of your mind and heart as you lay your head on your pillow to get much needed rest. I am looking forward to continuing our series, “Embracing Exile” this Sunday. As we looked at on Sunday, you need to separate yourself from negative thinking, be filled with God’s Word, and watch not only your life be blessed but others as well. Invite someone to come with you and pray for transformation to be contagious as they experience the God of all comfort. Joy in Jesus! Pastor Mike As we look at memorizing Scripture, I will have to admit that memorizing words for the sake of words is of no value. But Bible verses are not just words. They are the Words of God. We may not fully understand every verse we memorize, but the act of learning it pins it to our short-term memories. From our short-term memory, it can filter into our long-term brain cells. From there it sinks into our subconscious minds and then it can be brought to our minds in the background even when you don’t even intentionally mean to do it. I just had the thought that if you were to get in a terrible accident and go into a coma, then your mind will be in a state of deep unconsciousness that lasts for an indefinite period of time. It is there that your subconscious can feed your brain with these ponderings. Praise the Lord that the subconscious can also do its work in our sleep. So what are you feeding your subconscious? The answer is whatever you saturate and ponder on. To that I say, let it be the Word of God. That is the power of memorization. Just think, you have the opportunity to memorize the most potent words in the entire universe.
Think of it this way – when you memorize a word, phrase, line, or verse from God’s Word, it’s like implanting a powerful radioactive speck of the very mind of God into our own finite brains. As we memorize, the Word of God is being planted in the crevices of our soul to be used for the glory of God. When we do all of that, we are doing what the Apostle Paul says in Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. I pray that God will lay a verse on your heart that you will know through and through. Ask the Lord to transform your thinking and give you an opportunity to live out His Words. My son, keep my words and store up my commands within you. 2 Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye. 3 Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart. Proverbs 7:1-3 May the God of peace fill your hearts and minds with His powerful words today and prepare you as we gather to worship on Sunday and continue our series, “Embracing Exile.” Joy in Jesus! Pastor Mike For the next several weeks we are going to be focusing on memorizing Scripture. It is an art that has been put aside due to busyness. It is time to not make busyness an excuse any longer, we have to get down to the business of renewing our minds. Scripture has a way of resourcing our mentality. It can keep you from making mistakes, from losing your temper on multiple accounts. It can keep you from committing sins that would have marred your soul. Scripture can give us encouragement during challenging moments, comfort during grief, peace amid alarm, and joy when the sun was obscured by clouds of confusion.
Verses from God’s Word can give you something to say to others on many occasions when you can’t find adequate words to say. Scripture has the power that is supernatural, soothing, convicting, transforming, life-changing, timely, timeless, and eternal. Nothing beats having the Word of God stored away in the chambers of the mind. Dr. Dallas Willard, Professor in the School of Philosophy at UCLA, has this to say about memorizing Scripture, “I’ve found that through Scripture memory the incredible treasures of Scripture are not only just available to my mind, but they inform my whole being in a way that is a testimony to the substantial power of the Word of God. Memorizing miscellaneous verses is a good thing, but when I talk about memorizing Scripture, I’m really talking about memorizing passages, whole Psalms, or long parts of the Letters or the Gospels,” said Willard. “That does something to not only your mind but to your outlook. For me, anything that is going to be effective in spiritual formation or growth in grace has got to be holistic. It can’t be a little side thing that you have a few Scriptures memorized. A simple illustration is the Twenty-third Psalm. Many people have that memorized, but they don’t allow it to inform their thinking and their acting by meditating on it as they should. Having it stored in your mind is a powerful resource for inner development.” Dr. Willard suggests not only memorizing isolated verses but to memorize whole passages. That is a novel idea. But don’t get discouraged. Start where you are and move from there – one day at a time. Last Sunday the Lord led us to anoint anyone who wanted to lay a situation or a physical need before the Lord for healing. It was a powerful time of faith as we gathered around people and prayed for many things. God is always pleased when we exercise our faith and believe Him for a miracle. We leave the type of miracle up to the God of all comfort and healing. He knows best. Next Wednesday begins our Front Row Ministry Prayer from 6:30am to 7:30am in the Worship Center. This time together is what sets the course of our ministry. Everything rises and falls on fervent prayer. Would you join me as we pray for our church, our families, and our nation? What do you spend your day thinking about when you have a pause in your day? I guarantee that whatever your answer is sets the course of your day and puts those things into action. May the things we ponder and recite glorify our Father in heaven. “For as he thinks in his heart, so he is.” Proverbs 27:3 (NKJV) Joy in Jesus! Pastor Mike Can you figure out the following riddle? What is vital for mental and emotional health and for spiritual well-being? You can take it with you everywhere without packing it in your purse or briefcase. It is accessible day and night. It permeates your subconscious and even your unconscious thoughts. It gives you a word to say to anyone, in season and out of season. It fills your heart and home with the best thoughts ever recorded. It saturates your personality, satiates the soul, and stockpiles the mind. It changes the atmosphere of every family and alters the weather forecast every day.
It takes one to ten minutes a day – whatever time you devote to it. It can be done in your bath, your bed, at your desk, driving down the road, or in an airplane. It can be done on the go, in traffic jams, while shaving, at sunup, or before bedtime. It can be done alone, with another person, or in groups. It is profitable whether you are in the nursery or in the nursing home. It is a way of digging deep into the soul and planting the truth a little deeper in order to achieve a richer harvest. Losing it is like an explorer losing his map or a nation losing her constitution. Have you figured it out yet? I am tempted to wait another week to give you the answer but I won’t. The answer is memorizing Scripture. It is one of the greatest things you can invest in. A verse learned goes into our memories and from there into our conscience and subconscious minds. From there it appears in the room of imagination, and it shows up in the way we live, think, feel, talk, act, and achieve. You are what you think. Have you considered taking the time to memorize Scripture? All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. - 2 Timothy 3:16-17 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” - Matthew 4:4 Vickie and I have taken up the challenge to specifically focus on memorizing Scripture. Would you like to join us? For the next several weeks, I will be focusing in on the benefits and reasons to memorize Scripture. Another discipline that we are going to start up again is corporate prayer. Beginning on Wednesday, September 13, we will begin our Front Row Ministry again. We will meet on Wednesdays from 6:30a to 7:30a in the Worship Center. Please plan to drop in to this midweek prayer time for our church families and our church influence. “For as he thinks in his heart, so he is.” Proverbs 27:3 (NKJV) Joy in Jesus! Pastor Mike When I was younger, I remember singing hymns from the hymnal held in the pew rack in front of me. Many times when they would announce the hymn I would cover my ears to see if I could turn to it without hearing the number. Some of the hymns were sung multiple times because it was the song leader’s favorite. From time to time one will pop into my head. The same thing is happening today with the choruses. They keep running around in my head and it is an encouragement throughout the day. I love our current songs that we sing today just like I do the hymns I listened to as a child.
One particular hymn is called, “Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus.” Look at the words with me. ’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, just to take Him at His word, just to rest upon His promise, just to know, “Thus saith the Lord.” O how sweet to trust in Jesus, just to trust His cleansing blood, just in simple faith to plunge me ’neath the healing, cleansing flood! Yes, ’tis sweet to trust in Jesus, just from sin and self to cease, just from Jesus simply taking life and rest and joy and peace. I’m so glad I learned to trust Thee, Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend; and I know that Thou art with me, wilt be with me to the end. Chorus: Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him! How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er! Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! O for grace to trust Him more! There is a story behind this hymn. It came out of the darkest hour of Lousia Stead’s life. Louisa, her husband, and their little daughter were enjoying an ocean side picnic one day when a boy who was drowning began to call for help. Mr. Stead rushed into action and tried to save the little boy. Instead, he was pulled into the water and drowned as Louisa and her daughter watched helplessly. It is in the aftermath that the words to this hymn came to life. Soon after this tragedy, Louisa and her daughter left for missionary work in South Africa. She served for about 25 years and had to retire due to bad health. She died a few years later. Her fellow missionaries loved the song that she had written and they in turn wrote this tribute after her death. “We miss her very much, but her influence goes on as our five thousand native Christians continually sing this hymn in their native language.” Do you know what it is like to trust the Lord like Louisa wrote about in this great hymn? You can. “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge, his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart” Psalm 91:4. The word rampart also means wall. God wants to be like a wall and keep you from taking the full brunt of the sting of the enemy. Cling on to the Lord today with all of your heart, hope, and trust. He will keep you in perfect peace. Keep trusting in the only one who can save you and keep you. Take a moment to praise the Lord for keeping a song in your heart in the midst of tragedy. I am looking forward to worshipping with you this Sunday as we baptize a few believers in our services. Joy in Jesus! Pastor Mike We continue to look at John’s description of Jesus according to Revelation. Jesus is the Son of God (Rev. 2:18); the one who searches hearts and minds (Rev. 2:23); the one who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars (Rev. 3:1); the one who is holy and true and who has the key of David (Rev. 3:7); the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation (Rev. 4:14); the Lord, who is worthy to receive glory and honor and power (Rev. 4:11); the Lion of the tribe of Judah and the Root of David (Rev. 5:5); the Lamb that has been slain (Rev. 5:6-7); the Lamb who lives (Rev. 5:8-9); the Lord of lords and King of kings (Rev. 17:14; 19:16); the just Judge who is Faithful and True and the warrior on the white horse (Rev. 19:11); the Word of God (Rev. 19:13-16); the Lord, the God who inspires the prophets (Rev. 22:6); the Beginning and the End (Rev. 22:13); and the Bright and Morning Star (Rev. 22:16).
These names represent Jesus as the promised Messiah, the one who died and was raised to life again to defeat death. He is a loving and powerful God who loves his people yesterday, today, and forever. This same Jesus takes residence in the believer. We have a powerhouse packed inside of us who always spills out wherever we go. Praise his Holy Name!!! We just announced some exciting news about our new youth pastor. His first Sunday will be onSeptember 10. This Sunday we will have an insert about he and his family in our worship folder. We have some exciting things happening at the Naz. May you live out Jesus today in all of your endeavors today. I look forward to worshipping with you this Sunday and then having a great Picnic on the Lawn at 5:30pm. There will be lots of games and activities, and most of all, new friends to meet. Joy in Jesus! Pastor Mike John described God as “him who is, and who was, and who is to come” (Rev. 1:4, 4:8). This phrase echoes Exodus 3:14-15, where God spoke of himself as “I am” as he revealed his name to Moses. Jesus also referred to himself as “I AM” in John 8:58, declaring himself to be God. John declares that not only is God who he says he is now, but he is also the same God he was throughout history, and he will continue to be the same God in the future. So let’s look at the names for Jesus revealed in Revelations.
Jesus is the Christ (Rev. 1:1; 20:4). He is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, the ruler of the kings of the earth (Rev. 1:5); the Alpha and Omega (Rev. 1:8-13); the son of man (Rev. 1:13) who holds the sharp double-edged sword (Rev. 1:16); the First and Last (Rev. 1:17); the Living One who lives and was dead (Rev. 1:18; 2:8); the one who holds the keys of death and Hades (Rev. 1:18); the one who holds the seven stars and who walks among the seven golden lampstands (2:1). As I was looking at the names and titles of Jesus in Revelations, I thought it could be a little overwhelming for one Faithbuilder because there are many names to describe the totality of who Jesus is. For it presents Jesus as the promised Messiah, the one who died and rose again to defeat death. Yet He came for you and I. His love is unconditional and will never run dry. He is the Almighty God! As the Psalmist says, “There is no god like our God.” This week I had to fly to a conference and I always love to fly the busy skies from really busy airports – not! They say to be a couple of hours early to your flight so you can be sure and make it through all the checkpoints. I drove and made it there right at two hours before my flight. The problem came when I got confused in the construction and parked at the wrong terminal. I didn’t know I was in the wrong place until I walked 15 minutes to get to the ticket counter. I had to go all the way back to my car and drive clear around to the other side of the airport, find a parking spot, and go through all the hoops to make it to my flight. Needless to say, I was in a mad rush to make it to my flight before they took to the sky without me. I did finally make it and had about 20 minutes to spare before the flight boarded. I was praying as I was walking. Ok, maybe I was running. But all I know is that I got through the lines in record time without cutting or being short with people. Even with a travel problem, God is faithful in keeping me in perfect peace. I know that may not compare to the problems of this world, but my God is faithful with everything I release to Him. Next week I want to continue to look at the names of Jesus in the book of Revelation. He is more than we can even fathom. My prayer is that you will be able to grasp how wide and long and high and deep the love of Christ is for you today. His love surpasses all knowledge, even the knowledge of who He is. He is so many things to everyone in the universe and yet he cares for all of our coming and going. Praise the Lord for his continued watch care for all of his children. Joy in Jesus! Pastor Mike |
Rev. Mike McClurgSenior Pastor, Findlay First Church of the Nazarene Archives
October 2017
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