LOSE TO GAIN...AND GROW

Philippians 3: 7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.

Paradoxical thought isn't it? Lose to gain? I don't believe it is a stretch for us to relate to the Jews of Paul's time. Think about it. They were God's chosen people. They knew that God has picked them to be a great nation. They hear about this Jesus who some say is the Messiah and were asked to follow a new Way. Their response…."Give up all this? For this maverick from Nazereth? I have everything I could possibly want. You want me to give up my reputation, my power, my money, my camels with spinners and boots with the furs? For some carpenter rabbi? I would be thought crazy. People would mock me. I would be the fodder for gossip. They would laugh at me at the Wal-market when I invited them to church or talked about Him. NO THANK YOU! I am happy right where I am. I know God loves me, and that is enough".

Paul goes on to share his desire: 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death… His words to me are saying “I want to be like Jesus, one of His disciples.” Sunday I quoted Charles Spurgeon who said “an ounce of heart knowledge is worth more than a ton of head learning”. This may be where the rubber meets the road in our spiritual growth. Do we really desire to know Jesus intimately? Or just socially so we can be thought to be a part of His crowd?

The "F" Word

The enemy of our souls has a very specific strategy to destroy relationships. Whether these relationships are in business, marriage, friendships or the church, the strategy is the same. A conflict arises, judgments are made, and feelings are hurt. What happens next is the defining point of whether the enemy gains a foothold, or the grace of God covers the wrong.

"See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many." Hebrews 12:15

When a root of bitterness is allowed to be planted and grown, it not only affects that person, but it also affects all others who are involved. It is like a cancer. Breaking satan's foothold requires at least one person to press into God's grace. It cannot happen when either party "feels" like it, for none of us will ever feel like forgiving. None of us feel like talking when we have been hurt. Our natural response is to withdraw or lash out at the offending party. It is only obedience that allows God's grace to cover the wrongs incurred. This grace prevents the parties from becoming victims who will seek compensation for their pain.

Let us choose grace instead of bitterness and grow together not apart, praying that we will be able to work through the hurt, and a root of bitterness will not be given opportunity to grow.

GROWING IN HIS GRACE

Driving to a funeral I was officiating the other day, I drove past a gas station where an old friend was filling up. I still consider him a friend but he has chosen to sever ties due to his disagreeing with decisions leadership of TPH has made. As it happened, he noticed my car, we made eye contact, and I waved. He turned, without any response and proceeded to grab a sweatshirt out of his truck.
Now, I can understand people disagreeing. Everyone has opinions, thoughts and expectations...me certainly being all in on that. (some of you are laughing at that understatement) What I can't understand is how "disagreeable" some folks can be and how they can be that way for a LONG time. There have been events in my life, disagreements with others, even harsh arguments that have strained and/or ended relationships. Several times things have caused me to "disassociate" with the other person. I understand all those feelings and actions.
God calls us to a higher commitment though when we become His disciple. My explanation to people in these type of situations is this: some day, if both sides have Jesus as Lord of their life, there will be a reunion. They are going to HAVE to get along in heaven. Father will see to that! Now if that is the case, then shouldn't we try to do the same with our relationships here on earth? Someone once said that our life here is practice for eternity. I like that!!
At the end of his teaching on the mount, Jesus said "For if you forgive people their wrongdoing, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well. But if you don't forgive people, your Father will not forgive your wrongdoing." MATTHEW 6:14-15
Tough to hear....harder to live out...but no less our directive.
If you find yourself as I have, holding on to "stuff", make amends, forgive and move toward Jesus likeness......Let's Grow!!

Love+friendship=Brotherhood

A friend posted this on their Facebook page today....

They say everlasting friends can go long periods of time without speaking and never question the friendship. These types of friends pick up like they just spoke yesterday, regardless of how long it has been or how far away they live, and they don't hold grudges. They understand that life is busy but you will ALWAYS love them.

I think this is the kind of friend/brother that Solomon was speaking of in Proverbs 17:17 and 18:24. And also that John was describing in 1 John 4:19-21. It came as a gentle reminder to me.

Will you be that kind of friend/brother in this lost and hurting world today?

BE THE CHURCH!! Blessings as you GROW.....

Lake Sun Church of the Week

CHURCH PROFILE

THE POTTER’S HOUSE OF CAMDENTON

YEAR ESTABLISHED 2001

Founding and Senior Pastor- Tom Ford

FAITH Non-denominational

CHURCH MEMBERS 400+

EXECUTIVE PASTOR’S QUOTE “We are faith filled, big thinking, bet the farm, risk takers and we will never insult God with small thinking and safe living,” Executive

Pastor Guy Lombardo.

VISION BA2C = Becoming an Acts 2 church. To help believers become fully devoted followers of Christ to the point their lives resemble Jesus.

About the church

WORSHIP SERVICES

Children and Adult worship 10 a.m. Sunday

Celebrate Recovery 5:15 p.m. Tuesday for help recovering from life’s harmful hurts, habits and hang ups.

COMMUNITY OUTREACHES The church is involved in the planning stages with the Child Advocacy Council, for a back to school effort for summer 2011. To provide back packs filled with school supplies and essentials to help children have a fresh start and be successful in school. The council hopes several other churches will partner with the project.

MISSIONS Samaritan’s Purse/Operation Christmas Child Christmas Boxes; According to Guy, for each box given, 10 people are affected by the gospel. Members have a goal of packing and collecting 500 shoe boxes, filled with small items for children, to be shipped overseas, which equals to 5,000 lives impacted. A prayer and packing party is scheduled 11:30 a.m. Sunday, November 7 after the morning service.

EVENTS The church is planning a special Christmas series Sunday, November 28 through Sunday, December 26. 2010 entitled He Came.

ADRESS 2073 South Business Route 5 Camdenton

INFO (573) 346-3951 www.tphoc.com

Potter’s House uses multi-media to present the gospel

Potter’s House endeavors to communicate God’s unchanging truths in culturally compelling ways. “Some say we are contemporary, we do things differently than traditional churches,” said Executive Pastor Guy Lombardo. Guy believes that because the culture is ever changing, methodology should be ever changing. “The truth never changes, but the way we present it does,” said Guy. Such as giving away eight IPODS during a sermon series, dropping balloons from the ceiling, and riding a motorcycle into the building. A recent popular series of services was an ‘at the movies’ series using the movies Blind Side and Bucket List to pull out scriptural allegories in order to teach how to apply them in everyday life. For the series the Potter’s House changed their church into a movie theater complete with pop corn and soda dispensers. “It felt like you were actually in the lobby of a movie theater,” said Guy. “There are creative ways to make spiritual truths come alive in order to drive home a scriptural point through visual effects,” said Guy.

Time to ‘be’ the church, not ‘do’ church

“We want to teach believers to stop doing church, and start being the church,” said Guy. The Pastors encourage their people to go out and live their faith outside the walls of the church by reaching out to people in need. “We can do lot of meaningful things in the church like studying the word and worshipping with like believers, but unless we step outside the walls of the church, and apply these things we are just a social club. The bible says faith without works is dead,” said Guy.

The goal of helping people find their gift

According to Guy, there are five things God gives everyone; a spiritual gift, a heart or passion for something, natural abilities, or things they are naturally good at, a personality, and life experiences. “Our goal is to help people identify their giftings. Once we discover what it is that God has called us to do, we can then go ‘be’ the church,” said Guy.

Family is most important in teaching children

The Potter’s House believes that what happens at home is more important than what happens at church. “American culture started looking to the church to teach their children faith. God’s word mandates the spiritual head of the family should teach children faith. Families have been in crisis for 20 years because we have gotten away from this God given mandate. Our goal is to come along side the parent and partner with them. In one way they do this is regularly scheduled Sunday’s where the children and adults worship together. After a sermon, they move into age appropriate groups to discuss the lesson and bring it into real life perspective. “Hopefully families will take these discussions home with them and continue to communicate and teach faith,” said Guy.

Freedom Splash at Captain Ron’s

The Potter’s House holds “Church at the Beach” 10:30 a.m. Sundays, Easter through Labor Day, at Captain Ron’s in Sunrise Beach. The attendance has doubled since starting one year ago. They recently held “Freedom Splash 2010” on the 4^th of July celebrating our freedom as a nation and freedom in Christ. It included a time where 13 people followed the Lord in baptism. One of those baptized said the church on the beach was the first church they ever attended and felt accepted.

Guy invites everyone to come and pay them a visit. The atmosphere is relaxed and the dress is casual. “We would love the chance to serve people. We are more concerned about meeting the life needs of people than in what they are wearing,” said Guy.

Don't SETTLE for Good

I can’t stand to do something that’s just good enough. It torments me when I feel like I pass with a C+. I am constantly evaluating each area of ministry and looking for ways to do it better.

Some people don't like that part of me. Most of our society wants us to buy into the lie that good enough is...well...good enough. Do they really think that good honors God? I don't!

Reject mediocrity. Don’t hand in a rough draft. Mediocrity never inspired anyone. And I just can’t believe it brings honor to our great God. Finish any job you start with a spirit of excellence...and always look for ways to do it even better. I think that's what honors Him.

See you Sunday folks....it's going to be the BEST ONE YET!! Radical Generosity. Bring a friend and a spirit of excellence to worship.

Sell EVERYTHING?

Recently I was reading the story of the Rich Young Ruler (Luke 18:18+). He had it all. God had truly blessed him...probably lived in a gated community, had the latest camels for transportation. Can't believe he wouldn't have had the newest flat panel HD stone tablets in his living room for entertainment. He had to be a GOOD man...a stand-up citizen supporting lots of GREAT humanitarian efforts as well as making certain that he tithed to the local temple. He may even have had a position on one of the temple committees. Yet something with his life troubled him to the point to ask a question of Jesus. "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" It seems he had it all except the security of what eternity held for him.

As with all of us, when we ask Jesus a question, His answer will usually rock our world. "Sell EVERYTHING you have and give to the poor....then, come and follow me." The story goes that he went away sad. HE WENT AWAY........SAD.

As I read that, I couldn't help but wonder what the young man was thinking. But then my thoughts turned to Jesus. Why didn't He go after the man? Tell him it was what was best for him? Explain that if he just maybe started selling a little bit and see how it went that He would help him? No...Jesus didn't pursue or conj ole. He just challenged the man's heart and let him make his own choice.

I think that's the way Jesus chooses to grow us. When we come face to face with Him and have the courage (or fear) to ask Him what's on our mind, He sometimes brings a hard word. Something that will either deepen our devotion to Him or leave us going away...sad.

These last couple of months I have been looking at my life and asking myself "where is God asking me to sell everything"? There have been times when I have gone away from the hard word God has shared with me...not defiantly or lacking understanding what He was asking. But with sorrow because I lack the faith needed to respond. I am trying to change that and be obedient to the hard ask of Jesus.

Today, is God asking you to "sell" something? What will your response be? Keep growing.....