Wednesday, May 3, 2017

You Are The Light Of The World

Greetings Brethren,

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father (Matthew 5:14-16).

We hear a lot of messages these days about the gloom and doom of the “last days”. Everyday the media gives us a snapshot of violence and chaos from around the world. The majority of conversations I pick up on or am included in revolve around a dark agenda to swallow up innocent lives to the point where the conversations alone are doing more damage to the soul than the actual events discussed.
There is an agenda to spark and perpetuate fear in our society(s); this is nothing new. I write to you to encourage you not to let fear dominate your walk of faith or your witness to others around you. Do not let negative thoughts, conversations, or news events guide your movements. Specifically, do not get frightened and hide your light under a basket!
You are the light of the world! Take the opportunity provided you to pray for and with people who are being affected by the world’s gloomy condition! In a clip about the bombings in Boston I saw people kneeling in prayer for others on the scene who were confused and terrified. In a presentation last week I saw a picture of a man praying with children while guerrilla fighters loomed overhead with an assault rifles. The darker the moment became the lighter the presence of Christ manifested. I heard testimony this week how the faith of one man changed the lives of the majority of households living on his city block; God’s name was being praised!
You are the light of the world. Let your light shine for your family, for your friends, and for your neighbors. The world is trying hard to infect them with fear and ultimate defeat but Christ is working through you to show them the light of hope and glory that will bring a chorus of shouts of praise to God, your heavenly Father!

In Christ,


Pastor, Jim  

Thursday, April 6, 2017

What's in Your Wardrobe?



"And behold, I am sending forth the promise of my Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with the power from on high" (Luke 24:49).

Greetings brothers and sisters in the name of Christ Jesus!
          Spring is here and I'm sure many of you are thinking about adding some new clothes to your wardrobe. The activities you enjoy will play a big part in what clothes you'll want to purchase. We may be camping, fishing, skiing, swimming or boating. There will be baseball, softball, and soccer games to enjoy. Each of these activities, and a host of others, requires a certain type of outfit. Retail stores have anticipated the consumer's rush for new clothes and have already laid out the latest fashions and styles to meet all the summer needs.

          This example of fitting clothes for the season reminds me as a Christian what I need to put on to be successful for the Kingdom of God. Unlike the consumer who goes to the store to pick out what outfit they think will be appropriate, God asks the Christian to wait until He clothes them with what He feels is important; in this case it is the Holy Spirit. This isn't a new fashion or a fancy outfit that will draw attention and popularity to us, but rather it is clothing that will draw attention and popularity to God.

          The Christian will have to walk in paths of humility. I hope you have the garment of humility in your closet along with some or all of these others; compassion, kindness, gentleness and patience. These outfits are for all seasons and work perfectly for the many activities the Christian will find themselves in. They're not trendy, so they won't go out of style. They're not made out of fancy material so they will be everlasting. They are designed by the Master Creator and are available to anyone who is willing to wait upon the Lord.

          Christian, as you go to your closet in the morning, take a good look at your wardrobe. Do your clothes match the needs of the world or do they match the needs of the Kingdom?

Christ's peace be with you,


Pastor, Jim

Friday, November 18, 2016

In Spirit and Truth


“In Spirit and in Truth” (John 4:23-24)

Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

Greetings brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus.
Christ spoke with the woman at the well about true worshipers worshiping in Spirit and in Truth. What do you suppose he meant by this? What might this worshiper and way of worship look like?
Worship is spiritual. Worship in Spirit and in Truth transcends the physical realm, natural man, and involves God’s Spirit testifying to the spirit of born again believers. The spiritual man worships God not the natural man. The flesh wars with God but the spirit within man, the Christ within, submits to God’s glory and holiness with praise and service.
The woman that Jesus spoke with associated worship with a particular place, (this mountain) very much in the same way people today associate worship with just attending church (this building).  But the worship Jesus spoke of was that which happens continually by the way believers submit to God’s direction and advice on everything they say and do. This is true worship in spirit and in truth. It is heartfelt worship, not just lip service or hypocritical religious ceremony.
Worship in Spirit and in Truth is worship that is God-centered not self-centered. Self centered worship constantly expects things from God. Self-centered worship demands attention is placed upon it rather than upon God. Self-centered worship gathers when it wants to, where it wants to, and how it wants to.
God-centered worship is continual, without division or separation and those who worship in this manner are drawn to God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit once and forever. God-centered worship is timeless; it is God’s time with the believer not the believer’s time with Him. God-centered worship doesn’t revolve around schedules, permission, votes, or a majority approval. God-centered worship promotes obedience to God and is shared corporately with all those that God has added daily to His church.
One who worships in spirit and truth adheres to the authority of the Holy Scriptures. The life of one who worships in this manner is always in obedience and submission to the full council of Scripture and not just parceled precepts. This believer, washed by the blood of Christ, holds the Bible gently as if holding the Christ child Himself, kneels in humbleness and eagerness before it as if prostrating at the alter of Christ,  receives and responds in fear knowing this divine revelation is God. One who worships in Spirit and in truth has the Living Word dwelling within.
To worship in spirit and in truth is to obediently be led by the Spirit of God that dwells within, allowing its fruit to flow outward to others. This worship Jesus speaks of is a worship that is produced and shared by the redeemed and restored believer in Jesus Christ. The true worshiper in spirit and truth has died to themselves and allowed Christ to live within their heart.
Blessings,

Pastor, James

Monday, January 25, 2016

New Wineskins

“No one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost and the skins as well; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins”
(Mark 2:22).

Greetings brethren –

It is my desire to write words of encouragement to you that I pray will lift you up and bring you joy as you pursue a life of righteousness and walk daily in your kingdom assignments.

It is a privilege to be commissioned as believers to share the Gospel of Christ with others. Jesus invites us, instructs us, enables us, and trusts us with this assignment that our joy in serving with Him in this endeavor might be full!

            Why is it then, you may wonder, does discouragement often choke out joy, fear challenge our faith, and complacency triumph over action in our calling as disciples???
Jesus, in the Gospel of Mark points out the fact that trying to put new wine into old wineskins is the problem and the very answer to this question. We simply skip the preparation process and the result is defeat! Defeat in a witness to someone, defeat in a Bible study gathering, defeat in prayer, defeat in all things pertaining to God.

            The preparation I speak of is shedding our old wine skins. The spiritual discipline required in this task for every believer is fasting. We need to allow the Holy Spirit to fast away our desire to indulge in worldly pleasures. In fasting we destroy the hunger and thirst for worldly desire and in its place we develop a hunger and thirst for righteousness. As we fast, specific practices of sin are revealed and destroyed as confession and repentance bring and end to the old wineskin and a new wineskin emerges in the form of a believer freshly transformed by God with a renewed mind, a strengthened faith, and a softened heart that is ready for new wine, an abundance of anointing by the Holy Spirit.

            Brethren, let Jesus call you into a fast. Let Him have total control of your desire to conform to His righteousness. As your shortcomings are revealed, own up to them, and repent!! Allow Christ to prepare you for new wine, new vision, new understanding, and sensitivity to His discipleship. Walk in the fullness of your purpose as a living sacrifice, a fresh wine skin ready for new wine!

Blessings,


Pastor, Jim

Thursday, September 3, 2015

Who Are The Poor?

The first glimpse I had of the poor was a rich young ruler who after confronting Jesus with how to achieve salvation walked away from His counsel sad and depressed. This example was a revelation for me and has also been a great help in discerning who the poor are that Jesus said would always be around us.

Jesus’ concern was not about the people who lacked material wealth; His concern was for those who lacked Spiritual wealth. He stated, “Blessed are you who are poor in the spirit,” not from the perspective of material poverty but in the position of a person who simply could not fill his heart up enough with the saving Words of Christ. He instructed the poor to give to Caesar what was Caesar’s and to give to God what was God’s. This gives us conformation that a person whose heart is right with God will always be able to give to God and anything the world requires. Jesus also told the masses to seek the kingdom first and all the things they needed would be provided. What we can glean from these passages is that material poverty and spiritual poverty are not at all the same. We can also surmise that from a spiritual perspective we are all bankrupt in some way and found poor, wanting, and in need of Christ’s service.

A worldly perspective of poverty sets a servant up for deception. Focusing on material needs only can exacerbate the problem a person is facing leaving them afterwards worse off than they initially were; the band-aid term has been used to describe this method of relief. Addressing the symptom, a worldly method, rather than focusing on the cause of a problem leaves the person in need in a holding pattern of poverty. This result can leave both the servant and the person in need broken and disappointed.

Addressing need correctly begins by understanding what the true need in question is; this is where biases, presuppositions, and worldly advice must come to and end. Spiritual discernment must be exercised in order to enter into a needy person’s situation. Spiritual disciplines must be exercised in the process of serving need as well. Praying for guidance before, during, and after a calling to address need will allow the servant to walk with a good conscience and a pure heart. Allowing the Spirit to lead us into service will always bring us assurance that we are in the correct position to serve.

In the book of Ezekiel, God calls on Ezekiel to go to His people and observe them for a period of seven days. Ezekiel was instructed not to say anything, but just to watch and take in everything he saw. God told Ezekiel there would be moments when he would want to speak out about something he saw, but in those moments God would stick his tongue to the roof of his mouth. God told Ezekiel there would come a time when he would need to address the people and at that time God would provide for him the very words to say. I have always cherished this portion of Scripture as it describes God’s guidance in leading his servant in the call to serve need.

First, we learn that God, who is sovereign in all affairs, calls upon his servant to go to His people. Too often we take the initiative to address the poor. We journey out as if we have all the answers, and have the ability to resolve every situation we come across. The truth is with this mentality and practice we are in the wrong place, dealing with the wrong people and completely out of God’s will during the whole period of service. No wonder people in need get hurt, servants grow weary and skeptical, and everyone involved falls deeper into the pit of poverty.

Second, we learn that help does not come right away. God told Ezekiel to observe His people for seven days. Is it not true that we are just as anxious as the person in need to resolve a particular problem? How can empathy be discovered; how can the real need in question be flushed out and how can God’s grace be sufficient in the situation if diligence, discernment and patience are not exercised. Symptoms are an easy fix but they are only deceptive issues; real need can only be discovered through waiting upon the Lord. Like Ezekiel, I am sure we want to point out problems immediately and if God does not shut our mouths and quench our limited knowledge of a problem dimly seen, we will cause great harm. Allowing us to observe need for seven days allows for relationships to be established, empathy to manifest, truth about the real need to surface, and grace to abound
.
We need to ask the Holy Spirit to lead us into every situation, not because we know how to deal with it or fix it, but because once inside the bowels of brokenness we have the ability to see the light and bring the person in darkness to its safety.


Pastor, James Bringman

Thursday, August 20, 2015

Wait for the Promise

Wait For the Promise of the Father

“Behold, I send forth the promise of my Father on you. But wait in the city of Jerusalem until you are clothed with power from on high." (Luke 24:49)

Greetings brothers and sisters in the name of Christ Jesus!
            The last command Jesus gave to His disciples was to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the gift His Father promised them, the Holy Spirit. This was the gift they would need to successfully spread the gospel to the nations.
            Many things about this command need to be understood; three things in particular I’ll comment on.  These were Jesus' last words to His followers. To carry out the ministry of Christ, these directions needed to be followed then and still need to be followed today.

            1. Stay in Jerusalem.
            Staying put in one place for anyone is difficult. In a society like ours today that is able to travel the world in hours, staying put is a difficult request. Remaining still in the silence is a discipline few in our culture practice. Finding solutions to our often daily problems find us searching for help in many places. As we experience loneliness and tragedy in our lives we reach out to anyone or anything that might bring us comfort. Many of us come to God during these times and though this is the place to come, this wasn't the command Jesus gave. He did not say come to God every once in a while, He said come and stay put!
            Staying in Jerusalem is actually staying with Christ. He is the only One who has seen and knows the Father and therefore is the only One who can reveal to us the truth about the Father; we must remain in Him! Jesus is the only One who knows the spirit of men and therefore He is the only one who can open up our understanding about the ways and will of God; we must abide in Him (stay in Jerusalem).

            2. Wait for the promise.
            Coming to God is essential, but coming with the intention of waiting upon Him is the important factor. Waiting involves prayer, fasting, and reading scripture. These disciplines reveal to the Christian who God is, how He speaks and how He works. Waiting also shows respect and belief in God; belief that He will reveal himself in His time. Faith always pleases the Father; waiting for His blessing demonstrates the real faith of the believer.

            3. Receive the Holy Spirit
            The reward to the Christian who stays in God's Word, speaks to Him in prayer, and surrenders impurities through fasting, receives the gift of the Holy Spirit. This Spirit enables the believer to effectively spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is the commission to all of Christ's followers, preach the gospel.
            This is also the process of sanctification. Jesus prayed that his disciples would be sanctified (set apart). Jesus can abide in a sanctified believer, employ him, and present him faultless before God.
            If you want to step out of your own strength and walk in the Spirit of Christ, run to God, wait for His blessing, and you shall receive it.

Christ's peace be with you,


Pastor, Jim Bringman

Friday, May 1, 2015

(The Church) Her Position, Purpose, and Future

Greetings brothers and sisters in Christ -
      Let us celebrate Christ's church and the work He is accomplishing through her!

1)     The Prophecy of Christ’s Church

Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ first prophesied the establishment of the Christian church. This announcement followed Peter’s revelation and declaration of who Christ was.

Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matt. 16:17-19).

We learn three things from this portion of Scripture. Jesus will build His church, and as its foundation, He will give authority to His apostles to oversee and under shepherd His church. Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matt. 28:16-20).

Knowing He was soon ascending to the Father, He spoke to them of the coming guide and helper, the Holy Spirit. He left them these words of confirmation and instruction.

He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:44-49). It is through obedience to His word, faith in His promise, and God’s sovereignty that Christ’s church was born.

2)    The Birth of Christ’s Church
Waiting upon God in the upper room the following birth of the church took place.
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them (Acts 2: 1-4). This was the beginning of the church of Christ. Ordained by the breath of God in the form of the Holy Spirit, the apostles and all who gathered in the upper room transformed into vessels for the kingdom. The Gospel boldly proclaimed, brought immediate growth to the church.
3)    The Gospel Outreach
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day (Acts 2:38-41).
4)    The Characteristics of Christ’s Church
Obedience to the word, the Commission of Christ, and compassion for the needs of others brought service, unity, and continuity to the daily life of the church. Verses 42-47 give us insight to the way Christ’s church looks.
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
We have in these verses a glimpse of unity in both faith and Spirit. Spiritual disciples were common exercises among all the brethren. After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly (Acts 4:31).
All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.
Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet (Acts 4:32-37).
5) Church Growth
As needs developed the laborers of the church increased. Addressing need was the source of growth and tools and methods to handle that growth emerged. This is a different approach from developing methods and tools to promote growth!
In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:1-4).
This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith (Acts 6:5-7).
As the Spirit moved through the clay the church grew. The care extended to each other soon began to reach out to the surrounding area. Missions and missionaries began to move out into the world.
6) Church Mission and Missionaries

a) Philip in Samaria

          Outreach ministry, like any form of ministry, is established by Christ and anointed by the Holy Spirit. Directed and empowered to go is the only way the church will move out in the commission. Often the church needs a nudge and sometimes the majority of mission work comes at the heels of tragedy, persecution, or some other life altering event. This was the case in Acts, chapter eight. 

Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said (Acts 8:4-6). So as to keep the church visible in this movement, Christ sends Peter and John to confirm and empower new believers with the Holy Spirit.
 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:14-17).
The Holy Spirit continued to reveal Himself as the agent for spiritual discernment when He instructed Philip with specific missionary instructions.

b) Philip and the Ethiopian

Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.” (Acts 8:26-29).
The term missionary quickly became plural, missionaries. And the Gospel began spreading rapidly throughout the entire regions as prophesied.
c) Ananias in Damascus
In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”
“Yes, Lord,” he answered. But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength (Acts 9:15-19).
            The Gospel was spreading and God’s elect were increasing in number.
 Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers (Acts 9:31).
The Gospel message was not for Jews only. Peter soon discovered that Christ’s salvation was for all who believed. He received conformation of this through the presence of the Holy Spirit.

d) Peter & the Gentiles
Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism  but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.
While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God (Acts 10:34-46).
            In the following Scripture passages we see how the number of believers grows exponentially. The Holy Spirit continued to move men in great numbers and the church grew and grew.

 

e) The Church in Antioch

Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews. Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.
News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.
Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people (Acts 11:19-26).
The precept of practicing spiritual displines such as prayer and fasting took on new dimensions of understanding as prophets and teachers were called by upon by the Spirit to anoint and set apart chosen servants for the work of missions. The verses in Acts 13, show how Christ uses servants of the church to anoint His chosen.  
Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off (Acts 13:1-3).
Church growth and outreach were established in this order and are still carried out in this way today in successful churches. What we discover in these precepts of continual growth is a balance of a body that loves the Lord, (prayer, fasting, studying the doctrine); loves Christ’s church, (teaching, serving, caring for the bodies needs); and loves its neighbor, (Gospel outreach).

This is the church that Christ is building and these New Testament passages are the methods the Holy Spirit uses to bring about spiritual growth.