Hey RiverStone…it’s been an interesting week thus far around the building.  We’re getting ready for the Fellowship Hall Reno that will take place in early June, so I’m doing a little cleaning.

I ran across someting interesting in my cleaning.  1 was found in the worship center.  several were found in different places at RiverStone’s campus.  What was found?  A copy of hte New World Translation Bible – The bible the Jehovah’s Witness use.

2 thoughts ran through my mind as I found these false writings laying around here:

1. Anger – anger that people are reading these Bibles and bringing them to church and possibly trying to use them during Bible Studies and our corporate church gatherings for worship.
2. Gratitude – gratitude that they brought them to church and actually heard the true gospel of Jesus Christ in a bible study or one of our corporate church gatherings for worship.  (I praise God I finally found myself consistent on this one.)

This got me thinking.  Do we know the difference between the JW bible and the truth?  I thought I’d post a helpful tool for all of us.  Enjoy this link:

http://eyeonapologetics.com/498/new-world-translation-from-the-watchtower-compared-to-esv-and-niv-on-verses-that-say-jesus-is-god

Dig Deeper,

PC

Ever get frustrated in your spiritual growth?  Ever feel like you will never overcome certain things?  The question I constantly wrestle with is this:  How do I  ”grow” as a Christ follower?  Psalm 1 is always a great help to me.  In this Psalm we see that we have 2 options.

• Option 1:  try to grow ourselves.  To “be” good…to “do” good…to produce ourselves…to set up rules and regulations and disciplines in our lives all for the furthering of our walk with Jesus.
• Option 2:  Allow the Word of God through the Spirit of God to do God’s Work of transformation, sanctification and growth.  To not try ourselves to grow ourselves, to change ourselves, to take the wheel and take control of ourselves.

Psalms 1 is so helpful.  The Word of God is one of the places that God uses to grow and transform and sactify us.  The Psalmist tells us that we’ll be like a “tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaves does not wither.”  How do we become like this tree?  We delight in the law of the Lord and meditate on his law day and night.

You see, the Word of God does the Work of God.  That’s what the Psalmist tells us.  Get in the Word, and the Word will convict, transform, change, encourage, and do the Work of God on our hearts and in our lives.  For me, when I’m struggling the most in my Christ-following journey it’s usually because I’m not delighting in the Word and meditating on His Word.

Let the Word of God do the Work of God.  How can you meditate and delight in God’s Word today…this week?

Dig Deeper,

CD

We began taking The Value Test yesterday during our corporate worship together.  Our text was Matthew 8:1-22.  Jesus gave the test to 2 different people on one occasion.  Incidentally, the two people were both “religious” and “moral,” yet they didn’t pass the value test, indicting them as people who were out of relationship with God.

First up was The Scribe.  We’ll call him “Sonny” the Scribe.  Religious.  Moral. Spirituality galore. Respected in the community as a church member.  Knew the right answers.  But Sonny the Scribe couldn’t be a Christ-follower because he valued something over and above Jesus.  He valued comfort. Jesus asked him if he would be willing to give up his comfort in order to follow.  Jesus told him that foxes and birds had more comfort than He did, and that those who followed after Him would also have to forsake comfort and convenience.  What Jesus was really telling him was if you want to follow Me, your comfort and conveniences have to be found in Christ.  Jesus was pointing out Sonny’s god – and Sonny’s god wasn’t Jesus, it was comfort.  He worshipped comfort.  Comfort and conveniences are of less value than Jesus himself.  For Christ-followers, they value Christ more than creature comforts.  Christ followers are so captivated and captured by the gospel of Jesus Christ that any other comfort pales in comparison.

Next up is the disciple. We’ll call him “Devon” the disciple.  Righteous.  Moral. Good guy. But Devon the disciple couldn’t follow Jesus because he valued possessions more than Jesus.  His god was possessions.  He wanted to wait until his father passed away so that he could have his inheritance.  He was unwilling to follow Jesus before his father died.  He would follow Jesus after he was “set.”  He would follow Jesus when he could afford to follow Jesus.  He worshipped money and possessions, and that was his god.  And that’s why he failed the value test.  He valued stuff over the sent Savior.  Christ-followers find completion and satisfaction in the gospel of Jesus Christ, the good news, that stuff can’t touch.

• How are you and I doing with the value test?
•  Is there anything we value over and above Jesus himself?
• Does something other than the gospel grab our hearts?
• Who or what are we worshiping?

Dig Deeper into the depths and riches of the gospel!

PC

We have been studying through the Sermon on the Mount and last week, RiverStone was confronted with something big that we need to camp out on that Jesus spoke to his followers.  He makes this statement:

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²²  On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ ²³  And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you;depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

We need to camp out on this statement because it reveals a dangerous possibility.  There is a dangerous possibility of having a false faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior.  Jesus tells this straight up.  Not everyone who calls him “Lord” and not all who “do” spiritual things are believers and redeemed and rescued children of God.

Today is Test 2; test 2 of how we can know for sure that we’re children of God…how we can know for sure who our Savior really is.

Jesus gives us Test 2 in Matthew 7:25-27.  What are you building your life on?  What you build your life on reveals who you worship and who your Savior really is.  We either build our lives on Jesus Christ (the rock and solid foundation) or we build our lives on something else (the sandy foundation).  Jesus is clear in his teaching.  If we build our lives on Christ, then we’ll not be counted among the “many” who have a false faith in Christ.  If we build our lives on something else, what we are essentially believing and saying is that something other than Jesus can save us.  This is idolatry.  This is idol worship.  This is spiritual adultery according to Scripture.  And this is what our enemy wants us to do – to trust in something other than the cross of Christ and the resurrection of Christ – the gospel to save us from our sins.

Notice the results of our worship, too.  Notice that the rains came, the winds blew and the floods rose on both groups of people.  Trusting in and worshiping Christ as our Savior doesn’t exclude us from the storms of life.  But the storms reveal to us our functional savior(s).  Either Jesus or something other than Jesus.  Our lives are strong if we build them in Christ, and our lives are weak if we build them on something other than Jesus.

So…test 2:  What are you building your life on?  Who is your Savior?

Dig Deeper,

PC

So yesterday we talked about how Jesus mentioned for His followers to be on the lookout for false prophets.  Matthew 7 details Jesus’ words about the possibility of something looking one way, but in reality being quite the opposite.

It’s disheartening to know that there can actually be a possibility of having a false faith in Christ.  False prophets are out there.  False faith is out there too.  People who think they are children of God, when in reality they are children of the enemy.  Jesus says that many will come to him and claim Him as their Lord, but in actuality something other than Christ is their lord.  Sports, money, comfort, security, safety, material possessions, other people, reputation, affirmation, all compete for “lordship” of our lives, and sadly, many chose these idols as their gods.  This is what Jesus was referencing in Matthew 7:15-29.

So how do we know if Jesus is our Savior or if something else is our savior?  Jesus talks about 2 tests:

Test 1:  The Fruit Test – Jesus talks about the way we can be sure if Jesus is our Savior is about fruit.  What is coming out of our lives?  Thornbushes can’t produce grapes.  Thistles can’t produce figs.  Healthy trees can’t produce bad fruit, and vice versa.  Simply put, if Jesus is our Savior, then Jesus will be coming out of our lives.

Galatians 5 talks all about this.  Listen to Paul’s Words:

¹⁶ But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. ¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, ²¹ envy,^[d] drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³  gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. ²⁴ And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Don’t miss this.  Paul points out clearly what Jesus is saying.  If Jesus isn’t our personal savior, then verses 19-21 display the “fruit” of our lives.  If Jesus is our personal Savior, then verses 22-23 display the “fruit” of our lives.

Couple of follow up application questions for us all:

• Does our lives display more of Galatians 5:19-21 or Galatians 5:22-23 on a consistent basis (Hint: no one is perfect, but the desire of our souls is one of these lists.)
• What personally “wars” against you to compete for the title of “savior” against Jesus Christ?  (Money, safety, security, people, affirmation, etc.)

Dig Deeper,

PC

We all want to experience ultimate peace and fullness and satisfaction and joy in our lives.  If you’ve met Jesus, reoented of sins, and trusted him as your Savior, you’ve at least experienced this 1 time.  (Hopefully more than 1 time, but at least 1 time).

In our time in the Word yesterday, I spoke about there is only 1 way to life.  Not many.  Just 1 way to experience satisfaction and fullness of joy and full life.  It’s through Christ, the narrow path.  Jesus says in Matthew 7:13 “Enter the narrow gate”, i.e., enter life for a reason.  He says to enter life because we are dead.  He wants to bring us from death to life.  He wants to bring us.  Not fame or fortune or works or connections or relationships, or strategy or ingenuity, or pedigree, etc.  He wants us to enter life and he gives us the answer to giving us life by being the answer to fullness of life.  The gospel.  Himself.

What I wish I would have hit on a bit more yesterday is that the narrow path is a daily decision.  We have to intentionally chose the narrow path daily in order to experience fullness of joy and satisfaction.  The world promises fullness and joy and satisfaction in lots of places.  Wide is that gate.  The result of not intentionally walking the narrow path, seeking life in Christ, is death and destruction.  The result is death and destruction, according to Christ, because the wide path is idolatry.  It is saying “something else can save me.  Something else has the power and potential to make me full, happy, satisfied, etc.”  And when we choose to live that way we experience disappointment, death and destruction.

Jesus is the way to Life.  The Narrow gate is the way to life.  Obey his call and “enter through the narrow gate…daily!”

Dig Deeper,

PC

Jesus says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7)

What should you and I do when we have needs?  Easy answer:  PRAY! That is what Jesus is communicating to his followers in Matthew 7:7.  It could be that Jesus and his disciples are at a place of need as Jesus speaks. Hunger.  Thirst.  Shelter.  Energy. Perseverance.  Protection.  Whatever need they had, Jesus’ instruction was clear: PRAY!

Why did Jesus have to share this with his followers, because it seems like commonsense to pray when we have needs.  Jesus shares this command in 3 ways (ask, seek, knock) for a very simple reason…because we DON’T pray when we’re in need.  All too often we do something much different than pray when in need.

So why don’t we pray?  We know we need to, or that we’re supposed to as followers of Christ.  I want to suggest the #1 prayer barrier is because we aren’t impressed with God.  We don’t pray because we’ve lost the luster of God.  We don’t consider and aren’t amazed at the grandeur of God.  We don’t sit and take the time and invest ourselves in prayer because we’re not consumed with our Creator.  Something has gone wrong and we’ve become impressed with other things, far and above God.  We text, we buy, we watch TV, we “do” other things, other than pray.  Why?  Because we’re far more impressed with other things far and above the creator of the universe, and the savior of our souls.  (I put myself in this category as well.)

Our enemy feeds us the deceiving lie that nothing will happen when we pray.  Our time can be better spent “doing” something about our need, rather than “praying” about our need.  Jesus promises 7 times in Matthew 7:7-11 that God will answer us with good things as we pray and ask, seek and knock.  But our enemy says, don’t bother.  Do something yourself.  Solve the need yourself.  Open the doors yourself.  Use your networks and connections you have personally to do something about your needs.  Don’t pray.  Do “do.”

When we are gripped with the greatness of God we delight in praying and talking to God – we don’t pray begrudgingly out of duty to God because we’re “supposed” to.  We delight in spending time with God.  Let me say it this way.  Inasmuch as we are impressed with God, we pray to God.  If little, then we pray little. If much, then we pray much.

So…what is your temperature today in measuring your being gripped by the greatness of God?

Here’s a practical help to get “re-gripped” by the greatness of God.  Consider and marinate daily on the gospel.  The good news that even though we rejected and rebelled against God, he sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to rescue the rejectors and rebellious ones.  The rejected God is also the rescuing the rejectors God.  Awesome.

Dig Deeper.

PC

I’ve received a lot of feedback from yesterday’s message on Matthew 7:7-11.  Positive for the most part.  May God increase, and may I decrease!  Thanks to all who received the message well, and I pray now that God roots the truths of the text in your hearts for many days to come.

What I’m finding out most is that most people resonated with the portion of CHOCOLATE BEFORE BED PRAYERS. What I mean by this is Jesus promises us 7 times in Matthew 7:7-11 that as we ask, seek or knock, we WILL receive, find or have the door opened for us.  Jesus promises believers good things as they ask, seek and knock.  Done.  He WILL give.  He WILL open.  We WILL find.

The secret of this is rooted in what we will receive.  Here’s what He says will receive when we ask, seek and/or knock:  good things.  So…what are good things?  Good things may or may not be what we ask of God.  They may be.   But they may not be.

My daughter recently asked me for chocolate before bedtime.  I know how to give her good things, and I love giving her good things.  As she asked me for chocolate before bed I had a decision to make.  Yes or No.  I chose “no.” Why?  Because I love her and always am poised and ready to give her good things.  So I didn’t give her what she asked for.  I gave her bedtime.  That was a good thing for her.  It replenished her.  It refueled her.  It made her ready for another great day as a 2-year old.  I knew what she needed, but she really didn’t understand what she needed.  Do we ever do this to God in prayer?  Are we ever de-motivated to pray because we’ve tried asking, seeking and knocking and it hasn’t worked?  Do we ever not believe God because we’ve tried asking, seeking or knocking and those 7 promises seemed not to come true?  I’d say we’ve all been there.

Here’s the bottom line:  Are we praying chocolate before bed prayers?  Are we trusting in God to ALWAYS give to us good things, even when it appears he’s saying no to our requests?  When God doesn’t answer us according to our prayers, He’s not saying “no”, rather, He’s saying I’m giving you something good that you might not be able to see yet.

Sometimes waiting is good because it produces further trust and further experiences of God.  Sometimes pain is a good thing from God because it refines us to look more like Christ.  Sometimes pressure is a good thing from God because it forces us to rely on His strength and His persevering power at work in us.

Where are you?  Do you believe God ALWAYS comes through when we ask, seek and knock with good things?  Jesus says he does.  God always gives us when we ask him…just look for His definition of good.

Dig Deeper

PC

At the DeArman house recently we have been on a Finding Nemo kick.  CS loves the movie.  She gets a kick out of all the fish and sea creatures…She gets a kick out of it.  I’m over it.  But…she gets a kick out of it so she wins.  Anyway, lessons from the movie are a plenty.

DORY:  Dory, the friend of Nemo’s Dad, Marlin, is a carefree kind of fish. She technically is a Pacific Regal Blue Tang.   Nothing gets to Dory.  She’s cool, calm and collected.  Not bothered by much.  No worries in her world.

MARLIN: Marlin is Nemo’s Dad.  He’s an Orange Clownfish.  He, in contrast to Dory, is a worrier.  He’s a worrier due to the fact that his family suffered great tragedy in the past, and he intends to guard against any further future tragedies, and so he keeps a tight reign on Nemo, his son.

Dory has a saying that say mentions as Marlin is, well, worrying.  She says, “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.” What she is saying is profound.  Keep on going!  Don’t give up!  Just keep doing what you do!  She is encouraging Marlin to not give up hope, but to keep living.

I think there’s a lesson there for all of us.  What’s got you worried today?  Money?  Marriage?  Parenting?  Job? Economy? The political scene?  School? Friends?  Relationships?  Just keep swimming.

Here’s a deeper tip, though, that is core-level to being a believer in Jesus Christ.  Here’s how to keep swimming: Matthew 6:25-34.  Your identity as a child of God is a sharp tool against worry.  You’ve been blood-bought with Jesus death on the cross.  Through faith in Jesus, You’re a child of God, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the blood-bought child of the Supreme and Sovereign One.  So because of this, just keep swimming!

Here’s some scriptures to encourage you today.  Look ‘em up and be encouraged:

• Matthew 6:26
• Matthew 6:30-32
• Romans 8:12-17
• Galatians 4:1-7
• Ephesians 1:5
• Colossians 1:9-14

Sonya and I moved last weekend.  Actually we moved all of last week.  We spent several weeks packing the home where we lived and raised the girls EB and CS for the past 4 years.  Lots of memories there.  Lots of tears, laughter, guests, etc.  That was a great house.

What i’m not excited about are all the things that come with moving.  Setting up new services.  Transferring new services.  Set up fees.  Inconveniences of boxes everywhere.  Rehanging decorations.  Remembering where the coffee cups are in this house.  You know, all that stuff.

But we’re excited about this house too.  It’s close to EB’s school.  Great place to swim, run, be outside.  Great community.  Closer to where we spend most of our time.  All that stuff.  Also, sorting through the clutter and chaos.

Moving has got me thinking a bunch, theologically.  That’s dangerous.  Right now we have clutter and boxes everywhere. We’re working on getting settled, but it’s a work in progress.  We don’t know where we’re going to put certain things.  We’re in the middle of chaos.  In our lives, where is the clutter and boxes?  In your life, what needs “unpacking?”  What needs to be disclosed, unpacked, sorted through, evaluated?

Psalm 139:23-24 is a great verse.  It says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!  And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”

We all need to be sorted through consistently, at least 1 time a month.  Our enemy distorts truth about who God is and what he’s done, and how he’s rescued the rebellious ones, even us.  What if we took 1 day a month, one afternoon, one morning, one day and de-cluttered…evaluated…sorted through our thoughts with the Holy Spirit at the helm?

Wanna join me?

Dig Deeper,

PC