Let Us Reason Together

Posted on May 10, 2014 by pastorpstephens

I went to a pastor’s retreat and conference this week and had a great time.  It was a whole lot like going to summer camp – except that we didn’t have to walk 10 miles every day, we didn’t make any crafts and I forgot to pack my Skittles.  Though we didn’t make any crafts to take home we did work on our craft and I know what we brought home will benefit our families, our churches, ourselves and more importantly the Kingdom.

While we talked about best practices to follow and tools and techniques that will help us become better leaders we also made time for some recreation.  We played horse shoes and washers and I even found some time to do a little bit of fishing.  As I said, it was a great time.  When I got home I stopped by to see the granddaughters.  Because the wind had been blowing so hard off of the lake the last couple of days I was wearing my glasses instead of my contact lenses.  I sat down to watch TV with my 4 year old granddaughter Avery who invited me to take her to school the next day.  I explained that I couldn’t because I had to go to work.  She looked at my glasses and said, “Oh, you’re going to work because you’re not sick anymore.”  The only other time she has seen me wear my glasses has been when I have been sick or not felt well so since I had them on she figured I must be sick again.

I love the way she uses her mind.  I love the way she is always asking questions, always seeking to understand things, and always trying to put things together.  The Lord expects all of us to use our minds.  In Isaiah 1:18 the Lord says, “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow…”

The Lord in His Grace reaches out to us, calls to us and asks us to use our minds and see how desperately we need Him.  We need the grace, the mercy, the forgiveness, the comfort that is found nowhere else in this world.  When we stop and think, we must all acknowledge that we have sinned and fallen short of His glory.  It would do no one any good to say that I have fallen but I have not fallen as far as others.  Separated from God is separated from God – the spiritual distance is not marked by any lengths calibrated or distinguished by the type of our sin.  The Lord promises that whatever our sin may be it stands out prominently before Him as a scarlet stain on a white satin sheet.  He also promises that He can remove that stain, “though your sins are scarlet, they will be white as snow…”  That promise is an easy one to receive.  One simply needs to confess their sin and ask Jesus Christ to be their Lord and Savior for whosoever calls upon the Lord shall be saved.

If you know the Lord, are you still using and sharpening your mind? Have you been listening to the Lord? Have you been seeking to understand His will, His ways and His word?  Take some time to get away every now and then with some other believers and talk about what the Lord is doing in your life, it will be a blessing.  It is a great way to renew your mind.

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What God Joins Together

Posted on May 1, 2014 by pastorpstephens

We are entering that season of year where there are lots of people getting married.  As an ordained minister I have the privilege to officiate wedding ceremonies.  Wait a minute, that sounds too mundane, too routine, too clinical, too run of the mill and nowhere near what actually transpires.  I am blessed, honored and humbled to be able to serve the Lord when a man and a woman come into His presence to take vows and commit their lives to one another and commit their marriage unto Him.  I have been blessed to officiate at weddings for many people over the years.  Last week, I was blessed to officiate at the wedding for one of my cousins…a few years back I was blessed to walk my daughter down the aisle and then be the one to join her and my son-in-law in holy matrimony.  This Saturday I get the honor and the blessing to be the minister at my son’s wedding as he weds the lady of his dreams and we add a wonderful young lady to our family.  The Lord is good!

My uncle told me one time, “All marriages that last have something in common – nobody left and nobody died.”  It is true; marriages endure tough times because couples are committed to working through problems and talking through issues and not giving up on the vows they have made to one another.  They stay instead of leaving.  They forgive one another just as Christ has forgiven them.  The commitment should not be taken lightly; marriage really is meant to be “until death do you part.”  In Mark 10:9 Jesus was speaking of the great commitment in marriage and said “What therefore God joins together, let no man separate.”  It is God’s desire that we keep the vows which are made to one another and which were made in His presence.  And anything that God wants us to do; He will help us to do.

Yes, this is the time of the year where many people get married.  Pray for those marriages and the other marriages you know to be healthy, happy, enduring and God-honoring.  Pray for couples to always have love for one another; wisdom, discernment, sensitivity and the readiness to forgive.  Pray for couples to be committed to one another so that what God joins together no man separates.

Posted in Christianity, faith, God, inspirational, let no man separate, Mark 10:9, weddings | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Written Just for You!

Posted on April 25, 2014 by pastorpstephens

 A Letter for Me  A couple of weeks back I had been out of town for a while, and when I got back I was sick for a few days and busy playing catch up. As a result I had not seen my grandkids for a few days. They live just down the street so I usually see them on a very regular basis. During that time my granddaughter Avery wrote me a letter. She had asked me how to spell “Papaw” about a month earlier and she addressed the letter to me on one side all by herself from memory. Then on the other side she wrote and gave me illustrations of all of the things she wanted me to tell me. After I felt better she came over and helped me to read and understand the letter. Her letter was written with such love and affection!

Avery’s letter to me reminds me of what the Holy Scriptures say in Romans 15:4 “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” God has written us a wonderful letter that we know as the Bible.

God is close to us, He desires to fellowship with us but we have been separated from Him. We have been busy with other activities and because of the sickness of our sin we experience broken fellowship with Him. God has sent us this letter, His Word so that we might be reminded of His love. He has sent us this letter so that we might know how to have our fellowship restored. He has sent us this letter so that we might know the redemption that is only offered through His Son Jesus Christ! He has sent us this letter so that through “perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

God has reached out to us. He has taken the time to reveal His love, offer us hope, and provide us forgiveness and strength. In the last couple of weeks, I have cherished the letter given to me by my granddaughter. Have you cherished God’s word?   Have you received the instruction and encouragement that is only found in the Holy Scriptures? If not, you should turn to the pages of Holy Scripture today so that you can experience His love and know the blessings that only He provides.

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All Religions Are Not the Same

Posted on April 18, 2014 by pastorpstephens

“I love Jesus, I love God and I have come to realize that all religions are the same and all gods are the same when people worship more than one god they are just seeing God in different forms.” I have heard this or a similar statement three times in the last month so I wanted to take the time to address it on this Good Friday morning. It is so wrong and misguided. What is particularly disturbing to me is that I have heard people who profess to be Christians echoing this same sentiment. Set aside for a moment the fact that God told His people who were living in a land filled with other people who worshipped other gods “There is no other God besides Me, A righteous God and a Savior; There is none except Me (Isaiah 45:21).” Set aside for a moment the fact that other religions say you have to work to earn your salvation and Christianity says that you cannot earn salvation, it is a gift from God. Set aside for a moment the fact that other religions view Jesus at best as merely a good teacher or perhaps a great prophet and some even see Him as a mad man! Only Christianity recognizes His deity and sees Him as God in the flesh. Set aside the contradictions between the religions, what they proclaim and what they say about Christ and think about what we recall and reflect on during Passover week. Do you remember how Christ went to the Garden to pray on the night that He was to be betrayed? In Mark 14:335-36 we are told

35 And He went a little beyond them, and fell to the ground and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass Him by. 36 And He was saying, “Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.”

The One who had never sinned was about to be bloodied and beaten. But what was worse was that He was about to take on the sin of the world! “If there be any other way…yet not my will, but Thine be done.” If there be any other way, if all religions were the same, if it did not matter who or what people worshipped, would it have been necessary for Christ to have gone to the cross? No! The truth is, it does matter. The truth is there was no other way! There is no other way! Jesus said that He came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10). Jesus said “I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but by Me (John 14:6).” God declares in Acts 4:12 “there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

 To say that all religions are the same, to say that anybody who worships any god is worshipping the same God is wrong. Not only is it wrong but diminishes the great sacrifice and the great love of Christ. I pray that as we Christians celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord this weekend, we proclaim that it does matter that Christ came. It does matter that He lived a sinless life. It does matter that He willingly gave that life for us and rose again on the third day according to the scriptures. It does matter that people place their faith and trust in Him.

Posted in Are All Religions the same, Christianity, Deity of Christ, faith, God, Good Friday, salvation | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Special Place Just for You!

Posted on April 12, 2014 by pastorpstephens

Rainbow_House  My granddaughter Avery who is 4 gave me a gift the other day. She drew a picture just for me. It is a “rainbow house.” She took the time to make it as special as she could. She made each line as straight and perfect as she could. To Avery rainbows are the most wonderful, beautiful and amazing things in the whole wide world. She figured if this house looked like a rainbow, it would be extra special. So she selected a different color to draw the lines for each wall, window and roof. It truly is a rainbow house prepared with love just for me! As I was thanking the Lord later that night for a granddaughter who is growing up to be so smart, sweet and creative I was reminded that this is not the only special house that has been crafted just for me.

In John chapter 14, Jesus knows that the time of His Crucifixion is drawing near. He knows that He will soon be leaving His disciples. He shares with them:
[John 14:1-3 NKJV] 1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”

What a glorious promise this is from our Savior. Jesus did not want His disciples to be worried. He wanted them to know the depths of love that He had for them. He would leave them for a while, yes, but His leaving would allow Him to go and prepare a wondrous place for them. They would be able to receive a mansion, a dwelling place in heaven with Him forever and ever! I know that because I have repented of my sins and placed my faith in Christ that He is also preparing a place for me so that where He is one day I shall be too. I don’t know what it looks like but I know it will be special. My granddaughters are already learning about the things of the Lord. I see them bowing their heads in prayer, I hear them singing songs of praise and one day I look forward to hearing of their personal professions of faith. What a glorious day that shall be! And some day in Glory…I look forward to seeing the “rainbow houses” that the Lord has prepared just for them.

Posted in Christianity, faith, God, in My Father's House, inspirational, John 14:2, ministry work, missions, salvation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Giving Good Advice

Posted on April 10, 2014 by pastorpstephens

During the past couple of weeks I have had some unexpected opportunities to share my faith with some strangers who were going through some difficult times in their lives or facing various challenges.  These unexpected opportunities should be viewed as divine appointments set by God so that we can share about His willingness to provide mercy, grace and forgiveness to those who come to Him in humility.  As the Bible says in Psalm 51:17 “A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”

I am always grateful when I have my wife with me on these occasions as the Lord always uses her to share some insight or perspective that I may overlook.  She is a blessing and a gift not only to me in marriage but also in ministry.  Through the years I have also come to very much appreciate Paul’s petition for prayers from the church in Colossians chapter 4 where he asks them to pray that he may have more divine appointments and to pray that when he does share, he will make the most of each moment, knowing how to respond and having the ability to speak with clarity and purpose.  With the various circumstances that people are facing, sometimes it is difficult to know how to respond.  Though I answer prayerfully and graciously, I sometimes worry if the words and the counsel are appropriate for the myriad of issues that may be attached to what is brought up sometimes in only just a few minutes of someone sharing.  While I know that some advice could be better, I know one thing that no one can argue with.  My own personal experience can be summed up by Psalm 34:6:

Psalm 34:6  This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him And saved him out of all his troubles.

I can assure you that the Lord is still in the saving business.  He sets up divine appointments so that we may have the blessed opportunity to strike up conversations with others and listen to their stories and then tell them of God’s great love for them.  Many problems and issues can only begin to be sorted out by starting with having the proper relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ.  God so loves the world that He gave His one and Only Son so that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  The Bible says that whosoever calls upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved.  In this world we don’t have to know all of the answers; we just have to know where to begin to look.  If you or someone you know has troubles, have them look to the Lord and cry out to Him.  The answer starts there.  Any other solution is just a temporary and will not stand the test of eternity.

There was a time in my life when I had a chip on my shoulder and had more issues than I have now…if you can believe that.  My life began to turn around when I looked to the Lord and cried out in repentance.  Like everyone else, I had sinned and done things that were outside of God’s will.  My sin separated me from God and kept me from enjoying the blessings of His fellowship.  Once I figured out that doing things on my own wasn’t working too well, I called on Christ and asked Him to forgive me, to strengthen and to help me.  He did.  Over the years He has had to do a lot of work on me.  He is still doing some work…keep praying for me!  Everyone has a need to call on the Lord for forgiveness.  If you do, He will save you from all of your troubles.  A journey of learning, healing, and growing can begin.  If you know Him as your Lord, be prepared to tell somebody how good He is.  Be ready for a divine appointment this week.  Until next time keep the faith.

Posted in Christianity, faith, God, good advice, influencing others, inspirational, ministry work, salvation | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Speaking Up

Posted on March 28, 2014 by pastorpstephens

talking to the girls March 2014  My granddaughters came over to visit me the other day. It is always such fun when they drop by. A few months ago I took a video of them with my I-phone while they were playing and now almost every time they come over Avery wants us to “make another movie.” Last week we made a movie at the mall while we took a break from shopping. Avery who is 4 pretty much tells me what questions that I am supposed to ask and then she tries to answer every question for herself and her 2 year old sister Haley. I understand that Avery is just doing what comes natural – she is just being the big sister but still I always encourage her to let Haley speak for herself…if I don’t, poor Haley won’t get a chance! Just as I encourage Avery, I also encourage Haley to speak up and express her thoughts and share what is on her mind. It is important in life that we don’t always let others speak for us.

In Matthew chapter 16, Jesus asked His disciples who others were saying that He was. Others were of the opinion that Jesus might be John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or some other prophet. Then Jesus asked the disciples what they thought, “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter stepping out in faith, speaking for himself said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Simon Peter recognized that Jesus is the Messiah, the Anointed One of God. Jesus blessed Simon Peter for that confession of faith; the confession upon which the Church is built. How about you? Who do you say that Jesus is? Do you recognize Him as the Messiah? Have you spoken up for yourself? This is an area where it is not enough to let someone else speak for you. You must do the talking. It really is easy. The Bible say in Romans 10:13 “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” I hope that you have spoken for yourself and called upon Him as your Savior. If not, I would love to talk to you about it. Send me an we can discuss any questions, cares or concerns you might have.  I can be reached at pastorpstephens@aol.com.  May the Lord bless you and those you love.

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Sharing Good News

Posted on March 21, 2014 by pastorpstephens

The other day my 4 year old granddaughter Avery was over at the house.  She said, “Papaw, I want to tell you something.”  I leaned down so she could tell me yet another of her great big secrets or share a tale of some recent adventure like finding a dead grass snake in the back yard.  This time it wasn’t a secret it was more of an invitation.  “How about you and Nana and my other grandma and grandpa could go with me to the big zoo and see some lions.  I think my family is going to go next week.”  I found out later that Avery and her mom, dad and sister are planning a trip to the San Antonio zoo this summer.  Being 4, next week is the way Avery describes any day in the future that is not tomorrow.  I told Avery that I would love to accept her invitation.  Later as I was thinking about her invite, it reminded me of John’s words to the church in 1 John 1:3-4.

1 John 1:3 “…what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.  4 These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.

John is sharing with others the truth that He knows about Jesus Christ; that Christ is the incarnate word, God in the flesh who gave His life so that we can have forgiveness of our sins.  John says that he is sharing what he knows so that others may share in the same fellowship and enjoy the same blessings.  John proclaimed the good news of the gospel so that others one day too could enjoy eternal fellowship with God the Father.  My granddaughter Avery does not really know when she is going to the zoo, she does not really know what to expect but she knows that it will be fun and it will be a good time.  Because it will be a good time when that day comes, she wants other people she loves to go with her…me (her Papaw), my wife (her Nana), and her other grandparents too.  She wants all of us to be able to go and enjoy that blessing and the fellowship with her.  Christians should have the same attitude and perspective about heaven.  We may not know exactly what to expect but we know it will be good, we know it will be a blessing and my goodness; we ought to be busy inviting other people to go with us!  Christ loves us and gave His life for us!  He offers us help for today and hope for tomorrow.  Some day we shall see Him face to face!  The news we know is too good to keep to ourselves.  Just last week Avery told someone, “Our God is GREAT BIG God and you need to know that.”  What we have seen and heard and experienced about the goodness of the Lord, we proclaim to you – so that you might go with us and so that our joy might be complete!  Until next time, stay strong in the faith.

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Teaching Others and Playing Hopscotch

Posted on March 14, 2014 by pastorpstephens

Hopscotch 2 Hopscotch 1 I am so blessed to have my granddaughters live just a few houses away.  (Avery is 4 and Haley is 2.)  Today when I came home from work I saw my daughter with the girls standing in front of their house.  After I parked the car I walked down the block to see what they were up to.  My daughter Lauren was teaching the girls how to play hopscotch.  Avery explained it to me, “It’s all about squares and numbers and throwing rocks, Papaw.  You throw a rock and you hop, hop, hop.”  She and Haley proceeded to demonstrate several times and to my surprise I did not have to dodge any rocks.  Those girls learn fast.  I am so proud of the good mom that my daughter has turned out to be.  I am not surprised by any means as my wife was such an excellent mom to our kids.  But I just love seeing my daughter take the time to teach the girls about so many things.  She makes sure to teach them about everything she thinks is important… not just numbers and letters but other things too.  She teaches them the importance about loving the Lord, loving others and loving themselves.  She makes sure that they know what it means to be kind, considerate and respectful.  She even makes sure that they know about fun stuff like how to play hopscotch.

As Christians every one of us is called in some way to be involved in the teaching, training and development of others.  In the book of Titus, Paul calls upon mature saints to train up the younger Christians.  The goal Paul says is “so that the word of God will not be dishonored” (Titus 2:5) and “so that our opponents will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us” (Titus 2:8).  Seeing all of the good and wholesome things that my daughter is passing on to my granddaughters, I can only think about good things to say about her right now.  That is the way it should be for the church.  We should be so invested in encouraging, instructing and inspiring one another in the learning and the love of the Lord that others have nothing bad to say about us.  In fact we should be enjoying ourselves so much in the grace and love of the Lord that it ought to make others want to walk down the street and join us, just like a good game of hopscotch!   Until next time, stay strong in the faith.

Posted in Christianity, faith, grandchildren, hopscotch, influencing others, inspirational, mentoring, Titus 2:5 | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Growing Up in the Lord

Posted on March 6, 2014 by pastorpstephens

the_girls_2014   the_girls2__2014 I had the blessed opportunity to spend some time last week with my favorite philosopher Avery, my 4 year old granddaughter.  She was visiting with her 2 year old sister Haley and she told me, “Papaw, me and Haley is growing up.  Someday we are going to drive a car like our daddy.  And someday we won’t watch kid shows any more either Papaw.  Me and Haley will watch big people shows and do all kinds of big people things.”  I said, “Yes you will honey, yes you will.  That’s God’s plan for all of us….that  we grow up and learn to do new things.”  I love those girls.  All week our conversation served to remind me to take the time to enjoy the important things in life.  Children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews and those we love grow up before we know it.  We need to make sure we don’t miss out on the experience.

It also reminded me that God desires for each of us to grow and be who He has called us to be.  We need to be sure we don’t miss out on that experience either.  In chapter 5 the author of Hebrews is exhorting the church to grow and mature according to God’s plan.  He says to them in Hebrews 5:12 “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.”   God desires each and every one of us to grow in regard to our faith.  He desires that each of us would mature and no longer be involved only in the elementary things of the faith but that we would develop and mature according to His plans.  I hope that you are having a blessed week and I hope you know just how much the Lord loves you.

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