Thoughts from Pastor Toney

“Keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Matthew 7: 7-8 HCSB

Let me say before we even start that I am not a name it and claim it preacher. I don’t think that we serve a genie in a bottle kind of God. I do however believe that we have not because we ask not. I have found this to be very true in my own life. When I have an impossible situation in my life, the chances of me praying for it are slim. I ask myself all the time, why would God want to do that for me? You see the answer to our prayers should not be the reason that we don’t pray them. The answer is not our concern. God tells us that it is our responsibility to pray and leave the answers up to Him. We should seek to glorify God with our prayers. That means that we need to have the faith to really step out and ask. When we pray we relieve ourselves of the responsibility. We have taken the ball out of our court and given it over to God. This is when we need to learn to leave the ball alone. If your anything like me, you will ask God to show up in something and then you will try and solve the problem on your own. We are to take our hands off and put all the concern into God’s hands, and you can believe that He is more than capable of handling it. The Apostle Paul tells us to pray without ceasing. When we are walking by faith we hand everything over to God and don’t have to worry about those things as we are in constant communication with our Father. It is always amazing to me how we have enough faith in God to save us and forgive our sins, but never enough faith to trust God with our prayers. Persistence seems to be the key to success. Keep asking, keep searching and keep knocking all imply to continue to do the action. We sometimes give up right before God wants to bless us. Be faithful to ask and then be faithful to wait on God. If it is what we are suppose to have or need don’t we trust God enough to provide it for us. Let me leave you with this statement from my devotional this morning, the beauty of obedience is this: it relieves us of responsibility. It takes all the pressure off of us and places it squarely on God’s sovereign shoulders. The greatest tragedy in life is the prayers that go unanswered simply because we would not ask.

Matthew 7: 3-5 HCSB 3 Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye but don’t notice the log in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and look, there’s a log in your eye? 5 Hypocrites! First take the log out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

As the world shifts to an even more morally corrupt environment, I find the church being selective in the issues they want to speak up against. The same sex marriage is an issue that some clergy members have chosen to fight and some have chosen to embrace. Abortion is another issue that again has the church divided. Drinking, drugs, homelessness, and poverty. You see we could all pick different issues in today’s society and run with the persecution stick. What I want you to think about are these issues any different than the secret sins we all carry in our lives. Now before anyone thinks anything wrong I am against same sex marriage, because the Bible is against it. I am against marijuana and drinking because I have never seen either one produce a faithful follower of Christ. But along with these I also believe poverty and homelessness is wrong. You see the first four things listed are acts that people set out with a bit of intention to commit. The last two are acts that sometimes just happen, and most of the times are ignored by society. We the Church who claim to Love God and Want to keep His commands should not be so divided about these issues. They are all wrong, not because I say so but because the Bible says so. I don’t draw my opinion of myself, but must draw it from the One who paid a price to ransom me from sin. Now let me say that if you want to quit reading now before I really upset you I understand. You see what really has me scratching my head is how we the Church can pick one or two of these issues and say they are wrong and then do other things that contradict scripture. You say what do you mean? I am glad you asked. We say same sex marriage is wrong and it is. Allow me to clarify what I mean by homelessness and poverty being wrong. It is not the simple act of being poor or homeless that is wrong, it is the fact that we the Church often times ignore them and think they are beneath us for some reason. God established the church to help the poor and the homeless. While people don’t see their problems as ours, but what we fail to understand is that during the time Jesus walked the Earth He made a habit out of helping those types of people. While people may read this and think that these two issues are not the same as the others, I would have to disagree. The Bible says in James 4:17 so it is a sin for the person who knows to do what is good and doesn’t do it. I have to look at this issue and same sex marriage with the same glasses. God provides those glasses in the form of His Word and He says both are wrong. I know I know here I go again, just trying to stir the pot some may think. Let us get off that subject and on to the next. What about drinking and marijuana? Many people are now saying that it is ok if you are a Christian and you socially drink. I have been asked what is my opinion on that subject? I have to refer to the Bible because I don’t really have my own. The Bible outlines for us who should not drink and then goes on to tell us not to be drunks. With this issue I usually try to employ some common sense. How well would you respond to someone who wants to talk about Jesus while they are holding a beer or have a joint hanging out of their mouth? Yea, that is what I thought; you most likely dismiss them as some type of nut or hypocrite. I have never in my 38 short years of life seen drinking and drugs produce anything but pain and heartache in the end. But, we have those churches out there that would rather allow members even leaders to drink, drug, and even run around on there spouse and never say anything about it. You see the Bible says that is just as wrong as the same sex marriage or abortion. I could go on forever but what I am attempting to do is to get you to look at the fact that we categorize sin to make us feel better. The Bible say in Romans 3: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God. We just try to say that my sin isn’t as big as their sin. God looks at all sin as the same. For the church to make the resurgence that society needs for us to make, we MUST look at all sin the way God looks at it. Now I am not saying that we cast everyone out on their backsides because of their sin. But the days of sweeping it under the carpet need to be done. The Apostle Paul gives us a way to deal with the sin of brothers or sisters. I hope you notice I didn’t say the world. You see the people who aren’t followers of Christ don’t think they are doing anything wrong, they are living the way sinners are suppose to live. The Bible is written to those in the Church and it is time that we start living up to the Truth of what God says.

Last night as we were winding down, I watched some videos on social experiments. Although they were all a little different the main theme was the same. They took a well-dressed man and another that looked like a homeless man; they both used crutches and would fall in front of people. I bet you can guess which of the two men were helped to his feet. Yes, not the homeless man. That brought tears to my eyes. I began to think about what I would do if I were placed in that situation. I hope I would do the right thing and assist both men back to their feet. The sad thing is we are placed in that situation everyday. Okay maybe not with the physical falling of someone in front of us, but there is more to falling than just physical. Have you ever passed a homeless person walking down the highway? I know what you’re thinking; you don’t know if that person might hurt me if I picked them up. True, but have you ever passed a broken down car and then come up on its driver down the road and picked them up? Yes, I have done the same thing. The Apostle James says something about that type of action. If you look with favor on the man wearing the fine clothes and say, “Sit here in a good place,” and yet you say to the poor man, “Stand over there,” or, “Sit here on the floor by my footstool,” James 2:3 HCSB Don’t you see how when we treat people based upon outward appearance that we are doing exactly what the Pharisees did in the time of Jesus. Jesus called those types of people hypocrites because they professed to love God with their mouths but their actions never showed the same fruit. It is not just about picking somebody up off the ground or giving somebody a ride. The real issue is not making snap judgments based upon what we see on the outside. Mankind has been plagued with this problem since before any of you that read this were ever born. In the Bible we find that when God was picking King David even the Prophet thought he was an unlikely candidate. Jesus himself was not one that people would have picked to be the Messiah. After all he was poor and from a family of no importance to society. Jesus would draw people to him based upon what he was doing not based upon how he looked. I find another situation to be true a lot of times. We generally only want to witness to a certain kind of person. We may make a snap judgment based upon what they look like or how we think they will respond. Thereby deciding for them if they are really worthy to hear the Gospel of Christ. Our churches today do the same thing as we go out visiting and inviting people to worship with us. Many churches have the us four and no more mentality. If they don’t look like us act like us or come from the same social circle, they need to find somewhere else to worship. Let me share an illustration I have used a number of times while preaching. One Sunday morning an old cowboy put on his best pair of jeans and shirt and decided today was the day to go to church. So off he headed and marched right in as proud as he could be. The service had already begun so the preacher saw the guy walk in. The service was a good one and the cowboy really enjoyed himself. The end came and it was time to go home and the preacher was in the back shaking hands. The cowboy got to him and the preacher was friendly, he stepped to the side with the cowboy and said he was glad that he was here, but asked him to go home and pray and ask God what he should wear when coming to that church. So the week passed and the cowboy got dressed and headed off to church again. Same jeans and shirt. The preacher saw him come in and began to get furious. The sermon was preached songs were sung and the service concluded. The preacher caught the cowboy and began to unload upon him. The preacher asked the man if he had done as he was asked and prayed to God to find out what he was suppose to wear to that church. The cowboy replied God said He didn’t know He hadn’t ever been here. You see we have churches today that are just going through the motions of a church but really don’t even let God come in. The church was established to be a hospital for the hurting not a country club for the self-righteous. I read a quote, but not sure who it comes from, but here it is anyway. A man’s character can be told by how he treats somebody he can gain nothing from. How true that statement really is. But if you are a follower of Christ, you understand that it is not the Earthly stuff you are after. My Challenge to you today is look past the outward appearance and do the right thing when it comes to helping people.

Why won’t people listen to me when I try to share the Gospel?  I have found that all the excuses can be lumped into just a few.  They are as follows; there are many ways to God, I do not believe or have always believed in God, how can a loving God condemn someone to hell, and why does God allow evil and pain to take place? All of these raise valid concern in an unbelievers mind and I a will attempt to answer these with both practical answers and biblical references.

First let us address the comment there are many ways to God. I will often agree with this statement and then clarify what I mean. I will say there are many ways to God, because at some point everyone will stand before Him for judgment. But John 14:6 says “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. In this verse we see that God is referred to, as Father and that will show the loving aspect of God. He has given us the chance to be one of His children through accepting the work of Christ on the cross. John 1:12-13 says But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.  They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.    You see thinking there are many ways to God and Believing in the One true way to the Father are completely different things.

Second we will address whether or not you believe in God. Let us tackle when someone says I don’t believe in God. I sometimes will say you can stand out in the middle of the road and say I don’t believe in big trucks, but if one hits you that doesn’t change the fact that it really existed. Or if you say I don’t believe in gravity and jump out of a plane without a parachute, it won’t change the fact that you will be picked up in pieces will it. See God doesn’t exist because we believe in Him or not, He has always existed as shown in Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,”* says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.” Next let us deal with the person who says I have always believed in God. Often times I say that is awesome so it should not be a stretch for you to believe in His son Jesus Christ and what He has done for you. I will even goes as far as giving them James 2:19-20 that says you say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. * Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. ²⁰ How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?

Third let us talk about if you face the question how can a loving God condemn someone to hell? I will often times just say off the cuff the it is not God that condemns people to hell, we take care of that all by ourselves. Then I will share John 3:16-18 that says ¹⁶ “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

¹⁸ “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.

Fourth let us deal with the question of why does God allow evil and pain to take place? I will instantly say that is not Gods fault that evil or hurt takes place. I will often times try and take them all the way back to the garden and walk through what sin has done to the world. Therefore explaining that it is not really allowing bad things to happen, but sin causing bad things to happen. Make sense?

Now to attempt to provide some comfort and assurance to people who have made a decision to follow Jesus Christ. We have all heard the parable of the farmer and the seeds, just in case here is a small part to illustrate what could happen “Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. ⁴ As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. ⁵ Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. ⁶ But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died. ⁷ Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants.   I believe personally that after decisions to follow our sin nature automatically tries to make us believe that we really didn’t do what we thought. People will always doubt if you make Salvation out to be something it was not intended to be. I first want people to realize that Jesus simply says to follow Him first, He knows that you still have hang ups and your not perfect. He will change you from the inside out, just give Him time to work. I am also quick to share with them stories of the disciples Peter mostly and even Paul had struggles after he got saved. The most important thing I believe you can tell somebody is that Salvation is a one and done, you can’t lose it couldn’t give it back if you wanted to. Whom Jesus saves He seals and holds in His hands where nothing can ever remove you. You might have times that you need to check your salvation that is good that means the Holy Spirit is working in you to remove some impurities. Just stop and pray for guidance and trust in the finished work of the cross. If none of the above stuff seems to comfort them at all, I sometimes ask if they are sure they got saved or were they just following the crowd at the time. I then share my story of just following the crowd in third grade and show how dangerous that really is. People it is ok to pray with somebody again so that they know for sure they are saved. You would want somebody to do that for you.

What would you do to see someone you love accept Jesus? What about someone that you just know? What about someone you have never met? Here is one for you, what about someone you don’t like? We all know what the Bible says that we are to share Jesus. You see we all want our family to know Jesus. Or that is what we say. The way we act is will far out way what we tell them about Jesus. I heard tonight to words that made a lot of sense. Live It!!!!!! You see we don’t tell our loved ones about Jesus near enough. Things just tend to get harder with the people that we know. After all we don’t want to offend our friends. What we are really saying when we don’t share Christ, is that they can just go to Hell. Then we come to those people that we don’t like, we are Christians so we don’t say hate. Truth be told it would be easier on you if would quit lying to yourself. Everybody else knows the truth, just open your eyes and do what Jesus commanded you to do. When we don’t share Jesus what we are really telling people is that we hate them enough to send them to Hell for eternity. You see we as Christians have one assignment here on Earth. We are commanded to share Christ with the world and teach the new believers how to duplicate themselves. Not the hardest job in the world. When we are saved and God transforms your life we should get excited about it. We should want to tell other people what has happened in our lives. Jesus gave His life for ours and all he asks us in return is to share the Good news with other people. So let me ask Are you Sharing Christ?