Battery Power

Battery Power

"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 24:49

Batteries for clocks and watches, cell phones, I-pods and laptops, the remotes and the flashlights and let's not forget the smoke alarm that beeps at 3:00 am when the battery dies at a suspiciously ridiculous hour. We are battery dependent and battery power, no matter how good of an "energizer' we purchase, is always temporary.

In the last two weeks, I've been reminded of that several times. In Washington, D.C., I was at the top of the Washington Monument when the low battery indicator on my camera began to flash red, giving me a few more pictures before the camera shut down. And the "off-brand" replacements available at the souvenir stand lasted until we stood in front of the White House for our group photo and, you guessed it, ran out.

Then, last week, on the trip to Camp Michindoh with 43 7th graders whose parents were given my cell phone number to ease their fears, I forgot my charger. One last call from a dad who was worried about his son being away from home for the first time and my cell died at about 12:30 in the morning. It's at those moments that the importance of power, temporary or not, can be seen and appreciated.

Our strength in the natural is very similar to batteries in that, no matter how far we stretch it, it will eventually run out. And we were created by the Lord that way, needing sleep and rest to recharge our internal batteries, both being essential to our bodies functioning the way our Creator designed them to. Studies have shown the effects of sleep deficiency to be far greater than we realize, ranging from weakening the sharpness of our thinking to hindering our ability to handle stress and everyday problems.

Spiritual strength is no different. The strength to cope with the pressures and challenges of life needs to be renewed or we will face similar difficulties, finding ourselves making mistakes we never intended. It might be a word misspoken or a decision unadvised that is the result of our not keeping our spiritual batteries fully charged. Isaiah 40:30 tells us that "even youths grow tired and weary" but offers the promise in :31 that "they that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength".

Just like Dave Auten tests our 9-volts every Sunday morning (with his tongue), we need to check our batteries on a regular basis, make sure we're staying recharged, and living with the strength and power, the wisdom and understanding that the Lord intended. The time invested in both rest and in the presence of the Lord will be well rewarded!

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Souvenir Row

Souvenir Row

"The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life."
Romans 6:23

The one-block area where we got off the tour bus contains Ford Theatre where President Lincoln was assassinated, the Peterson House where he was brought immediately after, and a host of shops packed with every possible souvenir to commemorate a visit to Washington, D.C.

For me it was off to the nearest McDonalds a block away for a soft drink. When I stepped up to the counter, my response to the customary "What can I get for you?" was a "can I have a large pop please?". The look on the waitresses face was a combination of "what is this guy talking about" and "I wonder how long he's been in the country". I quickly changed it to "can I have a large soda", a language she understood, damage done, communication accomplished and I received my plastic cup.

We have the phrase "to call a spade a spade" meaning to speak honestly and clearly about a subject or situation, to describe something as it really is. The English have a more blunt and forceful version saying "to call a spade a bloody shovel". But the point is the same, we need to call things as they are and not sugar coat them for the benefit of how we might appear to others or even to ourselves.

Billy Sunday, the baseball player turned evangelist in the early 20th century in America, termed it this way, "one reason sin flourishes is that it is treated like a cream puff instead of a rattlesnake". I was in a conversation recently and was trying to graciously refer to something the person had done when they corrected me, saying "pastor that was nothing more than sin". Like the waitress in DC, I was taken back by their honesty and by their choice of words heard less and less lately. But it is only in being honest with ourselves and in calling things as they really are that we have any hope of change.

Our choice of words is not always as trivial as soda or pop. And while speaking positively certainly applies in many situations as our words declare our faith in God, calling things as they really are, calling sin sin, has tremendous advantages too. It brings us face to face with what separates us from the Lord and from His favor on our lives. That honesty with ourselves clears the way for change, for cleansing and for restoration to His presence.

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Behind Closed Doors

Behind Closed Doors

"The kingdom of God does not come with careful observation
... because the kingdom of God is within you." Luke 17:20-21

Visiting the United States Capitol in Washington and getting to sit in the gallery of the House of Representatives is always an interesting experience because very few of the 435 representatives are usually there. Over the many years of visiting the Capitol, we've seen as few as two or three representatives listening to speeches on issues ranging from gun control to foreign aid and never more than a few dozen of the hundreds elected to represent their constituents back home.

As we headed to the capitol this morning for our visit to Congress, I was thinking that the sparse attendance we usually encounter was not a refection of the amount of work being done but rather an indication that the real work of Congress goes on behind closed doors.

The work of forging public policy, of solving critical issues being confronted by the nation, of addressing matters that affect the lives of millions of people is done out of the sight of us Washington tourists and even out of the sight of the hordes of media surrounding our political leaders.

The scripture above teaches us that the same principle is true in Christianity, the real work of becoming Christ like takes place outside the view and observation of others, as we seek, in the privacy of our hearts, to forge a relationship with the Lord.

When a bill comes up on the floor of the House of Representatives, untold hours of work have gone into that bill being ready for debate and an eventual vote. The quality of what is proposed is a reflection of all that took place behind closed doors.

A similar situation occurs in our church services in that what occurs on a Sunday morning is a reflection of all that took place behind closed doors during the week. The quality of the ministry, the contributions of the congregation (a very important part of every service) and the level of entering into the Lord's presence are the end result of the "behind closed doors" effort of everyone who is a part.

In that place where no one can see you, behind the closed doors of your heart, the quality of your contribution is being forged. And while no-one observes that process, the end result cannot be hidden. Make it your goal this week to get "the real work" done with excellence and with determination - and you will have a part in something great coming forth in the Kingdom of God.

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

The Neighbor's House

The Neighbor's House

"I pray that out of his glorious riches He may strengthen
you with power through his Spirit in your inner being."
Ephesians 3:16

If ever there was a lesson on the danger of judging by appearances, the story of Adele Gaboury certainly provides it. When reports that Adele had gone into a nursing home first surfaced, her neighbors began to fill in the gaps. When one neighbor noticed her mail piling up, he promptly notified the post office and the deliveries were stopped. And when her lawn became unsightly, another neighbor paid her son to mow Adele's lawn twice a month. The water was shut off after another neighbor noticed water spilling out of the house from frozen pipes but, all in all, the house appeared to everyone to be a well-kept suburban home.

When the police finally investigated the house as a health hazard, they were shocked to discover Adele's body inside. Four years of the neighbors maintaining her home on the outside had hidden the reality of what was on the inside. The Washington Post reported on October 27th, 1993, that it was believed Adele Gaboury had died of natural causes four years earlier.

Like Adele's house, outward appearances can be very deceiving, not always giving a true picture of what is happening on the inside. Think of what Jesus told the church in Sardis in Revelation 3:1 (The Message Bible):

"I know all the things you do, and that you have
a reputation for being alive-but you are dead."

The Lord is concerned with our inner health, not our outward appearance. The challenge is for each of us to guard against becoming satisfied with an approval from others that is based on appearances and reputation, and not on our true spiritual state. The praise of men, as Paul worded it, can be both dangerous and deceptive - keeping us from a true assessment of how we are doing on the inside.

Take a walk through your house, check the level of joy and contentment, see what the temperature on the inside is at, hot, cold, or lukewarm, and make sure there is a hunger or the things of God. And make sure the door is open for the Lord to come in and do any house cleaning He sees fit.

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Chutzpah

Chutzpah

".....that we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may
be greatly encouraged...and have this hope as an anchor for the soul."
Hebrews 6:18-19

Growing up in a largely Jewish neighborhood, "chutzpah" is a word I am familiar with and have even found myself using at times. Where one person might say "it took a lot of nerve for them to do that", my Jewish neighbors would say "it took a lot of chutzpah to even try and do that!". The dictionary definitions are anything but flattering, defining it with words such as "nerve, brashness, impertenence, gall, unashamed and supreme self-confidence, and incredible guts".

One definition gave a hint of good when it described it as "the quality of audacity, whether for good or bad". And another, using it for "someone who has overstepped the boundaries of accepted behavior with no shame" helped to clarify its' use.

My search for its' meaning began this week when the book I was reading used "chutzpah" to describe Jacob's behavior when, while wrestling with God, he refused to give up. And it went on to describe it as "the act of persevering with unyielding tenacity". Think of the story: God had told Jacob "Let me go, for it is daybreak". And Jacob had the "chutzpah" the audacity, the nerve, to hold on to God declaring, "I will not let you go unless you bless me". He persevered with unyielding tenacity and the result was God blessing him and changing him.

Elisha did the same thing when Elijah constantly tried to get him to remain behind but he refused saying "As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you." There is a lesson for each of us, the need for a holy "chutzpah", or boldness, in pursuing the promises of God and blessings of the Lord. Sometimes we have to go beyond what is considered acceptable behavior in going after the Lord for the miracle we need. Other times we just have to refuse to take no for an answer when everyone else is telling us to give up and accept a situation we face.

My prayer is that you will lay hold of the Lord (and not let go) with an unyielding tenacity that has been missing in your life. Let the qualities of Jacob and Elisha be in you. Dare to ask God for great things, dare to go to the Lord for the impossible, knowing that with God, all things are possible and then hold on with all the tenacity that's in you!

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

The Seal of Approval

The Seal of Approval

"Work hard so you can present yourself to God
and receive His approval." II Timothy 2:15

Good Housekeeping Institute, an offshoot of the popular ladies magazine, is well known for their testing of a wide variety of products to see if they measure up to certain industry standards. For those products that do, they issue the famous Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval, an endorsement of the product considered invaluable for success.

In fact, the phrase "seal of approval" has so caught on that we now have the Presidential Seal of Approval, the Underwriters Laboratory Seal of Approval, and a host of others that guarantee the quality of products sold from toothpaste to computer equipment. And we also hear the phrase used to endorse people - "He or she has my seal of approval." Now there is a person we want to hire for our company! A policy or activity can earn the seal of approval of someone who has tried it - an almost certain recommendation that you will enjoy it as much as they did.

But far more important than any of those is the approval of God. Paul talked about that approval in I Thessalonians 2:4 when he said "We speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel." And he encouraged Timothy to work hard that he might recieve the approval of God on his life. It is something that should be important to each of us, far more important than man's approval, having God's approval on the life we are living.

The Good Housekeeping people would tell us that over the years many, many products that did not measure up were submitted for the seal of approval and rejected. And something very similar is happening in the church. Believers are looking to the Lord to give His approval to lifestyle choices and personal decisions that are contrary to what the Word of God teaches us is right. We expect the Lord to approve what we are doing because it's what makes us happy or to make up for something we have gone through.

We want heaven's seal of approval for actions that God has said are wrong, for decisions that represent compromise and selfishness, and we get upset when He doesn't give us the endorsement we want.

Let's make every effort to follow the advice Paul gave Timothy, "Work hard...so you can receive God's approval." Allow the Word of God to guide you in presenting a life before the Lord that is without spot, wrinkle or blemish, a life that stands up to the testings of life, a life that can rightly earn heaven's seal of approval.

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Eating The Seed

Eating The Seed

"Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for
food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and
increase the fruit of your righteousness." II Corinthians 9:10

One of the problems in developing nations, with large numbers of people facing hunger and starvation, is "eating the seed", a reference to consuming an entire harvest to the point where nothing is saved to use for seed the following year. United Nations programs have begun to address the issue by implementing aid programs which provide, not only the necessary food, but seed to be used in sowing crops thereby enabling these nations to become more self-sufficient.

Paul wrote in the verse above about the Lord providing both seed to sow and bread to eat to the believer. The seed represents the opportunity and ability to help others, both naturally and spiritually, while the bread stands for what is needed in our own lives. And we know that the Lord is able to make us to have enough in both areas.

The question becomes "Are we sowing seed?" Are we taking what the Lord has blessed us with and sowing a portion of it into the lives of others? This can be done through charitable giving (no matter how small or large!) in which our donations are seeds to be used to relieve the suffering of others, seeds that respresent the love of Christ, seeds that will multiply and bear much fruit. It can also be done through the words we speak, sowing seeds of faith in the lives of others as we testify of the Lord's goodness and of the mercy He has shown each of us, as we share words of encouragement and hope with those who are hurting.

The next question is "Are we eating the seed?" It is possible for a Christian to be so self-centered that they consume everything they receive on themselves. And in so doing, they end up actually hurting themselves. Consider Proverbs 11:24:

"One man gives freely, yet gains even more
another withholds unduly but come to poverty"

Or as The Message Bible states:

"The world of the generous gets larger and larger,
the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller."

Seed, by nature, multiplies. A kernel of seed corn becomes hundreds of kernels of corn to supply food to the needy. A word spoken in season to the needy can be a seed of faith that multiplies many times over and bears fruit in many lives. All that the Lord blesses us with in not intended as bread to be consumed to meet our own needs; some is meant to be seed for us to sow and reap a harvest of righteousness from.

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church