You Are Chosen

by Tim Howard

Back in grammar school my favorite class was “Recess!’ I know now that it’s not really a class but it was always something I looked forward to. My least favorite thing during recess, however, happened whenever the teacher lined the students up, selected two Captains and had them choose teams. It was horrible! I was usually the last to be chosen and then the two Captains would fight over me. “You take him!” and the other would respond, “No you take him!” This would go on until the teacher made the final determination and assigned me to a team. What a confidence builder.

God‘s not like that! He wants to connect with you. He wants you to be on His team. He has chosen you to have an ongoing relationship. 1 Peter 2:9 says: “…you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a Holy Nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

The Bible makes it abundantly clear that many are called but few are chosen. Everyone is invited to have relationship but those who respond positively to the invitation are chosen to experience, develop and enjoy fellowship with God.

Paul the apostle gives a little insight into the motivation behind God’s choice. 1Cor. 1:26 - 29 “Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes, or powerful, or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God deliberately chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And He chose those who are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important, so that no one can ever boast in the presence of God.”

His choice of you isn’t based on your skill set, your intellect, your abilities, your position, and surely not your past. He sees your potential. His focus is on what you can be and not what you have been.

Not everyone can see potential! Sometimes it’s hidden from view. Like an automobile that loses it’s luster because of the mud that covers it - the dirt of life can cover the treasures hidden within. God, however, never loses sight of them. He isn’t surprised or shocked when the hidden treasure is revealed because He’s the one who put the potential there in the first place. When He views your life, He sees something wonderful and with delight in His voice says, you have possibilities!

God chose you in order to help you find your way back - back to the original you. He originally created you in His image but the hurts of life, the daily grind, the pressing problems and pressures of the day have hidden the real you from view.

I recently saw a restored 1957 Chevy, which was beautiful. But it‘s a million times more wonderful when you see a person restored to their original condition.

Have you ever looked at a married couple and wondered how they made a connection? Why did he marry her? Why did she marry him? From your observations you conclude that they don’t seem to fit together. Yet, they are together.

You may not be able to comprehend or understand this simple truth but one thing is certain: God could have chosen anyone, but He chose YOU!

Don't Be Boring

by Andrew Cromwell

Life is too short to be boring. Life is also too fantastic to be boring. God has created this incredible world in which we live. He is so amazing He has actually arranged things in such a way that we each have a destiny and a purpose. But far too often we take this wonderful, challenging and awe-inspiring spark and turn it into a dull and dreary existence.

More than ever, it is creativity that can make the difference. A little creativity can transform something ho-hum into something memorable and fun. Because as humans we are creatures of habit, we fall into routines that get old and stale. The love that used to crackle between your and your spouse, has fallen prey to the old routine. Your job that used to be fun (okay, fun may be stretching it a bit), has reverted into the old grindstone that we can turn without even being awake.

Some people are masters at the creative. They just make life fun. We all want to be around these individuals because they put that little twist on life through their humor, their work, their smile and their conversation that makes all the difference.

You see, the creativity we all need is not the kind of creativity that resulted in the painting of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel or the design of the Taj Mahal. That type of genius is granted to only a few. But the creativity that can take a dull situation and turn it into a fun moment is something we can all find.

The dad that decides to do something spontaneous with his kids every once in a while instead of allowing the family to repeat the same old routine. The co-worker that decides to change up the office gathering so that the people attending aren’t mistaken for corpses. The homemaker that moves the furniture, “just because.”

I think we actually work at removing the creativity from our lives. Our education system certainly does its best to turn creative, vibrant children into mind-numbed robots that can spit out the right answer for a test. And somehow we get older and decide that it’s easier to be boring than to be creative.

We serve a creative God with a sense of humor. He made you, didn’t He? He is the most creative person in the universe and according to the Bible He has made each one of us in His image. That same creative spark is inside us; we just need to use it.

The pastors in Kings County would love to help you learn more about our creative God and the incredible oh-not-boring-at-all destiny He has for you. Let me encourage you to visit church this weekend...it may not be as boring as you think.

Jesus, the Change Factor

by Tim Howard

There’s a scripture in the Bible that gives a lot of hope to people who are stuck. It communicates the incredible possibility of change and how it can happen. It’s found in 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” NIV

Everyone gets stuck between a rock and a hard place throughout his or her journey. When it happens, you may feel like you’re trapped, locked in, powerless to change things and the possibility of real transformation will seem to be only a dream.

This scripture doesn’t tell us that God will change or remove all our difficulties but if we turn to Him, He will change us! I can’t speak for you but that is very encouraging to me. Even though I may be powerless in the midst of a difficult situation, God has the power to change my heart, change my perspective, change my attitude and change my future. All He needs from me is my attention, adoration, a willingness to seek Him and responsiveness to His directives.

Many people in the Bible have experienced this type of transformation when they responded to Christ. Mary Magdalene had a very sordid past. It is even said she struggled with demonic forces and was considered possessed by demons. Then she met Jesus and was transformed from being possessed to a passionate follower of Christ. The disciples went from being fearful to ones filled with faith when they encountered the risen Lord. Thomas was a doubter but after his encounter, became a full-fledged believer.

Paul the Apostle was a religious person but hated Jesus and those who proclaimed their belief in Him. He’s an example of those who go through the motions and do a lot of religious stuff but don’t have any real relationship with Jesus Christ. You can read his story in Acts chapter 9 and see how he went from being a persecutor of Christians to one who preaches the truth to people.

God wants to change you! Not because he doesn’t like what He sees but because He does. Someone said: “God loves you just like you are but He loves you too much to let you remain as you are.”

There are four ways God uses to bring about change?

1. He first starts with kindness and blessing. Rom. 2:4 God’s kindness, tolerance and patience… leads you toward repentance. God wants you to recognize his goodness and volunteer to be changed by Him. The word repentance means a change.

2. If there is no response, He will convict you. Your conscience when trained by the Word of God functions like our modern day GPS system. It will correct your course and keep you on track if you follow its advice. Check out John 16:8.

3. God counsels you. Psalms. 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. The Bible, books, seminars, small group meetings, one on one fellowship, classes, DVD, CD teaching series and weekly church family gatherings are a few ways God provides direction and the possibility of change.

4. If all else fails, God will confront you. The author of Hebrews calls it: ‘Chastisement’ or ‘Discipline.” Heb. 12:10 “Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.”

Can you identify any attitudes, beliefs, expectations, thinking or behavior that needs to change? If so, there’s someone who can help you. His name is Jesus.

Where's the Joy

by Andrew Cromwell

I am constantly reminded of how unnatural Jesus’ words sound when I compare them to my life. In the book of John, Jesus says, “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you.” When I read that statement and look at my life, the reality is that I often do not feel joyful. Anxious, fearful, frustrated, impatient, fatigued — these are the feelings that seem most natural to me.

So how do we experience His joy in our lives?

The key to living joyfully, is to stay connected to Jesus. If He is the source of joy, then we need to stay plugged into the source! We don’t expect a lamp to give any light unless it is plugged into an outlet, so we shouldn’t expect joy to bubble up in our lives unless we are connected to Him.

One of the reasons we don’t stay connected to Jesus is because we don’t trust Him. Either we don’t believe that He could really forgive us for all we’ve done or we’re afraid that He is going to ask us to do something that we don’t want to do! Either way, we keep ourselves from giving ourselves fully to Him and we unplug. We must remind ourselves that Jesus is all about lavishing His love upon us! He looks for ways to have a relationship with us and to express His love to us. His plan for our life is more wonderful than anything we could ever even imagine.

Another reason we don’t stay connected to Him is that we don’t know how. We tend to overcomplicate things. The best way to stay connected with Jesus is to read His Word, talk to Him and get around people that are doing the same thing. If we do these things regularly and with a heart that desires to know Him, then it’s hard to miss.

Now, it is important to know that you can stay connected to Jesus, but still not experience joy. This is because joy does not start with a feeling, it starts with a choice. We have all seen people choose to be angry. You know how it goes. Something happens that is negative and that person decides to focus on it. They think about it, they talk about it, they brood on it. Soon they are consumed with anger. They decided to be angry. In the same way, you must decide to be joyful. You do this by putting your mind in the right place. You refuse to take up offenses. You recall who God is and His wonderful plan for you. You put a smile on your face. Before you know it, you are filled with joy.

The pastors of Kings County would love to help you live joyfully. Why don’t you visit one of the many wonderful churches available in our community this week? It’ll help fill you with joy.

You Are Invited

by Tim Howard

As I re-read the life of Christ during the Easter season several things caught my attention. One of the interesting facts I underscored had to do with the way Jesus interacted with people. Even during His last week of life, before the crucifixion and resurrection, He never demanded anything from his followers nor did He seek to control their lives in a dictatorial way. In one of His darkest moments while in Gethsemane, He didn’t demand that His disciples stand alongside Him but merely asked them to join Him in prayer. No pressure, no pushiness and no strong-armed tactics. He simply gave an invitation.

In the early days of Jesus’ ministry He began to approach people and invited them to become His partners. He said in Matthew 4:19: “ … Follow Me, and I will make you into a fisher of men.” His promise to them had to do with transformation. If you follow me, I will make you, shape you and show you how to become a person who develops meaningful and lasting relationships.

Following leaders is important if you are going to live a lifestyle of togetherness. There may not be a need for leadership if one chooses to live alone, isolated and set apart from others, but we were created to be integrated and if there is no leadership, chaos thrives.

Jesus is a different type of leader. He doesn’t merely talk about doing something but actually shows a follower how to walk and how to live a fruitful life. While many today wax eloquent in mere rhetoric and pontificate specific dogma that sways people, Jesus practiced a ‘Show and Tell’ mentality.

Jesus told those who were lost and needed direction for their lives to follow him. I won’t just tell you where to go and what to do, I will actually lead you and show you the way. Follow Me! Wow that simplifies everything. Do what He does, go where He goes, say what He says and things will work out. Jesus will get you to your appropriate destination because He knows the way.

I am a follower of Christ because I accepted His invitation over 45 years ago. That being said, I must admit I follow reluctantly at times. I don’t always like where He is taking me! Sometimes it’s through darkness and difficulty but in those times Jesus develops character in me. Sometimes He leads me into the unknown but even when I’m unable to see the future and fear seeks entrance, I develop trust in His guidance. At times it’s through dryness and a season of barrenness, but even in the dessert He provides water.

Someone recently asked me if I was going to attend a major event that was happening in the city. I expressed that it was by invitation only and I hadn’t received an invitation. Possibly you know the feeling when you discover you aren’t on the ‘invite list’. It hurts! The good news in God’s Word, however, is this: You are invited!

Matthew 11:29-30, "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." MSG

I pray you accept the offer because YOU ARE INVITED!

Spending Ourselves To Death

by Andrew Cromwell

According to one report, 85 out of 100 Americans have less than $250 in savings when they reach 65. If this is true, then most of us are either (a) planning on living on far less than we currently do, or (b) denying reality and sticking our head in the sand. Combine this fact with our habit of spending just a little bit more than we earn and any chance of a comfortable retirement goes right out the window.

Saving your money instead of spending it goes against the grain. Not only is everyone around us doing it, the media reports to us that if everyone were to stop spending so much and start saving their money, the economy would simply crash even further. We know in our heart that we need to be saving for a rainy day, but somehow we are never able to get around to it.

Money is a big deal. So big, in fact, that Jesus talked about it a lot. Half of the stories he told were about money. One out of every six verses in the gospels is about money. He talked more about money than heaven, hell or prayer. He obviously considered our relationship with our money to have big time spiritual implications. He said, “where your treasure is, there will your heart be.”

I believe there are three important things that we must do if we are going to run our finances instead of having our finances run us.

First, we must look ahead. Proverbs 14:8 says, “The wise man looks ahead. The fool...won’t face facts.” Where are our current money practices taking us? Am I paying only the minimum on my credit card? Am I spending all that I earn? Am I buying things I don’t need? These foolish money behaviors not only steal from my own financial future, they also demonstrate that I am a person that God cannot trust to manage His money!

Second, we must make a plan. Proverbs 16:9 says, “We should make plans--counting on God to direct us.” You spell plan, B-U-D-G-E-T. Most of us don’t have a real budget. We have an idea of where our money goes, but we don’t really know. We need to sit down and crunch the numbers. When it comes to money, you need to know four things: what you own, what you owe, what you earn and where it goes!

Finally, we must act quickly. When it comes right down to it, without action we can look ahead and make plans all day long and nothing will change. It is not enough to agree that it is good to systematically save for retirement. It is not even good enough to write down a budget. Unless we actually do it, then it doesn’t matter one bit. We need to stop telling ourselves we’ll do it tomorrow and start today.

Maybe this is all overwhelming to you. I know that when I look at the big picture of my finances, I begin to feel stressed and even a little panicked. Then I remind myself that Rome wasn’t built in a day and my finances won’t be fixed in an hour. Small decisions that are followed through on, result in big changes. So maybe you cancel your cable or eat out half as much — we all can do some small things that will end up making a huge impact on our bottom line.

The pastors in Kings County want to see you experiencing God’s freedom in your finances. Why don’t you give them the opportunity to encourage you this weekend?

Truth or Consequences

by Tim Howard

I just finished reading a narrative found in Acts chapter 5 which talks about a young couple named Ananias and Sapphira. This Biblical story is very dramatic and ultimately ends in their death. It all happened because this husband and wife team concocted a plan, which involved lying, deception and greed. Money wasn’t the core issue but it was the vehicle that revealed their flawed character.

The core issue is seen when this young couple makes a bold faced, calculated lie to the Apostle Peter regarding some financial dealing they were involved in. Their lies, their deceitfulness and their false pretense led to their demise.

You may wonder about the severity of the penalty they paid for this falsehood but you must admit that in similar fashion many long lasting, healthy relationships have experienced the same fate because someone decided to lie and act deceptively.

Lying kills! Lying destroys! Lying severs relationships! Yet we all are tempted to do the same thing for a myriad of reasons. Peter asked Ananias and Sapphira, “Why? What made you lie to me and ultimately to God? How could you do such a thing?” Any person reading this text should begin to understand that lying is not the real problem or the main issue. It is a symptom of a deeper problem. Why do we lie? What prompts us to be deceitful? Allow me to suggest three reasons:

1. We lie to COVER UP something we don’t want seen. John 3:19-20 “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.” Many marriages and families have suffered severe ramifications because secrets were kept and lies were told.

2. We lie to avoid CONSEQUENCES. A child will lie to his mother so he doesn’t have to take a ‘time out’. An employee will lie to their employer to avoid some punishment and some adults will lie to protect themselves from an undesirable repercussion.

3. We lie to CREATE a better self-image. This is when you lie to impress people. Proverbs13:7 “One man pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.” The word ‘pretends’ used in this verse is rooted in the word: ‘pretense.’ It is an attempt to make something that is not the case appear true. When you live a life built on pretense, the path is littered with lying. You're trying to create an image or cover up low self-esteem so you lie. That’s what seems to be the motivating factor behind this couple’s act in chapter 5. They wanted to be viewed by others more favorably than they deserved. They were caught in the web of conceit and pride.

So what's the solution? It starts with identifying the motivational factor. Once you understand the motivation behind your lying, then you can begin to deal with the real issue by seeking God’s help. He is the author of truth. Everything he does is based on truth and there is no deceit in him. When you fall in love with Jesus and begin to follow instructions, you start growing a love of truth. Then if you look for the truth, learn the truth and listen to the truth, you will be on your way to becoming a person of integrity. The Consequences that come from living a truthful life outweigh the ramifications of a life based on lies and deception.