Knock-Knock - Who’s There?

by Tim Howard

Have you ever heard a knock at the front door of your home and wondered who it was? Is it someone selling magazines; is it someone wanting to steam clean you carpets for a really great deal or maybe a young child trying to sell candy bars for a school project? To solve the mystery you only need to go to the door, open it up and then you will see who is there.

In the Bible, John the apostle wrote the book of Revelation and in Chapter 3, verse 20, he uses figurative language to tell us what God says.  “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”

I can understand why a person would not want to answer the door when someone comes knocking late at night or early in the morning.  More often than not, those who are doing the knocking aren’t there for your benefit but seeking to solicit something from you.  They want to take and not give.  But what if the person who is knocking has your best interest in mind?  Maybe he or she is knocking to say the windows in your car are down and it’s raining.  Possibly it’s a neighbor who wants to tell you he gave away his dog that constantly barks.  What if it was those from Reader’s Digest to notify you that you are the grand prizewinner of the sweepstakes?  Wouldn’t you run to the door and open it?

God doesn’t come to take anything from you because He already has everything. Col. 1:16 tells us this truth, “For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.”  He doesn’t need what you have!  He knocks on your door because you need what He has!  He knocks because He wants to develop a relationship and share His wealth with you. When you open the door to Jesus, you begin a two-way relationship.  It’s not a monologue but a dialogue.  He eats with you and you get to eat with Him.

In 1973, a song called Knockin' on Heaven's Door, was written and performed by Bob Dylan for the soundtrack of the 1973 film Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid.  It was about a sheriff who had been fatally shot and as darkness set in he began to knock on heaven’s door. The good news from the Bible is that you don’t need to have a near death experience in order to have a relationship with God. He’s reaching out to you right now. You do, however, have to open the door and invite Him in.

Not too long ago I heard a knock at my front door. It was after 8 pm but I opened the door regardless of the time and found my neighbor on my steps. They had a delicious Apple Pie for us in case we wanted something sweet to eat before we retired for the night. Great Neighbors!  I would have missed a delicious dessert if I hadn’t opened the door?  

Don’t miss what God has in store for you. Open the door to Jesus and invite Him in.  You won’t be disappointed!

Pastor Tim Howard is the Lead Pastor at Koinonia Church. Any comments can be sent to: tim@kcfchurch.org

Shake It Up

Shake It Up

Recently an unexpected 6.0 earthquake shook Napa, CA and shocked residents of the idyllic winemaking valley. The damage from the quake resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars of damage to historic buildings, several fires, and about 200 injuries. Within hours the governor declared a state of emergency and mobilized the necessary resources to assist the county.

But there was a silver-lining to the chaos caused by the earthquake. Within a few days, news stories began to emerge marveling at the sudden increase in water in the rivers and streams surrounding Napa. Geologists soon confirmed that the four to ten time increase in flows in streams and rivers were the result of the earthquake shaking loose groundwater supplies. For a drought stricken area, this presented an unexpected gift in the middle of an otherwise challenging and difficult time.

No one in Napa would have asked for that earthquake. Earthquakes are destructive and undesired. But sometimes earthquakes bring unexpected goods along with them. They expose weakness and demand that we rebuild more wisely. They force us to work together and to care for our fellow man. And, yes, sometimes they even open the ground and release springs of water.

These things are true, not only of physical earthquakes that affect the ground, but also the earthquakes that affect our relationships, health and finances. You may never have experienced a violent, building destroying earthquake, but almost certainly you have walked through a death or sickness in your family, the loss of a job or even a fissured marriage or friendship.

These quakes are no less destructive than the ones that shake the ground and they can result in severe and long-term damage. But they can also reveal inside of us, wells of strength and untapped resources that we did not know existed. 

I have experienced a number of violent quakes in my life. Some of them were so severe that I wasn’t sure I would make it out. But I have discovered that when I look up to heaven and ask for help instead of looking down and cursing the situation, I discover God’s grace and help in ways I didn’t even know existed. 

Jesus said, “whoever believes in me will have rivers of living water flowing from his heart.” I have found this to be true, especially when circumstances are at their shakiest around me. When we reach out to our Heavenly Father in earthquake moments, we discover that He has hidden resources reserved for the moments in life when we need them most.

The pastors in Kings County would love the opportunity to encourage you to tap into the river of God this weekend. Why don’t you grab your family and get into church this Sunday? You will discover new resources in the midst of the earthquakes of life.

Andrew Cromwell is the executive pastor at Koinonia Church in Hanford. E-mail him at andrew@kcfchurch.org or call 582-1528.

Grace

by Tim Howard

As a child, my parents had us kids bow our heads before every meal and say grace. I didn’t know what that meant until my parents told me it was a blessing or a statement of thanksgiving for the meal we were about to receive. That was difficult for me since I was a very picky eater and didn’t usually like what I was being asked to devour. I would rather have prayed for a miracle and ask God to change the spinach into French fries and the broccoli into ice cream! 

Since that time I’ve discovered the word ‘grace’ to mean so much more than a prayer you offer before a meal. It has helped me to lead people in a more compassionate way. It causes me to release people from my ‘hard line’ ways and encourages them to experience a dimension of freedom from my opinions. Grace helps me love people more completely because it doesn’t make performance the basis of relationship. It is an activity that is cloaked around generosity, kindness and goodwill. When grace is present a person will find favor, acceptance and respect. 

Paul the Apostle used these words to describe our relationship with Christ. Eph. 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Grace makes relationship possible! Without it, none of us could connect with God or others for a long-term kinship.

Some people believe in Karma. The literal meaning of the word means action, work or deed. It basically refers to the principle of causality where intent and actions of an individual – influence and dictate the future of that individual. Good intent and good deeds contribute to good karma and future happiness, while bad intent and bad deeds contribute to bad karma and future suffering. In other words, ‘What goes around comes around.’ 

I do believe your actions carry repercussions and ramifications. Isaiah Is. 3:10-11 indicate that to be true. “Tell the righteous that it shall be well with them for they shall eat the fruit of their deeds. Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with them for what their hands have dealt out shall be done to them.” Paul the Apostle said: “whatever one sows, that will he also reap.”

There is much to be said for this principle but God’s Word tells us that your good or bad actions do not dictate and decide your ultimate fate. God’s Grace does! According to the Bible… No one’s future is bright if it is determined by his or her own personal thoughts, actions and attitudes. We have all sinned, disobeyed, strayed, resisted, rebelled and lived in autonomy. No amount of good works can earn you a medal – deserving of a pardon. 

Believe me, you don’t want to get what you deserve. You and I need GRACE from God and people need for us to extend grace to them.

Maybe you should set some time aside to visit one of the many church families this weekend. It’s a place where grace is extended to all those who come.

 Pastor Tim Howard is the Lead Pastor at Koinonia Church. Any comments can be sent to: tim@kcfchurch.org

Stop Going Around

by Andrew Cromwell

Most of us have a built-in dislike for anything that makes us uncomfortable and is difficult. And that is normal. There are times when this self-protection mechanism is beneficial to us. Running straight into a buzzing hornet’s nest is just not very smart and will most certainly result in great pain and suffering.

But when it comes to relationships, this natural inclination toward self-protection often results in behavior that actually causes more pain in the long run. You know how it goes, your spouse, friend, boss, or co-worker has a pattern of doing or saying something that is hurtful to you. Your choice is to either ignore it or talk about it with them. The “talking about it” option sounds difficult to most of us. We immediately envision that conversation going very badly and we generally choose to avoid it at all costs.

We choose to work around the issue rather than confronting it. Often, we go to ridiculous lengths to avoid having that talk. Sometimes we avoid the person for as long as possible, coming up with any and every excuse in the book to keep from being with them. When avoidance is not an option, we will often end up acting like nothing is wrong at all.

For many relationships, this strategy is the equivalent of watching the dog go to the bathroom in the middle of the floor and then, instead of cleaning it up, we just throw a rug over it and try to avoid stepping on that spot again. Everyone knows what happened, but no one will actually clean up the mess.

And generally, if the dog has done his business once, he is going to do it again. And again. And unless we change our strategy, we end up with land mines all over the living room as we delicately seek to step in just the right places so as to avoid exposing the mess.

Eventually, the smell becomes so bad that it would seem the only option would be to actually clean up the messes. What is so sad is that more often than not, what people do is one of two things: either they just continue to act like nothing is wrong (no matter how ridiculous this might seem) or they just move into another room.

Everyone knows that a dog mess does not clean itself up. So if you are not going to throw a rug over it, you have to get out the cleaning supplies, put on some gloves and just get to it. Usually, the smell gets a little worse and sometimes you even get a little bit of it on your hands, but soon all evidence of the mess is gone.

In relationships, the only real way to clean up messes is that you have to choose to go toward them rather than go around them. You have to roll up your sleeves and get into it. Of course, you need the right supplies and strategy if you are going to have a good result—if you use cleaners that are too harsh you’ll do more damage than good.

The best, most intimate relationships are those that have worked through tough stuff and come out on the other side. The most superficial relationships are those that avoid the tough stuff altogether. You might have been married to or known someone for fifty years, but if you’ve never dealt with the dog doodoo then you haven’t really gotten very far.

What messes have you been avoiding in your relationships? Where have you fallen into the habit of going around things rather than simply talking about them? Maybe the next time you run into a relationship mess, you should move towards it rather than running away from it.

Winning the Lottery

by Tim Howard

A man named Joe became a Christian and was told that God would provide for him financially if he prayed. In response to that understanding the young man began to persevere in daily prayer and asked God to help him win the Lottery, which was over 10 million dollars. This went on for a month but nothing happened. Finally in frustration he told God how upset he was and he heard God speak in an audible voice.  He said: “Joe, you have to meet me half way – please buy a lottery ticket!”

Sometimes we expect God to do a supernatural act when we aren’t willing to do our part and do what is naturally possible. I’m not an advocate of purchasing lottery tickets but if you should win 10 million dollars, what would you do?

We might have different answers to that question but I think all of us would use it for some similar things. First, I think all of us would pay off our past debt. The very first thing I would do is to wipe my slate clean, get free from my indebtedness that was incurred from my past and start over with a fresh start.

The second thing I think all of us would do is to buy something new and secure a future that is financially bright. Possibly a new home, a new car or visit a plastic surgeon and get a new you. Money in the bank does not guarantee a bright tomorrow in all areas but it can help ease some of the uncertainty in the practical dimension.

Looking at these things from a spiritual perspective I believe we would want the same things. All of us have a past that we would like to change – in part. If only we could go back and change some of the decisions we made, some of the experiences we had or some of the relationships we developed.

The Bible says our past is littered with sin. Sexual sin abounds. Many have chosen to live as they choose and resist following God’s path for sexual relationship. Addictions of all sorts have been troublesome because we try to medicate ourselves in a way that doesn’t produce positive results. Our past is filled with the sin of bitterness and resentment releasing a spirit of revenge. If you are reading this and exclude yourself from some of these sins or others – maybe you are dealing with the sin of Pride.

The Bible records a tremendous verse that addresses our past and our future. 2Cor. 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
Notice the word ‘anyone.’ Paul is saying that no matter who you are, what sin has littered your past – sexual, addictions, bitterness, pride etc… You can be forgiven by Christ and have a new beginning for a renewed future.

In Christ your history doesn't determine your identity nor set your boundaries for the future. Anyone who walks with Christ will win the Spiritual lottery. You don’t need ‘luck’ to win. You simply need to put your faith in Christ.  He will then wipe out your past sins – even though there may be some present day consequences and gives you something new – a bright future. The old has past and the new has come! I don’t know about you but that’s good news.

Owner or Hireling

by Andrew Cromwell

In John chapter 10, Jesus tells a story about sheep and shepherds. In it He describes two different kinds if shepherds. One is a hireling. The hireling doesn’t really care about the sheep. He is there for the paycheck. He has no intentions of staying on the job long term. If a wild animal attacks the sheep, the hireling runs the other way to protect himself.

But there is another kind of shepherd. This second shepherd is an owner shepherd. He is there not just for the money but for the long term. He loves and cares about the sheep. If there is something that threatens the sheep he is willing to actually put his life on the line to protect them.

When it comes to our lives, we all have to make a choice whether we are going to play the role of the hired hand or of the owner. We can see the bigger picture and live focused on the betterment of others, or we can live selfishly and seek purely after personal ambition. We can seek to leave a legacy that will endure into the future but that will cost us, or we can simply be in it for ourselves.

There are many roles we play in life; you might be an employee, a husband or a wife, a father or a mother. All of us have played the role of a son or a daughter, a friend and a community member. And most of us have had times when in those roles we failed to see the bigger picture. We were in the relationship for personal gain or personal pleasure. As soon as the going got tough, we got going.

And then there have been times when we have played the more difficult role. We have made the choice to be invested deeply in the relationship. We have cared enough to see beyond our personal wants and desires and have chosen to stick in and stick it out. We have committed to work through problems and not just work around them (or walk away from them). We had skin in the game, we were owners.

Owners leave a legacy. They build for the future. They impact future generations. They are world changers because they have decided to leave their world better than how they found it.

Legacy builders don’t happen by accident. No one drifts into leaving a legacy because a legacy takes time, determination, and commitment. But building a legacy is worth it every time.

Inside Out

by Tim Howard

OK, I admit it, I like playing with my grandson’s Transformers. Who wouldn’t? Alien robots who can disguise themselves by transforming into everyday machinery – a truck that changes into an airplane or a car that becomes a mighty battleship with the ability to launch missiles is exciting.  I like things that change! Full disclosure:  I also liked the movie ‘Transformers’ and it’s sequels… Now you have the full confession!

Change is one of those things in life you can count on. It happens – whether you want it to or not! One day you are young and see yourself in a certain way – then years later, the mirror of life reveals some changes in your looks, your status, your motivations for living and the goals which you pursue. Sometimes these changes seem to be for good and other times not so good.

Unfortunately many of us struggle with change when the force of it encroaches upon our comfort zone. Our desire for comfort and convenience can often lead to a resistance to change and catapult us into a life of maintenance rather than adventure. Change is important because it’s the first step to transformation.

Change initially modifies behavior but the goal of transformation is to alter your value and desires. The Bible isn’t primarily focused on ‘change’ but upon ‘transformation.’ There’s a big difference.

When you are transformed you ‘become’ someone who is different. You can change the channel on the television; change the way you dress or change your direction but stopping there doesn’t address the real issues – only the external ones. God is ultimately interested in a change that leads to transformation – a change that happens from the Inside – Out.

Allow me to give you a personal illustration of what I mean. Recently I was on vacation and allowed myself to eat anything I wanted. That resulted in a few added pounds to carry around. Seven days prior to the end of my time away I was looking at myself in the mirror and decided to make a change in my diet. I wanted to lower my calorie and fat intake! That decision led to other behavioral changes.

For breakfast I had to stop myself from eating that egg, bacon and cheese sandwich, which had 460 calories and 20 fat. For lunch I had to say no to that tempting Southern Smokehouse Bacon Big Mouth Burger that offered 1610 calories and 107 fats.  (The very name of that burger ought to say something to you.) So I did! I had oatmeal for breakfast and a tuna sandwich for lunch. I made a change for 7 days but I wasn’t transformed.

How do I know? Because one of the signs that you haven’t been transformed is – you want to go back. Transformation happens when you no longer want that burger. In fact, you now desire something that doesn’t make you lethargic. Something that doesn’t makes you sleepy. Something that isn’t unhealthy.

Transformation is experienced when your values have shifted and your desires have shifted to such a point that you want to go ahead and not back. It happens when you want to change the inside as well as the outside.

Jesus made a scathing statement to the religious leaders who only focused on external change. Matt. 23:25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.”

Jesus calls for a change that leads to transformation – Inside and Out!