I asked our translator to ask him what he wanted to be when he grew up. Maybe it’s the idealist in me, but I think that’s my favorite question to ask children. Their potential is beyond anything we can imagine.

What came out of his mouth surprised me.

Nothing.

He didn’t say a word.

Read more and watch the video here.

Before you stand up to speak have an aim, a goal, for your talk. For me, it’s to change the world.  I know that’s bold, but I settle for nothing less.  I know that if I speak to the hearts of people, to their pain, and their desire for hope and meaning in life; if I do it long enough and well enough, that ultimately things are going to change.

Maybe your goals are a little less lofty.  But they shouldn’t be.  Speak for change; to change your company, your family, your child, your husband.  Speak to persuade, not just to inform, and you’ll be an interesting speaker.

It reminded me of something Jesus’ listeners said about him,

When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teacher of the law. Matthew 7:28-29

That same authority that Jesus spoke with is the same authority he gave to his disciple – both then and now – to go out and speak the words that can change the world.  But there is a catch.  It is Jesus’ authority that you are speaking with, so it should be Jesus’ words that you are speaking.  In other words, we can change the world when we go out and speak the words of Jesus (the Bible) with the authority that Jesus gave us.

How do we do this? By speaking the truth in love. When a person is living in sin, tell them what God has to say about their sin, but do it with an attitude of love – caring for them and wanting to help them.  The sad truth is that many people get turned off to the Gospel and the Church, because people speak with authority to them but don’t really care about them.  If you are not willing to give of yourself to help this person with their sin problem, then keep your mouth shut.

Jonathan and David – Warriors United

For this weeks Warriors lesson I would like to consider a pair of Warriors – Jonathan and David.

Besides the relationship that exist between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit; the relationship between Jonathan and David, as recorded in 1 Samuel, was probably one of the closest relationships described in the Bible. These two truly loved and cared for one another and were always watching out for one another. The reason I have included these two in my Warriors lessons is because of this simple fact:

Great Warriors work together because they know that strength comes in numbers.

The temptation of many who consider themselves Warriors is to go it alone. Perhaps the greatest reason for this is that they are frighten by the thought of having to depend upon someone else for success. Warriors like to keep their eyes focused on the future so that they can plan and prepare for the next battle heading their way, but this also creates a lot of “what if” situations in their minds.

- What if the he doesn’t do his part?
- What if no one shows up?
- What if she isn’t able to finish the project?
- What if they aren’t interested?
- What if she doesn’t really care about it?

These are all frightening situations because they could cause the Warrior to fail, and Warrior hate failing.
But…
Working alone is not an option for a Great Warrior.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 tells us, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

From the very beginning God said, “It is not good for man to be alone.” It is God’s desire that we work together and help one another. What we all need is a friendship like the one Jonathan and David had.

There are three qualities that I see in the relationship between Jonathan and David that made it close and strong:
1. A devotion to God
2. A willingness to look out for one another.
3. An ability to trust one another.

Strong Friendships Begin with a Devotion to God.
Do not be unequally yoked – don’t join yourself to someone who isn’t devoted to Jesus.
It’s ok to be friends with a non-Christian, but close friendship should be reserved for someone who is following Jesus like you do. Our closest friend is the one we ask to pray for us, we share our struggles with, we seek guidance from; how can we expect a person who is not following Jesus to give us God-honoring advice?

Strong Friendships Develop when they are looking out for one another.
Looking out for the other person means more than just trying to protect them from harm, it also includes helping them have a better relationship with Jesus. This might include setting aside your own wants and desires. This would include serving the other person and encouraging the other person.

Strong Friendships Last when they are willing to Trust one another.
Trust worthy people are true to their word – yes is yes and no is no.
Trust worthy people display repentance when they are wrong. Repentance is more than just saying you’re sorry. Since none of us are perfect we will mess up from time to time, but displaying repentance means seeking forgiveness AND changing things to try and keep it from happening again.

These are not only the qualities we should be looking for in a close friend, but also the ones who should be displaying ourselves. Going it alone is not an option, but developing a close relationship with a person who doesn’t love Jesus, isn’t watching out for you, and can’t be trusted will cause more harm in your life than good. Pray that God brings you a friend like the one David had.

Across from the border city of El Paso, Texas, sits the city of Juárez, Mexico. If you are current with the news, you probably know that Juárez has become a violent front line in the war on drugs. Between January 2008 and March 2009, almost 2,000 drug-related murders have taken place in the city as a war rages that involves the drug cartels, local police, and Mexico’s military.

Recently Time Magazine said Juárez “may be the western hemisphere’s most dangerous town” and “certainly the hardest hit by Mexico’s drug-war terror.” *

I never imagined that we would have to lead our congregation through something like this. The three largest drug cartels in México are warring for control of our city. There are other sites in México with similar battles, but the unique situation of Juárez has made our streets the site of some of the most violent and gruesome incidents in the nation.

In addition to this, over 100 law enforcement officials have lost their lives, many of them because they had become part of a cartel but many others as they carried out their duties. The suspicion of corruption and the threat of violence has produced massive layoffs and resignations of police officers. This weakening of the law enforcement bodies has contributed in the unleashing of a severe crime wave that has exposed regular citizens to armed robbery, carjacking and kidnapping. If you add to this the subsequent financial crisis that has made our city No. 1 in the nation in loss of jobs, then you get a pretty nasty scenario.

This crisis of violence and crime has produced a very high level of fear, anxiety and hopelessness in our city and has tempted many in the church to fall into those sins. So by God’s grace we have had to use every opportunity to teach and remind people of the truth of God’s sovereignty and care. And we have seen much growth in learning to trust God like never before.

Since we couldn’t trust our government to protect or deliver us from all of this, we have had to learn to REALLY trust God for our well-being, and it has been wonderful! The church has grown, both in numbers and in maturity. As a church we are very aware and grateful for all the good fruit God has produced in our lives as a result of this crisis and we are joyfully anticipating much more of his grace.

My personal challenge has been to learn to carry the burden of concern for the well-being of our folks and our city. My love for the folks in the church has grown much as I have prayed for them and carried them in my heart all these months. But also, I have seen a new love for the city and nation develop in my heart and the heart of many others.

God is awakening a stronger burden to see our nation turn to Christ that has made us bolder in proclaiming the gospel to the authorities, our neighbors and city as a whole. Like never before this crisis has opened many doors to the gospel, and I pray that as a church we will prove faithful in taking advantage of this new opportunity to see the gospel advanced.

When Esther was informed about the law that could cause the end of the Jewish people, she was faced with two choices:

 Do Nothing, and perhaps live – Or – Do Something, and perhaps die.

Esther choice was to do something. She knew that she needed to take a risk that could very well mean the end of her life. To approach the king without an invitation was against the law and breaking this law would mean immediate death. She knew that the only way she could survive was if the king offered her his scepter, which she could touch and live. For Esther, the risk was worth it because she understood what all great warriors come to understand:

Great Warriors know that the Cause must come before everything, even their own life.

The Bible is filled with the stories of people who faced a decision just like Esther’s and like her, choose to do something even though it might cause their death.

Think about:

Moses – who did something when he left his tent and began the long walk back to Egypt.

David – who did something when he put down the armor and instead prepared to face a giant by picking up five stones.

Daniel – who did something when he got on his knees to pray, knowing that the next time he would probably be praying in front of a hungry lion.

 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego – who did something when they refused to bow a knee before a piece of stone in order to save themselves from a fiery furnace.

Each of these did something even though it could have cost them their lives. They proved through their actions that the Cause (God’s Kingdom) is so much greater and more important than even their own life.

• God, why does it seem like your church is dying?
• God, why are your followers always fighting each other?
• God, why doesn’t the church have the same influence it did 20 years ago?
• God, why don’t you move in a powerful way and really wake up the people to just how wonderful you are?
• God, are you even listening?

When the Lord first started his conservation with Gideon, he was talking to a weak, powerless, and frighten man. When the Lord finished his conservation with Gideon, he was talking to a Warrior.  What happen?

I think Gideon changed because he really listened to God and really trusted what God was telling him. Look at some of what God told Gideon in Judges chapter 6…

• Vs. 12 – Mighty warrior.
• Vs. 14 – Go in the strength you have.
• Vs. 16 – I will be with you.
• Vs. 23 – Peace! Do not be afraid.

Now put them together and listen to the words that changed Gideon’s life and can change your life too.

The World like to speak all kinds of lies into your heart everyday, but just imagine what God’s children could do if they heard God’s words at the beginning of each day and really believed them.

Peace! Do not be afraid. I will be with you so go in the strength you have my mighty warrior.

And what does the man do on the front lawn of the house the used to be his…

 - he falls to his knees, lifts his hands to the sky and sings a song of praise to his God.

This is Job 1: 20-22

There are many who are losing everything these days because of the hard economic times and it is not difficult to find a press photo of a person or a family in great pain because they had been recently evicted from their home. But God has not changed and the faith of Job is the same faith that we can have today, so I really believe that there are still those who are responding like Job did…

“The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”

 - The pain is great… but not eternal.
 - The property is gone… but not the treasure.
 - The mind questions… but the heart remains true.
 - The tears flow… but the spirit finds comfort.

This is the faith of Job, and it is the same faith of those who serve the same God as Job. At times we hear rumors of men and women who praised God during difficult times like Job. At times we see shadows of men and women, on their knees and lifting their hands in praise during terrible moments like Job. One day, though, it will all be known and it will all be revealed how God never quit providing the great doses of faith like he provided to Job on his day of pain.

Right out of the gate I was struck by a question: What if Bill Gates lost everything he owns in just one day? I thought of Bill Gates because of his great wealth and popularity. Job was a lot like the Bill Gates of his day. In verse 3 of chapter 1 it says, “He was the greatest man among all the people of the East.” So the greatest man in the East lost everything in just a day. That would scare me! Imagine, if the richest man could lose everything is just a day, what hope is there for me? I wonder if the people who knew Job were scared. Maybe that’s why Job’s friends showed up on the scene so quickly; they wanted to know how to keep the same thing from happening to them. Perhaps they used the thought that Job must have sinned to cause this as a way to ease their own minds and provide themselves with a sense of security. I know that what I would have done that. I could just hear myself accusing Bill Gates of some of the following “sins”:

- Gates should have known better.
- Gates should have done a better job of watching his money.
- Gates should have pulled his money out of the stock market sooner.
- Gates should not have trusted those people.
- Gates must not be as smart as we all thought he is.

In the case of Job, though, none of that was true. Job has not done anything wrong and he had not made any stupid mistakes. It was God’s choice to let all this happen. Job was simply the example to prove Satan wrong again. It makes me wonder though…

Am I worthy to be used by God as an example to prove Satan wrong about something?

Has God ever used me like He used Job?

It frighten me a little… but I do hope that the answer to both questions is – Yes.