Posts in category Bible

Permission To Speak Freely (part 5)

Jun09
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Chris Thompson


1 I will climb up to my watchtower
and stand at my guardpost.
There I will wait to see what the Lord says
and how he will answer my complaint.
The Lord’s Second Reply
2 Then the Lord said to me,
“Write my answer plainly on tablets,
so that a runner can carry the correct message to others.
3 This vision is for a future time.
It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled.
If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently,
for it will surely take place.
It will not be delayed. (Habakkuk 2)

Too often we just whine to God about what’s going on that we think is unfair and then we go on about our lives. Many of us, we never stop to listen to what God might want to communicate to you.

Here are SOME beautiful things about God.
God REVEALS Himself to us. He’s not trying to hide from us. God wants you to KNOW Him FULLY.

1) He has REVEALED Himself
In His Son, Jesus
In Nature
In people
In His Word (teaching)
Through the Holy Spirit

The GOOD NEWS is that you CAN Know God.

2) God is a relational God.
He DESIRES a PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP with You.
He has made it possible
He pursues you
But He won’t force himself on you
He has been waiting patiently for you to:
*Come to terms with the ugly sin that is inside you
*Admit it
*Ask God to FORGIVE you and set you FREE
*Trust that what Jesus did on your behalf was more than enough
*Surrender your life to God
*Ask Him to live inside you and make you NEW

3) God Speaks

If you will stop to listen,
God will often speak to you.

How will He speak?

All sorts of different ways.
God can speak audibly. I’ve never heard His audible voice, but I know people who have,
and I believe that He can.
God can also speak through His Word (Bible). Every single day, He can speak to you through His Word (Bible).
God can speak to you through circumstances.
If you look around, God can speak to you through other people.

God will often speak to you, and sometimes, He won’t, because He is God.

NOW, Here’s the deal.
If you will take the time to listen to God, when He speaks, you may not like what He says. This was the case for Habakkuk. It was also the case for Paul. He had what was known as a thorn in his side, or in his flesh, and he prayed over and over again. “God, I know You can do something about it. Please do. Take it away. Remove it.”

Three times, he begged, “God, I’m pleading with You. Take it away. I’m pleading with You. Take it away. I’m pleading with You. Take it away,” and God said basically, “I could, but I’ve decided not to. My answer to you is no. Why? Because I am going to do something even better than take it away, and you may not understand, but I am going to teach you that My grace is all that you need. You see, I could do that, but I’m not going to, because I’m going to do something different inside of you.” (1 Corinthians 12:1-8)

What do you do, when you hit this crisis of belief? (The Dip)
“Where are You, Good? I don’t understand.”

you stop and you listen.
“God, what are You saying? Good, where are You?”

Posted in Gospel, Radiant Life Fellowship

Permission To Speak Freely (part 4)

Jun08
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Chris Thompson


Is God fair?
That’s something Habakkuk had to wrestle with.
He’s my new favorite Old Testament Prophet.

Habakkuk brought some very difficult questions to God
and essentially accused God of not being fair.

And I would have to agree 100% with Habakkuk. God is not fair.
Here’s the kicker –
The fact that God is not fair is one of THE MOST BEAUTIFUL things about God.
What you talkin’ about Willis? (obscure Different Strokes reference)

Here’s the deal.
God is absolutely, and completely, JUST.
But He’s not FAIR.
This is why the story of God is called the Gospel: The GOOD NEWS.

Let me explain it.
The truth is everyone of us was born with a sin nature.
That simply means that we can not live up to God’s standard of Holiness.
You and I fall short. We disobey God.
We lie.
We steal.
We dishonor the name of God.
We don’t keep the Sabbath day holy.
We dishonor our parents.
We are greedy.
We hold grudges.
We say hurtful things.
We hurt people who hurt us.
We are self-centered.
We cheat on our taxes.
We don’t forgive.
We speed and break the law in both big and small ways.
We commit adultery.
We ignore and even avoid the poor.
We desire.
We gossip.
We judge.
Need I go on?
It’s simply disobedience. And our disobedience is nothing to wink at. It’s serious.

Are you still with me so far?

among other consequences, sin separates us from God.
Our disobedience separates us from having an authentic relationship with people.

Sin creates all sorts of havoc on our lives. Just ask any married couple (especially if they have kids) to tell you how painful and devastating and humiliating it is to have to deal with the consequences of having a spouse who cheated.

Sin destroys.
The consequences of our sin leads to death and separation. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. (John 10:10)

When you begin to see the consequences of your sin it affects you and others,
You start to feel kind of bad about your sin. You see sin for what it is: destructive. (Galatians 5)
Sure, there may be temporary pleasure or escape. But eventually the consequences of your sin and mine will always catch up to you. (Numbers 32:23)

You ought to feel a holy fear about your sin. It’s a serious offense to rebel and disobey the God of the Universe.

Since God is just, He must punish sin.

If God was completely FAIR, you would have to pay the penalty for your own sins. The only thing worthy would be Hell (and complete separation from God) forever and ever. God will not force you to love and obey Him. He gives you and I the choice to choose Him or reject Him.

That’s it.

But because God is just…
And because He’s NOT FAIR to you…
you don’t have to pay the penalty for your own sins… (John 3:16-17)
If you choose to put your faith in God’s perfect Son (Jesus).

God sent His Son, Jesus
the Lamb of God,
the perfect sinless One,
who was slain for the sins of the world
to shed His blood,
and HE became sin for us.

He was killed in order to completely atone for our sin payment.

I mean, God poured out His wrath upon Jesus (His Only Son)
and Jesus died (in order to take on the penalty for our sin) and He raised again.

Jesus conquered both sin and death.

Jesus completely paid the sin-price for you and me.
He took the punishment that you and I deserved to take.
He paid a debt that He did not owe (mine and yours) because I owed I debt I could not pay.

If you put your trust in Jesus
Scripture says you will be spiritually born anew
and all of your old sin will be forgiven,
and you’ll be changed,
and you will be filled with the Spirit of God,
and all of a sudden, you will be entirely different. Made new. FREE.

You will belong to Him.
You’ll be Heaven bound…
but you will also have His divine purpose on earth…

and I’ll just tell you up front…
It doesn’t mean you’re going to get more money.
Doesn’t mean you’ll be prettier, healthier,
and doesn’t mean you’re going to get a bigger house,
because that’s not what it means to follow Jesus. (Luke 14:26-28)

Trusting God means dying to your self. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

It means your life will count for the glory of God,
and it may get worse before it gets better,
but it doesn’t matter because you’re following Jesus.

For many of you it’s time to step across the line and say,
“Jesus, I believe You are the Son of God,
and I surrender my life to You.
Take me.
Forgive me of my sins.
I give it all to You.
Jesus, I give my life to You.”

One of the most beautiful things about God is that HE IS NOT FAIR.

Posted in Gospel, Radiant Life Fellowship

Permission To Speak Freely (part 3)

Jun08
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Chris Thompson


Ever been so mad at someone that (in your mind) you played it out like this. You’re in a crowd of people who know both you and the person who hurt you. You bump into that person and all of a sudden you are Mr or Mrs Public Speaker. You have the supernatural skills, White, confidence and charm and ability tell them off big time – while simultaneously coming across as the good guy/girl. You are able to articulate your pain in such a clear and compelling way that the person who hurt you not only feels your pain, but they break out into repentant tears and they sincerely apologize? Maybe I am the only one who fantasizes like this.

Awkward!

What if you could have a completely open and honest conversation (back and forth) with God? Would you do it? What would you say? ask?

What if God gave you complete freedom to speak openly with Him about anything and everything? Would you take Him up on this sort of invitation? Would you be able to articulate, To God, the questions, frustrations, pain, confusion you’ve had throughout your life?

If you were able to have such a conversation face to face, would it somehow strengthen your faith in God? Why? How?

What would you say and how would you say it? Just you…and God…speaking freely. How would you imagine that conversation taking place? What feelings would you experience? Do you imagine that it would clear things up for you?

Posted in Gospel, Radiant Life Fellowship

Permission To Speak Freely (part 2)

Jun07
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Chris Thompson


My kids tend to be pretty compliant. (Thank you, Jesus).
A few days, Jenny and I got to get away for a couple days to celebrate our 18th wedding anniversary. (Thank you, Jesus).

While we were out of town, celebrating, Jenny’s mom (affectionately known as Grandma) came to stay with our kids. Our kids have both daily and weekly chores that they are responsible for completing. We do not pay them to do the chores. Occasionally, we will celebrate something extra special that they do (they had a great attitude, shared something, went above and beyond, etc.) with something they get to choose from the family Treasure Box.

On one occasion Grandma asked our youngest child to pause the Wii playing and do his chore. 99% of the time (after some “but dad?” complaining) he will obey. In this moment, Jake’s answer shocked Grandma with his response. “NO!” is what he said emphatically. In fact, all our other kids stopped dead in their tracks. The house became like a ghost town. I think a tumble weed blew across the living room separating Grandma from Jake. A western-movie-like face-off was now in action. This was a totally unexpected response from our 6 year old.

I have to say, Grandma handled it beautifully and Jake obeyed and eventually apologized to all of us.

Have you ever been totally blown away by an UNEXPECTED RESPONSE from someone you thought you knew pretty well?

It’s no secret that I am a fan of the prophet and the Old Testament book of Habakkuk. We are in a series, at church, called Permission To Speak Freely that is taking us through the whole (3 CHAPTERS) book.

My last post described the tone of messy questions the prophet Habakkuk was bold enough to ask God. For some of you, it might seem a little awkward or strange honestly crying out to God with such brutal questions. Is it even legal? Yes.

So Habakkuk cries out to God with His questions about how it doesn’t all line up. He looks around him at how corrupt the people of God have gotten. He wants to know why God is not doing anything about it.

God speaks to the Prophet. I find this very comforting. God responds.
But God’s what God says in his response to Habakkuk’s questions is shocking.
5 The Lord replied,
“Look around at the nations;
look and be amazed!
For I am doing something in your own day,
something you wouldn’t believe
even if someone told you about it.
6 I am raising up the Babylonians,
a cruel and violent people.
They will march across the world
and conquer other lands.
7 They are notorious for their cruelty
and do whatever they like.
8 Their horses are swifter than cheetahs
and fiercer than wolves at dusk.
Their charioteers charge from far away.
Like eagles, they swoop down to devour their prey.
9 “On they come, all bent on violence.
Their hordes advance like a desert wind,
sweeping captives ahead of them like sand.
10 They scoff at kings and princes
and scorn all their fortresses.
They simply pile ramps of earth
against their walls and capture them!
11 They sweep past like the wind
and are gone.
But they are deeply guilty,
for their own strength is their god.”

God says to Habakkuk that He is going to punish the Judean people for their disobedience to Him. the method He chooses to punish them is the shocking part. He is going to raise up a far more evil people (the Babylonian people) to come and destroy the Judean’s (when compared to the Babylonians were not so bad).

This obviously did not seem fair to Habakkuk.

And Habakkuk goes “Huh? That doesn’t make sense.”

Habakkuk’s name means ‘to embrace’ or to ‘wrestle’ and that is what Habakkuk decides to do with God when he felt like God was not being fair.

Habakkuk struggled with God’s answer. It didn’t seem to be fair and he understood God to be fair.

Is that your understanding of God? That he is fair? What if I told you that according to the Bible, God is not fair. How would that change your image of God? I will explain in the next post and I think you will agree with me on this one.

Posted in Gospel, Radiant Life Fellowship

Permission To Speak Freely (part 1)

Jun06
2011 2 Comments Written by Chris Thompson


Let me just say it now, Habakkuk (a book of the Bible) has become my new favorite. Why? Well over the next several posts, I will attempt to win you over as a Habakkuk fan too.

Maybe you’ve noticed that there are so many questions that are so difficult to answer.
Think about it:
*Why do they say that an alarm clock is going off, when it is really coming on?
*Why do they say they you drive on a parkway, but you park on a driveway?
*I slept through the night, like a baby. (we all know that’s not right)
*If you throw a cat out of a moving car, is it called kitty litter? (I am not a cat fan)
I know those are not the most difficult questions to answer. In fact as I get to know more of you, I realize your life has not turned out like you thought it would. You have some very difficult questions about life. I believe you will definitely be able to identify with the Old Testament prophet: Habakkuk.

Here’s a sample of the driving question Habakkuk: “Why don’t you seem fair God?”

How long, O LORD, must I call for help?
But you do not listen!
“Violence is everywhere!” I cry,
but you do not come to save.
Must I forever see these evil deeds?
Why must I watch all this misery?
Wherever I look,
I see destruction and violence.
I am surrounded by people
who love to argue and fight.
The law has become paralyzed,
and there is no justice in the courts.
The wicked far outnumber the righteous,
so that justice has become perverted. (Habakkuk 1:2-4)

Habakkuk is one of the 12 MINOR prophets (That doesn’t mean he never played in the majors; like he never got the Nike contract or their own sports drink).

We know less about Habakkuk than any of the other minor prophets. We do know that he lived in Judah, during the divided Kingdom. We know he was most likely a Temple Musician. At some point he became a Priest and then a Prophet.

You might wonder “What is a Prophet?”
A Prophet (in the Bible) is someone who would typically speak on behalf of God.
God would say “Habakkuk, here’s what I want you to tell my people.”
And so Habakkuk would say “Thus says the Lord”
And he would speak, to them, whatever God told him.

Habakkuk was unique in that instead of God just telling him what to tell God’s people, Habakkuk went to God on behalf of God’s people. He asks God the tough questions that the people were already thinking.

Now the book was written in about the year 600 BC. It was a time period where Gods people were becoming very corrupt: Violence, People in power abusing their authority, Sexual misconduct, Corruption, People taking advantage of each other, Stealing, Crime, hatred… A lot like what we see around us today, right?

Basically Habakkuk has 3 major problems with God
1) GOD You don’t seem to care. You are letting all these things go on in the world that don’t seem fair, so therefore God, you must not even care.
2) You GOD aren’t doing much…when I know you could.
3) And GOD what you are doing doesn’t seem fair.

In other words, what Habakkuk is saying is — “GOD if I were in your shoes, I would do things totally different.”

Be honest. How many of you have ever thought something like that?
Is that even legal to ask those sort of questions to God?
Do you and I have Permission To Speak Freely To God?

Is God going to punish me for even feeling this way?
Is it even appropriate to say; “God, I don’t understand. You don’t seem to care. You could do something here to help and it seems like you are not. What you are doing seems totally unfair.”

It is ABSOLUTELY not only a good thing to question God, But there are times when questioning God, like this, could become a significant part of your faith journey.

Do me a favor. Would you mind sharing with me some of your very difficult (and messy) questions you have for God? I will go first in the comment section.

Posted in Gospel, Radiant Life Fellowship

I Deny the Resurrection

Apr26
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Chris Thompson

SO we CELEBRATED the Resurrection of Jesus last Sunday.
It was en epic day for Radiant Life.
I hope everyone noticed that the whole focus was Jesus from beginning to end.

The first video

That’s My King!

Josh & Brittany, Auturo Jr., Stacy & Chris Liles, Ally, Stephen & Marshall
pointed our attention and our voices to Jesus
Arturo and Elsa graciously invited us to the Lord’s Table
to remember the body and blood of Jesus
I did my best to highlight the strength, power and glory
of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus
Jesus
He is ALIVE and He lives in and leads those of us
who are His submitted followers.

So after Jesus was raised from the grave…

…the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?” He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him. As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!” (Acts 1:6-11)

The church was then formed…

All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42-27)

And after all that, Jesus tells John (and now us) who need to be reminded of His power and glory…

“Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave” — Jesus (Revelation 1:17-18)

Now What?

Check out this clip and determine if you might be someone
who actually DENIES THE RESURRECTION:

All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all. There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them 35 and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need. For instance, there was Joseph, the one the apostles nicknamed Barnabas (which means “Son of Encouragement”). He was from the tribe of Levi and came from the island of Cyprus. He sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles. (Acts 4:32-37)

What are your thoughts? I’d love to hear them.

Posted in Church, Gospel, Radiant Life Fellowship, VIDEO

A Really Good Cry

Apr05
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Chris Thompson

When was the last time you had a really good cry?
Maybe it was a movie?
Maybe it was while watching Secret Millionaire or Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
It could be while grieving the loss of a relationship?
Maybe someone close to you died?
You got your feelings hurt?
Someone disappointed you?
Maybe you have sadness about how things have turned out in your life?

Do you remember the last time you cried?

Confession: It doesn’t take much to get me to tear up.
Sometimes I can’t control the tears once they start flowing.
I feel so vulnerable when I cry.
But, as a guy, I try to hold the tears in because…well…you know…it’s not too cool for a guy to cry, right?

Today I asked a friend a simple question about how she was doing.
immediately, her face changed.
There was a long pause.
It was like she needed a moment to catch her breath…the tears were about to flow.
It wasn’t a good day for her.

Last weekend Jenny and I attended a memorial service for a family who lost their daughter/mom suddenly. The death of a family member or friend hurts.
Sadness just flows in moments like that.

And grief is a heavy burden to bear alone.

So where is God when we cry?
Is our God really near to us OR is He detached from our sorrows?

There’s an obscure passage in Scripture that I think you ought to consider.
(Psalm 56:8) You keep track of all my sorrows.
You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
You have recorded each one in your book.

 

There was this Middle Eastern custom of collecting tears in a bottle — the real tears that come from real sadness.
Those tears were reminders of moments of great SORROW.
LOSS.
ABANDONMENT.
LONELINESS.
pain.
DISAPPOINTMENT.
FEAR.

Can our God relate to your sorrows?
Absolutely. More than you can imagine.

Our God knows sorrow.
(Isaiah 53:3) He was despised and rejected—
a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
He was despised, and we did not care.

Our God knows YOUR sorrow.
And God says…
Because I know and experience sorrow…
When any of my children experience sorrow
hurt
difficulty
LOSS
sadness…

Whenever you cry over whatever it is that hurt you…

God essentially says
I can’t imagine allowing a single tear to fall from your eyes and just hit the dust of the earth.

NO!

I’m going to collect every tear you cry through your lifetime
and I’m going to put it in a bottle.

And when we are together in heaven someday,
I’m going to show you the bottle.

I’m going to look you in the eye and tell you
No one ever loved you like I loved you.
Here’s proof.
(Psalm 56:8) You keep track of all my sorrows.
You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
You have recorded each one in your book

Posted in Gospel

Everything I Need

Mar25
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Chris Thompson

“There is not a single moment in your life when you do not have everything that you need to be happy.” –Anthony De Mello THE WAY TO LOVE

Think about that for a moment. When you read that statement, what is your initial reaction? do you agree? Disagree?

This kind of question gets at the root of what makes us happy. It seems like most of us want to be happy in our lives, right? I hear people say all the time that they just want to be happy…

in their job,

in their church,

in their marriage,

in their own body,

So what makes you happy? What are you waiting on to make you happy? Have you ever wondered why you are not happy?

The reason why you are unhappy is because you are focusing on what you do not have rather than on what you have right now.

You are alive

You are able to breathe on your own…without having to be reminded or without having a machine to breathe for you.

You have most, if not all, of your senses

There’s someone in your life who genuinely loves you

The clothes you have on are not the clothes you wore yesterday (unless you are one of my kids who thinks that by wearing the same clothes day after day, they are somehow saving themselves the trouble of having to use their dresser) and they were clean when you put them on.

You have a voice

You slept in a bed last night and you know you have a bed to sleep in tonight

You ate lunch (and probably breakfast and will eat supper)

You have access to clean drinking water

You have a toilet…that works

If you are reading this, you have access to a computer and the internet

Your eyelids blink and create an opportunity for your tear ducts to produce just enough tears to form a thin film over your eyeballs. Every time you blink the film spreads over your eyes to keep them moist and free of dust and other irritants. Whether you are awake or asleep, happy or sad, this salty fluid is always flowing from the tear glands.

You can read

You either have an automobile or you have access to one and your ride most likely has its own room in your house, safe from all the elements outside.

I could go on and on…

Paul says it like this “11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:11-13)

Posted in Thankful, Virtues

The Only 2 Points

Mar18
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Chris Thompson

Brandon Knight picked an ideal time to convert his only shot of the game, sinking a layup with two seconds remaining to lift Kentucky to a 59-57 win over Princeton in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Every point counts.

Every contribution, no matter how small, matters.

It works in sports. It works in the church too.

I talk to people all the time who assume that they don’t have anything (money, time to serve, using their spiritual gifts) to contribute to the mission of the church. So they don’t.

The church needs EVERY person fully invested to accomplish the mission Jesus sent us on. 18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

Every person on the team is crucial. Every attempted shot matters. Who knows, your 2 point contribution (even if it’s all you have to give to the team) might be the very 2 points we need to win the game. 41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. 43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” (Mark 12:41-44)

Get in the game and start shooting.

Posted in Church, Gospel, Radiant Life Fellowship

Courage

Mar15
2011 1 How Written by Chris Thompson

in The Grove, this month, our kids are learning about Courage — which is being brave enough to do what you should do even when you’re afraid.

(Joshua 1:8-9) Study this Book of Instruction (God’s Word) continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.


What is a recent COURAGEOUS decision you made? Share it with us in the COMMENT section below and inspire us.

I will go first.

Posted in Church, Leadership, Radiant Life Fellowship, Virtues