Community Compass

and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory (NASB)
1 Peter 1:8

Peter was writing to Christians that “were scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia”  (1 Peter 1:1).  They were facing opposition to their faith. After assuring them of their privileged position in Christ, he also assured them of the hope of their salvation and their eternal home in heaven.  Such a reassurance would greatly encourage them. Their steadfast faith would proven to be genuine because of their faithfulness to Christ (1 Peter 1:1-7).

How could they be so steadfast in their faith? How can we be steadfast in ours during our trials?  It was/is Love for Christ.  If you are a true believer in Christ, think of what God has done to allow you love His Son.  Before we believed, “we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived,serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another” (Titus 3:3 -NKJV).  Yet God demonstrated his love to us first, in that “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”  It was God that initiated His love in your heart so that you could love Him in return!

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John 4:9-11

1 Corinthians 13:7  states that love bears all things and endures all things.  Christ endured the sinful behavior of mankind and He bore the Cross for us.  He has placed that same kind of love in the true believer.  So next time you are tempted to complain, or perhaps someone is giving you a hard time because you are a believer, let love for Christ carry you through.

Don’t grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! James 5:9 (NIV)

Life in the first century was full of inequities and injustice. Often the rich would take advantage of the poor. James condemns employers wouldn’t fully pay what they owed to their laborers. They took advantage in the court system to rob the poor and condemn the innocent (James 5:4-6). Then he consoles the poor by telling them that they should be patient for the coming of the Lord. Truly, their hope was in eternal things, not just temporal.

James then addresses the natural reaction that people have when facing hardship — turning on each other. This happens when we become critical of others when we do not have the facts or we manufacture our own self-made grievances. Then, often the target of our anger can be innocent parties. How is it that we can easily find fault and grumble against each other when we’re going through difficulty? It is senseless to do so. We need all of the mutual support we can muster.

How does grumbling happen? It happens when we judge one another. This may be one of the most, if not the most common sins that Christians commit – judging each other. Then the criticism and grumbling come out of a judging heart.

In other Scriptures we are told not to judge others (Romans 14:4; James 4:11-12). Our text states that if we are wrongly judging, then we will be judged. Jesus sternly warns against making wrong judgments and promises judgment on those who do (Matthew 7:1-5). In our text here, James declares that God, the Judge, is at the door. He is ready. He sees. He will act accordingly.

Grumbling is a sign of being judgmental. If you’re a grumbler. Do a heart-check. Maybe you should stop thinking ill of others. If you do, the grumbling will stop.

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. 17 Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins. James 4:13-17

I always enjoy a nice cup of coffee or tea. This morning, after reading my passage, I looked at my cup of decaf and noted the steam rising. How quickly it evaporated! Today it is clear, but sometimes here in Michigan, we have those foggy days, but then the fog lifts and the day is once again clear. Steam, fog, mist, whatever you call it is a great picture of the length of our lives when compared to eternity. We appear as mist, then we evaporate out into eternity.

Here the Apostle James is trying to get the attention of people who are assuming that they will always have the time to do the things they want to do. People who look at life this way often have wrong priorities. They take for granted the time that God has given to them on this earth and forget God. James wasn’t condemning them for trying to make a profit. His rebuke stems from the attitude that says “I will do that… I won’t do that” without ever taking into account the leading and the will of the Lord (verse 15). This reminds me of the following parable that Jesus told:

And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ‘
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
21 “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:16-21

Note the conclusion. God calls him a fool and ends his life. It’s foolish to rule out the thought of God out of our lives. He is the whole reason we exist and live (Acts 17:28).

Look at your day planner. Does it reflect anytime for or thought of God? Do you make time in the day to read His Word and pray? Do you make time to attend worship services? Do you make the time to serve others? Do you sincerely pray at the beginning of the day what God would have you to do for that day? Do you ask for His Guidance? Life’s too short to do otherwise.

My parents are both busy professional people and have trouble finding time for chores and home maintenance. On weekends they each make a list of things to be done. Father’s list is never completely crossed off, but Mother’s always is. Puzzled, I asked her how she managed that.

“Simple,” she answered with a satisfied grin. “I do the chore first, and then I put it on the list and cross it off!”

*Thanks to Pastor Tim for this joke!*
http://www.cybersalt.org/cleanlaugh

Exerpt From the Book “George Muller of Bristol” by A.T. Pierson

CHAPTER 12

New Lessons In God’s School Of Prayer

There are, however, (for prayer*) conditions necessary on man’s part: the suppliant soul must come to God in in the right spirit and attitude. For the sake of such readers as might need further guidance as to the proper and acceptable manner of approach to God, he (Muller*) was wont to make (was accustomed to make it*) very plain the scripture teaching upon this point.

Five grand conditions of prevailing prayer were ever before his mind:

1. Entire dependence upon the merits and mediation of the Lord Jesus Christ, as the only ground of any claim for blessing. (See John 14:13-14 ; 15:16.)

2. Separation from all known sin. If we regard iniquity in our hearts, the Lord will not hear us, for it would be sanctioning sin. (Psalm 66:18.)

3. Faith in God’s word of promise as confirmed by His oath. Not to believe Him is to make Him both a liar and a perjurer. (Hebrews 11:6; 6:13-20.)

4. Asking in accordance with His will. Our motives must be godly: we must not seek any gift of God to consume it upon our own lusts. (1 John 5:13; James 4:3.)

5. Importunity in supplication. There must be waiting on God and waiting for God, as the husbandman has long patience to wait for the harvest. (James 5:7; Luke 18: 1-10.)

The importance of firmly fixing in mind principles such as these cannot be overstated.

The first lays the basis of all prayer, in our oneness with the great High Priest.

The second states a condition of prayer, found in abandonment of sin.

The third reminds us of the need honouring God by faith that He is, and is the Rewarder of the diligent seeker.

The fourth reveals the sympathy with God that helps us to ask what is for our good and His glory.

The last teaches us that, having laid hold of God in prayer, we are to keep hold until His arm is outstretched in blessing.

Where these conditions do not exist, for God to answer prayer would be both a dishonour to Himself and a damage to the suppliant. To encourage those who come to Him in their own name, or in a self-righteous, self-seeking, and disobedient spirit, would be to set a premium upon continuance in sin. To answer the requests of the unbelieving would be to disregard the double insult put upon a word of promise and His oath of confirmation, by consistent doubt of His truthfulness and distrust of His thoughtfulness. Indeed not one condition of prevailing prayer exists which is not such in the very nature of things. These are not arbitrary limitations affixed to prayer by a despotic will; they are necessary alike to God’s character and man’s good.

* my addition

12. Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
19 My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.  James 1:12-21

1.  Distinguish trials from sinful temptations  (12-13).  Though God allows trials to come to us in order to grow us, he never, ever solicits us to do evil.  He is not evil He cannot be tempted with evil, so he will never use evil against His children.

2. Realize that God is the one who gives everything good (17). So often we trust in the wrong things to meet our needs. Instead of trusting the Lord and spending time in prayer, we devise our own ways of meeting those needs.  Abraham was a good illustration of this.  Instead of believing that God would bring about the promised son by Sarah, he “married” Sarah’s slave and had a child by her.  This proved to be a wrong move and there have been disastrous consequences as a result of his wrong decision. (Read Genesis 16).  Later, through the difficulties, Abraham learned to trust. He was a man of faith.

 3.  Realize that, if you have trusted Christ as your personal Savior,  you are His very own (18).   It was His initiative that brought you to Himself.  You matter greatly to Him.

 4. Don’t complain or get angry when things don’t seem to go your way (19-21).  Listen more, talk less,  don’t be so quick to be angry.     There is much to be learned through trials.  When we put our trust in HIM,  and when we realize that HE is in control of all things,  that HE LOVES US,  we will profit from the lessons our heavenly Father wants us to learn.

Just for your information.  Not an endorsement of this website because I am not fully knowledgeable of them.  Here is the link to an article on the list of shame of countries that persecute others based on their beliefs.

Dear Pastor,
I know God loves everybody but He never met my sister. Yours sincerely, Arnold. Age 8, Nashville.

Dear Pastor,
Please say in your sermon that Peter Peterson has been a good boy all week. I am Peter Peterson. Sincerely, Pete. Age 9, Phoenix

Dear Pastor,
My father should be a minister. Every day he gives us a sermon about something. Robert, Page 11, Anderson

Dear Pastor,
I’m sorry I can’t leave more money in the plate, but my father didn’t give me a raise in my allowance. Could you have a sermon about a raise in my allowance? Love, Patty. Age 10, New Haven

Dear Pastor,
My mother is very religious. She goes to play bingo at church every week even if she has a cold. Yours truly, Annette. Age 9, Albany

Dear Pastor,
I would like to go to heaven someday because I know my brother won’t be there. Stephen. Age 8, Chicago

Dear Pastor,
I think a lot more people would come to your church if you moved it to Disneyland. Loreen. Age 9. Tacoma

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.  James 1:12-18

In this passage we have an analogy of sin.  James follows the life-cycle of sin.  It is conceived with a wrong desire and ends up to be a full-grown monster that kills.

It is a terrible thing to be caught up in the cycle of sin.  It all starts off with one self-centered desire (conception).   It is placed in  embryonic form in your mind.  Then it grows.  When you nurture any wrong desire, you are most vulnerable to temptation.  Isn’t it amazing how we can, in our own mind,  justify the wrong things that we want to do or to have? We think that we will be happy with these things that God doesn’t want us to have or do.  Sometimes we even blame God for the temptations we face (see verse 12).  But God makes it perfectly clear that he doesn’t wave bad stuff in front of you in order to make you sin.  Sometimes when we want to sin  we say, “I just can’t help it. That’s the way I am.” Indirectly, we blame God for “making us that way.”  But God says that it clearly is our fault when we sin (see verse 13)

The sin Cycle  is quite predictable.  First, you start out with a illicit desire to sin.   If you don’t stop in right there in your brain then desire grows. Consequently,  you move on to the next step which is the birth phase.   You give birth to sin.

How does temptation lead to giving birth to sin? It’s just like a fish is drawn out from under a sunken log.  He sees the shiny lure and he is attracted.   Since he’s hungry,  he’ll leave his state of repose to chase the shiny morsel.   Once he chomps on it, he is caught and dragged away.   We are not much different.  We are lured away from the provision and protection that God gives us, thinking that life would be much better if we do what we want.  Yet the Bible says that our wrong desires are deceitful and corrupt (See Ephesians 4:22)  They lead us to give birth to sin.

The sin-cycle  may take a long time.  The sad part is that you could go on sinning and think that you are getting away with something (see Ecclesiastes 8:11). That is not true. When sin is full-grown it brings forth death.  Mark it down, it always will.  Sin has brought about death to relationships in families, friendships, churches and much more.   The punishment for sin is death (Romans 6:23) and the lake of fire is the second death for those who haven’t accepted Christ as their savior(Revelation 20:14-15).

Don’t take sin lightly. Deal with it. If you have never trusted Christ as your savior, do so today.  Trust Him and Him alone to forgive you of all your sin and to make you new. Ask Him to be your savior. If you are a Christian, confess your sinfulness to your heavenly Father and start walking with Him (1 John 1:9)

You don’t want a monster on your hands.

“February 1. 2008

Pastor Sajid William was shot and killed by unidentified, masked gunmen on January 17. William, age 29, was on his way home in the city of Peshawar, in Pakistan’s violent Northwest Frontier Province.

VOM contacts report that Pastor Sajid was employed by a humanitarian relief agency and also involved in evangelistic work.

Unknown assailants were standing near a bend in the road along William’s route on January 17. Because of the sharp corner, the pastor had to reduce the speed of the car. When the car came close to the attackers, they ordered William to stop the car. When he saw the attackers’ weapons though, William tried to speed past them. The attackers open fired. Three shots were fired. Two bullets missed, but the third hit the pastor’s back and passed through his chest. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

“The world watched following the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in December. We hope the world will also remember the death of this pastor, killed simply for being a passionate follower of Jesus Christ,” said Todd Nettleton of The Voice of the Martyrs. “We pray for comfort for his wife and young daughter, and we pray that bold witnesses for Christ will be raised up in Peshawar and throughout Pakistan.”

Pastor Sajid had worked with the Assembly of God Church in Peshawar for the past 10 years. He is survived by his wife and an 18-month-old daughter. Pray for his grieving family and church. Ask God to comfort and encourage believers in Peshawar and for opportunities for them to witness to those around them.”

- Copied from the Voice of the Martyrs