"Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. "So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows." (Matthew 10:29-31)

Sometimes we read through passages like this a little too quickly. We know God loves us and cares for us ... or at least we think we do ... maybe we do ... or do we really? This is actually an incredibly faith building passage to meditate on. God sees the tiniest details of our lives. There is nothing that he misses. He's never caught by surprise. He sees even when a little bird falls to the ground.

Ephesians 3:20 says that God "is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us." That power is the Holy Spirit inside. God is never far. We may feel like He is sometimes, but He never is. Sometimes people say that God didn't move, I did. I get the thought that's being expressed in that sentiment, but that doesn't give a true picture. That saying still implies some distance. The reality is that it is more a spiritual blindness that sets in. He's right there, but we can't or won't see it. 

Praise the Lord though there's an easy fix for that! We're not trying to move or change God; we just need to makes some changes. That's a good place to be. We can't fix God (not that He's broken) but He can sure help us fix ourselves. How do we fix it? We simply begin to do the things we know to do. Time in the Word, time with Him, worship, and prayer will draw our hearts and open our eyes. Life is mostly not about knowing what to do, but doing what we know to do.

But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.(Romans 8:37-39)

Building Together

"For in fact the body is not one member but many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body," is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body," is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be?" (1st Corinthians 12:14-19)

In the third chapter of Nehemiah we find an account of the rebuilding of the city walls around Jerusalem. Jerusalem had been destroyed in 586 BC by the Babylonians and the people carried away to Babylon. In 445 BC Nehemiah led a third group of exiles back from the captivity to rebuild the city walls. The Temple had been rebuilt around 516 BC, but the walls and gates remained broken, which left Jerusalem vulnerable to attack. In a culture based upon honor, broken walls were also a blight on the city's reputation. Nehemiah was led by the Lord to see that the walls were restored.

Nehemiah completed the restoration of the walls in under two months. In Nehemiah, chapter three, he records the various people who worked the wall. It was true team effort. Instead of having a select group of wall-builders who did all the work, different groups of people worked on sections of the wall. Nehemiah chronicles the work counter-clockwise around the wall.

Eliashab, the High priest, and some fellow priests rebuilt the sheep gate.
Men of Jericho worked next to them to rebuild their section of the wall.
The sons of Hassenaah rebuilt the fish gate.
Further down, Jehoiada the son of Paseah, and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah, repaired the old gate.
Malchijah the son of Harim, and Hashub the son of Pahathmoab, repaired part of the wall and the tower of the furnaces.
Shallum and his daughters worked on a portion of the wall. His father, Halohesh, ruled half of Jerusalem. While some nobles refused to work, they pitched right in to help.
On the south side of the city we find Shallun, the son Colhehez, the ruler of Mizpah, repairing the fountain gate.
A group of priests lived near the horse gate and each repaired the section near his home.
A group of goldsmiths and merchants fixed the walls from the northwest corner to the sheep gate.

I haven't included everyone listed by Nehemiah but I'm sure you get the point. The wall was a collective effort. People from all walks of life worked on it -- men, women, priests, Levites, merchants and goldsmiths. Sons of rulers worked alongside regular folk.

It took everyone to get the job done. In First Corinthians, chapter 12, Paul compares the church to the human body. He makes the point that every part much do its part for the body to function correctly. Everyone doesn't have the same purpose. It's when everybody is fulfilling their individual part that the whole works the way God would have it to work. We all have something to give and a part to play in what God is doing. Don't sell yourself short. Don't look at your own limitations but at the greatness of God!

The Fellowship

"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace." (Philippians 1:3-7)

Fellowship is a funny word in the church. We have "Fellowship Halls" and "Fellowship Dinners" and "Fellowship Activities" but do we really have fellowship? I think some churches probably do a better job of achieving fellowship than others but it really is a part of the Christian life we all need. True fellowship is not going to church and shaking hands five minutes before and five minutes after. The Greek word that we translate fellowship is kononia. It is a powerful word. We get communion from this same word. It implies a joining together of our lives. One meaning of the word is actually intercourse.

In J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy the first book is called The Fellowship of the Ring. It's about nine characters who commit themselves to a quest to help Frodo destroy Sauron's ring. In doing so they endure hardship, loss, fear, hunger and separation. Their commitment to one another endures. Natural enemies become close friends and the companions of the Fellowship achieve things they had never dreamed they could do.

In church it is all too common for us to cluster among people who are like us. But a big part of the joy in the journey is to stretch and to love those who don't look like me or act like me --to find fellowship with someone that I have absolutely nothing in common with except a love for Jesus. Real love is proven when it is tested. Real love will make you stretch. Real love is sometimes messy and inconvenient.

We all have people we admire and want to be around. Typically we gravitate toward people who encourage us and make us feel better. That's okay. But in doing that never forget that maybe, just maybe, you can be that person for someone else. Take a chance. Stretch a little. Reach out to that person at church who always seems to be alone. God will use you in doing so. Be an encourager for someone else.

We need one another. I believe in healing. I believe that Jesus paid for our healing at the cross according to God's Word. I have seen lots and lots of people healed. And yet, when I get sick or have a physical problem I have rarely seen a dramatic healing in my own life from one on one times with the Lord or by standing on the Word. I have seen some -- once when I had kidney stones and another time when I had a stomach virus, come to mind. But those times have been the exception. The dramatic healings in my life have occurred when I went to the church and had people lay hands on me and pray. I think this kind of thing speaks to our need for one another.

True fellowship happens in the ongoing interaction and intersection of our lives. One of my wife Gloria's favorite sayings is that church should be a place where we can "share our deepest joys but also our greatest pain." This can only happen in an environment of intimacy and trust and through the process of relationship. This kind of fellowship encourages a natural real ministry to one another. Sometimes you're on the receiving end and sometimes you're on the giving end. One of the weaknesses of church celebrity is that we put people on pedestals that can remove them from the safety and protection of this kind of fellowship. We all need real friends and real relationships that are healthy. We all need people in our lives who want to see God's best for us.

The Hearing of Faith

"Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?" (Galatians 3:5)

Paul is asking a rhetorical question here. The obvious answer is by the the "hearing of faith." The hearing of faith is, in a nutshell, hearing what God has said and believing and applying it to our lives. Paul is addressing the trap that Christians easily succumb to as fallen human beings -- thinking that God's work in our lives is based on our goodness. In reality it is based on His goodness.

That's not to say that there is not a price for sin and disobedience. There is. Sin hurts us. One of the ways it hurts is that it gnaws at our conscience and gives the enemy a place to speak into our lives with thoughts like, "God doesn't listen to your prayers. Look how you sinned." It plays out in our lives by creating a paradigm for God's work in our lives that is based on our ability. We think that God helps us when we're good and abandons us when we're not so good. We've made ourselves the standard.

Paul nails that with this question. God supplies His Spirit and works in our lives by the "hearing of faith." He doesn't do this because we keep the rules and live a really good life. He doesn't do this because we are good but because He is good.

Growing Up

"But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever." (2nd Peter 3:18)

Just as we grow and change physically we ought to be growing and changing in our walk with the Lord. It is sad to see people who have sat in church for years and years who are still immature in Christ. A common saying is "people don't change." Well, thankfully, God is in the change and transformation business but it does require some response from us.

Too many people blame God for their issues. I once had a guy complain to me about his struggles with lust. He said he had prayed about it and couldn't understand why God had not taken it away from him. Like a lot of folks he was blaming God for his sin but Jesus already paid for it! I talked to him about renewing his mind and bringing every thought to the captivity of Christ (2nd Co. 10:5). The problem we have is that that path requires a little work and discipline on our part. I'd rather just pray a quick prayer and have the Lord remove the feeling.

Growing in the Lord requires some pressing in. We need to spend some time in the Word and in fellowship with the Lord -- hopefully each day. We need to be doers of the Word and not hearers only. We need to make good decisions about what we watch and listen to. Growth requires something of us. It doesn't just happen magically. The Lord is there for us and walks with us through the process. It takes time but it will happen.

"Brethren, do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature." (1st Co. 14:20)

A Whole Hearted Walk

"I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And I will glorify Your name forevermore." (Psalm 86:12)

I love the phrasing here -- "I will praise You... with all my heart." It is so easy to approach life and even our walk with the Lord in a half hearted manner. We're told in Colossians 3:23, "And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men." Life is full of distractions that draw our hearts away from what is good. This relationship we have with the Lord is a 24 hour a day, seven day a week relationship. He is always with us. The problem is that we often approach the relationship in a half hearted manner.

We do that, for the most part, because we are distracted by life. Life is busy and stressful. That's why we need some alone time with Him even more. Yes, He is with you wherever you go but there need to be some times when you give Him your full attention. Not for His sake, but for yours.

Doing this really requires you to be intentional. It won't happen by accident or happenstance. Like any other worthy goal in life such as losing weight or trying to exercise it requires some discipline and pressing in. If you don't make it priority it won't be. It's also not about some legalistic quiet time that God requires of you. Please don't approach your fellowship with God as some kind of painful obligation. Walking with Him is the most wonderful thing there is!

"He has shown you, O man, what [is] good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8)

Full of Compassion

"But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth." (Psalm 86:15)

There was a song back in the Nineties called "God is Good." It was pretty popular and had a really good message. Sometimes in our human efforts to "figure out" God we come to faulty conclusions. We have trouble reconciling the God of the Old Testament with the God of the New. But that is usually because we have a superficial view of God and when we read the Word we go looking for Him with major preconceptions and misconceptions. One of these days I'll delve further into that when I have a little more time.

The truth is that God frequently gets a bad rap. We blame Him for our sin, our mistakes, our hurts, our pain, our disappointment or anywhere we've felt let down. We blame God for all the circumstances of life that mostly we cause ourselves. Not all. Sometimes life will deal you a bad hand. We live in a fallen world. Humanity is broken and creation is sundered. Humanity, outside of Jesus, is in a state of rebellion God. God is not the problem. We are.

But there is good news. When we look past our preconceived notions about God and we look a little deeper at the Word one of the common themes that comes out again and again is the Goodness of God. He is merciful and compassionate. Psalm 34:19 tell us that "Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD deliverers him out of them all." God is not our problem. He is the solution for it. He is our rescuer. The history of God dealings with humanity is a story of God's drawing us to Him. He loves us with such a wonderful love. Jesus laid down His life for that love.

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." (1st John 4:7-8)

Receive the Word

"But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept [it], and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred." (Mark 4:20)

In Mark 4 Jesus told a story about a farmer who went out and sowed seed. Some of the seed was eaten by birds, some fell on hard ground and some was choked out by thorns. But some of the seed fell on good ground and produced a good crop for the farmer. When Jesus explained the story to his disciples he told them that the seed was the Word of God and that the good ground was those people who hear the word, accept it and bear good fruit. The difference in how God's work plays out in our lives often hinges on whether we receive what He has said. Too often we are interested in making the Bible say what we want it to say. We try to bend the scripture to our theology instead of submitting our theology to the scripture.

Sometimes the Word of God does test us. It may say things we don't understand or have trouble accepting. We tend to judge the Bible by our experience instead of judging our experience by the scripture. When you run across scripture that challenges you how do you handle it? Maybe it's something about belief? Or faith? Do you let the Word challenge your heart or do you try to explain it away. For example, the Bible is clear that if we will listen God will talk to us. Does that challenge you to want to learn to hear His voice or do you just fall back on your theology that says God doesn't do that anymore? Your answer to that question has very real ramifications for your life and walk with God.

Don't fight against the Word of God. Take Him at His Word and begin to submit your life to it. You will be glad you did.

"But without faith it is impossible to please [Him], for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6)

Tested Love, Proven Love

"But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just." (Luke 14:13-14)

The poor, the maimed, the lame and the blind? Wow! What a powerful point Jesus is making here! One that really tests our hearts too. Give to people who can't give back. Help people who really can't repay. I think, as Christians, we kind of get that in some ways but miss it in others. I think the real challenge comes when we have to deal with people on a personal level. Donating money to an orphanage or a project overseas is wonderful but we're often disconnected from the reality of people's actual lives.

Sometimes the poor, the maimed, the lame and the blind don't come with physical wounds that you can see. Sometimes they come with wounds of the soul that make them tough to deal with. We've all known people like that. We may have seen them at church. We avoid them. We rationalize with excuses like , "I just don't have anything in common with someone like that." We're polite but we keep them at a distance.

I think one of the wonders of this thing we call church is when we really do become a body and people begin to find a place in it. They find a home -- they find a family. It is not always easy. There are inherent challenges in relationships under the best of circumstances. We tend to gravitate to people who are like us. Church provides an opportunity for us to grow (when we allow it) by putting us in a position to love people who are not like us at all.

Love is only proven where it is tested. It's easy for me to say I love you when I never have to deal with you. "Church" ought to shake that tree a little bit. Knock off some of the selfishness and the unrealistic expectations of others. We often want a lot more grace than we are willing to give out. I think one of the most wonderful things about the body of Christ is when the walls are torn down and true relationships form between people of widely divergent backgrounds and experiences. For that to happen though I have to be willing to step out. To give. To help those who don't look like me or act like me.

"But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them." (Luke 6:32)

Come Together Right Now Over Me

"I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go into the house of the LORD." (Psalm 122:1)

Church ought to be something we look forward to -- not a religious rite we have to fulfill. The author of Hebrews (10:25) exhorts believers to not forsake assembling together. It is such a joy to come together with the body of Christ to worship and share the word and minister to one another. It is such a precious privilege that we can freely exercise in this country. So many believers around the world must meet in secret.

The Beatles had a hit called "Come together". One key line in that song is "Come together right now over me." That's what God calls us to in assembling together. Come together over Him. We come together to worship Him and to encourage one another. Everything we do and say should be to His glory.

This ought to be a place where we can lay down our agendas. Sadly, in dealing with fallen humanity it is often not but we just have to play through it. There are no perfect churches -- only assemblies of imperfect people who are seeking after God to varying degrees.

The assembly ought to be a place where we can freely give and share our lives with one other. The strong can help the weak. The healed can help the sick. The uplifted can help the discouraged. The prosperous can help the poverty stricken. Those who are full of the Word can help those who need understanding and wisdom.

What a marvelous opportunity!

See you there.

Interesting Article from CNN

The original link is http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/personal/02/20/faith.finances.courses/index.html

HEADING TO CHURCH FOR MONEY ADVICE


By Lisa Respers France
CNN

(CNN) -- Jennifer Pedley had very little interest when her husband, Ken, suggested three years ago that they enroll in the Financial Peace University program their church in Brighton, Michigan, was offering.
Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, is seeing an increased need for financial programs.

Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, is seeing an increased need for financial programs.

The couple signed up to learn how to reduce their debt and get on a budget. Partway through the course, a light came on for her, Pedley said.

"I started to see the changes it was making not only in our money but in our relationship," she recalled.

"It was unbelievable, but 80 percent of personal finance is personal. There is so much related to communicating about money and communicating about life."

Now Pedley is facilitating the course at 2/42 Community Church, where many in the area depend on the auto industry for their livelihood and are struggling with a deepening recession.

Throughout the country, places of worship are not just offering prayers for the improvement of their members' finances. They are offering help in the form of classes, seminars and workshops. Tell us how you're surviving tough economy

Programs that teach debt elimination, financial literacy and money management are gaining popularity among the faithful who are seeking some stability in the midst of uncertain times.

Lynnette Khalfani-Cox is a personal finance expert and author who has launched the Zero Debt Tour, a financial literacy initiative designed to teach people how to better budget, manage credit and debt wisely, and save money.
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Khalfani-Cox, who provides the program free for churches, said she is hearing from places of worship, both big and small, nationwide who want to offer resources to their members.

"In faith-based communities, if you ask pastors across the country, many will tell you that attendance is up; however donations are down," said Khalfani-Cox, who is known as the Money Coach. "People are turning to the church for help, whether it's help making their mortgage payment, putting in a prayer request, assistance in finding a job or just getting practical, day-to-day strategies for managing debt."

Jeff Foy, manager of training and evaluation for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Employment Resource Services, said traffic has increased to the church's Providentliving Web site, which offers resources on family finances and employment assistance.

It's very difficult to reach someone spiritually if they are struggling temporally, Foy said, and some have had to sacrifice time with family and church to pay the bills.

"We see a lot of our members perhaps that wouldn't ordinarily be working on a Sunday that are working on a Sunday instead of attending some of their meetings," he said.

The Rev. Steve O'Dell of 2/42 Community Church said he believes that people have a desire to give more of their time and money but just don't have the means.

That's why programs that help get them on track financially are beneficial, he said.

"A lot of people are imprisoned by debt," said O'Dell, whose church has expanded the number of Financial Peace University sessions to meet the growing need.

"If people are in place where they are not going further and further into debt and all of their money isn't going into paying off debt, then financially they are freed up to give to things they would like to give to," he added. "Whether that's the church or charitable organizations or places that reach out to people in times of need."

Joel Schwartz is director of the Moving from Debt to Assets program, which was founded in 2005 by the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization. It offers sessions on finances, a peer support group and private sessions with a financial counselor.

Schwartz said that since its inception, Moving from Debt to Assets has graduated more than 400 participants and now has half of its groups run in languages other than English.

What makes his program and others like it so effective is that they are offered through organizations that have a relationship with those participating, Schwartz said.

"It's embedded in institutions that are part of the fabric of people's lives," he said. "This creates a lot of opportunity for reinforcement. People who see each other every Sunday can say, 'How are you doing paying down those credit card debts? I know you are working hard on that.' "

Programs like Financial Peace University and Crown Financial Ministries, which have components that speak directly to biblical principles about money, have been seen as integral to the ministry.

At Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, a stewardship workshop series based on Crown Financial Ministries "Road to Financial Freedom offers topics like "Who's in Control?" which covers God's responsibilities versus those of the believer, and "A Slave to the Lender," about living debt-free.

Kevin Stacia teaches stewardship at Ebenezer and said that with everyone from the wealthy to the disadvantaged being affected by the economy, it makes sense for churches to offer such programs.

"We always want members of the church and our community to be grounded in how God wants us to manage the things he has entrusted us with," Stacia said. "We want to give people an avenue to get knowledge and understanding."

Cheryl Spiva has attended the series and said education is the key.

Spiva retired at 45 from her position as senior vice president of sales for the southeast division of the investment group Charles Schwab and said financial education programs can be empowering.

"Often, people don't really know what to do with their money," she said. "If you give them tools, they become more confident and they make better choices."

Jennifer Pedley said she and her husband have benefited from learning how to manage their money more effectively.

They have paid off a car and their credit cards and are well on their way to being debt-free.

Pedley said they are also much better off in the current economy than had they not taken the course.

'When we took [the course], people had questions like, 'How do I budget vacations and going out to dinner?' " she said. "Now it's, 'How can I pay my mortgage and save my house?' "

And despite her initial resistance, Pedley said, she views it as a learning and growing experience.

"I never realized how practical the Bible is about money," she said. "It just makes so much sense."

Koinonia

"And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers."
Acts 2:42

Acts 2:42 gives us an interesting glimpse into early church life. Here we find four things emphasized.

They continued steadfastly in:

The apostles' doctrine (teaching, receiving and doing)
Fellowship
Breaking of bread (eating together)
Prayers

What we really have here is a picture of community at work. People who were together a lot! Acts 2:46 indicates they were together daily. It is easy to compartmentalize our lives: church, work, home life, friends, etc and all too often that's where things stay and we miss much that God has for us.

One of the greatest joys of the Christian life for me is relationships. We eat together a lot at our church. Some of the eating is done at church while some is done in other places. This last Thursday we were part of group that got together at Cracker Barrel. Those times are precious. It is in those times that we really get to know one another. It is our involvement in each others lives that really begins to bring meaning and purpose to what we do at church.

We've never been called to walk this journey alone. God calls us sheep. Part of the reason for that is that we have a need for community. We have a need for other people. We need one another in the body of Christ.

In Philippians 1:3-5 Paul wrote, "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now." Fellowship is the Greek word koinonia and it means so much more than just getting together for the occasional church supper. It's the same word we get communion from. It is a word that really points to the enmeshment of our lives together in the body of Christ. Paul had a special bond with the church at Philippi.

And maybe that's the point. We need people in our lives who we can share our hurts and struggles, as well as our joys and victories, with. We need friends who will laugh with us and cry with us and give us real help when we need it.

Ultimately, so much of life comes down to relationships. Relationships seed the opportunity to bless when we have the ability to do so and receive when we need help.

God loves you so much! Ask the Lord to get you hooked into folks who live the love of God!