Friends with God

The Bible tells us that in our natural state; our sinful state; our pre-Christian existence – that we are at odds with God; at enmity with God; truly “enemies of the state” in the most extreme sense of the phrase.

But Scripture also tells a different tale – of when we come into relationship with God the Father, through Jesus Christ the Son, we then “who were once far off” are brought near unto Him. We are made “heirs and joint heirs with Jesus”.

“So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God
because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God!”
– Romans 5:11 (NLT)

What does it mean to be a friend of God?

A popular song has been playing on the airwaves lately:

“I Am a Friend of God”
(Phillips, Craig & Dean)

“Who am I that You are mindful of me;
that you hear me when I call?
Is it true that You are thinking of me?
How You love me – it's amazing!
(Repeat)

~Chorus~
I am a friend of God
I am a friend of God!
I am a friend of God!
He calls me friend!

Who am I that You are mindful of me;
that you hear me when I call, yeah?
Is it true that You are thinking of me?
How You love me…
It's amazing, so amazing, it's amazing!

~Chorus~

God Almighty;
Lord of Glory;
You have called me friend!”

What does it take to have this kind of friendship with God? How do we get in on the club? Is it open to anyone who wants to say that they’re friends? Or is it something deeper? Scripture says that it’s an exclusive club; one that has a special place reserved for those who :

(Repeat 3X) “Friendship with God is reserved for those who reverence Him.”
– Psalm 25:14a (LB)

Do we know what it means to “reverence” God? And how are you friends with someone that you revere? I want to do something different with this e-zine. This week, I really want your feedback! What do you think it means to “reverence God”? Apparently this is a very important thing to understand, comprehend, and find the “right” answer to – after all, friendship with Him depends upon this. Please e-mail me back with your answers to this question, and I will publish them next week (anonymously, of course), and we will revisit this verse one more time.

Father God,
Show us what it means to reverence You so that we may be called “friends of God”!
In Jesus' Name,
AMEN!

“Ridiculous Odds!”

“Any one of you can defeat a thousand enemy soldiers,
because the LORD God fights for you, just as He promised.”
– Joshua 23:10 (CEV)

The movie “300” finally came out on television the other day. This was good news for me because I’m getting to be cheap in my “old age”. I’ve always been frugal, but it’s getting to the point that not only do I not go to movies anymore (not even the “reduced cost” late-running movies); but I now don’t even rent videos anymore – I just wait until they come out on television!

This distresses my children to no end. But I digress.

At any rate, it was a pretty good flick. I guess that the primary tale was somewhat based on “reality” (as much as mythic tales such as this can be, anyway), but I have to admit that there were parts that just got to be downright silly after awhile. The fight scenes were magnificent in their detail and multiple-angle, slow-motion shots caused Linda and I to say on more than one occasion – “Whoa!”

No, it wasn’t the fighting itself that was the problem – it was the sheer number of people that these 300 Spartans dispatched with little effort and with almost no casualties whatsoever on their side. Over and over we saw scenes in which a single Spartan warrior would simply mow down the Persian enemy in vast numbers in the space of mere seconds. At first, I was “into it”; suspending my disbelief for the first few seconds, and thinking it not only possible, but even likely. They were, after all, some of the best trained warriors in the world at that time. A few minutes later, my initial reaction faded and was instead replaced with a nagging doubt. It was somewhere around this time that Linda said something like – “You’d think they’d at least be getting tired by now with killing all these people...” A few minutes later, and for me, it had turned into a comic affair; I couldn’t stop shaking my head, smiling, and muttering “Oh, for heaven’s SAKE – this is ridiculous!” every now and then.

Reason dictates that there is only so far and so much that one person can do.

But our God operates outside, beyond, and around the parameters of human reason – He is a God that is not limited by what man dictates! God is capable of truly doing anything… do we really believe that? I mean truly, deep down within the recesses of our souls; in our heart of hearts – do we really believe that nothing is impossible for our great God?

I love Joshua. Joshua was a fighter through and through – a warrior brother in every sense of the word. Yet he was very “real” and down-to-earth at the same time. Over and over again, repeatedly our God has to tell this warrior “do not be afraid”, “do not be terrified”, “be of good courage”. And now we find him at the end of his life, giving his “farewell speech”, and it’s Joshua who is now in the position of the encourager. The words from our text are actually his words to the leaders that will follow him – “Any one of you can defeat a thousand enemy soldiers, because the LORD God fights for you, just as He promised.” – Joshua 23:10 (CEV). Why the change? Where did Joshua get this newfound courage? Why, because Joshua had been through the battles with God, and he found that He is a trustworthy God for Whom nothing is impossible!

When we partner together with God for His purposes in our lives and for the Kingdom, “any one of us”, from the least to the greatest (in human estimation) is capable of doing what is impossible in the “natural”. Why? Because “the LORD God fights for you, just as He promised.”

And the “1000 to 1” odds? Those – well, those are just “RIDICULOUS odds”, aren’t they? Yes, they are… but in our favor.

There are some things that we are embarking upon here at CHC that may seem at first to be “ridiculous” in nature. But folks, we serve a GREAT… BIG… GOD!!! And either He is “in charge” or he is not. I am coming to believe more and more as I walk the walk of faith, and have “tried and tested” God in real life scenarios! Let me now be the encourager – that if God is for us, who can be against us? That all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose! That nothing is impossible for our God! That God is calling us to “pray first, aim high, and stay focused”! Some things that are before us now:

Finding the right Associate Pastor of Youth for our needs at CHC now, and where we want to be in five years. We are beginning the process of determining the characteristics of who that will be. This is a monumental task – please be in prayer for us as we undertake this.

Having a goal of 500 in attendance for Easter Sunday weekend (two services – one on Saturday evening and one on Sunday morning), using the “5 X 5 Principal”. The last time we had 500 or more here at CHC was Easter, 2004. Since then, we have only averaged 394 in attendance on Easter for the past three years. Because of this, at first glance this might seem like a huge goal, but again – I believe with God’s help, this will be easily attainable!

Having goals set on Sunday, February 3rd to be achieved within a single quarter (by the first Sunday of May):

o To reach 20 previously unchurched for Jesus Christ (who will become regularly involved in weekly Praise and Worship Celebrations, a S.S. class and/or a weekly Small Group
o To baptize 10 people
o To increase overall Praise & Worship Celebration attendance by 10% (from 190 average to 200 average)
o To increase S.S. and Small Group average attendance by 15% (from 132 average to 152 average)
o To become current on all debts (currently we owe $27,169 more than what we have cash on hand to pay)
o To throw three fun church-wide “get togethers”
o To increase total number of those involved in ongoing ministry by 10%
o To take in 10 new members

These are actually overwhelming goals. Truthfully, by human estimation, they are “not reasonable”. Most pastors would be a little uneasy at setting this kind of goals for a year, much less for just a quarter. At the same time, do we really want to set goals that we could easily attain on our own? That leaves no room for God to show His mighty power! “Pray first, aim high, and stay focused”!

Father God,
Help us to see that when we partner together with You for Your purposes
that NOTHING is impossible,
and that the odds are ALWAYS in our favor!
In Jesus' Name,
AMEN!