CCCV Men's Ministry

Christ's Patient Example

2010-01-22T10:57:00.001-08:00

“Walk . . . with patience.” - Ephesians 4:1-2

Jesus is our greatest example of patience in all that He endured to purchase our redemption.   Paul tells us here that the worthy walk is one of patience, and once again we see that Jesus modeled it for us. Throughout the Gospels, He repeatedly demonstrated the three aspects of patience we explored in the last lesson. First, He endured negative circumstances. Before He came into the world, He was with the Father in the glory of Heaven, where the angels praised and worshiped Him continually. He left a place of total perfection and love and went to a place where He was mocked, hated, rejected, blasphemed, and crucified. He “endured the cross” (Heb. 12:2) even though He had the power to escape it.

Jesus also coped with difficult people. The night before His crucifixion, after three years of teaching about love and servanthood, His disciples were arguing about which of them was the greatest (Luke 22:24). Jesus didn’t give up on them, however. More than that, He prayed for those who spit on Him and mocked Him at the cross: “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” (23:34). He wanted His murderers to be forgiven so they could be with Him in Heaven forever.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, just hours before He was nailed to the cross, Jesus showed His willingness to accept the Father’s plan. He prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as Thou wilt” (Matt. 26:39). He was able to endure unimaginable suffering because He knew it was God’s will.

We should be very thankful for Christ’s “perfect patience” (1 Tim. 1:16), because our sin has offended Him time and time again. He could have sent us to Hell the first moment we sinned, but His Spirit patiently drew us to repentance. Because of His patience, we must commit ourselves to follow His perfect example.

(John MacArthur)

Rest on the Word of God

2009-12-23T12:02:00.000-08:00

"I trust in thy word" (Ps. 119:42).

Just in proportion in which we believe that God will do just what He has said, is our faith strong or weak. Faith has nothing to do with feelings, or with impressions, with improbabilities, or with outward appearances. If we desire to couple them with faith, then we are no longer resting on the Word of God because faith needs nothing of the kind. Faith rests on the naked Word of God. When we take Him at His Word, the heart is at peace.

God delights to exercise faith, first for blessing in our own souls, then for blessing in the Church at large, and also for those without. But this exercise we shrink from instead of welcoming. When trials come, we should say: "My Heavenly Father puts this cup of trial into my hands, that I may have something sweet afterwards."

Trials are the food of faith. Oh, let us leave ourselves in the hands of our Heavenly Father! It is the joy of His heart to do good to all His children.

But trials and difficulties are not the only means by which faith is exercised and thereby increased. There is the reading of the Scriptures, that we may by them acquaint ourselves with God as He has revealed Himself in His Word.

Are you able to say, from the acquaintance you have made with God, that He is a lovely Being? If not, let me affectionately entreat you to ask God to bring you to this, that you may admire His gentleness and kindness, that you may be able to say how good He is, and what a delight it is to the heart of God to do good to His children.

Now the nearer we come to this in our inmost souls, the more ready we are to leave ourselves in His hands, satisfied with all His dealings with us. And when trial comes, we shall say:

"I will wait and see what good God will do to me by it, assured He will do it." Thus we shall bear an honorable testimony before the world, and thus we shall strengthen the hands of others.

(George Mueller)

What do we do with…worries?

2009-12-17T14:13:00.000-08:00

He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Romans 8;32

What do we do with…worries? Take your anxieties to the cross—literally. Next time you’re worried about your health or house or finances or flights, take a mental trip up the hill. Spend a few moments looking again at the pieces of passion.

Run your thumb over the tip of the spear. Balance a spike in the palm of your hand. Read the wooden sign written in your own language. And as you do, touch the velvet dirt, moist with the blood of God.

Blood he bled for you.

The spear he took for you.

The nails he felt for you.

The sign he left for you.

He did all this for you. Knowing this, knowing all he did for you there, don’t you think he’ll look out for you here?

(Max Lucado)

I can eat dirt if I want to!

2009-11-30T11:56:00.000-08:00

"When my daughter was a toddler, I used to take her to a park not far from our apartment. One day as she was playing in a sandbox, an ice-cream salesman approached us. I purchased her a treat, and when I turned to give it to her, I saw her mouth was full of sand. Where I had intended to put a delicacy, she had put dirt.

Did I love her with dirt in her mouth? Absolutely. Was she any less of my daughter with dirt in her mouth? Of course not. Was I going to allow her to keep the dirt in her mouth? No way. I loved her right where she was, but I refused to leave her there. I carried her over to the water fountain and washed out her mouth. Why? Because I love her.

God does the same for us. He holds us over the fountain. "Spit out the dirt, honey," our Father urges. "I've got something better for you." And so he cleanses us of filth; immorality, dishonesty, prejudice, bitterness, greed. We don't enjoy the cleansing; sometimes we even opt for the dirt over the ice cream. "I can eat dirt if I want to!" we pout and proclaim. Which is true—we can. But if we do, the loss is ours. God has a better offer."

(Max Lucado - Just Like Jesus)

Reprogramming Our Thinking

2009-11-19T14:09:00.000-08:00

"But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness." Ephesians 4:20-24

We are the product of our thinking, so it is important that we choose carefully where to focus our mental energy. We can cling to our old flesh patterns and consequently find ourselves tripping over impulses and attitudes like bitterness, pride, and discontent. The wise alternative is to reprogram our thinking to match that of Jesus Christ.

Our current thought processes—such as the way we view ourselves and others, and how we approach problems—have been programmed by authority figures, church, friends, and even enemies. We can select some of our mind’s influences (e.g., the media) but not all (e.g., our parents). Yet we can choose what input will shape our mind by believing and dwelling on that material.

Reprogramming the mind is a matter of choosing to believe and meditate upon God’s truth. When you receive Jesus Christ as Savior, your mind is renewed with a capacity for godly thought. It might not seem different at first. But the longer you live the Christian life and apply biblical principles, the more you’ll find old habits and modes of thinking will be choked out. However, anytime you yield to temptation, you allow old thought patterns an opportunity to rise up and dominate first your mind, and then your mouth and hands.

The way to strangle fleshly thoughts and attitudes is to pour Scripture into the mind regularly and frequently (Psalms 119:11). When we allow our thinking to be directed by the thoughts of God—which is what the Bible is made of—we will think, speak, and act according to His will.

(Charles Stanley)

Sin Addiction and Its Cure

2009-11-12T14:03:00.000-08:00

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:1–2.

We must be careful, however, that we do not . . . Create the impression that sin is an accident, a disease, a poison unintentionally imbibed. If sin is a disease it is like alcoholism, one that is chosen, bought and voluntarily swallowed. A steer is not responsible for poisoning himself on locoweed, but men are endowed with intelligence and ability to distinguish good from evil; they are therefore not to be excused either for their sin or for the terrible results of it.

Men are indeed accountable for their sins, and their responsibility is twofold. First they are morally obligated to choose the good and reject the evil, and they will be brought to severe and certain judgment for their failure to do it.

Second, because God has in Christ provided a cure, they are responsible to humble themselves and seek forgiveness and cleansing at the fountain opened for all men by the hard dying of Jesus Christ on the Roman cross.

"If any man will," said Jesus, and in so saying swept away all excuses and made every man accountable for his future as well as for his past. For in spite of what sin has done to us, we are yet able to exercise a choice unto eternal life; and we are responsible for our choice, whether it be right or wrong.

Addiction to sin is a universal curse from which we all suffer. However, there is deliverance in Christ if we turn to Him from sin—all of it, even that in which we secretly delight. The choice is ours.

(A.W. Tozer)

Living life apart from God is futile.

2009-11-05T14:53:00.000-08:00

“Fear God and keep His commandments.” - Ecclesiastes 12:13

The Book of Ecclesiastes is greatly misunderstood. It is a difficult book to read simply because it is hard to understand. Everything in it appears wrong and as if it doesn’t fit with the rest of Scripture. But it is part of the Old Testament wisdom literature because it is a statement of human wisdom. Ecclesiastes tells us how man perceives his world, God, and the realities of life. Most scholars believe Ecclesiastes was penned by Solomon. They debate whether he wrote it before he was a true believer or after. He may have written it in retrospect, or he may have penned it sometime before he had a full understanding of the life-changing truth of God.

Ecclesiastes is a fascinating book because it reveals the folly, uselessness, senselessness, and frustration of human wisdom—that which James calls “earthly, natural, demonic” (James 3:15). In Ecclesiastes 1:16 Solomon says to himself, “Behold, I have magnified and increased wisdom more than all who were over Jerusalem before me.” That verse shows me that when God initially gave Solomon wisdom, He gave it to him on a human level. He gave Solomon wisdom to make successful decisions and judgments as king. But although divine wisdom was available to him, I believe Solomon opted for human wisdom the greater portion of his life. And that wisdom was never able to answer his ultimate questions.

The sum of Solomon’s perspective on human wisdom is in Ecclesiastes 4:23:
“I congratulated the dead who are already dead more than the living who are still living. But better off than both of them is the one who has never existed.” That’s a death wish and is the logical end of worldly wisdom—futility.

Fortunately, Solomon did eventually embrace true wisdom. At the end of his book, he said, “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person” (12:13). What then can satisfy your heart and make life worth living? The wisdom of God alone.

(Strength For Today)

Are you Answering Your Purpose

2009-09-02T15:18:00.000-07:00

I know there are some who say "Well, I have given myself to the Lord, but I do not intend to give myself to any church"

Now why not?

"Because I am a Christian without it."

Are you quite clear about that? You can be as good a Christian by disobedience to your Lord's commands as by being obedient?

There is a brick. What is it made for? To help build a house. It is of no use for that brick to tell you that it is just as good a brick while it is kicking about on the ground as it would be in a house. It is a good-for-nothing brick. So you rolling stone Christian, I do not believe you are answering your purpose. You are living contrary to the life which Christ would have you live, and you are much to blame for the injury you do.

(C.H. Spurgeon)

The Answer Is In the Word

2009-08-25T14:06:00.000-07:00

Luke 4:1-15

As Jesus was being tempted by Satan, He answered him every time by quoting passages from Deuteronomy. Jesus obviously knew the Word of God. David said, in Psalm 1, speaking of a man who is blessed by God, "His delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night".

I think one of the weaknesses of the church today, is the lack of the Word of God in the hearts of the people. Many people are following sensationalism, seeking exciting experiences. Others are looking for practical advise, with steps to success and things like that. But what we need more than anything is the Word of God. This is what will give us the depth and power to resist temptation. People need the foundation that comes from studying the Word of God.

Notice how Jesus was filled with the Spirit before the temptation, He was lead by the Spirit into the temptation, but He emerged from the temptation "in the power of the Spirit".

(Word for Today Study Bible)

Under Orders

2009-08-06T11:32:00.000-07:00

What ambassador would go to a foreign country to represent his homeland without being appointed? What soldier would risk life and limb in a war-torn country without orders? What missionary would travel to a foreign country to endure pain and hardship without having been commissioned? What pastor would lead a church and endure being underpaid and overworked without a sense of God’s calling? What man would seek to lead God’s people in God’s land unless he was God’s choice?

When the people of Israel occupied the promise land, God knew they’d want a king. God required that the man who filled that position be not only distinguished but also distinctive. The king would have to be not only someone respected by the people but, more importantly, someone who revered God. The king was to be chosen by God.

Chosen? We can substitute the words ordered, commissioned or called. When God chooses us to do something, it’s as though God created us specifically for a task—just as he created fish to swim in water and birds to fly in the air. God chooses us for a variety of tasks. He calls some of us to be students, some teachers. He calls some of us to be married, some single. He calls some of us to Christian service in ministries, some to public service in government.

There’s an old joke about a farmer who looked up one day and saw the two letters “PC” in the clouds. Thinking this was a sign from God to “preach Christ,” he left his tractor and enrolled in seminary. But he struggled in his course work and, frustrated, turned to his adviser and told him about the vision he’d had. Knowing his struggles, his advisor asked, “Son, did you ever think that ‘PC’ might have meant ‘plant corn’?”

Think in terms of God’s choosing for your life. God has gifted you with special talents, insight, wisdom and passions. He created you to accomplish exactly what he needs you to do for him in this world. How do you figure out what God has in store for you? Through prayer, Scripture study and consulting people who know you well and understand what drives you.

Just as God had a plan for the person who would become Israel’s king, so he also has a plan for your life. Whatever you find God leading you to do, understand that it is part of your special purpose in this world. Whether you’re an electrician, lawyer, pastor, economist, missionary or trash collector, continue to follow God’s call on your life.

(Men’s Devotional Bible)

True Salt and Light Are Pure

2009-07-27T15:11:00.001-07:00

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house." Matt. 5:13-15

With great responsibility, there is often great danger. We can't be an influence for purity in the world if we have compromised our own purity. We can't sting the world's conscience if we continually go against our own. We can't be used of God to retard the corruption of sin in the world if our lives become corrupted by sin. To lose our saltiness is not to lose our salvation, but we will lose our effectiveness.

Light, too, is in danger of becoming useless. Like salt, it can't lose it's essential nature. A hidden light is still light, but it is useless light. That's why people do not "Light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp-stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house." A light that is hidden under a basket can't even be used to read by; it helps neither the person who hides it nor anyone else.

Don't hide your light for fear of offending others, whether out of indifference or lovelessness or any other reason. If you do, you demonstrate unfaithfulness to the Lord.

(Daily Readings from the Life of Christ)

Time To Choose

2009-07-15T09:51:00.000-07:00

Many men today are finding it necessary to work more than one job. The economic demands placed on a family are great, and the larger the family, the greater the demands.

Otis Jones is a pastor, his wife works outside the home, and together they run a small wholesale distributorship. Frank Morgan is a physician, but he also owns several apartment houses that he manages and where he serves as the primary maintenance person. Frank Adams is a social worker, his wife teaches and he is part-owner and manager of the local movie theater and a recycling center.

These men are bright, ambitious, and successful, but to give their families some "extras", they work several jobs. These men are also finding that some days they are so tired that neither job goes well. They are finding less time and less of themselves to give to their families. They are also finding less joy in life for themselves, even as they are providing more for their families. "More" is quickly becoming "less" for them.

Jesus had seen this happen in the lives of men who tried to serve two masters. Soon they would love one and hate the other or be devoted to one and despise the other because they felt emotionally and physically torn. Jesus clearly stated that is was impossible to serve two masters, especially when one is God and the other is money. Either both will be cheated out of the best the person can offer, or he will "shut down" from the stress and pressure of what he is trying to do.

Matthew 6:24 is still true. At some point, you must choose to be either a man of God or a man of the world. You must choose between the gifts of God and the trinkets of the world, the eternal and the temporal. The choice is yours. What will you decide?

(God's Man)

Ministers to One Another

2009-07-08T09:41:00.000-07:00

"Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works" Heb. 10:24

God wants His children to minister His good to one another. Paul the apostle, as he opened his letter to the Roman believers, assured them that he was eager to visit them not only to minister to them, but to be ministered by them. ".......that I may be encouraged together with you by mutual faith both of you and me" (Rom. 1:12). Before that, he had described Timothy and himself to the Corinthians as "fellow workers for your joy" (2 Cor. 1:24).

If you're truly a follower of Christ, it should be both an obligation and a joy for you to encourage other believers toward love and good works, as today's verse instructs....."Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works" Heb. 10:24.

(Truth For Today)