Personal Renewal, Part 2: Let Your Light Shine Before Men

During both services today I preached from Matthew 5:13-16, where Jesus commands His followers to be the "salt of the earth" and the "light of the world." In the military and around the world Christians are being told to "put their light under a basket" or in essence stop sharing their faith or expressing their love for Christ. This is ultimately a tactic of the Devil. The prince of this world has always attacked through fear and the desire for people to conform to their environment. The command of Jesus is to "go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation" (Mark 16:!5). Of course if this is Jesus' command then Satan must oppose it. This declaration from Christ simply incites the Devil to intensify the warfare against Christians and the kingdom of God as never before. In fact anyone who has ever served in the military, knows it is becoming an unreached people group. Essentially, the Devil will use anti-Christian organizations to block and suppress the Christian witness. Presently, atheistic groups are seeking to "put a basket over the light of Christians serving in the military.
However, please know this, Satan can use government restrictions and liberal groups, but his strongholds cannot stand against the life-transforming power of the gospel. He has lost the war, he is simply seeking to win battles and gather souls.

Never let anyone or anything put a basket over your light; let your light shine before men so your good works will glorify the Father.
Stay encouraged and stand firm!
 

Personal Renewal, Part 1: Regneration = A Biblical Wordview

Do you ever wonder why so many people call themselves followers of Christ but never adopt a biblical worldview? Many have said I want Jesus to be my Savior, but never wanted Him to be their Lord. Why? Because calling someone your Lord requires submission, surrender, and obedience. It requires loosing your life as you know it, something most believers are not willing to do. If Christ is your Lord, He is your master and ruler. The reason so many Christians do not have a biblical worldview is because they have never been regenerated by the Holy Spirit. The word regeneration only appears twice in the New Testament, Matthew 19:28 and Titus 3:5. The regeneration of the soul comes after a person is drawn to Christ (John 6:44) and are saved by His grace through their faith in Him (Ephesians 2:8). For a regenerate believer there is great joy in following and obeying Christ. They will also adopt a biblical worldview, which simply means they will commit to thinking like Jesus. A biblical worldview is a way of dealing with the world in such a way that we act like Jesus 24 hours a day because we think like Jesus. In Titus 3:5-7, Paul instructs Titus about salvation by saying this "He saved us - not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit. He poured out this Spirit on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that having been justified by His grace, we may become heirs with the hope of eternal life." Thus salvation brings divine cleansing from sin and the gift of a new, Spirit-generated, Spirit-empowered, and Spirit-protected life.
Just like salvation, adopting a biblical worldview doesn't come from us, it comes from God as His Spirit regenerates our souls.
As a chaplain, I am constantly engaging people and building relationships and it doesn't take long for me to assess whether a person has a biblical worldview. Why? Because it's the lens through which they view life.

Take Away:

Don't Be Led Astray

"Don't let anyone lead you astray with empty philosophy and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the evil powers of this world, and not from Christ." (Colossians 2:8)

Paul's warning to the Colossian believers cautions us that the world will actively seek to turn our minds in a different direction than that which God intends.

Carefully consider each option and reject those that do not conform to God's ways.


 

Admiral Boldly Speaks About Religious Freedom

Be inspired by the humble, yet bold message of this Admiral. He was speaking at the National Day of Prayer Service in Washington D.C. this past May.
As a military chaplain I can't tell you how much it encourages me to know there is bold Christian leaders still in the military that are willing to stand up for their faith in Christ.

Enduring Hardship Like a Soldier of Christ

When I decided to follow Christ I understood that part of the cost of following Him would be persecution.
Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:12 "...all those who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted."

Enjoy this video from Focus on the Family's Citizen Link News Show. It's very informative and eye opening about the issue of religious persecution in the military.
Stand up and speak out and demonstrate the courage Paul did during his missionary journeys!

The God Anthology Bible Study

Last night at South Camp Chapel we began a new Bible Study series called The God Anthology.
It's a Lifeway Bible Study series by Pastor Mark Batterson from National Community Church.
The importance of this study is to explore the six critical aspects of God's character and personhood. The study explores the mystery, holiness, incomparability, mercy, jealousy, and sovereignty of God.

At the completion of this study everyone should have a right understanding of God.
If God's people truly desire to be on mission with Him to accomplish His purposes, they must understand His nature and His ways.

God's ways are not our ways, but He desires that we know them, so we can be shaped and changed by them (Psalm 119:117-120).

Military Wives of Faith

If you are a member of the National Guard or a member of the 5-113th FA please encourage your wife to check out this website and join the God Strong Online Bible Study.

The passion of Wives of Faith is to connect, encourage and support the Military Wife, so if that’s you or your wife, then you are certainly in the right place! Women of deployed service members need a place where they can connect with other women and share the ups and downs that military life brings – the overwhelming emotions of deployment, the joys of homecoming, and the frustrations and issues that can frequently pop up along the way.

My wife is a member of their technology team and has been blessed by the God Strong Bible study.

www.wivesoffaith.org
 

The Influence of a Father

What a great video of why a father is so important....I love it when the little girl says that the reason she loves God is because her dad loves God. It reminds me of my daughter Taylor and just how much I miss her.
Warning...you might cry.