Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Shepastor: "Justice and Peace..."

34Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. 35For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. 36And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. Matthew 10:34 KJV

Our Nation is reeling from the events of recent days. While some, unfortunately are taking advantage of communities, looting, burning, robbing, etc., many more are calling for calm while they lift their voices in a cry for justice. The families of those who have been treated unjustly are calling for “peaceful protest.” They are not, however, asking for resignation or passivity. They want justice.

Peace is defined as, “freedom from disturbance, quiet and tranquility.” But the scripture also places us on notice that Jesus did not come to bring “peace,” as we have commonly come to define it, but a sword.

The above verses were spoken in the context of Jesus’ dialogue with his disciples about taking up their cross and following Him. Jesus was letting His disciples know that those who follow Him, those who speak truth and stand for justice, those who live and preach righteousness , those who take up their cross daily and follow Him will find themselves at odds with the world. Unfortunately, in the name of “peace,” people avoid addressing issues. They leave words unspoken. They allow wrong to persist. In the name of peace, people look the other way from sin. In the name of “peace,” people hide feelings, silence justifiable complaints, and want to shew away protestors…all in the name of “peace.”

We must be careful how we view and press for “peace.” Godly peace does not ignore injustices. Godly peace confronts, in truth and in love. Godly peace does not look the other way when people are hurting, when people are hungry, when people are marginalized, when people are treated less than human. Godly peace stands in the gap…speaks truth to power…does what it can to lift heavy burdens.

God is the God of the oppressed. The Lord rebuked Israel for having false religion…false peace. Amos 5: 21-24 declares,

21I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies. 22Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts. 23Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols. 24But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.

What kind of peace are you looking for? Behaving as if nothing is wrong? Behaving as if everything is ok? Behaving as if nothing is happening? As you walk by your brother or sister on the road and see them perishing? As you stand back and allow excessive force and police brutality? As you allow unfair labor practices among multi-billion dollar enterprises, refusing to pay workers a living wage and provide any form of benefits?

What kind of peace do you want? For the rich to get richer and the poor to get poorer? For Countries to rape and rob the land of other poorer countries, experiment on the vulnerable and leave them war torn, diseased and filled with famine? This is not peace – godly peace!

May we seek godly peace and pursue it.

I leave with you a song from yesteryears, by Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes…

Wake Up Everybody

Post a comment or send me an email at Shepastor1@hotmail.com

Until next Wednesday,
In Faith, Hope and Perseverance,
Pastor Chris
www.shepastorchris.org

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Shepastor: “Addressing the Elephants in the Pew: Pursuing Knowledge, Wisdom and Healing…”

“For she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.15
She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.”
Proverbs 3: 14-15 NIV

Did you know that there are “elephants” sitting in our pews? Women in ministry frequently wrestle with them. Not so much what others do in our churches, but what we face alone and often in silence. For a variety of reasons, many female clergy face isolation due to issues that are unique to women.

In order to gain acceptance, at times, female clergy may deny the extent of their struggles in general as well as those related to their femininity in particular. For fear of being categorized as “weak,” “emotional,” or “incapable,” women sometimes ignore their feelings, the realities of changes in their bodies and “stuff” their frustration.

Loneliness, singleness (not by choice), depression, menopause, lack of financial stability, minimal support, jealousy and envy between, “sisters,” etc., all contribute. These issues become “elephants,” in the pews because we behave as if they don’t exist, yet they are looming large.

This year, three female clergy groups have come together to expose the proverbial elephants, discuss them, be transparent about them and together, receive wisdom from God’s word about how to address them.

Friday, July 31st – Saturday, August 1st, 2015, “Sisters United in Christ," (Founder/Facilitator, Rev. Dr. Crystal Walker), “Encouraging the Prophetic Woman,” (Founder/Facilitator, Rev. Dr. Jacquelyn Ragin) and “Women Together in Ministry of Greater Cleveland – WTIM,” (Founder/Facilitator, Pastor Chris Smith) will host,






Our prayer is that women will have the opportunity to share their experiences openly, discuss the realities of their pain, and turn to God’s Word and “sisterly fellowship” for healing, guidance and wisdom.

Please pray with us as we seek to reach, bless and encourage as many as possible.


For more information or to register, visit Addressing the Elephants in the Pew

Pre-Registration, May 18th – June 3rd , 2015 (register now and receive a discounted rate!)

Regular Registration, June 4th – July 24th, 2015

After July 24th, 2015 (space and meal options limited)

Post a comment or send me an email at Shepastor1@hotmail.com

Until next Wednesday,
In Faith, Hope and Perseverance,
Pastor Chris
www.shepastorchris.org

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Shepastor: "The Neglected Practice of Prayer..."

40Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26: 40-41, NIV

The hymn writer declared, “Oh what peace we often forfeit, Oh what needless pains we bare, all because we do not carry EVERYTHING to God in prayer (“What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” by Joseph M. Scriven, 1855). What victories might we win, what obstacles might we overcome, what pitfalls might we avoid if we would spend dedicated time with the Lord in prayer? In this text, Jesus is toiling, laboring, heavy with dread, before the Father as He prepares to sacrifice His life for our sins. He asked the disciples to “watch in prayer” with Him for an hour. The scripture says that when he returned unto them, he found them sleeping.

Jesus then gave them this somber warning…

41“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26: 41, NIV

Over the years, the people of God have come to equate “temptation” with “BIG” sins. We have developed categories of sin. We deceived ourselves into believing that “sin” is something that other folks do! But “sin” is simply, disobedience to God.
Disobedience takes on many forms. Sometimes it is ignoring God’s still small voice that speaks to our spirits and says, “do this, not that…” Yet we follow our own way. Sometimes it is using our words to hurt instead heal. Sometimes it is allowing fear and cowardice to govern our action or inaction. Sometimes it is a refusal to give when we know there is a need. Sometimes it is laying in the bed when the Spirit has beckoned us to get up, read God’s Word and pray.

Yes, “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak!” While our hearts may have every good intention, we are no match for our own flesh. Without the power of prayer, seeking the will, way and work of the Lord, without the power of His precious Holy Spirit, without our request for the Lord to order our steps, set a watch over our mouths, keep our feet from stumbling, keep our minds stayed on Jesus, without the Lord’s blessed hand to keep us, WE WILL enter into temptation.

The Lord told Peter, “satan desires to sift you as wheat…” the devil desire no less for us. Our only true weapon is communion with the Lord through prayer.

Through prayer, we gain strength
Through prayer, our spiritual sensitivity is sharpened
Through prayer, our hearts of convicted of wrong and we are led to repentance
Through prayer, the Lord speaks to us and leads us in the way that we should go
Through prayer, our eyes and ears are open to the will of the Lord
Through prayer, we are empowered to overcome the tricks, traps and tactics of the enemy
Through prayer, we become more than conquerors.

May we diligently pursue the practice of prayer so that we will not be governed by the whims of our flesh.

Post a comment or send me an email at Shepastor1@hotmail.com
Stop by my new website, www.shepastorchris.org

Until next Wednesday,
In Faith, Hope and Perseverance,
Pastor Chris



Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Shepastor: "Faithfulness, Yet the Battle..."

II Chronicles 31: 20-21; 32: 1-8
20 And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah, and wrought that which was good and right and truth before the LORD his God.
21 And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered.

II Chronicles 32: 1-8 (English Standard Version)
Sennacherib Invades Judah
32 After these things and these acts of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah and encamped against the fortified cities, thinking to win them for himself. 2 And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and intended to fight against Jerusalem, 3 he planned with his officers and his mighty men to stop the water of the springs that were outside the city; and they helped him. 4 A great many people were gathered, and they stopped all the springs and jthe brook that flowed through the land, saying, “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find much water?” 5 He set to work resolutely and built up kall the wall that was broken down and raised towers upon it,1 and outside it he built another wall, and he strengthened the lMillo in the city of David. He also made weapons and shields in abundance. 6 And he set combat commanders over the people and gathered them together to him in the square at the gate of the city and spoke mencouragingly to them, saying, 7 n“Be strong and courageous. oDo not be afraid or dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with him, pfor there are more with us than with him. 8 With him is qan arm of flesh, rbut with us is the LORD our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people took confidence from the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

In this text, a righteous King named Hezekiah has led the people of Judah in tearing down the “high places,” those places that were temples of idol worship. The priests and the Levites have reclaimed the temples for the Lord. The people gave a tithe of all that they possessed. Because of their dedication to the work of the Lord and the rebuilding of His temple, the Lord made them to prosper greatly. They were faithful…they tore down that which was evil and dedicated themselves to rebuilding that which was right, holy and good.

The Chronicler, however, begins chapter 32 with an interesting statement. He declares,

iAfter these things and these acts of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah and encamped against the fortified cities, thinking to win them for himself.

“Faithfulness and Yet the Battle…”
There is something within the human psyche that tells us that if we do this, then we will have that. If we eat the right foods and take good care of ourselves then we won’t get sick. If we love, care for and nurture someone, then we will get love, caring and nurture in return. If we are faithful, doing what is just right and good, then we won’t have to face any turmoil or trouble.

I did not say that that is reality. I said that somehow, in our human psyche, we believe or we feel that if we do these things, we will have certain results. We realize, however, that that is not always the case! Many have eaten right, exercised, drank plenty of water and still got sick. Many have loved, cared for and nurtured somebody and they were still mistreated and or disrespected by those same individuals. Many have been faithful and made a practice of doing what is right and good and still were confronted with turmoil and trouble.

I imagine King Hezekiah and the people of Judah were just as confused and befuddled by the ensuing attacks of the enemy as we are when things don’t go quite as we’d planned or thought – especially when we called ourselves doing what was/is right!

You’ve been faithful and yet…sickness still comes, you’ve been faithful and yet the child or the sibling or co-worker or spouse still acts like a fool…you’ve been faithful and yet satan’s attacks seem stronger than ever! We find ourselves asking, “What’s going on?”

The answer to what’s going on comes in the next line after verse 1:

Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah and encamped against the fortified cities, thinking to win them for himself.

The enemy sees the fruitfulness of your proverbial land…he sees your gifts, he sees your talents, he sees your power…even when you don’t see it for yourself. He sees what you have and desires to own it for himself. His job is to “steal, kill and destroy.” Isn’t it interesting that the enemy didn’t want it when it was overrun with idol worship, lewd and crude behaviors? Now that it is clean, now that it has been beautified, now that it is filled with the glow and glory of the Lord, the enemy wants it!

I am reminded of when I worked as a chaplain at a local hospital. All of the chaplains were given small box shaped offices. They were all of same size and configuration. But in my office, I chose to set it up a little differently. I requested a used couch from the basement. I went and bought some inexpensive pictures and hung them up on the wall. I added a few of my own little nick nacks from home and even brought in a small stereo system to play soothing music.

When I sat in my office, I would leave the door open so that if someone needed an encouraging word, prayer, etc., they would see that I was available. Interestingly, people would come by and say, “What a nice office!” I was just drawn to come in! When the time came for me to leave my hospital position as a chaplain, something strange happened. Other employees were literally arguing over who would take over my office space! It was no different than the other spaces. But they believed something was extra special about this space. They didn’t realize that it wasn’t the space. It wasn’t even me. It was the glow of God’s glory and the special anointing he had placed upon that space, using some creativity, warmth and love that made it so special.

They didn’t realize that once all of those things were packed up and gone, it would revert back to small office shaped like a box! The enemy looks at you and desires what you have, even who you are, not realizing that he can never possess what you have because we belong to the Lord and it is the Lord that makes gives us the gifts!

If you go back and read the rest of this chapter, you will see the tactics that the enemy tried to use to get God’s people to “cut and run,” surrendering what God had for them. He tried to intimidate them and even began speaking their language in order to get them to listen!

“Don’t allow yourself to believe what the King Hezekiah is saying…no one can save you from my attacks. Your god cannot save you from my attacks!” He began to speak their language and use things that were familiar to them, against them. Sometimes the enemy will take your own fears, your own words, your own thoughts and turn them against you. In the book, Spiritual Depression: Its Causes and Cure, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones asserts that we spend too much time allowing our minds to talk to us, verses talking to our minds.

In other words, we allow inner doubts, fears, voices from the past, comparisons, criticisms, etc., govern how we think and feel, rather than stopping those thoughts and images in their tracks, slamming the door in their face and speaking God’s Word and promises over our lives. We must practice the spiritual tactic of “pulling down strongholds” in our minds.

II Corinthians 10:3-5 declares,
3For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

When we are under attack we must claim the promises of God over our lives and stand upon God’s holy Word. That is what King Hezekiah did as the King of Assyria tried to threaten, intimidate and destroy the confidence of the people of God. Listen to what Hezekiah said,

7 n“Be strong and courageous. oDo not be afraid or dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with him, pfor there are more with us than with him. 8 With him is qan arm of flesh, rbut with us is the LORD our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people took confidence from the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

The real test of faithfulness does not come when all is going well. Although we may think that because of our faithfulness, we shouldn’t have to face trials and tribulations. But that is not so. Jesus said, in this world we will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, Jesus has overcome the world. The real test of faithfulness comes when the odds are against you, when the wind is not at your back, but in your face, when trials come, when sickness comes, when financial difficulties come, when family and friends forsake you, when it looks like there is no way out – that is when the test of faithfulness is at hand.

Anyone can praise and shout when times are good. But can you dance before the Lord when all hell is breaking loose in your life? Can you like David, “bless the Lord at all times?” Can you remind yourself that “greater is he that is within me than he that is in the world!” Can you say like the psalmist, “the Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear, the Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?”

As children of the most high God, we must remember that faithfulness does not exclude us from the battle. The enemy sees you…he sees what you have, he sees your potential, he sees your anointing and your blessing and he wants them. He wants to steal, kill and destroy – that is his mission. But like Hezekiah told the people of Judah,

7 n“Be strong and courageous. oDo not be afraid or dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with him, pfor there are more with us than with him. 8 With him is qan arm of flesh, rbut with us is the LORD our God, to help us and to fight our battles.”

Even when we are faithful, we will face battles, but remember, “with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles.”

Post a comment or send me an email at Shepastor1@hotmail.com
Also, I invite you to visit my new personal website, www.shepastorchris.org

Until next Wednesday,
In Faith, Hope and Perseverance,
Pastor Chris