Shame Culture

We live in a shame culture. I’m not referring to The Church or our Church. I’m

writing about the culture all around us. It fat shames us, skinny shames us,

clothing shames us, car shames us, job and income shames us, housing

shames us, nose shames us, hair or baldness shames us, short or tall shames

us, smart or…….Well, I think you get the picture.

Knowing that the World is at heart evil and that our flesh makes us susceptible

to its focus on self, Jesus tells us to not JUDGE each other. Our Faith is not

dependent on or granted to us because of our “Coolness” or “Success”.

Likewise, our “coolness” or “success” is not necessarily the evidence or fruit of

our faith. Performance does not equal salvation. Salvation is not dependent on

performance. Faith is a gift from God. Faith is expressed in behavior flowing

from believing trust in God’s provision and God’s sufficiency.

Realizing this and wanting to explore these ideas, I think that it’s important for

us to explore as a family just what does determine our significance, our worth.

Beginning April 27th I will start a series, rooted in a study of Ephesians, called

WHO AM I? It will be followed by another series WHERE DO I FIT IN? Also,

from Ephesians.

God decides who we are. God determines our worth. God knows just where we

fit!

Pastor Brian

God's Invitation

It’s normal to wonder if God really exists. The circumstances of life often call

out to us, questioning God’s involvement in our lives. In the last few weeks in

sermons, Bible studies and our Friday emails we have come to realize that

God is revealed all around us. God is at work all around us and He is inviting

us to join Him in His work. This invitation offers to us an intimate love

relationship with Him. When we finally come to terms with this reality we can

be confronted with a crisis or crossroads experience which requires us to go

God’s way or our way. Whichever way we choose requires us to adjust our

lives to that “Way”. Choosing God’s WAY necessitates obedience to His Word

and as we obey, we begin to discern His will, experiencing intimacy with Him

that is transforming. For some this transformation is soon. For others it’s a

longer process but the transformation happens, none the less.

Lives that are transformed by the redeeming power of Christ reflect that

transformation with changed behavior. We were all created in the image of

God. That image has been distorted by our willfulness. That image is being

healed and restored by that redeeming power. As we are restored it is natural

for us to grow from questioning God’s existence to affirming His presence by

our behavior. Our minds are transformed. We stop abusing our bodies. Our

relationships become more stable. We learn to live for others. We serve

instead of “deserve”.

It’s not logical or sensible in the world’s way of thinking that a person could

find their self by surrendering their self to God, but that’s what this is all

about. The Gospel of Jesus isn’t about self-promotion. It’s about self-denial.

Think about that for a while. Surrender to God’s way. Get to know Him. Build

a bridge and invite someone else along.

Pastor Brian

God is an ever present God

It’s possible to experience God. Recent surveys of younger generations suggest that it’s not that they reject the reality of God but rather that they haven’t seen God at work in their families. In their lives. They say that there’s a disconnect between what they see in Church on Sunday mornings and what they see at home, or anywhere for that matter.

Many people, having not experienced God working in their lives, attempt to explain this by saying that there is a god but that god doesn’t speak to us today, we are beyond that age of miracles. Having said that, I have often said “Don’t think for one minute that the God that you’re not experiencing now you will be experiencing in heaven”. This suggests that there is a God to experience, whether we’ve experienced Him or not. Our lack of

experiencing God does not limit God or define Him.

In recent weeks I have shared that God is an ever present God. He is all around you. He is always at work around you. This same God is pursuing a continuous love relationship with you, that is real and personal, and He is inviting you to become involved with Him in His work. But..... how do we know His work? How do we discern His will for us and our role in His work?

I would like to suggest that God still speaks to us today. My study, spiritual disciplines,

devotional time, and experience, reveal that God is alive and well and He is engaging us,

all the time. The Scriptures teach that God speaks to us today through His Holy Spirit. In

doing so He uses the Bible, two-way prayer, circumstances, other people, and yes, the

Church, to reveal Himself, His purposes, and His way. I have found that there is no limit to the ways that he will use to reach out to us. SO WHY DON’T I EXPERIENCE GOD?

My suggestion is that, if you haven’t already, start reading God’s word at least 15 minutes a day. Practice SOAPing. Read the SCRIPTURE. Write down what it says. OBSERVE. APPLY what it says to your life, not someone else’s. PRAY and ask God to speak to you, believing that He will. It’ll take a while, so don’t give up. He will gradually change your perception, giving you a new point of view.

Pastor Brian