Tag Archives: churches

Real riches (Revelation 2:8-11), May 13, 2017

Today’s Podcast

Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
Are you rich or poor? Do you really know what poverty is? Jesus did, He shares some information with us about poverty and real riches.
Scripture
1. Revelation 2:8-11
2. The One: Write down My words, and send them to the messenger of the church in Smyrna. “These are the words of the First and the Last, the One who was dead and returned to life:

“I know your deeds and the difficult ordeal you are enduring and your poverty, although you are actually rich. I am aware of the offensive accusations preached by those who call themselves ‘Jews.’ But these people are not the Jews they pretend to be; they are actually the congregation of Satan. In the face of suffering, do not fear. Watch; the devil will throw some of you into prison shortly so that you might be tested, and you will endure great affliction for 10 days. Be faithful throughout your life, until the day you die, and I will give you the victor’s wreath of life.

“Let the person who is able to hear, listen to and follow what the Spirit proclaims to all the churches. The one who conquers through faithfulness even unto death will escape the second death.”

Devotional
1. In this country, we are obsessed with wealth.
  1. TV show, “Lives of the Rich and Famous”
  2. Drive for promotion, salary increases, better jobs
  3. Get upset about Social Security or changes in interest rates
  4. Looking for quick returns on investments
  5. Lotteries everywhere for quick wins
2. We think we understand poverty in this country, but we don’t
  1. The poverty guidelines for 2017, $24,600 for family of 4
  2. Average income in the United States $61,248
  3. Average income in Qatar $105,091
  4. Average income in Congo $394
  5. Nine countries less than $1,000 per anum income
  6. $35-$100 a month isn’t even enough to survive as evidenced by the malnutrition and high death rate among children in those countries
3. If you are listening to this podcast, you probably have a smartphone or a computer you’re listening on. Luxuries most of the world cannot afford. We are materially very wealthy in this country
  1. Probably had breakfast or chose not to, but it was available if you wanted it
  2. Probably have more than one television in your home
  3. Probably have more than one car in your drive
  4. Probably have several pair of shoes and several outfits to choose from as you dress each morning
  5. Probably don’t worry about drinking water or water to bath in each day
  6. Although you may live in an apartment, you probably don’t share your home with several families in the same apartment
  7. We really don’t know poverty in this country
4. Church at Smyrna understood poverty
  1. As Christians they couldn’t buy food in the market
  2. Lost their jobs
  3. Lost their homes
  4. Lost their families
  5. Lost whatever support systems they had except the church and everyone in the church was under the same pressure
  6. They did not know where their next meal would come from
  7. To win their material fortune back, all they had to do was renounce their faith
5. Jesus said although they were in poverty, they were really rich
  1. Why?
  2. They shed the burden of unforgiven sin
  3. They had Him in their life
  4. They had eternal life
  5. What is that worth? It’s priceless
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved. In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Where do you share the message? (Luke 5:31-32) September 27, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – 2 Chronicles 6-10

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Luke 5:31-32
Jesus (answering for the disciples): Healthy people don’t need a doctor, but sick people do. I haven’t come for the pure and upstanding; I’ve come to call notorious sinners to rethink their lives and turn to God.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

We have done something as Christians I’m not sure Jesus would be too happy about. What is it? We cling together in little conclaves and hide ourselves away from the world when it comes to exploring God’s word. We get together with other Christians in our churches and cathedrals and we teach each other if we learn anything about scriptures at all. We build these beautiful and sometimes not so beautiful buildings, but then we put up a cross on the roof or on the side of the building or on a sign outside and expect people to come inside and find God.

But Jesus didn’t work that way when He was with us. He attended the synagogues on the Sabbath wherever He happened to be at the time. He went to the Temple whenever He was in Jerusalem. But to share the message His Father intended Him to share with the world, He went to the places people gathered and that was not the synagogues and temple. He taught in the markets and on the seashore. He picked hillsides and the homes of prominent and not so prominent people. He taught whenever and wherever people gathered to hear Him.

He went to the people because He knew people needed to hear the message and knew those who needed to hear the message most would not come to the temple or synagogue to hear it. Like Adam, they would hide from God rather than come into His presence for cleansing. If Jesus was going to help them, He would have to go to them. And unlike most physicians today, Jesus made house calls.

So we find Jesus visiting the tax collectors and prostitutes and thieves and liars and all those other savory characters that you’d never expect to find in the temple because they would be afraid others would point out their sin instead of welcoming them into God’s presence for forgiveness – just like the Pharisees did.

And we in the Christian faith, too often do the same thing the Pharisees did. We cloister ourselves in our fine buildings and sing our songs, listen to sermons, attend our classes, and if anyone comes into our churches that don’t look or act like us, we send signals that help them understand they really aren’t as welcome as we say they are. Those visitors come in and sit in the back or maybe are even ushered to a middle seat somewhere, but they never return because we treat them like lepers. They are tax collectors, prostitutes, thieves, liars, sinners. God forbid that we let them into our Christian clubhouse.

Isn’t it time that we take up the mantle as Jesus taught us? He went to the places where the people that needed Him lived and worked and gathered for mutual comfort. He went to the sick at heart. He went to those that needed cleansing from the sickness in their spirit. He found Himself in those places filled with people who would never darken the door of the temple or the synagogue. But He gave the same message to those they He gave to the people in the synagogue.

Do you understand why? Because all of us are sinners. And in God’s eyes there is really no difference between the tax collector and the gossip, the prostitute and those who would cause dissension in the church. All have sinned and come short of the God’s glory they seek. We are not worthy to stand in His presence, and yet He calls us to follow Him. He calls us to come to Him for healing, cleansing, a right relationship with our heavenly Father.

Jesus showed us what we should do, then He did something none of us would probably do if we were God. He entrusted His message to us. He told us to go share His message throughout the world. Can you believe that? God put the message of salvation into the hands of sinners who have felt the touch of His redemptive grace. We were His enemies, but He still gave us the mission of sharing the message that will give people hope and a future.

So who do we take that message to? Do we hold it in our churches and cathedrals? Jesus didn’t. We are to take it to work with us. We’re to take it to school and the grocery. We’re to take it to our neighbors. We’re to take it to the gas station and our mechanic. We’re to take it everywhere we go and we’re to take the message of God’s grace and forgiveness to those who need it most.

Do you remember who needs it most? Everyone. We’re all sinners. Some of us are saved by His grace, if we have asked for His forgiveness. But we all need His message. So share the hope and grace He gives to someone you meet today. Don’t invite them to church to hear the message, share it with them where you find them. It will make such a difference in how they hear it from you.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

What’s happened to prayer? (Mark 11:17) August 29, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Numbers 9-12

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Mark 11:17
Jesus (to those who were listening): Didn’t the prophets write, “My house will be called a house of prayer, for all the people”? But you have made it into a “haven for thieves.”

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

We talked some about this when we talked about Matthew 21:13, but I think these words are worth mentioning again. It seems in many instances the institutions we attend every Sunday have become much more social club than places of worship. Because of my military travels, I’ve been to a lot of churches around the world. More than I can count. Big ones and little ones. Churches with some pretty elaborate facilities and spectacular features and some one room structures that were about to collapse. I’ve been to home churches and outdoor arbors. I’ve meet in tents and under the stars. I’ve been in just about any and every kind of structure you can think of over the last 60 years attending all kinds of church meetings.

Unfortunately, most denominations are suffering the same fate. And most churches within those denominations are suffering the same fate. Churches are becoming places where people gather to talk about what happened to them last week instead of worshiping God. We catch up on the latest politics and school news and work gossip instead of lifting our eyes toward heaven or praying for the lost souls around us.

I’m afraid Jesus could walk into almost any of our churches today and make the same pronouncement He made in the temple court that day and be just as accurate. Our churches are not places or prayers, but we are making them into dens of thieves.

So let’s concentrate on that last part first. Why would I think we are turning our churches into dens of thieves? Most churches don’t have money changers in them. We don’t sell goats and sheep at exorbitant prices for the morning sacrifice. So why would I think we turn our churches into dens of thieves?

I don’t think we do it purposefully any more than those in the court thought they were doing anything wrong purposefully. They were doing business in the courtyard. It had been going on for centuries. The merchants in the court were doing the pilgrims a favor by enabling them to travel without dragging their sacrifice along with them. Probably most of those merchants were honest people. They didn’t think of themselves as thieves. They wanted to make a small profit and this was their livelihood. There was nothing wrong with making a living, right?

So what’s the equivalent in our churches? We don’t have money changers or sheep sellers. But what do we do with all that money that comes into the offering plates? Don’t get me wrong, we should pay our pastors and staff. Paul talks about that in his letters to the various churches, and growing up as a preacher’s kid and serving as a minister, I know the work they do. They earn their salaries. Follow a few good pastors around and you’ll figure that out pretty quickly.

But usually the salaries of the staff are only a small part of the income of the average church. What happens to the rest? Does it stay in the church or does it help others? Do we use it to help ourselves or do we give it to the cause of God? Do we continue to build structures and make things look pretty or do we feed the hungry, visit the prisoners, help the sick and orphaned and widows? What do we do with the income of the church? Does your church tithe? Now that’s an interesting question, isn’t it? Does it give at least 10% of its income back to God by spending its money on others that have no connection to your church?

Are we creating dens of thieves without even thinking about it?

Let’s go back to that first part. How about that house of prayer business? How much time does your church spend in prayer? Most churches I’ve attended lately have a thirty to maybe sixty second opening prayer and a pastoral prayer that lasts about two or three minutes and a closing prayer that will last another thirty seconds to a minute. If the leaders are long winded, you might hear a whole five minutes of prayer in a two hour service. Wow! So much for being a house of prayer.

We live in a pretty sad world. So most of our churches stay locked most of the time because of the fear of burglary. My denomination used to have a Prayer and Fasting meeting every Wednesday night for missions. That prayer and fasting changed to a bible study many years ago because people just couldn’t pray that long and now not very many churches meet at all on Wednesday night. Schedules are just too busy with work, the kids sports practices, homework, pick any distraction you want, it doesn’t matter. Any distraction that keeps you from praying will work. Just don’t pray. That’s the important thing for Satan.

If you go back and look at the habits of the founding fathers of most of the fundamental denominations in existence today, you’ll find they spent several hours a day in prayer. Not bedtime or dinner time prayers, but hours before the day began. Hours during the day. Hours before they went to sleep. They spent a large percentage of their day in prayer. Yet they still found the time to preach, write books, visit their congregation, travel around the world in ships and on horseback. They labored every day in an environment that required hard labor to survive. And still they prayed.

So what’s our excuse? Too busy? With what? What’s more important than talking with the creator of the universe?

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

It’s time to unite (Mark 3:23-29) July 16, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Luke 15-16

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Mark 3:23-29
Jesus: Listen. How can Satan drive out Satan? A kingdom that makes war against itself will collapse. A household divided against itself cannot stand. If Satan opposes himself, he cannot stand and is finished.
If you want to break into the house of a strong man and plunder it, you have to bind him first. Then you can do whatever you want with his possessions. Listen, the truth is that people can be forgiven of almost anything. God has been known to forgive many things, even blasphemy. But speaking evil of the Spirit of God is an unforgivable sin that will follow you into eternity.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Jesus wants us united as His church. He wants us to come together to carry out the mission He gave us before He ascended into heaven on a cloud. He wants us to have that single aim, to go and make disciple, teaching them the things He taught His first disciples. So how have we gotten to where we are today with the divide between all those denominations and branches and Catholic and Protestant and everything in between.

Somewhere along the line, we let that thing called selfishness slip in again. I want my way. Even in building the kingdom. I want to believe the way I want. I want to interpret what Jesus said the way I want. I want to live the commandments the way I think they should be lived. I want to hear sermons that touch me the way I want them to. We get into this selfish mode even in our religions. We pick and choose and establish our faith around our desires and our will and our wants even while trying to seek God’s will.

One of the things that slapped me in the face several years ago as I was trying to find God’s will for my life was the selfishness of that very thought. God’s will for my life. I started thinking about that and discovered I kept looking the wrong direction for what I should do next. I was looking for God to point at my life instead of me running toward His.

It sounds like a simple change in thought, but it is a tremendous revolution in your pattern of thinking, really. It’s the renewing of your mind, Paul talks about in Romans 12, because the tables turn. Instead of asking where I’m going next to find favor with Him, I instead ask God where He is going and I will follow. When we begin to change the thought from what is Your will for me, to just what is Your will, things begin to change. It’s just a little thing, but taking me out of the equation changes your focus and brings others into your thoughts clearer and brighter than ever before.

I think it’s this process Jesus taught us in the garden when He prayed “not My will, but Your will be done.” I think it helps us live in the spirit seeking God’s will always. I think it means listening for His voice wherever we are and looking for those opportunities to share His love whenever we have the chance. I think it changes our whole outlook if we just change that single way we ask about God’s will for life. Not my will, not even His will for me, just His will and I’ll go there.

If we would all begin to change our thought process to follow God explicitly in this way, I think the division in churches would disappear. If we would sincerely ask what God’s will was and stop there and then follow, I think the violence in the streets would be curbed significantly. I think we would find revivals sparked around the world. I think we would see healing taking place. I think the church and the world would be very different if we just asked God about His will and followed.

But instead, we forget to ask and go our own way. We want what we want and so we fight each other. We can’t agree on the simplest things and so disrupt the work of the kingdom with our selfishness. We forget the real task at hand, sharing the good news that Jesus came to give His life that we might have abundant, everlasting life. We forget He came to fulfill our lives and bring joy through forgiveness of our sins and we bicker and fight with each other instead of standing together against the real enemy – sin.

Jesus told those that thought He cast out demons by the power of Satan that Satan would lose his strength and power if his minions fought against each other. Isn’t the same true of the church? If we war against each other, don’t we lose the strength and power we could experience if we worked together in unity. Jesus continually called us to unity. It’s about time, the church rose up together against the evil of this world instead of bickering with each other.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Taking My Name in vain is more than just using bad words (1 Corintians 5), Mar 20, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – 1 Corinthians 5
Set – Psalms 69; 1 Corinthians 5
Go! – Joshua 7-8; Psalms 69; 1 Corinthians 5

1 Corinthians 5
¹Because of my deep love for you, I must express my concern about the report brought to me regarding the lewd and immoral behavior exhibited in your community. This scandal has come to my attention because this kind of thing is unheard of even among the outsiders around us: I understand a man is having sexual relations with his father’s wife. ² You have turned into an arrogant lot who refuse to see the tragedy right in front of your eyes and mourn for it. If you would face these hard realities, the one living in this sin would be removed from the community.

³ Despite the fact that I am not physically present with you, I am there in spirit and already have spoken judgment against the man who has engaged in this conduct. ⁴ When you gather in the name of the Lord Jesus and I am present with you in spirit, and the infinite power of our Lord Jesus is present also, ⁵ I direct you to release this man over to Satan so his rebellious nature will be destroyed and his spirit might be rescued in the day the Lord Jesus returns.

⁶ Your proud boasting in this matter is terrible. Don’t you understand that the tiniest infraction can bring about an unwelcome chain of events? That just a little yeast causes all the dough to rise? ⁷ Get rid of all the old yeast; then you’ll become new dough, just as you are already a people without sin’s leavening influence. You see, the Anointed One is our Passover lamb; He has been sacrificed for us. ⁸ So let the real feast begin. Get rid of all the old yeast, the yeast of hatred and evil. Throw it out so we can feast on the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

⁹ In the letter I wrote to you previously, I made it clear that you are not to band together with those who have embraced immoral lives. ¹⁰ Don’t misunderstand; I’m not telling you to hole up and hunker down from the rest of the world. That’s impossible. The world is filled with immoral people consumed by their desire for more; they steal from one another without hesitation and will worship man-made idols with no shame at all. If you attempted to avoid these people, you would have to leave the world itself. ¹¹ What I was saying is that you should not associate with someone who calls himself a brother or sister but lives contrary to all we stand for: committing immoral sexual acts, consumed with desire for more, worshiping tangible lifeless things, using profanity, drinking into oblivion, swindling and cheating others. Do not even sit at the table with a person like this. ¹² Why would I ever attempt to judge those outside the church? Aren’t we called to judge those within the church? ¹³ God judges the outsiders. Your job is this: “Expel the wicked from your own community.”

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

In the early days of the church, it wasn’t popular to become a member. You literally put your life on the line to join. As the church grew, though, Satan did what he does best an began to use his lies to infiltrate even the sacred halls of the church. Some leaders began to want the wealth of some of their members more than they wanted the pure character of Christlike behavior.

Consequently, some, the wealthy or friends of the wealthy, were given…allowances…in following what My new covenant required of them. Paul recognized the problem and met it head on. The church is My church, not the pastor’s, not the board’s or council’s, not man’s. It is Mine. I expect the church to live as I want it to live. I want it to be an example to the world around it. His letter condemned the members at Corinth for putting up with the apostasy in their congregation.

The same apostasy happens in many of the churches around the world today. The church has become big business instead of the place of redeeming grace I want it to be. James talks about how the rich are given comfortable seats while the poor are dismissed or moved to the back of the room. Members allow inequities and injustices because they fail to recognize the importance of living for Me instead of for themselves. Selfishness creeps into the body and the lies of Satan make them think the money or skills of some are so important allowances must be made for their behavior.

The truth is My church doesn’t need the money of the apostate. I need the repentance of those living in hypocrisy. I need their attention and their understanding they are far from the kingdom. Their sin keeps them separated from Me and unless forgiven, they will never see My face.

It’s time to clean up My church. Does that mean I don’t want you to reach out to the lost and bring them in? No, I want you witness to them. I want you to share my message with them. I want you to introduce them to Me. I don’t want them to parade around as My followers until they have given themselves to Me, though. It soils My Name and My Name means something to Me. In fact, calling yourself by My Name and behaving in a way contrary to My decrees violates the Third Commandment. It uses My Name in vain! It tarnishes My reputation to a lost world. There are severe consequences for those actions. Don’t be a part of it.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.