Christmas STUFF coming on us at FBC & Bay West

Christmas is here and it's crazy, because another year has just flown by.  When we look back at this year, we've been
- "radical" in new ways, serving in ways we've never served before.
- started new directions in our lives, studied God's Word differently, expecting a difference in our lives.
- started a partnership in another country to reach an unreached people group, and help support the building of a clean water system in Nicaragua that has been instrumental in leading over 30 people to Christ.

So far, good year, but it's not over...and there are lots of Christmas things to benefit us this year.

Our Christmas Schedule at Bay West will be as follows.

We'll meet at Heritage High School on Sunday, Dec. 4, 11, 18 and then on the 25th and January 1st, we'll meet in combined services at the Melbourne Campus...returning to Heritage the next week on January 8th with a GREAT new series, so be ready.

For the "Who is Jesus" series at Bay West, we have some interesting and impacting services planned, so do not miss them.  If you have someone who battles with Who Jesus is, this is a good series to invite them to come...we'll tackle that question.

On December 10-11, we have the Adult Christmas Concert at the Melbourne Campus...it's a great FREE Christmas offering of music and fun.  You will need a ticket and they are GOING fast.  There are only a few left and they are at Bay West this Sunday.  After that, it's overflow and hope someone doesn't show up.  These are tickets, not just invite cards, so only take them for your immediate family and someone that you've already invited and know they are coming.

On December 18, we'll be having the Children's Choirs Christmas Concert at the Melbourne Campus.  Our little ones are always cute and talented and it's a fun time for all...I'm there with the video camera to watch mine!

As you know, Christmas Day falls on a Sunday this year, so we get to celebrate Christ's birth at church this year!  As awesome as this is, we realize that it does present challenges for those with large family traditions, and we are trying to be sensitive to that.  God ordained that His name be praised always, but each church picks the times under His guidance and we feel we've done so this year as well.  We will be offering two services this weekend at our Melbourne Campus...a Christmas Eve service at 5pm and a Christmas Day service at 11am.  Both services will be identical in construction, so you can choose to come to one or both, whatever God leads you to do...no guilt from us.  :)  Childcare is preschool only.

New Year's Day will be a very special time with our two campuses.  Randy and I will be working with Scott on leading the service time...  It will be a special time, very laid back and a time for people to share what God's doing in their lives.  It's called a "Catacomb service" at FBC.  We put the chairs "in the round" on the floor and we lead worship and speak from the floor.  It's really interesting and a special time.

Looking forward to what's going on at Bay West and FBC Melbourne.

Please continue to pray for us as we attempt to be a Jesus- following church in Palm Bay, Florida as a the Bay West Campus of FBC Melbourne.

Holy Radical T-shirts, Batman! Pray for the work of the Water Project in Nicaragua!

When last we left our caped crusader...sorry, couldn't resist that, but seriously, wanted to pass along an update from Daniel Richeson at Viera Water Network on the work on getting a clean water system to Las Lajas, a village in the mountains in Nicaragua.  If you remember, we are helping to sponsor this project with the sales of our Bay West T-shirts.

Daniel emailed me and sent some pictures and I'm going to copy the email report from Maynor Curtis, who works with us in Nicaragua as a translator when we go.  Maynor is heading up the project onsite with the Mennonite Church that is working with the villagers to build the water system AND sharing Christ with them as they work on the project side by side.  GREAT NEWS and GREAT needs of prayer for the people and for Maynor personally.  You can read it below.

"Hello Brother Daniel! I return to Grenada on Thursday afternoon and Friday at 4:00 am, I was taken to hospital because I had high fever, cough, body aches and my blood pressure was down, 90/70. I was in the hospital until Sunday afternoon. I am serving as his interpreter, but with some difficulty, because I still coughing. For the last 5 weeks we could not work on the water project, but we had advanced a little, and the reason is the heavy rains in Nicaragua.

The rivers have plenty of water and we have to stay in Panama for 37 days, without returning to our homes because we could not cross the river that is on route to Los Panama and the Caribe.

On October 18 collapsed part of the hill, where we were and the water entered into the house at night, when we were sleeping, but thank God, we suffer losses of 20 bag of cement. The Mennonite church, going to buy others 20 bag of cement, (100 pound per bag); but the owner of the house, he lost some rabbits and some chickens. Next week, I returned to finish the work of the water tanks and then I will send the full report.

In Christ,

Maynor Curtis

The unprofitable bondservant of our Lord Jesus Christ"

 Our job is not through with the sending of the money to Nicaruagua...we need to PRAY! 

Here is specifically what I am charging you personally to pray with every day.

1)  For Maynor's health as he continues to try to run the project at far less than 100%

2)  For the weather to be conducive to finishing the project

3)  Praise God for the many who have accepted Christ in working on the project (over 23 at last count)

4)  Praise God the loss due to the damage of the hill collapsing was minor, but also pray for the owner who had losses, that God will bless him for helping with this project.

4 things...pray every day...this is part of our Radical Experiment and it's not done yet!

Pictures from the "T-shirts for Nicaragua" project with Viera Water Network!

  

The truth about wolves and Proverbs 18

¹⁵ “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. ¹⁶ By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
Matthew 7

You know...this is a well-quoted verse in Scripture, but misused by many people...Christians and non-Christians alike.

For so many, they believe that this verse is pointing at people who are in their limited estimation "bad" pastors or tele-evangelists or someone like that, but that's a very limited scope of what this verse is about...it speaks to just about anyone who would choose to speak in God's name.

In the Old Testament, it was easy to find the true prophet...if a prophet ran his mouth saying "thus sayeth the Lord" (because we know they didn't speak Hebrew, they spoke King James English - :)  ) and his prophecy didn't come true, the people just stoned him to death  and no more prophet.  Pretty simple.

Well, today, most people don't agree on prophecy as something that just tells the future, but prophecy is one who takes the Word of the Lord and expounds it with application and expediency to the people in a specific situation.  Basically, you take something from the Bible and speak "for" God into someone else's life and tell them what that means for them.  The problem is that without a fortune telling element, how do you know who to stone and are you really even supposed to do that?

That's why God put this together in Matthew 7...he said "by their fruit, you will recognize them."  In other words, they'll be true to the entirety of the character of God as expressed in the whole of Scripture.  Their message won't hold water or they will be exposed when they deliver it by their life not matching with what Scripture says.  For example, when someone brings the "truth", but spouts in in an unloving way or in violation of Scriptures such as Matthew 18...they are a false prophet at that moment.  Don't listen to them.

Or if, for example, out of fear and cowardice they hide in the bushes or scream their message from afar in a cowardly manner, you'll know they are false because Joshua 1:8 tells us that when God speaks through us it isn't through a spirit of fear, but of power and of love.

Or if, they do it in an ugly and disrespectful manner, obviously not trying to bring someone in sin to resolution with God, then they are violating Galatians 6, in which is clearly defines the proper way to approach someone who is caught in a sin...the proper way to view that person, not as an enemy, but a fellow co-laborer in Christ who needs help.  Maybe they violated Ephesians 4 by not being humble or gentle or patient or valuing unity with their fellow believers, feeling that somehow their message has given them leave to violate the rest of the Scripture...Then, well, you see by the fruit that you don't listen to them.

There are loads of examples here, but the truth is when someone delivers a message in an unChristlike manner, then you just heard all you needed to know about that person and what they had to say, because they just denounced their "prophetic message" with the way they lived out the "Gospel" in front of you. 

"But Jim, what if they quote Scripture (or part of one) or say a couple of things that sound good...shouldn't we listen to them then...what if only PART of what they say is wrong?"  That's cool, but there's more to it.

Here's why you don't want to listen to them...

Proverbs 18 puts it a little more bluntly about those who aren't following God in their speaking "for" God.  In the Bible, fools are characterized as those who don't follow Christ, because as Psalms 111:10 (or Proverbs 9:10) says "the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom"...but Proverbs 18:2 lays it pretty clear here..."Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions."  One, the person not following Christ isn't interested in the truth, it's just their opinion...their fruit tells you so. 

Proverbs 18:7 takes it further and tells you more..."The mouths of fools are their undoing, and their lips are a snare to their very lives."  First, their own words and message will cannibalize itself eventually.  Even further, their mouths and lips will be their OWN undoing and it will be a snare to their lives and if you participate in that, you'll be snared by the same things that ensnare them...because as you allow them access and influence over you, their snares, just like their words, will become yours as well.

Beware the wolf in sheep's clothing...they look like they know what they are doing, but pay close attention to them...."so we can STONE THEM, right, Jim?" 

No, we don't stone them.  We see them as people who are caught in sin just like anyone else.  It's not our job to take vengeance on anyone doing wrong (Romans 12:19), we leave that to God.  He's a much more strict, harsh and effective disciplinarian than we could ever be any way.  We are to be God's agents of mercy, grace and love (even love that says the hard truth, but never done without love or we violate Scripture again).  Doesn't mean we sacrifice the "truth" to love people, any more than we commit the sin of sacrificing "love" as our motivation of truth....and people know. 

Sometimes, it's hard to see them as what they are, because usually, to reference Proverbs 18, "fools" who just love to air their own opinions just annoy the daylights out of you...usually it's their self-aggrandizing arrogance that is really hard to love and that's only natural.  While that's natural, it's not God-controlled and we must always attempt to follow Christ, even more closely in the moments where we are in the presence of someone who is sin-controlled.  Not for our sakes, but for theirs and my interaction with them is about helping them, not pumping up myself (Phil 2:3).  It's not to down them or judge them or in some false humility moment insinuate how much better we are than them...not at all, because that's not remotely what Christ wants us to be...if we succumb to that, we become them, not help them.  No, we must pray for them, care for them and use the strength that Christ gives us to endure what they have to say, however misguided, in hopes that some day, we can "restore them gently" to full fellowship with Christ. 

So love the wolves, pray for the wolves, but just don't listen to them or get caught up in their mess.

Thought about brides

Just a thought...  If you say you are all in with me as a person, but you keep ragging on my wife, keep acting like you are too cool for someone like her (not that you ever would) and aren't sold on her having a pretty immovable place in our circle...we're gonna have issues, because she's my #1...they'll be some weirdness.

I was just thinking...Jesus called the church "His bride"...how you think that flies with Him if a) you keep ragging on her, b) think you are "above" hanging out with her and c) aren't really sold on her having a pretty immovable place in your circle....well?  You think that's gonna fly any better with Him?

Just sayin'...you might find out that you and Jesus have some weirdness there.  Might be a good idea to clear that up.

Unity is pursued...not fallen into

In this series "ONE", we are talking about some basic foundational concepts and as we talked about on October 2, UNITY was something that Jesus prayed specifically for YOU, as a Christ follower to have.

That means two things...one, it is important enough to pray for you to God about and two, it's something that needs God's help to achieve.

It's important because at the foundational identity of a Christian is a love that unifies the body of Christ...we won't be who we are or accomplish what we should accomplish OR be identified with Jesus without unity among the body of Christ.

Two, we need God's help to achieve it because it's not achieved by accident.  You have to be purposeful in achieving it.  When it is threatened, you have to put on your "big boy pants" and protect it...even if it puts you at risk of being made fun of or insulted or being hurt again or whatever, because Jesus never prayed that you'd never be made fun of or that you'd never be insulted or that life would never be hard...in fact, He told you all those things would happen and those things won't damage the church, but broken relationships and disunity will.  The reason we hang ourselves out on a limb to protect it is because it's THAT important to maintain.

If you, yes you, don't pursue it, it's not going to happen.  Matthew 18 gives us steps to deal with conflict that threatens the unity of the body and in the KJV, it says if your brother has wronged you...take care of it, in private.  I believe it says that so no one else will be tainted or tempted to take sides or be effected by the disunity...it's that important.

In Matthew 5, it says that if you bring your tithe to the altar and remember that your brother has a problem with you...as in there's problems between you two, and it's your fault...then go immediately and take care of it.  It even says just leave your tithe and take care of that broken relationship immediately...why?  Because it's THAT important.

What these two verses show you is that it doesn't matter who's at fault...all that matters is whoever knows it exists, hurt-ER or hurt-EE...they should be leading the charge to eat their pride and get it taken care of.  We should be falling all over ourselves to make it right...

Church in the Park was cancelled today due to weather, so we all worshipped at Melbourne Campus today and a quote from the sermon stuck out...

"Every broken relationship is a crack in the foundation of the body of Christ."

Think about that... Do you KNOW about a broken relationship between you and someone in the body of Christ that you aren't actively pursuing resolution to?  Then you are watching a crack in the foundation of the church grow wider each minute and Jesus says, "drop what you are doing and take care of it....NOW."  Why?  Because you HAVE to be willing to chase it and sacrifice for it and grasp it...and that doesn't mean that, even if someone has wronged YOU, it means "wait until they wise up and figure it out"...no.  It says it's important enough to drop all that you are doing, even if it's the worship of God and go chase unity down until you catch it...swallow your worthless pride and humble yourself to do it...it's that important...pursue it.

The Story of "The House That God Provides"

The story:  A wonderful story of God’s faithfulness in Panama rests in the “House that God Provides”.  As you know, we have a young couple from our church that felt called to full-time missions in Panama when we went there earlier this year.  They made an incredible step of faith to quit their jobs, and put their house on the market.  Without knowing where God’s provision for this calling was coming from, they stepped out in faith and began moving where God wanted them to be.  God has provided every step of the way, but one way that God has provided for them, for our church and for the mission of reaching the Chinese in Panama is through the “House that God Provides”.

During this time, a married couple in our church (who have asked for their names to be withheld) was moved by God to make a bold step as well…to buy a house in Panama.  The plan was to buy the house, let the couple (the Ervins) live in it rent free, and then it would be used to house the mission teams that come down to work with the Chinese.  The problem was…how to find a house that’s big enough to do that?  The couple gave the Ervins a number to shoot for and then they began looking for a house.  They looked at many houses, but many were too expensive.  They found one that would be perfect…it was newer than the more expensive ones, it was bigger than many of them and the design of it would lend itself perfectly to housing our teams when they came down…unfortunately, it was over the figure given.

While praying in Melbourne, the couple buying the house felt a calling of God to increase the number and God gave them one.  Mind you, they had no knowledge of the house the Ervins had found at all.  They called the Ervins and gave them the new number and yes, this is a God story, so it was the asking price of the house.  In addition to a place for the Ervins to live, allowing them to put more time into reaching the Hakka Chinese, this makes the cost of the Panama trip more economical for the teams that come by only adding a fraction of the normal housing cost for a Mission Team to stay in Panama (to upkeep the house).  While that is incredible, that’s not all, because this house also opens up a place to house teams from colleges and other churches that would join us in this effort.  Amazing, huh?  I’m not done.

The house itself came with a story.  The owners of the house go to El Dorado Baptist Church, one of our primary partners in ministering to the Chinese in Panama.  The husband had just become a Christian recently in the last year or so.  Upon becoming a Christian, he lost his job.  Nalo had been resistant to accept Christ, but when he did, he went at it for real.  His job required him to be untruthful periodically about certain figures about his company and after becoming a Christian, he would no longer lie about the production, so he lost his job.  Nalo, Marta and their two children remained true to God, even in the face of this seeming disaster. Not being able to find more work, the lack of income was forcing them to lose their house.  Imagine finally accepting Christ and integrity to that decision leading to the loss of your job, and now you couldn’t keep your house …but they remained true to God.  They had been searching for someone to buy the house before they would lose it, but, not just anyone, they had been praying for something special.  They have a heart to reach the Chinese of Panama and they had been praying for a Christian couple with the same heart to buy the house.  They were one month from losing the house completely when God led the Ervins to the house through the Pastor of El Dorado Church’s son, Richey, who is a lawyer in Panama.  They trusted God and He was there.

It doesn’t end there.  Now the Ervins had to find a way to stay in Panama legally.  The previous most-economical way to stay in Panama would have been to apply for a Missionary Visa which would cost the Ervins between $5000 and $10,000.  The Missionary Visa would last for a few years and then they would have to pay it all over again to renew it.  Richey informed them that with the price of the house, if the house was put in the Ervins’ name for a time that they could then apply for a permanent visa under a little used statute in Panamanian…for free.  This provision would also allow them to gain citizenship in just a few years.  It’s all perfectly legal.  That’s God.

So, God provides…but understand this…
…if the Ervins had not been faithful to just go with no concrete support for the future, just a promise from God…
…if the couple in Melbourne had not been faithful to what God said about the crazy notion of buying a house in Panama…
…if Nalo had not been faithful in his integrity to God in the face of unemployment…
…if Nalo and Marta had not been faithful to God to pray and wait for God’s timing…the mission to reach the Chinese in Panama wouldn’t have received this incredible confirmation/blessing/tool, and they wouldn’t have seen God’s provision in their lives in this amazing way.


The lesson: (DON'T miss this)

Faithfulness to God is a chain reaction and if I am unfaithful because I don’t see the resources in my hand, I refuse the hand of God and His provision in my life.  That’s my choice…that’s your choice...that’s our choice as a church as well…it’s the choice of being unfaithful or faithful and we make it every day.  We choose to reject the hand of God when we don’t tithe, when we don’t give our time, when we don’t risk our reputation to share …at each decision big AND small, we refuse the blessings that God has pre-arranged for us and for others and we choose destitution over blessing again and again.

While we were in Panama, the paperwork for the house was processed and the business done.  Part of that
business was the making of a plaque that would be affixed on the outside of the house.  In Chinese, Spanish and English, a sign exists to be a testament to the God that is faithful…it reads “The House that God Provides”.

Nalo, Marta and their two children

Saturday recap - Panama, mostly a rest day, but finishing strong

We started Saturday by taking the morning off and going on a boat trip to Monkey Island.  We rode a boat through a lake into the Canal on the way to some islands to observe the wildlife.  The lake was manmade out of a valley....it took 4 years to flood.  Under the lake were 23 former towns and a railroad.  At one of the islands a few monkeys jumped on our boat and tried to steal Pastor Larry's food (that he wasn't supposed to have out  -- lol), but it was great.  Saw a lot of good wildlife.

That afternoon Jenny met for over 2 hours with El Dorado church's children's workers and leaders and that could have gone on forever.  She was able to give a lot of feedback and wisdom to their children's area.

When she was through Larry taught for 3 hours on discipleship that evening.  There were 150-200 people that showed up for the conference and it ended with about 80% of them walking forward to commit to disciple someone one-on-one to Christ...It will be interesting to see how that goes.

We were really tired when we got in...but it was a profitable day.