Pastors' Blog

Is God Really Good?

joakley — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 21:03:13 +0000

We sing alot of songs about the goodness of God and make alot of statements like: "God is good, all the time." Yet we all go through some tough times in life that can cause us to wonder if God is really good. We can only stand strong in those times when we are grounded in the reality of God's goodness.

I was recently given a review copy of Randy Alcorn's book If God is Good - Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil (published by Multnomah). As with his other books - the author covers this important topic exhaustively - yet in a very readable style.

He answers questions such as:

If God is good, why is there evil and suffering in the world?

Since there is evil in the world, does that mean God is limited in His power, knowledge, goodness or love?

How are heaven and hell God's eternal solutions for the problem of evil?

Why doesn't God do more to restrain evil?

How can God bring good out of evil?

Every one of us will experience pain in life. In fact, some of us are experiencing it now. At those times, we need to run TO God, not FROM God. The only way we can do that is if we are grounded in the truth of God's Word and in the goodness of His character.

I encourage you to read If God is Good - and discover that He truly is good... all the time!

Tithing

joakley — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 20:44:37 +0000

Tithing (giving 10% of your income to the Lord) is a very controversial subject. Some Christians strongly believe in tithing and some strongly believe it is not part of New Testament teaching. Because of this, I read alot of books on giving and tithing to get different perspectives.

Recently, Thomas Nelson Publishing gave me a copy of a book to review entitled: "Tithing: Test Me in This" by Douglas Leblanc. This book was different from most books I've read on tithing. Tithing books are usually written from a theological viewpoint; being a theologian I like that. Most books on tithing exegete the biblical passages on tithing and give some illustrations. In this book, Mr. Leblanc interview people from different backgrounds who have the common denominator of tithing. The interviewees include Christians, Jews, liberals and conservatives. The idea was to see how tithing had impacted the lives of those who accepted God's challenge to test Him in this.

Because of the way this book was written, there's not enough Scripture for a serious Bible study. However, one of the ways we learn is from the testimonies of other Christians. So, there is much to learn from those who have tested the Lord in tithing. It's encouraging to see how tithing has blessed their lives.

So, if you're looking for a book on tithing that is easy to read and practical in application, "Tithing" by Douglas Leblanc is worth the read.

The Time to Praise

joakley — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 19:48:49 +0000

The other day I was thinking about different times we can praise the Lord. The Psalmist said, "I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth."

That means that snytime is the right time to praise Him!

So, in the good times… Praise Him!

In the bad times… Praise Him!

In fact, in the best of times or the worst of times… Praise Him!

In busy times and in slow times… Praise Him!

From opening time until closing time… Praise Him!

Whether you’re ahead of the times or behind the times… Praise Him!

Whether time is flying by or time is standing still… Praise Him!

Whether you’re working full-time, part-time or none of the time… Praise Him!

Whether you are big time or small time… Praise Him!

Whether it’s lunch time or crunch time… Praise Him!

Whether time is running out or you’ve got too much time on your hands… Praise Him!

When you’re having the time of your life… Praise Him!

When nobody will give you the time of day… Praise Him!

Even if you’re been around the block a few times… Praise Him!

Even if you’re doing time, serving time or living on borrowed time… Praise Him!

Whether time’s a wastin’ or the times they are a’ changing… Praise Him!

Whether you’re passing time, marking time or killing time… Praise Him!

Whether it’s not your time yet or time has passed you by… Praise Him!

Even if nobody has no time for you… Praise Him!

You see, time keeps on slippin’, slippin’, slippin’ into the future… And I don’t know about you, but all the way to the end of time… I’ll be praising. And in eternity – when time is no more - I’ll still be praising the Lord my God forever and ever!

Any time is the right time to praise!

The time to praise is always now!

Real Kids, Real People

joakley — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 20:03:29 +0000

We were blessed to have the Children of the World International Choir at our church on Sunday night. One of our missionaries - Roxanne Anderson - helped care for the children on Monday. She blogged about her experience and we wanted to share it with you. Thanks Roxanne!

Sunday night our church congregation sat enthralled as the Children of the World International Children's Choir performed their hearts out. These adorable kids from Nepal, Philippines and Uganda and dressed in native costumes danced, sang and drummed to raise awareness for Cause Life - a World Help program providing water wells in Third World countries.

When they raised their little voices and arms while belting out "A Global Hallelujah" there wasn't a dry eye in the place. It was moving and anointed and amazing. The lights of the stage radiated off their shining faces like the glory of the Lord. After their show was finished they came off the platform and into the audience and hugged people before running out of the sanctuary to the sound of applause.

Monday morning I arrive at the church at 8:00 am to help take care of all 15 choir kids for the day. Greeted by enthusiastic hugs from all of them, we fed them breakfast and started them out on a craft.

And that's when I noticed it. In the light of day, the angelic anointed children of the previous night were acting, well, mortal. Not everyone wanted to share. There was an occasional dispute over a glue stick or a pencil. Some of them got restless and rowdy and starting getting into things.

So we moved outside to run off energy. Some kids drew with chalk on the sidewalk. Other blew bubbles. Having only two bubble wands for 15 kids caused exactly the same kinds issues you would expect it to cause with American kids. I was working that out just before I had to go separate the two boys who had started a chalk war, using the chalk to mark each others' skin and clothing.

Nap time- yes, you guessed it. Some of them fell asleep instantly, others requested repeated drink and bathroom trips, still others slipped off their improvised beds of sanctuary chairs to crawl mischievously down the aisles.

By the end of the day, I was just as exhausted as I would have been if I had babysat 15 American kids all day.

So how did all this affect me? Did I think any less of them because I had seen this "other side" of the famous children's choir? Did I feel let down after spending time with them out of costume when they were not on performance behavior? Was I disillusioned at the difference between the children's Sunday and Monday manners?

Absolutely not.

Because I found out they were pretty much just like my kids, just the kids I've taught in children's church for years, and just like kids I've met all over the world.

My Monday with the choir reinforced something God is constantly showing me. And that is that people are just people. All people. Even when they are saved, anointed, called and in full time ministry. That includes pastors, missionaries, Christian musicians and artists, Sunday school teachers, as well as ordinary Christian folk, and your average man or woman standing in line at Wal-mart.

All people, no matter how "together" they look in public sometimes get stressed, get frustrated, struggle, have messes and laundry at home, run late, and feel insecure.

It applies double for kids. Kids are just people too. Yes, they can be called to great things at a young age. Yes, they can grasp spiritual concepts, and be taught of the Lord and used to minister to others. But that doesn't change the fact that they are still children, with immature emotions and limited experience in dealing with all the stress the world throws at them.

As parents - especially those of us with any kind of position or something else to prove- we need to be careful not to put a burden too heavy for our kids (or any kids) to bear by expecting them to be, well, better somehow. They aren't. Because we aren't. We all have the same struggles, and the same issues. Some people just hide them better than others.

Because we, as adults and parents, are just people too. We have bad days, and bad attitudes and melt-downs too. (I know you do, whether you admit it or not.)

It doesn't matter if you are growing kids God's way, or training up your child in the way they should go, or shepherding your child's heart, or sending your kids to Christian school or homeschooling. Your children are still just people. They need training, but they also need love and unconditional acceptance while you are showing them how to behave. And they desperately need to know that our love for them is not based on performance, but is unconditional.

Just like we as adults want and need.

It's called grace.

I am thankful I had one more chance yesterday to see a real life example of this truth. Many thanks to the beautiful, anointed REAL kids of the Children of the World choir for the opportunity.

Are You Getting Enough Selah?

joakley — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:57:23 +0000

One of our members - Jim Smith - writes a daily devotional that he sends by email to anyone interested. Today's devotional on Selah touched me, so I wanted to share it with you. The following are Jim's words:

Psalm 61 is a Psalm of David where he calls on the Lord for His help and protection and a Psalm of praise and worship: “Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” Psalms 61:1-2 [NIV]

One of the reasons David was a man after God’s heart was that he was not ashamed to call on the Lord, or to cry out, or to praise Him aggressively. David gives us insight as to why he calls to God: “For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings. Selah” Vs 3-4

A Psalm is a song and the word “Selah” is a cue to musicians to break and suspend the playing of instruments, so that all could focus on what they had just heard or played. Likewise in scripture when we see the word “Selah” we should stop reading to direct our focus on what we had just read before continuing.

“For you have heard my vows, O God; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name. Increase the days of the king’s life, his years for many generations. May he be enthroned in God’s presence forever; appoint your love and faithfulness to protect him. Then will I ever sing praise to your name and fulfil my vows day after day.” Psalms 61 [NIV] Vs 5-8

The next time you read the word of God and something resounds in your spirit, interject your own "Selah" and stop to consider what the Lord is saying to you. Don't be in a hurry to get from verse 1 to the last verse in the chapter. We need more “Selah’s” when we read!

Thanks Jim, for that powerful reminder. Not only do we need more Selahs when reading God's Word, but we need more in our daily lives! Make sure you make time to pause from your busyness - time to be still and know that He is God!

Multi-ethnic Worship is Spiritual Warfare

joakley — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 19:26:54 +0000

God created the church to do many things – like worship, evangelize and make disciples. But Paul talks about the eternal purpose of the church in Ephesians 3:10-11

His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I was on a pastor’s retreat reading through the Spirit-Filled Life Bible and it gave the definition of the word manifold and it just jumped off the page at me. The word manifold literally means that God’s wisdom is “many colored.” There are different ways to interpret that passage - but what God spoke to me that day was that God’s many-colored wisdom is shown when people from different racial and cultural backgrounds are united in Christ in the church.

God wants to show His many-colored wisdom through the church - to whom? To the rulers and authorities in heavely realms - to the demonic rulers of this world spoken of in Ephesians 6 - to the spirit of racism.

I believe that whenever and wherever different ethnic groups gather together and worship – that in itself is an act of spiritual warfare. Demons can’t stand it when Christians worship – and they really can’t stand it when blacks and whites and Hispanics and Asians worship together!

Why do you think it’s so hard to build a multi-ethnic church? Because when we are a visible manifestation of God’s manifold, multi-colored wisdom we are in the forefront in the war against racism. Join us as we worship together and God's manifold wisdom is expressed in a powerful way that overcomes the enemy!

10 Reasons You Need to be in a Grace Group

joakley — Tue, 25 May 2010 15:44:55 +0000

Small groups have been a major part of church life since the time of Christ. At GFC, we call them Grace Groups. We believe every Christian should be a part of a small group. Here are ten reasons YOU need to be part of a small group:

1. Jesus is our example and He was in a small group.

2. The early church in the book of Acts met in small groups. (Acts 2:46)

3. Small groups help you feel like a part of God’s family.

4. Discipleship and life change happen in small groups.

5. Small groups provide the opportunity to make friends.

6. Small groups provide opportunities to develop leadership skills.

7. Small groups provide opportunities to pray for others and to be prayed for by others.

8. Isaiah 65:8 says that the new wine is in the cluster. A cluster is a small group of believers who are abiding in the vine - Jesus Christ - and connected to each other.

9. Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”

10. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 says, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

Take the 30-Day Prayer Challenge!

joakley — Mon, 03 May 2010 21:38:45 +0000

Thursday, May 6th is the National Day of Prayer. We are hosting the official Grand Prairie event and I encourage you to attend.

But more than that, we want to challenge you to pray every day for the next 30 days for whatever it is you need God to do in you or for you or through you. Maybe it's for a personal need or maybe it's for someone else, but pick something big that will only happen with God's supernatural intervention. Pray big prayers with big faith!

Pastor Deb and I have done this many times. In fact, we did that years ago and at the end of 30 days, we had the word from God to start this church. We are praying now for God to help us get out of debt.

No telling what exciting adventures God may have in store for you! I guarantee you if you pray every day for 30 days something will be changed, even if that something is you! I encourage you to let us know how God answers your prayers!

Multi-ethnic, multi-cultural or both?

joakley — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 22:14:44 +0000

Grace Fellowship Church is a multi-ethnic church, but we are also multi-cultural. What's the difference?

Multi-ethnic means that our church is composed of people from different ethnic backgrounds. At the beginning of 2010, the ethnic makeup of GFC is:

53% - White

30% - African American

15% - Hispanic

2% - Asian

Multi-cultural means that our services include various cultural distinctives of the different ethnicities that make up our church. For instance, our music is mainly contemporary, but we also sing gospel songs and an occasional song in Spanish.

Also, we recently took part in customs drawn from both the Indian and African cultures. Our prayer ministers are from India and they informed us of a custom in Indian churches to print and distribute a Bible promise for the year. So, at the beginning of the year, we did just that. We had a promise printed in India and distributed it to our congregation. Also, we recently included a Nigerian Thanksgiving service in one of times of worship. Both of these customs from other cultures greatly blessed our congregation.

It's exciting to be part of a church that includes people from many ethnic and cultural backgrounds! Together we are touching heaven and changing earth!

Starting Over After Failure

joakley — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 22:16:24 +0000

In the eyes of God, failure is never final! The book of Proverbs tells us that a righteous man may fall seven times, but he gets back up!

In his great book, Failing Forward, leadership expert John Maxwell says that failure can actually propel us forward in life if we do three things:

1- Be big enough to admit our failures

2- Be smart enough to learn from our failures, and

3- Be strong enough to put failure behind us.

I want to encourage you with this fact, no matter how big you have failed or how many times you have failed, with God's help, you can get back up and start over!

Dare to believe it!