WE CAN BE CHANGED

Date: Sat Sep 26 23:25:30 2009

Thanksgiving is not so common anymore. When you put yourself out for people, many times you do not get even a word of thanks. I was at a carwash ñ the kind where you run through the machine and they take about a minute to hand dry what the blower left on ñ when a fancy SUV ñ I think a Cadillac Explanade - was in front of me. The owner got out, and pointed to drops of water on the wheels, on the bumper, etc. The two men took about four times or more the normal effort to accommodate the hard to please customer who should have gotten a hand wash or a detail if he wanted that high level of service. I noted the man did not tip anything. When I gave my tip, I commented on it ñ the man said thatís the way it is ñ those who want the most abuse the most.

I just read this morning that within 2 years of retiring from the NFL. 78% of the ex-players are under financial stress. Either bankrupt, trying to get out from poor investments, overspending on real estate, or supporting multiple children by multiple women. Even those who arenít engaging in rampant infidelity find that the woman who loved them while they were in the limelight may now decide to divorce them and cash out while the big cash is still to be had.

If money is supposed to solve issues, just remember that those who have more money in a year that you do in a lifetime often end up ruined. With big-time lottery winners, the result is the same. The Bible talks about easy money vanishing quickly, and more often than not it does.

Many are speaking a lot because of the difficult times we are in. I am self employed and when you take the losses of so many small businesses into account, the real unemployment and loss of income figures go beyond those of the Great Depression, where unemployment was 18%. In parts of Michigan and California, local unemployment rates are as high as 40%.

If you are someone whom the recession has not personally touched, what is your attitude? Do you pray for them and help as you can, or you simply concentrate on yourself?

Dr. Dao Brown, originally from Nigeria, sends me messages every week. He just did a series FROM POVERTY TO PROSPERITYÖ

"The poor useth entreaties; but the rich answereth roughly." (Proverbs 18:23 - KJV.)

The depth of truth in this verse hit me square in the face, and all of a sudden I began to understand why certain individuals speak, and treat you the way they do.

I AM A BUSINESSMAN AND IT IS TRUE IN BUSINESS AS IT IS IN PERSONAL ENCOUNTERS. SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT BECAUSE THEY ARE PAYING FOR A SERVICE THAT THEY CAN TREAT YOU WORSE THAN THEIR DOG. You see, we have found ourselves at the mercy of men and no matter how much you try to be polite, implore, or use entreaties, the end result will always be the same... a rough, rude, impolite, harsh, and sometimes, an outright heartless feedback.

The answer is really not so far-fetched; its all in the verse above, and I need to show you the same verse in various translations to drive the point home:

"With supplications doth the poor speak, And the rich answereth fierce things." (YLT.).

"The poor man's language is entreaty, the rich man's answer harshness." (Jerus.).

"The poor useth entreaties: But the rich answereth impudently." (JPS.).

"The poor man implores, but the rich man answers harshly." (NASB.).

"The poor speaks humble requests, but the rich answers roughly." (MKJV.).

"When the poor speak, they have to be polite, but when the rich answer, they are rude." (GNB.).

"The poor man pleads, and the rich man answers with insults." (Tay.).

Just reading through these translations of Proverbs 18:23 brings tears to my eyes because I have had to do a lot of weeping in my life. For those who have been where I have been, seen the things I have seen, and experienced the things I have experienced, the weightiness of these words cannot be mistaken... the polite poor and the rude rich.

It is obvious that poverty will somehow put you at the mercy of men; It will make you subservient and somewhat subordinate to the 'rich' man. You have no choices but to watch your words, and watch your steps; you have to carefully sensor your choice of words as you speak with them lest they be provoked. After all, you don't have what they have, so you have to dance to their tune; when you are insulted you have no choice but to absorb the insults and play along. Even when what they just said has no iota of humor in it, you have to laugh loud and long to impress them!

Proverbs 11:16 says _A kindhearted woman gains respect, but ruthless men gain only wealth._

MANY CHRISTIANS have pursued wealth, and if they achieve it, they are often as ruthless as sinners. They even believe because they are supporting the church, they should be able to control what path the preacher walks on.

I am friends with a pastor in New Jersey who has a church building that seats 200. He has two services on Sunday but still works as a construction manager. He is totally free in what he says ñ he is not dependent on the church for his livelihood.

I know another pastor who actually had church officers reprimand him because they moved the furniture around to suit their tastes. They started a business to increase their income and bought their own house.

I support myself by being an architect, and one piece of advice I give to those considering a church building project is to not spend the last dollar on a project. Make it a bit smaller and a bit less expensive and be sure you can pay for it with 25% fewer people in attendance. You see, the worst thing that can happen is to be held hostage by a mortgage ñ knowing that if you press hard against materialism, sexual sin, or whatever the strongholds you may have on your hands that you will see a drop in the giving.

A heard a pastor of a church near Dallas relay what happened to him. He was in what to us in the East would be a LARGE church, but perhaps not that big by Texas standards. It was an all-white church, even though people from all over lived nor all that far away. He was led by God to broaden his relationships, and he began to befriend Mexicans, Asians, Blacks, and so forth. Some began to visit the church. His folks dropped some hints to him ñ what you choose to do on your own is up to you, but we donít care for the direction you are going. He ignored them, and one Sunday found a welcoming committee inside his office conference room. Hey gave him an ultimatum. He told them he wasnít changing and to do what they wished. They left to go elsewhere. Within one week, the Sunday giving went down $20,000 for the day. The church started to hemorrhage financially and within six months it was on life support. God doesnít always reward you right after you do what he is requiring of you. They were just about over the cliff when 200 people joined in one day. Not long after they built a $3,000,000 childrenís center.

You simply have to obey the Lord. The big question is, why donít people?

The main reasons are because they either do not KNOW him or love him. I am speaking to both Christians and non-Christians here.

Do you KNOW the Lord? Do you truly LOVE him?

I am not simply talking about a set of beliefs.

I am not just talking about going to an altar.

I am not talking about raising your hand when you are asked at the end of an inspiring message.

I am talking about responding spirit, mind, and body to the advances of God toward you.

- Abraham was minding his business when God called him.

- Moses was living in Midian because he had murdered someone and had fled when God came in a burning bush to him.

God seeks people for different reasons. He wanted Abraham to be the Father of many nations. He wanted Moses to deliver the Jews out of Egypt. He is not calling you to do either of those things ñ those jobs are already done, and both Abraham and Moses are in the bosom of God.

No God is pursuing you for a different purpose. What it is specifically, I do not know. What I DO know is that it is for you to glorify him, to win souls, to disciple people and to strengthen the church.

Some are eyes, some are ears, some are the more hidden parts, but all have a role.

You see, God is seeking a bride for his son, Jesus Christ. A multi-membered bride. If people were flowers, He is picking each flower for what it will add to the bouquet. Never try to copy someone else. Never try to win all souls the same way. God has approached you as an individual ñ be sure to allow the Holy Spirit to tailor his leading to you to suit the situation.

God comes to people much the same way as man pursues a woman.

When a man sees a woman he wants, every ìNOî seems to make him even more determined. Now God is persistent, but God does warn us that his spirit will not always strive with you, so donít play mating games with him. Nevertheless, God will stalk you until he has you in a corner. C.S. Lewis, Josh McDowell, Lee Stroebel were all atheists. They were determined to resist Godís advances. In fact they did not believe he even existed ñ that at most he was the figment of people's imagination.

When man sees a woman he wants, he spares no time and no expense to win her. God spared no expense in giving his only son to take your death sentence for sin and to die in place of you.

He got CS Lewis, he got Josh McDowell, he got Lee Stroebel. He got me. He got my wife, and he got many of you as well.

I am speaking on two levels here, to those who donít know him, and to those who have entered in but have resisted the full level of intimacy he requires of you. Being the Bride of Christ involves not only the ceremony or public proclamation of your loyalty, it requires INTIMACY and consummation of that relationship.

Letís look into that ñ this is for Christians and to whet the appetite of those waiting to come in to God's kingdom.

There is an illustration of our heart being a home for Christ (after all, we invite Christ to come into our heart!). The problem is, most people open the front door, but leave Jesus standing in the Foyer. The door to the Family Room where ìDesperate Housewivesî is tuned in on the flat panel TV is closed. The door to the bedroom is also closed where someone is lying in the bed who doesnít belong there. Doors to the laundry room, the kitchen, and the bathroom are also closed. Christ demands access to every room and to call on the shots on every issue. He wants to watch TV with you He wants to wash you thoroughly, he wants to sup with you, he wants you to eliminate everything from your life that is not needful and to dress you in his armor. We cannot be content with Christ being not much more than a visitor. He must be intricately involved in every aspect of our lives.

Now to those who donít yet know him, I say this. Many people have difficulty believing that God could love them. After all, they have done the most repulsive things. God doesnít care about that. He sees the end result. A friend of mine likes to restore old cars. One he has is a 1959 Mark 9 Jaguar sedan.

He was doing a construction job. He saw this rusted hulk in the garage. Flat tires. Ripped upholstery. Nothing to look at. I'm not even sure it was up on blocks. They gladly sold it to him for two grand. He has put over $100,000 into it, and it won first place at a major car show in Bucks County. Today it is worth many times what he paid for it.

There is great worth in every person. Sometimes life has resulted in rusting you out,

tearing your upholstery, flattening your tires, and only GOD knows what else.

Yet God has destined you for glory, and he sees the end result. What God has destined for the most broken people often EXCEEDS that for ìnormalî folks. The Jaguar is superior to most NEW cars. God has chosen the debased in this world to show forth his glory. Let him restore you HIS way.

When I am in a building that I designed that was just completed, people ask me whether I knew it would look like this. I say SURE, I can visualize the end from the beginning because I am an architect.

Well, the architect and builder of the world is GOD.

It does not yet appear what we shall be,

BUT HEY, to God it is already done.

SOMETIMES IT TAKES A WHILE FOR THE DEED TO BE DONE. IF YOU SAY I HAVE DONE THIS BEFORE, HANG WITH ME AND DO NOT GIVE UP. WHETHER YOU KNOW HIM BUT YOU NEED A FRESH SPARK OR WHETHER YOU HAVE NEVER KNOWN HIM, GOD HAS SOMETHING SPECIAL TODAY FOR YOU.

EZEKIEL 16

6 " 'Then I passed by and saw you kicking about in your blood, and as you lay there in your blood I said to you, "Live!" 7 I made you grow like a plant of the field. You grew up and developed and became the most beautiful of jewels. Your breasts were formed and your hair grew, you who were naked and bare.

8 " 'Later I passed by, and when I looked at you and saw that you were old enough for love, I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness. I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Sovereign LORD, and you became mine.

9 " 'I bathed you with water and washed the blood from you and put ointments on you. 10 I clothed you with an embroidered dress and put leather sandals on you. I dressed you in fine linen and covered you with costly garments. 11 I adorned you with jewelry: I put bracelets on your arms and a necklace around your neck, 12 and I put a ring on your nose, earrings on your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. 13 So you were adorned with gold and silver; your clothes were of fine linen and costly fabric and embroidered cloth. Your food was fine flour, honey and olive oil. You became very beautiful and rose to be a queen.

14 And your fame spread among the nations on account of your beauty, because the splendor I had given you made your beauty perfect, declares the Sovereign LORD."

Unfortunately, the people rejected this wonderful relationship with God and prostituted themselves endlessly. We must respond to Godís advances and remain solely in HIS arms.

The problem is, most people have no clue how to know God or how to respond to his advances. They figure they have to undergo some self-improvement program first.

They have to make a list of doís and doníts.

Hey, it is because it is not preached right. 78% of High School Students in Oklahoma could not name the first President of our country! Is it because they were dumb? No, it is because they were not TAUGHT!

Most people do not hear the gospel of Christ accurately, so they donít know how to follow through. It IS NOT ALL THAT HARD, and you can do before you leave here today, so here we go:

1) Acknowledge that Jesus Christ is God.

John 1:1

2) Acknowledge that I am a sinner without hope of eternal life in the state that I am in.

Romans 3:23

Romans 6:23

3) Acknowledge that Christ's suffering and death was necessary to deal with sin.

John 3:16

4) Believe that Jesus indeed bore my sins personally, and that he indeed is my Savior from sin.

1 Peter 2:24 - He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.

5) Believe that Jesus indeed physically rose from the dead, and he raises me with him to a new life. Donít fall into a big deception of our day ñ the resurrection of Jesus was PHYSCIAL ñ JESUS WAS SEEN

I Corinthians 15:3-5

3For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance[a]: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5and that he appeared to Peter,[b] and then to the Twelve.

Romans 6:4 (New International Version)

4We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

6) Confession that Jesus Christ is Lord and he has the right to do anything with my life that he chooses.

Romans 10:9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved._

Romans 12:1

7) Confession before men that I am saved and following the Lord Jesus Christ.

Matthew 10:32 Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.

There it is. Act on Godís advances to you today. Either to open the door for the very first time, or to fling open every door of your heart so he has free reign in your life and can transform and restore everything that has need of his touch. I will be here and either I or my wife would be delighted to walk you through one-on-one what you need to do to respond to our Lord.