An Act of Kindness

On Mother's Day, the message for Gateway was entitled, "Try a Little Kindness." Our passage was from Colossians 3:12:

Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Colossians 3:12 (NLT)

We looked at the story of the Good Samaritan as a Biblical example of kindness. Jesus used this parable as an example of love immediately after he had communicated the two great commandments -- Love God, and Love Others. Kindness is love in action.

The challenge from the message was this: Who needs my kindness this week? Put kindness into action.

This past week we received a letter from the pastor of First Baptist Church, Rutherfordton, NC. He and a number of others from his church had experienced this love in action from a member of our Gateway family.

Dear Pastor and Church,

I want to commend a member of your congregation for showing the Good Samaritan Spirit in a modern day situation! Carl Bennett did our 25 JOY Group Members a tremendous service a few weeks ago as he demonstrated wonderful Christian love.

Our church bus was stalled north of Columbia (about 20 miles) on April 30, and Carl stopped to offer help. He carried 2 of our men back to Lexington (SC) to pick up 2 rental vans and then guided them back to our I-26 position near Chapin. He spent almost 2 hours of his time helping us in a real jam! Our bus had sheared 2 bolts on the torque converter which drives the flywheel and we had lost the transmission, and it had to be towed to Gaffney.

Please know that Carl's gracious spirit and time and concern was a powerful sermon for our church group! Please use the enclosed in his honor.

Gratefully,
Dean Baughn

The pastor had enclosed a gift offering expressing his gratitude.

Carl would not want this to be public because it would draw attention to him. He was simply putting Christ on display by putting his love into action. His act of kindness happened because of who he is and who he serves.

The same words Jesus used to close this parable apply to us:

Now go and do the same.

Written and posted by Russ Holt on behalf of Don Brock (on mission trip to Uganda).

Uganda Photos

Thanks for praying for Mark and me. There is a professional photographer with us on the trip. He is posting his photos on line... check them out: http://www.joshmckague.com/blog/?page_id=188

See you soon.

From Uganda

Mark Canada and I, along with 18 other pastors, are in Uganda with Compassion International. It is impossible to put into a few words what fills my heart. We have been witnessing first hand the work of Compassion and the impact it is having on the lives of thousands of children in this area. Next year celebrates 30 years of Compassion in the country of Uganda.

I look forward to sharing stories and pictures with you in the near future. Pray for us as we travel home Wednesday evening.

What’s the deal with fear? – Part 4

Two weeks ago, my neighbor was excited. He just received his World Series ring. Jerry Martin played pro baseball then turned batting coach for the Phillies. This past season, he was a base coach for the Phillies. If you follow baseball, then you know that the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Tampa Bay Rays for the 2008 World Series. Jerry’s ring is beautifully gaudy, if that is possible. It’s HUGE. Three and one-half carats worth of diamonds. I am very excited for my neighbor.

Being like any normal boy I grew up loving baseball. I knew the players and the teams. I was always excited when the World Series came around. When I was about 12-years-old I saw my first professional baseball game. We traveled to Atlanta to see the Braves play the L.A. Dodgers. I saw Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax pitch for L.A. Amazing! I remember it all.

Okay. I’m going to share with you the most fearful moment of my life…

Tomorrow is my birthday. I will be 55-years-old. Every year since my 12th birthday, the week following my birthday reminds me of the most fearful moment of my life.

As a kid, I was a very average athlete. I was an average wrestler on my high school team. I was an average center for our city club basketball team (we did finish 2nd in the state.) But what I really loved was baseball. I played 3rd base in little league. I was an average ball handler. But one thing I could do well was hit the ball.

It was my last year in little league. I was 12-years-old and in the 6th grade. We played at Armstrong City Park in High Point, NC. It was a great field. Our outfield fence seemed unreachable. Homeruns were very rare at our field. If you got a homerun, it was usually inside the park. But I was determined to do it. I was determined to slam one out of the park.

My dad was pretty sick by this point. I didn’t know he had cancer, much less that he might die. Back in those days parents felt that they were protecting their child by not burdening them with tough information. (I found out my dad had cancer from a neighborhood kid… I beat him up for saying such a thing.)

All I knew was my dad was too sick to come to my games. I was determined to do one thing for my dad… hit a homerun. I knew that would make him happy. After all, he taught me to catch… to run… to throw… and to hit a baseball.

It was a Thursday night. We were playing well. I was in my usual rotation spot as clean-up batter. I didn’t feel anything special when I got to the plate. I just remember swinging and connecting. There was a brief moment of “could this be it?” I watched the ball head out of the park. WOW! It was an awesome feeling. It was hard to contain my smile while rounding the bases. My older sister, Donna, made fun of my attempt to hide that smile. It was awesome. Sweet victory!

Normally after a winning game, we headed to the ice cream parlor… coach’s treat. And if you hit a homerun, double treat… you got a milk shake! Big deal for a little leaguer!

But on this night, the earned milk shake was the last thing on my mind. All I could think of was getting to the hospital to talk to my dad and tell him about my homerun.

At my insistence, my mom took me to the hospital. It was probably 9:00 at night. We went into his room. It was dark except for a dim light above the bed. Dad was turned onto his side facing the door. He had his covers pulled up to his chest. He seemed peaceful. He appeared smaller for some reason. As I expected, he was sleeping. He was actually in a coma, but I didn’t know what a coma was. All I understood was that he had to sleep a lot.

I walked over to his bed in my dirty uniform. I had long passed the day of having to self-impose dirt onto my uniform. If a player didn’t have enough dirt on his uniform, any respectable little leaguer would rub dirt into his uniform (while no one is looking of course). You didn’t want to have to explain why your uniform was so clean after a game. I admit I had a few moments of respectability during my first year of little league.

With my dirty uniform, hat and glove, I decided not to wait for my Dad to wake up. I leaned down, put my elbows on his bed and got really close to his ear. I quietly said, “Hey Dad, I finally hit that homerun for you.” Now I don’t know if it really happened, but as far as I am concerned, I saw a small smile appear on his face. I will never forget that smile. It was burned into my mind and my heart. It was a great feeling. That smile would become very important to me.

Little did I know that it would be the last words I would ever speak to my Dad.

Two days later, we were at my Dad’s parents. It was late Saturday evening. Everyone was at the hospital except an aunt, my little brother and me. My Dad’s 18-year-old brother, Gary walked in. I immediately saw that his eyes were red. Had he been crying? He wouldn’t make eye contact with me. Then I heard my Dad’s mom crying. That was the first time I ever heard her cry. (She just had her centenarian birthday this past February.)

I was still clueless.

My pastor, Jim Pharr walked in with my Mom. “What is he doing here?” I wondered. “Why is everyone so different?” Someone got a wet wash cloth to put on my grandmother’s forehead. She kept saying “My head hurts… my head hurts so bad.” I thought, “Maybe that’s why everyone is sad. Grandmother is sick.”

Then my 8-year-old brother, Elliott walked straight up to me and said “Dad died.”

What? Did I hear right? He must be wrong. How could two words hurt so much? I looked at my Mom. When I saw her face and our eyes met, I knew it was true. I just fell to the couch and cried. My sister tells me even today that I didn’t stop crying for two days. There was zero comfort to be found.

I remember Pastor Pharr placing his hand on my knee. He tried to say some words, but I wasn’t listening. Don’t get me wrong. I was glad he was there, but I would rather have had my Dad.

This was my most fearful moment… I just turned 12-years-old a week earlier. How was I going to make it through my teenage years without a Dad? Who was going to play catch with me? Who was going teach me all the “man stuff” I needed to know? Who was going to teach me how to drive a car? How to change the oil? Repair the lawn mower? Change a fuse? Who was going to teach me about girls? I was a lost, scared little boy who wanted his Dad. I never knew there could be so much fear.

But God was not going to abandon me. He gave me a wonderful promise. I’m not sure who told me about the passage… maybe it was Pastor Pharr. Whoever told me, it changed my life.

Sing praises to God and to his name! Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds. His name is the Lord— rejoice in his presence! Father to the fatherless, defender of widows— this is God, whose dwelling is holy. Psalm 68:4-5 (NLT)

“Father to the fatherless.” I can honestly say that those four words took away my fear. I have remembered those words throughout my life. Every time I have a moment of fear and wish my Dad was near by, instead of asking God “Why me?” I say to God, “Thank you Lord for being my Dad. I have nothing to fear.”

Here is the key question for you. What verse, what promise does God have for you in your fear? Find it… memorize it… believe it! Then watch the fear melt away.

By the way… I went on to win the homerun crown for my league that summer of 1966. Other than a few games, I’ve never played baseball again.

What’s the deal with fear? – Part 3

When it came to fear and faith, Jesus was a laser-beam with his disciples. He never let up. Listen to what he said long after the walking on water event:

Afterward the disciples asked Jesus privately, “Why couldn’t we cast out that demon?” “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.” Matthew 17:19-20 (NLT)

Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.” Matthew 21:21-22 (NLT)

He was still dealing with faith. Do you have enough faith? Concerning the mustard seed statement, John MacArthur put it this way: “True faith, by Christ’s definition, always involves surrender to the will of God. What He was teaching here is nothing like positive-thinking psychology. He was saying that both the source and the object of all genuine faith—even the weak, mustard-seed variety—is God. And “with God nothing will be impossible” (Luke 1:37).”[1]

The disciples were learning that no matter how much they learned or how much they grew, they always had to rely on Jesus when ministering to others. Good lesson for us. How often do we say, “Okay Lord, I can handle it from here…” only to become disillusioned or bewildered and asking ourselves “what went wrong?”

Sometimes the storms of life come because of our poor decisions and disobedience. But the “walk on water” storm came because they did obey Jesus. They did exactly as he said… and the storm came.

As Jesus constantly dealt with the disciples on issues of faith and fear, maybe he was setting the foundation of the church. The church is God’s “Plan A.” In fact, there is no “Plan B.” Maybe God allows storms in your life so that you can be a vital part of His plan.

So what is the storm in your life? A more important question: Why do you think it is there?

For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” Hebrews 13:5b (NLT)

[1]MacArthur, J. (1989). Matthew (83). Chicago: Moody Press.

What’s the deal with fear? – Part 2

Why is it so important for the Lord to teach us about fear and faith?

If there was an issue that reared its head over and over again with the disciples, it was the issue of fear and faith. How often do we read in the Bible of Jesus saying to his disciples: “You have so little faith;” “why do you doubt me?”

Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” “Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?” Matthew 14:28-31 (NLT)

The thrill didn’t last, however. Jesus saw this one coming.

Up to this point, Peter was doing great. He had the faith to get out of the boat. He had the faith to take some steps. Then “reality” hit. Instead of focusing on Jesus, he focused on the storm – the strong wind and the waves. Once he took his eyes off of Jesus, his “common sense” kicked in. The world’s reality and truth; and our human common sense will get us into trouble every time. We rely on ourselves instead of Jesus. We rely on our “experiences” instead of God’s Word.

But before you judge Peter, you have to admire him for seizing the moment. Let’s face it – even though he was humiliated and screamed like a little girl (no sexism intended), he was the only person other than Jesus in all of history to experience the thrill of walking on water!

Jesus allowed Peter to reach panic mode. He waited until Peter screamed for help. Then Jesus immediately saved him. To make sure the lesson was sinking in, he asked the obvious question. (Important note: Jesus never asked questions because he lacked information.) He asked questions in order to get us to think -- to make sure we are asking ourselves the right question. “Why did you doubt me?” Is Jesus asking you the same question today? When you fear, he may be asking you the same question -- “Why do you doubt me?”

What fear is causing you to doubt?

What's the deal with fear? - Part 1

I want to revisit a verse I shared with you in April.

“Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone. Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, ‘It’s a ghost!’ But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!” Matthew 14:22-27 (NLT)

There is a truth in this verse that can be easily missed. Jesus insisted that his disciples get in the boat and cross to the other side of the lake. I have personally been on the lake referenced in this passage. It makes Lake Murray look like a fishing pond. It’s huge! In fact, Mary and I were riding across the Sea of Galilee on the back of a boat when I asked her to marry me… for the third time I might add.

So here is my question. When Jesus sent the disciples to the other side of the lake, did he know what was in store for them? Of course he did. He was setting up a teaching moment. He knew the storm was coming… maybe he sent the storm. He certainly used his authority to stop the storm.

So why was Jesus teaching them about fear? Actually he was teaching them about faith. If you are going to be a person of faith, you have to understand fear.

You know faith is the key don’t you?

“And it is impossible to please God without faith.” Hebrews 11:6a

“God saved you by his grace when you believed (faith).” Ephesians 2:8a

The next time you are overwhelmed with fear, ask Jesus, “Lord, what lesson do you want to teach me?” I bet he will teach you something about faith.

Mother's Day

Sunday at Gateway is going to be awesome for one simple reason - Jesus will be there. We've got a boat load of children to dedicate. Those of you who have navigated the sometimes choppy waters of child raising... speak a word of encouragement to the parents who are dedicating their child tomorrow.

I will pick back up on our fear discussion this coming week.

Pray that God will speak to you during the worship tomorrow.

Sunday thoughts

Sunday was awesome. Jim Peters did a fantastic job in our interview. Jim’s story was the perfect end to the sermon series on Forgiveness. His is an incredible account of the power of Jesus Christ to change lives. Even though I already knew Jim’s story, it still overwhelmed me once again to hear how loving our Lord really is.

Jim shared how God changed the life of a brutal, murderous terrorist named Josiah Makoni. Jim was number one on Josiah’s assassination list. After his salvation, God used Josiah to tell the Good News to other terrorist. THEN, God did another big thing. Josiah and his band of former murderous, hate-filled terrorists became Jesus loving, Holy Spirit-filled evangelists. God used them to bring the Good News to their country.

Don’t ever think that God can’t use someone like you!

Listen online to Jim’s interview:
http://gatewaybc.com/clientimages/39242/audiosermons/5-03-09web.mp3

http://www.gatewaybc.com/templates/System/details.asp?id=39242&PG=xCast&LID=2228

Be sure to get your copy of Jim’s book “Dawn of Deliverance.” You can order the book online at all major book retailers or purchase one directly from Jim. He will have copies with him Sunday, May 17th.

Welcome back Cory Singleton! Cory is now leading our Classic service. Worship was wonderful on Sunday… thanks Cory. We are glad to have you back home!

Ted Haggard Interview at Elevation Church

In The State paper today, there is an article about Ted Haggard. Let me encourage you to check out his interview last week at Elevation Church. Elevation Church is located in Charlotte. My son Mack is one of the worship leaders and his wife Meredith is the Executive Assistant to Pastor Steven. It is worth your time to view.

http://www.elevationchurch.org/mediaPlayer.php?sermon=170

Conquering My Fears

General George Patton, the famous World War II general was known as a colorful man. He was a brilliant military strategist; had a mind that was focused like a laser-beam; had zero patience with anyone standing in his way; always spoke his mind (and sometimes spoke without using his mind). Patton defined the Latin phrase “Prima Dona.”

I talked to a friend of mine who served under Patton during the war. He was only 18 years old when he was in Patton’s army. Imagine – an 18 year old fighting in the Battle of the Bulge! I was having fun in college when I was 18.

I asked my friend if he ever had a conversation with General Patton. He said “Patton spoke to me once. And he cussed me out.” Patton was known for his strong language. But he was also known as a man who read the Bible every day. Although the Bible didn’t change Patton’s language, I believe the Bible impacted Patton’s thoughts. One quote attributed to Patton was “Fear kills more people than death.” I have found that statement to be true.

Has fear killed your dreams; killed your marriage; killed your career? Has fear killed your spirit of adventure? Has fear killed your passion for Jesus? Has fear of people and their opinions killed your willingness to step out by faith? Most important, has fear killed your faith… your ability to trust God?

So where does that fear come from? Well, it didn’t come from God. The Bible says: For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT)

Let’s spend some time over the next week or two thinking through this thing called fear…