Mark 13:34-37

It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

“Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”

This past Sunday, I spoke about the urgency we should all feel in our Christian walk. When I say urgency, what I mean is a real passion for Christ. Jesus tells us that we do not know the day or hour in which he will return, but tells us that we should not lose our Christian zeal as though we have been abandoned. He has given us each a task and that task is to carry the gospel to all nations (Matthew 24:14, 28:19, Mark 13:10, Luke 24:47).

We are living in a time like no other. If ever there should be a sense of urgency to see others come to Christ, it is now. We must pray for revival: in our church, in our city, in our state, in our nation, and in the whole world. We are not called to be passive Christians, but are called to be filled with passion for the grace given through Christ. The Apostle Paul said, “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God” (2 Timothy 1:6, NIV).

I want to share a story that I shared on Sunday.

Peter had a friend, John. Peter was a devoted believer in Christ, but was he a follower?

Peter and John are co-workers and often enjoy sporting events together. Peter did not know much about John’s faith (or lack-off). The sad thing is John didn’t know about Peter’s. As time went on, John and Peter hung out and worked together often, but Peter never asked John about his faith, nor even tried to share, not once!

One day, the Lord returned. As Peter was brought up with Jesus and all of the believers, he saw his co-worker John standing on the earth. As Peter watched, it dawned on him that his friend was not coming with him. All of a sudden a great earthquake shook the earth and a huge pit opened up and swallowed John and all of the other non-believers.  Screams of horror could be heard all the way up to the heavens. Everyone, including the angels in heaven, felt the most intense sorrow for what had just taken place.

Peter just realized that he could have helped John come to know the Lord. Peter could have been the instrument that God could have used to place John in heaven with Peter.

Do any of us want to be Peter? This day is coming, and it is coming faster than we realize. There is an urgency to turn your Christian belief into an unstoppable Christian Force!

Let us all fan the flame for Christ. Let us not be passive, but be focused on bringing others to know the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Do not let an opportunity pass you by. Will you be like Peter in my story above or will you be one who God used to bring others to know Him?

Be blessed in all you do!

Your brother in Christ,

Tim
Pastor
The Well Church Of Lewisville

Our Attitudes in our Homes Must Reflect Christ.

1 Peter 3:7 (NIV)

Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

Earlier this week, I wrote about hindrances to prayer, which is the topic we are studying at The Well Church of Lewisville. As mentioned on Tuesday, our heart must be right when we come into prayer. The hindrance I spoke about on Tuesday was self-righteousness and insincerity. Sincerity and humbleness is required when coming to God with our requests. This is just one of eight hindrances that I have identified throughout scripture.

Today I am going to talk about another hindrance to prayer, which is the way our hearts are toward our family. Although Peter was discussing the attitudes of husbands toward their wives, I believe this principal also pertains to our hearts toward our family in general.  Allow me to explain.

One thing to remember is that scripture does not contradict itself. We must look at it through a broader context. The fifth commandment given by God to Moses in Deuteronomy 5 is “Honor your father and mother” (5:16). Secondly, Paul says to the Ephesians, “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4, NIV). Solomon writes in Proverbs, “a quarrelsome wife is like the constant dripping of a leaky roof” (19:13). As you can see, the Lord wants our hearts toward our families to be pure. We are to edify our spouse, our children, and our parents. If your heart towards your family does not reflect the love of Christ then how can your heart reflect Christ outside of your home? Isn’t this considered hypocrisy?

We must make every effort to reflect the love of Christ toward our family when coming to the Lord in prayer. Peter tells that by not doing so, our prayers will be hindered. There is a difference between false humility toward our family and a sincere attitude of love towards them. Our Christian heart begins in the home. When that attitude is right, then we can line up with God’s perfect will and submit our requests to Him with a pure heart. In doing so, your prayers will be like a fragrant offering to our sovereign God.

Be blessed in all you do!

Your brother in Christ,

Tim

Luke 18:9-14 NIV

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

This past Sunday at The Well Church of Lewisville, we have been studying hindrances to prayer. Prayer is our way of pouring our heart out to God. It is our way of letting our desires, our hurts, our fears, and our thanksgiving be known to our Father in heaven.

God desires to have a one-on-one relationship with his people. He has made it clear that our heart is what he wants, not our outward appearance or meaningless words. When our hearts are in the right place, then our prayer life will reflect our desires to line up with God’s will, to pour our hearts out for His desires, and to see miracles take place.

In the parable that Jesus taught in Luke 18, Jesus used two examples of heart conditions and prayer. One was the prayer of a Pharisee who was full of pride and self-righteousness; the other was from a sincere and humble tax collector, who was considered a horrid person by the Jewish community. Jesus made the statement that the tax collector, who cried out in humility to God, was justified, whereas the Pharisee was not.

How often do we pray like the Pharisee? When we speak prayers that reflect a self-righteous attitude, our prayers are hindered. God desires a humble and sincere heart when we come to him in prayer. We have all sinned, which the tax collector openly confessed to God, and we are all at the mercy of God’s grace, which leaves no room for self-righteousness. Our righteousness comes through what Christ did, not what we did.

In his letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul reminds us that, “This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe” (Romans 3:22). The Pharisee claimed righteousness through his own actions, while the tax collector received righteousness through his humble faith.

When we come to God in prayer, come to him with a humble and sincere heart, remembering that it is only by His grace that you have received righteousness through Christ. In doing so, may your prayers be heard by our sovereign God who “opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble” (James 4:6). And may the Lord answer your plea and answer swiftly.

Be blessed in all you do!

Your brother in Christ,

Tim