The yoke of Christ

Posted by & filed under Religion, Weblogs.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30 NIV)

Everyone wears a yoke. We all have a system for carrying the weight of this world and the burdens of life.

When Jesus came challenging his hearers to come and take on his yoke. They were already struggling under their own systems of carrying the load of life. They already had a yoke. Jesus was asking them to exchange yokes — theirs for his.

The context of this story is surprising. As Matthew records it, Jesus isn’t offering his yoke in some calm, friendly setting. No, he is shouting over a din of competing voices, all of them hawking their own “yokes” to managing life.

The yoke offered by the Jewish leaders was the yoke of Torah, the yoke of God’s law. And as if this wasn’t weighty enough, they had added their own oral Torah, the Talmud and the Mishnah. God’s law alone was a yoke too heavy for mankind to bear. But they had made it even more legalistic and unbearable. The yoke they offered was the life focused on not sinning. Theirs was a yoke against sin. They offered a religious yoke.

Jesus had words of woe for those who rejected his graceful yoke for the yoke of religion. He said if the ancient cities of Tyre and Sidon (known for their idolatry, prostitution and pride) had witnessed his miracles they would have “repented in sackcloth and ashes.” He said if the city of Sodom (known for its homosexual offenders and sensual wickedness) had seen his miracles they would not have been destroyed but would have “remained until this day.” The cities of Israel had seen these miracles of Christ, they had heard of his new yoke of grace, yet they had not repented. They clung to the old yoke.

We still have those who are focused on stopping sin. They offer a yoke of law. This is why so many non-Christians know us more for what we’re against that what we for. They certainly don’t think that we are “for” them.

The legalists of Jesus’ day accused him of being “for” sinners. They called him a “friend of sinners.”

This didn’t deter Jesus. He came for those who knew their need. Jesus called people to himself. He said, “Come, take, and learn of me.”

The yoke of Christ is Christ. When we lift up Jesus, he will “draw all men to himself.”

Responding to threatening times

Posted by & filed under Current Affairs, Finances, Religion.

“Lord, pay attention to their threats now, and allow us to speak your word boldly. Show your power by healing, performing miracles, and doing amazing things through the power and the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
When the apostles had finished praying, their meeting place shook. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God boldly. (Acts 4:29-31 GW)

Climbing gas prices, flood waters in Iowa, war in Iraq, job layoffs, recession… the news these days is pretty threatening.

How do we face these threatening times?

When the first century Christians faced threatening times they didn’t pray as one might expect. They didn’t pray, “God, where are you? Get us out of this mess!”

It’s really amazing how they did respond. They prayed, “Lord, you focus on the threats, we’re going to stay focused on speaking your Word.”

They saw threatening times as an opportunity to trust God more and spread the good news to those who were lost. They prayed not for better times, but for better focus and better boldness.  They trusted that God was in charge of the circumstances. They decided not to worry about the part of life that only God could manage anyway.

When they asked God to handle the threats (the things that had them worried and afraid) and to give them the focus to share his good news to those who needed to hear it, God heard their prayer. I think God must love it when we pray like that. They prayed for courage instead of comfort.  Their prayer moved God. And God moved them back. In fact, He shook the place!

So, here’s how I’m praying these days: “God, you handle the gas prices, the economic downturn, the natural disasters, and the war. God, you handle the health problems and the money problems. God, you pay attention to those things that threaten me. Give me the power to focus on where you’re already at work. Help me to see where I can encourage others with your Word. Help me to see threatening times as times under your control. Replace my fear with boldness. In the name of your holy servant, Jesus. Amen.”

Credit card coveting

Posted by & filed under Finances, Religion, Stewardship, Weblogs.

“Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.” (Exodus 20:17 KJV)

Have you seen the latest credit card commercial? It promotes using a Chase Bank credit card to buy what you want now. It’s a catchy piece. The 30 second spot begins with the wife giving “permission” to her husband to get a new TV. You can see the sheer bliss on his face. He is free to buy what he has always wanted. That’s when the tight harmonies of the rock group Queen are heard in the background.

They sing, “I want it all. I want it all. I want it all. And I want it now!”

The driving beat and lyrics are a perfect background to the husband’s pursuit of ever larger screened TVs. You feel yourself caught up and singing along. Finally, you see him and his wife seated happily-ever-after in front of their super big screen TV. Then comes the advertising close: “Chase Financial. Chase What Matters.”

“Ahhh.” You might think to yourself. “Yes, ‘chase what matters.’ And what matters most is getting a big screen TV and using a piece of plastic that says ‘Chase’ on it to buy it. Cause, with Chase I can have it now!”

But then you might think, “What if my wife won’t go for it?”

Or, “What if my living room is too small?”

So, then you might think you need a nicer wife and a bigger house. Because after all, you really want to “chase what matters.”

That’s how it is with the “I want it all and I want it now” philosophy. It’s corrupting and corrosive to our souls. God calls this way of life, coveteousness. And by the way, He’s against it.

What is coveting? It’s the insatiable desire to acquire. It’s the overwhelming passion to possess. It always wants more. And it wants it now!

Sometimes we may think that this 10th commandment is the least worrisome. We laugh it off. Afer all, our culture encourages coveting as a way of life.

But the coveting heart opens itself up to breaking all the commandments of God. The coveting heart will put itself first (instead of God), the coveting heart will murder, steal, commit adultery, lie, to get what it wants.

If the first commandment explains how to keep the other nine (Put God first), then the last commandment reveals why we can’t keep the other nine (we have coveteous hearts).

God, write your laws on our hearts through Jesus. Take away our coveteous hearts and replace them with contented hearts instead.

Hotdogs, cupcakes, and koinonia

Posted by & filed under Food and Drink, Religion, Weblogs.

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Acts 2:42 (NIV)

We had our 16th annual “Hot – Diggity – Dog Schools Out” event last night. I still remember our first one in 1992. We thought we needed to get together to celebrate the start of summer vacation, so we cooked hotdogs in my backyard and hung out together.

That’s how WCC got started. We did a lot of just hanging out together. We loved being together. And as we invited others, they were attracted by our love for God and for the family atmosphere that our love for one another showed.

I don’t remember us having to work very hard at being together in those days. We just seemed “devoted” to one another. We’d rather be with each other than any place else. We made space in our busy calendars for the WCC family because of our love and devotion.

As our church has grown we’ve had to work harder at this. I’ve noticed this is true in my own family too. As my children have grown and the older family members have gone to be with the Lord, my family really has to work at this “devotion.” We have to plan more, work harder, and finally, we have to practice our love for one another by showing up. We have to be present. We have to make room for “the koinonia.”

What is “koinonia?” It is the Greek word that can be translated as “fellowship, communion, communication, sharing, participation, contribution, or partnership. It is the word that describes the family of God. And notice in the Scripture above it is preceded by the definite article, “the.” The first century Christians weren’t just devoted to fellowship in general. They weren’t just loving to party. They were devoted to “the fellowship.” This means they were devoted to a specific fellowship, a specific family, they were devoted to their church family.

There are so many competing voices asking for our devotion today. Our world is too busy, too chaotic, and at the end of the day too lonely. I long for the simplicity of devotion that the first Christ followers displayed. They were devoted to the teaching of God’s Word, they were devoted to eating together (hotdogs?), they were devoted to praying for one another, and they were devoted to “the koinonia.”

We had a great evening! But for those of you who missed it, I wish you would have been there. It would have been even better with you present.

By the way, do you think hotdogs and cupcakes count as “breaking of bread?”

Have you heard of laminin?

Posted by & filed under Religion, Science, Weblogs.


Check out this YouTube post of Louie Giglio! It’s pretty cool. I’ll let it speak for itself, but those of you who know me, know how much I love science, especially when it reveals something new that points to our Creator.

By the way, I first heard Louie at the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta a few years back. He is a pastor/evangelist and the founder of Choice Ministries and the Passion Conferences. Christian music artist, Chris Tomlin, often refers to Giglio as his pastor.

I love hearing him speak. He has an amazing heart for worship and is perhaps one of the best teachers on the subject today.

Sushi and the lost art of hospitality

Posted by & filed under Religion, Weblogs.

EstherCorbeighGeorgeCorbinHarris “Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” (Romans 12:13 NIV)

I had a great time in Southern California last week. I attended Rick Warren’s three-day invitation only conference for pastors and business leaders at Saddleback Church. I was challenged and learned a lot.  But one of the highlights of the trip had nothing to do with the conference. The highlight of my trip was the hospitality of the Harris family.

George and Esther Harris and their two children, Corbeigh and Corbin, really went out of their way to take care of us during our visit. Myself and two other pastors stayed at their beautiful home and took meals at their table for the week. We were able to attend our conference without worrying about gettting a hotel or finding a restaurant. We could concentrate on the learning and then enjoy the hospitality of this wonderful, Christian family.

The Harris family belongs to Saddleback Church. They really represent their church well. I was overwhelmed by their kindness and giving.

Sushi Plus, they taught me to really eat sushi (Apparently, I’ve been eating some lesser form at our local Eastern NC buffet). On one of our last nights together they took us out to eat at a Sushi Bar. George ordered for us and explained in detail what we were eating and how to do it. We had a blast!

The Harris family is practicing an ancient Christian art form… hospitality. The apostle Paul commanded the Roman believers in no uncertain terms that they were to “practice” hospitality. Sadly, this seems to be a lost art in our day.

But I was glad to see that there are Christians who still practice it. I believe that this is not only a command, I believe that the Holy Spirit gives many of us an additional giftedness for it.

I thank God for the Harris family. I’m convinced that God has gifted them with the art of hospitality. I’m thankful that they are using their gift.

What about you? Will you practice hospitality? When is the last time you had someone over for a meal?

And by the way, does anyone know where I can get some authentic sushi around here?

Facing five global giants

Posted by & filed under Religion, Weblogs.

Rick Gary “God said, It’s not a big enough job for my servant just to recover the tribes of Jacob, I’m setting you up as a light for the nations so that my salvation becomes global!”  (Isaiah 49:6 Mes)

I’ve just finished a great week with one of my mentors, Rick Warren. He invited pastors from all over the world to come to California and discuss how we might network together to conquer what he calls the “Five Global Giants” that the world faces.

Rick says that as he prayed about the “Goliath” problems facing the world today, he felt that the five greatest ones were as follows:

  1. Spiritual emptiness
  2. Self-serving leaders
  3. Extreme poverty
  4. Pandemic diseases
  5. Rampant illiteracy

This week Rick challenged pastors to lead their churches to be the body of Christ and take on these giants in the world. Rick calls it the “PEACE Plan.”

  • P – Promote reconciliation
  • E – Equip Leaders
  • A – Assist the poor
  • C – Care for the sick
  • E – Educate the next generation

At WCC, we have always felt called to be the body of Christ to our community and to the world. But sometimes it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the size of the “giants.” How can we impact the world when we’re having trouble with these same giants in Wilson? But this week I’m reminded that the body of Christ is bigger than WCC (OK, I knew that, but now I see a way that we can network together).

I’ve identified our church and myself as being available to help reach the Middle East. We already have several of our people there and it only makes sense to laser in on what God is already doing through our church. I’ve told Rick that we’re available to send people to help face these global giants.

Saddleback buds As I return I’m reminded how good it is to have friends. I’ve been here this week with several dear friends of mine from North Carolina. Pastor Bob Felts from Burlington, Pastor Tom Bartlett from Wilkesboro, and Pastor Bud Wrenn from Burlington along with myself have all committed to lead our churches to work together in facing down these giants.

When God gave this “global” vision to Isaiah, the old prophet was discouraged and feeling as if his life’s work had been in vain. Rather than telling Isaiah to take a break or just saying be encouraged, God said, “Isaiah, you need a bigger vision! I’m taking my message of salvation global and you’re my man!”

This week I’ve been reminded that WCC is more than just a small church in Eastern NC. We are part of God’s global vision. His church is the sling in his hand for bringing down these global Goliaths.

Will you join me in believing and obeying God’s call?

Putting a face on prayer for Myanmar

Posted by & filed under Current Affairs, Religion, Weblogs.

Burma460x276 “Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you.” 2 Thessalonians 3:1 (KJV)

According to conservative estimates, over 78,000 people have died in Myanmar (Burma) as a result of last week’s cyclone. I began praying for Myanmar the minute I heard about the cyclone. Not because I’m some kind of holy prayer warrior. The simple truth is I have a friend there. It’s amazing how motivated you are to pray when someone’s face comes to your mind.

I met my friend (I’ll leave him unnamed for security reasons) from Myanmar at a pastor’s conference in Hawaii last year. He is a pastor. He leads a church in a country where it is very difficult to be a Christian, especially a pastor.

I started praying for my friend upon hearing of the cyclone. But I wondered how I might discover his status. Yesterday morning, during my time of devotion, I asked God to help. When I turned on my laptop to check email. Guess who my first email was from? Praise the Lord! It was from my friend. Here is the email he sent me:

Dear Pastor Gary,

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ from Myanmar!
I hope you and your family are doing well . By the grace of God we are very well too.
Narkit cyclone destroyed many cities, villages and people in Myanmar.
My house, School building and some church members houses were destroyed too.
No electricity, no water, no phone and no email at my place this time.
Most of people are difficult situation life in Myanmar now.
Hope to pray for Myanmar.

In His grace,

What a joyful servant the Lord has in Myanmar! No house, no school, no water, no phone, but “we are very well.” He had to walk into the city to send this email to me.

Because I have been at a conference at Saddleback Church in California this week, I was able to share this email with several pastors. Before the morning was over we had networked with Saddleback, Samaritan’s Purse, and New Hope Church in Hawaii to check on my friend and discover how to help.

I’m glad the Lord brought my friend’s face to mind. I am praying for him, his church, and the people of Myanmar. I am also praying that God will use my friend to bring glory to Him and reach many for Him because of this disaster.

I pray for the face I know and for the many I have never seen.

Boasting about my man scar

Posted by & filed under Religion, Weblogs.

Arm “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV)

“It’s a good thing you’re not a girl.” My wife recently declared after seeing the post op scar on my left arm.

“Yes, I agree… for a lot of reasons. But you have to admit. It’s a great “man scar!” I exclaimed while lifting up my arm and pointing at the 8 inch jagged scar.

I recently had surgery on my arm to remove a growth on my wrist. Praise the Lord that it was benign. Now, I just have four more weeks in a brace and a lot of therapy and hard work to rebuild it. It’s slow going, but I hope to be able to play the guitar again. I hope to be a two-handed preacher again too (I don’t feel like I’m preaching as good one-handed).

Having this surgery and being unable to work for most of two weeks has been a revelation. I’ve learned that I don’t like being weak. I mean, I really don’t like it. I don’t like having to depend on others. I don’t like having to wear a plastic bag over my arm in the shower. I don’t like not being able to think clearly because of pain pills. I don’t like being grumpy (which makes me more grumpy). I don’t like being unable to do what needs being done.

I have been addicted to my ability to perform, to be strong. to be a “can do” kind of man. And when I can’t… I don’t like it.

The apostle Paul was a driven man too. If anyone was strong and determined it was him. But along the way he learned that it was better to be weak and let the power of Christ “rest on” him. I think Paul must have learned to accept God’s grace for him without a sense of having to perform to earn it. I think Paul learned to “boast” about his weaknesses and scars because through them the power of Christ was revealed.

As we’ve been studying the Ten Commandments together during these past weeks, I’m reminded that God gave them to us not because he wanted us to be strong enough to keep them through our own self effort. No, He gave them to us as a mirror that revealed in us our inability, our weakness to keep them without Him. We don’t need more human strength, we need the power of Christ.

And we need His grace too. I’m glad that the more I depend on HIm and admit my own weakness, the more He can do through me.

So, I’m boasting in my new “man scar.” I’ll show it to you the next time we meet. I think you’ll agree, it’s a good one.

Thankful for partnership

Posted by & filed under Religion, Weblogs.

Band_2 “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:3-6 NIV)

This past Wednesday night was great! Robin and I attended the True Love Waits Event, sponsored by WAYNET (Wilson Area Youth Network), at Fike High School. Our own Auston Jones, senior at Fike, was instrumental in leading WAYNET to sponsor this event and led this event as his senior project.

WAYNET was started a little over ten years ago by the youth pastors of Wilson County to work together on community events. They work together on the annual “See You At the Pole” event in September that challenges believing students to pray together around their school’s flag pole. They also put together two annual countywide evangelistic events to reach our students. I had the privilege of being one of the pastors who brought the first countywide event together that inspired the formation of WAYNET. Myself (I led the WCC youth in those days) and David Barnes (another former local youth pastor) put together a week long series of meetings at local churches that culminated in an event at the Wilson Recreation Center featuring Christian Illusionist, Andre Kole. The youth pastors were so excited about the joy of partnering together that they later formed WAYNET.

So, although I’m no longer working directly with the youth, I’m still very proud of WAYNET and I still love seeing what our students can do when they get inspired. When God gets hold of young people, they always blow away our expectations.

This event certainly blew away my expectations! According to Jeff Smith, WAYNET coordinator, there were about 350 people present in the Fike auditorium. Of those, 258 comment cards were turned in at the end of the event. Students from Wilson as well as Nash, Edgecombe, Pitt, Greene, Wayne, and Johnston counties were in attendance. One of our partner churches, Discovery Church in Greenville, brought 26 to the event. The cards indicated that there were 41 students who made decisions to accept Christ, 2 students who expressed a desire to rededicate their commitment, 103 students indicated their commitment to remain abstinent until marriage, and 66 students who renewed their commitment to wait until marriage.

Auston1_1 Auston Jones did a fine job leading and acting as the emcee for this event. Stephen Combs and the WCC Youth Band (Chandler Bryant, Michael Strange, Michael Williams, Abbott Mitchell, and Jonathan Combs) led the worship, which was phenomenal. I wish you could have seen Mikey dancing while playing the bass. Many of our own members worked behind the scenes on media, sound, and other support roles (George Bryant, Eddie Gonzales, Dustin Wheeler, Jeff & Becky Jones, Undine Lamm, Kathi Bryant, and Jimmy & Christy Gurgone). Of course, I wouldn’t want to leave Cody Jones out. He played an excellent groom in the skit (I hope the tomato juice came out). And finally, it was great to have Chris Shelton back in town as the main speaker for this event. Wedding_3

I love to see how our church and how our youth are willing to work together in partnership to extend the gospel in our city. I’m truly thankful to God for the partnership He has given us.