C.S. Lewis wrote, “A car is made to run on gasoline, and it would not run properly on anything else.”

 One thing I know about gasoline, I cannot make it.  There are so many chemicals that make up gasoline and the amount of each chemical is vital to it working properly.  If gasoline is not made with the right consistency (watered down), your car will not work properly.  If you put gasoline in your car that is supercharged (jet fuel), your engine will get too hot and break down… or explode.

 In Matthew 28, Jesus tells us to “Go,” to “make disciples”, to “teach them his Word.”  These three things are all byproducts of the relationship (gasoline) that we have with Jesus.  Without a relationship with Jesus, we cannot “Go.”  Without a growing relationship with Jesus, we cannot “make disciples.”

John 15:5 – “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” 

 I love this verse because Jesus promises that if we remain in him, we will produce fruit.  I have heard people in the past tell me that I should plant tons of spiritual seeds, but I might not ever see the fruit of that labor.  But this is not what I understand Jesus saying here in this text.  He says that if we remain in him, we WILL produce fruit.  That means we will see the results of our efforts in His name, for His glory, and His purposes. 

 Do you see fruit happening in your life right now?  If not, what are the reasons?  Maybe the reason is that you are not looking for results and so they go unnoticed.  Maybe you are not planting seeds.  Maybe you are not asking and expecting God to do something extraordinary in your life right now. 

 This week, ask something BIG of God.  Don’t ask with selfish motives, but rather ask for something ultimately impossible that will bring Him glory and is in line with His will.

Jesus says in John 14:12 – “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.” 

We are empowered by the Holy Spirit for a purpose.  May this encourage you to step out on faith this week.

Spiritual Growth

As I was reading this past week, I came upon one author who pointed to the four gifts of the Gospel that were announced by Peter in Acts 2. 

1.       Gift of forgiveness of our sins (v. 38)

2.       Gift of the Holy Spirit and the new heart and new life of Christ (v. 38)

3.       Gift of membership into the body of Christ, the new community called the church (v. 41-47)

4.       Gift of participation in the mission of the church to join God’s mission to rescue the world from sin and condemnation through the gospel (v. 47)

He then states, “Tragically, many Christians have lost the understanding of the new life of the Spirit.  They do not preach or live the regeneration of believers.  Than living out a joy-filled life flowing from their deepest desire to be like Jesus, they settle for being sinners saved by grace, obligated to do all they can to keep the law of God by duty rather than by delight.”

I mention this because a while ago I was in conversation with a Christian friend, and we were talking about smoking.  He said that he’s wanting to stop smoking because it is a sin.  This prompted my next question, “why is it sin?”  Ultimately, the reason he felt it was a sin was because it was unhealthy and it was a bad example to his kids.  I’m thrilled he wants to make this change for his kids and for himself, both physically and spiritually.  

As I reflected over that conversation, I can’t help but think of the times I have struggled with something and wanted to change because of a sense of duty for my own benefit.  And then I think of the many times that I willingly allowed God to convict and remove sin from my life so I can become more like Jesus.  When I compare the two, I notice something interesting.  The sins that I willingly turn over to God, so I can become more like Jesus, are sins that I really don’t struggle with anymore.  Sometimes, the temptation to repeat those sins lurks around, but it is not a struggle to resist them. 

The thing I really want to point out is my friend’s desire to quit smoking is fruit of spiritual growth.  I am not saying that people who smoke do not grow spiritually.  Spiritual growth can occur a number of ways, and for my friend, he feels like God is convicting him that this particular thing in his life is a sin.  And when God convicts us of sins, he asks that we act on that conviction and turn it over to him.  Oswald Chambers once said, “Obey God in the thing he shows you, and instantly the next thing is opened up.  God will never reveal more truth about himself until you have obeyed what you know already.  Now, my friend hasn’t quit yet.  But, God revealed something to him and that’s awesome in my book.  God, the author of everything still speaks to people.  When we are convicted of sin, that is God’s invitation to experience him.  The reason he convicts is to make us more like the image of Jesus. 

Hebrews 12:11 – “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.  Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

Hey WestK! This past week was great.  We saw one of our married college students baptized and join the church.  God is good!

Starting in July, we are gearing up as a church to go through the "I Am" statements in the gospel of John. This is going to be great! 

I am looking for ideas for a series later this fall. What are some relevant issues you struggle with, your non-Christian friends struggle with, or you think we as a church could really focus on?

The apostle Paul tells us that we are transformed by the renewal of our mind (Romans 12:2).  How does this happen.  Well, our minds are renewed by applying the things that transform it.  Philippians 4:8-9 tells us, “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing.  Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable.  Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.  Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing.  Then the God of peace will be with you” (NLT). 

Right now, I am looking for people who are passionate about the Bible and would like to take on a challenge of leading a small Bible study of (4-5 people) for 6 weeks.  No experience is necessary.  If you think you are up to this challenge and would like more information, let me know!  I believe 100% that God is doing something amazing, right now, here at WestK, and He is wanting you to be a part of it!

Existing Truth

Author Bill Hull once wrote, “Most seasoned Christians are not in need of large segments of new truth, but rather need to be reminded of existing truth that can bring new meaning to their lives.”  If this is true for you, then let me encourage you this week by reminding you of some existing truths:

1.      God Spoke/God Speaks

o   Martin Luther stated, “When the Scripture speaks, God speaks.”  Because Scripture is speaking to us, we memorize, meditate, study, teach, and share his truth.  Everything in life ministry is guided by the truth in Scripture.  The Holy Spirit uses scripture to change our lives so we look more like Jesus, both individually and as a body of believers.

o   Genesis 1:3 “And God said…” - Creation began when God spoke.  His words literally created everything.  When he said “let there be light,” there was light.  It happened because he is God.  When I say “let there be coffee,” nothing happens.  Obviously, this is because I am not God.

o   When God spoke, he created something new.  His words had meaning and power and they still do.

o   2 Timothy 3:16 – “All Scripture is breathed out by …”

2.      Jesus died as a payment for your sin.

o   The Gospel simply put, is acknowledging that we are sinners, we cannot fix ourselves, Jesus can and wants too!

o   1 Timothy 1:15 – “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.”

o   1 John 2:2 – He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

3.      The local church is established by God for a purpose

o   Ephesians – pretty much this whole book!

4.      Opportunities or Obligations?

o   Like I mentioned in this past Sunday’s sermon, we are all called to invite others on the journey.  One thing that I try to do is to stay open to opportunities that God brings my way.  Sometimes it’s a chance to share the Gospel; other times it’s a chance to speak a word of His truth into that person’s life.  There are many other opportunities that God has brought that way, but should we also consider them obligations, since we are ambassadors for Christ?

o   Isaiah 60:1 – “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you”

o   Ephesians 5:14 – “… Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

o   Romans 13:12 – “The night is nearly over; the day is almost here.  So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.”