Don't Worry! God Is Watching Over You

Don’t Worry!  God Is Watching Over You.

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Matthew 6:25–26 (ESV)

Over the Christmas holiday we saw God’s providential care for our daughter’s 7-year old cockatiel, Buddy.  On Thursday December 22 after being startled by something Buddy took off flying off of our front porch.  This was very unusual.  Bethany has had Buddy for seven years and he is a home-body.  He normally does not even like to go outside.  I ran outside looking for Buddy and the neighbor across the street pointed to a large oak one street over at the other end of our block.

The whole family set out searching for Buddy.  He was not in the tree; we began fanning out up and down near by streets calling and whistling for Buddy, but there was nothing but silence on this clear, but windy December day.  Bethany began to wonder what would happen to Buddy?  Would he be out “in the wild” by himself all night without food and water?  Would someone or something find him?

She went home and began making signs and door hangers.  I grabbed a ladder took his cage up on the roof and tied it to an old smoke stack for a furnace hoping he’d fly by and see his home.  We set his perch out in the back yard, hoping he’d return.  But he didn’t.  That evening went walked the neighborhood putting up signs on telephone poles.

The next day we passed out nearly 100 door hangers, submitted an ad for our community newsletter and posted a notice “Missing Cockatiel” on Craig’s List.  The weekend passed and there was no sign of Buddy.

Meanwhile Buddy had flown away—not just somewhere in our neighborhood, but unknowingly to us, he journeyed to the neighboring city of Altamonte Springs about 3 miles up the interstate from our neighborhood.  Buddy had never flown further than across the room—now he had disappeared from sight.

After a Christmas weekend of mixed emotions—the joy of Christmas, special services and family time mixed with the empty cage on the roof and the abandoned perch in the back yard, hope arose.  We received an email forwarded to us—it was another Craig’s List post saying that someone had found a cockatiel the same day that Buddy had flown away.  But there was no contact information in the post.

Well after a long night we received an email from the daughter of the lady who found Buddy!  We emailed,  exchanged pictures and set up a time to pick up Buddy on Thursday evening one week after he’d disappeared.

It turns out that God was watching over this small frightened bird that was spreading its wings and flying free for the first time, but without any direction or provision for safety or nourishment.  As the song says “His eyes are on the sparrow,” and on December 22 his eyes were on Buddy.

Dee was driving through her neighborhood with her daughter when she saw a small bird walking across the road.  She stopped the car and got out and immediately saw that this bird wasn’t where he was supposed to be.  Buddy stepped up onto her finger, walked up her arm and perched on her shoulder.  He must have been worn out from his flight and was now dangerously crossing a street.

Well God guided the right family to Buddy—they’d owned an African Grey Parrot for 35 years!  And they had one friend who was a veterinarian and another, with a house full of birds, who provided them with a beautifully equipped cage and food.  Buddy spent his first Christmas away from home and met some new pets.  At our house he lived with two other birds—a parrotlet and a love bird.  On Christmas Day he met a new kind of pet for the first time—a dog.  And not just one, but two when the family came together to celebrate the holiday.

This family also guarded Buddy to be sure he went to the right house.  Someone else had responded to their Craig’s List ad saying they’d also lost a cockatiel, but the pictures did not match.  When we contacted them they said they wanted to be sure his “parents” got him back and after we confirmed things, they welcomed us over to be reunited with our stray, gray cockatiel.

It is so reassuring to see how our heavenly Father watched over his creation and took care of our pet, Buddy.  Jesus said that we are even more valuable to God than a bird is.  And just like God watches over the birds he will watch over us.  Therefore Jesus said in Matthew 6 don’t worry about what you will eat, what you will wear or how tall you are—just trust in God.  Seek first the kingdom of heaven and His righteousness and God will take care of the rest!  Thank you God for caring for Buddy and for caring for us!

From the Valley of Trouble to the Gateway of Hope

What would you do if your spouse left you and has parading around with others.  You see him or her on Facebook out partying and carousing with another.  Could you love him?  Could you pursue her?  When he loses it all or she hits bottom, how would you respond?

The story of the prophet, Hosea and his promiscuous wife, Gomer, is a beautiful metaphor of God’s love for his wayward people.  In the case of Hosea, his wife Gomer left him to engage in prostitution and promiscuity with other men.  This destroyed their relationship and she ended up in a place of destitution and helplessness.  Yet, in spite of this betrayal and total disregard for her husband, Hosea still loved Gomer and sought to win her back.

In the prophecy of Hosea recorded in the Old Testament this real-life story is used to describe God’s real-life love for his own people who have betrayed him.  They had entered into a sacred covenant with him at Mount Sinai after he had delivered them from slavery in Egypt.  Yet, in spite of God’s love and faithfulness to them, the people were unfaithful to God.  They pursued other god’s.  They worshipped the gods of the Canaanites and other nations.  They looked to Baal and Ashtoreth for safety, health and prosperity.  Because of this they ended up losing everything and being brutally conquered and take into exile by Assyria.

Through the prophecies of Hosea, God handed down his indictment against Israel and warned them of the judgment that was to come.  But he also revealed his undying love for Israel and how he would tenderly woo her back to himself.

In Hosea 2:14-15 (NLT) God speaks of his faithful love for unfaithful Israel:

“But then I will when her back once again.  I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her there.  I will return her vineyards to her and transform the Valley of Trouble into a gateway of hope.  She will give herself to me there, as she did long ago when she was young, when I freed her from her captivity in Egypt.”

This is an awesome encouragement that reveals the tremendous character of our loving and faithful God!  Even when we are unfaithful, he is faithful (2 Tim. 2:13).  Maybe you are in a bad place in your life—lost, discouraged, at the end of your rope.  You have hit bottom.  The life, love and happiness that you pursued in the promises of many have turned out to be empty.  Today you are in a valley of trouble.  Well the Good News is that God loves you and he is faithful.  God is pursuing you and wants to win you back to himself.  After your fall he is speaking tenderly to you, wooing you back to himself.  He wants to turn your valley of trouble into a gateway of hope!

This is our testimony.  When we had fallen and experienced great loss and trouble, God came to us in our need and loved us.  God reaches out to us today through his son, Jesus Christ, who bought us out of slavery to sin, just like God delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt and like Hosea bought back Gomer (Hosea 3:1-2).  Today God is speaking through his word in scripture and through the Holy Spirit to call his people back to himself.  He wants to turn your valley of trouble into a gateway of hope.  Will you receive his love?  Listen to his call; say yes to the Spirit; receive his Son Jesus Christ.

MEETING THE NEEDS OF THE HUNGRY IN OUR COMMUNITY

"The one who shuts his ears to the cry of the poor will himself also call out and not be answered." Proverbs 21:13 (HCSB).

Today we hear the cry of the poor!  Recently CBS News’ 60 Minutes, local TV and radio stations have covered the plight of homeless and transitional families in central Florida.  Some of those families are right here in our community.  Over the years we have met, ministered to and welcomed some of these families into our church family.

As our nation’s financial difficulties continue the needs of local families also continue.  One of the ways that we are able to help these families is through our partnership with Killarney Elementary School.  We conduct an after school Good News Club and we have volunteers who help out with other activities as well.

Channel 6 News recently spoke with Principle Leticia Foster and reported the following (http://tinyurl.com/84bva79):

Killarney Elementary School has a Winter Park address, but it is not in the park of Winter Park that most people think of. It includes 80 students who live in the hotels that line Lee Road near Interstate 4.

"They can't afford the rent, the mortgages, therefore they reside in the hotels surrounding our schools," Killarney principal Letecia Foster said.

Foster sends many of her students home on Fridays with bags of food in the hopes that they won't go hungry over the weekend.

"Sometimes the kids just come because they know they're going to be well fed," Foster said.

As of today (Dec. 1, 2011) 45 families have requested food assistance through Killarney Elementary School for the Christmas Break.  The school is asking churches, community groups and individuals to make donations of staples, can foods, peanut butter etc…to distrubute to these families in just a couple of weeks.

How can you help? 

• Well for those of you who have given to the World Hunger Fund through our church and Florida Baptist Convention, you have already helped.  Some of those funds have come back to Killarney and we have been able to provide food assistance to families in need including making a donation to the current food drive (http://erlc.com/article/why-should-i-support-the-southern-baptist-world-hunger-fund/).  You may designate gifts to the World Hunger Fund on your Killarney Baptist Church giving envelope.
• Of course more donations are needed and welcomed.  You can drop off food at Killarney Elementary School or here at the Killarney Baptist Church between now and December 7.  If you drop off food at the church.  Bring it to the office or leave it in the kitchen or room 109 in the Phillips Building (labeled for Killarney Elementary).
• Volunteer to sort and pack boxes for the Killarney Families on December 8 and 9 at Killarney Elementary School (407-623-1438).

Thank you for your expressing your love and the love of Jesus Christ by reaching out to these families during this Christmas Season.

In Christ,

Pastor Bruce

The Relationship Choice: Week 5 of Life's Healing Choices

We are already on Week 5 of our life-transforming series. It has been a great experience so far and every week I have more people telling me about the positive impact this is having on their lives.

This is what it means to be a disciple-making church—creating the opportunities for people to take the steps to experience personal growth and transformation.  Are you growing in your relationship with Jesus Christ and in your own personal transformation into Christ-likeness?  Are you helping others to come to know Christ and to grow?

Some Christians are turned off by these types of studies?  Why? Tell me (bmayhew@kbcnet.org).   

If you are a Christian who thinks, “This study is for someone else.”  “I don’t need this.”  It means that you are saying you have already reached maturity in Christ, and you do not need to be a part of helping others to reach maturity in Christ!  Of course this is an absolute contradiction.

You can be an obedient disciple-making Christian, if you are a part of these types of ministries.  By prayerfully and enthusiastically supporting our Sunday morning services and messages you are helping to create an atmosphere in which others can come into God’s presence and be open to what he wants to say to them and what he wants to do in their lives. 

If an unbeliever or someone who is hurting comes into our church, and the “Christians” are not passionate about the power of God to save and transform lives, what kind of encouragement will they have to trust and follow Christ?

By actively participating in the small groups you help to make a place where people can safely open up and share about their hurts, habits and hang-ups.  You help them to understand that God loves them and to know what God is doing in their lives.  You give them the encouragement to trust God and take the next step in their walk with Jesus Christ.

This week is such an important step in our spiritual and relational growth and development. Without making this choice and taking this step you will be never be able to experience true freedom in Christ.  I talked with a man this week who was leading a group in his church through this same type of series.  He said that when he got to this step, people started turning away.  It reminds me of the time that Jesus talked about his death and many of the people following him turned away (John chapter 6:52-66).  Don’t turn back from following Jesus.  This may seem like an impossible choice to make, but it is not.  It is actually a choice that will give you more peace and freedom than you have ever experienced in your life.

Here is this weeks healing choice:

"I evaluate all my relationships, offer forgiveness to those who have hurt me, and make amends for harm I've done to others except when to do so would harm them or others."

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy (Matt. 5:7).

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God (Matt. 5:9)

I encourage you to stay committed to this study. Victory goes to the ones who persevere. It is easy to start and quit, but don't do it, because you will miss out on so much.

One last thing—I want you to send me an email telling me about what God is doing in your life during this time, or about what you have seen God do in someone else’s life.  Your testimony will be an awesome tool for encouraging others to trust and follow Jesus Christ.

In Christ,

Pastor Bruce

Is Mormonism a Cult?

First Baptist of Dallas Pastor, Dr. Robert Jeffress, recently stirred up controversy when he described Mormonism as a cult while speaking to evangelical Christians at the Values Voters Summit.  New York Daily News reporter Kerry Wills opened an October 8 column with the following statement:


"An evangelical pastor cast Mitt Romney  in a spooky light Friday by calling Mormonism a cult and urging good Christians to vote for his rival, Texas Governor Rick Perry."


Other candidates were quick to distance themselves from the comment.  Did Pastor Jeffress, who holds two doctorates, cast Mitt Romney in a "spooky light?"  Actually no.  In the context of evangelical Christianity Pastor Jeffress was not saying the Mormonism was an occult group or a Jim Jones type religious movement.  He was speaking to evangelical Christians and he was saying that we would prefer "a Christian."  By this he meant an "orthodox Christian", someone who holds to the doctrines of historical orthodox Christianity.  Mormonism stands outside of orthodox Christianity.  


Many evangelicals would love to have one of their own in the White House.  This does not mean that they require a candidate to be an evangelical, but that they would prefer an evangelical.  Of course orthodox Christianity includes more than just evangelical Christians.


The problem in this case is a misunderstanding of the  range of meanings for the word "cult."  Many words have multiple meanings.  Speaking to evangelical Christians, Jeffress would assume that they understand what he means by the term cult.  The problem is that many reporters and others may not be familiar with the range of meanings and uses of the term and so they give it a meaning that is different than the one normally used by evangelicals.


Here are some definitions of the word cult:

1. FORMAL a religious system in which people worship a particular god, person, or object.  The cult of the goddess Isis (Macmillan Dictionary online).
   
2. A religious group, often living together, whose beliefs are considered extreme or strange by many people. Their son ran away from home and joined a religious cult (Cambridge Dictionaries online).
3. A religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious (Merriam-Webster Online).

In academic writings on world religions and ancient religions the word cult most often follows definition one above.  In popular culture today, especially in regard to groups like the Branch Davidians or the Peoples Temple (Jim Jones' group) meaning two is understood.  In writings within evangelical Christianity that discuss unorthodox Christian groups and other religions which deny or change fundamental historical Christian doctrines the meaning of cult is the one given in definition three.

One of the most popular books of the late 20th Century that evaluated religious groups in America was Walter Martin's Kingdom of the Cults.  In this book he described Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses, Christian Science, Scientology, Unitarian Universalism and even Islam as cults.  These were religions which contradicted the biblical orthodox understanding of Christianity and were new or not well-understood by many of his readers.  His definition of cult matches definition three above--a religion that is unorthodox or spurious in comparison to orthodox Christianity.

Mormonism definitely fits this definition.  Walter Martin goes into great detail to explain why this is the case.  To call it a cult in this manner does not mean that it is a cult as in definition two, but that its teachings contradict orthodox biblical Christianity.  I don't believe that Dr. Jeffress was saying that Mitt Romney's religion disqualified him as a presidential candidate.  I believe that in speaking to fellow evangelicals he was asking them to support Rick Perry in part because Perry was an evangelical and Romney was a part of an unorthodox Christian religion.  That is a self-described Christian religion that is considered to be a false version of Christianity when evaluated by the historical doctrines of biblical orthodox Christianity.


Here is a link to the NY Daily News story: http://tinyurl.com/5rhyhc8

Here is a summary of why Mormonism is considered a cult according to definition number three: http://www.gotquestions.org/Mormons.html.

Amazing Story of Faith Behind Song of Commitment


I Have Decided to Follow Jesus

“I Have Decided to Follow Jesus” is sung to a traditional folk tune from India (ASSAM), and it is named after the northeastern Indian state once home to tribes known as “head-hunters” due to their custom of collecting heads and hanging them on their walls. In his book Why, God, Why?, Dr. P. Job reports that 150 years ago a Welsh missionary converted a man, his wife, and his children to Christianity. After the village chief demanded that the man renounce his faith, he spontaneously sang the now-famous words, “I have decided to follow Jesus.” Reportedly, the chief ordered his archers to kill the man’s two children, threatening to kill his wife as well; but the man sang, “Though no one joins me, still I will follow.” The archers shot his wife, but still the man refused to deny Christ, and he was executed while singing: “The cross before me, the world behind me.” Allegedly, the chief was so moved that he declared, “I too belong to Jesus Christ!” and the entire village converted.

Indian Christians still sing this hymn to proclaim their commitment to Christ. In America, it has been popularized by composer and hymn editor William Jensen Reynolds’ arrangement, which first appeared in the 1959 Assembly Songbook. This version was frequently used at Billy Graham’s crusade meetings. (Source: Christian Classics Ethereal Library Newsletter 10-3-2011 www.ccel.org).

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