He “Hit” Me First

Nothing like trying to solve a dispute between two kids, right? My wife and I have raised three of our own children and it never fails that whenever I as the parent go into a fight and attempt to resolve a dispute between two kids I will hear those ever so faithful words, “but he or she hit me first.”

In my quite time with the Lord I was reading through some of Jesus’ teachings, and Jesus taught some things that, to me, seemed to be a bit challenging to say the least. Check out these verses. Matthew 5:39-42 “But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have [thy] cloke also. 41And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. 42Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.” I can hear some of you now in the words of my oldest daughter “Dad, Seriously?”

To be a follower of Jesus Christ meant that we are being asked to follow Christ, literally. Now that’s a novel idea. But think about that for a minute, Christ said to turn the other cheek when someone hits you. Hang-on I’m not finished yet. Jesus says if someone sues you for a shirt, don’t fight it. Take of your jacket and give them that as well as the shirt. It gets even more extreme than that, check this out. Jesus says if someone asks for your help to clean their house, don’t just clean their house but help them clean their basement as well.

Now if you think that’s radical, check this one out. Jesus says and I’m going to quote this one Matthew 5:43-44“Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;” Now if you read that, your probably thinking what I was thinking this morning as I read through those passages. Jesus is probably talking spiritual and not literal right?

Ok, here’s the deal. Jesus wants all who follow him to understand that to follow him means that we do what he did, even if the doing cost us some discomfort. Though you may be attending a church that’s teaching otherwise, what I have just shared with you in scripture is really what it means to be a “Christ follower.” I wonder after reading this would you say that you truly are following in the steps of Christ or are you one of those people who just talk about. There’s a word for that kind of thing, it begins with an “H” and ends in “Hypocrite.”

HOLY Cow Batman “””Pow”””

I grew up in the early 1970’s watching Batman and Robin. I can remember Batman and Robin doing those fight scenes and I can almost hear Robin exclaiming to Batman something that sounds like “Holy Cow, Batman,” and the fight would be on. Batman and Robin of course would tear the room apart using everything with in reach as a weapon and they would ultimately arise with the Victory.

This mourning in my quite time, I’m currently reading through Exodus by the way. I noticed something that was familiar and at the same time a bit odd. I notice just how often blood was shed, check out this verse Exodus29:38 “Now this [is that] which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first year day by day continually.” Now why in the world would these Priest be instructed to offer(which meant to kill) two lambs every day, one in the mourning and one in the evening, now that seems a little excessive you think. Well it would only seem excessive if you don’t understand just how Holy God is. Side bar, here is my ADD kicking in again, “I hope you can end a sentence using "is", anyway.

Let’s see where were we, “Holy” now that’s a four letter word that carries a big punch. To be “Holy” means to be set apart, separate, sanctified, and consecrated, you’re starting to get the picture. Ok, okay God’s Holiness required restitution on our part so that fellowship was even possible to begin with. In other words God is so sacred and good that in order for man that is you and me to have fellowship with him there must be a payment of some kind. So the job of the Priest in the case of the Old Testament, Aaron and his sons, they were to prepare and offer up a lamb, every day and every night as payment or atonement so that fellowship could be possible. Were swimming in deep waters here but what I’m saying is simple if you think about it.

God’s word in the book of Hebrews teaches with clarity what God’s “Holiness” required note Hebrews10:8-10 “Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and [offering] for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure [therein]; which are offered by the law; 9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.10By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once [for all].”

Don’t Panic this isn’t that hard. God establish a pattern in his righteous law. The pattern was the continual sacrificing of innocent lambs. Remember that two lambs were killed daily to pay for the “sins” of the people. The shedding of the continual lamb’s blood was a symbol of sanctification or a setting apart of the people. Jesus came and he did away with that law or legal pattern because he became that final “sacrificial lamb.” Remember, God’s holiness required payment and that final payment was the body and blood of Jesus Christ. The text says that we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all.

So that next time you think about what it means to be “HOLY” try and remember the “cost” of holiness. Jesus Christ paid the ultimate sacrifice so that you and I could become “HOLY,” so act like it. “Oops there goes that “it” again!!!

Spiritual Success is gonna cost a Pound of Flesh

We are coming up on yet another 4^th of July and this July will be my 40^th celebration. That may be trivial to some but I only mention that because the older I get, the more I understand the importance of the self sacrifice that was made for the freedoms we now enjoy today. Currently, I am reading an autobiography about Abraham Lincoln, the 16^th president, and of course I am noticing the many sacrifices that were made in the name of the preservation of the Union.

Lincoln was quoted as telling the congress that “If we are going to preserve these United States, then a sacrifice of a small part to save the whole is well worth the cost.” Of course President Lincoln was referring to the 11 confederate states that had broken away from the Union and formed what we now know as the Confederate States of America.

Here’s the deal. So many of God’s people desire to grow in their faith walk but those same people are unwilling to sacrifice anything to achieve spiritual maturity. Paul said it best. He leaves no questions as to what he is teaching us in the text Rom 8:4”the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Ok, the gold nugget in the river bed is found in the action verb “walk.” Whoop there it is folks. Are you walking? Let me paint the picture so that you don’t miss the point of the painting.

Abraham Lincoln wanted to create a country of United States. However, this daunting task would have been a completely impossible task unless he had people that were willing to give their life literally to help him in that cause. People had to sell their homes and lands in order to help finance this war to help preserve the union.

God invites us to go and make disciples of all nations. And you guess it, that “Faith Walk” will often cost us a great deal. My prayer is that God will raise up a nation of men and women who are willing to sacrifice their fleshly desires so that together we can fulfill the call of adding to God’s kingdom.

A Man and His "Dice"

I have not been lazy but the explanation for my inactivity have been vacation sort of. My oldest plays volleyball so I have been sitting court side at her volleyball games for the last several days in the windy city of Chicago.

I have spent the last few weeks teaching through the book of Esther. I noticed in my reading through of Esther for about the tenth time, that Haman the enemy of Israel threw dice to determine, which would be the best day of the month to murder thousands of innocent Jews.

Now think about that for a minute, this guy Haman hated the Jews so much that he played a crap game to determine which would be the best day to have them all killed. I read that and I thought to myself why in the world do people hate each other to that magnitude? What causes such strong hatred, not for a people only but for an entire ethnic group? I could understand hating someone that I know personally, but this guy Haman hatred was so strong that he wanted to annihilate an entire ethnic group, which vastly included people he didn’t even know.

Ok let’s agree that extreme hatred exist, and from what I can tell extreme hatred kills and destroys the life of a lot of innocent people. So then it only makes sense that the best way to fight against this extreme hatred is with extreme love. Now your probably thinking what does extreme Love look like, glad you asked John15:13“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

Ok, okay “lay down my life” you are probably thinking what does that mean exactly? Laying down your life simply means putting another person needs above your own. You can start by greeting people and not becoming upset when they don’t speak back to you; yielding in traffic and letting another person have the right of way, even if they don’t deserve it, visiting a coworker who may be in the hospital, how about inviting a neighbor over for dinner. Then there is extreme love, literally giving your life so that others can live. To write that and see that phrase in print gives “me” chills. You see Radom Love changes the life of people, but Radical Love changes the world, and this world is in desperate need of an overhaul.

Hey I'm learning "Greek"

For the last few days I have been really noticing the goodness of Jesus Christ. Today while I was reading, I noticed a curious Greek word “Tetelestai.” The word “Tetelestai” is an accounting term, used by the folks who lived during the time of Christ. This word “Tetelestai” was a word often written at the bottom of an invoice used to show that a service rendered had been, paid in full.

Ok, now you are thinking what does this word “Tetelestai” have to do with Christ! Glad you asked, check this out. As Jesus was slipping into death he said something that those standing close to him only heard him uttered John19:30“it is finished.” Why would Jesus say, “it is finished”? I think it’s worth it to do some scriptural investigation to find out the answer to that question. Paul said that Christ death was payment for your sins and mine, he said it this way 2Corinthians5:21“For he hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” So Jesus who committed no wrong action became the payment, the “Tetelestai” for the debt incurred due to my sin or wrong actions.

Think about it this way, whenever I go purchase an item from the store the clerk will usually hand me an invoice and most of the time, at the bottom of that invoice, I will see that the payment has been made in full by what shows up at the bottom of the receipt or invoice. This is exactly how we need to see Christ death on the cross. Whenever we commit a wrong action; lie, cheat, steal, you get the point, a debt is incurred. And the payment for that debt or wrong action is death. So then Jesus death on the cross was not just any death, his death was actually a “payment” to satisfy the debt that was incurred due to my wrong actions.

This word “Tetelestai” is important for me and you to understand because the meaning that this word carries with it. “Tetelestai” means that a payment was made that covered the full debt incurred because of our sin. So then, Christ death on the cross paid for my past, present and any future sins. This is good to know; because now I don’t have to focus on Not Sinning, “wow say it preacher” instead I should be focusing on walking obediently before God. This kind of perspective keeps us from frustrating the “Grace” extended to us by Christ work on the Cross.

Growing Grapes

Jesus had a way of expressing and teaching practical principals for living that would just simply blow you away. I have read through John 15 at least a dozen times and I saw a principal while doing my daily study that I think needs to be shared.

Jesus' style of teaching was fairly simple, yet very deep. He would often use his very surroundings as teaching tools for his classroom. So, when Jesus decided to teach his boys, a principal on abiding in the vine, he was more than likely standing in the middle of a “grape vineyard.” You know “grapes” those little precious things used to make that delicious bottle of “Merlot.” Ok, I can hear your brains' wheels screeching to a halt, and posing the question why was Jesus standing with his disciples, mind you, in the middle of a vineyard? Now that’s a topic for another day.

Anyway, let’s see, where was I? Jesus says in John15:4 “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.” So I’m reading this passage and immediately in my mind I’m thinking “do.” You know do “spend more time witnessing”, do “spend more time teaching”, do “spend more time reaching out to others”, do blah blah blah blah.

And then it hit me, a Vine Branch does not “do” anything to produce grapes. The branch that produces the grapes is the branch that is “connected to the vine.” It could not be that simple I thought to myself, you mean all this time I have worked so hard to be a better Christian and all I have to do is stay close and connected to Jesus! In the word’s of one of my many favorite teachers, Charles Swindoll, “How foolish is it of me to think that I could do anything without spending time with Jesus? Well, that’s about as foolish as a dried-up twig trying to grow a grape!”

Come unto Me

I was having my bible reading time with the Lord this morning and this may be a bit of a surprise to some of you, I didn’t have a bible, just a cup of coffee. Oh how I enjoy my coffee in the mornings. Well anyway, in between “sips” I began to muse over a particular passage of scripture where Jesus is quoted as saying, “Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

And as that Colombia Dark Roast slipped ever so slightly down the old pie hole I had a marvelous thought, which I think is worth repeating. Jesus does not call us to go to church. He does not call us to do ministry work. And he does not call us to do missions work. Now that’s a scary thought for some. The truth is God calls us to come unto “him.”

Now I need to pause parenthetically here and say that as a Pastor of a growing church I tend to get a bit irritated on Sunday mornings when I look out over the congregation and see so many people who just stay home, because they’re tired, maybe they just slept in, went to the lake or whatever the reason. So while the coffee aroma was yet in the nostril, God tapped me on the head and he said to me in my Spirit, with Clarity of course, William I want you to bring people to “me.” I then with that thought I said with a sighed “Lord, I understand.”

You see God wants more than anything for people to come to him and in the process of knowing him we will begin to love what he loves. Make no mistake about it. Christ loves his “church.” So if you have not been attending Church but you want to know God, you can find him at a good Local Church. Remember the Church is his bride.

Is God For-Sale

Now that's a good question. The other day someone asked me that very question. I think it went kinda like this "Pastor is it right for people to sale things inside the church". I don't think God is surprised at the amount of commerce that is being generated under the auspice of church ministry. Everyone knows that the Truth about God and his Word can be spread through all sorts of media; websites, Music CD's, Music Videos etc. The truth is Church's are no longer just a single building but we have church campuses. I could go on but you can see clearly that all of the things mentioned cost money and they also generate revenue.

Jesus Christ just had away of simplifying the most complicated and difficult issues. One day Jesus and his disciples where going to the Temple probably to do worship are teach whatever the case they went to the Temple. And Jesus and his comrades’ arrive at the Temple gates and they notice that folks are selling things inside the Temple. This of course infuriates Jesus. Jesus is angry because the Priest and the men working for the priest were making merchandise of God's people. Allow me a moment to explain, folks would have their own sheep ready to give to the priest to perform their ritual sacrifice to their God, and the priest would tell them that their sheep or goat wasn't good enough go back and buy one of the sheep from the guys selling in the Temple. Man that sounds to me like they were stealing and profiteering from ministry. Notice how Jesus response to this silliness he gets a cord of rope, and starts turning over tables and whipping folk’s “behinds” and then he says something to them that is simple but insightful... Mark 11:17 “And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves”.

Ok Jesus is quoting from an old testament passage found in Jeremiah. So buying and selling in the church is no new problem, you can be sure of that. So let’s look at this thing from Jesus perspective. The issue for Christ was not that they were selling things in the Temple; He never says to the men "why are you selling sacrifices etc. in the temple. He clearly is upset because the men are buying and selling with the intent to steal or make merchandise of God's folk.

Ok folks I'm about to drop some truth on you so don't miss this. Christ is always more concerned with the intent of the heart than he is with the method and or action. So the correct answer to the original question. Is God for-sale "NO God is not for sale" and the church building should-not be used to make merchandise of the people of God. So how does that truth reconcile with the issues of all of the revenue that is being generated while doing genuine church ministry i.e. movies, videos, books, cd's etc. There is a clear cost associated with doing ministry but when the importance of Generating Revenue supersedes the importance of Ministry we no longer have the correct heart attitude and we are in grave danger of having Christ pullout his cord of rope and turn over our proverbial money tables, and have him whip some behind J.

God is in Control "REALLY"

How many times have you heard that statement said and began to think "is he really in control" Wars being fought over that black stuff deep beneath the earths surface, Kids killing kids, Same sex marriages, Legalized abortion, Taxation without representation, Athletes making millions to play a game, Preachers running away with secretaries excuse me as I digress.

Me think it tis a fair question to ask "where is God in all this." I want to try and answer that question. Are you ready this because its going to be a dozy ok ladies and gentleman brace yourself “God is still on Throne"

You say preacher that is totally unfair. How is God on the throne when I don't have a job and I don't know how or where my next pay check is coming from? God has taught me over the years that when things are at there absolute worst is when He is at his absolute best. So then let me try and help you get this truth down in your spirit, because truth my friend is like chicken soup for the soul.

God has a vantage point that I can’t see nor understand. Allow me to explain before you stop reading. God can see years into to your future and he knows the benefit that that struggle is going to pay. Someone once said what was meant evil against me God meant it for my Good. So with that bit of truth, adversity has away of introducing a man or woman to them self, right.

Ok I can hear you thinking what does all this mean? When things get dark and they will, walk with God anyway. When times get tuff stay the course don’t stop doing the things you know are good and right. Your marriage is going in the wrong direction Love her man, respect him woman according to God’s word. That child is wayward and rebellious pray more fervently and discipline them according to scripture more earnestly. You can’t find that job, keep looking and keep praying.

Remember God can see far into your future so just keep doing things his way and in time you will see what he saw in you years before.

Finding Your Sweet Spot

I don't know about you but whenever I play a game I love winning. I played football in College but the game I loved the most was basketball. I remember playing intramural basketball in college and some days it just seemed like I could not miss, no really don't laugh this is true. I could shoot behind the basket infront of the basket, I just could not miss.


Some would say well he's in a zone he'll wake up in a minute, but that wasn't the case. The truth is I had found my sweet spot. Ok your thinking now whatever do you mean "sweet spot"? My sweet spot was a 10 to 12 foot jumper, and once the jumper started falling, you guessed it I could take you off the dribble, yea boy they had to respect the Jay.


Ok life is a lot like that. Paul in his letter from a prison mind you encourages the Phillipians to forget those things that are behind them and to pursue the prize ahead of them. Well your probably thinking what does that have to do with a "sweet spot" glad you asked. In life there will be lots of ups and downs the "sweet spot" is discovered not in dwelling on the defeats but in pursuing the goals that God has put in your heart to accomplish.


Philippians 3:13 "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but [this] one thing [I do], forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus"

So please don't let the ups and downs of life keep you down or hold you back. Stay focused on that "goal" and find your sweet spot