Do You Know Your Best Friend?

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. (‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭15-17‬ ESV)

From the time this verse was written to today there have been questions regarding the third party of the trinity. The Holy Spirit has been made out to be a “crazy maker” by some and completely forgotten by others. It seems that when it comes to understanding who the Holy Spirit is and what His function is in our lives the majority of people live on two extremes. Either they have embraced the phrase “holy roller” and frequently exercise all the gifts of the Holy Spirit with a highlight on anything that seems weird to a normal person. Or the other side of the spectrum simply stopped acknowledging the Holy Spirit in fear that they would be associated with the “holy rollers.”

I must say that neither of these two responses or outlooks regarding the Holy Spirit are correct or healthy. At the very basic concept of the Holy Spirit we see that Jesus recognizes him as a “helper.” First as believers in Jesus we must realize and admit that the Holy Spirit is real and part of the trinity yet uniquely different for our benefit. To have a cessation mindset in regards to the Holy Spirit is to only believe in part of God’s teaching. Secondly, we know that God is not the author of confusion therefore the Holy Spirit would not be the leader or initiator of things that could be deemed weird or confusing. When the Holy Spirit moves it is to help the believer!

To find out more about the Holy Spirit join us at FFWC in our new series entitled: “My Best Friend”

Aaron

Is Chivalry Biblical?

In a generation of fatherless children chivalry seems to be growing extinct. One of the responsibilities of men who follow Christ is to teach the next generation of boys how to become men. According to fatherhoodfactor.com up to 43% of kids today live in fatherless homes, and this is just one alarming statistic they have found. Becoming the right father is what God desires from us.

As part of being a father it is our responsibility to teach our sons how to treat women and to teach our daughters how they should expect to be treated. Jesus gave the ultimate example of chivalry by giving his life for his bride (the church). From this one simple act Jesus teaches us that the act of being chivalrous comes from putting others before yourself.

Here are a few examples of how to teach your kids to be chivalrous.
1. You are the example your kids learn from the most. If you aren’t showing chivalry then they won’t either.
2. Teach them by example how to say “sir” and “ma’am”.
3. Teach your boys to open doors for women, carry their bags, pull out their seat for them, and give up their seat if there isn’t one for a lady.

These are just a few ways to teach someone how to be chivalrous. This is a trait that brings honor to God so it should be important to us. Make a decision today to take time with your children to teach them how to be chivalrous.

Some days more than others.

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭3-5‬ ESV)

Face it suffering happens. Broken relationships, flat tires, health problems, kids tantrums in the middle of Walmart and anything else that will make you want to cuss. However the bible tells us that suffering is a necessary part of growing. Every moment of suffering allows us a decision. We can gloat through our suffering or we can sprout through it.

Choosing to grow through suffering will help produce the endurance you will need in life to take on anything life has to throw at you. The endurance will produce a character that allow you to be influential to those around you.

Ask yourself a question. How influential are you as a Christian? Maybe you should try looking at the perceived suffering as an opportunity to grow in endurance, character, and the hope of Jesus Christ.

Prayer: God help me look at the moments in life that make me want to question why and draw me close to going crazy as times to grow! My hope is in you!

2 Things about Jesus

And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. (‭Luke‬ ‭2‬:‭10‬ ESV)

I love the fact that this scripture is the beginning of some shepherds relationships to Jesus. Talk about an introduction! A couple things that interest me about how the birth of Christ unfolds:

First, I love that Jesus chose to share one of the greatest moments in history with shepherds. Shepherds were the bottom of the working class and Jesus chose to share this moment with them! It’s like God was saying, “There is no “classes” of people when it comes to me. I want to spend time with people no matter who they are or how society classifies them.”

Secondly, I love that the joy associated with this new relationship eliminated fear! If you know Jesus you don’t have to fear! That’s great news! Live like it!

Workout or Work out?

SOAP = Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer.

S : Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12, 13 ESV)

O : Paul encourages to not only be a light in the world in his presence but even more so in his absence. His very next words are: work out. I like to compare this “work out” to an actual gym workout. The ones that make you wish you were dead. I recently did a crossfit workout with a friend, by the end of the workout my push-ups went from being military worthy to almost eating concrete with every rep.

Those are the kind of workouts I believe Paul is referring to in his “work out”. There will be incredibly difficult decisions while following Christ. Decisions that have you in fear of losing a friendship, being called a hypocrite, and even decisions that make you question your calling. Decisions that make you fear and tremble. The battlegrounds to hash out this fear and trembling is many times found when no one else can see. I heard an author once write that you can see an individual go to church, you can see them serve in church, you can see them attend a small group, but you can’t see that individual spend alone time with God and that could be more important than all the other events put together.

A : Learn to utilize alone time with God. It’s easy to become motivated to do this by a good sermon or thought provoking book, but when motivation dies let discipline take its place. Learn to find comfort in asking other people whom you trust (close friends, pastors, elders, and leaders) who will dedicate time in prayer for you and your decisions.

P : God give me the discipline to serve you not only in the public eye but also during times I am alone. Help me gain and keep the desire to spend alone time with you to “work out” my salvation, my calling, and my decisions. Thank you for your blessings.

Do you know a grumbling guru?

SOAP = scripture, observation, application, and prayer.

S : Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. (Philippians 2:14-16 ESV)

O : Surely Paul didn’t mean “all” things right? That must be a misprint or bad translation! Unfortunately I have tried about every version of the bible that Youversion offers and they all say either “all things” or “in everything”. Things just got real! Let’s be honest we live in a culture where grumbling and disputing are second nature to us. Heck, most of the time it’s encouraged by those around us. But if we are going to believe in all of the beneficial scriptures about love, grace, and salvation then we have to believe in the scriptures like this as well. All or nothing baby! We don’t get the freedom to create our own meology from bible by picking and choosing the scriptures we want to follow and the ones we don’t want to follow.

In the middle of what Paul calls a “crooked and twisted” culture being abstinent from grumbling and disputing is a great way to set yourself apart. It’s easy to speak negative words in a negative world but it takes an individual who has come face to face with a life-changing love to speak positive words in negative world. This is accomplished by holding fast to the gospel and what it means for your life. Though you may be persecuted now……your reward is eternal.

A : Paul is adamant about not complaining because he believes that if a Christian is seen or heard grumbling and disputing it can take away from the works they have done, whether that work be by personal testimony, teaching, discipleship, etc. It is the classic one step forward and two steps back scenario. Make a decision today to not complain, to not speak negatively no matter what the situation is or who it involves. Speak life!

P : God help me be incredibly optimistic today. Help me take a step back and see that you are working for my good in “all things” instead of being negative toward most things. I want to do this because your Word directs it and I don’t want to see the seeds I have sewn by sharing your gospel wasted because of my bad attitude! Thank you for your blessings! Amen.

Finding Your Identity

At times, if your like any other person on this planet, there may be periods of time in which you struggle with your identity. Depending on the individual that period of time could be short or overwhelmingly long. Currently our society breeds a “we are what we own” mindset. Our commercialized coalition of comrades decide who is allowed in and who is shunned from our circles by the brand-names that surround an individual. Conveniently eradicating the process of looking at a persons heart to see what kind of human he or she is can be a dangerous mistake to our relationship with Christ. Looking past the designer jeans, no matter how bedazzled they are, and setting your pride aside to ride in a “gently used” vehicle with someone can show more about who you are rather than the make of car you care to ride in.

But this concept requires some reflection on your part. Go ahead, take a look at your circle of friends. Do they all wear the same brands of clothing? Do they all drive new mid-sized SUVs? Do they all belong to the same club? Chances are the majority of the circle of your friends are very similar. Sometimes, unknowingly, you find yourself surrounded by a group of friends who hold a material standard of acceptance. This happens because of a mistaken identity. We conform to society standards and buy into the philosophy of “we are what we own” and search for happiness in purchases of unwarranted items that are overpriced to be accepted by people we don’t even like because we are worried how people view us and the type of people they see us with.

This poses a great problem for Christians because when we identify ourselves and others by material things our identity becomes an idolatry. Our identity is NOT found in what we own, instead our identity is found in who found us. Settling for an identity in anything other than Christ himself is selling out for idolatry. Your, my, Our identity was set by the sacrifice that Christ made on the cross. Trying to find an identity through anything other than Christ would be short-handing the his completed work! Your identity is found in the I AM!

Resource: WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?

Ups and Downs

The perpetual ups and downs of our Christian walk is in many ways considered a constant throughout the bible. James 1:2 assures us that there will be ups and downs. This unending change of highs and lows has been around since the beginning of time and looks as if it will be around until the Lord comes. It is in my best theological understanding that the ups and downs are part of the process of growing your relationship with Christ.

First lets talk about the “ups,” I will save the Debby-downers for later. When you are on an “up” it feels like God is so close to you. You are positively influencing lost people with the Love of Christ on a daily basis. Life is Great! Birds are chirping. Deer are frolicking. The sun is shining. You are constantly contributing great spiritual insight to the members of your bible study and when asked to pray you consider it an honor.

The “down” period is nothing like the previous paragraph. It feels like God is nowhere to be found. It feels like everything you touch is not only falling apart, falling apart would be good at this stage, but it seems that everything is EXPLODING into oblivion. The chirping birds have been replaced by a constant nagging of cawing crows. The deer are still frolicking but have moved from open fields to your garden and are now trampling everything to death! You don’t even want to think about a bible study and when someone asks you to pray you consider jumping out of a closed window.

The “down” time is mistakenly synonymously related to being an ineffective Christian. In Genesis 37&39 we find Joseph who knows a little bit about the “down” times. It’s important to know that Joseph had done nothing wrong when his own family betrayed him. He was thrown in a hole and left for dead, sold into slavery, and then imprisoned for acting upon his morals. Joseph could have easily gave up on God and the purpose God had given him, but he decided to go another route. In Genesis 40:6 Joseph does something abnormal, he finds himself ministering to other “dejected” people. God’s favor followed Joseph wherever he resided because of his willingness to honestly serve through the UPS and DOWNS!

Dont give up on God. Get some dedication to serve God through the ups and the downs. There are lost people who are counting on you to do so!

Pastor Aaron

5 Things I have Learned from this Weekend

1. FFWC has been blessed with some incredible leaders who aren’t afraid to do hard work! These leaders are there to support one another and the Church as a whole. When together and all minds working toward the same goal they work, with precision and perfection, until the goal is accomplished.

2. It is not suggested, despite what some might say, to try and turn up the heat in the bedroom by downsizing beds. I’m not talking about changing from a California King, that is equivalent to three acres of fluffy mattress, down to a spacious queen. I am talking about downsizing two grown adults from a queen size down to a midget twin. Being close is awesome but hanging half off a bed that is 7 feet in the air will make a grown man pee himself. Closeness doesn’t always turn up the heat in the bedroom! But I must say there was something romantic about hanging on for dear life.

3. God is an incredible creator. PERIOD.

4. I am not as young, mobile, or agile as I used to be. I realized this after an afternoon rest period, which was much needed after the cliff hanger experience through the night and the team building course……which really should be called “I Will Break You”. But sometimes it’s refreshing, in a weird way, to realize you are older, less mobile, and more fragile than you used to be. Maybe it’s refreshing because you realize how far you have come and God is still there next to you……..even if you need a new back operation because you thought and acted like you were a 20 year old well-trained athlete. (Maybe that last part is just me?)

5. I am completely honored to lead FFWC toward our mission. I couldn’t think of a more fulfilling thing to do. It is overwhelming and humbling to see the quality of leaders who are battling with me to advance the Love of Christ.

Still passionately pursuing people with the love of Christ, with an incredible team!!!
Aaron

Stick to your Guns

Many times through your walk with Christ he will instill in you a vision that is specifically designed for you. A vision that was created and planned out by our mistake free God. The only thing you have to do is follow the plans he laid out for you. How you articulate your vision is the key to seeing to fulfillment. I haven’t been at this (Lead Pastor) stuff long but I have already learned a very important lesson. God specifically gives YOU a vision so that YOU can lead it. Being raised in church (28 years) I have been around long enough to occasionally see a person’s God given vision corrupted, snuffed out, halted, or extended because of others. These “others” aren’t necessarily bad people! But God didn’t give them your vision so they could lead it. Whatever the vision and whoever receives it must understand that it was specifically created for them and they must move forward in articulation and protect it from others trying to hijack it to become something THEY want it to be. Don’t get me wrong, many times you need others to help you see your vision fulfilled. And many times God will call others to help you see your vision fulfilled. But don’t make the mistake of settling for something other than what God has envisioned to you. Don’t go in a different direction just because others think you need to go there. Stick to your guns…………..the guns that God gave you! Aaron