"Stop Looking for a Man"

 ²Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. ³In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. ⁴For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. ⁵And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. ⁶When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? ⁷The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. ⁸Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. ⁹And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the Sabbath- John 5:2-9

Like the man in the text, we all have found ourselves in some situation that we needed to be delivered from. Some of us may be in a situation right now. This man finds himself in a powerless condition and is in need of some help. He has been lucky enough to get close to some help, but because of his condition he believes he is unable to obtain that help. The man finds himself by a pool that when troubled by the angel the first one in the water would be made whole. This man has been walked over, brushed passed and over looked by people who are in need of their own deliverance. This man has been hoping that someone would see his need, his condition and his desperation and put him in the pool. But time after time again he has been disappointed by man’s individualism and man’s heartlessness.

At this point of the man’s life, after being in his condition so long, he is used to being helpless and dependent on others. He presently finds hope in a temporary and unsuitable source—the pool. The situation at the pool is not helpful because it doesn’t allow real opportunity for change. For this man, it only presents false hope.

If one looks at this situation closely, we should see our own reflection in the pool for we too are like this man, managing lives that are in need of change, but seeking unsuitable sources of change and we have placed our hopes in the heart of disappointing people. We go from relationship to relationship only to be disappointed and hurt by the issues of other people. We have been walked on, brushed passed and left for dead. We place our hopes in unsuitable and temporary solutions like drugs, alcohol, people, power, possessions, and fornication.

What is screaming out to me as I look at the ripple effect of this man’s situation is that when in the presence of Jesus, he is still looking for a man and placing hope in a temporary fix. The man’s ability to see who is before him, the Son of David, the Son of God, is distorted. He is still looking for a man when He was in the presence of God. He was looking for a man when God was available. Let’s be honest, we too have been in the presence of God still looking for intervention from something or someone else. While in church, during worship, and/ or during the preached word, we’ve thought about, cried for and text-messaged our insufficient help. While in the presence of hope Himself, we are mentally and emotionally taken away on the current and waves of false hope. The man needed to realize that the angel that troubled the water was created by the Creator. The man he wished could help him was created and given strength by the Creator. The man in our text and some of us today need to stop looking towards creation to do what the Creator can do all by Himself. We, like the man, need to stop looking for man (mankind) to do things for us. Stop looking for a man to heal your wounds, fill your heart, and change your life. Stop looking for a man to tell you what you were created to do! Stop looking for a man to make you feel like you are something. Stop looking for a man to give you a vision. Stop looking for a man to make you feel like you have purpose and look to the Creator, God Almighty, and allow His creative power to give you something you can’t get yourself! Stop looking for a man!

How many of us would feel better today, if we stop laying ourselves at the mercy of men and laid ourselves at the mercy of a merciful and all powerful God? Look at your life. Are you where you are right now because you are looking for a man or woman to do something in your life? Look to God, He is more than able. Stop looking for a man!

Prayer this prayer: Lord, forgive me for looking for and trusting in people and things to do what you are meant to do. There are so many things in my life that have been delayed because I have been in denial about my dependence on creation and not You, my Creator. Lord, I lay myself at your mercy and your creative power and I ask you to make me whole. Help me to trust you with everything. Allow me to now begin the journey of learning more about Your faithfulness that I may never again look for human beings to do that which is meant to be done my divine hands. In Jesus name, Amen.

Living in What You Say-Youth Summer Bible Study #2

Death and life are in the power of the tongue and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof

- Proverbs 18:21

Also see:

For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh

- Matthew 12:34b

But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart and they defile the man

-Matthew 15:18

Have you ever sat in a room with a friend and suddenly someone you don’t like or someone you have a problem with comes into the room and you feel differently now that you see them and now that you are around them? You were just telling your friend how you don’t like this and that about the person and how they made you feel and what you would do or say to them if you saw them and then they popped right up. Now your mood changes and now you’re frustrated, mad or sad.

There are times when great teams lose games they could have won. One of the reasons why I believe that Pau Gasol wasn’t able to perform at his highest level in the 2011 NBA Finals is because of how he spoke about the game, the Dallas Mavericks and especially his opponent Dirk Nowitzki. Pau Gasol is an excellent player, but when matched up against Dirk Nowtizki and the Dallas Mavericks his swag and confidence was on ZERO! Interestingly enough, I heard an interview where he spoke extremely highly of Dirk Nowtizki which is okay to do once the battle is over. He gave a lot of credit to Dirk Nowtizki as if he couldn’t be stopped before the series was even over and he played out the very thing he spoke, thus losing the championship.

SO what’s your point Rev. Max!?

The Bible says that “death and life are in the power of the tongue.” We really don’t understand that we create and destroy things with our mouths. We are created in the image and likeness of God and we have been given the power of God from God through the Holy Spirit to have dominion and authority on earth giving life or summoning death to a thing or idea. Don’t you remember in Genesis, God caused life to exist by words? God has given us that same power residing in our own mouths and we sometimes misuse that power and authority to sabotage our own lives.

We must realize that we can have happier, more fruitful and loving lives if we change how we talk and what we talk about. Sometimes the defeat we experience is the defeat that we spoke right out of our own mouths. The negativity that we experience is the negativity we spoke concerning the day while we were getting ourselves together in the morning. We sometimes claim that we don’t like certain people and we don’t know why, but could the answer be possibly found in your conversation and thinking about that individual? Why are you depressed? Why do you dislike yourself? If you want to change how you feel about yourself then change the way you think and talk about yourself. We are victims of our own tongues.

If you want to have a different experience in your life, church or even school then change how you talk about those things. You have to stop setting yourself up to walk in awful experiences that come as a result of your words. Like the man in the picture above we live in our words so don’t get stuck in the phone booth of life with bad results that come from what you say. Change your words and you will change your life.

Pray this prayer:

Lord, thank you for the power and authority that you have placed in my mouth. Help me Lord not to sabotage my life with the death that comes from my own mouth. Fill me with Your Word so I may speak Your Word and live in the Life of Your Word. Lord, where I need healing in my life so I can think differently about certain things, please provide the healing so I don’t speak out of my wounds and continue to live an even more pain-filled life. Right now, in the name of Jesus, I speak love, power, joy, peace, kindness, and purpose in my life and I expect change to manifest itself in my life-Amen

Rev. Max



You Have New Strength-2011 Youth Summer Bible Study #1

“No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it” - 1 Corinthians 10:13 NASB

Have you ever said, “I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYONE MORE!!!?” I have you ever felt like what you were facing was more than you could bear by just looking at it or hearing about it? Well I want to encourage you and let you know that when you find yourself facing something a little bigger or more than what you are a custom to, you are not being overtaken, but you are receiving a direct message and revelation from God that you have NEW STRENGTH!

1 Corinthians tells us that God is faithful and when we are going through life and face with temptations and other life challenges God will never tempt us with more than we can bear. It may seem extremely challenging and unbearable, but if you know that God is faithful then you know that you can overcome!

You may say, “Well, that’s not true, I have been through something recently and it was too much to say no to or deal with in the right way.” I will tell you that God knows you better than you know yourself and God’s word is true. “So why did I go through it and why did it overtake me?” I’m glad you asked!

You have to realize that God is consistently faithful. God is not about games or tricks. He has blessed you with the ability to overcome. God is not going to tell you that He has put a certain amount of weight on the bar and then make you lift it to make you fail. No! God doesn’t work like that. You must not panic and give in. You must be faithful to fight as God is faithful to provide strength and a way of escape.

I hear you REVIE REV, but still, why does God allow this!!!?

Listen, if you are experiencing new weight-greater temptations, challenges, and obstacles and you know that God is faithful and true saying He will never give you more than you can bear then that means this new challenge, temptation and /or obstacle is a revelation of your NEW STRENGTH!

God knows His children. God knows what you can take and not take. God knows what you need to bring out the best you that He placed in you Himself. So look at your week. Think about your life. Think about the various challenges you have ahead of you. Does it appear to be a little more than what you are used to??? Well, CONGRATULATIONS! You just moved up another weight class!

God doesn’t want us to stay the same way. You should always expect growth and with growth comes greater challenges. So whatever you are facing you can make it! Whatever you are going through, you are already showing growth by just the mere fact that you are going “through”! If you find yourself stuck in a certain place in life, continue in the strength of the Lord because He is only furthering your spiritual development by requiring more reps than usual. You have NEW STRENGTH!

Pray this prayer:

Lord, I thank you for being faithful. Thank you for knowing me the way you do and for being the best steward over my life. Lord, I trust you with my life and I know you will never give me more than I can bear. Help me to see my new strength that you have given me. Help me to operate in my new strength so I can give you more glory. Teach me Lord to remember that you expect me to grow and with growth come challenges and with challenges it produces more growth. Thank you Lord for all you have done for me and being a keeper and sustainer in my life. Amen!

Tell me about the new challenges you have recently faced. Tell me how this indicates that you have new strength. How is this different from your past challenges? What growth do you see from previous challenges from the ones you presently face by looking at how you want to deal with them now? Post your comments; send an email, or send a message to my Facebook inbox. God Bless!

Rev. Max




"STOP LIVING IN REARVIEW!"

Kingdom Greetings Believers!

I am so excited about this year’s Youth Day! Through numerous discussions with some of our youth and with much prayer and guidance from the Lord, our theme this year is: “Stop Living in Rearview!”

This theme has been lifted out of the soil of the Old Testament rooted in Isaiah 43:18-19. The New American Standard Bible Version reads, “Do not call to mind the former things or ponder things of the past. Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it?” But I also like Eugene Peterson’s Message Version which says, “Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new. It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it?” God is telling us “Stop Living in Rearview!”

Here is a picture of the vantage point from the driver’s seat. The driver has a small rearview mirror which shows him or her things that are behind them; things related to what they have already passed. Then there is a big window that allows the driver to see what is in the road that lies before them, places they can go, people they can meet and various experiences they could have.

Our lives are something like that, individually and as a ministry. God has a window of great opportunity for us while we do have a rearview mirror a past! But the most interesting thing believers, is that the creator of this structure and our life structure is our rearview (our past) is not bigger than the window to the road of opportunity. What we allow sometimes in our own individual lives and as a ministry is we live (drive) life (the road) through the rearview instead of looking through the window of opportunity and instead of properly encountering (pulling up to) opportunity, we miss and/or crash into opportunity.

Just imagine someone driving through life through the rearview? Would you ride with someone like that? Could they even make it down the street or get out the parking lot without some type of damage to themselves or someone else?

The “rearview” concept could be understood as being stuck in the past and it could be good or bad. It is a place or state of being. It’s being psychologically, emotionally, spiritually or even physically stuck in previous relationships, past issues, past pains or hurts, past successes, past failures, and past thoughts. An individual can’t enjoy new relationships or new opportunities because they remember what happened in the past; they measure and encounter everything by the past, which limits their life experiences even in ministry.

While we can learn from our past, God has uniquely designed our lives to be motivated, led and governed by proper forward VISION! It is the “already, but not yet” of God; the promises of God! Like driving you are not motivated by things in the rearview. You are motivated to move forward by the things you see (vision) in front of you. God places opportunities, promises, dreams and a purpose in front of you to pursue.

So many youth, adults and ministries find themselves in God’s collision center because we fail to keep our eyes (hearts, minds and spirits) open to the “new thing”, the road ahead that God has for us! We can have better grades if we stop thinking about last semester or quarter grades. We can have better relationships if we stop dealing with new prospects as if they were the other guy or girl. We can have evolving, relevant, creative, spirit filled, life transforming, and unpredictable ministry if we forgive, and work together; stay open to God’s new thing, stop worrying about who is here or not or how someone did what when they were a part of the ministry.

God is calling our youth and maybe our church to “Stop Living in the Rearview!” God has wonderful opportunities for us, but we can no longer allow a small mirror limit great opportunity. Life and ministry is about living things not dead things (the past). Our challenge in June is to “Stop Living in the Rearview” and let’s move forward in our personal lives and as a ministry and be all that God has called us to be. We can no longer speak about the possibilities of our lives and ministry based upon the rearview mirror. The Bible says, there is life and death in the power of the tongue. Sometimes we experience more of the death we speak than the death that is really in something or associated with someone. Sometimes we experience more of the negative in our lives and ministry that we have spoken through the misuse of the power God placed in our tongues than the real challenges that is in our lives and associated with ministry. “Stop Living in Rearview” and start speaking, expecting and seeking what thus saith the Lord!

That is the grace in the text, “Forget” and don’t ponder “the past” but God says, “BEHOLD! I am going to do something new!” God acknowledges that there is a past, but is motivating us not to live in the past. God is showing us that there is always something greater for us beyond what we have already experienced. Don’t let success limit the possibility of greater achievement. Don’t let past hurts detour you from available healing. We can’t move forward in our personal lives living in the rearview and we can’t lead our ministries with “rearview vision.” In the words of DeWayne Woods, we have to “Let Go and Let God!”

“Stop Living in Rearview!”

Rev. Maurice Maxwell

FBCV Youth Minister

Prayer: Your 4G Network- The Power to Change Your Life Experience #1

Session#1 on Prayer

The Discipline of Prayer by Richard J. Foster Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth (Chapter 3)

1. Of all the Spiritual Disciplines prayer is the most central because it ushers us into continuous communion with the Father.

2. Real prayer is life creating and life changing.

3. To pray is to change. Prayer is the central avenue God uses to transform us.

a. The closer we come to the heartbeat of God the more we see our need and the more we desire to be conformed to Christ.

4. James 4:3- “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.”

a. To ask “rightly” involves transformed passions. In prayer, real prayer, we begin to think God’s thoughts after him: to desire the things he desires, to love the things he loves, to will the things he wills

5. All who have walked with God have viewed prayer as the main business of their lives.

a. Gospel of Mark has a commentary on the life-style of Jesus- “And in the morning, a great while before day, he rose and went out to a lonely, and there he prayed.”

b. Martin Luther- “I have so much business I cannot get on without spending three hours daily in prayer.”

6. Prayer must not just be a part of my day, but it must be my life.

7. Prayer requires a learning process.

a. Luke 11:1 the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray.

b. They had prayed all their lives, and yet something about the quality and quantity of Jesus’ praying caused them to see how little they knew about prayer.

Being a Young Disciple: The Christian Transformer

Being a Young Disciple: The Christian-Transformer

Romans 12:2 says “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good, acceptable and perfect.”

We, as young believers, are cautioned not to be conformed to this world. We are conformed to the world by people, various types of music, television, certain conversations and more. Every encounter that we have with worldly things and people brings us a step closer to becoming more like the world. Being conformed to the world is a process, it takes time. If we are going to be Christian-Transformers, Young Disciples of Christ, we must stop this process that leads to our conforming to the world. We must be intentional about ending this process. Just as we were intentional to turn to the wrong channels, wrong websites, and answer or call the wrong person on the phone we must be intentional about ignoring and staying away from those things.

Christian transformation is an alternative, it’s a choice. You either look like the world; look forward to the consequence of looking and acting like the world or you choose to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. It’s like DVR. You have been programmed to do certain things and live a certain way, but you must now remove the old program and upload a new station and programming. Renewing the mind, getting a new way of thinking, a new way of being is a process. It was a process in the area of sin and it’s a process as well with your spiritual walk with God. You must be intentional about spending time with God so your mentality can be renewed.

You maintain your transformed state by doing what Paul said in Roman 13:14, every day “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lust.” You have to put on Christ every day. You put on Christ when you read and apply his word. You put on Christ when you pray before you go to school. You put on Christ when you take a stand for God when nobody else will. You put on Christ when you put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20). You put on Christ by “making no provision for the flesh in regard to its lust.” Every time you say no to temptation you are putting on Christ. Every time you tell that guy or girl he or she can’t come over when your parents aren’t home, you are putting on Christ!

My prayer for you is that you be a Christian-Transformer and maintain your transformer state. Change the way you think and act by having a different mindset than the world. Yes, you truly maybe surrounded by negative things and negative people, but the truth is God has given you an inner power to tap into so you can be different from your environment, so you can have a different outcome than those you are surrounded by. Romans 8:5-6 says “For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.” So where ever you “set” your mind, flesh or spirit, negativity or positivity, you will become that place. When I was younger I made sure never to set my toys in the reach of my little sister or brother because if I set it in the wrong place my toy would be in danger. It is the same with your mind. Where ever you place your mind it will be at the mercy of where you place it. If you are constantly thinking negatively you will experience negative results. If you keep thinking lustful thoughts and occupy your eyes with lustful things you will lust. You are a product of the mental environment where you set your mind. To be a Young Disciple, a Christian-Transformer, you must set your mind on the things of God like His word, His praise, and His love. You must set your mind on ideas, thinking, and people who are of the Kingdom of God.

 

Where is your mind? Did you forget where you last placed it? Ask yourself what kind of things you have been involved in. What kind of things have you been thinking about? Then follow the path from that place and you will find where you mind is. If it’s in the wrong place choose to place it on things above;on Godly things.



Illuminating the Love of God (Sept. 14th Lesson)

How Do I Really Be a Young Disciple of Christ? Illuminating the Love of God

I John 4:7-21

4:7 Dear friends let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been fathered 3 by God and knows God. 4:8 The person who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 4:9 By this the love of God is revealed in us: that God has sent his one and only Son into the world so that we may live through him. 4:10 In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.4:11 Dear friends, if God so loved us, then we also ought to love one another. 4:12 No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God resides in us, and his love is perfected in us. 4:13 By this we know that we reside in God and he in us: in that he has given us of his Spirit. 4:14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.
4:15 If anyone confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God resides in him and he in God. 4:16 And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has in us. God is love, and the one who resides in love resides in God, and God resides in him. 4:17 By this love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the Day of Judgment, because just as Jesus is, so also are we in this world. 4:18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears punishment has not been perfected in love. 4:19 We love because he loved us first.4:20 If anyone says “I love God” and yet hates his fellow Christian, he is a liar, because the one who does not love his fellow Christian whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 4:21 And the commandment we have from him is this: that the one who loves God should love his fellow Christian too.

Being a Young Disciple is not easy, but it is edifying (builds lives) to others as we strive to be more like Christ. One of the ways we become Young Disciple is by “Illuminating the Love of God”; by revealing or being a witness of the Love of God. 1 John 4 shows us that we, as Christians, should show love to others because God is love. Everything God does goes through His Love. God’s justice, mercy, grace, and even His wrath have to go through His love. Jesus did not merely come to save us but Jesus was sent through the divine motivation of Love as it is written “For God so loved… He gave”; Jesus is the written love letter to Humanity and Love is the Message!

Since God is love, and God’s Spirit, the Holy Spirit, dwells in us according to 1 Corinthians 3:16 and 6:19 we have the ability to operate in God’s love. The same message of love that God gave us through His Son Jesus, we now send out through the Spirit of Christ that lives in us. You as a Young Disciple should love, must love and can love because God is love and God is in you!

I John 4 also tells us that we should love because it reflects our relationship with God. My wife and I do almost everything together and we spend a lot of time together. When we used to go out to restaurants I would always get chicken tenders because I loved chicken tenders and I was comfortable eating it. As I continued to hang out with my wife I began to try some of the different dishes she ordered. Now, I love want my wife loves to eat. My wife and I talk and laugh, and sometimes I find myself saying her little phrases and sometimes laughing like her. You usually act like who you hang around. It is the same with God. As you hang out with God in prayer, reading your word and in worship, you should see yourself acting more like God. You should see yourself operating more in love. God so loved the world, so you should love people too. God loves sacrificially, unconditionally and consistently, so you should too. Young disciples should love because it reflects your relationship with God.

Lastly, John shows us that Christians should love others because our love for God can only be real if you love other people. You can’t love God whom you’ve never seen if you don’t love people you see every day. If you want to measure how much someone loves God, observe how they love people. As you come to know love (God) you should love like love. If you don’t love all people, even your enemies then you do not love like love (God) because you don’t know love (God) for real.

It is my prayer that you would chose to love for God is love, it is a form of your witness of God who is love, and your love of God becomes real as you love others. Love is the message!

Rev. Max