Highland Lakes church of Christ

“How’s life?” someone will ask. “How are things?” “Well, you know…I’ve got this worry. I’ve got this concern, I’ve got this stress. My car is not fast enough. My portfolio isn’t that impressive enough. I couldn’t find a good parking lot at my favorite restaurant and had to walk 50 feet. I can’t take that trip to Europe until next year…”

So, somehow, we, the ransomed people of God, those who have been saved, resurrected from lifeless life, by and through the cross and resurrection of Jesus, somehow, the body of Christ can’t see past the end of our noses.

Somehow, we are blind to the transformative reality we’ve encountered in Jesus and we immerse ourselves in the world rather than the Kingdom.

Consider the emotion of God. The heart of God. How do we think God feels when His chosen ones share posts on Facebook that are worldly in nature, even unholy? Go and look at your wall (yes, the social media!) and see what it reveals about you! What it reveals about you is what you are. What it reveals about you is what is important to you.

Maybe this is not you. Ok. But let’s look into another area. What do you talk to your friends about? What directions do your conversations take? Our conversations and where we go with those, say a great deal about where our hearts are. “Out of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). What does your mouth say about your heart? Do you spend more time talking about the weather or Jesus? The stock market or the Kingdom? Obama-care or the God who cares?

It is hard to soar with the eagles when you are clucking with the chickens.

Is the glass half empty or half full? Because for those who follow Jesus, it’s supposed to be overflowing! May we glorify God with our thoughts, words and lives. ~~ Jason Reeves

“And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” — 1 Kings 19:12-13 (ESV)

Someone once asked Joan of Arc why God spoke only to her. She responded, “Sir, you are wrong. God speaks to everyone. I just listen.”

When God spoke to Samuel, it was as the boy lay down quietly in the middle of the night. Even then, Samuel did not at first recognize that the voice belonged to God. He needed the wisdom of his experienced mentor, Eli, to understand who was communicating with him. But based on how often Samuel heard God’s voice as an adult, it’s clear that he did learn to identify, listen to, and obey God’s voice.

We are often very busy people. And we can easily get caught up in the activities of our obligations. Whatever you are involved in, that’s why it’s important to set aside time to quiet yourself and listen for God’s direction. As author and minister Bill Hybels says, (we) “need to ask God to give us Samuel’s ear.”

Short but engaging thoughts, what do you think?

Thoughts from reading “The 21 Most Powerful Minutes in a Leader’s Day” by John C. Maxwell (Leadership Promises For every Day). — via Ken Darnell

The higher love Christ calls his followers to practice is difficult — and worthwhile!

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)

Jesus calls us to a higher standard of conduct — toward him and toward others. What he envisioned for his disciples was a harmonious community where love governed the way that people interacted with each other. Agape love is the highest form of care. It is the kind of love God demonstrated by sending his only begotten son into the world to redeem man’s sins. It is unconditional love, unselfish love and sacrificial love. Christ on the cross is agape incarnate.

Since the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came with demonstrated power to lead the apostles into all truths about the Kingdom, disciples have struggled to make the love command of Jesus work. Grecian Christians were disturbed that widows of their number were neglected in the daily ministration of food. Jewish Christians remained uncomfortable with Gentiles who became Christian converts. Sisters became fractious and threatened the workings of a congregation. Even leaders such as Paul and Barnabas could not agree about John Mark in the early days of spreading the church into the Roman world.

“Love one another” never is easy — unless God is involved. Since the Renaissance, the factions in the Christian world have caused people to despise Christianity. Even generous critics of Christianity question the many denominations and their splinters. The Restoration movement set out to restore the purity of New Testament Christianity, but from earliest days of the initiative, differences have thwarted the efforts to get back to the heart of Jesus’ teaching. Agape is, in contrast, a learned love, not something that is natural with mankind. Agape is not possible unless the spirit of God is living and working in a person. Without God’s work on the heart and the actions, no person can rise to love all other disciples in the way Jesus described in John 13. The capacity to love all believers depends on our loving Jesus and the church with all our being. We live in a time when people do not generally love institutions or organizations, and so our process of loving each other must begin with our learning to love God and the church with all of our heart, mind and spirit. The church, God’s Kingdom for all his followers, must be a primary love of our life or we will not care about others who are seeking to be the disciples of Jesus.

Agape is not easy. We have to submit to the Spirit and allow it to nurture in our nature the ability to show patience and long-suffering. Disciples can be ugly, unlovable, demanding, challenging and cantankerous, but agape sees beyond those character flaws to the eternal soul of another redeemed person.

Agape helps us develop persistence in love for those who are acting in a way that turns us off. We continue showing care and kindness in an effort to reach the person and bring him or her to a transformed relationship with God and with others. Agape means never giving up on a person until the relationship is fulfilling and meaningful.

Agape brings joy to a community because there is acceptance and relationship. The mystery of God the father, Jesus the son, and the Spirit all being one should be the model for the joyous fellowship of people who truly love one another. The mutual love allows us to rejoice and share the happiness of those we care for — just as we care for ourselves. And the sharing of sorrows helps lift the sense of oppression.

Agape recognizes that understanding and interpreting God’s Word is a challenge when God requires that we use our intellect to search out the doctrines of the Kingdom from the biographies of Jesus, the history of the early church, epistles to churches and individuals and the Revelation. Agape beats down the impulse to challenge and divide and inspires the determination to love each other as saints together and thereby declare to the world that we are Jesus’ disciples.

Father, let agape dwell in your people and draw us together to serve you. – “Insight” by Baily McBride – Christian Chronicle

The Roman Empire was one of the most powerful in history. There are still many things that are in use from that time that stand as a testimony to its greatness, like roads, aqueducts, government structures, etc. There was no other nation of people that could have done to Rome what Rome did to itself.

The Roman Empire was not conquered in a single battle. It was not overcome by any outside force until Rome was overcome and sat up for destruction by its own hand. The Roman Empire was fractured by internal conflicts that gave opportunity to outside forces to take advantage and cause the final breakup. If Rome had not rotted from the inside, it would not have fallen prey to forces from the outside.

The Lord’s Church is in the same situation. There have been so many attempts to discourage and destroy the Church throughout the centuries. Emperor Nero led a persecution that sought to wipe out the new religious force in the 60’s AD. Emperor Domitian attempted the same thing some 30 years later.

Since the first century of the new era, atheists, Muslims, fanatics and other irreligious people of many different stripes have attempted to wipe the Lord’s Church from the face of the earth. She, however, has not folded up her tents and run. Instead, she has experienced growth (at certain, and difficult times) and will continue to do so, if she holds on to God’s teachings.

The Lord’s Church can only be disrupted by inside turmoil. There are no outside forces that are strong enough to stop her. Jesus said that even His death would not stop from happening what He came to do — to build His Church (Matthew 16:18). – Mike Johnson, Richmond church of Christ, Richmond, KY

New Bible Classes Starting On Wednesday Night, July 2nd!

A “Time” for Ecclesiastes, is the topic that Kynn Maxwell will teach in the Fellowship Room.

This will be a verse by verse examination of the wisdom of Solomon as found in the Book of Ecclesiastes.

Joe Winnett will be teaching in the Auditorium on the subject of: “Parables and Discourses of Jesus.”

This class will examine some of the classic stories and lessons taught by the Master Teacher, Jesus Christ.

We have a great choice here of very interesting and even intriguing topics! Let us all plan now which of these Bible studies we want to attend! Either of them will definitely be very worth our time.