Sunday Preview

My sermon this Sunday is called, “The Focus of a Blessed Man” from Matthew 25:31-46. In this teaching about the day of judgment, Jesus tells his disciples to focus on meeting the needs of other disciples. Jesus is not telling us to meet the needs of every poor or hurting person on earth, but specifically to help other disciples when they are strangers, sick, in prison, hungry, thirsty, or in need of clothes. I hope to bring some clarity and balance in this teaching so we fulfill this ministry and experience the blessing the Lord has prepared for us.

After our service this Sunday I’ll be flying to California to speak at a missions rally and retreat, and then I’ll begin my sabbatical later next week. I’m looking forward to a season of seeking the Lord, resting, reading and writing. I hope this season will prepare me to serve the Lord and Living Streams in the years to come with more wisdom and grace than ever. I’m not planning to respond to ministry requests beginning next Wednesday until our men’s retreat in August. Kristina and I would appreciate your prayers during this season and we will certainly be praying for everyone at Living Streams.

I have a wonderful expectation that we will be experiencing some fruitful ministry in the days to come. In our discipleship group this morning the men each shared some goals for the coming months. I hope you have a goal of drawing near to Jesus and letting God use you to share his word and his love with others this summer. Even though we haven’t even left yet, I’m already looking forward to being back at Living Streams in August and sharing with you the gifts and treasures the Lord puts in our hearts.

Sunday Preview

This Sunday is Mother’s Day and I’m expecting our services to be a blessing for everyone who attends. Our mothers have a powerful influence on each of us. A good mother loves her children and pays attention to them. She is concerned about every aspect of their lives. She wants her children to develop their gifts and talents to their full potential.

The key to each of us having a powerful influence on others can be found in the ways mothers impact their children. If we care about someone enough to listen to them, serve them, pray for them, and invest our lives in their success, we will have a powerful, positive impact on them.

My sermon this Sunday is called “Maximizing Your Influence” from Matthew 25:14-30. In this parable about the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus tells us that we are each given some of his wealth to invest until he returns. If we invest the gifts and talents he gives us wisely, we will be rewarded with joy and an inheritance prepared for us from the beginning of time. If we are selfish, lazy and refuse to invest the treasure the Lord has given us, we will be cast into a place of darkness where there is great sadness and frustration.

Like a good parent who is concerned only about the welfare of his child, Jesus always tells the truth boldly and fearlessly. The truths we will be looking at this Sunday have the power to transform our lives, maximize our influence, and bring us great blessings.

Sunday Preview

In the aftermath of the distressing events in Boston last week, I was blessed to hear some good reports. Last Sunday we dedicated a baby, Pilar Lujan, to the Lord. Her parents had prayed for ten years to have a child before she was born. Pilar’s mother Cynthia finished running the Boston Marathon one minute before the explosions went off. Pilar was originally going to be at finish line with her dad Jon, but they decided to stay back at the hotel until the race was over.

John Leggat, our outreach pastor, comes from Massachusetts. John has been praying for the salvation of his sister Janet who has lived in Boston for thirty years. Last Thursday Janet, who was very distressed by the bombings and disruption in Boston, prayed with John and gave her life to Christ.

Over a hundred women from Living Streams went on a retreat last weekend. There were several wonderful physical and emotional healings that took place on the retreat, for which we are very thankful.

My sermon this Sunday is called, “A Parable for the Last Days” from Matthew 25:1-13. In Matthew 24 Jesus teaches about the last days. He describes worldwide turmoil, persecution and trials coming upon mankind before his triumphant return. In his parable about wise and foolish virgins, Jesus teaches the importance of being prepared for the challenges of living in the last days. The times in which we are living have great challenges and great opportunities for followers of Christ. I think this message will give you some wisdom and insight into how to live your life for Christ in a way that will enable you to bear good fruit and bring glory to God.

Reflections ~ The Power of Hope

Though most of his family died under the demonic persecution of the Nazis, Elie Wiesel survived the Holocaust. Elie went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to turn the world from a place of hatred into a realm of righteousness. Viktor Frankl, a Viennese psychiatrist before World War II, survived Auschwitz. Years later he wrote the book, Man’s Search for Meaning. In the concentration camp he discovered that the prisoners who often survived were not the ones who were strongest physically, but the ones who had hope. Hope is one of the most essential, but least valued attributes of a healthy person.

Jesus said in the last days wickedness would increase and the love of most people would grow cold. (Matt. 24:12) In our time bombers, murderers and deceivers have spread waves of despair throughout society. In the face of wickedness many people stop loving their neighbor. This creates a great opportunity for those who have been filled with the Spirit of Christ. Our love comes from God and does not diminish when people are suffering. His love gives us compassion and enables us to overcome evil with good.

Our hearts break when tragedies happen, or when someone we love dies, but our sadness does not last forever. We do not despair in the face of evil, because we have the Spirit that raised Christ from the dead living inside of us. Jesus defeated death itself. The Spirit of God does not leave us when bad things happen. He gives us hope that we can overcome evil, because “Greater is he who is within us than he who is in the world” (I John 4:4).

I was talking recently with Ray Johnson, the pastor of Bayside Church in Granite Bay, CA. Ray was a youth pastor in Marin County when I was leading the Novato Open Door Church. This Easter, Bayside had 31,000 people attending services in their campuses around Sacramento. As we talked, I could sense Ray’s great leadership gift. I asked him how he stays healthy with all the pressures he faces. Ray said that the key thing he wants to give people is hope. If people have hope they can overcome any challenge. The ability to inspire hope is a gift from God.

Napoleon said “Leaders are dealers in hope.” Those who inspire hope in others can lead them into war, like Napoleon and the Nazis, or into God’s Kingdom, like Jesus and the apostles. I do not have hope that I’m going to wake up one morning looking more handsome or being stronger. Our hope is not dependent on what some dictator, terrorist, or politician does. The Bible teaches that God’s Kingdom will continue to advance. We pray and believe His will is going to be done on earth as it is in heaven. This hope does not make us passive in the face of evil, but active in advancing God’s Kingdom every way we possibly can.

We all face heartache and pain in life. However, if we trust God and do his will, we will inherit the eternal glory He has prepared for us. One day we will move permanently into the Kingdom of heaven. God will then make everything we have suffered insignificant compared to the glory we will experience. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 15:13).

Sunday Preview

My heart is still full of thanksgiving about good things that happened on our campus during Easter weekend. We had nearly two thousand people attend our four services. On Saturday night there were a number of teenagers who attended the service from three foster care group homes. Several of these young people joined many others in responding to David Stockton’s invitation to open their hearts to Christ and become disciples. It has been very encouraging to see grace poured out on people responding to our altar calls in the past several weeks.

This Sunday my sermon is called “The King of the Kingdom of Heaven” from Matthew 20:1-16. I hope to show how this parable is connected to Christ’s teaching in Matthew 19:13-29 as well. In this parable Jesus gives insights into the heart of our Father in Heaven.

When I was a young boy I learned that the key to having a good time at my friends’ houses was understanding their parents. If the parents were generous and kind, then it was a good place to play and there were probably going to be snacks as well. If my friends’ parents liked me, I was going to be welcome in their houses. I tried to stay on the good side of the ones who held the power in the house.

Jesus told his disciples that he was giving them the keys to the kingdom of heaven. The most important key of all is an understanding of the heart of the King of Heaven. I hope this message will help you to know who the Lord really is, not just what people wish him to be.

Sunday Preview

On Tuesday, our pastors went out two by two to the shopping centers, parks and neighborhoods near the Living Streams campus to invite people to join us for our Easter services. Luke Parker and I were having a great talk with one man at a bus stop on 7th St. When the bus arrived, the guy suddenly said that he had left his bus pass at home and asked if we would pay his fare. When he offered to pay us back, I told him it was a gift. Minutes later, he rode happily away on the bus, and we were six dollars lighter for the experience. I don’t know if we were “taken for a ride,” so to speak, or not. I do know that the Lord offers us all far greater riches than a bus fare if we become disciples.

Our pastors reported a number of good contacts with people from the outreach. On Easter many of our members will be bringing family, friends or neighbors they have been praying for, and other visitors will come on their own. I’m hoping we will offer a loving welcome to everyone who joins us for worship. I am feeling stirred by the Holy Spirit with a sense that the Lord will reveal himself to people who come seeking him on Easter. This past Sunday one lady, on her first visit to Living Streams, approached me with tears in her eyes and said that for the first time in her life she had encountered Jesus during our service. That is what we hope and pray everyone will experience.

May this be the year that the deepest desires of your heart are fulfilled.

Sunday Preview

Last week, as I prayed in preparation for my message on forgiveness, I felt like the Lord told me he was going to do a deep work in some people’s lives.

I asked Shelly Shaffer if I could interview her in our Sunday services before I preached. So Shelly shared with the congregation her story of moving to America from Cuba as a young atheist. She came to know Christ and then married a man who loved the Lord. One evening her husband did not return from work. She called the sheriff’s office to report him missing and they suggested he was out having an affair with another woman. The next day, in desperation, Shelly had a friend fly his private plane along the path her husband had been driving as he went to inspect farm fields for the Del Monte Corporation. From the plane, they spotted his car. Then a ground search led to a shallow grave, where his bullet riddled body had been buried.

Shelly told us about her struggle to forgive the young men who had murdered her husband and took a loving father away from her children. In the past eight years, the Lord has opened doors for her to speak to judges, prosecutors and others about victims’ rights, as well as the need to forgive in order for our souls to heal.

As Shelly told her story in our 11:00 am service, I could feel the Spirit of God breaking chains in the souls of people who were listening. When she finished, I stood there not knowing what to do next. I had been prepared to preach, yet I felt the power of God had been released. I decided to do another impromptu interview, and then we proceeded with the rest of the service.

I’m telling this story because we have a lot of people praying for spiritual breakthroughs in our services, and I think we are experiencing some of the grace we have been seeking. As we prepare for our Palm Sunday and Easter services, let’s all pray together for the glory of God to be manifested in the church. As we join our hearts and lives in service to Christ, we are seeking the fulfillment of the Lord’s prayer, “Thy Kingdom come and thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Sunday Preview

Spring is here and the desert wildflowers are blooming. Kristina and I like to take walks in the preserve in the early evenings when the setting sun makes the mountains glow with a golden hue. These are good times for us to talk and process the challenges of life in the light of God’s blessings.

My sermon this Sunday is called “The Process of Forgiveness” from Matthew 18. We are all faced with battles in life and we have been given enough grace for victory, as long as we are not weighed down with unresolved issues from our past. People often find it hard to grant forgiveness because they don’t want to see the offender free to damage others. In Matthew 18 Jesus makes it clear that no one gets away with anything. The Lord gives us action steps for dealing with our brother’s sin—not to punish him, but to help free him.

These truths can help us grow in confidence in Christ. Every command he gives us is for our own good, as well as for the good of others. Forgiveness enables all of our hurts to heal, so we can enjoy the fullness of life. I’ll be praying that the Lord will give us all revelation and refreshing as we worship him this weekend.

REFLECTIONS ~ Do You Want an Excuse or Grace?

     My daughter Kelly looked at my eye, which was swollen from an infection recently, and asked, “You’re not going to preach this week are you?”
    “Yes, I am,” I replied.
    “But Dad, people have to look at you when you preach!”
    I know people don’t see a pretty face when I preach, especially when it is distorted by infection. However, if I waited until my life was in perfect order until I did ministry, then I would not have preached any sermons, or written a single newsletter for the past twenty years. At one time or another, my heart has been broken, my body has been broken, or our family has been broken.
    I preach the gospel because it’s good news that Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead. It’s good news that God loves us, comforts us, forgives us and heals us. We all have needs and prayers that are not yet answered. Nevertheless, God can still use us as long as we don’t withdraw in frustration.
    A question came to me from the Lord recently. “Do you want an excuse or do you want grace?” When pain or disappointments come to us, we can use them as excuses to be angry with God, or we can draw near to Him and experience grace. We can either withdraw from ministry and people, or we can press in closer. Everyone gets offended. Some people use offenses for an excuse.
    Kristina and I were sitting in our living room talking one evening. As we talked, I could see that my wife was troubled.
    “Why are you upset?” I asked her.
    “Oh it’s nothing.”
    “Come on. Tell me what’s bothering you.”
    “It’s nothing I want to talk about. I don’t want you getting upset.”
    “My dear, tell me what’s the matter. I’m not going to get upset.”
    After more cajoling, Kristina told me something that really upset me. It took me a while to realize that I had contributed to the mess she described. Over the years, we have both had many excuses to be upset with each other. Yet we would rather have grace in our marriage than an excuse to be angry. We would rather forgive each other than hold hurt in our hearts.
    I often say to people I haven’t seen at church for a while, “Hey, I have missed you.” I hear many excuses for people not showing up. On the other hand, we have people who walk, bus, or bike to church in the summer heat, and others who come on crutches, or wearing wigs because they are going through chemo treatments. Jesus’ ministry priority is to the poor, the broken hearted and the afflicted. They have many reasons to be upset, but He offers them, and each of us, a choice. “Do you want an excuse, or do you want grace?”

Sunday Preview

I hope you are doing well. I have been enjoying seeing some beautiful wildflowers in the desert during my hikes these past two weeks. I’m hoping for one more rain this spring that will water the blossoming desert.

My sermon this Sunday is called “The Importance of Forgiveness” from Matthew 18. This message will continue the theme of the kingdom of heaven explained by Jesus in parables. I have been captivated by the truth that Jesus is declaring how we can experience the kingdom of heaven on earth. The issue of forgiveness is one of the most vital truths for each of us. If we want to enter the kingdom of heaven, we must let go of the painful wounds we have experienced from people, and receive the love our father in heaven offers us. If we embrace God’s grace, our hearts can become whole and our lives can be blessed.

I hope you will take some time to read Matthew 18. I would also appreciate your prayers that I can teach the truths of the kingdom of heaven with an anointing of the Spirit that will set people free.