This World is Heaven to the Non-believer

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn DevotionalsLeave a comment

“Arise, O Lord! Confront him, subdue him! Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword, from men by your hand, O Lord, from men of the world whose portion is in this life. You fill their womb with treasure; they are satisfied with children, and they leave their abundance to their infants.” (Ps 17:13–14)

Those who don’t follow the Lord only have this life. There is nothing better for them. The world in which we live now is their heaven because the world to come will literally be their hell.

Our World

When we consider the world in which we live, we know that this is not heaven. Murder, rape, war, genocide, disease, and death occur every day somewhere in this world, if not in our own backyard. As we witness these atrocious acts, everything inside of us screams for something better. The secularist tries to bring that better world into existence by exercising political power, social pressure, and legislative change. But the world for which we long can’t be brought about in these ways. In fact, the world for which we long will never exist this side of Jesus’ return because the world in which we live is corrupted by sin.

Our Hope

At Jesus’ return, however, He will deal a final blow to sin, and He will eventually usher in the new heavens and new earth. Then, and only then, will this world be free from sin, and, subsequently, free from the corruption of sin (Rev 21). Because Jesus is reconciling all things to Himself through the blood of His cross we can experience the world for which we long (Col 1:20).

Only for the Christian

But the world for which we long is only for the Christian. It is only for those like David who submit themselves to God and live according to God’s will (Ps 17:3-5). It is only for those who have turned to Jesus as Lord and Savior. If that is not you, then this world is your portion, it is your heaven, it is all you have to look forward to.

Question for Reflection

  1. Have you repented of your sins and turned to Jesus as your Lord and Savior?

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How can we increase our evangelistic opportunities and encourage others to share their faith?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Evangelism, PracticalLeave a comment

Every month I attend a networking luncheon of like-minded pastors in my area. Over the years, it has proven to be a great time of fellowship and group learning. Each month, as we gather, we not only have a meal with one another but we discuss a particular topic in an effort to sharpen one another’s ministry. The last time we gathered our topic was evangelism. The question that guided our discussion was: How can we increase our evangelistic opportunities and encourage others to share their faith? Our group consists not only of seasoned pastors but church planters as well. As we discussed the question, helpful ideas came from both groups. Some of these are ideas I had thought about before, but others were new.

(1) Coach a team

Almost every city has an opportunity and need for little league coaches. Not only is coaching a great way to give back to your community, but it is an excellent way to get to know kids and parents in the area, who you might not otherwise run across.

(2) Be intentional about getting to know your neighbors and using your home

If we are honest, it’s easy to stay in our family bubble once we get home from a long, hard days work. For the most part, that is not a bad thing. We need to spend time with our family relaxing, but we can’t forget about the Great Commission. Instead of holding up in the house or playing in the backyard out of sight from our neighbors, we should try to move some of our activities to the front yard where we can more easily engage those who live next to us. Once we meet our neighbors, we should invite them over to hang out, watch the game, have dinner, or have their kids over to play with ours. Getting to know their name is only the beginning. If we want to impact their life for Christ, we have to spend time with them.

(3) Be a part of events in your community

One of the church planters in our group rents a space at the YMCA. His church intentionally attends, works, or hosts a booth at almost every event the Y holds. Being involved in these events has allowed them the opportunity to meet a much larger cross section of the community and impact people’s lives for Christ than they would have been able to do by hosting their own events. Besides the increased connection with non-believers, piggy-backing on an already planned event takes the load off organizing and hosting your own event, which gives you more time to focus on the connections you have forged, the people in your church, and your Sunday Service.

(4) Work at a club in your area

Another pastor in our group volunteers his time at the Boys and Girls Club near his house. Not only has he been able to get to know a number of the kids there, but he has also been able to connect with the Director, which has opened up other opportunities. His church has been able to host a VBS at the club and invite those who normally attend to participate.

(5) Be aware of the people God continually puts in your life

Every day we encounter others in our community. Sometimes we come across the same people regularly. When that happens, don’t think it is a coincide. Rather, recognize it for what it is – someone God has placed in your life that He wants you to get to know. So don’t let what seems like a coincidental encounter be wasted, get to know the person.

(6) Video testimonies

Having someone who recently came to Christ through your ministries evangelistic efforts share their testimony is a great way to encourage and spur those in your church to persevere at the task. I suggest videos because they can be edited for time and shown easily in a service and on social media.

(7) Record the number of last week’s gospel conversations in your bulletin

Another pastor in our group has begun to lead his church to talk to as many people about Christ as they can each week (as we all should!). In order to encourage his congregation to take every opportunity to spread the gospel, he quit recording last week’s tithe numbers in the bulletin and replaced them with the number of gospel presentations his members made that last week. Each Sunday he uses that number to either encourage his congregation to do more or keep up the good work.

Question for Reflection

  1. What are other ways to increase our evangelistic opportunities and encourage others to share their faith?

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How to Continue as Salt and Light in a Corrupt Society

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals1 Comment

“In the Lord I take refuge; how can you say to my soul, “Flee like a bird to your mountain, for behold, the wicked bend the bow; they have fitted their arrow to the string to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart; if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man. The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence. Let him rain coals on the wicked; fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup. For the Lord is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face.” (Ps 11:1–7)

David wrote this Psalm when Saul was seeking his life (1 Sam. 19). Knowing that Saul had a hit out on David, led David’s friends to tell him to flee to the mountains. It was his only hope of safety. The society was corrupt. The judges in the king’s pocket. Everyone was against David and out for his life. If he wanted to survive, he needed to leave and never come back.

Against all odds and in the face of great danger, David did the opposite. He didn’t leave, instead, he stayed. The reason was because he took refuge in God, trusting that His righteous judgment would prevail.

We too should trust in the Lord, even though our society is trending more and more liberal and anti-Christian. Even though the foundations are being destroyed (becoming lawless under lawless leaders), we can stay and not flee. No matter what men do, our God still sits on His throne in heaven and judges the evil in our world. We don’t have to flee or hold up by ourselves. We can confidently be salt and light in a godless society, trusting the Lord to care for us even if men are out to get us.

Admittedly, this is easier said than done, but our God is great. He is the Creator of the heavens and earth. He is the just Judge who reigns over all, and nothing happens outside of His control. We should, then, place our faith and trust in Him, running to Him as our refuge.

Question for Reflection

  1. Is God your refuge?

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Do You Hope in a Big God?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn QuotesLeave a comment

When our God seems small and our circumstances appear to be overwhelming it’s because we’ve lost touch with reality. The reality is: our circumstances are small, the nations are a drop in a bucket, and our God is massive. And so if our circumstances are horrible but small and our God is good and huge, then there is every reason for hope and there is a mountain of evidence to keep going. And to keep going with hopetimism – in touch with reality, even the brutal facts of reality at its bleakest, and yet confident and positive about the future.

Questions for Reflection

  1. Is your view of God big or small?
  2. How does your view of God affect your outlook on your circumstances?

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Quote from Wisdom in Leadership, Craig Hamilton, 165

How Can You Increase Your Faith?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn PracticalLeave a comment

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
for my hope is from him.
He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress;
I shall not be shaken.
On God rests my salvation and my glory;
my mighty rock, my refuge is God.
Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your heart before him;
God is a refuge for us. (Psalm 62:5-8)

Lately, I have been meditating on this text in order to increase my faith in God.

What is faith?

It is popular to think of faith as a blind leap in the dark, but faith is far from a blind leap in the dark. It not only involves knowledge and belief, certainly those things are necessary for faith to exist. We can’t exercise faith in something we don’t know about, nor can we exercise faith in something we don’t believe is true, so we must have knowledge and belief.

Faith, however, involves more. Faith involves us actually trusting in and relying on God, His promises, His plan of salvation, which means we can say we are exercising faith until we take our hands off our life and allow God to guide and direct us. Faith requires us to fully trust in God for life and godliness. It involves us relying on Jesus alone for salvation, trusting that He really did pay the penalty for our sins on the cross, and He really did restore our relationship with the Father. There are no works left to be done, no debt left to be paid, Jesus has done it all, He has paid it all.   Faith requires full surrender. It requires us to fully and completely trust in and rely on God for everything in our life including His plan for our salvation. When we do those things, we are exercising faith.

Faith, then, requires us to fully trust in God for life and godliness. It involves us relying on Jesus alone for salvation, trusting that He really did pay the penalty for our sins on the cross, and He really did restore our relationship with the Father. There are no works left to be done, no debt left to be paid, Jesus has done it all, He has paid it all. Faith requires full surrender. It requires us to fully and completely trust in and rely on God for everything in our life including His plan for our salvation. When we do those things, we are exercising faith.

With that in mind I hope you can see why this passage is so powerful. How it can help us grow in our faith. The more we know about God, His character, promises, and the more we see Him fulfill His promises, both in Scripture and in our lives, our faith in Him will grow.

If you are struggling in your faith or want to grow your faith, as we all should, take some time this week to meditate on this Psalm with me.

Question for Reflection

  1. What are you doing to grow in your faith?

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How Our Generation Can Learn From the Older

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Leadership, PastoralLeave a comment

Old Man Legs

What does it take to learn from the older generation? How can our generation be taught by the previous? These are questions our generation should be asking and answering.

Recently, I posted an article entitled: A Call to Maturity: How the older generation can train the youth of today. One of my readers asked if I would write a follow up post discussing how the youth of today can learn from the older generation. I have given that question some thought over the last week. What follows are a few suggestions.

How Our Generation Can Learn from the Older

(1) Be open and teachable

A learner is someone who is open to learning. If you are to be taught by the previous generation, you must be open to them speaking into your life, which means you must be teachable. While self-esteem counsellors have puffed us up, telling us we are the smartest, most talented generation yet, we’re not. Actually, we have a lot to learn, and those who have come before us have a lot to teach.

(2) Look for those who model biblical manhood and womanhood.

Instead of finding your role models in pop culture, you should look in your church. As you do, look for those who model biblical manhood and womanhood. Ask questions like: Are they kind and respectable? Do they live according to God’s Word, even if it could impact them negatively in the community? Do they love their spouse? Do they serve the church and community?

(3) Look for those who are accessible. 

While you may learn a lot from your favorite podcaster or blogger, chances are you don’t have direct access to them. But you do have access to the faithful saint sitting next to you in the pew on Sunday. While they may not be as famous, they are accessible and most likely able to teach you just as much, if not more. So instead of looking global, look local.

(4) Ask for advice on decisions

One way to start a mentoring relationship is simple to ask for advice on decisions in your life. Don’t assume advice will be handed out unsolicited. Instead, ask for it from others, and then ask again.

(5) Work toward maturity

If you are not working toward maturity, you will not be interested in learning how to be mature. Actively working toward maturity in Christ is a necessary part of learning from others.

Question for Reflection

  1. What would you add to this list? How would you counsel the youth of today to learn from the older generation?

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