Happy Thanksgiving...a day late

This is becoming some what of a tradition here at the FBCyouthblog...Happy Thanksgiving, the day after also known as "Black Friday". See everyone on Sunday!

Monday morning pastor 11/19/06

Pastor Mark

11/19/06

Nehemiah 1

What does a microwave have to do with Nehemiah?

The book of Nehemiah is a historical book that takes place at the end of the Babylonian captivity under the Persians. Nehemiah the book’s principle character is the cupbearer to the king an extremely trusted and influential position however hazardous the job description.

In Chapter 1 the book starts off with a bang. A number of Jews have returned from Jersualem including Nehemiah’s brother. Nehemiah asks for a report on the condition of the city and the temple. The report is extremely grim. Nehemiah responds in mourning, fasting and prayer.

Nehemiah’s prayer includes offering praise to God, confession of sin, asking God to restore his glory to Jerusalem.

The first chapter of Nehemiah provides a number of practical applications to a Christian’s prayer life.

Nehemiah’s concern for Jerusalem and the Temple demonstrates an important principle. God’s glory is a priority in the life of Nehemiah.

Secondly Nehemiah’s prayer shows concern for the location of God’s presence. In the OT God’s presence resided figuratively in the Temple in Jerusalem. Today God’s presence dwells in the individual believer in the form of the Holy Spirit. Care for God’s presence involves care for the life and body of the believer.

Nehemiah’s prayer demonstrates that he was willing to be the instrument God used to answer the prayer. Nehemiah was also content to wait for God’s answer. Daniel was also an example of long term prayer. Daniel prayed for 70 years to see Jerusalem restored as well as himself returning to Jerusalem. God would not answer this prayer until after Daniel died.

What does this have to do with Microwaves?

Our culture has been built on fast food, atm’s, drive thru’s and microwaves. We want things now! Unfortunately Microwaves have crippled our ability to wait on God.

Microwaves do 1 thing good, they cook food fast. However, they do not cook food good.

Nehemiah was concerned for the glory of God.

Microwaves do not bring glory to the food that is being cooked. You could cook the best cut of steak possible in the microwave, but it would not taste the same as a steak cooked on a grill by a professional chef.

Microwaves cook food and they cook food fast.

Sometimes prayer takes time, and we give up after the microwave time is up.

Nehemiah was willing to be used by God to answer others’ prayers and his own.

Using the microwave cooks the food for us rather than spending the time to cook in the oven and the skill that is necessary to cook from beginning to end.


Next time you use a microwave think about Nehemiah’s prayer in chapter 1.

Thanksgiving Dinner

In my e-mail to the youth group yesterday I talked about my favorite food at Thanksgiving, Cranberry Sauce, and I wanted to post on the FBCyouthblog so my thoughts on cranberry sauce could be forever cemented in cyber space.

I have always like Cranberry Sauce, not the fancy kind that is kind of like loose sauce with bits of whole cranberries in it, my favorite kind of Cranberry Sauce is the Jelly kind straight from a can, the kind that when you open the can you turn the can upside down and let the cranberry gel slide out slowly from the can, the kind that still maintains the shape of the can including the indendted rings at the center of the can.

I can never get enough of this stuff, no matter how full my plate is there better be room for Cranberry sauce on the plate. And in case you were wondering there is no mixing cranberry sauce with other items on your plate, like you may be able to do with mashed potatoes and corn or turkey and stuffing, this kind of cranberry sauce must stand alone. When I was a kid if there was any cranberry sauce left in the bowl after dinner was over, that sauce was finding its way to my plate, then to my fork (or spoon) then to my mouth!

Those are my thoughts on Cranberry Sauce!

Order of favorite thanksgiving food Favorite to least favorite.

Cranberry Sauce
Mashed Potatoes (with lots of butter) no gravy
Pumpkin Pie
Pickles from the pickle dish (no olives)
Green bean casserole
Squash or sweet potatoes (why when you have mashed potatoes)
Turkey
Stuffing

I was thinking about some spiritual application to conclude this post, but instead its just about food. Don't forget to be thankful on thanksgiving!

Monday Morning Pastor 11/12/06

Title: Finish Well
Text: Daniel 6
Who: Pastor Mark Kieft

Daniel 6 is the familiar passage on Daniel & the Lion's Den.

In this passage we meet Daniel at the end of his life he is at least in his 80's and he has gone through deportation, and a number of government changes, but still God lifted Daniel up to influential positions because Daniel honored God in all things!

Daniel is now serving as 1 of 3 administrators over 40 government officials under the new King Darius. A group of jealous officials conspire against Daniel and convince the king to issue a command that no one can pray to any God other than Darius.

This of course goes against the very nature of Daniel who does not give into the threat of punishment or the rumors of his enemies and he goes home opens his window, which he no doubt had done for years upon years and prayed 3x a day to God.

The government officials sought to capture Daniel in disobeying the law because Daniel chapter 6 says they could not find any fault with Daniel.

Daniel's Characteristics

• Trustworthy
• He was not corrupt
• He was not negligent in his work - He worked hard

Daniel's character in chapter 6 is a common definition of people who have a Faithful Walk with God.

Faithfulness - a long obedience in the same direction.

Mark pointed out two aspects to this definition

1. Long obedience means one day at a time.

2. The same direction means following after God.

No matter what stage of life you are in, student, adult, junior high or senior high, employee, athlete we all should commit to long obedience in the same direction. Others will take notice and God will surely reward us for faithfulness in following him.

Aaron's Notes

To win at being faithful you can not wait until you are in the moment, that is when you are tested to decide to be faithful or not. You have to make what are called Non-negotiables. A non-negotiable is an attitude or an action that you decide you will take in a certain ciscumstance in the future. For Example: you want to remain pure & holy in your relationship with the opposite sex, instead of waiting until you are in a dark room alone with the opposite sex, you should make the decision before hand, I will not be alone with someone from the opposite sex. Daniel made his non-negotiables long before the command to not pray was given, so when the command was given, he went home like he had decided to do so many years before and he prayed to God.

Monday Morning Pastor 11/5/06

Mark Kieft 11/5/06

Daniel 5

"You do not measure up!"

It was good to have Mark back in the pulpit after a two-week absence. Mark was continuing his series in the book of Daniel.

In Daniel chapter 5 we meet the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar who was the reigning king in Babylon, Belshazzar. Belshazzar's father was off conquering lands and left his son in charge of the kingdom.

This chapter is taking place as the city of Babylon is under siege from the Medes. Fortunately for Babylon the city is the most well protected city in history of to this point and they had plenty of food and a water supply to last for many many years. During the siege the citizens of Babylon threw a number of parties and we enter into the scene of one of these parties.

Belshazzar has fallen far from his grandfather's commitment to honor the Most High God, the God of the Jews. He has fallen so far that he called for the sacred cups taken from the temple in Jerusalem and used them at his party. He drank from the cups and so did his wives and his concubines. This act was basically equal to Belshazzar wagging his fist at God.

The scene then shifts to a hand that appears and writes in Aramaic on the wall, mene, mene, Tekel, Peres, Belshazzar understandably upset, (he just saw a floating hand write on a wall) calls all the magicians and wise men to come and interpret the writing. No one could do it, but the kings mother reminds Belshazzar that there is a man that is filled with the spirit of God that can interpret these things.

Daniel is called to the room and before he interprets the writings he gives the room a history lesson on what God has done in the life of Nebuchadnezzar. In this history lesson Daniel gives for rebukes to Belshazzar.

Daniel's Rebuke

• He rejected the truth. (The truth he had heard about through his grandfather and seen)
• He defied God. (He drank from the sacred cups making them common)
• He worshipped created things. (See Romans 1, he worshipped the gods of Gold, silver, etc.)
• He refused to honor the most high God. (God demands honor from all people, the punishment is death)

Daniel interprets the writing on the wall, God has numbered your days, you have been weighed and been found wanting and your kingdom will be divided between the Medes and the Persians. Verse 30, Belshazzar was killed and King Darius a Mede took over as king in Babylon.

Belshazzar's largest failure was his Pride and Arrogance, something that the human race as a whole suffers from. So how do we overcome even the smallest amount of pride and arrogance in our lives.

Pride Busters

• Live in an attitude of prayer and thanksgiving. (It is pretty hard to be proud when God is receiving all the credit and glory)
• Resolve to follow God's leading. (This is a choice that must be made prior to a crisis moment)
• Commit to obey God's Word!

Belshazzar was guilty of 2 other sins, Idolatry and Blasphemy.

Idolatry - Making anything or anyone more important than God.

C.S. Lewis put it best we too often settle for mud pies in the slums when we could have a holiday at the beach. Following God and enjoying God is the most we could get out of this life, but we all too often settle for other things to focus on. Jobs, material things, entertainment, sports etc.

Blasphemy - Words or actions that dishonor God.

Examples: Taking the Lord's name in vain, Treat the Bible with contempt or distort it, treat sexual intimacy as common.

Be careful to not give into the temptation to sin as Belshazzar did, because the consequences can be grave!

Aaron's Bonus thought:

• The book of Daniel is often criticized for its accuracy in prophecy, in fact people say that it can't be prophecy at all, it must be that Daniel was written later and just made to look like prophecy. Isn't it amazing to think that we serve a God that is all knowing and that he revealed things like this to Daniel so that we could be confident that we are worshipping the one true God. Daniel not only read the writing on the wall he said who would be taking over, and it happened that night.

Happy Reformation Day...a day late

Everyone knows what yesterday was right...no not Halloween but REFORMATION DAY (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reformation_Day). October 31st is celebrated as Reformation Day. This was the day that Martin Luther in Wittenburg Germany posted the 95 Theses.

At first I thought it was humurous to refer to Oct. 31 (Halloween) as Reformation Day, but now thinking about the importance of that day Reformation Day should be a day we celebrate with enthusiasm.

For those who don't know the Reformation began in the early 16th century. Martin Luther a monk was concerned over the state of the Catholic church, specifically indulgences and the authority of the Pope. He began to investigate the scriptures and through his study of Romans and Galatians he recognized and began teaching the doctrine of Sola Fide and Sola Scriptura (by Faith alone and Scripture alone).

If not for the Reformation we may still be in the Catholic church. We have much to be thankful to the Reformation for, but mainly we should be thankful that God called out ordinary men and because of their following after God made a huge impact for Christ in their time that is still working today. If you want to learn more about the reformation check out these websites:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther

http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/onsite/reformationhistory.html

Next time you see your neighbors put up those hideous orange lights for Halloween, remember Reformation Day and thank God for raising up men to study and preach the word accurately and passionately!