Redd Alert

Time to reboot and let the Holy Spirit recalculate our spiritual lives.

Happy New Year to each and everyone of you!  2011 was a year filled with great opportunities for service involving family, friends and our community.

As we look for opportunities in 2012, let us align ourselves with Christ as He came down to earth to seek and save those who are lost.  Let us remember that He came to serve others upon this earth and taught His followers how to minister His lessons.  Lessons that are sound and meaningful today.

Everyone that Jesus spoke to felt His love and compassion.

Let us go and touch the lives of others who need to meet Him or need to revive their relationship with Him.  Let us not worry about the world’s political correctness but rather worry only about our spiritual correctness.

It does not matter what age you are as any age can provide a true witness.

A number of people have asked about the age range I am trying to reach with my blog.  Though my calling in ministry is with older adults, I try to call attention towards Godly principles and how one may be of service with his or her fellow man or woman regardless of age.  I write for all ages and churches by providing facts that can be used in their ministry strategies with regards to builders, boomers, and those in generation X.

• Builders – born prior to 1946
• Boomers – born from 1946-1964
• Generation X – born from 1965-1980

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Current affairs.

As I am writing this blog,  I read that the Baltimore Sun newspaper headline is, “A big to do list in Annapolis.”  The Maryland State General Assembly began its session on January 11, and has a large number of issues to deal.   To be specific, Gender Identity and Same-sex marriage.

Spiritual point of view.

My concern, from a spiritual point of view, is the growing support for same-sex marriage.  We as Christians need to stand up and support the Biblical view in regards to homosexuality and God’s view on same-sex marriage.  God provided marriage as one man one woman.

Prayer.

I would like to ask you to pray, as God leads, pertaining to these vital issues facing our State.

Perhaps you could or need to organize a group from your church to be part of a rally that is going to Annapolis to let our legislators know how we feel about this sinful practice.  Perhaps you could draw up a petition for your members of your church to sign.

All it takes for sin and evil to thrive is for God’s people to do nothing.

Do not be ashamed to be the salt of the earth as proclaimed in Matthew 5:13.  Take action against the evil of this world!

“Graying” of the church.

Next time we shall review some statistics in regard to the graying of the church.  In the meantime, may I suggest to you of the encore generation the new Billy Graham book, “Nearing Home.”

I have provided a preview link of Nearing Home located at the bottom of the page.  Enjoy.

Lou

Nearing Home: Life, Faith, and Finishing Well – by Bill Graham

But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.  -Acts 20:24 (ESV)

Growing old has been the greatest surprise of my life,” says Billy Graham, known by many as God’s Ambassador. “I would have never guessed what God had in store for me, and I know that as I am nearing home, He will not forsake me the last mile of the way.”

In Nearing Home this man of faith-now in his nineties-explores the challenges of aging while gleaning foundational truths from Scripture. Billy Graham invites us to journey with him as he considers the golden years while anticipating the hope of being reunited with his wife, Ruth, in his heavenly home that eclipses this world. ”When granted many years of life, growing old in age is natural, but growing old with grace is a choice,” says the author. “Growing older with grace is possible for all who will set their hearts and minds on the Giver of grace, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Join Billy Graham as he shares the challenges of fading strength but still standing strong in his commitment to finishing life well.

“Explore with me not only the realities of life as we grow older but also the hope and fulfillment and even joy that can be ours once we learn to look at these years from God’s point of view and discover His strength to sustain us every day.”

-BILLY GRAHAM

Click here to read a preview of “Nearing Home.”

In our last blog we dealt with your personal encounter with our Lord and how the Holy Spirit moves you into a relationship that gives you a positive eternal life guarantee to heaven.

Once we accept that guarantee the Lord expects you to work for Him.

No matter what vocation you have you are expected to be a full-time Christian in that vocation.  The message we send to others around us will determine the effectiveness of your full-time Christian experience.

Words are powerful tools; they can build up or tear down.  You and I can not carelessly say whatever we want and then expect a quick apology to heal all wounds.  Even words spoken in haste can deeply hurt someone.

Of course, not all messages we send are verbal.  Facial expressions and body language can communicate acceptance or rejection, like or dislike, love or hate.

We should also consider whether we are making the most of every opportunity to encourage those around us.  We can be tremendous instruments of God’s blessing to others if we will closely monitor what we communicate.

The apostle Paul instructed believers in Ephesians 4:29 in regard to words.

• “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment so it will give grace to those who hear.”

That does not just mean that we should avoid cursing, but gossiping as well.  What we say should bless others.

Many times we have been victims of the power of words.  Parents, teachers, other authority figures, and friends have encouraged or discouraged us through their words.

• The tongue has influenced nations; Hitler destroyed nations with his lies while Churchill energized England with his words.

How effective we are in living the Christian life also involves involving the examples of Christ-like living and how joyful and appreciative are we in what He has given us in life.

When students in school would ask me if I was rich I would reply,

• “Yes, I have a God who loves me, a Savior that died for me, and Holy Spirit that guides me, a family that loves me, and many church people who are my friends.

If I would react with a negative response, why would anyone want to belong to Christ?

We, of course in living the Christ-like life, need to obey the Christ-like principles as given in His Word, but we need to convey to others how much we really care.

Each person must have a sense of belonging, worthiness, and competency.  When you accept Christ as Lord these three emotions fulfill those basic needs.

1. Through our belonging to God, we feel acceptance.
2. Through the worthiness evident by Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, we feel loved.
3. Through the competence made possible by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit we feel secure.

Why not speak like, live like, and look like our God has satisfied those basic needs.  Then you can pass on the message to others.

Through a personal relationship with Jesus anyone can find freedom from the negative messages they have endured.

Look for opportunities to build people up by your words and your style of living.  I leave you with the thought of what we should do as we wait upon the Lord:

1. Continue to do what you believe to be the right thing, trusting in the Holy Spirit (John 16:13)
2. Listen for guidance God may be giving you through your pastor or other church leaders.  (Acts 17:11)
3. Pray and seek God’s guidance.  let Him help you think outside the box. (Isaiah 55:8)

Our next get together we shall deal with, “A Positive Side During Economic Troubles.”

Lou

As we journey together through this blog, you have learned some things about living as a senior, or about the new “senior group” which are baby boomers.

We also have covered the problems which may lead to suicide in the lives of seniors, as well as, covered 12 giants that interrupt the lives of many people.

As I promised in the last blog, we are going to look at the messages that we send to others in regard to our Christian walk and talk.

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The problem in our life is the “problem we make” of life.

When problems hit us, we need to covey a spirit that these are not “problems”.   We need to take the high road and consider them to be challenges or opportunities for “I Am” (God) and you to face together.

There is always power in the presence of “I Am”.  After all, a setback is a set up for a come-back.

The real problem is that life is not always the dream we hope it would be.  In fact, you may feel devastated, angry, and at times hopeless.  Bad stuff is everywhere, breakups, car accidents, crime, difficult people, heath issues etc…

We inadvertently may fall under the assumption that the latest TV star or neighbor has a better life than we do, free and void of “problems”.  In reality, they are not any more insulated or free from problems then we are.

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Have you ever cried out into the void of life and waited for someone to make sense of it all?

The good news is that there is someone who hears your cries and can make sense of it all.  That someone, along with His son Jesus, can lift you to that high road and walk along with you through it.  Not just for the duration of the trial but for eternity.

God the Father, His Son Jesus, and The Holy Spirit have been wanting a relationship with you since you were born.  Once you have accepted the fact that Christ is The Way, The Truth, and The Life the next step is to be a living “Christian witness” and give it (your witness) to the world.

Living and giving is the way that we send that witness to a lost world.

Let us look at Christian living according to God’s Word which is demonstrated in Colossians 3.

In this chapter Paul provided the Colossian church with guidelines for proper conduct.  Paul needed to remind the Colossians “whom” they served.

He also shows us in Colossians 3:1-11  that once you have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior you will have a deep personal relationship with God.  Which will transform every area of  your new life in Christ.

Colossians 3:12-17 demonstrates our new life in Christ as we involve ourselves with others.

As you now stand before God, He seeks to “perfect” you.  We use the word “perfect” as a verb which indicates that you are a work in progress.

God sees you as one who has been made perfect through Jesus Christ, the one who is perfect.

We are to send a message to others that we have a transformed life that is Godly.

We need to joyfully adopt Godly characteristics in our lives as presented to us in Colossians 3:12-17.  The world will see a message of joy in our lives as we serve our Lord.  Many in this world are “reading you” as their only Bible.

Now that you know how to get the right message that needs to be conveyed to a lost world.  We will look at the right message you need to send yourself in order to convince others.  We will address this in our next blog session.

Until then, journey well.

Lou