Tag: work

The Theology of Work!

My name is Glenn Packiam. I Pastor the downtown New Life Church. Pastor Brady sometimes refers to us as the Parish! We refer Pastor Brady as the Bishop! We are a Parish of fathers, mothers, sons and daughters and the family is our core DNA. This morning we are going to talk about the Theology of Work. Work is not a dirty word or something to be avoided. God is still at work! Sometimes we can postpone our work for Him in preparation to work for Him! This will only lead to keeping God out of our work place! This is a problem I faced in Theology School. If our goal is to serve God only after we reach a position in Church Ministry then we will miss the boat! Do not postpone your work for Him! If you do you will become deficient for Him! What is work? Why work? Let us go to the foundation of work. We do not work just to pay our bills! In Genesis 1:26, we learn that we were created in the Image of God! This gives us a clue to our purpose. To be like God. God worked and created us to be like Him. In Genesis 2:8, God planted a Garden and put man into it. In verse 15, we see God placed Adam and Eve into it to work the Garden. Work was not the result of the fall! Work is God’s idea! God started work in Creation and continues to work! Jesus right now is interceding in prayer for the Saints! We are to work to reflect God’s Image! In the ancient Near East the King would erect statues of himself throughout his Kingdom. It would send a message to the people that he is like his Image! Our creator reminds us of His Creation and His Rule! God has designated responsibilities to us! Remember God gave Adam the duty to name the animals. God’s Creation is perfect but not completed! God is asking you to join Him in His work. God’s Dominion is not an oppressive Rule and desires that we work with Him. God is wise and designed a Loving order. Work is collaborating with God to cultivate His world! Remember that old hymn, “This is my Father’s World?” We do not just work to rest and work for bread! Heaven should not start on Friday night! I am not sure about that old song, “I will fly away!” God will one day descend upon the world to create a New Heaven and a New Earth but until then work! There will be work after that too! God did not give up on you and this world! God called His work good! Do we work to have a cosmic week-end? We are to collaborate with God and to see ourselves working with God in common purpose. Our vocation is to be called to the calling! We need to keep in mind our occupation in this context. We live out our vocation in our occupation. My father and mother were from India and they both worked hard! My father was a Hindu and my mother was a Christian. My father was a hotel manager in Malaysia and my mother a school teacher. My mother started a school. She taught us as she talked to us. Your vocation is your calling! You do not just work a job. The Gifting God has placed in your life is only developed through work! Work is a vehicle where God gets you where He wants you to be! Work is the opposite of welfare! Work gives dignity and purpose to man! My father-in-law is a farmer in Iowa. Jesus said the fields are white unto the Harvest but the workers are few! You are either going to exploit or cultivate the world! Work or fraud! Even a farmer has a Holy occupation! He treats his land with respect and honor! We have recently hired a painter for our house. He loves his job and takes the time to do a perfect job! The word time means, “To Honor!” When our time is over here have we honored Him? Holy work is not just church work. Work as unto the Lord! A bank manager I know quit his job because fraudulent things were being done by his company! Jeremiah 29:4-7. When Israel went into captivity in Babylon God told them to build houses, take wives for you will be there awhile! No rapture planning here! Figure out how to live here now! Verse 7 goes on to say we are to seek the peace of the city. Seek the welfare of others! Work is simply making someone’s else life better! The more numbers of people you help the greater your reward! This is true in business of any occupation. Pray over your boss and co-workers. Do not be deceived by social media that everyone else is doing better than you? Have a positive attitude towards work! Faith without works is dead! What was the vocation of Israel? Jesus our Messiah is the true Israel! He was sent to a strange place! His bread was to do the Father’s will. Our Father works even now! He finished His work on the Cross but our work is not finished yet! He is the God of the Garden! Today God is at work in you! The Holy Spirit is active in you! God has begun a new work in you! As we take communion this morning remember the bread and wine is from the Garden and the harvest of the earth. His Creation has a redemptive work in you! The Tree of Life is to know Christ and Him Crucified and to make Him known to others! To experience Him and the power of His Resurrection! Serve Him and others as He is serving you! Source; Pastor Glenn Packiam, Downtown New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Message June 22, 2014

Sticks and Stones ! Mark 16:14

The year was 1986. We were living in Yercaud India in our second year of mission work in India. It was a challenge living on this mountain top in South India. Electricity was only on for about 2 hours per day! Scorpions, rats and snakes lived with us in our house! However it was a beautiful place with coffee estates and tropical fruit everywhere! It was truly a village with no gas station and animals roaming the streets. Our house was located on Lady’s Seat Road next to a convent. The slums were all around us with people living in huts with manure dried floors and grass roofs. There are good slums and bad slums so the locals warned us not to go to one particular slum and if you did you may not come out! There was plenty of other work there so we stayed away. One day we took the long way around the village back to our house from the village shops. I do not even remember why? The road went along side this forbidden slum but I thought we were safe in our vehicle. Well a dog ran out in front of our vehicle and got one of his feet under a tire. A mob of people surrounded our car from this village. They picked up rocks and brought bamboo poles from their huts. They swarmed over our vehicle like ants so thick we could not see out any window glass! They were screaming they need to kill us because I drove over their dog and next it will be our children! We offered to pay for the dog and his injury but did not help! Even our daughter Sandra who was 4 years old then says she was so scared because the car was so dark inside with people covering the window glass! In the midst of all this chaos a man comes walking down the road and stops next to our vehicle. This man looked like an escaped criminal with knife scars on his face and arms. I thought it was surely over for us now! My wife Hamsa translated for me what he was telling the mob. In Tamil he told the crowd the following! He said, “You bunch of dogs! This man has a feeding program in your village and is feeding your children everyday! They have rented a building for a day care center and medical clinic! So is this how you return thanks to him? He did not have to come all the way from America to feed you dogs! If any of you touch this man or harm him me and my gang members will take care of you! The mob melted away back into their huts. As I was driving back to our house just over the hill drops of sweat were still dripping off my forehead! Then the most beautiful thought came to me! Now I have a free pass to go into this slum! So the next day at the crack of dawn I entered into this slum with pockets full of candy for the children and Gospel tracts for the adults! So the stones were rolled away and life entered death! I gained a lot of important lessons with my years in India. One important lesson is that you cannot really change a culture! If you do it is like trying to stop a tidal wave with your hands! Our Pastor Brady Boyd in his Sunday message at New Life Church here in Colorado Springs made a very important point! He said, ” Christianity historically is strongest when giving, loving and serving those who live in the margins of the culture!” Why the political and cultural battles rage sow seeds of love to the disenfranchised of our community! The widows, orphans, single moms and homeless! Roll that stone away and bring life to the hopeless! Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com

Charles Lindberg Goes Green!

American hero Charles Lindberg was prohibited from joining the Army Air Forces by President Franklin Roosevelt because his loss in combat would be unacceptable to America. Charles did not give up easily so in 1942 he stowed away in a cargo ship headed for the South Pacific. He then hitches a ride on a small boat to a remote Pacific island where a squadron of P-38 fighters were stationed. He watches a mechanic work on a P-38 fighter along the beach of the island. The mechanic asked Charles what his name was and how did he get on this island? He replied my name is Charles and I arrived on a small boat. The mechanic got nervous and went to his Commanding Officer. The mechanic reported this guy showing up behind his back like a bat out of hell while he was repairing his P-38! The Commanding Officer checked out Charles and determined he was not a spy but Charles Lindberg. They gave Charles a private tent with Kerosene lanterns so he could study his P-38 design documents at night. Charles studied every aspect of the P-38 aircraft during the daylight. Then Charles asked the CO if he could take the P-38 on a test flight? The CO was nervous because if Charles were killed in a flight accident his head would roll! Charles got permission and away he went on P-38 test flights. To make a long story short Charles figured out how to double the effective combat range of the P-38 fighter from 900 miles to 1800 miles. This caught the Japanese by surprise as American pilots could now reach deep behind Japanese forward bases and destroy much of their war materials. These changes in flight procedures on the P-38 were applied to all squadrons in the South Pacific and to the European theater. Charles flew one combat mission in a P-38 and shot down a Japanese Zero fighter. So Charles not only saved a lot of fuel but many lives as the war concluded sooner. Comment; America was and is made great by her people! If you are new to America or an immigrant you need to study American history and follow the lead of great Americans! There are millions like Charles! The mechanic was also important to victory in World War II. Do not depend on the government for welfare but apply your mind God has given you to invent things that make other people’s lives better! I will never forget a wall plaque in a rest stop along the I-95 Northeast corridor. This plaque contained a quote by Thomas Edison. He said,”Lord let me not have one invention unless it helps someone else.” I like the definition of work given by a Jewish Rabbi. He said,”Work is making someone’s life better!” Welfare is destructive while work brings out God’s creativity in each of us! God will save America if we will follow His ways! Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com

Church In The City (Lesson 3) 1 Corinthians 3: 6-11

Paul wrote this letter to Corinth from Ephesus. By comparison today’s culture in America looks like Disney World compared to Corinth and Ephesus! God raises up a group of people to follow Jesus in a wicked culture. Let His light shine through you in the midst of a dark world. World history boils down to God looking for a group of people to follow Jesus! Do not get missed! The only one to change the world for good is Jesus Christ. The power of God and His Holy Spirit works through people. We need to improve in our relationships with our marriage, parenting, jobs and all other social relationships. Paul reminds us we need to improve! There are two principles involved in the process of improvement. Paul sends a troubleshooter named Apollos to Corinth. Apollos was from Alexandria Egypt. He was a scholar just like Paul. Apollos had bright shiny new ideas! Whether Paul or Apollos God causes things to grow. Man plants and waters but God gives the increase! We are God’s building. Be careful how you build. We are all building. We are either growing or diminishing. Our foundation has to be Jesus Christ. Planting is difficult! God comes to us and puts his spotlight on us. He zeroes in on our issues! Sometimes we feel like we are being picked on! Seems like God is disrupting our plans. Our ground is unfallowed and hard so God plows up our soil of our heart and removes the hardness so something can grow. Planting is done one or two times a year. As we as a church work through our 21 day fast and prayer period God shines His light on us and shows us where the changes are needed. God wants to uproot our unfruitful work. He wants to make the soil of our heart fertile and productive. There is a season to plant then God waters and a harvest comes. Watering is a determined work. God showers us with His Grace. He encourages us and strengthens us with His Mercy! His Mercies are new everyday! God will finish the work He has started in you. His work redeems us. Man’s work is never done but God’s work as Jesus said on the Cross, ” It is Finished!” His light pushes back the darkness. We have seasons of difficulty but God is determined to water us. God gives us a good crop with increase! We need to know which season of life we are in. Ecclesiates Chapter 3 says there is a time for everything! Look for times to speak encouragement to your spouse and you children. Window’s of opportunity come and go. If you think you are going to fix your spouse you are a train wreck waiting to happen! Parenting seasons change as children grow up. There are many voices out there in the world. Love is lacking when you are always laying down the law! Cheer on your family and encourage them. The Bible over 5000 years ago in Deuteronomy Chapter 6 tells us the best time to speak to our children. The two times they are most apt to listen to you are when they wake up and when they prepare for bed. They used to say the Brady’s are good when they sleep. Let your children make all their mistakes at home! Water the work God is doing in their lives. Plant-water, Plant-water, instruct-encourage, instruct-encourage. Know your strengths! Speak the truth in love. Learn to balance. Life is lived between the extremes. Learn from one another. Know the soil of your heart. Be quick to forgive. You cannot give away what you do not have! You will reap what you sow. Forgive and receive forgiveness. Recognize the soil of your heart. People treat other people the way they think God treats them. How does God treat you? Is God mean? Unforgiving? Do you believe God has forgiven you? Forgive others as God has forgiven you. We are not naturally kind. We are self-protective and defensive. But God has changed this for us. Now He has given us forgiveness and love. Know the season, your soil, your strengths and how you are wired. You can impact the world if you allow God to change you. Paul left about 35-50 people in Corinth out of a city of over a million people. It is a long story how I got to New Life Church! Back in 2007 I was ministering in Dallas Texas. God spoke to me that He was moving me! I thought about some churches i would like to go too. Where Lord? When Lord? I had some desires but God had a different idea. God told me I am going to send you to a church that is already planted and you are going to water it. We got to New Life Church in 2007 and 100 days later we had a shooting at our church. Darkness will never overshadow those in Christ! The scripture that most strengthened me is 1 Corinthians Chapter 3. God brought our marriage together and our children and He will bring our Church family together. Since 2007 God has done a miraculous work here at New Life Church reaching to the ends of the earth! God gets the Glory! What God has started He will finish! Get your soil right and God will water you and make you grow! Source; Message given by Pastor Brady Boyd at New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Message given Sunday January 19, 2014.

What Did Jesus Say About Following Him? Matthew 7:13-14

Jesus had a radical message! You can only enter in at the narrow way, narrow passage or narrow gate to follow me. A narrow gate would only be about the width of your shoulders. You cannot carry any baggage with you when you go through it. Following Jesus through the narrow gate requires focus with no distractions in the way. The broad road or gate leads to destruction. Jesus does and did not go this path. It is a dead end road. Few people choose the narrow gate. American culture is more Christ resistant than anytime in our history. To follow Christ today is more costly than in previous generations. We are considered radicals by our culture and ridiculed. We are considered on the outer fringes like space cadets. Did you ever notice the on-line surveys always give you a way out. You are never committed to a yes or no answer. Kind of like politics today. Christ gave His disciples no third choice. It was either Heaven or Hell. The same holds true for us today! Yes or no? Easy or difficult. Matthew 5:1-2. Jesus real audience was more than the crowds it was His disciples. They had already made up their minds to follow Him but their trust level was low. It takes time to figure out if you can trust someone. Jesus told them the Kingdom of God is right now! It was not yesterday or tomarrow. Living right now is Monday through Saturday working, school and difficult schedules. Jesus said let Heaven break into your boring day to day world. Jerusalem has 12 gates. The wide gate is the most used gate. Examples today are convenience stores, shopping malls, fast food, ect. We like the best paved roads with the fewest traffic lights. They even have drive through churches today. Just hear a message on the internet or television. Why go to church? Studies have found that women like to shop on the internet after 9:00PM. Why? Convenient! We like to choose the easy way over the difficult. Going through the wide gate we can take along as much baggage as we want. No constraints, no sacrifices, easy choices, no boundaries, no commitment applies to all who travel the wide gate. Taking this path leads to ruin. Jesus took a narrow path from The Judgment Hall to Calvary. It was also a steep climb carrying your Cross! He took your unforgiveness, hurt, pain and all your sin. Jesus was a teacher of virtue. Creativity exits between boundaries. Whether it be inventions, music, poetry, sciences, discoveries or even the work of a humble farmer. All great work is done within constraints and boundaries. Jesus had to be sinless to fix your sin. Because of the discipline of constraints and boundaries we have very few great people. People do not like boundaries. Live together why get married? Why study? Why work? Get on welfare. Pregnant? Get an abortion. Vote for the political party that offers you no constraints or boundaries. Revelation 7:9. Heaven is not sparsely populated but has a great multitude. Salvation belongs to our God! It is a free gift like a Christmas gift under a tree and is easy to find. Jesus is easy to find but very difficult to follow. Weddings are exciting but then the couples have to learn to live together. Marriage goes from easy to difficult. The wide gate is to get a divorce or just live together unmarried. To remain in covenant is a miracle from God and requires His Grace. To stay married is hard work and a challenge. Getting pregnant is easy but raising children is hard work. The family under the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman is God’s only plan and design for relationships and for the security of future generations. Worship even requires constraints and boundaries. All people will make one of the following four choices in their life. 1. Secularism- autonomy, it’s my life, live for yourself, no boundaries, no restraints. Not Jesus way. No! 2. Moralism- Follow the rules and get the life I deserve. Entitlement. Steeped in religion that says it is all about me. I deserve to be rich and famous because I am a moral person. 3. Religion- I owe my life to God. Obligation. Things better go right with me because I am serving God! Bad exchange. Problems come! Death and disease comes to all! 4. Grace- Jesus says your life for my life! Wonderful exchange! Great Exchange! My nothingless for His everything. Give God your life and He gives His life back to you! Stop living for yourself. It is a dead end. Let Christ come in. Welcome the Holy Spirit! You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. What needs constraint in your life? Do you eat food for comfort? Do you have a drug or sex addiction? Do you feed your senses to no avail. Let Christ increase and you decrease. Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and He will add to your life that will help you to victory. Source: Pastor Brady Boyd, New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Message given Sunday September 1, 2013.

Book of John Chapter One Verse One !

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The word beginning in the greek translates as Commencement! When we finish a degree and complete all the work we graduate and have a commencement service. God completed his work at creation and time began! The word, “Word” in the greek is Logos which means Divine Expression! What was God’s Divine expression? Verse 14 of Chapter one says, ” And the Word was made flesh and dwelt amoung us……..” The divine expression could include creation itself but it is more than that! The divine expression is Christ himself! Let us substitute Christ for Word in verse one. In the beginning Jesus was the word and Jesus was with God and Jesus was God. Remember Jesus last words on the cross! It is finished! Man’s work is never done but God’s work is finished forever! Thankyou. James Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com

Born Loser!

In a 1955 TV episode of Gunsmoke this lady in Dodge City Kansas was having a very difficult life! She was a drunk and a prostitute. Everyone in Dodge City who was of good character was trying to help her! This included Sheriff Matt Dillion, Deputy Sheriff Festus, Doc and Kitty. Matt and Festus were in the saloon trying to figure out how to help her while drinking a couple of beers. Festus was deep in thought where he finally came to a conclusion! He said,” Matt you know some people are born losers but the rest of us have to work at it! ”

Christian American Foundations

Who Was the Most Christian American President? If all you ever knew about this was what you were taught in a public(government) school in the United States you would not have a clue! You might think Lincoln or Washington but the most out spoken president about his Faith in God was Theodore Roosevelt! He was running for president in 1912 which is exactly 100 years from this year. He walked softly and carried a big stick! He was a rough rider horse calvary kind of guy. His favorite Bible verse was Micah 6:8. What doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God. Roosevelt was of the Dutch Reformed Church. He participated in missions work with his father, a noted philanthropist. He taught Sunday School classes during his four years at Harvard. He wrote for Christian publications. He called his bare-the-soul speech announcing his principles when running in 1912, “A Confession of Faith.” Later he closed perhaps the most important speech of his life, the clarion-call acceptance of the Progressive Party nomination that year, with the words, “We stand at Armageddon and we battle for the Lord!” He titled one of his books, Foes of Our Own Household(after Matthew 10:36) and another, Fear God and Take Your Own Part. He once wrote an article for The Ladies Home Journal, Nine Reasons Why Men Should Go to Church.” After Theodoore left the White House, he was offered University Presidencies but refused all and chose to become a Contributing Editor of The Outlook, a relatively small Christian weekly magazine. He lectured at many Christian Theology School across America. Source: Mondayministry.com/blog2012/02/19/who-was-the-most-christian-president