Someone Worth Redeeming

I had an interesting conversation today about whether or not a Christian can ever lose his/her salvation. As I have tried to make my relationship with God my first priority, I realize that I fail...miserably. And, the failure isn't exactly what I'm worried about - that happens all the time - but rather, it's the getting back up again. Phrases like, "Well, you're worth it to God, so don't give up," or "God has a plan for your life," just don't always seem to cut it. Yes, I know those things, but why?? Why did God even care?

I was reminded of my Bible as Literature class from high school. In that class, we were taught that each book in the Old Testament begins to paint a picture of who God is and what His character looks like. In Genesis, He is painted as Creator; in Exodus, He is Savior; in Leviticus, He is holy; in Numbers, I see Him as the Shepherd who is counting His sheep; and, in Deuteronomy and Joshua, He is strength and Provider. So, what about Judges?? All of these amazingly cool characteristics stand out, despite Israel's issues of unfaithfulness...until we get to Judges. And, He's fed up with the people...yet again. I mean, in Genesis, He destroyed the entire planet, save 8 people - oh, and the animals. But, the overwhelming presence of God in Judges says what??

It doesn't stay there! I can't stay in Judges. It's a good and important reminder that God is God and that it is His prerogative to judge - He is the Judge. But, Ruth comes next. What is the characteristic of God that shines in Ruth? He is Redeemer. That's more than Savior. Both are important, but think about what it means to be redeemed? It means that the full price is paid to set you free - no budget cuts.

To be redeemed is like someone paying the price for a car that has seen its better days. A car that is beat up, torn down, barely running, and only called a car because it has four tires on it. A car that couldn't make it to the gas station, if it wanted to. A car that is purchased for the purpose of being restored. To be returned to its original glory and splendor. And, the glory and splendor are not really the car's, but they belong to the one that restores it. The person restoring it takes pride in the beauty being returned.

But, why? The car wasn't worth it. It takes more money to restore the car than it is worth. You literally throw money away at that car. For what? To see it restored to beauty? What's the point? Why even care about the car in the first place? Why not just scrap it and sell it for junked parts?

That's what I struggle with. I wasn't worth redeeming. I'm still not. So, why? "But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8 NIV). "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16 NIV).

Love.

Simply put, God loves us. God loved me. He loves you. And, you are someone worth redeeming!

If the Son Sets You Free - 3/12/12

13lbs of weight shackled to your legs, arms, and neck. All of it keeping you pinned. Even if you had the energy to move, you couldn't, because you have to carry around this extra bondage. You look around the ship and see life fading. The dead man next to you is unnerving and you can't wait for the masters to come and take him away to toss him overboard. The stench is gut-wrenching, but, for some reason, you've almost grown accustomed to it. Will this ever end? Will you ever know freedom in this life?

This is a life that is appalling. Slavery is appalling. And yet, we live our lives in slavery to sin every, single day. Sure, I can describe slavery by man and we would each say, "That is ridiculous!" but when I tell you about your slavery to sin, you shy away and act like it doesn't exist. But it does! And, you know it!

John 8:36 says, "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." You have been freed from captivity! You have been freed from your bandage in sin! You are free indeed!

Why don't we take that seriously? Do we like our chains? Do we desire the burden of guilt? What is truly keeping us from being released from sin? I think it's us! We like our sin just a little too much.

And, what's crazy is the fact that our sin is killing us. We're OK w/t he stench. We like lying close to death. We enjoy the momentary "lapse in judgment," but it leaves us SO empty inside. If you desire to be released from that burden, then let Christ (who has the key), unshackle you. Let Him unleash His salvation to wash over you with His forgiveness. Be changed. Live changed.

If you think that your life is cool, then share this with someone else. Help them to see Christ for themselves. Let them know that you are real. And, be the change every day that you live life.

God's blessings on your life this week,

Bryan

http://thebtaylor.blogspot.com

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Sharing My Heart - 3/5/12

For several months, I've been sending out these weekly devotionals, hoping that they provide some sense of encouragement. Well, this week, I just want to share a little from my heart. God has been telling me, for a long while now, that I'm supposed to do something more than just sit on my butt and call myself a Christian. Yes, I'm a pastor. Yes, I'm active in my church. Yes, I've been a faithful Christian for a long time. It's just time to ramp it up.

"Walk by faith," says God. "Just go make it happen. Go and make disciples."

"But, God," I responded, "I don't have the money to do that!"

"Really, Bryan? REALLY?? I am the God of this universe! Don't you think I can equip you, if I'm sending you out?"

"Oh...right..."

So, here's the project. It's called "Feed Our Streets."

I believe that God is calling us to minister to those that are closest to us - our Jerusalem. This is HUGE and very necessary in Southeast Fresno. There are so many people hurting, but they keep a smile on their face, so that others don't think badly of them. Well, we're going to spread the love of Christ with as many people as possible, because I believe that's what He is calling all Christians to do. Make it real. Make it tangible. Make it memorable. Make it lovely.

I see tables that line the streets. They’re decorated, pretty, and just convey the message of “block party” to everyone that looks down the street. I see shocked, but excited faces as they begin to smell the barbeque and catch the vision of what’s going on. I see laughter and conversation between people that have never spoken to each other. I see Christ’s love visibly pouring into people as they come together for a common meal.

The workers will be in bright t-shirts so that they will be highly visible and can’t escape the questions. Why are you here? What are you doing? What could possibly possess you to do this? Why should I eat your food? And, there will only be one answer: Because you are worth it!

A banner will be raised high to tell the entire neighborhood that we’re there. As if they couldn’t miss the beautiful smell of barbeque or the bright colored t-shirts, we will absolutely be in their faces (in a good way)! And we will sit with them, enjoying conversation and finding out what makes them excited; finding out what makes them tick.

This will be happening at several locations over the course of the entire summer. We will start in May and have these parties all over SE Fresno for the next several months. It’ll be warm, but there will be iced tea and lemonade. It’ll be awkward, but there will be the Holy Spirit to guide us. It’ll be fun, and we’ll just laugh and possibly cry from the joy that is pouring out of our hearts.

And, the Lord will be blessed! Community groups will come together to serve. Organizations from throughout the city will partner to see God’s love given out to those in need. And, we will be loved in return.

This is my heart. I usually leave you with a call to action. So, the only one that I have is this: what will you do to respond? People need God, but they need YOU to show them God. Go out! Serve! Make disciples!

God's blessings on your life this week,

Bryan

http://thebtaylor.blogspot.com

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What do you think about…? - 2/27/12

What do you think about prostitution?

WAIT - why on earth would you ask that question? Well, because it gets you to think about something that you might have pushed to the side. Granted, that's not your everyday question, but it IS real and it does hurt a lot of people.

I guess you could call this a social experiment. Try asking someone what they think of prostitution (or any other subject) and just see how provocative that question actually is. Find out if it makes them uncomfortable. Find out if it leads to a whole side conversation about renewal and rejuvenation in Christ. Just try it! I think that we are so often left without good thought-provoking conversations, because no one is willing to just ask the question.

But, here's the kicker. When you ask that question, be prepared to have an answer of your own. And, don't be ashamed, if your answer lines up with the Bible. I mean, aren't we called to share the Gospel message? Aren't we called to let others know about the love of Christ? Aren't we supposed to get people to start thinking about God? I think that we will have a lot more people responding as soon as we start asking the right questions.

Just my thoughts…

I hope that you can take the challenge this week. I realize that this might be awkward, but that's OK. God sent us the Comforter (or Holy Spirit), because He expected us to find ourselves in awkward situations. Give it a shot. I'd love to hear your results.

God's blessings on your life this week,

Bryan

http://thebtaylor.blogspot.com

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Messy Ministry - 2/20/12

The more that I dive into the Word, and the more I desire to follow God's will, the more I realize that ministry just gets messy. And, I like it!

This weekend was our Purity-4-Life Conference, in which we discuss sexual purity and abstinence with out teens. On Sunday morning, a lady dedicated her life to Christ and asked to be baptized. This sounds like a successful weekend, right? Here's the "messier" part.

When I went to baptize the lady from our church, she came down and almost slipped. It could've been because she was giddy or it the baptistry was slippery - who knows? But, I helped her onto the seat and got ready to do the "baptismal" routine. So, I told her to cover her nose, and immediately she started sliding down, to go under the water. WHOA! I didn't get to pray for her! I didn't get to say the thing that we always say. You know…the "I baptize you in the name…" speech. Well, in the span of about two seconds, all of this flashed through my mind and I began to think, "What in the world am I supposed to do?" And then it hit me. While the words are important, they're not required for someone to be baptized. Jesus commanded us to baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, but He didn't say anything about mumbling words. In fact, those words are more traditional than they are necessary. The act of baptizing symbolizes that someone has committed their life to Christ; they have died to sin and are reborn in Christ.

Once I realized that she was going under, no matter what I said to try and convince her to wait, I said, "Well, I guess this is how we're baptizing tonight." She went down, she came back up, and then started walking out the wrong side of the baptistry. I got her attention and told her to go back the other way, so she turned and jumped back onto the seat and then jumped up onto the stairs. If I hadn't done it wrong yet, I most certainly was doing it wrong now. I mean, jumping in the baptistry is about as bad as using the baptistry as a spa.

In that moment, I knew that God saw her as His beautiful daughter. Who was I to be more concerned about the way in which we baptize and less concerned with how God sees people? I mean, isn't the whole point that we make disciples, baptize them, and teach them the ways of the Lord? What happened in the baptistry was anything but clean and neat; but, God was pleased with a new disciple being baptized. When did the tradition become more important than salvation?

After that, we hosted dinner for the congregation. It was left over dinner (from the conference), but we had enough to feed the entire church. I walked into the dining hall and was absolutely blessed to see the room full of people that were eating, talking, and laughing together as brothers and sisters in Christ. But, wait a minute, there was a new lady. Who was she? Did she literally just walk in off of the street? About five minutes later, another man rode his bike up and walked in to get a plate of food. Our first instinct is to protect our people from these strangers, but that is completely the opposite of what Jesus would have done. In fact, five years ago, I would've turned them away, only to find that we had more than enough food to take care of them. In fact, I would've turned them away, despite having enough food. And that makes me sad.

This is messy ministry. And, I think it's how God would've wanted it. So that He might be glorified in and through our lives. Has your ministry been messy lately? Have you asked God to send His Holy Spirit to comfort you and guide you through each day of your ministry? I encourage you to let God's Word be your guiding path, rather than human inhibitions. Really consider how Jesus would've handled each situation that you come across, so that you can bring glory and honor to Him, and not yourself.

God's blessings on your life this week,

Bryan

http://thebtaylor.blogspot.com

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Worship Styles to Live By - 2/13/12

Have you ever been standing in a church service and thought, "I wonder what others think of us? I mean, are we crazy radicals or just middle-of-the-road baptists? And, are we OK with that?" Isn't it crazy that we get caught up in those types of thoughts? I mean, if we were standing there and Jesus walked up to the front of the stage and stood before us, would we have the same thought? Would we be worrying about our worship style?

Last night, as I was leading the singing, I got to a worship-leader-turns-pastor moment, in which I intended to give a mini-sermon while playing guitar. Sometimes, however, when I try to do too many things at the same time, my fingers and brain stop communicating. So, in the instance last night, I was talking and the fingers stopped playing - right in the middle of a chord change! I mean, nothing says that you haven't practiced enough more than just stopping in the middle of a song. While this would have normally left me mortally wounded, surprisingly I didn't care. I was ready to meet Jesus last night, and I don't really think He was concerned with the number of chords I played wrong or the number of times I lost my breath, because I was playing too fast. I just wanted to see Him.

I often think back to the disciples sitting around, having a convo with Jesus. They were with Him all of the time - literally! In fact, in Mark, Jesus left to go and spend some alone time in prayer. The disciples went out to look for Him and exclaimed, "Everyone is looking for you!" ...as if He didn't already know that. They were together so much that Jesus could hardly get away. But, the thing that impresses me the most about this, is that Jesus wanted to spend time with them. He wanted them to be in His presence, because He wanted to be close to them. He wanted them to intimately know Him.

In fact, if we were sitting down with Jesus, and I was playing the guitar to lead some songs, He would probably just laugh and smile when I played some "off notes." I used to think that everything had to be absolutely perfect. As a musician, I strive for good musicianship (playing the best that I can, whenever I play), because I think that quality music is important. But, I think that must also be tempered with the desire to be drawn into His presence.

When we think of worship styles, I think that we should think in terms of "draws me closer to" or "pushes me farther away from" Jesus in a corporate worship setting. My dad folds his arms across his chest, while I close my eyes to sing. We both have the same desire for God.

I encourage you to daily worship the Lord. Be in His presence. If you sing at the top of your lungs while driving in the car, then sing out for Jesus. If you worship Him in silence, then let that silence speak volumes. In whatever you do, honor and glorify the Lord this week, and He will be praised.

God's blessings on your life this week,

Bryan

http://thebtaylor.blogspot.com

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The Urgency of Souls - 2/6/12

Last week, I talked about the Transparency of Souls and our need, as Christians, to look deeper or beyond the flesh. But, there seems to be an urgency that many of us haven't yet taken hold of - the urgency of their soul. When you no longer consider people as just flesh and bones, but consider them in light of their eternal soul, you begin to notice the urgency of their eternal damnation, if they die without Christ. And that, in addition to a growing love for them, seems to be the thing that keeps me motivated.

About a week ago, I had a dream. After the dream, I woke up and was immediately conscious of the dream and what had transpired. Someone that I know was pregnant and she died during childbirth. Besides the orphaned child, the thing that stuck out in my thoughts was the fact that she would've died without Christ (had the dream been real). How many chances had I blow to witness to her? How many opportunities was I given to share the love of Christ? Was it my fault that she was lost and without Christ?

I realize that everyone has their own opportunity to accept Christ or not; however, their independence doesn't give us a license to remain silent. In order to truly live out our calling as Christians, we never stop considering their soul. This seems like a simple concept, and yet, we forget so easily. So, I'm just giving this reminder: don't forget about them. Them? Yes, the people that you have been praying for. The people that are on your heart. The people that you have taken responsibility for.

I hope that you can look into their souls this week. I hope that you can see them for who they really are. I hope that you can share the love of Christ with them. And, I hope that God is able to speak through you in every part of your witness!

God's blessings on your life this week,

Bryan

http://thebtaylor.blogspot.com

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