we so often wonder why???  Why did that happen??   why won’t people do what the bible says???   Why won’t people change???  Why do people go back to sin when they are miserable in it???     I am never going to be able to answer people’s why’s but I can answer as the apostle Paul said…. “I know in whom I have believed..”   The more we truly get to know God and appreciate his Word the more he reveals himself to us.  I can’t be concerned with all the people who don’t choose to become more intimate with our Lord other than I know what he is calling me to do.  and that is Draw close to Him    He is so faithful to do his part and that is He draws close to me.  What an incredible Saviour we serve.  Not only did he leave Heaven and become a man like us but he died a brutal death on behalf of us and chooses to constantly pray for us and even when i think it is going to get worse   He has promised to come back for us and take us to be with him forever

.

Truly that is good news.  That is what he has declared in his word.  That is what he wants his word to do in us and thru us    to be at home in us    The word became flesh and dwelt among us    How I need to constantly remember Him.   To Love His Word.   To be revived by his Word   and of course to share his Word with others.

The word of God is living and powerful,  sharper than any two edged sword………able to discern the thoughts and intents of the Heart   hebrews 4:12

Get in the Word precious saint and you watch God’s word will get into you

So here it is Halloween  October 31st, 2008    Should I take  the kids trick or treating,  should I engage myself with a day that the enemy totally uses to deceive people and where evil is looked upon as good???

I am so thankful for the grace of God.  I am free to do whatever I want.  Having just become a parent in the last few years i am opting for a harvest festival.  Not that it is an alternative to Halloween but I know I will enjoy great fellowship with my brothers and sisters who love God in a safe loving environment.  That is what I want all my kids to know.  That God has redeemed us and there is constantly time for us to remember that.  I love this time of year because it is the time where we remember him with Thanksgiving and of course Christmas coming soon.

But I do wonder.  Will my brothers look down on me for engaging in “Halloween”???   Will we become part of the evil all around us or is it a chance to truly show this world we love Him by loving each other and enjoying the company of each other.  I opt for fellowship.  I actually love when Paul is on his way to Rome at the end of the book of Acts it says he looked for fellowship.  He searched it out.  He knew the benefit of it and so too the church should know the koinonia is sweet for the soul.  how we need each other and how we need HIM

so if I ring your doorbell may you give my much chocolate but the true treat is what he has given me———–ETERNAL LIFE

blessings,

Pastor Mike

Mondays are usually my sabbath.  Whatever that truly means.  A lot of times it is just catching up on housework and enjoying some quiet time with the Lord.  This particular day found me driving my daughters over to the valley and in the midst of it I had a few hours to my self.  Being a beautiful day I was invited to play a round of golf with my brother in law.  Great day but walking 18 holes was a challenge in the 90 degree heat.  But we finished the round and I won by a couple of strokes (I kept score) and jumping into his pickup truck I saw the bumper sticker which read the same as the title of this blog  “Real Men Love Jesus” which got me to thinking what the Message should truly be if we do love Jesus.

Real Men Love Jesus.    Real Men Live Jesus and Real Men Learn from Jesus.     It is the story of redemption   The story of why our Lord came, and the story of why he chooses to use people like us.   Mark Chapter 1  all these people come and hear from Jesus and they are astonished at his doctrine.  They are learning from Jesus.  He in fact told us to Come to Him all that are weary and heavy laden.  Take his yoke upon us and Learn from Him and he would give us rest in our souls.  So we come to the Lord and the rest of our lives should be learning about the Lord.  Growing in the Grace and Knowledge of Him.  What are you learning from the Lord??????

Okay.  Second Part   Not just real men learning from the Lord but Real men Loving the Lord   how does that happen??????      Spending time with the Lord    Sitting at his feet    having a devotional life.  Again Mark 1:35 WHERE JESUS has spent all night healing folks he woke up early and found a solitary place and there he prayed to the Father.  He got his marching orders for the day and the Lord showed him his heart and what he was supposed to do for the day.     Interesting too as the disciples would later find him and he would tell them that he was to go to the surrounding villages and preach the gospel there also.

Third part    Real Men Live for Jesus     we learn from Him   We falll in love with Him and   We live for Him.  He gives us direction.   After spending a few hours with the Lord the next morning our Lord knew what he was to do   and that was to go around and share the good news.   He said it was his purpose.   His direction.

so this is how I see it       Doctrine    Devotion    Direction

                                         Learning    Loving        Living

As I learn of him my doctrine is established     As I love on Him I find my devotion and as I choose to live for him    he gives me direction

May God direct your hearts into the love of God and may Jesus be glorified as you love Him, Learn of Him, and constantly Live for Him

In Jesus Name,

Amen and Amen

Pastor Mike

Had a chance to encourage a young pastor as he disciples a man who wants to know what and how to teach a good sermon     It had me review some tips my pastor gave me years ago before I went out on the mission field    I hope they bless you    May we constantly be pointing folks to our Lord

Teaching Hints and Tips for those Teaching

Principles for Effective Teaching

1. The message and the messenger are inseperable   John 1:14  “The Word became flesh”  (Incarnation)  A message from the heart reaches the heart  i.e. Jonah

2.  Truth is truth, so tell the truth  In teaching from the Scriptures you may come across a principle that is not yet worked into the fabric of your life.  Share it anyway, however, just plain share the truth of the passage.

3.  Preaching/Teaching are forms of Worship   How???  By Exalting Jesus….giving Him glory.  As you share, see Jesus in the midst of the folks….He is!  This will change the way you share.  John the Baptist declared  “There stands One in the midst of you whom you know not.”  The came to hear John and John was consumed by Jesus.  He truly sensed Jesus right there with him.

4. Intent and Content are both Essential

We are not only to discuss a subject, but also to achieve an object.  Where are you taking them?  What do you want them to leave with?  There must be an application of the Word.  We are equipping them.  Content is homework; intent is heartwork.  Prayer is needed at this point… (go to the mountain and get the glow like Moses).

Intent  1.  The passage of study

                                   2. What’s going on with you?

                                3. Speak to where they are at, the people you are sharing with and praying for and thinking about.

4.What the Spirit Desires

When a sick man visits the doctor office he does not want to hear about health,  he wants healing.  Jesus never went to the Essene community.  He confronted the Pharisees, ministers to the 95% of the people who were struggling with life…..needful and desirous of answers.

5.Intent must be clear if it is going to come through.  A little mist in the mind of the speaker will create a great fog in the mind of the listener.  A thought should be summarized in one sentence.

The sentence should be    1. Biblical  2.Honest  3. Relevant

4. Interesting

6.Organize or Agonize

God is not the author of confusion….teachers are!  Take-offs and landings are critical.

1.   Intro—-“A Hook”

2.   Proposition….the big idea

3.   Development…..the points

4.   Conclusion….repeat what was said.

Give a lot of thought to the opening and closing.   This is

where one easily loses or confuses.

7.Become a lover of language

8.Don’t explain the inexplicable…. Never put a question where God places a period!

9.Use your wastebasket…..simplify, simplify…simply    Patton said it well  “It is not what they say that bothers me, it is that they keep saying it!”

10.  Express, don’t impress!

11.Always mean more than you say.  Like the prophet coming down the mountain, there should be more depth behind the teaching.

12.  The improbability of originality.

Adam was the last man with an original idea….and it wasn’t good.  Don’t be a slave to originality.

13.The necessity of variety.

How are you going to make your points?

Use the imperative  “We must be filled with the Holy Spirit”   Use the exclamative  “Be filled with the Holy Spirit.”   Use the interrogative   “Are you filled with the Holy Spirit?”

14.Never betray a confidence

15.  Have faith in the Word

Beware of the trap of too much commentary time…meditate on the Word.

1.Read it with reverence and slowly

2.Restate the text in your own words

3.Retell the Story

4.Hebrews 4:12….the Power is in the Word!

16,  Give space to the Spirit while teaching.  Be willing to pause, don’t fear silence.

17.  Speak to people individually….    Beware of brick walls, speak one on one,  address the group who is there…not those who are absent.  Beware of the evangelist/stadium mentality….visit and don’t use Christianese or wax eloquently

18.  Preach a positive message….

Grace  Grace and more Grace…….the gospel.

How would you preach John 8  “Go and sin no more”

With condemnation or comfort?

19.  Never hide behind the pulpit   Never address a personal

Matter, or agenda

20.Analyze your sermon….are these present?

Milk-meat-manna     spirit-soul-body

doctrine-devotion-duty      what-why-how

Are they going to do this and why???

21.  The key to hermeneutics is Himeneutics:   Be a Jesus person…..Jesus is the content!

Three Weeks.  That’s all it took.   Three sermons.  They got it.   Three messages.  It sunk in.  Paul the apostle on his second missionary journey stopped in a little synagogue and Acts 17 says     “ as his manner was for three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that Jesus whom he preached is Christ.”   The bible says some believed and I love the King Jimmy  as it says  “certain lewd fellows of the baser sort”  rose up against them.    That is always the case with truth.  And it is certainly the case with Jesus.  Some respond and some don’t.  Some believe and some fight against.   And through it all the church today continues to flourish.4
 
Today’s Blog is for my fellow believers in the church.  And my message is the same message that Paul wrote to the church at Thessonalika and I believe it is the message we need in what I truly believe is the last days.  So he tells these precious saints four things:
 
1.  Establishes them in the truth
2.  Exhorts them to personal holiness
3.  Encourages them in the midst or persecution
4.  Instructs them to look for the soon return of Jesus.
 
Lets look at these points.   Number 1.  God wants us to know Him.  Jesus himself in John 17:17 said Sanctify them by truth  Thy word is truth.    Peter in his epistle said thou you know these things I am going to keep reminding you until you are established in them.   It is not just saying the prayer and asking the Lord into your heart but truly enjoying your walk with Him,  letting him guide you and bless you and reveal himself to you.
 
Number 2.  Be Holy.  Holiness truly leads to happiness.  If you get close to the Lord you take on his characteristics.  Moses came down the mountain glowing.  You through the Holy Spirit have the power to live a holy live.  Holiness scares people.  They don’t know what to do with it.  May God cause to desire this holiness in our personal lives.
 
Point Number 3.  Encouragement in the midst of the struggle.  This is the one I find it most needed in the church today.  In the world in general.  Something has caused people to give up.  To go back.  To not plug in.  Understand this saint God wants you to be encouraged.  To truly know you don’t have to do this alone.  The church is simply made up of people in love with Jesus and desiring to know him more.  Join a body of believers and let the Lord encourage you thru his people.
 
And the final point is this.  Look for the soon return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  The people who look for and long for the return of the Lord.  we call it the rapture   Where we will meet the Lord in the air and forever be with the Lord  Paul tells the believers in Chapter 4 of Thessalonains that this wil bring comfort to them.  I hope and pray it brings comfort to you.  Jesus goes to prepare a place for you and if he goes he will come back.  That where he is you may be also.  He who has this hope purifies himself.
 
So thank you Paul for those three weeks in Thessalonika.  They bless me.  How I need to be established in truth.   How I need to strive for holiness.  How I thank God for your encouragement that you give me thru your people and by your spirit. And like the book ends in Revelation.  We say Come Quickly Lord Jesus.   I can’t wait until I see you face to face.
 
So be encouraged fellow bloggers (hopefully believers)   Our redemption draws nigh….
 
Pastor Mike
Brookings Christian Fellowship
 

Just got back from an awesome pastor’s conference and was blessed to know the theme was “Pastoring in the Last Days.”    It was  going thru the book of First Thessalonians and I am so blessed everytime I read this book.   paul writes to the church at Thessalonika and reminds them that they should be

1.  Established in the truth

2.  Exhorted to holiness

3.  Encouraged despite persecution

4.  instructed to look for his soon return

As i went over the outline i saw it as a picture of what the Lord wants his church and believers to be about today.  We need to be established in the truth.  Growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord.  Grasping more of his word and understanding and applying it to your life.   We need to be exhorted to holiness.   I really believe that this is the main point of what we sometimes forget and are not informed of when we surrender our lives to the Lord.  We are instructed to be holy.  To desire holiness in our lives.  To get close to the Lord and have his “wholeness” inside of us.   And here’s the great part.  Holiness scares the World.  They don’t know what to do with it.  They are afraid of it.  May we truly be exhorted to live in Holiness.   Encourage believers in the midst of persecution and even others even in the midst of martyrdom.  Maybe we do not see that in the U.S. but my bible reads all who live godly will suffer persecution.  paul’s heart was to encourage those who were going thru it.   how we need to encourage and pray for our christian brothers and sisters who are going through it.  Our brothers in China and India and other places.

My favorite part of course is looking for the soon return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Instructed others of the imminency of our Jesus.    paul put it this way in Titus Chapter 2:13   Were looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ.  He’s coming   We’re looking   Lord have your way in our lives.

God had me studying this book three months ago and I truly know it is his heart.   I need to be established in his truth.   John 17:17  sanctify them by truth thy word is truth    get to know his Word and Established in it      Exhort each other to holiness   Live holy lives   Encourage people  Encourage each other despite the persecution we go thru     and  Look for Jesus   Keep your eyes open   He’s coming    so……………………………………………………………………………………………occupy till I come

Bigfala Mike

I don’t know if it happens to all of you who preach the Word but ultimately it is living what we preach that can at times be the hard part.   So easy to share something that is hard to do and watch someone struggle and strive when in reality I have found it can’t really be done until GRACE  enters the picture.  What is GRACE?   God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense.  God loving us in spite of us.  Undeserved, unearned, unmerited favor.   When your sitting there at church and all of a sudden you realize how much the Lord truly loves you and your still aware of the sins you did the night before, the week before, the moment before you even came to church.

I always was blessed by the story of Barnabas going to check out how the Gentiles had received the grace of God.  Acts 12 tells us he went to the village and saw the grace of God. and he exhorted them and encouraged them with purpose of heart to cleave to the Lord.    I wonder what he saw????    What does grace look like?????      No doubt it is Jesus personified.  The reality of the risen Lord truly grabbing our hearts for others to see.

Oh when i truly start to grasp that and long for more of that   it is then that I can live it    but only if my focus is on him

Oh Lord help me to live what I preach    May people see grace in me   Jesus take not just the wheel but my whole life

When we get to heaven there will not be a presbyterian church,   a catholic church,   a calvary chapel,    a apostolic church.   The church is only people.  But understand this,  it is people who are longing for and loving on Jesus.  That is what heaven is truly about.    It ain’t heaven if Jesus isn’t there.    

So even though I pastor a church on the west Coast of America    I too long to go deeper,   to love more,   to see more people changed by the power of the gospel.   So I found myself again  going to a small church after a men’s bible study tonight.  Did I agree with the gentlemen’s take on the scriptures, on the holy spirit,   on his exegeting of a particular passage.   Not in every point but I did pray for him,   I want to see his church flourish  I can remember starting out and renting buildings.    Success in God’s eyes are truly what we do with His Word   Joshua 1:8

I know I am a pastor.  I know God has called me to be a shepherd and to just love folks and I am truly privilidged.    But sometimes there is something about just hanging out in the pews.  Not having to answer a question.   Just to enjoy someone telling me how in love with the Lord they are.

Ah   so this undercover brother    was refreshed tonight   by just hearing others share the Word and the Love of Jesus being evident in their life

Okay so here goes.  My first blog.  You are probably wondering why my blog is called Bigfala Mike.  Well I was blessed to be a missionary in the South Pacific islands for five years.  We had a bible college in a place called Vanuatu on the island of Santo.  The national language is Bislama hence bigfala Mike means Big Mike.  Mi no save from wanem yufala i no undastanem mifala.  ( I don’t understand why you guys wouldn’t know that)  Anyway my home church Applegate Christian Fellowship sent us there to run Searchlight Bible College where we would invite native men to spend one year learning the Word.  We would give them a bible in English or French and then one in their native tongue and just teach them thru the scriptures.  Our heart being when they went back to their villages they would be better citizens, husbands, fathers and ultimately Christians.
My pastor asked me to teach the Word and love the people.  I found the opposite happened.  I fell in love with the Word and I was taught by the people.  They are called ni-vanuatu (Ni-vans for short) and they taught me what it truly means to be hospitable.  Paul says in Romans 12 to be given to hospitality.  It means to pursue it.  To look for opportunities to bless others and I truly learned that from these precious folks.  They would go out of their way to bless you.  Whether you were a Christian or not.  Just an awesome time to live in a very primitive culture, no running water, no electricity, but lots of people hungry to learn God’s word and to fellowship.
Fast forward a few years later and I am back from the mission field and wondering what is next.  I prayed about getting my degree which I was close to receiving in P.E.with a minor in Speech Communication so I could be a PE teacher, sports announcer, and coach.  In the desire to do that the Lord kept telling me to submit to my pastor of which one day as I was in his office he told me I should go start a church.  I said “I don’t know how to do that” of which he replied “Great.  Your ready.”  Meaning the Lord would definitely have to be in this for it to succeed.  Well it’s been a radical ride these last nine years but after that first Sunday at Harris Beach in Brookings, Oregon the following Sunday someone let me use their building and “Brookings Christian Fellowship” was started.  We have had many trials and I even was away for a season back in Vanuatu starting churches there but God with his incredible grace led me back to this wonderful coastal city to ground his people in the Word of God, to see lives changed and people rejoicing because of the Good news of Jesus Christ.  Truly God is good and I am being stretched and challenged by the reality of what it truly means to have church.

Just a place where you can go and feel comfortable and learn God’s word.  Some of the hardest things that I have come across is bickering amongst god’s people.  Power struggles, and a lot of it is I just did not give everything to the Lord and ask him what his heart was behind what he wanted  I have found myself listening more intently, learning and loving the scriptures,  praying and interceding on behalf of his sheep and of course not taking everything too seriously.  God’s people should laugh more, cry more, share more,love more, and complain less.  I have found often what God wants to teach his people he has to teach me first.  Oh Lord help me to learn.  Well that is just the beginning of my blogs but it is my heart that God’s people can come here and be refreshed by my blunders, mistakes, and hopefully encouragements on what our Saviour is working in and thru me.

truly we are his workmanship created for good works and he does want us to walk in them…

be blessed,    Pastor Mike   aka  Bigfala Mike