Random Thoughts – Page 6

5 “Trustworthy” but often ignored “Sayings”

2010-05-12T11:01:37+00:00By Sam Ford|Note to Self...and Others, Random Thoughts, Re:Sermon|

Many people try to boil down Christianity to simple truths. In the process, they will create pithy little statements that eventually become the meaningless mission statements of churches like: "Loving God and Loving People"; Real Friends, Real Faith, Real Adventure..."; "Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors." While all well-intentioned, if we are not careful, such memorable statements can become clever biblical sounding phrases that have little or nothing to do with the truth of the gospel. In his letters to pastors, Paul writes five different, "trustworthy sayings". Appearing only in the pastoral letters, these five statements represent simple and important truths that every pastor (and Christian) should remember. As Paul wrote in 1Corinthians 15.3, "For I delivered to you as of first important what I also received", these statements reveal that most important thing is Gospel Truth: GOSPEL PERSPECTIVE: 1Timothy 1.15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, [...]

When wolves are (mis)leading the sheep…

2010-05-11T00:01:21+00:00By Sam Ford|Church Plant Lessons 101, Random Thoughts, Re:Sermon|

1st Timothy is a letter to a leader of a church about leadership. In preaching through the first chapter in Paul's letter first letter to Timothy, it occurred to me that we/I approach it from one perspective. We know that Timothy is a godly shepherd and that his flock is being attacked by the wolves Paul identifies. This fact is clear from the books of Acts and the letter itself. As pastors then, we naturally preach through Timothy, assuming God is speaking to everyone else but me (the common error we all make). In other words, pastors assume they are the "godly shepherd" and that their critics are the wolves. It seems that those listening might assume the same thing--that the critic, questioner, or person who leaves is always the Big Bad Wolf. As I preached in the last sermon: " this is not a charge for pastors or anyone to become Wolf-hunters, marking every person they don’t [...]

Church Planting Lesson #17: Finish how you started

2010-05-04T09:00:34+00:00By Sam Ford|Random Thoughts|

LESSON #17: FINISH HOW YOU STARTED (as long as you started with Jesus) Below is an excerpt from my a journal I wrote when we first started gathering as a church. It was written the day after our FIRST OFFICIAL GATHERING. I have this torn piece of paper from my journal(who knows where the rest is) taped into the front of my Bible. The words and the tone of it reminds me that, when we first started, we really didn't know what we were doing. Thinking back, it must have looked completely ludicrous to everyone who watched--it even seems like that a bit to me. But in the moment, it is exciting. In the moment, you have nothing BUT the cross to hold on to, nothing BUT to wait on Jesus to move, nothing BUT to trust that Jesus is the one that plants, grows, shrinks, and closes the doors [...]

Beware of Big Bad Wolves

2010-05-03T16:34:31+00:00By Sam Ford|Church Plant Lessons 101, Random Thoughts, Re:Sermon|

In Paul's final meeting with the elders of the church at Ephesus, he warned them about wolves that would rise up FROM WITHIN the church to destroy it. Shortly after he left, wolves did come and, eventually, Timothy was sent to deal with them. In the first 11 verses of the first letter to a young pastor, we learn a lot about finding and dealing with the wolves that ARE all around us: What are wolves? A wolf is a hungry "animal" that is looking for sheep to eat. Unlike a sheep, he doesn't trust the shepherd, won't follow the shepherd, and all around dislikes the shepherd. The disdain a wolf has for a Shepherd isn't a hidden thing because wolves never stop talking, especially about how much they feel the shepherd is in fact harming the sheep. They fill their mind, the air, and the internet with lies and [...]

CHARGE #1: Fight for your First Church

2010-04-26T14:11:42+00:00By Sam Ford|Note to Self...and Others, Random Thoughts, Re:Sermon|

I preached the introduction to 1st Timothy yesterday. Written to a young pastor, this letter holds a lot of meaning for me, as it does for anyone who pastors. Unfortunately, the "Pastoral letters" to Timothy and Titus can be a tough sell to those who don't consider themselves "Professional Christians". The letters lend themselves easily to those who wish to use them as a tool to examine whether a, our, or THE church is healthy or sick. In truth, this is what they are intended for and ALL churches should regularly visit these three letters for encouragement, correction, and guidance. I believe that the letters can also be used to pastor our First Church--our home. Just like Ephesus, false truths, demonic "wisdom", and sinful behavior rises up from within. If we don't fight, fight for the wrong things, or allow others to fight in our stead, our first churches will [...]

Obscure Bible Verses: Judges 8.16

2010-04-21T13:05:08+00:00By Sam Ford|Random Thoughts|

And he took the elders of the city, and he took thorns of the wilderness and briers and with them taught the men of Succoth a lesson. - Judges 8.16 This little gem is from the book of Judges. The book of judges is the story of what happens when there is no godly leadership. It is the time between the death of Joshua and the first King of Israel, Saul. Israel would go through the same cycle every couple of years: Israel sins and worship false gods; the Lord gets angry; the Lord delivers them into the hands of an enemy; Israel cries; the Lord raises of a deliverer to rescue them...rinse and repeat. Chapter 6-8 is about Gideon. I love Gideon because he's a manly man. He wasn't at first, of course. In fact, when God called him to go and defeat the enemy of the week, Midian, [...]

Jesus’ Cup Check

2010-04-18T15:40:00+00:00By Sam Ford|Note to Self...and Others, Random Thoughts|

I have always enjoyed the older translations of Ephesians 6.14 concerning the armor of God. Usually, the text says something like "GIRD YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH." Such a translation always required greater explanation from the youth pastor because few understand "girding" though we all have a sense of what "loins" are. With or without explanation, I always imagined getting ready for the spiritual battle like Rambo: I'd put my headband on, lace up my military boots tight, fasten my three foot knife to my side, put on my Holy Jockstrap, and charge out to the fight the demons! I've found it helpful to make sure I have my "cup of truth" on before Jesus himself has to give me a quick check. When I don't, and He does, it hurts. All of us need a cup check from Jesus periodically, to make sure that we are being led by the [...]

Acts 29 Coffee -Christian Chronic

2010-04-16T08:14:58+00:00By Sam Ford|Random Thoughts|

We are developing a partnership with a new organization called Acts 29 coffee. In an effort to find ways to redeem the money we already spent, now you can help church planting as you sip on your "Christian Chronic". Instead of purchasing coffee from wherever you already do, consider investing with Acts 29 Coffee and have it delivered to your door. For every $10 bag of coffee you guy, 50% of the proceeds go back to church planting in the Northwest Region where we serve. The potential fund-raising is incredible. More information will be coming soon and we'll have some samples available at our church soon. But what does it taste like? We've sampled a couple different ones, Sunday Blend and Redemption Roast. They are both excellent. As Seattle natives, we are very particular, believing that drinking bad coffee may actually be as sinful as drinking light beer. Well...maybe not [...]

Obscure Bible Verses: Deuteronomy 25.11-12

2010-04-15T16:22:40+00:00By Sam Ford|Random Thoughts|

Deuteronomy 25.11-12 When men fight with one another and the wife of the one draws near to rescue her husband from the hand of him who is beating him and puts out her hand and seizes him by the private parts, then you shall cut off her hand. Your eye shall have no pity. In reading the over 600 laws in the Old Testament, one will come across some gems like this. You have to wonder why God would have made such a law. I'm sure that, in an effort to spiritualize something that is just stinking hilarious, theologians have concocted just as many creative interpretations as they have for Zipporah and the bloody foreskin (Ex 4.25). One thing that always makes me laugh is knowing that God saw something like this coming and made a law to prevent it. There must be something for us to learn from this [...]

The “unconditional/conditional” Love of Jesus

2010-04-13T09:53:30+00:00By Sam Ford|Church Plant Lessons 101, Random Thoughts|

Speaking about love as "conditional" won't win you a lot of fans. Seeing as you and I are the only ones that read this blog, I'm not too concerned. I realize that if a third person reads this blog, I'll be psycho-analyzed to the hilt as people ponder why I would write something like this...it must be a "Daddy Wounds" or, at the very least, a jacked up view of Jesus from a pastor who, three years ago, taught English to high schoolers. Growing up, my parents always told me that they would, "love me no matter what." I believed them, still do. In retrospect, however, I remember that they "loved" me with that damn wooden spoon a lot (My Dad just used his hand because it was about as thick as a 2X4). I don't remember feeling the "love" when mom gave me THE LOOK from across the table [...]