Two Commandments

by Paul and Lori Carhart

This message was originally given by Paul Carhart at the Launch Pad gathering on October 18, 2008 and was followed by an extended worship time.

We've often heard that actions are louder than words. It is not merely a cliché but a biblical truth.

"My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth." - 1 John, 3-18

Indeed, we can profess love for someone or something, but our actions may betray where we truly stand.

For example, a man may say he loves his wife but if he is not faithful to her… if he betrays her… if he beats her. I would question the worth of his statements.

Likewise, a woman may say she love s her child, but if she locks the child in a closet or beats the child in a way that goes far beyond simple discipline…. Again I would question her love.

And if a person says he or she loves God but then they go out and partake in any manner of worldly elements that God has clearly taken a stance against, well you know where I'm going.

In writing, there's an oft-repeated rule: "Show, don't tell." Again, when telling a story, the plea is to show an action… to have something occur "on stage" rather than merely impart the facts of an action. When something is shown, it is immediate, passionate, important. The reason this is true in telling a story is because it is true in our every day lives.

Commanded to Love

God gave Moses Ten Commandments by which His people should live. By the time Jesus had come upon the scene, many other rules and regulations had sprung from those original commandments. So Jesus simplified it even more.

"Jesus said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." - Matt 22-37-40

In these two commandments given by Jesus, all of the ten given to Moses are fulfilled.

The first commandment here is to love the Lord your God. Just as in the examples I've previously given, we can say we love God. Or we can show him.

How do we show God we love Him?

The best way to know what it is that God wants on any given subject is to see what he says on the matter. He left us His word for just this purpose.

Naturally, there is the obvious answer.

"The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways." - Deut. 28:9

We are meant to do our best to follow God's laws. Of course, we know it's impossible for man to do this. That's why there's grace. That's why there's forgiveness. It's why Jesus came and died on the cross. Still, we are meant to do our best.

There is another way, above and beyond doing our best to follow God's commandments, to show God that we love Him.

But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. - John 4:23

I'm emphasizing the last part of this scripture because the Bible clearly declares that God is "seeking such to worship Him." He longs for those who love Him to worship Him!

Again, we can say we love God until the cows come home but how do we show Him? Are we doing our best, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to live a righteous life? Have we incorporated worshipping God into our every day lifestyle?

What about the second Commandment?

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. - 1 John 4:7-8

Also:

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God. And everyone who loves Him who begets also loves him who has been born of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, whenever we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome. For everything that has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? - 1 John 5:1-5

The Bible makes it clear that we are not to merely stop with loving God. In many ways, it's easy to love God. I mean, God loves us, right? When someone loves you, the natural inclination is to return that love. But what about those who hate you? Again, the Bible makes it clear.

"If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; For so you will heap coals of fire on his head, and the Lord will reward you." - Proverbs 25:21-22

Again, loving your neighbor, whether they are friendly or hateful toward you, is more than merely stating it. Loving is an action. It requires you to act.

Perhaps the most important way we can show "our neighbors" love is by telling them about God. Sometimes people are open to evangelism. They want to know more about God. Sometimes, they are not. They do not want to be "Bible-thumped." That's okay. We can still show God that we love our neighbors by praying for people, not only their well-being in time of need, but for their salvation, even when they think everything is fine.

Again, worship comes into play. Heartfelt worship flowing from God's people can bring healing, deliverance, and even salvation.

Summary

- Love is professed by actions, not merely words.

- God longs for those who love Him to worship Him.

- Through the act of worship, we can fulfill both of the commandments that Jesus gave, and thus fulfill the Ten Commandments in our lives.

- What better way to truly let God know that we love Him?

I’m Not Perfect…And Either Are You

by Paul and Lori Carhart

This message was originally given by Paul Carhart at the Launch Pad gathering on September 20, 2008 and was followed by an extended worship time.

It is by the Lord’s kindnesses that we are not destroyed, because His mercies never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. – Lamentations 3:23-24

It seems like Christians are constantly being held up to a very high standard. And rightly so. Christians are, by definition, followers of Christ. The primary tenet of Christianity, indeed, is that even though Christ was 100% man, He was (and is) 100% God. He was therefore perfect. So it stands to reason that those who follow Christ would not only seek perfection but would also be identified with perfection.

But how many know that no one is perfect? We all come from fallen man. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they set the stage for not only an imperfect world, but their descendants would also be forever imperfect as well. We have been condemned to be sinners.

There would only be one cure.

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. – Romans 8:1

So what’s the point in following Jesus if we don’t become perfect?

Ultimate perfection becomes something that is within our reach when we follow Christ. We won’t realilze it until we join Him in heaven but, because the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us, it is something that CAN be reflected in us on a daily basis.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. – 1 John 1:9

To be clear: We confess our sins to Jesus. Not to another man.

Should we judge those who are not perfect?

Certainly not.

The second part of the previous verse in 1 John reads as follows:

If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us. – 1 John 1:10

Again, everyone is a sinner. Christian or not. It’s only a matter of time before someone’s exterior armor will crack so we shouldn’t be surprised when it does. If you stand in judgment of someone who fails in some way, you risk judgment yourself. Indeed, Jesus himself had specific instructions regarding judgment in the book of Matthew (7:1-5).

Judge not, that you may not be judged. For whatever judgment you judge, you shall be judged; and with whatever measure you measure out, it shall be measured to you again. And why do you look on the splinter that is in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the beam that is in your own eye? Or how will you say to your brother, Let me pull the splinter out of your eye; and behold a beam is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First cast the beam out of your own eye, and then you shall see clearly to cast the splinter out of your brother’s eye.

It can be particularly bad for someone to judge a Christian, as God said to Peter in the book of Acts.

And the voice spoke to him (Peter) again the second time, What God has made clean, you do not call common. – Acts 10:15

We should instead concern ourselves without our own situation and not how others fare, as the apostle Paul declares:

For I say, through the grace given to me, to every one who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think. – Romans 12:2

Indeed, Jesus himself taught on this very subject. In a situation where a woman was clearly not perfect (she was caught in the very act of adultery) and it was within the legal right to have her killed by throwing stones, Jesus responded in the following way:

But as they continued to ask Him, He lifted Himself up and said to them, He who is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone at her. – John 8:7

Again, Romans 8:1 comes to mind.

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. – Romans 8:1

If God does not condemn us for messing up, how can mere humans?

So how do we get this sort of “do-over” forgiveness that we can receive when the chips are down? How can we obtain forgiveness from God and even protection from the judgment of our neighbors?

Accept Jesus

If you’re a Christian and you’ve already accepted Jesus, you merely need to ask God for forgiveness and strength moving forward. If you don’t know what I’m talking about regarding “accepting Jesus,” let me share with you a simple scripture:

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him and he with Me. – Revelation 3:20

If you’re reading this today, it is not by coincidence. Jesus stands at the door of your heart and he knocks. All you have to do is open the door!

To accept Jesus, you must ask Him into your heart!

How? Pray this prayer or something similar to it:

Heavenly Father, I know that I have sinned against you and that my sins separate me from you. I am truly sorry. I now want to turn away from my past sinful life and turn to you for forgiveness. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ, died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Now will you be perfect?

No. Unfortunately, every day we have to forget our old ways and take up the ways of Christ.

Do not lie to one another, having put off the old man with his deeds and having put on the new, having been renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him. – Col 3:9-10

And remember the opening scripture:

It is by the Lord’s kindnesses that we are not destroyed, because His mercies never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. – Lamentations 3:23-24

Every morning! Every morning we must again ask for forgiveness and move forward! If we don’t, it’s only a matter of time before we mess up.

It’s an ongoing process and not one that is accomplished overnight. Everyone has issues that they deal with. Addictions. Anger. Haughtiness. Even when you’ve handed off your burdens to Jesus, they may still crop up in times of weakness. We must, every day, pass these burdens back off to Jesus and ask the Holy Spirit to take over and strengthen us throughout the day.

Summary

- So are we perfect? No. No one on the earth is perfect. We all have faults and flaws. We are all sinners.

- How do we obtain forgiveness for our sins? We accept Jesus into our heart and pray for a renewing every day.

- Do we keep trying? We do not give up! We trust God to see us through trying times.

- Do we keep asking God for forgiveness and the strength to carry on? Yes. Every day!

- Do we fail? Surely. We just have to put our failures behind us and trust God to forgive us.

- Does God forgive us? Thankfully, and clearly according to scripture, He does.

- Should we judge people for being human and showing their flaws? Clearly not.

- Instead, we should focus on our own plight and work on our own walk with God.

Questions can be posted in the Comments section below.

Thanks, and God bless!

Entering Into The Presence Of The Lord

by Paul and Lori Carhart

This message was originally given by Paul Carhart at The Connection Foursquare congregation in Long Beach, California on June 1, 2008 accompanied by an extended worship time.

But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. - John 4:23

Worshipping God. What does that mean?

Going To church doesn't equal worshiping God. Singing songs doesn't mean you're necessarily worshiping God. Raising your hands, doesn't necessarily mean you're worshiping God. And doing any number of these things doesn't mean that you'll automatically enter into His presence.

Indeed, thousands of dead churches around the world proclaim Christ as Lord and their members gather to worship Him every Sunday morning. Still, many of them never enter into the presence of the Lord. Some don't even know they're supposed to.

We must first recognize that worshiping God is more than just a show, both on the stage as well as individually. There is an attitude of worship that we must achieve as individuals. There is a place in each individual heart where we must arrive. This place is not the presence of God, however. It’s more like a bridge. But unless you arrive at this place, you cannot enter into the presence of God.

Think of this place as a portal. It’s a stepping off point or a doorway. I like to think of it as a Launch Pad. You can choose to go forward or you can choose to remain where you are. Individuals will make their own choices. When two or three are gathered, they reach this place and they choose to to move forward, that’s when we get something different than individual worship. We call it corporate worship.

It's Not About the Music

Just to be clear, worship music can be of any style, at any pace, with any instrumentation. It's not a certain number of fast songs followed by a certain number of slow songs. It isn't about a certain amount of time singing. It isn't about choirs or lead singers or guitar solos. God doesn't care about any of that. We could do it without music if we wanted to and sometimes we do! God does care that we've come to worship Him with a right heart. He cares when we submit to him. When we let Him take over. That's where it begins. This is how we get to the place that I spoke of earlier. That's where we open the door to enter into God's presence.

Entering In

There is no set formula for entering into God's presence. However, there are some ingredients.

1) You must have a right heart. Forgive those who have done you wrong. Ask God to forgive you of your sins. Indeed, we can use The Lord's Prayer as an example of how we should approach God. (Matt 6:9-15)

2) Love God with all your heart, soul and mind. Love your neighbor as yourself.

Jesus said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." - Matt 22-37-40

3) Let go of all your problems and burdens. Give them to God. Don’t bring the Christmas List of what you want. Focus on God and what he’s already done for you. Your needs will coalesce during worship. You don’t need to bring an agenda.

4) Don’t try to control God. You cannot expect to enter into God’s presence and not have a supernatural experience. But the experience is not for you to determine. Let go of your own ideas of what you think it should be and let God move.

It might take time. It may not. Corporate worship depends on more than one person. It may take some people longer to let go than others. The key is to let it take as long as it takes. But you don’t want to be the one holding things up, do you?

Human beings were created to worship God. Therefore, until you really worship God and are able to enter into His presence, you'll never be truly fulfilled. Not really. And not only are we fulfilled, but God is also pleased. We are blessed AND God is blessed. The last part of John 4:23 says:

"…for the Father is seeking such to worship Him."

Healing and Deliverance through worship

When we enter into God's presence and the gifts of the Spirit flow, this is when people are healed. People are delivered. This is when God moves. This is when miracles happen. And because this doesn't happen very often anymore (for whatever reasons), this is why people can convince themselves that God is dead… or that He doesn't care… or that He was made up by man… or that he doesn't work miracles anymore. These are some of the deeper things of God… things that much of mainstream Christianity has forgotten. When you thirst for God and cry out for the deep things of God, only then will God respond in kind. He may not respond immediately, but He will not respond if you do not truly seek him.