Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Oct 27th A Hospital for Sinners

Today’s Reading – Luke 4 & 5

And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. (Luke 5:31)

Jesus was eating at the house of Matthew (Levi) the publican (tax collector), and there were also many other publicans there. These were not the type of people you wanted your children to run with. Though the term publican simply means tax collector, these people were not just your everyday, ordinary IRS agents. They were traditionally thought of as thugs, the mobsters of the day; extorting from people whatever they could. They were despised by the honorable citizens of Judaea; but Jesus loved them and wanted to reach them. He went to a place where no respectable Jew would have gone: a party where there were a bunch of publicans and other “sinners”. But please don’t misunderstand His motivation and purpose for being there. He was not there to participate in any sinful activity. He was there to love and reach people with the gospel.

Our churches should be full of people with problems. Every once in a while I will sense that some of our folks are not too thrilled with some of the people we are trying to reach. Their pharisaic disdain for “sinners” almost seeps out of their pores. It’s a shame really that Christians will develop that kind of attitude. I remember years ago when I was attending church in South Tomes River. We had a lady there who referred to the people that we were bringing in on our busses as “scummers”. She really thought that because she had been saved at a young age and raised in a good home that she was better than these folks who we were trying to reach for Christ.

Our church will always have a good number of people in it who have not “arrived yet”. There will be people with financial problems, moral problems, family problems, all kinds of problems. Now this does not mean that we will stop preaching against their sin. We will always preach the Book; but we will love them through the preaching. I love the diversity in our church. We have a great mix of cultures, races, educational backgrounds, and income levels; but I am also glad about the fact that we have people at all different spiritual levels here. Some are not saved yet; others are brand new babes in Christ; and still many others have been saved for years. But they are all welcome and should be accepted and loved by all others in the church. Jesus loved people with problems. He loves me, and I want to do my best to see to it that our church continues to love the people He loves.

Oct 26th What Shall We Do?

Today’s Reading – Luke 2 & 3

Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. (Luke 3:8)

John the Baptist was preaching and baptizing in the wilderness of Judea, and was attracting quite a crowd. There were no doubt many there that were there simply out of curiosity, just wanting to get a glimpse of this very strange man that was preaching a very different message than they were accustomed to hearing. There were also some there that were there to keep their eye on John. The religious leaders were very concerned about this man that was seen by them as a threat to their leadership. John wasn’t the slightest bit afraid of them, and when he saw them in the crowd, he preached against them.

John’s statement above from verse eight is a bold, yet appropriate announcement regarding the hearts of some that were coming to his baptism. “Bring therefore fruits worthy of repentance”. He was not telling them that in order to be saved they had to change their lives, but he was saying that if they were coming for baptism, they had better have had a true conversion which comes with repentance. In other words if they were truly sincere about their faith in God, it would naturally result in some type of outward change. The Bible teaches very plainly that we are new creatures; we now have Someone on the inside that is working His way to our outside.

The people wanted to know what they should do. The tax collectors wanted to know what they should do; and even some of the soldiers were looking for instructions as to how they should live now that they were saved. I remember when I trusted Christ as my Savior at the age of 25. I wanted to know all I could know about the Lord; and I wanted to do whatever I could in order to serve Him. There was definitely something radically different on the inside that was trying to break free to the surface. Don’t misunderstand, I wasn’t perfect; nor am I now, but my desires had changed. I wanted God, and I wanted to do whatever He wanted me to do. There was fruit coming from the inside that resulted from a genuine repentance. I won’t quibble with you about your specific definition of repentance; but I know this: a genuine repentance results in a genuine salvation; and a genuine salvation will radically change the way you think and the way you live your life. At least, I know that is what happened to me.

When the great Apostle Paul was saved, he immediately asked the Lord, “what shalt thou have me to do?”. I don’t think that was too different from what these people, publicans, and soldiers asked at John’s baptism. Has your life changed since you trusted Christ as your Savior? What’s new about you? What’s different? Is there in your life the fruits of genuine repentance? I am not trying to get you doubt your salvation, and I am not trying to say that if you are struggling with sin you are not saved. We all struggle with sin. The presence of sin in our life becomes more apparent and real to us as we mature in our Christian life. But is there inside of you a desire for the things of God, and a remorse for the things that God is displeased with? Do you yearn to be closer to him? Is He chipping away daily at your flesh? I want to know Him, and be more like Him; and I want Him to be revealed in my life and ministry.

Oct 25th Certainty

Today’s Reading – Luke 1

That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed. (Luke 1:4)

I have always been fascinated by these first few verses in Luke’s gospel. He is writing to an individual by the name of Theophilus who we know very little about; and he is explaining to him, under the inspiration of the Spirit of God, in detail all that he knows about the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is interesting when you think about it that Luke appears to be writing this entire book to one man. Now we know that God had other plans for the book; but on a human level, it seems to be the most comprehensive gospel tract ever written. All for one man, Theophilus. The first thought that hits me is the concern that Luke must of had for this one man in order to go through this arduous task just so that Theophilus could be certain about what he already knew about the Lord. Luke is possibly the most diligent soul winner there ever was.

The second thought I have from this Scripture comes from the word “certainty”.  Luke penned the Word of God so that the hearer could be certain about the Lord Jesus Christ. That reminds me of another verse that tells us that …faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17) Practical application of this principle tells us that the more time we spend in the Word of God, the more we will be certain about the things of God; and the more certain we are in our faith, the greater our life and ministries will be also. We will be able to boldly plow forward through this dark and cold world with the gospel simply because we are sure of what we believe about God.

If you look at the faithless condition of America today, and consider how that Satan has been effective at both distorting the Word of God in most of our churches, and removing the Word of God from schools and most other public venues of our society; it is no wonder that the country is rapidly moving away from God. The answer is the Word. We in the church need to get strengthened ourselves through the certainty that comes through time in the Book; and then flood our churches, communities, families, neighborhoods, and workplaces with the Word of God. The more they hear the Word, the more they can be certain about the Lord.

Oct 24th Can You Identify?

Today’s Reading – Mark 15 and 16

And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Mark 15:34)

The above verse references the time when Jesus was on the cross with the sins of the whole world placed upon his shoulders. In His humanity, He cries to the Father, and for the first time Jesus calls His Father, “God” instead of “Father”. Here at this moment it seemed that everything was against Him, including God.

Does it ever seem to you like God has forsaken you? I have been through some dark valleys in my time, and there have been many times where I have wondered, “Where is God?” At those times, it seemed like God was nowhere to be found. However, in hindsight, I can see that God was there all along; and though I could not see Him or feel Him, He was there. He is always there. If you are going through some kind of a trial today, don’t trust your feelings. They will often betray you. Trust the Word of God. The Bible tells us that He will never leave us or forsake us. Keep trusting; keep praying, even though it seems like you are just talking to yourself. Remember faith is the evidence of things not seen. Though His presence may seem to be elsewhere, He is right there with you. He hasn’t stopped loving you, and He hasn’t stopped working for your good and His glory.

Oct 23rd The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl

Today’s Reading: Mark 14

Good morning. How in the world are you? I have two thoughts that may be a help to you today.  In today’s reading we find the story of the woman with the alabaster box of spikenard: a very expensive ointment (verses 3-11). This passage caused me to ask the question, “Have I ever been angry at God?”

How about you? When things don’t go your way, or the way you perceive they should go, do you blame God? Many people do. Cain was angry with God because He would not accept his offering. During the great tribulation, the seven years, rather than repent, many will turn and shake their fists at God. Here in this passage we have Judas. John chapter 12 gives us a little glimpse into where his heart was at…

“Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, which should betray him, Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.” (John 12:4-6)

So Judas was angry with God (Mark 14:4-5). What happens next? Judas goes to the chief priests to betray Jesus (Mark 14:10-11). God’s Word tells us to be angry, and sin not (Eph. 4:26). Sin has a price. Judas was told by Jesus what the price would be in verse 21 of Mark 14…

“The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born.”

And you know the rest of the story: Judas betrayed Jesus anyway, and ended up hanging himself. The Bible tells us that Judas went to his own place. Is that the hottest part of Hell? I don’t know, but it all started with being angry at God. We all need to ask ourselves that question: “Am I angry at God?”

Remember: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (James 1:17)

That leads me to my second thought…

I received this e-mail the other day. It simply said…

Bob Roszak passed away yesterday on the 21 of October.

He was having problems with his heart…

George

I wish I could provide a link to what everyone was saying about this man. He was a fixture in the Buskey home for a long time. We all have an appointed time. Bob’s time had come. And here is the connection…

God had given this alabaster box of priceless ointment for us to hold onto for a while. The time had arrived to give it back: to poor it out and anoint the Saviour’s head and feet. Because of God’s grace, because of Jesus coming and dying on the cross and shedding His precious blood to pay for Bob’s sins, he is in Heaven today. One day you will see him again if you’re saved. God’s Word tells us that we are all sinners (Romans 3:10,23), and that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23). The Bible makes it simple,

1John 5:12-13 says, “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”

All you need do to receive Jesus for your own is to call on his name. Romans 10:3 says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

You can’t get to Heaven on your own. Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

To God, love is an action word. Love was an action word to Bob also. Because of God’s action in John 3:16, Bob has a home in Heaven…

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Peace (John 14:27)

Oct 22nd Let’s Keep At It Until He Comes To Get Us

Today’s Reading – Mark 12 & 13

And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows. (Mark 13:7 & 8 )

I remember when I was first saved in 1990. I was convinced that the Lord was coming for His church in 1993. I thought for sure that the conditions of the world then had met the criteria in the verses above. But He did not come, and that was almost twenty years ago. The Apostle Paul also thought that the Lord’s return was going to be very soon, and that was nearly 2000 years ago. Don’t misunderstand me, I still believe the Lord’s return in soon. In fact, I am surprised that He hasn’t come yet. It would seem that the stage of the world has been completely set for the rapture of the church and the commencement of the Tribulation Period. But, the bottom line is, I really don’t know when it will be. It wouldn’t surprise me if it were today, but then it wouldn’t shock me if we were years away, either.

Jesus taught in Luke 19 that we are supposed to “occupy” till he comes. It seems that because the world is rapidly moving toward the one world government, and the attitude toward believers is so antagonistic these days, that Christians are no longer occupying, they are retreating. It seems that we are laying down our Bibles and just waiting for the Lord to come back to get us.Many have stopped going soulwinning; many have cut back on their giving; and even more have become slack in their attendance.  I do not think that this is His plan. I believe that we are supposed to be very busy, fighting the battle, until He blows the final whistle. I realize that the devil is really fighting hard these days. Most of the individual Christians and corporate churches that I am associated with are going through some fierce trials right now. The temptation is great to just “throw in the towel”. I have considered it more that once these past few months; but, there still is a cause, and I believe we can see greater numbers of people saved today than ever before, even in the midst of a great “falling away”.

We are supposed to have a sense of urgency in our lives today, because of the fact that the Lord’s return is near. We should crank our Christianity up another notch. Let’s not faint in these last days, let’s become more fervent. Let’s not stop going and giving, let’s go and give more! Get back in the fight!

As for me, I have come to this conviction: I am going to continue to prepare, plan and build like His return is years away; but I am also going to try to serve Him with a sense of urgency as if His coming might be today. And it might be. I hope it is; but I also know that the longer He delays, the more people will be saved.

Oct 21st Keep Them Coming

Today’s Reading – Mark 10 & 11

But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. (Mark 10:14)

I have been saved now for over twenty years, and I have had the opportunity to observe  a variety of churches. One of the things that I see consistently in strong, healthy churches is the presence of a lot of young people. As a boy, growing up, I hated going to church. I tried to come up with every excuse as to why we should stay home. However, I am noticing that at our church and at many of the churches we are associated with, we have kids that want to be here. In fact, some of these kids are pushing their parents into bringing them. We also have a lot of kids that come on the bus without their parents. It thrills my soul to see young people who are excited about their faith, and really enjoy coming to church.

It is no secret that our church, and many others like ours, have been going through a financial trial. The money simply is not coming in like it used to. It has become painfully obvious that some things that we enjoy at church will have to be cut from the budget. But one thing I will never stand for cutting is the bus ministry. I believe the bus ministry has been the most effective tool that we have for reaching people. Last night on a rainy night, we had over 60 kids ride the bus to Kid’s Club, and quite a few of those stayed for the adult Bible Study that followed. I saw a lot of life in that bunch of kids. I bet that the Lord was very pleased as well.

Jesus wants the little children to come to church. He wants our churches to love and reach out to these children. For some, the spiritual influence they get from us will be the only light that they will ever receive. Let’s keep our churches “children friendly”. I know that children’s ministries (especially running busses) are expensive; but remember, when we invest in the children of today, we are also securing the future of the church.  The kids that we reach today will be paying all of the bills tomorrow.

Oct 20th Hear Ye Him

Today’s Reading – Mark 8 & 9

And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. (Mark 9:5)

In our passage today we have the account of the transfiguration of the Lord Jesus where a select few of His disciples were privileged to get a glimpse of the Lord in His resurrected glory. But something else that was very strange occurred on the mount that day that caught the attention of the disciples. Appearing to talk with Jesus was Moses and Elijah, two of the greatest men of the Old Testament. It seems that Peter was more impressed with the appearance of the two Old Testament men than he was with the Lord Jesus in all of His glory. He wanted to make three booths on the mountain: one for Moses, one for elijah, and one for Jesus. What happens next is amazing. God the Father booms from Heaven, “This is my beloved son, hear ye him.” He sternly rebukes Peter for even considering the other two men in the same category as His Son. Peter was willing to include the Lord, but he did not give the Lord the place of preeminence.

I believe that most Christians today are in a way guilty of the same thing. We want God to be part of our life; but we do not give Him the place of preeminence either. He is included in our decision making, but He is not the final authority in our lives. We give Him part of out time, treasure, and talent; but we do not recognize His sovereign right to dictate wholly what we do with them. I believe God shouts down from Heaven, through His word, the same thing to us today. He is telling us to listen to His Son. Forget about all of the other voices of influence out there and give God exclusive rights in your life.

Oct 19th Politicians

Today’s Reading – Mark 6 & 7

And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath’s sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. (Mark 6:26)

In today’s passage we read of the execution of John the Baptist by Herod. It is apparent from the text that Herod did not want to have John executed, but because of the pressure put on him by his wife, and also because of his fear of the people present, he consented to it. He did that which he knew to be clearly wrong all because he was afraid to lose his popularity with the people.

John, on the other hand, was the opposite. He never calculated a decision based upon how it was going to affect his popularity. The very thing that caused him to lose favor with Herod’s wife was his preaching against their adulterous relationship. He was not afraid to tell the truth; to do that which was right, regardless of the possible outcome.

Of course, the Lord Jesus was like John, in that He would always choose right over expediency. He knew that healing on the Sabbath would upset the religious leaders, but he did it anyway, because it was the right thing to do. He preached against the people that eventually had Him put to death. He did not worry about how the people would react to his decisions. He just did that which was right.

I often find myself worrying about how people will react about my decisions. Will they get mad at me? Will they leave the church? It shouldn’t be that way. I should decide to do (or not do) something simply because it is right. The results of the decision are up to God and the people. Ultimately, there is only one person that I need to please with every decision I make, and that is the Lord. If He is happy about what I am doing, it really does not matter what anybody else thinks. Some decisions are not easy to make, some issues are not crystal clear; but at the end of the day, if a decision has to be made, it had better be a decision that pleases God. The pulpit is no place for a politician.

Oct 18th Go Home and Tell Them

Today’s Reading – Mark 4 & 5

Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. (Mark 4 & 5)

The testimony of this man from Decapolis that was saved by the Lord was incredible. He was delivered out of an horrible pit of the worst kinds of sin. You would think that the Lord would have this man travel with Him full-time sharing with the whole world what he had done for him. However, the Lord had different plans for this man’s life. Instead of taking him with Him, He told the man to go back home and tell all of his friends and family about his testimony. The Scripture tell us that the man “published” in Decapolis all things that the Lord had done for him.

I got to thinking that the Lord has different plans for all of our lives. Some of us He will call to minister for Him full-time as a pastor or missionary, etc. However, the vast majority of His children will be asked to stay home and tell their friends, family members, and neighbors about the Lord. We all have a testimony if we are saved; and the best place to start in sharing Christ with others is simply telling them what that Lord has done for us. Have you shared with your friends “how great things the Lord hath done for thee”? If you haven’t, there is no time better than today to start.