Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Sep 11th The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl

Who Is In Control?

Good morning. During our prayer this morning, Gerald’s message was about praising God. Meanwhile all that is going on in the news is about 9/11, the building of the mosque, and the pastor from Florida who wants to burn the Quran. Somebody should find out what Islam does to the Holy Bible, the REAL Word of God. I’m sure they don’t put it on a shelf because they may want to read it someday. They probably burn them too (their loss). And what about the mosque? In my lifetime, I built many model airplanes. Mostly WWII. Many of the American planes had Japanese flags under the cowling to indicate kills. Yes, the placement of the mosque is in very bad taste. However, we still have freedom of religion in this nation. One day they will understand. One day they will know, just as Magog will find out. Ezekiel 39: 6-7  says, “And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.  So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.”

Praise God, that if He can stop the building of the Tower of Babel, He can stop the building of the mosque. Just like Israel, we have also polluted God’s Holy Name. Allah cannot stop God. Allah is little stone statue, not the One, True, Living God. Peter said (2Peter 3:10-11), “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.  Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness…?”

How about a person who praises God. One who gets the truth of the Gospel out, so those who are without the truth will not perish in the fervent heat of the lake of fire. Let God take care of the mosque, and He will.  In the battle between allah and I AM, the God of Israel will beat the god of Islam every time! Praise God!

Sep 10th Can These Bones Live?

Today’s Reading – Ezekiel 35 – 37

And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest. (Ezekiel 37:3)

In chapter 37, God shows Ezekiel a vision of a valley full of old, dry bones; and he is commanded by God to prophesy to the bones that God will put flesh upon them once again and put breath into them so they might live. Once Ezekiel begins to do this, he sees the bones begin to shake and gather together; and after God puts His breath back into them, they get up and become an “exceeding great army”. The correct meaning of this vision is explained by God Himself: the scattered bones represent the whole house of Israel. They had been divided, and they had long since died spiritually by turning away from the God who gave them life. However, through this vision, God explains that Israel will once again be united and will also once again be revived, walking in the commandments of the Lord.

Though, it is not supported by the immediate context, I would like to suggest an application of this vision on two more levels. Could we say that God can give life again to the Christian that is spiritually dead; and could we say that God can give life again to the church that is spiritually dead. This passage is a wonderful picture of spiritual renewal and revival. Christians and churches tend to gradually slip away from the Lord: they get apathetic and lazy in their devotion. They then begin to move away from soul winning and service; and before they realize what has happened they become dry bones with no spiritual life or fruit. When these times come, we need God to breathe new life into us and cause our dry bones to live.

Notice also that a sign of the deadness of the bones was that they were scattered. God had to first gather the bones together in order to bring life back to them. Division in the church is a definite sign of deadness. The churches of the New Testament that were mightily used of God in winning souls were “in one accord” and “had all things common”. Churches that lose sight of their focus of fulfilling the Great Commission will soon become divided and die.

Let’s make this practical for you as an individual. Are you spiritually dead or alive? When was the last time you picked up your Bible outside of a church service just to spend time alone with God? How is your prayer life? When was the last time that you were concerned enough about a lost  man’s soul that you spoke to him about it? Do you view life from a Christ-centered, Biblical perspective, or do you place self at the very center of the universe? Do you look forward to being with God’s people in the church services or has it become a chore for you; something you endure? Do you “have to” or do you “get to”? Be honest with your answers. Now make a diagnosis. Are you breathing, or are you dead? If you are dead or dying, why not ask God to breathe new life into you. Your dead bones can live again as you surrender your life to the will of God.

Sep 9th The Watchman

Today’s Reading – Ezekiel 32 – 34

And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not. (Ezekiel 33:32)

Today’s reading contained a lot of very convicting truth regarding those of us who are called to preach and teach the Word of God. There are three different terms used to describe God’s ministers in these chapters. In chapter 33 we first see the title, watchmen. These were the men that were expected to warn the people of a danger that is approaching. God expects his watchmen to stay alert, and faithfully warn the people. He will hold the preachers accountable who fail to preach the whole counsel of the Word of God.

At the end of chapter 33, God uses the title, prophet. Ezekiel was preaching to a people who seemed to enjoy listening to them, but they didn’t heed what he said. As a pastor, I often feel as if I am wasting my time. Though the church is full on Sunday morning with people who seem to enjoy the messages, I see very little change in their lives. It gets frustrating sometimes. But then I remember how I often disobey my own preaching. I guess that gets very frustrating to God. Things aren’t always the way they appear to be. I have often been fooled by people. I have known people who, on the surface, appeared to be bearing no fruit in their lives; and discovered that their lives were, in fact, being transformed; and they were making an impact on the people around them.  I remember one time there was a guy at a former church that had long hair and a scraggly beard; he smoked like a chimney. He would come in on Sunday mornings; and I remember wondering to myself if the guy was even saved. One day, he invited the pastor to come to his house to help him talk to some of his friends about the Lord. The pastor arrived to a dozen or more people who all looked as rough as the guy who invited them; but a bunch of those folks got saved. I was fooled by what I saw on the outside. Again, things aren’t always as they seem. I guess my job is just to faithfully deliver the truth from the Word of God; and pray that someone (including myself) will listen; but ultimately the results are up to God and the listeners.

The title used in chapter 34 is shepherds. The shepherds were supposed to feed and protect the flock. God rebukes these shepherds of Ezekiel’s day because they were more concerned with feeding themselves. I wonder what God would say to me about my concern for the sheep that He has entrusted to me. These are very sobering passages, especially for the preachers and teachers. I will someday face God and will be judged regarding the ministry that He has given me. It is an awesome and very difficult responsibility. I have already failed on numerous occasions; but my desire is to learn and grow so that I can do better in the future. Pray for me and for all who proclaim the Truth of God that we will boldly, but compassionately deliver both the Truth of God and the love of God to those we are called to minister to.

Sep 8th Watch Out For Pride

Today’s Reading – Ezekiel 28 – 31

Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. (Ezekiel 28:17)

For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. (Isaiah 14:13 & 14)

Ezekiel 28 begins with a pronounced judgement against the “prince of Tyrus” who is the earthly ruler of the land of Tyre which is just to the northwest of Israel. We read that he was very wise and because of his wisdom he became very prosperous. However, his success caused his heart to be lifted up in pride to the extent that he considered himself to be a god.

Later in the chapter there is a description of the “king of Tyrus”. At first, we wonder who this description is referring to; but soon it becomes evident that this is not the description of a man. This “king” is none other than old slewfoot, Satan He also had a problem with pride, however we read in verses 13 – 15 that it was God who created Him that way. Why is it that created beings boast about things that they had nothing to do with?

We need to really be careful about pride in our own lives. Pride goes far beyond just haughtiness about our abilities, or looks, or possessions; etc. Pride’s real danger is the elevation of self to the point that we humanize God and deify self. We get to the point that we become god in our own eyes. This leads to the gradual abandonment of God’s principles, and the complete reliance upon self. We are now in control of our lives and destinies: doing our thing, our way. We can see that the society that we live in has corporately done the same thing. We have taken God off of the throne, and have placed man on it. How stupid we are that we do not see this cycle that has repeated itself over and over since the beginning of human history? God creates man; man begins to think that he is responsible for his own abilities; then man forgets God which eventually forces His judgment.

How can I as an individual put a stop to this? First, I need to understand that it is God who has given me all that I have. I next need to remember Him by thanking Him and praising Him for all of the individual blessings. It’s probably a good idea to record all of these tangible things in a prayer journal. Finally, I need to keep trusting Hi for every area of my life. Ask Him about everything; trust Him for every decision, and wholly follow His wisdom from  the Word of God. This is a great plan in concept, but a difficult plan to implement. Why, because deep down inside of me is a nature that wants to kick God out and take over; and that fleshly old man of mine often does. I agree with the Apostle when he said:

For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. … O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? (Romans 7:18 & 24)

I thank God for passages like this that remind of the truth: I am nothing, God is everything.

Sep 7th Guest Post By Meredith King

God’s Calling

Chances are you, like millions of other teenagers, are wondering what to do with your life. Without a specific goal in mind you will wander aimlessly, not accomplishing anything with your life. This can be discouraging, especially if you’re among the number who don’t know what they want to do with their lives. The number one major of choice as a freshman in college is “undecided.” So you aren’t alone if you don’t know what to do with your life. As Christians we know we are supposed to do the will of God, but sometimes it feels like He just won’t reveal it to you.

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

—Jeremiah 29:11

He does have a plan for your life. The Bible tells us we were predestined to be the children of God – called according to His purpose. So we ask ourselves, “What is my calling?”

Before Jesus ascended into heaven He told His disciples:

“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”—Matthew 28:18-20

Our ultimate calling is to make disciples. Our purpose is to honor and glorify God because of our love for Him. We can do that in any time and in any place. Take what you have been given today and use it for good. Sometimes we get so caught up with the future that we forget we were created “for such a time as this.” You may not know where you’re supposed to be in five, ten or fifteen years. But are you where you’re supposed to be today? Prepare for your future in any way possible, but don’t forget that here and now, you can do God’s will.

Ask Him for answers – He wants you to know His plans for you. Continually search for where God wants you to be today, and tomorrow will take care of itself. (“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”—Matthew 6:33-34.) But when today’s troubles begin to overwhelm you, do not be discouraged. God is using your suffering to shape you for something bigger He has in mind.

Suffer with purpose, for it has cost you dearly, as Mark Driscoll said in one of his sermons. Your suffering will allow you to minister and teach, to go and to preach. Every experience you face, face it with Christ, so that He will be able to use and redeem everything in your life for His purpose. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28).

Sep 5th Where Are The Men?

Today’s Reading – Ezekiel 22 – 23

And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. (Ezekiel 22:30)

Today’s reading is much the same in context as the passages that we have already read in Ezekiel and in Jeremiah. The people of God have seriously abandoned the will of God; and have turned to other gods. They have forsaken the One who gave them their land, and all of their prosperity. God has already judged to no avail; but He promises that more judgment is coming because the people simply refuse to turn back to Him. The saddest verse in this passage is found in verse 30 of chapter 22. God sought for a man…and found none. God could not find one man who was willing to make a difference in Judah. He couldn’t find one that would stand in the gap, filling in the hedge, so that judgment could be spared. Where were the men who could have made a difference?

Where are the men today who are willing to make a difference for the Lord? Could God find a man today that would be willing to stand in the gap. R.A. Torrey recounts a story told regarding D.L. Moody:

Henry Varley, a very intimate friend of Mr. Moody in the earlier days of his work, loved to tell how he once said to him: “It remains to be seen what God will do with a man who gives himself up wholly to Him.” I am told that when Mr. Henry Varley said that, Mr. Moody said to himself: “Well, I will be that man.” And I, for my part, do not think “it remains to be seen” what God will do with a man who gives himself up wholly to Him. I think it has been seen already in D. L. Moody.

Where are the men today that are wholly devoted to God? Where are the men today who will sell out completely for the cause of Christ? Where are the men today that will make a difference? Could God spare America today because you (or I) are standing in the gap? God is looking for some men today who are willing to live for Him: to stand boldly in the midst of a wicked generation, that will stand for the Truth and shine the Light of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Will you be that man?

Sep 4th The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl

Today’s Reading-Ezekiel 17-19

Death Of A Salesman

Eze 18:4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

How are you doing this morning?  When me and Gerald were outside the church building praying together, I could feel God’s peace. No matter how the economy is, all the turbulence and trouble in the world, we can still have peace: a peace that passeth all understanding. Do you have that peace? Eze. 18:4 says that the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

You die to the Proper Priorities: the first being God. Where has your quiet time, your walking with God, and your Bible reading gone? And how about prayer? Second is family. Do you find you have less quality time with your family? Do you find yourself always running here and there with no time to spare? The third priority is church. No tithe or offering anymore. No serving. No fellowship. You need fellowship. God has given everyone of us gifts. Without fellowship we cannot edify or be edified.

You die to Spiritual Things. Do you still believe the Bible? Do you get upset at what is said in church (from the pulpit or other)? Do you become critical of everything? Did you quit on God?

You die Physically. Are you still there? Are you still reading this? Good! Then you’re not dead yet! God is not done with you yet. There is still time to change your mind about where your life is going. God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Start by getting your priorities right. God comes first. Start with prayer. Ask Him to forgive you for ignoring the only One who can give you life. Get back to your Bible reading, and believe what you read. Ask God to remove your critical spirit. If you put God first, everything else will fall into place. Peace.

Sep 3rd Willpower

Today’s Reading – Ezekiel 14 – 16

How weak is thine heart, saith the Lord GOD, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of an imperious whorish woman; (Ezekiel 16:30)

Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. (Matthew 26:41)

I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: (Galatians 1:6)

In today’s reading from Ezekiel 14 – 16, God is pronouncing judgment upon His people for turning their back completely on Him. He reminds them in chapter 16 how that He blessed them more than any other nation on the face of the earth. He took them from nothing and gave them everything. Yet, they soon bit the hand that fed them: they forsook God and turned to the idols that were worshipped by the Heathen nations that surrounded them, even going as far as sacrificing their own children (burning them). In the midst of chapter 16, God says, “How weak is thine heart…seeing thou doest all these things…”.

I got to thinking about my own weakness. God blessed me above anything that I could have asked for; and He has convinced me over and over again regarding surrendering my life to Him completely. However, I continue to forsake His principles and do things (or not do things) that I have committed to do. Why is it that we have no willpower to resist evil. The other verses listed above share the same principle: the disciples were too weak to stay awake at a prayer meeting; and the Galatians were easily swayed from the doctrine of Grace. Our flesh indeed is weak. Our hearts are desperately wicked.

I don’t think the solution to this problem, however, is an increase in our fleshly will power. Paul gives us the solution in Galatians 5: “walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh”. Do you want to have more spiritual willpower? Walk with God: walk in His word; spend time communing with Him in prayer; gather with His children; and serve Him with all of your heart. I can look back at my life and clearly see that the times that I struggled the most with my thoughts and actions were times that I was not walking with God as I should have been. The closer I get to God, the farther away goes the desire to sin.

By the way, notice what it says about the cause of Sodom’s fall:

Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. (Ezekiel 16:49)

We can see here that Sodom had the same problem that Israel (and America) has. They are too proud to acknowledge that God is the source of their blessing; they have too much free time on their hands and they are not using this time to serve God; and they are very prosperous, yet they will not share their wealth.

Sep 2nd Are You Ready for the Storm?

Today’s Reading – Ezekiel 10 – 13

Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace; and one built up a wall, and, lo, others daubed it with untempered morter: Say unto them which daub it with untempered morter, that it shall fall: there shall be an overflowing shower; and ye, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall rend it. (Ezekiel 13:10 & 11)

At the time of this writing, the East Coast of the United States is busy preparing for the arrival of Hurricane Earl, a category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 145 MPH. Looking outside now I don’t see any sign of the impending storm: the sun is shining and the crickets are chirping; and it is so still that all I can clearly hear outside (besides the crickets) is the sound of the sprinkler moving back and forth as it waters the grass behind the church. The weather people say that the storm is coming, yet there are many who are dismissing the warnings, and are choosing to go about their business as normal, even in some of the more vulnerable barrier islands. Maybe they are listening to the wrong prophets. As for me: I choose to listen to the folks who at least are trained to know about these things; and though we are not located right on the coast, we are close enough to it to be concerned enough to make a few preparations.

God uses the illustration of a storm here in chapter 13. He say that He is going to send a stormy wind to blow upon the people of God. The problem is they have been listening to false prophets who have been tickling their ears and telling them that there is nothing to worry about. God further illustrates His point by saying that these people have built a wall of protection, but have used untempered mortar which will not harden. The wall may look strong, but it is a false security, because unless the mortar hardens the wall will fall when the storm comes. However there were a few good prophets such as Ezekiel and Jeremiah who were telling people “Thus saith the Lord”. These men were building strong walls of security for those who chose to heed their warnings.

It is amazing to me all of the prophets we have in America today that are telling people all sorts of things that will not help the people at all. Many are proclaiming “peace and safety” like the false prophets of old. However, I choose to listen to the God of the Bible. I want to heed the warnings of the prophets that speak for the Lord. I want to build my house on the Lord Jesus Christ so that when the storm comes, my house (my family, my church) will stand. How about you? Be careful who you listen to. Make sure that the “prophets” in your life are preaching the truth found in the Word of God. The storm is coming. Will your wall stand.

Sep 1st What Do You Do in the Dark?

Today’s Reading – Ezekiel 8 – 9

Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth. (Ezekiel 8:12)

In our passage today Ezekiel is sitting in his house in Babylon along with the elders of Israel, when suddenly God appears to Him and reveals to him the extent of the idolatry among the people of God. God shows Ezekiel what the people were doing when they thought that no one else was looking. The people didn’t think that even God could see them when they were in their own little wicked world.

I got to thinking about some of the things God’s people do today when they think no one is watching. Let’s go even deeper: what are some of the things that we think about? What are we watching? What do we do in the dark? The Bible tells us that our hearts are desperately wicked, yet God knows all about our hearts. Nothing is veiled from Him: He sees it all. There is not a thought, motive, or an action that escapes the eyes of God. We may think that nobody knows the real us, but God knows us better than we know ourselves.

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

I think that if we could ever get hold of the fact that God is really watching and listening all the time, it would help us to keep our thoughts and actions pure. But the thought that really boggles my mind is that even though He knows me, He still loves me; and I don’t even like myself most of the time. Let’s pray and work to not only clean up our outward actions; but also our inward thoughts. Besides, the outward actions always follow the inward thoughts anyway.

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. (Philippians 4:8)