Seasoning the Season

What did Jesus mean when he said we are the salt of the earth?

1. He meant it as a command - we ARE to be salt in the earth.
2. He meant for us to enrich the earth and be enriching to those we share our lives with. More speaking and less talking.
3. He meant for us to preserve others by proclaiming truth in love.

By being the salt of the earth we become change agents for his love.

So many times Christians go to the “salt factory” known as Church only to store their saltiness in giant salt storage buildings. We were not called to be the Salt of the Church.

The power of our Christian lives and testimony lies in our ability to be different and distinct from the world. Do we blend into the world or are we different in our approach to life?

Is the world seasoning Christians or is it the other way around? Politically correct folks have lost their salt!

This Christmas Season...be a difference maker. Be a change agent.

Right thinking,

Pastor Steve

Hearing God in You

One of the top 3 questions I get asked on a regular basis is “How do I know that I am hearing God’s voice... What does it sound like?”

One thing I think I know about God’s voice in your life is that you must be open to change. Don’t expect what happened last week to occur the same way this week. God wants you totally dependent on Him...not His methods.

God’s principles remain the same forever...but his methods change.

Sometimes I feel like people are more concerned about HOW God speaks rather than what He is saying. In just a brief review of your Bible you will find God spoke through:

• His written Word
• Signs and wonders
• Nature
• Visions and dreams
• Angels
• Prophets and fellow saints
• Words...direct messages

As you look through the list, is there any method of communication that you are not open to receiving from God? As you grow in faith expect to hear God with fresh anointing and in new ways.

God is a communicator. He spoke life into the Earth and Heavens. Surely, he will speak to us in our time of need.

God has a reason for speaking. He cares about you and wants to see His plans produce fruit.

Listen for His voice this week. Really listen.


Right thinking,

Pastor Steve

Hearing God in Fruit

The correlation between hearing God and seeing fruit in our lives is undeniable.

When God speaks, this is what he expects from us in return:

1. God expects our immediate and wholehearted response to his voice. If we’re not sure it was God it’s okay to ask for confirmation; but, once we have it, Instant Obedience is a Bible principle. (Matthew 4:21-22)
2. God wants us to have urgency about souls. Ask yourself, do I have compassion for the lost and hurting people in this world? (Matthew 9:36)
3. God speaks where we need more of his voice, where we are often weak or lacking. The Bible offers countless examples of when God spoke and how it directly related to a weakness of the hearer.

If the Kingdom of God is right thinking, peace and joy then let’s start the week by thinking right about hearing God’s voice and expecting results in our life.

When we hear God, it should change our belief system which will cause us to have intense focus on producing fruit for his kingdom. Believing releases God’s thoughts into our minds. Right believing shuts down temptations and detours in God’s plan for our life.

When the Word goes forth it will PRODUCE a RESULT. It will not return to God empty. (Isaiah 55:9-11).

Believe God and ACT immediately on His word.

Right thinking,

Pastor Steve

Fading Light

Do you ever feel like you're running on empty?

When we feel like we are on running "E" it’s a good sign we need revival in our lives. Revival shouldn't be a designated week every year in which we seek God for a fresh touch.

Revival should always be an event that is followed by a process.
The process for revival should be a series of choices we make everyday to seek fresh light from God in his presence.

Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word which proceeds out of the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). It's rare that we miss a meal, but often some Christians will go days, weeks or even longer without prayer and scripture reading. Is it any wonder so many of us are empty?

Living life, serving others, and using our gifts takes fuel that can only be found in God's presence. This week let's seek more of God's light and wake up every morning with an expectation of revival in our hearts.

Revival is a matter of choice. Be intentional. Don’t let your light fade.

Right thinking,

Pastor Steve

Spot Light

If what Shakespeare said is true, "All the world is a stage..." then what would be different in the world today if we focused our spot light on other people instead of shining it on ourselves? What would happen in our lives if we made our focus more about others and less about ourselves?

The temptation to focus on self instead of others is probably the greatest temptation believers face today.

It's true temptation can come in many different forms. The things that tempt you may not necessarily tempt me, but there is one principle that all temptation seems to share When it comes to sin and temptation - it's all about me. The spot light goes from being focused on others to being inwardly focused. It becomes all about me, what I want, what I need, what I think.

Temptation leads us to believe that life is all about us.

We must shine our spot light on others, submit ourselves to God, resist every temptation with the Word as Jesus did. When we do that, “ the devil will flee from us.”

Take courage...he himself suffered when he was tempted and his able to help those of us being tempted. You WILL be able to stand up under it.

Want less. Serve more.

Right thinking,

Pastor Steve

Revealed Light

Why is revelation necessary?

Couldn't God just download to us a complete understanding of his Word and instill in us a desire to worship and obey him?

Sure, He could have programmed us to praise but all he would have is robotic servants.

Because we aren't programmed at the factory...we need revelation. The Bible says some knowledge is still hidden and needs to be revealed. We don’t know what we don’t know.

Consider the first time we heard the message of the kingdom of God. We progressed from an understanding of living toward an ultimate destination of heaven...to a REVEALED understanding that we can partake of heaven, while living on the earth. We can live an abundant life in Jesus!!!

“I come that you might have life and that you might have it more abundantly.”

As the “Kingdom of God” message was revealed to us as “right thinking, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” ...our beliefs changed. Decisions are the fruit of beliefs. Outcomes are the result of decisions. Godly outcomes develop from Godly beliefs.

God's wisdom “confounds the wise.” Those who walk in the dark are often confused. It’s hard to find True North in pitch black.

Intimacy with God is highly dependent on our intimacy with His Word. “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

The Word ushers light into our personal darkness. “Here a little, there a little.”

Right Thinking,

Pastor Steve

Parable of the Persistent Widow

Does God seem to respond to your prayers with silence?

The Parable of the Persistent Widow is a parable about how to handle what seems like “no response.” The woman in the parable represents all of us. She was a Jewish widow seeking justice from an unethical Gentile judge.

She didn't have a voice in his courtroom, but the heathen judge began to look upon her with favor because of her persistence. Jesus said to his disciples that if this judge would eventually rule in the widow's favor then how much more would God defend and answer His children.

Jesus taught this parable to teach us that we should always pray and not give up. That we should be PERSISTENT.

The easiest thing I know to do is quit praying.

When we are tempted to stop praying, that's when we need to remember God cares about us, God is listening to every word we pray and God is working on our behalf.

What happens during the silence will determine if Jesus finds faith in us.

When God seems silent that's when our faith should be cultivated by remembering we are children of the King, seated at the great Banquet Table, and we can expect great things from our Father in this life! Don't stop praying, don't stop believing.

Will God find faith in Bixby? Will God find faith at BCC?

Will God find faith in me?

Right Thinking,

Pastor Steve

Parable of the Two Sons

Jesus always gives us an opportunity to repent and be restored. I’m so thankful for his grace.

In the Parable of the Two Sons, the Father gave his sons an opportunity to honor him through obedience. We read that one son openly rebelled against his father, later repented and went to work. The other son gave his word he would help but later broke his promise to his father.

When Jesus asked the Pharisees and Sadducees which of the two sons had completed the request of the father ... Jesus asked us to search our hearts through the mirror of the Word. Are we instantly obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit?

How often do you feel the move of the Spirit but fail to step-out to do what your heart is telling you to do? The Spirit of God instructs us throughout the day--not just at church. Hurting people in your life may be depending upon our instant obedience to the spirit.

Let us be known as a people who value actions over words.

This week, make a decision to be instantly obedient to our Heavenly Father in every aspect of His leadership. While we are busy DOING the work of the Lord, young lives will be impacted as we preach a sermon by our actions.

Generations to follow will be impacted by what we do today. Our sons and daughters hear what we say and watch what we DO.

Let’s not let our good intentions be trumped by a failure to do.

Right Thinking,

Pastor Steve

Parable of the Banquet Table

Do you struggle with Kingdom Living? Is it hard to think right and live in peace and joy?

We all know that there are only two kingdoms. So, if I manage to yank myself out of the Kingdom of God with stinkin’ thinkin’...there’s only one other kingdom available for me. And I don’t want to spend one minute in the Kingdom of Darkness.

The Parable the Great Banquet is a parable of Kingdom Living. This parable suggests it is possible to have a feast at the banquet table in this life. Don't wait to celebrate and live a joy-filled life once you get to heaven, live a life of joy today! Jesus said, “I come that you might have life and that you may have it more abundantly.”

Are you living an abundant life? Really think about it. Abundant???

This parable should remind us that Christianity is not about what happens to you when you die, it is about the quality of your life on Earth. Better Outcomes!!!

We all need to LOSE THE EXCUSES we have for not living in the kingdom of God here on earth. Excuses are a condition of the heart, ask God to remove excuses of any kind from your vocabulary.

Enter His presence and understand who He is, what He says about you, and what He wants for you.

Let's think right and connect with one another at the banquet table of abundant living.

The Kingdom of God is within you!

Right thinking,

Pastor Steve

Parable of Humility

Have you ever suffered from the disease of I-itis?

It’s an easy disease to get. The main symptom is a preoccupation with yourself and a self absorbed attitude in your heart of what you want and desire.

If you look through the Bible, you’ll see story after story that features the theme. The only cure for it is humility and a holy commitment to honor others above yourself.

Jesus knew this when he gave a parable of humility to those at a dinner party he was attending. What caught his eyes were those who gravitated toward the places of honor at the table, instead of selecting lesser seats.

It wasn’t that Jesus didn’t believe in receiving honor, he knew that honor from man was as temporary as the summer wind. True honor means having humility and with humility comes honor from God.

Humility even means replacing your self confidence with God’s holy confidence. It means thinking more highly of others than yourself and living life with the goal of serving others.

That’s what Jesus was trying to drive home to the people at this gathering. He was giving a call to humility and taking us to a higher calling in Him.

This week, seek God and ask Him to help you to walk in mature humility in your daily life. Begin to honor others above yourself and see what happens.

I believe you’ll experience blessings like never before. You’ll find the freedom that comes with serving others and humbling yourself in your heart.

Just imagine what would happen in Bixby if everyone gave honor.

Seek humility and watch how God begins to honor you.

Love,

Pastor Steve

Celebrate Freedom from Fear

How many times did Jesus tell his disciples not to be afraid?

It seems to have happened quite often. The disciples had a habit of giving into fearful emotion and letting it hijack the efficacy of their faith walk in Him.

Jesus told His disciples not to be afraid because He wanted them to be effective in their earthly ministry and have the abundant life that He came to give them.

He knew it all started with a critical reliance on Him. The disciples had to die to themselves to overcome the spiritual fear that was in their hearts.

I believe we can live a life free from fear today, but only if we renew our minds in Christ and become 100 percent reliant on God in our lives.

Fear is an emotion of our mind. Overcoming it means renewing our mind through the power of His presence and steadfastly walking in His love.

Yes, some fear is healthy and can keep you safe. As Proverbs 27:12 says, "The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it." A healthy sense of fear can be a sign from God to help you stay on the right path and avoid danger.

However, some fear is like a spiritual snakebite. It can paralyze you and keep you from doing the things you could or should do. The disciples experienced this paralyzing fear in their lives and struggled, until they learned to fully rely on God.

This week as we recall the celebrations of Independence Day, make a commitment to declare independence from fear.

Become dependent on Jesus for your daily bread and please, do not be afraid.

Love,

Pastor Steve

P.S. I want to thank everyone involved with “Feeding Families for the Fourth” Outreach this past weekend. It was a tremendous blessing to many families and we are so blessed to have had the opportunity to touch the community in this way. May you continue to be blessed for your obedience and experience the joy of God’s love today. Thanks to all who gave, served or prayed! You are the Church.

Life Made Whole

In the last few weeks, I’ve been speaking about the ways we scramble our lives and how we can make things better in a right relationship with God.

It’s my belief, there’s no habit, sin, or lack in our lives we can’t overcome if we correct our wrong thinking, now. We all need to seek the Lord for a fresh and re-newed way of thinking.

I believe it’s His ultimate desire to see us transformed. But it has to come through a process of learning to be in His presence and to love people.

As a church, our goal is to take people through that process every day to help them find significant living in Him.

It all starts with a commitment to Connect. The leaders at Bixby Community Church are committed to helping you connect with God and encounter Him in a real and meaningful way. By connecting we learn to love.

When we connect with God we will be lead by Him to connect with His people. We encourage you to connect with other people who are connected to God.

The next step in the process is to help you Grow. Through our Wednesday and Sunday services, Business Fellowship, leadership training, children’s classes, adult Sunday school classes, youth gatherings, prayer meetings, social media and Daily Bible Reading, we want to help you grow in your relationship with the Lord Jesus. Growing in Him helps us to be renewed in our minds and hearts.

How do we develop right thinking and better beliefs? By training! Through classes and Bible study, more light will appear in your life to help your beliefs line-up with what is true.

The final step in our process is to Serve. In fact, that’s the reason we connect and grow …to serve God and to serve the needs of others. By serving God and serving others we will have the greatest opportunity to impact the fourth generation.

Life is made whole by connecting, growing and serving.

I’m very blessed to connect with you as your Pastor, to grow together, so that we can serve and impact Gen 4.

Don’t miss our July 4, Sunday morning service. I will be preaching a powerful lesson on freedom. We are all in a form of bondage to ourselves. Let’s make this 4th of July Celebration, a life changing weekend as we learn to celebrate freedom from our limiting beliefs.

Please help us Feed Families on the Fourth. Visit our website if you would like more information. BCC will bless 100 families with a great basket of food on this holiday weekend. Be a part of the giving!

Love,

Pastor Steve

Fatherhood Made Whole

Fatherhood MINUS the father is simply the HOOD.

Too many Fathers are MIA from their homes. It’s clear the attitude of the world and many believers toward Fatherhood and parenting today has become an issue of convenience, rather than a responsibility in our homes.

I believe, however, we can become the parents God wants us to be if we’re willing to do what it takes to renew our minds today and align our hearts with right thinking in Jesus.

As the Apostle Paul said in Ephesians 4, we need to seek for the attitude of our mind to be renewed with fresh anointing from God, in His presence. It all starts with fresh anointing from God.

Make it a habit to bless your children with meaningful touches and words of love. Begin to speak to them in kindness and show them how valuable they are in God’s sight. Offer them a glimpse of God’s purpose for their lives and plans for their future. As often as possible, speak INTO what you see for them in the future. Speak to their possibilities.

I believe you’ll see a real change in their hearts as you train up your children in the way they should go. They’ll see you as a parent who wants only to build them up and love them as Jesus does.

Fatherhood becomes whole...when we bless our children as we have been blessed by God.

Let's keep fathers in the hood.

Love,

Pastor Steve

Learning Made Whole Blog

Are you closer to God today than you were last year at this time? Are you healthier, wealthier today versus last year? Are you happier?

If your answers to these questions are no, then maybe you're not learning from the lessons in your life. Learning impacts our beliefs at the point where we make our daily decisions. If our beliefs don’t change according to what we learn in life, then how will our decisions produce a positive outcome?

The reality is if you don’t make changes based on your learning…then the quality of your decisions will show it…and so will the outcomes in your life. We all need to learn that there is a vast difference between knowledge and learning. "Knowledge puffeth up." Learning causes change to occur in our life.

Consider King David in the Old Testament. David knew God and understood His precepts. Sadly, David, a man after God's own heart, struggled to learn. After David sinned with Bathsheba, he prayed in Psalm 51:10, "create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." David asked God to show him how to learn because his sinful nature was clearly getting in the way of his spiritual growth. He cried out to God with a strong heart seeking change.

Maybe you're like David and need a fresh touch from God to help you to learn and create true change in your life. Maybe you need a breakthrough that will help you apply your understanding to know God in a new and intimate way.

Whatever the case, I want you to know, your learning can be made whole through God’s fresh anointing today. Walk in the light of His Word and seek His face.

Flee from darkness and seek FRESH anointing from God today. "Here a little, there a little, precept upon precept, line upon line.

Stay out of the shade!

Love,

Pastor Steve

Yesterday Made Whole

Throughout scripture, God shows us the importance of looking back on yesterday through Memorial Stones. These are times in which we remember His blessings and miracles in our lives through His sacrifice and the sacrifice of others.

We celebrate Memorial Day in America with this same spirit of honor and reverence. It is a day of reflection as we gather as a nation and remember those who fought and died for the freedom of our country.

Remembering yesterday, in this sense, is a Godly thing because it seeks purely to honor God and others and doesn’t get bogged down in our own guilt and personal past sins.

Unfortunately, many in the church live in their yesterdays perhaps because they feel condemned and guilty from what they’ve done in the past. They refuse to let go of their mistakes and then spend their time dwelling on their personal failures.

God’s admonition to you is to stop dwelling on your yesterdays and dwell with Him in a place of peace today.

God is not in the condemnation business. He is in the redemption business. The past is the past…we need to leave it there. As Psalm 118 says, “this is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

We also need to be careful in our memory of past successes. There's work to do today and talk of yesterday's good work has little to do with the task set before us today.

A box full of trophies is just a box full of trophies, isn't it? Do trophies really add to our sense of self worth?

Remember, "nows" quickly become yesterday and tomorrow is only a possibility.

Yesterday is only made whole by what you do today.

Dwell with the Lord today…and put your past at rest in Him. TODAY is the day the Lord has made.

Love,

Pastor Steve

Calm or Confusion

Confusion was a way of life for the people of Corinth, and to no surprise…it’s a problem we still experience in the Church today.

Much of our confusion and most of the storms we go through are not the result of some outside influence in our life or some other spiritual force. Confusion enters in because of a belief, which leads to a decision and an ultimate outcome that leaves us confused, hurt, and afraid.

Think of what could be different if we rejected confusion in our thoughts. What would happen in our lives if we began to seek God for clarity and use Him and His Word as a compass in our life?

God meant for His Word to be a compass in our lives. He gave it to us so we could find peace in the midst of confusion and hope in the place of despair. Consider if you were stranded in the middle of a forest, what tool would you want in order to help guide you to civilization? Would you want your cell phone or day planner? All you need is a compass to give you direction, to show you where true north is. The problem is, we often use our cell phones or day planners to guide our day when we should be using God's Word instead.

Corinth became confused because they began to do things man's way instead of God's way. They put the needs of their day planner above the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Maybe you're feeling confused, lonely, or like nothing you can do will make a difference to your circumstances. Maybe you feel like you're just trudging through life. Well it doesn't have to be that way! God is not the author of confusion but of peace!

Saints of Bixby Community Church, even at your lowest point, God is ready and willing to pour blessings into your life. In fact, there’s no better time for Him to speak to you to help you regain your focus and purpose. Sometimes all we have to do to get rid of confusion in our life is to allow God's presence to settle over us and calm us down.

Whatever you do, enter His presence. Go to church, listen to podcasts, pray, participate in the Daily Bible Reading and honor God with a sacrifice of praise.

I believe you’ll begin to experience a calm and peace like never before. You’ll learn how to shut off all the noise and confusion in your life…plus, you’ll instantly recognize the whisper of God’s voice even in the midst of a storm.

Love,

Pastor Steve

A Perfected Mind

Clearly, our mission as a church is to impact the community with the power and grace of God. To help single mothers, couples seeking divorce, teens that are lost, older people seeking purpose - we gather together to help people. But, there’s absolutely no way we can do that…unless our thinking is right!

Our church’s vision is about living in the Kingdom of God; it’s not about food or drink…it’s not about what we wear or where we live. The Kingdom of God is right thinking, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. The best example of right thinking in the scriptures we can find is with Jesus.

What would happen if we let our minds take on the mind of Christ? What could happen in this community if we started to think more and more like Jesus?

The most significant prayer I could ever pray over you is to ask God to help you think right. Imagine if we let the mind of our Master be the Master of our minds. Pray that prayer everyday: “Father God, let the mind of my Master become the Master of my mind.”

Faulty thinking will lead you to negative reactions and responses. Think about it… you cannot get a bad result if you are thinking right. If right thinking means we have the mind of Christ, what do you think that centers around? How about love? If you are thinking love…how can your outcomes ever go bad?

But when our thinking does go south, when thoughts enter our mind that are not Godly, we must take them captive and reconcile them with God’s Word. The battlefield of the mind is most often where we are attacked. Sometimes, thoughts of temptations come but the Lord promised he would always provide a way of escape when we use God’s Word to defeat the temptation.

Sometimes thoughts come to us challenging us about who God said we are. Saints of God, I don’t want there to be any doubt in your mind about who you are. You are fearfully and wonderfully made, in the image of God, chosen, set apart, more than a conqueror and victorious in this life. You mean so much to God that he sent his son, Jesus, to die for you. That’s how much you mean to God.

If you have any doubt who you are today, stop doubting and believe what God says about you.

Love,

Pastor Steve