The AltarLife w/ Brent + Geoff

A PREDESTINED POSITION OF PRAISE- Ephesians 1:1-14

2012-02-07T09:49:00.001-05:00

“In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.” – Ephesians 1:11-12

       God Predestined because it Pleased Him.
       He Purposed, so now we Praise Him.
       We were Chosen. We are now His Children.
       We were Adopted and thereby, Accepted in the Beloved.

            Try to fathom the complexity of predestination... Now think about the idea of free will… Did your head explode? If it didn’t, then let’s go ahead and attempt to take these passages at face value. (We’ll leave free will for another time.)
            We were chosen by God to be His children through adoption. It is not because we were so cute, nor were we so incredibly gifted that He wanted us to be His first pick for dodge ball. He chose us simply because of His grace and love for us as His creation. We were created for His good pleasure. When we sinned as a race, it drove a wedge between a Holy God and a now unholy people. God would not allow His people to be lost to the enemy. He knew that when given the choice, man would give in to sin’s temptation. He was heart-broken, of course, but He was not at all surprised by Adam and Eve’s actions. God had a plan: A plan that would make a people with a predilection for sin able to be welcomed into His kingdom and proclaimed blameless. That plan involved sending His Beloved Son as a man to take the sins of the entire world on His shoulders, and judging that very sin in the death of His Son.
            Sin must be dealt with. It is not simply thrown aside and overlooked, because sin puts enmity between God and man. God needed to deal with sin once and for all. Thankfully, Jesus was willing to feel the sting of death, and more importantly, the crushing weight of God’s holy wrath so that we wouldn’t have to. Did we have anything to do with this amazing plan? Absolutely NOT! Did He do this because we deserved it? Child, please. (That doesn’t really work, does it?) But the plan wasn’t completed. God showed His power over both sin and death by raising Jesus from the dead! We were chosen by God, Saved by Jesus, and sealed by the Holy Spirit so that we may be the praise of His glory.

       He Purchased, so now we are His Possession.
       We’ve been Redeemed and we receive His Riches.
       We’ve trusted in His Salvation.
       We’ve been Sealed by the Holy Spirit.
       We are His, and for that same reason, all the Praise is His.

“In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.” – Ephesians 1:13-14

BE COOL CATS. LIVE FOR CHRIST
GEOFF

ARMY OF A FEW- A Spotlight on Gideon, Part 2

2011-12-31T14:19:00.000-05:00

And the LORD said to Gideon, "The people who [are] with you [are] too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, 'My own hand has saved me.' – Judges 7:2

            Gideon was probably not voted “Most Likely to Succeed” in his high school yearbook. In fact, more often than not, God chooses to use the “Class Clowns” or “Slackers” to do His will. It is truly amazing how God can use the implausible to do the impossible. But when dealing with mankind a problem can arise- the problem of pride. With Gideon, God chose someone who thought he had nothing to offer. But not everyone feels that way, and God knows that, which is why He proceeded to preempt any trace of a prideful attitude before it could gain a foothold.
            We are so grateful when God uses us to do His work, even when we have no capabilities in and of ourselves. But there is something innate in all of us, which we need to guard against. The more we are used, and the more impressive the accomplishment, the more we forget that God is the One who actually did the work. We see the results, we get the “Thank You” cards, and we even receive some mild praise for a job well done. That’s where we get into trouble. We start to read our own press clippings. We start to believe that we had something to do with it because God used us as His instrument to accomplish His will. Would a hammer or saw get kudos for its contribution to a completed project? That would be ridiculous! This is why it is even more outrageous when we seek to claim what rightfully belongs to the Lord: THE GLORY.
            God knows the thoughts and intents within a man’s heart. He knows that as soon as we are able accomplish something by God’s grace, we will quickly forget who empowered us to do it in the first place. God does not NEED us to do anything for Him. Instead, He chooses to use us in order to demonstrate His power to the world, and as a result we are blessed. In the story of Gideon, God takes an army and shrinks it down to 300 men. ONLY 300 MEN!!! To go up against “all the people of the East… as numerous as locusts; and their camels [were] without number, as the sand by the seashore in multitude.” How would you feel about those odds? We can quote all the verses we want about how God is on our side, which is completely true, but c’mon, put yourself in Gideon’s shoes! It seemed, by all accounts, to be an impossible feat for them to overthrow the enemy. And in reality, it was. That’s the point.
            You could have all the Green Berets and Navy Seals you want. You would still never be able to overcome the enemy in this situation. It doesn’t matter how qualified you think you are. There is nothing in us that can overcome the odds stacked against us. That’s where God comes in. He provides the tools and the strength to use them in order to accomplish His purposes. You may be in a situation where it seems that God is stripping away your sense of accomplishment; maybe you feel like you don’t get enough credit. Perhaps you feel Him pushing you beyond your comforts and into something that may appear too hard for you. Chances are He is! Why would we think any differently? It’s His M.O. (Modus operandi) Just look at the Scriptures! If God has given you the opportunity to do something amazing, do it for HIM! Don’t try to take the glory from the One who deserves it all.

“…God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty… that no flesh should glory in His presence.” – 1 Corinthians 1:27b, 29

“For nothing restrains the LORD from saving by many or by few." – 1 Samuel 14:6b

BE COOL CATS_LIVE FOR CHRIST
GEOFF
http://www.thealtarlife.com/

UNUSUAL SUSPECT- A Spotlight on Gideon

2011-11-18T07:35:00.000-05:00

So he (Gideon) said to Him, "O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan [is] the weakest in Manasseh, and I [am] the least in my father's house. And the LORD said to him, "Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man." – Judges 6:15-16

            Have you ever felt under qualified? Well, you’re in good company. The story of Gideon is an encouragement for those who feel like nobodies. It’s also a great reminder about how God uses nobodies to do amazing things. You can go down the list of people in the Bible who God chose to use in spite of their perceived shortcomings. While we may think that we have nothing to offer Him, God sees things differently.
            Think of David, who was anointed to be the King of Israel at 17 years old. His own family thought so little of him, that while Jesse presented his sons to Samuel as potential candidates to be the next King, David was left out in the field guarding the sheep. His brothers mocked at the idea that he could defeat Goliath, but David understood that he didn’t need the strength on his own because God would do the work. Sometimes God even takes His chosen leaders through difficulty to weed out any flaws in their character. I think of the story of Moses. Originally Moses tried to become the deliverer of Israel by his own hand, but he ended up fleeing to the wilderness after killing an Egyptian. We get into trouble when we decide that we’re going to fill God in on how qualified we are to do this or that. We think that WE should be up there teaching or leading worship, as though God would be missing out on something special if He overlooked us. That is the mindset we are trained to have in this world. We are so self involved. We walk around as though our natural body odor permeates with hints of eucalyptus and honey extract, while in actuality it more closely resembles the stench of an Italian hoagie.
            God could’ve just as easily elevated Moses to be the next Pharaoh, and then he would have had the authority to set the children of Israel free. But instead, He chose to work in a different way. He didn’t want the great and powerful Moses to lead His people; He wanted the man who had spent the last 40 years of life leading sheep in the wilderness to eventually lead HIS sheep through the wilderness. God used that experience in Moses’ life to change his view of himself. He went from thinking “I’m the guy,” to “Why me?” In the same way, Gideon responded to God’s call with a “Why me?” The reason God chose Gideon is because he was an unlikely hero. God loves to use the person that no one would expect. That way He is glorified and His glory is evident to all. Gideon had such a low opinion of himself that he asked God to give him a sign, thinking that God must have chosen the wrong man. Don’t we do the exact same thing? “God, if you really want me to do this, then ______.” Sound familiar? “God, I can’t share Your love with this person because I don’t know all the answers.” In other words, we say “I’m not capable; You must’ve gotten it wrong.” If you feel like God made a mistake when He picked you, DON’T! God does not make mistakes!
            God has placed a calling on all of our lives. We need to realize that it is not because we have some talent or skill that God needs in order to fulfill His purposes. In fact, we may have no ability in and of ourselves to even remotely accomplish our calling. But don’t be discouraged, because God is in the business of making something out of nothing. He chooses to use the unqualified to do quality work for His Kingdom.

“For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, [are called]. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty…” - 1 Corinthians 1:26-27

BE COOL CATS_LIVE FOR CHRIST
GEOFF
http://www.thealtarlife.com/

THE FORSAKEN SERVANT- 2 Timothy 4:9-18

2011-11-07T08:00:00.001-05:00

“Be diligent to come to me quickly; for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica--Crescens for Galatia, Titus for Dalmatia… At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me.” – 2 Timothy 4:9-10, 16a

             As we take one final look at 2 Timothy, we are challenged by a harsh reality. Living a radical life of service to Jesus means that we may make enemies. Not only that, but even our close friends may abandon us once they realize the depth of our commitment to Jesus. Nominal Christians scatter when someone decides to go “all-in” for the Kingdom. This truth can often be the hardest obstacle to overcome when faced with the decision to step up in faith and fulfill your calling. We are influenced by our friends, and especially by our friends’ opinions. Are you willing to be seen in a negative light because of your commitment to the truth?
            Even heroes of the faith went through times of abandonment. You’d think that people would always be flocking to these great men but it wasn’t the case, especially when they shared the truth of costly discipleship. Every time they shared something that wasn’t pleasant to the listeners, they risked losing their entire audience. But that didn’t deter them. They were eager to share the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Their commitment made them wildly unpopular among anyone who was unwilling to surrender their lives to Jesus. That’s why we see such a watering down of the truth in the church today. No one wants to be “controversial” for fear of hurting church attendance. It’s probably at the top of our “church to-do list,” which is funny, seeing as it didn’t seem that important to Jesus. In the end of John 6, Jesus shared some hard truths and His followers were not too happy about it. The result is one of the saddest verses in the Bible, John 6:66. “From that [time] many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.” Even Jesus was abandoned when He got to the “crux” of what He was put on earth to do. When Jesus was arrested, Mark 14:50 tells us, “Then they all forsook Him and fled.” Can you believe that? The same men who shared in His ministry for 3 years, even performed miracles alongside Him, were unable to stick by Him when He needed them the most!
            You may encounter this type of rejection when people see that you’re willing to “lay your life down” in order to fulfill the calling on your life. Don’t be surprised by how often you get “BRO-ed” by people who think you should use logic over leading. Paul was one of the most logically illogical people in the Bible. He was willing to be stoned and left for dead, if it meant that he was fulfilling his service to Jesus. I’m sure many of his friends thought he was nuts when he got up, wiped the blood and dust off, and headed back into the city that had just tried to kill him- but it didn’t matter to Paul. What mattered most was that Jesus was standing with Him when he preached, and was chained with him in jail. He knew that he was taking hold of that very thing that Jesus had planned for him when He confronted him on that Damascus road.
            Paul’s friends found this world too intoxicating to resist, and what a huge temptation it is for us to shrug off our calling to rather enjoy the creature comforts provided by this world. But there is something far better in store for us. Moses knew it, which is why it says in Hebrews 11 that he “forsook” the comforts of Egypt in order to embrace his calling, “…choosing rather to suffer affliction… than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.” Instead of worrying about being forsaken by the world for our committed belief in Jesus, let’s forsake the fickle embrace of this world for the promise of unconditional acceptance in the next.

“But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and [that] all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve [me] for His heavenly kingdom. To Him [be] glory forever and ever. Amen!” – 2 Timothy 4:17-18

BE COOL CATS_LIVE FOR CHRIST
GEOFF
http://www.thealtarlife.com/

THE FINISH LINE OF A SERVANT- 2 Timothy 4:6-8

2011-10-28T15:17:00.002-04:00

“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” - 2 Timothy 4:6-7
             Would you compete if you had no desire to win? I always found it frustrating as a young athlete when people said, “It doesn’t matter if you win or lose; it’s how you play the game.” (Everyone who knows me just spit out their mouthful of Oreo O’s from laughter at the idea of me being an athlete) If there are no winners or losers then why keep score? Why even play? I understand now why I was taught that as a kid, but at the same time, I think we too often take that approach in our Christian walk.
            We live a life of lowered expectations. The overall attitude of our culture has become, “At least I tried. So what if my effort stunk.” Think about it, we now have spell-check so you don’t need to learn how to spell anymore. Calculators are allowed in school, so kids don’t even need to learn how to solve math problems. You no longer have to put in the time and effort necessary to succeed because EVERYONE is a winner! If you want to buy something, don’t wait to save, put it on a credit card. If you want to lose weight, don’t eat right and exercise, have expensive surgery instead. But with God it’s different. He uses time and trial to mold us into the people we need to be so that we can accomplish what He has for us. Unfortunately people would rather sign up for a marathon just to get the t-shirt then actually spend time training and put forth the effort to finish the race. I know I would most likely start off in the front of the pack and then gradually fade into the background, until finally I pull a “hammy” stretching for the last bag of potato chips at the nearest snack stand.
            A recurring theme in the book of 2 Timothy is determination. Through thick and thin, in the midst of a barrage of obstacles and distractions, a servant is called to run hard and finish well. We looked previously about how to train our bodies for the race, but now the race has begun and we need to be in it to win it! There are heavenly rewards for all who commit themselves to the race. Not just to say, “I participated” but to be able to say like Paul, that we ran well, that we finished the race. There are plenty of reasons why we would quit. There are snares that trip us up, not to mention the physical and mental toll that such an intense activity can take on body and mind. But what you do when you fall is the key to victory. Where you look to find strength when you’re weary is what provides the motivation needed to overcome those hurdles.
            The problem is that we don’t expect to fall. So when it happens, we throw in the towel. It becomes a mountain that we can’t climb. We think that God is our coach on the sidelines screaming at us for losing focus and making a bone-headed mistake, when in reality, that’s the enemy. He loves to kick dirt in our face while we’re down for the count. The truth is that Jesus is standing at the finish line waiting for us, cheering us on! He is there so that when it gets tough we can draw our strength from, and fix our eyes on, Him. Hebrews 12:1-2 says “…let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…” God is glorified in our victory because He has given it to us. He gives us the strength to cross that finish line. And when we do, He is there, holding us up with one hand and holding our crown in the other.

“Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” – 2 Timothy 4:8

BE COOL CATS. LIVE FOR CHRIST
GEOFF
http://www.thealtarlife.com/

THE UNCOMPROMISING SERVANT- 2 Timothy 3:16-4:5

2011-10-24T09:15:00.002-04:00

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, [because] they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn [their] ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” – 2 Timothy 4:3-5

            "What is truth?" Pilate asked as he stood before Jesus. Jesus didn’t answer Pilate, but His response can be found in John 14:6 when He declared, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Jesus Christ is the only way to God, the only truth to live by, and the only one who gives eternal life. Say that to someone nowadays, and you’ll be called an intolerant, narrow-minded fundamentalist. Whether people want to admit it, Jesus Christ is the most controversial figure of all time. There is no neutral position when it comes to Jesus.
            As Christians we’ve become more worried about offending people than speaking the truth because we’ve been told that it’s irrelevant, hate speech. Instead of calling sin what it is, we sugarcoat it. (By the way, I’m great at this. I majored in the vernacular of making my sin sound as inoffensive as possible.) We say things like, “I fell into sin.” Oh I’m sorry, is sin a big hole that we don’t see and then, OOPS! OH NO! I’m in sin! That doesn’t happen, but it sure feels a lot better thinking that it does. No, on the contrary, we choose to sin. In fact, we often design the blueprints, and hire the contractors to dig the hole before we “fall” into it.
            The truth is, and this convicts me as I write it, that we decide for that moment that the pleasure of sin is better than what God has for us. Harsh words. So harsh in fact, that we often come up with pet names for sin to soften the blow. Have you noticed that adultery is now known as “moral failure?” Wait, isn’t all sin essentially moral failure? Jesus said that we commit adultery when we lust. Doesn’t that make us all adulterers? If we’re all in the same boat, then why do we feel the need to water-down God’s Word by using politically correct, socially acceptable terminology in regards to sin? Answer- we don’t want people to feel bad about themselves. Instead we’ve allowed a moralistic gospel to creep in to the church. Are we supposed to live morally or godly? If any of us were moral successes, would we still need the blood of Jesus? When we interchange those terms we downplay the need for confession and repentance. If an ungodly person can behave in a moral way, is that the same as repenting from sin and accepting Jesus into your heart?
             We are all sinners who desperately need a Savior. How can people turn from their sin if they don’t think they have a sin problem? The law was created to make people aware of their sin so that they could confess and repent. By compromising the truth of God’s Word we are in effect hurting people rather than helping them. People are told that they are generally good and that as long as they live a moral life then God is happy. But, uh oh, here comes the big, bad “fundamentalist” who thinks God’s Word should be taken “literally.” I bet he’s coming to wreck our fun and tell us that we need to repent or something. We call the gospel the Good News but it’s only good if people first know the Bad News. Mankind is sinful and the wages of sin is death. The culture doesn’t want to hear bad news, but it’s essential if they’re to receive the Best News of all. God made a way for us to be saved! But there’s only ONE WAY. And that message cannot be compromised.

“Preach the word! Be ready in season [and] out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.” – 2 Timothy 4:2

GEOFF
http://www.thealtarlife.com/

THE WARNING TO THE SERVANT- 2 Timothy 3:1-15

2011-10-14T13:17:00.005-04:00

“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves… rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” – 2 Timothy 3:1-2a, 4b-5

          The times they are a-changin’. The world is in a downward spiral of depravity, and we as Christians are struggling to maintain sure footing. Everyday I see more people preaching tolerance and bad-mouthing anyone who doesn’t accept all beliefs. You can’t stand for something because your stance may conflict with someone else’s so it’s easier to have no stance at all.
          Many people have said that “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.” These days it seems much easier to just go with the flow instead of being seen as confrontational. You don’t want to appear (here comes the ugly word) judgmental or (even worse) narrow-minded. Even in the church today the truth of sin and the need for salvation have been thrust aside in an effort to craft a more pleasing, all-inclusive, feel-good gospel. More and more people are being taught to pursue their own pleasure and happiness, while neglecting the fundamental truths of God’s Word. As soon as we feel comfortable “benching” the word of God, we are then ready to receive any worldly philosophy that teaches us to indulge our flesh.
          We live in desperate times, and the need for people who’ll stand up for the truth has never been greater. The problem is we’re afraid. We think that if we stand for the truth, we’ll be made fun of or we’ll get beaten up (I’m writing from my own perspective here). Well, guess what? You probably will! Okay, maybe you won’t, but either way this is one of those promises people choose to forget. You won’t find this one hand-written on a 3 x 5 index card taped to the bathroom mirror or magnetized to the refrigerator. We would much rather cling to the “feel-good” promises in the Bible. But don’t we cling to those special promises because we know that God keeps them? Why then are we surprised when this one holds true? All who desire to live godly will suffer persecution.
          Paul warns Timothy that imposters will come and deceive gullible people, leading them astray by feeding their lust for money and pleasure. They look like Christians, but they don’t act like it. We see that all around us. People drop Jesus’ name anywhere they can in order to gain for themselves. Wolves in sheep’s clothing entice Christian women into inappropriate relationships. So called “Christian” organizations rip off the people of God with one hand on the Bible and the other in our wallets.
          Christians get angry when they see how bad the world is. They get up-in-arms when they feel their “rights” being violated. Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but God told us that this would happen! Why are we so shocked? The reason He told us was so that we wouldn’t be led astray from His calling to make disciples. This holy calling demands a total renouncing of our own rights- to sacrifice our creature comforts for the greater cause of preaching the gospel. We need to avoid those who claim to know God but deny him by their actions. We must be separate from the imposters in order to show a lost and dying world what true Christianity is all about.

“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution… But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned [them], and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” – 2 Timothy 3:12, 14-15

BE COOL CATS_LIVE FOR CHRIST
GEOFF
LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE HERE

THE DISTRACTIONS OF A SERVANT- 2 Timothy 2:14-26

2011-10-06T18:33:00.002-04:00

“Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife.” – 2 Timothy 2:22-23

      Wouldn’t it be great if God called you to serve in a ministry that involved no human interaction whatsoever? You may be waiting by the phone for quite a while before you get that call. God has called us to be His representatives to all people. Each person is also given a specific gift with which to minister to the body of Christ and, when used correctly, can be a great benefit to the body as a whole.
          Unfortunately one of the biggest distractions in ministry, and overall deterrents from people serving, is other Christians. Whether it’s through dissension or maybe through an inappropriate relationship, the enemy will use anything as a snare to get us off track and render us ineffective in ministry. Christians often get involved in petty disputes like what type of praise music is appropriate or how people should dress; all the while the enemy takes pleasure in a job well done. When we’re quarreling with each other we are not tending to the greater things of God, and we neglect His calling. I’ve heard countless stories of “church-splits” over things that are laughable. And Satan is doing just that, laughing at the so-called “Saints of God” as they argue about the color of the carpet in the vestibule.
          I’ve seen pastors have to referee between squabbling congregants, which takes them away from equipping the Saints for ministry. If that’s happening then it’s easy to see why Paul encourages Timothy to be someone who “rightly divides the word of truth.” When Christians are distracted from their calling and are not diligent in the Word they can easily be led astray by any “new thing” that sweeps through the Church. Whether it’s by pursuing a bad relationship or fighting with someone who doesn’t see eye to eye with our views, the ultimate result is that we are ill-equipped, immature Christians. In Matthew 10:16, Jesus told the disciples to be “wise as serpents and harmless as doves.” Instead we have a church full of people who are as mindless as sheep and as stubborn as donkeys. Meaning they easily stray from the truth and put up a fight when you try to get them back on track. People become more interested in proving their point than in pointing people to Jesus.
         If the enemy can’t get you distracted by other people, he may be able to distract with a single person. You and I both know what I’m talking about. It’s so easy to take our eyes off of God to do one of those “I wonder if my future wife/husband is here” scans of the congregation every Sunday. Maybe you don’t even bother to put that “consecrated” spin on it. Maybe you just say “I need a girlfriend/boyfriend right now!” We have God given desires that He wants to fill for us in His time but the enemy would have us fulfill those needs ourselves. Our desire to pursue God’s will and share it with others often takes a “backseat” as we pursue others to share our backseat with.
           Paul encourages Timothy to live a life free from distractions so he can lead people to Jesus. He said that people would know we are His disciples by the love that we way have for one another. If unbelievers see Christians fighting then we aren’t doing our job. God did not call us to win arguments; He called us to win souls.

“And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and [that] they may come to their senses [and escape] the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to [do] his will.” – 2 Timothy 2:24-26

BE COOL CATS_LIVE FOR CHRIST
GEOFF
http://www.thealtarlife.com/

THE DISCIPLINE OF A SERVANT- 2 Timothy 2:1-10

2011-09-29T13:27:00.003-04:00

“No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of [this] life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.” – 2 Timothy 2:4

People often scoff at Christianity because they say that it is a crutch. They believe you are taking the easy way out when you become a Christian. Those people are misguided. However, that idea has become very popular in our society and is fostered mostly by the feel-good doctrine that fills the pulpits of many American churches. It’s a lot easier to gain church-goers when you don’t discuss the difficulty and sacrifice of being a disciple of Christ. There’s a problem with that: People want Jesus to fix all of their problems for them. But when they find out that Jesus is not some cure-all that takes all of their problems away, they walk away because they’re not willing to make the difficult choices necessary to live a disciplined life.

Jesus mentions people like this in the Parable of the Sower. They are the type that receive the word with gladness but as soon as hardships come they immediately fall away because they have no roots. He also describes the Way to Life as being “difficult” and that there are few who find it. When we read that verse we have the tendency to immediately think of those who are saved, those who are not and the different paths they’ve chosen. But what about those who have accepted Jesus and have now suddenly gone AWOL? What about those who are saved but have chosen to live an unchecked life, glutting themselves on whatever makes them happy? There is more to living the Christian life than wallowing in secular obesity, expecting God to whip us into spiritual shape. I have personally been challenged by these verses in 2 Timothy. And not just because I’m on the “husky” side.

Think about Paul’s analogies for a minute- It appears that, just as a soldier or an athlete, he had to discipline himself to live according to God’s rules in order to be worthy of the calling on his life. “Whoa, wait a minute,” object the powdered-sugar-covered mouths of the portly masses, “Christianity is not about following a list of rules! That’s why Jesus died. We’re not under the law, you legalistic lout!” You’re right! Not about the “lout” part. (Boy, do I love a good Thesaurus?) All you have to do to be saved is to believe that Jesus Christ died and rose again and put your faith in Him. But how are we to live once we’ve been saved? What purpose do we have on earth? What about when God enlists us into the service of His Kingdom?

This is something that, although I had read it before, I didn’t fully grasp. God wants me to live a life that is deliberate. A life that is not entangled by sin or the need to make a name for myself. A life that is stripped of any unnecessary “liberty” that could ultimately detract from or dilute the working of the Holy Ghost in my life. The life of a true disciple of Christ, a true servant of the Living God is a RADICAL one. As an Olympian sacrifices their body to a daily training regimen in hopes of ultimately winning the gold; as a soldier goes through boot camp to learn how to give his life for a greater cause; so we must be wholly dedicated to the calling on our lives. You see, becoming a Christian isn’t grabbing for the crutches out of weakness; it’s enlisting in the sacred war for the souls of all mankind. Spoiler Alert! I know who wins.

“Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as [one who] beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring [it] into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” – 1 Corinthians 9:26-27

“You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” – 2 Timothy 2:3

GEOFF
BE COOL CATS. LIVE FOR CHRIST
http://www.thealtarlife.com/

THE CALLING OF A SERVANT- 2 Timothy 1:8-14

2011-09-22T08:12:00.003-04:00

“Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called [us] with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began… 2 Timothy 1:8-9

Did you know that God is calling you? Maybe you’ve been screening your calls…

God has called us all to be ministers of the good news. What is the good news? The fact that there is a way back to having an intimate relationship with the God of the universe by way of the free gift offered from the Father’s heart to ours. Jesus Christ died and rose so that we could be free from the bondage, presence and penalty of sin. Once accepted, this gift presents us as blameless in God’s eyes, making us able to enter boldly into a true relationship with Him. Here’s the best part- God has called us to take part in spreading that GOOD NEWS! In the end of 2 Corinthians 5, Paul says that God has made us ministers of reconciliation and that He speaks through us as His ambassadors, pleading for the lost to come back to Him.

But there is a problem. We’ve been busy. We are too self-involved. We don’t want to come across as a terrorist! Okay, that last one was ridiculous. You say, “I don’t think God has called me to that” when given the opportunity to minister the gospel to a co-worker or family member. When you feel the Holy Ghost (that’s right I wrote Ghost for emphasis, it’s harder to ignore a Ghost) leading you to something outside of your comfort zone, you procrastinate, hoping the “feeling” will go away. Most people enjoy the idea of Christianity but are uncomfortable with the idea that they have a responsibility to undertake as Christians. I have often noticed that I feel “God leading me” to things that pad my ego or perhaps require as little commitment and personal sacrifice as possible. We are okay when God calls us to the “fun” aspects of Christianity, but not when we have to sacrifice the whole “Cool Christian” vibe we’ve finally mastered.

Here’s a question to ask ourselves- Have you ever felt a little embarrassed for someone who is “unashamed” and ignores social etiquette in an effort to share Christ’s love? I’m guilty of distancing myself from outspoken Christians while secretly wishing I had the boldness to join them. Some people will argue, “Hey, I’m not a pastor. I’m not an evangelist.” Or “If I tell people about Jesus, then it will turn them off and they’ll think I’m weird.” Both may be true, but each individual who has accepted Jesus as their Savior has also had a call placed on their life.
Paul continually encourages Timothy to not be timid about his faith. We can take comfort in those words since we often feel like Timothy. We should not neglect the calling on our lives to reach people for Jesus. In fact, God has given each of us specific gifts to minister to those He puts in our path. Let’s be unashamed of our faith, bold in our calling and like Paul, let us strive to achieve the purpose that God had in mind for us when He caught us in the grip of His grace.

“Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing [I do]… I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 3:12-13a, 14

“For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.” – 2 Timothy 1:12-13

THE FOOTSTEPS OF A SERVANT- 2 Timothy 1:2-1:7

2011-09-15T13:27:00.004-04:00

“…I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.”- 2 Timothy 1:5

We have all heard the expression “following in someone’s footsteps” in regards to how we should live our lives. As humans it is in our nature to be influenced by our surroundings and to look to the way others live to determine how we will live. We tend to find our niche based on the personality traits and tendencies that are passed down through genetics as well as our childhood environment. Every child learns how to communicate and make decisions for themselves based on what they’ve perceived in their formative years. However, there comes a point in our lives where it is ultimately up to each individual to decide what path they will walk or whose “footsteps” they will follow.

If you have been raised in a Christian home then you may feel comfortable with the way you live your life because your parents are Christians and that must mean that you are too. Unfortunately many “2nd and 3rd generation” Christians stray from the faith because they have not made the faith of the parents their own. Sure they were dragged to church every Sunday and may have actually come away with some Bible knowledge, as demonstrated by the plunder of assorted hard candies and taffy concealed about their person as they exit the classroom. But how about when it’s time to carve your own path? Who is ultimately accountable for the way you choose to live? Your parents? Do we somehow think that God has “grandchildren”? It is crucial for those of us who grew up in a godly household to not take for granted the gift that it truly is. We must make the decision to follow Christ for ourselves while being thankful that we have had parents who are praying for us and leading us into a personal relationship with Jesus.

For others the idea of having a Christian parent may be an unrealized dream. Sadly, there are many who have grown up in difficult environments and, in one way or another, allow that to determine their path. Some have had alcoholic fathers and, even though they were deeply hurt by this, continue the legacy that was passed down to them by following in their father’s inebriated and unsteady footsteps. Others choose to renounce the lifestyle they were exposed to in exchange for something better. If you have chosen to follow Christ in spite of a lack of godly influence in your life then that is great news! The choice you have made to ignore the footsteps of those around you and follow the footsteps of Christ is the best decision you will ever make.

So what’s it going to be? If God has blessed you with parents or grandparents that love Him and impart the truths of His word into your life, will YOU take advantage of the opportunity placed before you? For those of you who do not have a godly influence in your life, will you be fearless as you forge your own path and take the first step in changing the face of this generation? There are footsteps laid out before us as potential servants of the Living God and it is up to US if we will decide to walk in them.

“For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps…”1 Peter 2:21

“Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” - 2 Timothy 1:6-7

Be cool cats...Live for Christ
GEOFF

BACK TO BLOGGING!

2011-09-15T13:07:00.004-04:00

Greetings!

After an extremely long hiatus on the blog- We're Back...WITH A VENGEANCE!

Not only did we just celebrate The AltarLife's 5 year anniversary but we are slowly approaching our 200th episode and what better time than now to kick off a brand new series and get the blogs back in action.

Our new series is based out of 2 Timothy and is actually a follow up series to one that we had over 2 years ago in 1 Timothy called "WHAT'S COOKING IN THE 'HOOD? Servanthood that is." (You can find those blogs back in the 2009 section of blog).

This new series is titled:

YA' JUST GOT SERVED! Another look at Servanthood from 2 Timothy

While the first series focused more on the characteristics of a servant, this new series will tackle the journey of a servant. We hope you'll follow along with us as we discover more truths from God's Word!

Enjoy the return of your favorite blog and be sure to share it with everyone you know...

GEOFF

PS- Here are the links to our series from 1 Timothy.
http://thealtarlife.blogspot.com/2009/06/motivation-of-servant.html
http://thealtarlife.blogspot.com/2009/06/inadequate-servant-its-all-grace.html
http://thealtarlife.blogspot.com/2009/06/quiet-prayerful-servant-interceding-for.html
http://thealtarlife.blogspot.com/2009/07/invisible-servant-serving-behind-scenes.html
http://thealtarlife.blogspot.com/2009/07/genuine-servant-serving-with-integrity_10.html
http://thealtarlife.blogspot.com/2009/07/teaching-servant-dont-horde-good-news.html
http://thealtarlife.blogspot.com/2009/07/respectful-servant-honoring-each-other.html
http://thealtarlife.blogspot.com/2009/07/content-servant-seeking-gods-riches.html

LIBERTY- Love or Luxury?

2009-11-29T20:33:00.001-05:00

“But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak.” – 1 Corinthians 8:9

Now that we have been given freedom from the law we have the responsibility to use our liberty to honor the Lord and to serve one another. People often use liberty as a blank check to any sin that they want while still receiving forgiveness from God. There is a huge difference between exercising liberty and having a sense of entitlement. People who truly value the freedom that God has granted those who had been in bondage are more likely to use liberty as a tool to serve others, which in fact is the context that liberty is most often used in Scripture. There are also those who use liberty as an excuse to live selfishly and to gratify whatever desires they have while remaining “saved”. Just because something may be permissible doesn’t mean that it is profitable. If someone was running a marathon and they chose to wear combat boots and hiking gear, is that going to help them win the race? Sure, they can wear it, seeing as it is their prerogative, but it is not optimal conditions for running effectively. The same can be said when debating what is “allowed” and what is “not allowed” for the Christian. The most important thing to pinpoint is: Who does this benefit, others or myself? God has given us liberty as an opportunity to love and serve one another. Meaning that mandated service and required love don’t really have the same effect on the recipient as it would if someone, having the liberty to refuse, still chose to follow through. We have been given a free will to choose Christ for salvation and we still maintain a freedom to choose how we should live, whether pleasing God or pleasing ourselves. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that we can do whatever we want. I’m saying the exact opposite as a matter of fact; we have been given the liberty to do whatever God wants! God could have easily created a list of requirements that must be kept for all believers in order to maintain salvation but He didn’t. Instead, He chose to take away the handwriting of requirements that were against us by having Jesus die on the cross to fulfill the law. Now by His grace we can have an intimate relationship with Him and in turn our desires will be conformed into what He desires. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” He does not say, “Keep my commandments and then I will love you.” God does not want slaves to do His bidding; a slave is someone who is forced into labor by someone who is in charge of them. Rather we are His bondservants; a bondservant has the liberty to go free but instead decides to stay in the service of his Master. Are you exercising your liberty to love and serve one another, or do you feel entitled to be able to do whatever you want?

“For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” – Galatians 5:13

NOT A SLAVE NO MORE

2009-11-29T20:26:00.000-05:00

“But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage?” – Galatians 4:9

Freedom in Jesus. Freedom from the power of sin and death. Freedom from the penalty that we deserve for breaking God’s law. Once we have experienced what it means to be set free, why would we ever pick up the shackles and reattach them to our wrists so that we can continue to live in bondage? It sounds absurd but it is something that a lot of us struggle with. Whether we have a difficulty in walking free from the law and its requirements, or walking free from the sin that has bound us our entire lives, there is something that hinders us from enjoying the True Freedom that has been offered to us by the Son of God. For some, they are uncomfortable with yielding and living according to the Spirit of God and would rather have a list of “dos and don’ts” to align themselves to. They err in believing that by keeping the law that they are righteous. Truthfully, the law could mandate righteous living but could not empower people and give them the ability to live righteously like the Spirit of God can. Jesus’ death on the cross was the fulfillment of what was established by the old covenant. An innocent substitute bearing the brunt of wrath that our sinful deeds deserve. The law showed us our sin but could not enable us to stop sinning. If you think about it, the law was given with the new covenant of grace already in view and it is a type of what Christ would accomplish on Calvary. There is no need to run back to the burden of keeping the law because God has given us His Spirit in order to conform us into the image of Jesus and when we yield to it we will, by our new nature, keep God’s commandments. Now, there are others who are continually being drawn back into the bondage of sin. Think about Egypt- Egypt is used as a picture of bondage to sin. Moses chose to suffer affliction with God’s people rather than enjoy the passing pleasures of sin in Egypt. When the Israelites cried out against Moses, they only remembered the “good old days” in Egypt and not the forced labor and slavery that they endured for over 400 years. Sin is like that. We often are enticed back into bondage because we only remember the pleasures and not the fact that it was fleeting pleasure. We don’t remember the chains. We don’t remember the taskmaster’s whip. We have selective memory in regards to our bondage and it often times gets us into trouble when we start “reminiscing” about our life of sin. DON’T GO BACK! Jesus broke the chain of sin and has given us the strength to walk free from it by His Spirit. When He died on the cross He paid in full the debt that we owed our master that we could never pay back. He bought us off the slave market in order to set us free! May we all be free from sin and the law and become bond servants of the Living God.

“Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” – Galatians 4:7

I PITY THE FOOL- Grace Not Grunt

2009-11-22T20:15:00.000-05:00

“Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?” – Galatians 3:3

God has given us the free gift of His grace and all He asks is that we walk according to His Spirit. The Spirit is He who convicts us of sin, allows us as physical beings to communicate with a spiritual God, and illuminates our minds to the truth of God’s Word so that we can become more like Christ. It is by that same Spirit that God has brought us into new life with Him, having resurrected a spiritually dead people by His power. With God already proving that He has the strength to save us out of darkness, and the ability to turn those who are without strength (Romans 5) back to Him and call them justified, why do we think that we can, by our own strength, continue the work of sanctification that He has already begun in us? THINK ABOUT IT… When you were saved, was it by some strenuous effort on your part? Did you try really hard and scream loud enough so that God couldn’t help but hear and to act on your behalf? NO! God reached down into our lives and quickened us by giving us His Holy Spirit, which led to a reunited relationship with Him. HE initiated, HE condescended, HE justified. He, who is Just, is currently working in us to conform us into the image of His Son Jesus by HIS GRACE. Grace is something that we cannot earn and yet here we are, time and time again, trying our best to put God in our debt. Speaking for myself, it is hard for me to be indebted to someone. I often would rather do it all myself, no matter how cumbersome, than relinquish control and not have the finished product be attributed to my handiwork. Are you the same way? We need to see that God is the one who saved us. We did not do it ourselves. No matter how hard we try, we are incapable of transforming anybody into anything. God did not intend to pull us out of the mire only to have us figure the rest out by ourselves, hoping that we can somehow bring sanctification into our lives. When people take sanctification into their own hands the result is a legalistic, works-based religion. God has given us His grace by which laws that once were written on stone tablets are now written on our hearts. We cannot finish what He started and why would we want to? “…He who has begun a good work in you will complete it…” (Phil. 1:6) He did the grunt work so that we can enjoy the undeserved reward- His Grace.

“I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.” – Galatians 2:21

BE COOL CATS_LIVE FOR CHRIST
GEOFF

PLEASE PLEASE ME

2009-11-06T20:50:00.002-05:00

The AltarLife begins a six part series on the book of Galatians.

“For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.” – Galatians 1:10

Paul asks a question that we all should ask ourselves when we are trying to see where we are in our relationship with Christ. “Am I living just for the approval and acceptance of others or is there something more?” As Christians we are called to live for Christ first and foremost. Our error is when we forego our dedicated service to Jesus in pursuit of popularity. We realize that by having a non-judgmental attitude, which eventually leads to a tolerance of sinful living, we will be seen in a positive light by our peers. Why do we care so much about what an imperfect and unholy person thinks of us while downplaying the importance of what our Holy God thinks of us? Do we stand before men when we sin? Did our friends do what Jesus did; purchase our lives with the ransom price of their own shed blood? When we look at it through the light of God’s Word we see how ludicrous seeking to please mankind really is. The truth is that we have deceived ourselves into believing that others are thinking about us every waking moment, which in itself is truly a selfish attitude. I would never have thought that seeking to please others could somehow be bred out of selfishness but when we really look deep into our hearts we see why we would behave in such a way. On the other hand, being a servant of Jesus means dying to self and following His lead, which in some cases may make us very unpopular. Especially when it comes to drawing the line between sin and righteousness. Once we see how futile our attempts at pleasing men are we can begin to seek out how we can truly please the Lord. The writer of Hebrews says, “without faith it is impossible to please God.” So if you have been trying to earn God’s favor in an effort to please Him, stop. If you believe that God is happy when we do good things and mad at us when we don’t, you are mistaken. Pleasing God comes from living by faith in Him. When you place your faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior, God is pleased. And when you walk with Jesus by faith, God is pleased. When you behave righteously, God is pleased, not because YOU are righteous, but because Jesus’ righteousness has been imputed to all who have placed their trust in Him and the Father is delighted in His completed work on the cross. God has given us a free will and the choice to serve Him and when we choose to do it, He is pleased, not because we are “good workers” but because HE is The Good Worker and He knows that by serving Him we can experience the abundant life that He has always intended for us.

“Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.” – 2 Corinthians 5:9

BE COOL CATS_LIVE FOR CHRIST
GEOFF
www.thealtarlife.com

GOOD LIVIN' TRAGEDY

2009-10-08T21:21:00.001-04:00

“And I (the rich fool speaking) will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich towards God.” – Luke 12:19-21

The hardest person to get through to when it comes to presenting the gospel message is the person who has everything. They have no immediate needs, they’re not down on their luck, and they certainly haven’t hit rock bottom. They see Christianity as a glorified rehabilitation program for poor souls who are limping through life. They think that once they get back on their feet then they will not need the “crutch of religion” and that they can be successful on their own. The trouble is that we can often see them in their successful, abundant life and think that God is blessing them and that they are not in as dire straits as others who are desperate for the Good News. Our error is that we are judging them according to this world’s goods. Having stuff does not equal having LIFE! When someone is struggling and looking for something to help them they may be more open to hearing the truth, but others are so full of other things that they have no room for Christ and therefore don’t find it necessary to walk with Jesus. The tragic state of the human soul, even while being covered up with pretty things, is the one factor that links all of mankind. All of us deserve a criminal’s death regardless of our earthly state of affairs. Those people who think they have no needs and are content in their life without Christ are the most deceived and need desperately to be reached with the truth of God’s Word. If you are living life and are fine with the mediocre enjoyment that comes from what this world has to offer then you are being lulled to sleep by the father of lies. Satan wants nothing more than to give us “stuff” or other priorities to crowd our hearts so that there is no more room for Jesus to come in and reign over our lives the way that He desperately longs to do. What it really comes down to is that people don’t think that Jesus can provide the same satisfying, abundant life that they can provide for themselves. They fear that a relationship with Christ means sacrificing the life that they have worked so hard to establish. Here’s the real question: Who do you think is better at orchestrating an abundant life, sinful man or the Holy God that breathed life into mankind? Relying on our own righteousness does not get us into Heaven. Having an abundant life does not get us into Heaven. Surrendering our lives to Jesus and believing in Him is what secures our eternity. Let’s avoid the tragedy of just living a good life without Christ and live an abundant life by the power of God’s redeeming love.

“Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done and on the labor in which I had toiled; and indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun.” - Ecclesiastes 2:11

“Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.’ But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” – Mark 10:21-22

BE COOL CATS_LIVE FOR CHRIST
GEOFF

ISLAND DWELLERS

2009-10-05T21:20:00.001-04:00

“But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up.” – Ecclesiastes 4:10b

“And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” – Hebrews 11:24-25

Isolation is a tool of the enemy. He gets us alone where he can wreak havoc in our hearts and minds. But what gets us to that point? What is it that makes us wander off alone? There are many reasons why we would become detached from people, too many, in fact, to list in this short paragraph. Some of us long to be accepted by others. So much so that we change who we are and compromise our walk in an effort to be on the socially accepted list. After a while the novelty wears off and all we are left with is the realization that we are phony and no one loves the REAL us. If they did then we wouldn’t have to carry on this charade in order to keep from being an outcast. There are others who have been open and trusting in the past but unfortunately someone who represented Christianity to them, whether a leader, a friend, or more commonly a boyfriend/girlfriend, has hurt them very deeply, therefore tainting what it means to be a true Christ-like individual. The very thought of God brings with it bad connotations due to the negative effect that this “someone” had on their life in the past which then keeps them away from church and even from people all together. A deep root of bitterness is all it takes for the enemy to render us powerless in the fight against him. Still there are others who are lonely mainly because they’re just “different”. They may look or act different than the norm, which is sometimes difficult for others to overcome and see the child of God beneath what maybe a rough exterior. Sometimes the outward appearance has been set up as a defense mechanism to keep people from getting too close. In other cases maybe those individuals really do long to be in fellowship with the saints but they can’t quite break through the cliques that we have worked so hard to establish and they don’t feel accepted because we have deemed them unfit for our companionship merely because of cultural or personality differences. God has created everyone in His image and has given us our own unique quirks and abilities to allow the body of Christ to fit together beautifully. It is a challenge to relate to others who are different or to those who shut us out but God has called us to be knit together and He does not want anyone on the outside. If you are someone who is content to be alone, please do not neglect the command of the Lord to be united in fellowship with other believers. If you are someone who has the opportunity to welcome an outsider then take the step to do so. By doing that we are building a strong foundation that will not be shaken by the enemy’s attacks.

“Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. – Ephesians 2:19-22

.:BCC_L4C:.
Geoff
www.thealtarlife.com

LOVING THE LIGHT!

2009-10-02T22:32:00.001-04:00

“And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” – John 3:19-21

Would you describe yourself as a lover of darkness or a lover of light? Jesus breaks mankind into two categories and leaves little room for gray areas or loopholes. We either love darkness because it allows us to continue unnoticed (or so we think) in our life of sin, OR we love the light because of the freedom it grants us as it shines bright into the darkest recesses of our heart, exposing every malady to the expert hands of the Great Physician. Ever since sin entered the picture our natural reaction is to cover our shame. Adam and Eve made makeshift coverings in a feeble attempt to cover their nakedness. We fear it is too painful to have sin dealt with openly so instead of correcting the issue we allow it to continue under cover of darkness, which is detrimental to our relationship with Jesus and with others. The enemy’s biggest deception is getting us to believe that life will be more painful if people really knew the truth about us. That is completely false! If anything the real pain is caused by allowing sin to fester to the point where it is revealed involuntarily and we are left to pick up the pieces of the lives it has negatively impacted. Someone once said that sin is like a fungus, it grows more and more in the damp, dark places; but if you shine the light in that area then it is sapped of its strength and it vanishes. God is that light and to be in fellowship with Him means that no darkness should be found in us. I’ll never understand the fear that I’ve had and have seen in others of confessing sin and living transparently. Are we so deceived by the enemy as to think that we can hide something from God? “All things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” – Hebrews 4:13b Now we can make the choice to confess and walk in the light before we are exposed or we can sit idly by until the light of Christ is shined into our lives and we are put to open shame. Either way it will be revealed, remember Numbers 32:23 “Your sin will find you out.” I know how difficult this is; hey, I have lived it. It was painful at the time but I can now see the lasting benefits of that experience plus I now feel the overwhelming love and acceptance that I have in God and among His people. I have also discovered that our fear of the type of reaction we will get for confessing our sin is unfounded. The support you will get from true brothers and sisters when you confess your sin will spur you on to live in the light because by doing so we are dismantling the enemy’s strongholds in the church. So, in order for us to have true fellowship with Christ we all must learn to LOVE THE LIGHT!

“This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” – 1 John 1:5-9

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UNDER THE INFLUENCE

2009-09-17T09:22:00.002-04:00

“Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words… Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.” – Colossians 2:4, 8

There is a reason why God refers to us as sheep. We as humans are very impressionable, especially when swayed by the court of public opinion. We are all looking for something or someone to follow after whether we’d like to admit it or not. It’s interesting to think about how quickly we latch onto people who are in the limelight and buy into their philosophies while ignoring the leading of the True Shepherd. We often look for people to put up on a pedestal so that we can worship them and their way of thinking instead of seeking the Lord alone for guidance. We are very much like the children of Israel in that regard. They begged to have a King who could lead them so that they would be like the other nations of the world instead of simply following after the One True God. This is so dangerous. Especially because of the fact that people are imperfect and have their own selfish agendas that will ultimately let us down, leaving us disenchanted and discouraged. Even more so if this person is a believer; then we feel as if God has let us down in some way since this person was supposed to be “God’s representative”. That is why it is so important for us to be grounded in the Word of God and led by the Spirit so that when an imposter comes along spouting some man-made ideology we are not deceived into straying from the faith. This truth cannot be overstated- if we allow a person to hold our attention and our devotion equal to or more than Christ, then we are in serious danger of being led away into bondage. This type of bondage is particularly difficult to identify because it becomes so engrained in our minds as “truth” that we can no longer decipher between what really is God’s Word and what is just someone’s opinion or preference. In fact, God is so concerned about His people being led astray that He not only warns them of it over and over in His Word but He also warns against the people who are doing the deceiving. There are many people who strive for a position of leadership in the church, going so far as to forge ahead themselves. If you desire to lead then be sure that it is God who is calling you and not your own selfish desires and ambitions because the Bible is clear that there is a stricter judgment for those in a position of spiritual authority. If you are knowingly deceiving someone to follow after you or if you are causing someone to sin and stray from his or her relationship with God then you must stop immediately and repent. As believers we have a responsibility to follow the Lord first and foremost, not allowing others to influence us but to live under the influence of Christ. By doing this we will then be able to properly lead others in following hard after God and not lead them astray.

"But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea.” – Mark 9:42

BE COOL CATS_LIVE FOR CHRIST
GEOFF
www.thealtarlife.com

WEIGHT WATCHERS

2009-09-04T16:02:00.001-04:00

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us…” – Hebrews 12:1

“Be sober (clear-headed), be vigilant (watchful); because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” – 1 Peter 5:8

Who among us would run a race with a lead vest on? Sounds ridiculous, right? The trouble is that most of us do that all the time! You see, our lead vest is called SIN. Let’s not dress it up with romantic names; I did that for a long time. It is not “just being human”. It is not “fun things that God doesn’t like”. Sin is falling short of the mark. PERIOD. And what leads to our downfall is that we “play” with sin. We don’t realize the danger that we are in and the enemy knows it. He watches us. He knows us. He finds our weakness. When we are running our race of faith the enemy is going to use those things to trip us up and make us fall behind. Once he gets a hold of us, we get dragged down for miles and miles without getting rid of the weight on our backs. Then we become surprised when we don’t get victory over sin. I often refer to it as a “Real Life, Weekend at Bernie’s mentality”. We think we can get away with pulling the old man, that was crucified with Christ, down off the cross and wearing it around our neck like a souvenir. Almost like some sort of homage to our life of sin. When we continue in our old sins we are sabotaging our own race. I have seen this problem first hand and can attest that our biggest problem is that we do not lay aside those things in order to run light. I could never gain victory because I was not laying aside EVERY weight. We should all want to run the race to win like Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 9:24 “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain [it].” We shouldn’t be like those people who run a mile in the Boston Marathon just to get the t-shirt saying that they ran. That is what most people do with their sin. They would rather hold onto it and be mediocre. They are not willing to do the difficult, often times painful thing like cutting off the figurative eye or hand that is causing them to sin. Thankfully, God’s grace is there to help us with the “radical amputation” that is required to gain victory. His Spirit helps us to locate the problem and remove it completely. Once we have done that we need to keep a watchful eye on those things that we have put aside. Not so that we can remember them fondly, but so that we are aware of what we have been rescued from. The Israelites always had selective memory when it came to Egypt. They only remembered the pleasure and never the bondage that came with it. Lord Jesus, help us to lay aside the sin in our lives which only leads to bondage but also help us to never forget the sting of the master’s whip.

“Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” – Matthew 26:41

“If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell." – Matthew 5:29

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THE BIGGEST LOSER

2009-08-31T09:25:00.001-04:00

“When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, ‘Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?’” – Mark 8:34-36

What would you be willing to give up to whole-heartedly follow Christ? We openly express our “desire” to follow God, to know Him better, but at what cost? We all have plans for how we would like our life to turn out. But what happens when those desires conflict with God’s desire for us? What do you do with that? It is an obvious crossroads that we all face and to linger and be indecisive is to ultimately decide that we know better how to run our life. We “give up” sin and other things as a way to almost barter with God in order to maintain our course towards what we want out of life. We fear total surrender of control because that proclaims humility and our pride cannot have that. We are also afraid that by giving up control we are then susceptible to having a life that is not our “dream” life and that God will deliberately put us somewhere we don’t want to be. Jesus Himself surrendered to the will of the Father even when it meant that He had to lay down His life. God is the creator of all things and we foolishly think that when we are in control of our life that we can somehow maintain it. My life, under my direction, is like giving a toddler the keys to a car. Not only would I risk destroying my own life but the lives of those around me. The Man who conformed His will to His Father’s in order to save us from the wrath to come is asking us to do the same as He did, not as punishment, but as reward. A life that is surrendered into God’s safe keeping is far better than any life we can render for ourselves. The world, the flesh, and the devil have led us to believe that by giving our lives to God we are losing out. But what do I lose? Despair, fear, addiction, hopelessness, a broken heart? Surely there is far more to gain when my life is counted as loss for Christ’s sake. When David was going to buy the land that the temple would be built on, the owner, Araunah, offered it to him for free! David’s response is certainly one we ought to commit to memory. In 2 Samuel 24:24 David said, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God with that which costs me nothing.” The Christian Life is costly, sure, but what do we gain? Eternal Life! We, too, were bought at a price. The Son of God’s precious blood was the ransom. If losing my life for God’s sake and finding REAL life makes me a “loser” in the world’s eyes then Lord, may I be the biggest one of all.

“But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith…” – Philippians 3:7-9

BE COOL CATS_LIVE FOR CHRIST
~GEOFF
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THE CONTENT SERVANT- Seeking God’s Riches above Earthly Riches

2009-07-30T15:24:00.000-04:00

“Now godliness with contentment is great gain.” - I Timothy 6:6

We are living in a material world. (Yes, I know you just started humming the tune in your head) But we have an opportunity as servants of the Living God to be an example to others on how to live a life of contentment. The question we have to ask ourselves is this: “Is God enough to truly satisfy us?” Not does He DO enough or GIVE us enough to satisfy us but: “Does a relationship with Him meet our every need?” This culture is constantly striving for the next big thing, the next shiny gadget, etc. As a servant of God we need to be content with the things that God provides for us. Contentment means different things to different people. Some people think that if they can only get that raise then they will be content or if they could only find that perfect someone then they will be satisfied with the life that God has called them to live. If that is true then why are there so many wealthy people who commit suicide? Or perfect Hollywood couples who end up divorcing? True and lasting contentment is found in nothing that is created or can be maintained by the human hand but in the Creator and Sustainer of all things visible and invisible. Moses forsook the riches and comforts that were at his fingertips in Egypt because he looked to his eternal reward, seeing it as far better than any fleeting pleasure. See Hebrews 11:24-27. We are called to serve in a manner that shows our complete sufficiency in Christ. Often times we mislead people by proclaiming that a righteous life is a way to get God to give you “things”, as though God would somehow then be indebted to us. Paul was warning Timothy about that very thing in Chapter 6 of his first Epistle. Money is not the root of all evil as is commonly misstated but THE LOVE of money is A root of evil. God has blessed many of His people with wealth while allowing others to remain poor. What matters is our contentment with God’s will for our life. The rich man may live to give his riches away liberally for the kingdom of God but because he has money we often judge that he loves it. Meanwhile, you can be penniless and discontent and yet still completely miss God’s call on your life because of your covetous heart’s desire for money and worldly riches that you do not have. Jesus said in Luke 12:15 "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses." Godliness with contentment is born out of the person’s heart that cares more about what glorifies God then what benefits them.

“It requires but little of this world's goods to satisfy a man who feels himself to be a citizen of another country, and knows that this is not his rest.” – Adam Clarke

“[Let your] conduct [be] without covetousness; [be] content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." – Hebrews 13:5

BE COOL CATS_LIVE FOR CHRIST
~GEOFF~
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THE RESPECTFUL SERVANT- Honoring Each Other

2009-07-20T20:07:00.001-04:00

“Honor widows who are really widows… Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor… Let as many bondservants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor… And those who have believing masters, let them not despise them because they are brethren, but rather serve them because those who are benefited are believers and beloved…” - I Timothy 5:3, 17a, 6:1a, 6:2a

“‘Honor your father and mother,’ which is the first commandment with promise… Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ…” - Ephesians 6:2, 5

As humans we have the natural tendency to compare ourselves with others. We sometimes feel better when we find someone who is not up to our standards of living. Other times we get discouraged when we come across people who are of a “higher class” than we are. More often than not we allow these opinions to dictate our actions. We gravitate toward those who are successful, popular, those who have it all together while conversely shrugging off the unappealing, the uncool, the unworthy. We get so caught up on presentation to the point of segregation. Our most common struggle is humbling ourselves and putting others first, reason being is that this is in direct conflict to what the world, the flesh and the devil would have us do. The world is cutthroat; wanting only to build a name for it without regard for those who it leaves battered and bruised alongside of the road on their way to success and great reputation. The kingdom of God is in stark contrast to the world’s way of thinking. Regardless of someone’s social or financial status, we are called to serve them as though we are serving Christ directly. See Matthew 25:31-46 Jesus has called us to put aside our feelings of entitlement and get on our knees to serve the less fortunate. The term bondservant is used throughout the Scriptures in reference to our service to Christ. A bondservant was not someone who was forced into slavery; rather someone who had a chance to go free yet chose to remain in faithful service to his master. What a picture of someone giving up their own “status” for the sake of others! Jesus made Himself of no reputation and put others first, choosing to serve rather than to be served. In order for the same to be said of us we are called to give honor and respect to those around us which comes only by humbling ourselves and asking God to help us see others through His eyes’. Lord, help us to honor one another and above all to serve You first, others second and ourselves last.

“For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, "You sit here in a good place," and say to the poor man, "You stand there," or, "Sit here at my footstool," have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?” - James 2:2-4

“If you really fulfill [the] royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.” - James 2:8-9

“For there is no partiality with God.” - Romans 2:11

BE COOL CATS_LIVE FOR CHRIST
~GEOFF~
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THE TEACHING SERVANT- Don’t Horde the Good News

2009-07-16T20:29:00.001-04:00

“These things command and teach. Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity… If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed…” – I Timothy 4:11:12, 6

As Christians we seem comfortable keeping to ourselves. We open up when we’re called upon, sure, but only inside the confines of the four walls we call “church”. Our normal activities consist of enjoying the exclusivity being a Christian affords us while maintaining a safe distance from the people who NEED to hear the Good News! I am an open book when it comes to being in an accepting environment like my home church or among fellow believers, but put me in a situation when I am the minority, when it comes to having a saving knowledge of the truth, and my mouth is snapped shut tighter than a well-oiled bear trap. How could this be? If I alone held the cure for cancer, would I be hesitant in spreading the news? Or better yet, would I allow myself to be intimidated by the fact that I may offend others who are also working on a cure? We live in a world that promotes giving equal time to all beliefs EXCEPT a belief in the inerrant truth of God’s Word! The time is now upon us that even being comfortable proclaiming the truth in the church is becoming more difficult with the infiltration of man-made doctrines and “new ways” of thinking. Pastors would rather tell stories than tell the TRUTH. A well-crafted story is not a living, breathing, source of life like God’s Word is yet we will gladly tuck that away for some “innovative” approach to “lure” people. The word of God is powerful and its potency is consistently being diluted by some and outright neglected by the rest. Paul exhorts Timothy to not let the fact that some may “despise his youth” cause him to “neglect what God has given him as a gift”. He also encourages him to “give himself over to the truth”, emphasizing the importance of living in such a way that we are proclaiming the Good News by our very conduct. God has allowed us to remain on this earth “For such a time as this” and holding back the truth and letting it be quieted by other false voices is not what we are called to do. We are commanded to go, preach and make disciples which can not be accomplished by giving heed to other ideas and opinions under the guise of being inclusive.

Here is the TRUTH:
Man sinned which separated us from a Holy God. God couldn’t bear the thought of sin keeping Him from the ones He loved so He prepared His Son, Jesus, to take the punishment for our sin by dying on the cross. Jesus then conquered the power of sin and death by rising from the dead. We can now live free from sin and receive eternal life to live in the presence of this God that loved us so much. He has offered this free gift to all mankind if they would only believe that it is true and live their life according to God’s will.

CAN YOU HANDLE THE TRUTH?

“The gospel is like a caged lion. It does not need to be defended, it just needs to be let out of its cage” ~a quote attributed to Charles Spurgeon

“…give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Do not neglect the gift that is in you…Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.” - I Timothy 4:13-16

BE COOL CATS_LIVE FOR CHRIST
~GEOFF~
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THE GENUINE SERVANT- Serving with Integrity

2009-07-10T10:43:00.004-04:00

“Moreover he (an overseer) must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. Likewise deacons [must be] reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience.” – I Timothy 3:7-9

What do you think people would say if they knew everything about you? In my life I have been working towards being completely transparent in all aspects because for a long time I was not. But what about you? It’s so easy to serve in ministry while lacking real integrity. I can attest to that. But is the fact that everyone has “skeletons in their closet” a good enough reason to keep said skeletons locked behind closed doors? When someone lacks integrity they are weak in regards to their character. They are fraudulent in that they are presenting themselves in front of people as being one way when in fact deep down they are far different. This person can go so far from integrity that they forget what it is they lack. God looks for men and women of integrity to effectively serve Him. Our outward impact is a direct reflection of our inward character. If our lives are built on the bedrock of duplicity then we are not being deeply rooted and grounded in Christ which hinders how much fruit we can bear as Christians. It is important for us to be sincere when it comes to our relationship with Christ and in our service. If we ask the Lord to convict us of the sin of hypocrisy He will fill us up with the Holy Spirit so that we radiate truth from the inside out. Then the outward will reflect what’s inside and God will be glorified with the authenticity we show as Christians. In order to accomplish this we have to first be honest with ourselves before we can live our lives honestly. We must realize that we lack a key ingredient for being a bondservant of Christ and that is genuineness. Being a genuine believer will allow us the strength to stand firm in this world that we live in. There is no more effective servant than the servant who has a clear conscience. Let’s ask God to open our eyes to the sin of our own insincerity so that He can build within us a godly character that is built to last.

“These things I write to you… so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” - I Timothy 3:14-15

BE COOL CATS_LIVE FOR CHRIST
-GEOFF-
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THE INVISIBLE SERVANT- Serving Behind the Scenes

2009-07-02T21:31:00.002-04:00

"And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ." - Colossians 3:23-24

Do we serve the Lord in order to get recognition from men? We previously spoke of our motivation to serve but what happens when our motivation is strictly self seeking? Often the ministries that have the most volunteers are the ministries that garner the most recognition. People desire positions of leadership, positions of notoriety. The church is not much different from the world in that regard. In my experience I have seen many requests for Sunday School volunteers go unanswered while people come in droves to be on the worship team or teach. Take time to think about some of the less honorable tasks that have to be done to assist the church as a body. For instance, who cleans the bathrooms? Or how ‘bout the person who picks up the leftover bulletins before the next service begins? Or the person who cleans the Nursery toys that need to be disinfected in order to prevent an epidemic from striking our little ones. I personally have seen both sides of the spectrum and can attest to the fact that when you are serving in ministry for “you” it is not getting done the right way. Period. When I was serving in ministry for the Lord it was a true delight because I could see God using me to minister to His saints. But when I began receiving accolades and notoriety consistently for the “spotlight” ministries I was involved in how quickly the focus shifted off of the Lord and on the great job I had done. When we become “me” focused we will do whatever we can for ourselves which is what leads us to sin and causes us to become ineffective ministers. Thankfully the Lord recognizes faithful service no matter what the task may be. As long as it is done unto the Lord, the anonymous servant receives a reward just as the pastor or elder would. Some people are called to public ministry but God has created us to seek out His desire for our lives and that may mean serving behind the scenes. Don’t worry. When God is in control and we stay out of the way then we see amazing things done through us. Remember this the next time you feel yourself loving the spotlight a little too much- the servant who longs to be SEEN will not be SEEN for very long.

"Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven." - Matthew 6:1

BE COOL CATS_LIVE FOR CHRIST
GEOFF
www.thealtarlife.com

THE QUIET, PRAYERFUL SERVANT- Interceding for the Lost

2009-06-25T18:55:00.002-04:00

"Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God... is that they may be saved." - Romans 10:1

All Christians profess a desire to see people saved. But is it as strong as the Father’s desire for all men to be saved? One way the enemy instills doubt in us is that we get discouraged when we are not seeing souls won to Christ by our efforts, thinking it is something we are doing wrong that is keeping people from accepting God’s free gift of eternal life. Something we need to remember is that their decision is not something we can control but we do have control of praying on their behalf to the God who can draw them. Jesus said that “No one can come to the Father unless the Father draws them”. So while it is our job to present the gospel it is not by our strength or ability that people are converted. Our error is when we hammer them with Hellfire and Brimstone and there is no love presented with the gospel message. Many people pride themselves on their ability to present the gospel point by point with their excellent oratory ability, but often it is at the expense of loving the individual just so they can get to win an “argument”. Although for many of us it is difficult to get up the courage to evangelize the lost, it is often times more difficult to pray for them. First and foremost we need to pray for God to give us a heart for the lost and dying in this world around us. How can we expect to be diligent in praying for the lost if our hearts are not broken at the thought of their current eternal destination? Now this doesn’t mean that we have to be missionaries to Uganda or some place far away. We can fight the battle for souls right in our bedroom by praying for God’s Word to spread and for Him to draw all men to Himself. Sometimes a big mouth is a deterrent rather than an incitement to the truth. But a quiet, peaceable spirit that longs to see the lost be found is something that all servants of the living God should be asking for; myself included.

"Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." - I Timothy 2:1-4

BE COOL CATS_LIVE FOR CHRIST
GEOFF

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THE INADEQUATE SERVANT- It's All Grace!

2009-06-18T21:29:00.002-04:00

"What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?" - Psalm 8:4

Do you think you have what it takes to be a servant of God? If you do then you may be wrong. Here’s what I mean: Whenever someone starts to believe that they have something to offer God, that’s when they become ineffective. Their agenda becomes self-serving rather than God-serving. On the flip side, many people can get stuck thinking about how unworthy they are and how they have nothing to offer. But that’s okay! God loves to use the people who have a low opinion of themselves. Now the world we live in encourages us to establish a high opinion of self and to flaunt all that we are. But the kingdom of God is usually the complete opposite of the kingdom of men. The truth is we are all inadequate and the sooner we realize that the better we understand the overwhelming grace of God in our lives. All too often we harp on our inadequacy rather then allow it to lead us to His grace. Paul confessed himself to be “the chiefest of sinners” and yet he did not allow that to keep him from serving the Lord. Now that doesn’t mean we have a free pass to serve the Lord while we are in sin, but simply that we come to realize that we aren’t able to bring anything of worth to the Lord’s Table. After 40 years in the wilderness with sheep Moses didn’t think that he could go before Pharaoh to deliver the children of Israel from bondage but God was with him and enabled him. D.L. Moody said this about Moses: “Moses spent the first forty years [of his life] thinking he was somebody. Then he spent his next forty years on the backside of the desert realizing he was nobody. Finally he spent the last forty years learning what God can do with a nobody.” When we get right down to it, apart from God we can do nothing but with God all things are possible. We all know that we are inadequate and with that said let us not focus on it anymore since that is still keeping our attention on ourselves, rather let’s thank God for being our sufficiency and for using nobodies.

"And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting [me] into the ministry,although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did [it] ignorantly in unbelief.And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. This [is] a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief." - I Timothy 1:12-15

BE COOL CATS_LIVE FOR CHRIST
GEOFF

THE ALTARLIFE W/ BRENT + GEOFF
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THE MOTIVATION OF A SERVANT

2009-06-09T21:29:00.003-04:00

THE ALTARLIFE BEGINS A NEW SERIES ENTITLED "WHAT'S COOKIN' IN THE 'HOOD?" AND FOCUSES ON SERVANTHOOD.

"Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith..." - I Timothy 1:5

What is it that motivates us to serve the Lord? Is it obligation or does it come from something deeper? We can often get bombarded with opportunities to serve and be pressed by others to “get involved” while not having the right heart or mind to fulfill such a task. Too often Christians serve for the wrong reasons and, more often then not, in the wrong areas. However, there is also the Christian who sits back with a “somebody else will do it” attitude. Whatever the case may be, there are so many people who are grinding and striving in ministry when that is not God’s true intention. God’s servants are not used like the world views servants. In the world, someone who has servants most likely has them to fulfill tasks that cannot be completed by the master alone. God has called us to serve Him not because He needs help but because it proves our love for Him. That is why it is so important to be motivated by a pure heart. We often see a need and try to fill it even if God has not called us to do that. Others have clearly been told by God what He has for them and begrudgingly they cooperate. It is indeed rarer than it should be to find someone who is motivated to serve God out of a pure heart, a good conscience and sincere faith. As humans we tend to focus on the result of ministry rather than the purpose of it and so many times I’ve seen people, myself included, struggling in their own strength to “do” ministry. We are called to be ministers of the gospel and God has given us specific gifts and talents to use accordingly. When we categorize ministry and try to fit into man-made compartments rather than allow God to lead us, that’s when we get frustrated. How can we serve the Lord and minister in a way that would please Him if our hearts aren’t grounded in His Love, we have something on our conscience and our faith is insincere? Step 1 in being a servant is having a heart motivation that honors the Lord.

BCC L4C
G

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PRAY HARD

2009-05-28T22:14:00.002-04:00

"Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months." - James 5:17

There are a lot of things that we put maximum effort into: Our jobs, our families, our hobbies. If we ask ourselves how much effort we put forth to maintain our relationship with God, what would our answer be? I think we can all agree that our prayer life is not what it should be. But is that okay? Is the excuse that “we don’t have enough time” legitimate? I find that I make time for the things that I want to do. The fact is that we don’t have a desire for prayer which is a harsh rebuke but true nonetheless. Prayer is our direct line to the King of Kings! You would think that He would have to take our number and call us back with His schedule being the way it is but sadly it seems to be the other way around. If we study the importance of prayer throughout the Bible, and also the dangers of not seeking the Lord, you would think that we would then make an effort to have a more fervent prayer life. Sadly, we fall short of even attempting to strengthen our bond with our Lord through the discipline of prayer. Spurgeon puts it this way: "So mighty was the prayer of Moses, that all depended upon it. The petitions of Moses discomfited the enemy more than the fighting of Joshua... You must wrestle with your sin, but the major part of the wrestling must be done alone in private with God... Beware of faintness in devotion; if Moses felt it, who can escape? It is far easier to fight with sin in public, than to pray against it in private. It is remarked that Joshua never grew weary in the fighting, but Moses did grow weary in the praying; the more spiritual an exercise, the more difficult it is for flesh and blood to maintain it." - Morning & Evening by C. H. Spurgeon

We often work toward holiness externally by doing the practical steps to appear holy but we seldom cry out to God alone like the tax collector who beat his breast while begging for mercy. Earnest prayer is effective prayer. How many of us can say that we have prayed earnestly about something in the past month? How about the past 6 months? or a year? When someone is hurting we say “Oh, I’ll pray for you” as a way to end a conversation because the situation is difficult. We wonder why God feels so far away when it’s really that we have made no effort to cultivate an intimate relationship with Him. When we are waiting to hear from someone we wait by the phone, we wonder if they are going to call, we drive ourselves crazy in expectation. The God of the universe is waiting by the phone hoping for a call from YOU. No appointment necessary.

"The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." - James 5:16b

BE COOL CATS_LIVE FOR CHRIST
.:GEOFF:.

A WORD FOR THE "PEW POTATO"

2009-05-20T22:52:00.002-04:00

"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." - James 1:22

Ah, the ever comfortable seat in church. The place where you can be seen publicly as a “good” Christian and not have to worry about the other 6 days of the week. Is God calling you to something more? Is He calling you to leave the mundane, the routine, to follow in His steps? As Christians we get so comfy and cozy in our little church world that we neglect God’s call to all believers to be His ambassadors to the world. We have carved our little niche in the sanctuary where we are undisturbed. With the same people, who say the same things and are all perfectly content being mediocre in their walk with the Lord. Hey! God did not leave the church on earth to start a big social group. He chose to leave us on this earth after conversion to shine His light to a dark world! How can we accomplish what God has called us to do when we sit on the sidelines as a spectator eating nachos and throwing back a Mountain Dew™ or three? In most Christians lives, we can sit and hear a good sermon and nod in agreement but sadly there is no action taken. There is no application of the Word in our life. We can feel that the Lord is prodding us to use our gifts to minister to the lost but we can’t get out of our La-Z-Boys to do it. God is challenging us to stop procrastinating and to be doers of the Word. We all fall victim to the “pew potato” disease but we need to ask God for a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit to get us into the game. Alright, no more excuses. We know what God wants us to do; it’s time to start doing it. We know that God has a plan for each and everyone of us; it’s time to start walking in it.

"For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues [in it], and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does." - James 1:23-25

BE COOL CATS_LIVE FOR CHRIST
.:GEOFF:.

PEACE BEYOND UNDERSTANDING- The Peace that God Gives

2009-05-13T21:44:00.002-04:00

"...and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:7

There are times in our lives when the circumstances that surround us seem too big to deal with. From the outside looking in, we especially don’t see how someone could handle such hardship. But there is a peace that passes all understanding; a peace that comes from God. When faced with difficult times a believer can find rest for his soul in the arms of Jesus. To wholly trust in God is the only way to true peace. Proverbs tells us to not lean on our own understanding but to fully rely on God to direct us through troublesome times. We often rely on what we can see with our eyes and understand with our intellect rather than depending on God to help us when our situation can’t be merely “explained” away. I look at those who are in the middle of a trial and wonder if it were me, would I be able to have the same peace that they seem to have? However something I’m constantly reminded of is that the peace that God gives comes just when we need it and rarely before. Putting our lives into the hands of God is liberation from the burden of the unknown. We can truly be at peace knowing that the Creator is in control. The story of Jesus calming the storm can be of great comfort to us. We often feel like Jesus is sleeping during our storms which can be very unsettling but His slumber is not born out of indifference but He sleeps because He is at peace through the storm. When we cry out to Him, He is there to bring comfort in the chaos and utter a profound “Peace, Be Still” to our hearts. What a testimony to the unbeliever when a child of God has peace in the midst of uncertainty. This is something that can not be ignored. They may not believe in the Bible or that Jesus is the Son of God but when they face the same hardships they remember how the believer was at peace and it is undeniable that we have something that they are missing. Let us go to God and ask Him for that peace that we can not understand with our earthly minds but welcome from His throne to guide us through the storms of this life.

PEACE WITH GOD

2009-05-13T21:32:00.002-04:00

"But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, [that is], the law of commandments [contained] in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man [from] the two, [thus] making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near." - Ephesians 2:13-17

When we are unsaved we are at enmity with God. Thankfully while we were still opposed to God and bound by sin, Christ died for us to prove His love. The fellowship between God and man that was broken in the garden was reconciled by the sacrificial death of God’s Son on the cross some 2000 years ago. Our fists that were once clenched in rebellion are now open hands raised in surrender to our Lord. Our teeth that were once gritted in hatred are now stretched into a bright smile at the thought of God’s redeeming love. There is no greater feeling than to know that you are at peace with God in the middle of this world where there is no peace. How about in the life of the believer? We are obviously no longer enemies of God when we are born again into His family. So how is this applicable to us? Although we are no longer His enemies we can still be at odds with the Lord and His will. Whether believer or not we still have our own free will to choose what we are going to do and sometimes we still choose contrary to God which puts a strain on our relationship with Him. Similar to a friend or family member having a disagreement and a time of separation instead in this case we can place the blame fully on our shoulders. God is always in the right and never loses an argument even if we’d rather disagree and flee. Any difficulty in our relationship with God is plainly the fault of the believer resisting the will of God and refusing to surrender their own will. This is a losing battle no doubt but that never deters us from stomping our feet and thinking we can get our own way. Even as believers we too need to make the decision to daily surrender our will to the Lord, which some days make take the Jaws of Life to pry our fingers away from, but in the end there is nothing like living a life at total peace with God.

BCC L4C
G

A HEALTHY FEAR OF SIN AND THE ENEMY

2009-05-01T16:48:00.001-04:00

“…sin lies at the door. And its desire [is] for you…” - Genesis 4:17

Do we realize the danger that sin poses on our relationship with God? Sin is not just something fun and pleasurable that God doesn't want us to take part in; Sin is ultimate and eternal separation from God apart from the blood of Jesus. God cannot be in the presence of sin and Satan knows this so he tempts us to sin in order to destroy the bond that we have with our Creator. The result- Adam and Eve's communion with God was severed. We must never believe the lies of the enemy when we feel that we are being short changed by God. Sin offers so much and yet delivers nothing but anguish in the long run. It takes you farther then you want to go; keeps you longer then you want to stay and charges more then you want to pay. Thankfully, God sent Jesus to reconcile the world back to Him by accepting the penalty of the very sin that separated us from Him to begin with. We often put sins into categories much like crimes. We think that we can get away with speeding from time to time but not drunk driving. This logic is flawed because even our little “white sins” are a capitol offense! Our tiny fib caused Jesus’ beard to be ripped out. Our moment of “stumbling” secured His feet to the tree. Our wandering eyes resulted in His being irritated by the blood dripping from His brow. Spurgeon once said that we should never forget the “hell-deservingness of sin” which sadly most of us do. We often play with “little” sins, thinking that we can maintain a handle on things but quickly those sins can become gross insubordination and rebellion against our Lord. Christians often live in fear of the consequence of their sin instead of having a fear of the power of sin itself. A fear of sin’s consequence is not enough to cause us to maintain a safe distance from sin, but a healthy fear of the sin that nailed Jesus to the cross and of the enemy who desires to sift us as wheat is integral to keep us in unbroken communion with God. May God grant us this healthy fear of sin and the enemy.

Read this devotional by C.H. Spurgeon
http://www.blueletterbible.org/devotionals/me/view.cfm?Date=03/11&Time=am

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” – I Peter 5:8

BE COOL CATS_LIVE FOR CHRIST
.:GEOFF:.

THE FEAR OF THE LORD- True Wisdom

2009-04-23T14:55:00.002-04:00

The AltarLife returns after two weeks of repeats. Join us as we count down to our 100th episode on June 6th!

“The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of wisdom…” – Psalm 111:10

What does it mean to be wise? Is it merely the gaining of knowledge? We are faced with many decisions every day and our hope is to be able to deal with them wisely. How do we accomplish that? The Bible is clear that wisdom starts with the fear of the Lord. The only way to gain true wisdom is to have a proper perspective of who God is. The almighty God, Creator and Lord of all, The Perfect One in whom there is no darkness at all. To know that our very breath is in God’s hands and that our heart beat is maintained by His word should strike us with a holy fear and awe of who He really is. We sometimes make God our “buddy” and bring Him down to our level so much that we truly forget the power and majesty of the One True God! It should greatly humble us that God would want to be involved in our lives in an intimate way. When we see God in this proper perspective, how can we dare stand before Him with any amount of pride? Is it not much more fitting for His saints to bow humbly in awe and holy fear before the Holy God we serve? In any proper parent/child relationship there is the abundance of love and understanding but there should also be the proper level of fear and respect directed toward the parent who is in authority. If we can understand it in human relationships then how much more important is it for us to apply it to our relationship with God. As someone once so eloquently put it; “God is God, I am not.” When we come to this place in our lives when we see God for who He is then maybe we will finally see who we really are and how desperately we needed God’s condescension to save us from ourselves. With this perspective we will then be able to properly apply the knowledge that we have received and that is true wisdom.

“Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” – II Corinthians 7:1

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THE ALTARLIFE WILL SOON BEGIN AIRING FRIDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHTS @ 8pm ON 89.5FM KITG IN JOPLIN, MISSOURI. PLEASE JOIN US IN PRAYER FOR THIS GREAT NEW OPPORTUNITY!

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DIVORCE AIN'T EVEN FOR THE BIRDS

2009-04-03T10:33:00.002-04:00

“For the LORD God of Israel says that He hates divorce…”- Malachi 2:16

What an unnatural thing divorce is. The separation of something that is joined together can only come by force and leaves the two parts damaged and never the same. God’s heart is broken when two people sever the covenant that they’ve made just as He is grieved with any other sin. Now there are allowances for divorce in the case of adultery but it is not required if the two parties reconcile. The problem is that many divorces occur with nothing other than a difference of opinion or the “I just don’t love them anymore” excuse. We don’t consider divorce as sin but when we ignore what God says and do what we want instead isn’t that by definition sin? We don’t mean to say that it is the unpardonable sin but sometimes we tend to sugarcoat it to the point that we no longer think we need pardon. Like all other sin it begins in our hearts and if it is not dealt with it begins to fester and our hearts grow hard toward our spouse. God is very clear on His stance against divorce in the Bible. Where would we be if God skipped out on us when times got tough? Or when we weren’t lovable anymore? Or maybe when we “aren’t the person He thought we were”?

In our society, romance takes the place of love. We see inflated, impossible expectations for love set up in the media through movies, TV and Harlequin novels and when those expectations aren’t met then that leads to disappointment and ill feelings. True love requires a choice to be made. God has chosen us from before the foundation of the world and He isn’t going to leave us just because we’re not perfect or even if we have committed spiritual adultery. We are the bride of Christ and there are many places in scripture that paint a beautiful marriage between men and God with Him playing the role of the faithful husband. As humans we often spend all of our time and energy trying to find a way out of difficult things instead of spending the same time and energy to FIX the difficult things. The same is true in our marriages. Christians often look for “acceptable” reasons to divorce their spouse instead of looking for ways to reconcile. The message of the Bible is reconciliation and God has made us ministers of reconciliation. How can we be effective ministers if we are living examples of separation? However, we do see God’s grace in the Scriptures in that He forgives our mistakes and does not hold the innocent party responsible. Paul said (paraphrase) “As much as it is up to you, live peaceably” but when we give up on something that is so precious in God’s sight then there are more problems that need to be dealt with in our lives besides our broken marriage. Aren’t we glad that with God there are no “irreconcilable differences”?

He said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. – Matthew 19:8

And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made [them] at the beginning 'made them male and female, and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” – Matthew 19:4-6

BE COOL CATS_LIVE FOR CHRIST
.:GEOFF:.

TRIED AND TRUE- A High Priest That Can Sympathize

2009-03-27T14:39:00.001-04:00

“For every high priest taken from among men is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. He can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also subject to weakness.” - Hebrews 5:1-2

What does it mean to the believer that Jesus was tempted and yet remained sinless? The Father, along with the yielding of the Son, found it completely necessary for Jesus to walk in mankind’s shoes for 33 years. But why? Couldn’t Jesus have come to earth on the day of His crucifixion without having to be born as a child? God allowed Jesus to walk the earth and suffer pain, grief, temptation and also joy, all as a MAN. When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness He didn’t conquer those temptations with Godly strength. There would be no point in recording this event in Scripture if Jesus merely defeated Satan with His deity. He purposely used God’s Word as His strength during the temptation. How awesome a thought that Jesus could have resisted by simply commanding the devil to flee from His holy presence and yet for our benefit He withstood the testing of His flesh so that He could better aid His children when they face the same temptations: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. When we read about the definition of the High Priest given in Hebrews we see that he is able to enter in to make atonement on behalf of the people because he was one of them and shared the same weaknesses. In the light of that we see Jesus having compassion on His children when they come to Him in times of temptation because He knows what we’re going through and can give us the strength to bare it and also provide a way of escape. It is possible to resist temptation but only if we are willing to withstand the temptation and take the escape route when it is provided. Jesus, give us the courage and the strength to come boldly to Your throne for help when we are faced with temptation and in times of need.

“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” - Hebrews 4:15-16

“Therefore, in all things He HAD to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted; He is able to aid those who are tempted.” - Hebrews 2:17-18 (emphasis added)

.:BE COOL CATS_LIVE FOR CHRIST:.

GEOFF

SALT AND LIGHT

2009-03-19T16:14:00.000-04:00

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. – Matthew 5:13

Did you ever wonder why God doesn’t simply take us to heaven at conversion? Why is it that we are on the earth in the midst of a faithless generation? The answer is found in Matthew 5. Jesus calls us the Salt of the Earth and the Light of the World. What does salt do? There are many spiritual parallels between actual salt and spiritual salt. In Jesus’ day they used salt to preserve perishable foods. They also saw the benefits of using salt as a healing agent. Salt in an open wound is painful and yet it helps the healing process. Finally, what happens to someone when they have a lot of salt? THEY GET THIRSTY! We are called to be the flavor of God so that people would taste the goodness of Christ and want more! If there were no Christians on the earth, who would make unbelievers thirsty for Jesus and then be available to lead them to the Fountain of Living Waters? He also calls us the Light of the World. We are to shine as lights in the world in order to guide the lost to the refuge of the Savior’s arms. We are not to hide our light or to let it flicker out. We also need to stay flavorful. How does salt lose flavor? When it is compromised and mixed with other things. It’s the same with Christians, when we mix with the wrong “flavors” we lose the flavor of Christ and we are left as useless. Take note that Jesus says that we are LIGHT. Light is seen, not heard. We are to live a life that screams Jesus without even using words. It should be obvious in our conduct. He didn’t say you are the “mega-phone” of the world. I myself can sometimes become too much talk and not enough action. Let’s take the task that Jesus has given us seriously so that unbelievers will taste our saltiness and see our light proclaiming that the Lord is good. Do you want to be flavorless and dim or salty and bright?

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” – Matthew 5:16

BE COOL CATS_LIVE FOR CHRIST
.:GEOFF:.

WATCH YO’ MOUFF- Taming the Tongue

2009-03-06T13:21:00.000-05:00

“Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles!” - James 3:5

I have been witness to what the tongue is capable of. I have seen the eyes of one who has been cut down by words. I empathize for I too have been the victim and I’m ashamed to say that I sometimes am the cause. For being such a small part of the body the tongue often does more damage than even a clenched fist. Once words are released they thoroughly accomplish what they were set out to do and it can never be undone. The Bible puts a heavy emphasis on our words and also relates our conversation to our conduct. Read Ephesians 5. The two are often linked in scripture. Jesus also speaks of the Pharisees “acknowledging God with their lips while their hearts are far from Him.” The tongue gets us all into trouble whether it’s when we say one thing and do another or when we twist the truth to make ourselves appear better. For us to attempt to negate words that we say by throwing out the “just kidding” or “I didn’t mean it” clichés is to cover up the real sin that is lodged in our heart. The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked and its bull-horn is the tongue. When we have wickedness on our lips it is the outpouring of what is going on in our hearts and is also evident in our conduct. If we spent as much time boasting in the cross of Christ as we do boasting in ourselves then how many more people would be comforted and healed instead of left battered and bleeding by the assault of our unkind words?

“But no man can tame the tongue. [It is] an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God.” - James 3:8-9

BE COOL CATS_LIVE FOR CHRIST
-GEOFF-

LIVING A JOYFUL NOISE

2009-03-05T11:38:00.000-05:00

“Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto Him…” – Psalm 95:2

How do we reflect our gratitude to God for the wonderful things He has done in our lives? It seems like a simple question but the answer for most of us might come with some difficulty. How often do we really consecrate our daily actions and attitude to testify of God’s great love? To answer these questions honestly is to admit that we do not do enough to express our joy to the world around us. Christians are often lumped into three stereo types; the sugary sweet, naïve person who is misguided in their attempts to spread joy; the “Eeyore” Christian who is a pessimist, always complaining about the difficulty of the Christian Life and the hardships of God’s impossible standards; and (the most popular) the judgmental Christian who takes pride in the misery of others who continually fall short of (their interpretation of) God’s standards while boasting in their legalism. Paul said “to live is Christ”… IS Christ. There is no other reason to live. God has granted us a place in heaven even though our own works merit eternity in hell, separated from Him. He has made us joint-heirs with His Son, Jesus. He has given us the Holy Spirit to live inside of us so that He is always there when we need Him. When you look in the mirror do you realize that the face reflected will one day see God’s face because of what He has done? If that thought does not bring a joy to your heart that is then made evident by your conduct, then what is hindering you? Are we to continue on in silence or should we allow our conduct to proclaim the joy of knowing our Great and Awesome God?

"These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and [that] your joy may be full.” – John 15:11

.:BE COOL CATS_LIVE A JOYFUL NOISE FOR CHRIST:.
GEOFF

DESPERATION- The Longing Soul

2009-02-20T16:01:00.000-05:00

“As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” – Psalm 42:1b-2a

As human beings we spend our entire life trying to prove that we are self-sufficient. As children we long for the day when we can get our drivers’ license and not have to rely on our parents to get us to where we want to go. Even as we grow old it pains us to admit that we may need help and can’t do everything we used to do by ourselves. In the Psalms we see one thing repeated over and over- that we are desperate without God. We long for relationship. We long for financial independence. We long for personal gain yet deep down there is a longing in our souls for more of God. God has created us all with a longing for Him. The trouble is that we so often try to satisfy our longing with the wrongs things. We all tend to have a do-it-yourself attitude and we are deceived into thinking that if we rely on someone else then that is a sign of weakness. There is nothing wrong with admitting to God our desperate need for Him. He longs for us to surrender our self-sufficient ways for His all-sufficient care. It takes humility to desperately call out to God and confess our great need for more of Him and unfortunately we tend to run short in the humility department. Are we too convinced that we can make it on our own or can we humble ourselves and cry out to God in desperation to satisfy our longing soul?

“For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness.” – Psalm 107:9

.:BE COOL CATS_LIVE FOR CHRIST:.
GEOFF

EARS TO HEAR

2009-02-05T17:21:00.001-05:00

Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying..."He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" - Matthew 13:3 & 9

For those of us who have grown up in the church we can allow the constant entrance of the Word to grow dull in our ears. I don’t think any of us would admit that we willingly reject the Word of God but it can happen by not preparing our hearts to receive it. Jesus’ Parable of the Sower is one of His most famous parables but in reality it may be more aptly titled the Parable of the SOIL. There are two consistencies in this parable. 1) The seed. We learn in Jesus’ explanation of the parable that the seed is the Word. Everything that is needed to bear fruit is contained in that seed. 2) The sower. The sower is a picture of Christ planting (or attempting to plant) seed in our hearts to bring forth fruit in out lives. The only inconsistency in the parable is the soil. We are presented with 4 different kinds, the soil on the side of the road, the shallow soil, the soil among the thorns and finally, the GOOD soil. We have all probably been like one of these soils at different times in our life. In my life there have been times that I have been so far from God that I have completely neglected the tending of my heart so that His Word just bounces off unnoticed and the enemy sweeps in and snatches it from remembrance. You may have been excited by a sermon or by reading your daily devotional on a specific occasion but your heart was not prepared for God’s word to take root so that when a difficult circumstance came about you resorted back to the mundane routine of complacency. Then there are those who sit in church and receive the Word and it begins to take root but they allow themselves to get caught up in the cares of this life and their sin gets a stranglehold on them so that they cannot bear proper fruit as they should. Our ultimate goal is to be the final soil, the good soil. This soil is plowed and watered and rich in nutrients making it the perfect place for a seed to take root and grow. Once it has been planted we want to allow the fresh water of the Holy Spirit to saturate us continually and constantly be in the light to encourage growth. Breaking up the fallow ground in our hearts in most cases can be a painful process but it is worth the pain to see the results of the fruit that is born from that very soil. Is God’s Word to us simply -in one ear-out the other- or do we have a heart that is prepared to receive what He is offering?

Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For [it is] time to seek the LORD, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you. - Hosea 10:12

BE COOL CATS_LIVE FOR CHRIST
GEOFF

www.thealtarlife.com
www.hopefm.net

THE CALL

2009-01-30T12:57:00.000-05:00

“And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. So he arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you did call me." Then Eli perceived that the LORD had called the boy… Now the LORD came and stood and called as at other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel answered, "Speak, for Your servant hears."” – I Samuel 3:8 & 10

In the Bible there are many examples of God calling out to a person and we then see their response. Samuel as a young man was called by the Lord in his sleep. Chapter 3 of I Samuel makes it clear that the Word of the Lord was not common in those days yet He decided to reach down into Samuel’s life and Samuel responded. Another instance is when God called Jonah to go to Nineveh and all of us who grew up with the same flannel graphs in Sunday School know the story. Jonah refused and ran in the opposite direction. Eventually Jonah found himself in Nineveh much to his disgust. The moral of the story is God’s call to us is for us to do His will. We cannot get in the way of His will. Samuel heeded the call of God. Jonah did not. God’s will was still accomplished in both stories but only one of the tools He used was satisfied with the results. If we are not in God’s will then His calling will not mesh with our own stubborn agenda. The world we live in today refuses to believe that God can still call out to people like He did in the Bible just because we ourselves have not experienced it in an audible way. Even the church qualifies stories like these by reasoning why God doesn’t call people in the same way that He did. They try to dress up the gospel, dress up the church to entice people because God’s call is no longer strong enough to tug at the hearts of the lost and draw them to Himself. God didn’t need text messaging to knock Saul (Paul) off his horse. He didn’t need a tripped out Online “community” to build His church in the book of Acts. Is it that God doesn’t call us in the same way that He used to or that we are so busy with other things that we have Him on “call-waiting”?

Saturday and Sunday*
9pm
HOPE FM+

.:BE COOL CATS_LIVE FOR CHRIST:.
Geoff

*Listen to The AltarLife anytime you want at www.thealtarlife.com
+Streaming worldwide 24 hrs/day - 7 days/week at www.hopefm.net

FORGET NOT ALL HIS BENEFITS

2009-01-22T15:02:00.002-05:00

Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good [things], [So that] your youth is renewed like the eagle's. – Psalm 103:3-5

When we face difficult circumstances it is almost impossible to focus on anything else. The Psalmist exhorts us to not forget all the great things that God has given us. We can get so caught up in the here and now that we forget the then and soon. We are not talking about the materialistic benefits we who live in America see as blessings from God. God has proven His love to us in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us. God has given us His Holy Spirit to live inside of us. God has brought us from darkness into light. The enemy loves to insert doubt in our minds surrounding God’s love when we go through hard times i.e. divorce, death, financial crisis, etc. We tend to forget that God lavishes his love on His people no matter where their may be on the map. People in Africa are suffering and yet the Bible tells them to not forget God’s benefits. It seems hard to decipher “benefits” in a world of disease and poverty but God loves them the same. Believers around the world are living under the constant threat of persecution and yet God gives them the hope to move forward by bringing to their minds what He has already done and the promise of what He will do. It kind of makes us sit back and think about how quickly we forget God’s numerous benefits towards us when our annual bonus isn’t as large as last year or when that promised raise doesn’t come through. God’s benefits are not defined by created things but by the very Creator of those things loving us so much that He took on the form of a slave and died a criminal’s death so that we could receive eternal life.

Saturday and Sunday*
9pm
HOPE FM**

.:BE COOL CATS_LIVE FOR CHRIST:.
Geoff

* Listen to our podcast anytime you want @ http://www.thealtarlife.com/
**Streaming Online around the world 24/7 @ http://www.hopefm.net/

OBEDIENCE > SACRIFICE

2009-01-16T15:50:00.002-05:00

So Samuel said: "Has the LORD [as great] delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, [And] to heed than the fat of rams. – I Samuel 15:22

In our current culture we don’t really deal too much with sacrifice. Before Jesus was sacrificed for our sins God had instituted the laws concerning sacrifices and offerings. People would take an animal and sacrifice it as atonement for their own sin. This practice was very common and God used it as a picture of what would be accomplished on the cross many years later. As Christians we sometimes fall into the trap of “Sin First-Ask Forgiveness Later”. God’s grace is indeed available to everyone and where sin abounds grace abounds more but at the same time God has called us to be obedient. His commandments are not burdensome like the enemy would like us to believe. We sometimes prefer to disobey and then make our sacrifice to make good on our promise to live holy. Our “sacrifice” or act of worship can be different depending on the circumstance but religiosity can never take the place of true obedience. Helping an old lady across the street today doesn’t make up for getting drunk last night. Feeding the homeless on Sunday afternoon doesn’t atone for indulging in the flesh on Saturday night and the list goes on and on. We spend all of our time and effort trying to make up for our mistakes instead of putting forth the same effort to abstain from sin in the first place. A great challenge from the scriptures for myself especially and hopefully everyone as to what our priorities are. Are we merely abusing the forgiveness and grace of God or are we allowing His sacrifice to lead us into obedience?

"For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous." - Romans 5:19

Saturday and Sunday
9pm
HOPE FM*

.:BE COOL CATS_LIVE FOR CHRIST:.
GEOFF

*Streaming Live 24/7 @ www.hopefm.net
Check out our past shows @ www.thealtarlife.com

THAT AIN'T NO EXCUSE

2009-01-08T12:27:00.002-05:00

“…they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” – Romans 1:20b-21

As the world is constantly teaching us that our problems our “not our fault” it brings to mind the Garden of Eden when the influence of sin is first felt. When confronted by God in regards to their sinful acts Adam and Eve played the “blame game”. Eve blamed the serpent for deceiving her even though she was taught the truth of God’s ONLY commandment. Adam then blamed Eve and ultimately God for his downfall. Isn’t that exactly what we all try to do when we are living in sin? We blame our parents; we blame our upbringing, even God for allowing bad things to happen to us. We blame everything else as long as we don’t have to take personal responsibility for our own actions. We are not saying that these things do not take a toll on us emotionally and spiritually or that they don’t stay with us for the rest of our lives but we absolutely can not deceive ourselves into thinking that they dictate who we are and what we do. Ultimately, we all have a choice to make. Will we allow the truth of God’s Word to penetrate our hearts and hold fast to the truth that He is Sovereign over all things and wants us to live righteously or will we play the “blame game” our entire lives until we come face to face with our Maker and we are left without excuse?

“For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: "[As] I live, says the LORD, Every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God." So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.” – Romans 14:10b-12

SATURDAY AND SUNDAY
9-11pm
HOPE FM*

.:BE COOL CATS_LIVE FOR CHRIST:.
Geoff

*Streaming 24/7 across the globe at www.hopefm.net
Check out our podcast at www.thealtarlife.com

HE MAKES ALL THINGS NEW

2009-01-02T09:31:00.001-05:00

Welcome 2009!

The AltarLife celebrates the New Year with an all new episode!

Therefore, if anyone [is] in Christ, [he is] a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. - I Cor. 5:17

Isn’t it a great thing that God has not merely patched up our old life but has given us a brand spankin’ new one? The joy of the new is something we have all just experienced with the gifts of Christmastime and now with the New Year, an entire year spread out before us. 2008 is in the past. No more living according to what might have been or thinking of the “good ‘ole days”. Jesus Christ is not in the antiques restoration business, He is a Master Craftsman who creates beautiful new works. [I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. - Ezekiel 36:26] Let’s allow Him to be the creator of a new work in our lives.

Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful."

Saturday and Sunday
9pm
HOPE FM (Listen Live @ www.hopefm.net)

Or

Listen 24/7 @ www.thealtarlife.com

.:BE COOL CATS_LIVE FOR CHRIST:.
G

BE YE FILLED

2008-12-18T15:54:00.002-05:00

Join us this Saturday and Sunday night for the 6th and final installment of The AltarLife’s Holy Spirit Series.

“…how much more will [your] heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" – Luke 11:13b

The Lord desires to give us more of the Spirit but it is up to us to simply ask for it. There is no more effective witness than that of a Spirit-filled Christian. The trouble is that we are imperfect and we as vessels are leaky which causes us to need “refills”. So far we have discussed these five different roles of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit brings conviction so let us be filled with the Spirit so that we are always convicted of sin and able to stay on track with the Lord. The Spirit teaches us the mysteries of Christ so let us be filled so that we are continually amazed at the love of God and His plan for our lives. The Spirit brings unity so let us be filled with a supernatural love for one another that causes us to be knit together to grow the Body of Christ. The Spirit speaks for us and through us so let us be filled with the Words of God and not with worldly intellect. The Spirit is like a flame that purifies so let us not quench the fire of God but let us be filled so that we are refined and crafted more and more into the image of God. And finally let us be filled to overflowing so that the Spirit immerses our lives and powerfully affects the lives of the people we come in contact with.

“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive… - John 7:38-39a

Saturday and Sunday Night
9pm
Listen LIVE @ www.hopefm.net

.:BE COOL CATS * LIVE FOR CHRIST:.

GEOFF

QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT- Fight Fire with Fire

2008-12-10T16:14:00.000-05:00

“Do not quench the Spirit.” – I Thessalonians 5:19

In episode 5 we will be discussing how the Holy Spirit is described like a fire in Scripture. Often times in the Bible the word “quench” is used to describe putting out a fire. If we apply that to the Spirit it is easy to see what God is commanding us not to do through this verse in Paul’s epistle to the people of Thessalonica. Do not put out the Spirit’s fire in your life. Pastor David Guzik puts it this way: “…this command is based on the familiar image of the Holy Spirit as a fire or a flame. Though there is a sense in which fire cannot be created, we can provide the environment in which it can burn brightly. Yet a flame can be extinguished when it is ignored and no longer tended, or when the flame is overwhelmed by something else.”

God has allowed the Spirit to run free in the life of the believer, burning up the dross and refining us as gold. We as Christians can sometimes dowse the Spirit’s fire with the dirt of sin or with the floods of rebellion. Other times we can simply neglect the fire of God until it dwindles to a mere flicker. Paul exhorts us to never allow the Spirit of God to dissipate in our lives.

Join us Saturday and Sunday Night as we fan the flames of the Holy Spirit so that we can live The AltarLife

.:Be Cool Cats__Live for Christ:.
Geoff

Morning & Evening Devotional for December 7th

2008-12-10T15:33:00.004-05:00

Hey friends,

I read this and was really challenged by the message. Enjoy!

CHARLES H. SPURGEON
MORNING & EVENING
Evening of December 7th

--------

"I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some." —1 Corinthians 9:22

Paul's great object was not merely to instruct and to improve, but to save. Anything short of this would have disappointed him; he would have men renewed in heart, forgiven, sanctified, in fact, saved. Have our Christian labours been aimed at anything below this great point? Then let us amend our ways, for of what avail will it be at the last great day to have taught and moralized men if they appear before God unsaved? Blood-red will our skirts be if through life we have sought inferior objects, and forgotten that men needed to be saved. Paul knew the ruin of man's natural state, and did not try to educate him, but to save him; he saw men sinking to hell, and did not talk of refining them, but of saving from the wrath to come. To compass their salvation, he gave himself up with untiring zeal to telling abroad the gospel, to warning and beseeching men to be reconciled to God.

His prayers were importunate and his labours incessant. To save souls was his consuming passion, his ambition, his calling. He became a servant to all men, toiling for his race, feeling a woe within him if he preached not the gospel. He laid aside his preferences to prevent prejudice; he submitted his will in things indifferent, and if men would but receive the gospel, he raised no questions about forms or ceremonies: the gospel was the one all-important business with him. If he might save some he would be content. This was the crown for which he strove, the sole and sufficient reward of all his labours and self-denials. Dear reader, have you and I lived to win souls at this noble rate? Are we possessed with the same all-absorbing desire? If not, why not? Jesus died for sinners, cannot we live for them? Where is our tenderness? Where our love to Christ, if we seek not His honour in the salvation of men? O that the Lord would saturate us through and through with an undying zeal for the souls of men.

Let's get our nets and go fishin' for the souls of men.

Peace

Geoff

THE HOLY SPIRIT SPEAKS – Inspiration without Perspiration

2008-12-10T14:53:00.002-05:00

In this our 4th episode we discuss the Spirit “speaking” in two ways.

First, the Spirit speaking FOR us to God. “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered... – Romans 8:26-27
There are many times in our lives when words fail. God has allowed His Holy Spirit to speak for us when we pray, and when our minds and hearts can only groan, He acts as a translator and brings our petitions to the throne of Almighty God.

Secondly, we discuss how the Spirit speaks THROUGH us. (Acts 4:8, 13) “But when they arrest [you] and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit." - Mark 13:11
God does not rely on well educated and articulate people to be the ones that communicate His love to the lost. (Acts 4:13; I Cor. 1:26, 29) All He needs is a willing and empty vessel that He can fill with the Holy Spirit and then do the work through us. That doesn’t mean we are to be lackadaisical in our approach to learning scripture and the mysteries of Christ but it is a comfort to know that God will not leave us out to dry when an open door is presented to preach the Gospel.

"And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness." - Acts 4:31

.:Be Cool Cats__Live for Christ:.
Listen to this entire show @ www.thealtarlife.com

Geoff

THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT- More than Mere Tolerance

2008-11-29T11:42:00.002-05:00

Tune in this weekend for part 3 of our Holy Spirit Series.

“…walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” Ephesians 4:1-6

In this society there is a lot of talk about “Co-Existing” and “putting aside our differences”. The trouble is that the main difference that we have as Christians is our belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and that He is the ONLY way to heaven. This puts us at odds with a lot of people and the new doctrine that everyone is preaching which is to forget what makes us different and come together for the “Greater Good”.

Fortunately the Bible says different. There is none righteous, no not one. There is no Greater Good and the only one who is good is God. Yet we are forced to “Unite” under the banner that all gods are the same and all beliefs are good. God is being pushed to the background in the name of “Unity” because Christianity is too controversial and too fundamental.

The unity of the Holy Spirit is supernatural and can not be attained by force or by mere tolerance. The role of the Spirit is to knit us together as one body in Christ. There will be no worldly unity until every knee together will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord.

However, unity among believers is integral to the growth of the Church which is the Body of Christ and can only be obtained when we are filled with the Spirit.
Let us not be so focused on uniting with the world which is at odds with our Lord that we neglect the unity of the Spirit among believers.

“…the head (is) Christ--from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.” Eph. 4:15-16

Saturday & Sunday Night

9pm

Hope FM

BCC L4C

UNLOCKING THE MYSTERY

2008-11-24T11:33:00.002-05:00

“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own [authority], but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.” John 16:13

This weekend The AltarLife continues with part 2 of The Holy Spirit Series

Another of the Holy Spirit’s roles in the life of the believer is revealing the truths of God’s Word. The Spirit reveals the heart of God to us once we have been born again. Unbelievers see the message of the gospel as foolishness and do not understand the Bible which is why they openly criticize anyone who claims it to be the inerrant Word of God. Their eyes are darkened and the mysteries of God have yet to be revealed to them since they have not received the Holy Spirit at conversion.

God has left things for us to search out with Holy Spirit’s help. The Bible says that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him, so let’s get out our magnifying glass and allow the Spirit to help us unlock the mysteries of Christ.

But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden [wisdom] which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him." But God has revealed [them] to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. I Corinthians 2:7-10

BCC L4C

THE HOLY SPIRIT SERIES - Conviction Not Condemnation

2008-11-19T08:41:00.002-05:00

The AltarLife begins a new series centered on the Holy Spirit and His role in the life of the believer.

“Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment…” – John 16:7-8

When Jesus was preparing His disciples for His departure He told them about The Holy Spirit and how He would bring conviction. God does not condemn His own people (Romans 8:1) but He does bring conviction by His Holy Spirit in order to turn us back from our sinful path. The enemy would love for us to be condemned because it keeps us from confessing our sins. (I John 3:20-21)

The only condemnation is to not believe in Jesus Christ. We are already condemned to an eternity apart from God but He has made a way to pardon us. The Angel told Mary and Joseph that their Son’s name would be Jesus because He would save His people from their sins. That is why God sent His Son! Not to condemn but to convict and when He ascended the Holy Spirit came to indwell the hearts of every believer in order to convict them of their sin and to bring confession and repentance.

Remember, Conviction is from the Holy Spirit and it turns us from our sins,

Condemnation is from the devil and it buries us in our sins.

“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God." – John 3:17-21

BCC L4C
Geoff

PURE FREEDOM THROUGH JESUS CHRIST!

2008-10-30T15:19:00.002-04:00

The AltarLife will be taking a break for two weeks following our 75th episode to bring you a 2-part special entitled “PURE FREEDOM THROUGH JESUS CHRIST!”

We will be airing 2 previously broadcast AltarLife episodes that both cover the topic of Freedom from sin and bondage through the power of Jesus Christ.

November 1st and 2nd – Show 27 “Freedom from the Weight of Darkness” Originally aired 10/13/07

November 8th and 9th – Show 48 “Signed, Sealed, Delivered – Redemption” Originally aired 3/29/08

Please enjoy these trips down memory lane and don’t forget to check out our most recent shows at http://www.thealtarlife.com/ to stay up to date with The AltarLife.

We will return with all new episodes on Saturday and Sunday November 15th and 16th.

Until then,

Be Cool Cats. Live For Christ.
Geoff

WHEN I AM WEAK, THEN I AM STRONG

2008-10-24T16:56:00.004-04:00

And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. - II Corinthians 12:9-10

The world we live in proudly boasts self sufficiency as the key to being truly happy. The kingdom of God knows none of that. "…and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence." – I Cor. 1:27b-29 God longs for his people to realize that they are nothing without Him.

We have a tendency to want to do it ourselves and get the glory for our accomplishments. But God deliberately brings us to a point where we throw our hands up in surrender. He longs to hear us say the words “I Can’t Do It” (John 15:5b …for without Me you can do nothing.) so He can lovingly reply “But I Can.” When we experience this we too can boast as Paul did “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”- Phil. 4:13

Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary.
His understanding is unsearchable.

He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.

Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall,
But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
--------------
Isaiah 40:28-31

Saturday and Sunday Night

9pm

Hope FM Radio Network* Now Streaming Live 24/7

Listen to The Altarlife 24/7 @ http://www.thealtarlife.com/

Geoff

BACKSLIDING- Trading Glory for Garbage

2008-10-16T16:24:00.003-04:00

Has a nation changed its gods,
Which are not gods?
But My people have changed their Glory
For what does not profit.
- Jeremiah 2:11 NKJV

The AltarLife tackles the hard issue of Backsliding. God has a lot to say about backsliding in His Word and we will be taking a look at it this weekend.

The entire book of Jeremiah has a central theme of Israel’s backsliding. The dictionary definition of backsliding is ‘to relapse into bad habits, sinful behavior, or undesirable activities.’ Another prime example of backsliding is found in the Book of Hosea which shows God’s relationship with backslidden Israel through the prophet Hosea and his wife Gomer, a woman who had been a harlot and was continually returning to her former ways just as Israel was continually running to other gods. But God loves the backslider, He doesn’t condone their backsliding but He longs for them to come home just as The Prodigal Son’s father did. The story of The Prodigal Son shows us God’s longing for us to come up over the horizon on our way back home. When we turn from our backsliding He runs to meet us. He doesn’t stand there tapping His foot with arms folded. He lifts up his garments, humbles Himself and runs with arms wide open!

Many people worry about “losing their salvation” by backsliding which isn’t something we would like to get into but we should be warned by God’s Word of the consequences of backsliding, always taking inventory of our hearts to make sure that our repentance is genuine. You may or may not be able to “lose your salvation” but the repercussions of un-confessed sin and an unrepentant heart are felt not just in your own life but in the lives of those around you whether you like it or not. Heed the warning from Hebrews 6:6 …if they fall away…they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame. But also feel the love and acceptance from Hosea 14:4 "I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, For My anger has turned away from him.

"And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.'
"But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.
'And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry;
'for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' And they began to be merry.
– Luke 15:21-24

Saturday and Sunday Night
9PM
Hope FM Radio Network

Peace
Geoff

Listen to The AltarLife 24/7 at www.thealtarlife.com

THE CHRISTIAN SLUMP

2008-10-12T10:04:00.002-04:00

This weekend The AltarLife tackles a subject that all Christians are probably familiar with.

With the Baseball playoffs well under way in this October it brings to mind the subject of "The Slump"

We have probably all experienced a spiritual slump of sorts at some point in our life.
That time when you feel far away from the Lord but not necessarily because of sin or rebellion but more from laziness.

We know what we are supposed to do and how to draw close to God but we'd rather waste our time on other things.
We ask God to draw close to us and tell Him how much we want Him in our life but we sit idly by as our complacency weighs us down. Someone once said: "The evidence of desire is pursuit". If we say that we desire more of the Lord then we should be ready to prove our desire with the act of pursuing the Lord.

Join us in this Holy Pursuit of a Holy God.

Saturday and Sunday Night
9pm on HOPE FM (Listen Live!)

BCC. L4C
G

HARVEST CRUSADE

2008-10-02T16:53:00.002-04:00

Hey Folks,

This weekend is the Greater Philadelphia Harvest Crusade w/ Greg Laurie @ the “Wachovia” Center.

The AltarLife will have the privilege of sharing a table with the Hope FM crew in the concourse of the Arena.

The Crusade is Friday, Saturday and Sunday, October 3-5

Please pray for this huge Evangelism opportunity and bring your unsaved friends, family and co-workers to this FREE event.

Don’t forget to find our table and stop by and say Hi to us.

---
Since Brent and I will be down at the Crusade every night meeting and greeting current and potential listeners we will be replaying The Amplify Rally show that was recorded Live! on August 23rd and aired September 6th.

For a show summary about this Saturday and Sunday night check out our previous Blog on The Amplify Rally and The Jesus Series, show 69 “To Know Him and Make Him Known- The Amplify Rally”

---BIG NEWS!---

You can now stream the most recent AltarLife show in CD quality MP3 format at www.thealtarlife.com updated weekly
Currently Available “CHEERFUL HOLINESS” from 9/27 and 9/28.

Also you can now stream Hope FM LIVE! Online at www.hopefm.net

Hear The AltarLife in real time anywhere there is internet access!

BCC. L4C.
G

CHEERFUL HOLINESS

2008-09-26T10:46:00.002-04:00

"Thou, Lord, hast made me glad through Thy work." —Psalm 92:4

This weekend our topic was inspired by a devotional by Charles Spurgeon from “Morning & Evening”

Read it and ask God to bring this kind of joy to your heart.

Do you believe that your sins are forgiven, and that Christ has made a full atonement for them? Then what a joyful Christian you ought to be! How you should live above the common trials and troubles of the world! Since sin is forgiven, can it matter what happens to you now? Luther said, "Smite, Lord, smite, for my sin is forgiven; if Thou hast but forgiven me, smite as hard as Thou wilt"; and in a similar spirit you may say, "Send sickness, poverty, losses, crosses, persecution, what Thou wilt, Thou hast forgiven me, and my soul is glad." Christian, if thou art thus saved, whilst thou art glad, be grateful and loving. Cling to that cross which took thy sin away; serve thou Him who served thee. "I beseech you therefore, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." – Romans 12:1-2 Let not your zeal evaporate in some little ebullition of song. Show your love in expressive tokens. Love the brethren of Him who loved you. If there be a Mephibosheth anywhere who is lame or halt, help him for Jonathan's sake. If there be a poor tried believer, weep with him, and bear his cross for the sake of Him who wept for thee and carried thy sins. Since thou art thus forgiven freely for Christ's sake, go and tell to others the joyful news of pardoning mercy. Be not contented with this unspeakable blessing for thyself alone, but publish abroad the story of the cross. Holy gladness and holy boldness will make you a good preacher, and all the world will be a pulpit for you to preach in. Cheerful holiness is the most forcible of sermons, but the Lord must give it you. Seek it this morning before you go into the world. When it is the Lord's work in which we rejoice, we need not be afraid of being too glad. – Emphasis Added

The Christian Walk gets a bad rap a lot of times. Everybody hammers into our mind how difficult it is and how much you have to give up but we often forget the joy of being free from guilt and condemnation. Paul quotes David from Psalms about the joy that comes to a believer whose sins are forgiven. "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin." – Romans 4:7-8. Whatever hardship the Christian Walk brings, it could never outweigh the gift of salvation, justification and glorification by the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. “Careful walking may involve much self-denial, but it has pleasures of its own which are more than a sufficient recompense.” – C.H. Spurgeon

Tune In Saturday or Sunday Night @ 9pm
The Hope FM Radio Network

Be cool cats. Live for Christ.
Geoff

Be sure to check out past AltarLife “webisodes” @ www.thealtarlife.com

GET REAL

2008-09-19T10:22:00.001-04:00

This weekend The AltarLife tackles the topic of Sincerity.
“Get Real” will allow us to take a hard look at ourselves and how we act on the outside as compared to the thoughts and intents of our heart.

One of the things that Jesus spoke of most in the negative sense was hypocrisy. He repeatedly rebuked the Pharisees for their phony attitudes, "Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness. "Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also? Luke 11:39-40, in fact if you read all of Matthew 23 you see Jesus really laying in to the Pharisees for their hypocrisy. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. "Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. Vs 25-28 God makes it clear that He would rather us be honest and sincere than put on a front and be phony. But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." I Samuel 16:7 We all struggle with faking the Christian Walk and trying to do what we think other people want to see us do rather than be honest with the Lord no matter where we are in our walk and be sincere in following Him. The Pharisees lacked that sincerity, 'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me… Matthew 15:8-9, which is what set Jesus apart from them and made so many cling to Him. People notice sincerity and it is an essential characteristic for those who name the name of Christ.

Saturday and Sunday Night
9pm
Hope FM

BCC. L4C.
G

Seventy Times Seven

2008-09-12T15:59:00.001-04:00

This week The AltarLife celebrates its 70th show with an appropriate theme to mark this milestone.

Airing Saturday 9pm and replaying on Sunday 9pm will be “Seventy Times Seven”, a show all about forgiveness.

One of the very first AltarLife shows was entitled “God’s Forgiveness vs. Man’s Repentance”.
This time around we’ll be talking about forgiveness on the human level. Forgiveness between one another.
Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. – Matthew 18:21-22
By looking at the text you could assume that Peter thought that forgiving someone seven times for sinning against him was above and beyond what he would be called to do. Jesus proceeds to blow our minds by telling us to times it by SEVENTY! Some translations say Seventy Seven times. We won’t split hairs over this. How many of us have had same person wrong us in the same way 77 times let alone 490 times? For most of us, the answer is probably none. But how many times have we committed the SAME sin against God over and over and yet we have been forgiven? We will be taking a look at a great parable from the heart of Jesus from Matthew 18:23-35, The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant.
Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. – Ephesians 4:31-32

Read Ahead

9/13 & 9/14
9pm
Hope FM Radio Network
Be Cool Cats. Live For Christ.

Geoff
www.thealtarlife.com
www.myspace.com/thealtarlife

Amplify Rally, Our Jesus Series, and the '08 Harvest Crusade

2008-09-09T15:41:00.001-04:00

This past weekend The AltarLife aired our show from The Amplify Rally which was pre-recorded on August 23rd @ Calvary Chapel of Philadelphia.

We had a lot of fun and were totally blessed by being invited to participate.

A total of 250 first time and rededications to Christ resulted from the Rally with over 1500 people attending.

Over the last 2 and ½ months we have been doing our series on Jesus’ Character. It all started appropriately enough with our remote at The Solid Rock Café and Bookstore which aired on June 21st. It was great to kind of reintroduce ourselves to who Jesus is to us for the last 10 weeks.

Here’s how it played out: “Who is Jesus to you?” Series

Episode 1 (Our 60th episode): “Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner?” - We asked people to think about how they would describe Jesus to someone who were going to meet Him in person for the first time. This was our jumping off point for the series and a great time at The Solid Rock Café. It was interesting to hear people share their own thoughts on Jesus’ Character. We really wanted to talk about Jesus the Man in depth since He lived on this earth and faced everything we face and withstood it as a Man so we would know how to.

Episode 2 (61st) “Beautiful Savior” – Jesus was not a good-looking guy who said all the right things. That’s not how God works. (Prov. 31:30) But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for [the LORD seeth] not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart. I Sam. 16:7. In fact, God used something as unattractive as the cross and crucifixion to make the ugly sinner beautiful in His eyes (Read Numbers 21:9, John 3:14-15, I Cor. 1:18-28) Jesus didn’t look the part or fit the mold of the Messiah that people had imagined which is why so many reject(ed) Him. He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him. Isaiah 53:2b But God didn’t want His people deceived by what was just pleasing to the eyes. That’s how this trouble got started in the first place (Read Genesis 3:6). Jesus is beautiful not because of His looks but because of who He is.

Episode 3 (62nd) “Follow The Leader” – Jesus is the Good Shepherd and we are His sheep (Psa. 95:7). And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. -John 10:4, Read all of John 10. We often spend our lives pursuing the wrong things. And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things. Mark 6:34. Jesus sees that and calls us to follow someone who was born to lead. The minute Jesus said “Follow Me”, the four fishermen dropped their nets, Matthew left the tax office, etc. Jesus’ favorite phrase seems to be simply that, FOLLOW ME. Jesus is our perfect example of how to live and we should follow in His footsteps. Read I Peter 2:21-25.

Episode 4 (63rd) “Meekness Ain’t Weakness” –We often think of Jesus as this defenseless person who was murdered. But He Himself said No one takes it (My Life) from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again." (John 10:17-18) Jesus was in total control and yet He submitted to men to be beaten, mocked and crucified so we could be justified, sanctified and glorified. Jesus is all powerful and yet was meek and lowly in heart. We often think of humility as a negative thing but Jesus teaches us to humble ourselves and we will be exalted (I Pet 5:6, Jam 4:10, Matt 23:12, Phil 2:5-11). It is much better to Humble Yourself than to be Humbled.

Episode 5 (64th) “The Warrior: Mighty In Battle” – Just as Jesus had the power to lay His life down, He also has the power to fight for us. We see numerous times throughout the Bible where God fought for His people (Read Joshua 10) And there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the LORD heeded the voice of a man; for the LORD fought for Israel. vs 14. There is no true victory over sin without Christ. He conquered sin and death on the cross. Satan’s biggest weapon is death through sin and Jesus took it head on and then shrugged the dust off. Read Revelation 19:11-16, Romans 6:9, 8:31 & 37, and I Cor. 15:55-57. These passages will allow you to see that Jesus Christ is the Victor over the power of sin and death. Since He has conquered it, He calls us to live free from it.

Episode 6 (65th) “I Shall Not Want” – Jehovah Jireh means God Our Provider. We spend our lives trying to fill a void, a void that God created in each of us that only He can fill. Our problems begin and end with our dissatisfaction with what God offers to fulfill us. "For My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns--broken cisterns that can hold no water. Jer. 2:13 It all started in the garden with the serpent instilling doubt in Humanity that God was holding something back from us. Jesus tells us that God knows exactly what we need before we even ask because that void is a God-shaped one. Read Matthew 6 and Psalm 23

Episode 7 (66th) “The Comforter” – Jesus is familiar with our worries and cares (Heb. 4:15-16). Jesus Himself went through extreme difficulties on earth so that He would be the perfect comfort for us in our time of need. Read Hebrews 2:9-18. Jesus comforts us so that we can then share that comfort with others. Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. II Cor. 1:3-4 Don’t look to this world for comfort for it is temporary. Look to the Lord The eternal God [is your] refuge, And underneath [are] the everlasting arms Deut. 33:27

Episode 8 (67th) “Word of Truth” - Jesus said: " I AM the way, the truth, and the life..."We often refer to Jesus as "the way" to salvation, the giver of new "life", but we often neglect that He is THE WORD. The words He spoke while on earth were never inappropriate or out of line with God. Its not that He merely spoke of truth or spoke about things that are true, but TRUTH itself spoke from the lips of the man, Jesus Christ. Who are we to question the inerrant, infallible WORD OF GOD??? Jesus said in John 12:49 "For I have not spoken on My own [authority]; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak."JOHN 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and TRUTH.

Episode 9 (68th) “Deny Yourself” - Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. Matthew 16:24 Nothing that Jesus did was done for Himself or His own gain. He calls us to love our neighbor as ourselves, to put others interests ahead of our own, to lay our life down for our friends…even our enemies. Jesus said that if we live selfishly than we will lose that very thing we’ve found so precious. "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it… He lived a Selfless Life as an example for how we should live… but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. Matthew 16:25. We have heard it said "it is better to give than to receive", and to that end, it is better to die to self than to live selfishly.

Episode 10 (69th) “To Know Him and Make Him Known – The Amplify Rally” – We have looked in depth at our own relationship with Jesus and who He is in our lives but now it’s time to put what we’ve learned into practice! We now know that Jesus takes things that are ugly and makes them beautiful, we know that He is who we want to follow, He is meek and lowly in heart, He is mighty and victorious over sin, He is our provider and our comforter, He is truth, He is selfless, now we are called to represent Him and those very special characteristics to a lost and hopeless generation. Read II Cor. 5:18-6:2 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. II Cor. 5:20. And here is our message: Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. II Cor. 6:2b Please begin to pray for those who around you who don’t know Christ and ask God to give you the courage to present the Gospel to them. Remember, when we look back at our life we’ll never regret sharing Christ with someone. But we will regret the opportunities that we missed.

A great evangelism opportunity is less than a month away.
Check out philly.harvest.org for more information on The Greater Philadelphia Harvest Crusade w/ Greg Laurie @ the Wachovia Center, October 3-5

Be Cool Cats. Live For Christ.

G

Devotional from Spurgeon

2008-08-30T10:01:00.002-04:00

Hey Folks,

Let's allow the truth of God's Word and the words of this Spirit-filled man correct, exhort, encourage, and provoke us to love and good works.

"Strict walking is much despised in these days, but rest assured, dear reader, it is both the safest and the happiest. He who yields a point or two to the world is in fearful peril; he who eats the grapes of Sodom will soon drink the wine of Gomorrah. A little crevice in the sea-bank in Holland lets in the sea, and the gap speedily swells till a province is drowned. Worldly conformity, in any degree, is a snare to the soul, and makes it more and more liable to presumptuous sins. Moreover, as the Nazarite who drank grape juice could not be quite sure whether it might not have endured a degree of fermentation, and consequently could not be clear in heart that his vow was intact, so the yielding, temporizing Christian cannot wear a conscience void of offence, but must feel that the inward monitor is in doubt of him. Things doubtful we need not doubt about; they are wrong to us. Things tempting we must not dally with, but flee from them with speed. Better be sneered at as a Puritan than be despised as a hypocrite. Careful walking may involve much self-denial, but it has pleasures of its own which are more than a sufficient recompense." - C.H. Spurgeon from Morning & Evening

Read the entire devotional @ BlueLetterBible.org by clicking on the link above

BCC.L4C.

G

DENY YOURSELF

2008-08-28T16:15:00.001-04:00

What did Jesus mean when he asked us to ‘…deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him’?

That will be our topic of discussion this Saturday and Sunday night.

Nothing that Jesus did was done for Himself or His own gain. He calls us to love our neighbor as ourselves, to put others interests ahead of our own, to lay our life down for our friends…even our enemies.
He lived a Selfless Life as an example for how we should live.
We have heard it said "it is better to give than to receive" and that is so true and to that end, it is better to die to self than to live selfishly.

9pm 8/30 & 8/31
Hope FM Radio Network

Be Cool Cats. Live For Christ.

geoff

WORD OF TRUTH

2008-08-22T17:22:00.003-04:00

This Saturday and Sunday we will be focusing on Jesus- THE WORD OF TRUTH.

Jesus said: " I AM the way, the truth, and the life..."

We often refer to Jesus as "the way" to salvation, the giver of new "life", but we often neglect that he is THE WORD. The words He spoke while on earth were never inappropriate or out of line with God. Its not that He merely spoke of truth or spoke about things that are true, but TRUTH itself spoke from the lips of the man, Jesus Christ.

Who are we to question the inerrent, infallible WORD OF GOD???

Jesus said in John 12:49 "For I have not spoken on My own [authority]; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak."

JOHN 1:14
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and TRUTH.

Tune in 9pm Saturday night on HOPE FM 90.5 and other HOPE FM stations
If you miss it on Saturday, hear the replay on Sunday night @ 9pm

Be Cool Cats. Live For Christ,

Geoff

3 days to the AMPLIFY RALLY

2008-08-20T09:12:00.005-04:00

Hey everyone,

We are three days away from the Amplify rally and I'm getting pumped.

The action kicks off at 5pm in the parking lot of Calvary Chapel of Philadelphia

13500 Philmont Ave
Phila., PA 19116

check out philly.harvest.org

We will be recording our live show from 5-7pm and it will then air on September 6th & 7th.

We hope you will come and support the show as well as get a free concert with HipHOP artist The Ambassador and Folk Rockers, REILLY.

See ya Saturday 8/23

Peace

G

Welcome!

2008-08-19T18:13:00.000-04:00

Hey folks,

Welcome to our official blogging home.
Here you will be able to find out what's going on in our heads and in our walk.

Check back for some cool stuff i.e. devotionals, reviews, ponderings, rants, etc.

Be Cool Cats. Live For Christ,
Geoff