Walk on Water for Cyber Monday

Happy Cyber Monday. I hope that you find all kinds of great deals online today. But as we talked about yesterday, nothing that you can purchase online or in a store can ever satisfy you. Only Jesus, His Holy presence can bring you joy, peace, and satisfaction. But that is the danger in the faith. We often times confuse our satisfaction IN Christ with satisfaction from Christ. The crowds of people clamored around Him when He filled their hunger with bread. But He wants to be more than a Genie-in-a-bottle Jesus. He wants to be our bread. And He shows this to His disciples by sending them out on the boat in the middle of the night in the middle of a storm. And all the sudden, there were in a position where all the materialistic possessions on the planet wouldn't help them. Only one thing could save them and that was Jesus, but He was back on shore! Or so they thought.

And as He strutted across the water, their fear turned to joy as they took him into the boat. And they learned the all important lesson that we all too often forget in the faith. Jesus' goal isn't to provide us with "stuff," Jesus' goal is to provide us with Himself. It's His presence, not His possessions, that satisfy. The disciples learned that. And I hope we remember it as well in the middle of life's storms when it appears as though all hope is lost. For it may be only moments away from Jesus walking across the water to reach us.

This truth and promise encourages us to live both generously and courageously. We can be generous with what God has entrusted to us knowing that he will always leave for us a basket of bread with our name on it that in and of itself will be more than we could eat. And we can live a life taking risks for Him knowing that no matter how dangerous or unpredictable tomorrow may be, He holds tomorrow. And He is willing to walk across the water to comfort and care for us in that storm when it's in obedience to Him. So be generous with your time, resources, and joy. And take risks in the faith. The disciples would've never witnessed the miracle of Jesus walking on the water if they all would've stayed on the shore. If you want Jesus to get in the boat with you, then you'll have to first get in the boat yourself!

Pray for me, pray for Torch,
BJ Sanders 

Isaiah 60:1-2
Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord shines over you.
For look, darkness covers the earth,
and total darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will shine over you,
and His glory will appear over you.

A Spirit of Thanksgiving

You know, you never can anticipate what to expect when you show up at PeeWee's Place to join Torch Community Church for service on a Sunday morning. And this past Sunday morning certainly provided the evidence of that. We were throwing surprises at you from every angle. The entire worship experience seemed very backwards from a typical Sunday. Which in many ways provides for us a metaphor of the reversal that we need to have in turning our attitude of ingratitude into a spirit of thanksgiving.

We are truly a blessed people. And the extent in which we fail to realize that or even take advantage of it will in many ways determine the extent of God's continued blessings. For the Sunday before Thanksgiving, as well as communion Sunday, we examined another feast of sorts, the feeding of the 5,000. And in our study we understand that there are countless ways in which God is at work using our inadequate abilities and resources to work miracles in our church and lives. It then becomes in many ways our responsibility to develop and intentionality to recognizing and praising Him for his many blessings. 

But don't enter into this exercise lightly. For to recognize a reason to be thankful often comes purposed with a challenge for us in our daily living. I thank God that He's a big God, but this demands that I trust Him to provide in everything. I thank God that He has a plan, but this demands that I live without buffers, totally dependent on Him. I thank God that He doesn't need but wants to use me, however, this demands that I give everything I am to Him, that I give Him my all. These are just some examples from the story of the feeding of the 5000 in John 6! So be careful becoming a grateful Christian, because it in many ways challenges you to become a great Christian. Indeed, a grateful Christian is a great Christian.

So I challenge you to start keeping a list of praises. Starting today, write one thing every day for which you are thankful. Develop a system. Use a calendar. Work through the alphabet. Think of things that make you happy. But just do something to keep you thinking about thanking.

Pray for me, pray for Torch,
BJ Sanders 

Isaiah 60:1-2
Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord shines over you.
For look, darkness covers the earth,
and total darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will shine over you,
and His glory will appear over you.

Mission Minded People

The main thrust of Sunday's sermon was that Jesus is the Living Water in whom we can have our souls refreshed. That it is in Him alone that we find satisfaction and fulfillment for our deepest longings. And that He will provide for us a cool deep drink of the blessing of His Holy Spirit whenever we come seeking Him. And sometimes, when we are too weary to go looking, we find Him there, sitting beside the cracked empty well of our life, waiting to restore us, refresh us, and lead us in finding rest for our souls.

But I'd like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to the amazing people at Torch Community Church for the effort they put into filling other people's cups as the Living Water overflows out of their lives.

Yesterday, in a church of around 50 people, we collected 13 Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes for the Samaritan's Purse ministry. That's incredible. Many churches of 150 won't collect that many. And we're just getting started.

Also, December 2nd-8th, we are planning a trip to assist in the Hurricane Sandy relief efforts in the name of Christ. We already have 4 people committed to going, and about a half-dozen more still working to figure out the logistics with work schedules and family responsibilities in order to be able to go. Most church of 500 people will do nothing more than take a collection.

I'm so proud of the great Christians we have as a part of Torch Community Church. We are doing much more than most churches twice our size in the area of missions. Jesus could have taken up a collection in Jerusalem, and sent it to Samaria to support the Woman at the Well. But that's too impersonal, too easy. We have a personal God. He steps into the very thick of our lives. And He meets us at our well. I'm excited to say that I'm a part of a church that looks a lot more like Jesus than any other church I've ever served.

Thank you Torch,
BJ Sanders

Isaiah 60:1-2
Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord shines over you.
For look, darkness covers the earth,
and total darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will shine over you,
and His glory will appear over you.

Come Together

In the classic rock anthem from the 60's "Come Together," the Beatles speak unprecedented Christian truth when they encourage us to "Come together, right now, Over me." Sunday, we had our first Torch fellowship, and it was a blessing. Now I use the term "fellowship" loosely. True Christian fellowship entails God's people coming together right now over Jesus. Sunday, following a worship service where the presence of God was present and the music was powerful and Spirit-filled, we then all headed back to my house to come together right now over Jesus, but also the Bengals. It goes without saying that Jesus is far more satisfying than our Bengals as they lost yet again. But I must admit, it was the most enjoyable loss I believe I have ever watched. Because the Christian conversation and just being together with God's people, my church family, overshadowed the football game. It was indeed felt like a family reunion. 

Our topic from Sunday sermon was that of humility. Remember your challenge this week.

If humility is indeed found in serenity, then beginning this week, start the journey of discovering contentment in every area of your life. Read a book. Share the Gospel. Be more concerned about honoring God in obedience than you are about impressing others with your image.

If humility is indeed subtle, then this week, bless someone else without them knowing it was you. Serve God silently.

If humility is indeed submission, then wherever in your life you've been holding back from God, let it go this week. And fully allow yourself to fall into step with His plan for your life.

I look forward to seeing you at Torch next Sunday morning.

Pray for me, pray for Torch,
BJ Sanders 

Isaiah 60:1-2
Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord shines over you.
For look, darkness covers the earth,
and total darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will shine over you,
and His glory will appear over you.

Happy Halloween

Every person in the graveyard has something very similar in common with us. We are all going to die. You’ll notice that on every one of the gravestones there are two dates. One to mark their birth and one to mark their death. But what’s in between, that dash in between these two dates is what really matters. Death is not something for us as Christians to fear because we are not our bodies.

We should teach our children to think no more of their bodies when dead than they do of their hair when cut off, or of their old clothes when they have done with them.—George McDonald

Hebrews 9:27 says “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgement.”

Judgement for what?? Surely not the way you died. Each one of us will be judged according to the dash. How will we be judged according to the dash?

1 Corinthians 3:10b-15 says “But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other that the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved but only as one escaping through the flames.”

We know here that Paul is speaking directly to the Christians. It’s important to note that there isn’t any punishment. There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. If you know Christ as you personal Savior, then no matter what your dash looks like when that final date is written in, you will escape the flames. But if you build your life on the foundation of Christ with materials such as gold, silver, and costly stones, then you will receive your reward. What does it mean to build your life out of gold, silver, and stones?

Guys, the dash is what counts, the dash in between is what you will be judged on. What does your dash look like so far? You will not be punished on that Day, but you cannot take your wealth, relationships, or influence with you into Heaven.

On December 17, 1912 Bill Borden boarded ship for China. Borden was born into an upper-class family on Chicago’s Gold Coast, heir to a fortune in real estate and milk production. His mother became a Christian, and young Bill began attending Chicago’s Moody Church with her, soon becoming a Christian himself. Shortly afterward, when Pastor R. A. Torrey challenged worshipers to dedicate their lives to God’s service, William quietly rose. He stood a long, long time while the service went on and it was a consecration from which he never retreated.

Later at Yale University, Bill became well known as a star athlete, good-looking, worth $50 million, and committed to Christ. At a student missions conference in Nashville, he was deeply moved by Samuel Zwemer to reach the Muslims; and following graduation he announced he was giving his immense inheritance to the cause of world missions. He joined the China Inland Mission, planning to evangelize the Muslims in China. But first came language study in Egypt. On the eve of his departure, his widowed mother wondered if Bill had done the right thing, giving up fortune and homeland. “In the quiet of my room that night, worn and weary and sad, I fell asleep asking myself again and again, ‘Is it, after all, worthwhile?’ In the morning as I awoke, a still small voice was speaking in my heart, answering: ‘God so loved the world that he gave his only beloved son. … ’ ”

A month after arriving in Egypt, Borden contracted spinal meningitis. He was dead in two weeks, but he left a final message on paper stuffed under his pillow: “No Reserve! No Retreat! No Regrets!”

The story of his sacrifice was retold in newspapers across America and the publication of his biography resulted in a dramatic leap in numbers of young people offering themselves as living sacrifices for Christ.