From a message by Pastor Randy Thornton
Do you want to be a casual, chilling, complacent Christian?
“Casual” means “showing little interest or concern; nonchalant: lenient and permissive.”
“Chilling” is a slang word meaning “calm, relaxed, idle and easy going.” Young people often describe relaxing as “chilling out.”
“Complacent” means “self-satisfied and unconcerned.”
In a recent sermon, Pastor Randy Thornton of Grace Church in Southern Pines, N.C., used comedian Jeff Foxworthy’s format of “You might be a redneck, if…” and changed that phrase to
“You might be a casual Christian, if….” Here are some of Thornton’s thought-provokers:
You might be a casual Christian, if you value comfort and personal pleasure over the pursuit of the Kingdom of God.
“The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22 NIV).
You might be a casual Christian, if your desire for independence is more important than God’s will.
“A man's own folly ruins his life, yet his heart rages against the LORD” (Proverbs 19:3).
You might be a casual Christian, if your friends have more influence on you than God does.
“Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character’” (1 Corinthians 15:33).
“Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14).
You might be a casual Christian, if your eyes are dry and you have no passion for the lost.
“Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest” (John 4:35).
“God has called us to be fishers of souls, not keepers of the aquarium,” Thornton said.
Jesus said, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last…” (John 15:16).
Paul said, “Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16).
You might be a casual Christian, if you listen to the Gospel without being moved to respond, again.
You might be a casual Christian, if your plans for your future end in retirement and stop short of “well done, thou good and faithful servant.”
You might be a casual Christian, if you have no pleasure in giving to God and hold your tithe for yourself.
“You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’ But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers…” (Deuteronomy 8:17-18).
You might be a casual Christian, if…
…your care for what other people think deters you from obedience to the Lord.
…your passion for Jesus was hotter when you were first saved than it is now.
...having fun is more important than serving God.
…what you have and the pursuit of having it is more important than the pursuit of God.
…you avoid the uncomfortable and opt instead to live inside the sacred comfort of your routine.
…you avoid burdens instead of seeking them and carrying them.
…broken relationship stop you from forgiving others.
…if worship is elevated based on the quality of the music rather than on a personal connection with the presence of God.
And you might be a casual Christian, if serving God is regarded as work for those whose rank is a lower on the totem pole than yours, or you say that such work is not your “gifting.”
To find motivation to “totally commit to God,” we should compare the costs of serving God to the benefits; then we should trust God to help us keep our commitments, Thornton said.
“…I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day” (2 Timothy 1:12).
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Vision: Dreaming a Dream
Fom a message of hope by Pastor Randy Thornton
“God created man with the power to be creative,” said Randy Thornton, senior pastor of Grace Church in Southern Pines, N.C., as he spoke at the church on a recent Sunday morning.
Thornton, 52, said animals are born, they live and they die, but God put eternity in the heart of man; a person’s relationship with God and other people reflects the idea that God created us in his likeness.
“God’s image is in us,” Thornton said. “You have divine design and destiny. God’s plan for you is irrevocable.”
He read this verse: “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20, NIV).
“Have you lost your vision of God’s dream for you? Has your vision bogged down?” Thornton asked. “The history of this church is a testimony to the power of a God-given dream.”
Thornton told of launching Grace Church over 20 years ago. When he brought his family from Manna Church in Fayetteville, N.C., to Southern Pines, he had few regular church attendees. He had spent two years at Grace when snow fell one Sunday morning. After the lady who led music hurried home after the worship part of that Sunday a.m. service, the only man attending said, “I’ll stay so you’ll have someone to preach to.” Thornton said he thought about giving up but knew he should stay. The church “yo-yoed” with 75-20-75-50 etc. people for 10 years. Thornton worked at UPS and pastored his fluctuating flock for 13 years before quitting UPS. Grace Church now has four fulltime assistant pastors and holds two Sunday morning services. Total Sunday morning attendance averages over 1,000.
Thornton said some people have “no dream.” The results of having no dream are frustrations, boredom and regrets. “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law” (Proverbs 29:18).
Some have a “low dream,” he added.
We often have small dreams because dreams make us accountable. We may also fear failure or criticism – people may laugh at us.
“If you don’t try things in life, you’re never going to experience life,” Thornton said.
Some people have the “wrong dream,” he noted, and some have a “vague dream.” “A discerning man keeps wisdom in view, but a fool's eyes wander to the ends of the earth” (Proverbs 17:24).
“God has a dream for your life,” Thornton said. He gave these eight steps for realizing “God’s dream for you”:
1. Open your mind to God’s dream. Seek first the kingdom of God. Say, “Not my life, but Your Life.” “He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe” (Proverbs 28:26).
2. Do some research. “He who answers before listening – that is his folly and his shame” (Proverbs 18:13).
3. Ask for advice (consultation). “The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; the ears of the wise seek it out” (Proverbs 18:15).
4. Establish some priorities. “God didn’t create you just to have fun,” Thornton said. “If you live just for yourself, you’ll come up empty, somewhere.”
5. Evaluate the cost (calculate risk). What’s the price tag? Everything valuable in life has a price tag. Proverbs 20:25 warns that an impulsive vow traps you; you'll later want to get out of it.
6. Plan for problems. “Make plans by seeking advice…” (Proverbs 20:18). “A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it” (Proverbs 22:3).
7. Be willing to risk it all. “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe” (Proverbs 29:25). This involves the “principle of confrontation.”
8. Do it now. This involves the “principle of initiation.” “Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed” (Proverbs 16:3).
“Some of you have neglected your relationship with God,” Thornton said. “Some of you need to make a decision that things are going to change…I believe God is saying, ‘Don’t waste your life. Live it for me!”
Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).
“God created man with the power to be creative,” said Randy Thornton, senior pastor of Grace Church in Southern Pines, N.C., as he spoke at the church on a recent Sunday morning.
Thornton, 52, said animals are born, they live and they die, but God put eternity in the heart of man; a person’s relationship with God and other people reflects the idea that God created us in his likeness.
“God’s image is in us,” Thornton said. “You have divine design and destiny. God’s plan for you is irrevocable.”
He read this verse: “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20, NIV).
“Have you lost your vision of God’s dream for you? Has your vision bogged down?” Thornton asked. “The history of this church is a testimony to the power of a God-given dream.”
Thornton told of launching Grace Church over 20 years ago. When he brought his family from Manna Church in Fayetteville, N.C., to Southern Pines, he had few regular church attendees. He had spent two years at Grace when snow fell one Sunday morning. After the lady who led music hurried home after the worship part of that Sunday a.m. service, the only man attending said, “I’ll stay so you’ll have someone to preach to.” Thornton said he thought about giving up but knew he should stay. The church “yo-yoed” with 75-20-75-50 etc. people for 10 years. Thornton worked at UPS and pastored his fluctuating flock for 13 years before quitting UPS. Grace Church now has four fulltime assistant pastors and holds two Sunday morning services. Total Sunday morning attendance averages over 1,000.
Thornton said some people have “no dream.” The results of having no dream are frustrations, boredom and regrets. “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law” (Proverbs 29:18).
Some have a “low dream,” he added.
We often have small dreams because dreams make us accountable. We may also fear failure or criticism – people may laugh at us.
“If you don’t try things in life, you’re never going to experience life,” Thornton said.
Some people have the “wrong dream,” he noted, and some have a “vague dream.” “A discerning man keeps wisdom in view, but a fool's eyes wander to the ends of the earth” (Proverbs 17:24).
“God has a dream for your life,” Thornton said. He gave these eight steps for realizing “God’s dream for you”:
1. Open your mind to God’s dream. Seek first the kingdom of God. Say, “Not my life, but Your Life.” “He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe” (Proverbs 28:26).
2. Do some research. “He who answers before listening – that is his folly and his shame” (Proverbs 18:13).
3. Ask for advice (consultation). “The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; the ears of the wise seek it out” (Proverbs 18:15).
4. Establish some priorities. “God didn’t create you just to have fun,” Thornton said. “If you live just for yourself, you’ll come up empty, somewhere.”
5. Evaluate the cost (calculate risk). What’s the price tag? Everything valuable in life has a price tag. Proverbs 20:25 warns that an impulsive vow traps you; you'll later want to get out of it.
6. Plan for problems. “Make plans by seeking advice…” (Proverbs 20:18). “A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it” (Proverbs 22:3).
7. Be willing to risk it all. “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe” (Proverbs 29:25). This involves the “principle of confrontation.”
8. Do it now. This involves the “principle of initiation.” “Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed” (Proverbs 16:3).
“Some of you have neglected your relationship with God,” Thornton said. “Some of you need to make a decision that things are going to change…I believe God is saying, ‘Don’t waste your life. Live it for me!”
Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).
Elements of a Healthy Family
From a message by Pastor Randy Thornton
“God has called us to be in families,” said Pastor Randy Thornton, 53, during a recent sermon at Grace Church in Southern Pines, N.C. “Family is all about relationships.”
Thornton, 53, Grace’s senior pastor, listed the following six points as he spoke on “How to Have a Healthy Family”:
1. Families make (create) fun.
“Jesus knew how to connect with people – emotional intelligence,” Thornton said.
Jesus said, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).
“Find creative ways to have fun by doing fun things together,” Thornton said, adding that by having family activities, you teach children how to get along with people.”
Slow down. Schedule some playtime. Ask yourself, “Is there a fun way to do this (chore)?” Do unexpected, new stuff. Plan surprises. Make it happen. Fun often doesn’t just happen.
2. Give attention.
St. Paul said, “…Fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others” (Philippians 2:1-4).
“Giving your life away is one of the greatest things we believers should do,” Thornton said.
Find time to unwind. Unplug from things of the day. Learn to listen; let people give opinions without cutting them off to give your opinion.
3. Capture memories.
“…Take heed to yourself…lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren…” (Deuteronomy 4:9).
“Healthy families capture memories,” Thornton said. “Write it down; get a picture.”
Create several anniversaries. Hang up wedding photos. Family vacations often provide the greatest memories. Return to memorable locations. Photograph and video your children; write letters to loved ones as they grow up.
4. Verbally inspire.
“Therefore comfort each other and edify one another…” (1Thessalonians 5:11). “A good man out of the good treasure…brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things” (Matthew 12:35).
Catch people doing the right thing, and let them know. Weigh your words (the tongue can be a fire, says James). Use words to edify. Write it out; send letters – they are little treasures. Encourage children in front of others (praise them in public; discipline them in private).
5. Love without condition.
“Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands…rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself…and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel…” (John 13:3-5).
After Jesus washed feet and ate “The Last Supper” with his disciples, he said, “Little children…A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:33-35).
Thornton said he was a teenager and a fairly new Christian when he told his stepfather that he loved him. His stepfather, for the first time Thornton remembers, responded with “I love you.”
“Tell them you love them,” Thornton said. “Love them with actions. Love them with respect – 70 percent of communication is non-verbal.”
6. Yield to God.
“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up” (Deuteronomy 6:5-7).
“…Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve...But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15).
“God has called us to be in families,” said Pastor Randy Thornton, 53, during a recent sermon at Grace Church in Southern Pines, N.C. “Family is all about relationships.”
Thornton, 53, Grace’s senior pastor, listed the following six points as he spoke on “How to Have a Healthy Family”:
1. Families make (create) fun.
“Jesus knew how to connect with people – emotional intelligence,” Thornton said.
Jesus said, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).
“Find creative ways to have fun by doing fun things together,” Thornton said, adding that by having family activities, you teach children how to get along with people.”
Slow down. Schedule some playtime. Ask yourself, “Is there a fun way to do this (chore)?” Do unexpected, new stuff. Plan surprises. Make it happen. Fun often doesn’t just happen.
2. Give attention.
St. Paul said, “…Fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others” (Philippians 2:1-4).
“Giving your life away is one of the greatest things we believers should do,” Thornton said.
Find time to unwind. Unplug from things of the day. Learn to listen; let people give opinions without cutting them off to give your opinion.
3. Capture memories.
“…Take heed to yourself…lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren…” (Deuteronomy 4:9).
“Healthy families capture memories,” Thornton said. “Write it down; get a picture.”
Create several anniversaries. Hang up wedding photos. Family vacations often provide the greatest memories. Return to memorable locations. Photograph and video your children; write letters to loved ones as they grow up.
4. Verbally inspire.
“Therefore comfort each other and edify one another…” (1Thessalonians 5:11). “A good man out of the good treasure…brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things” (Matthew 12:35).
Catch people doing the right thing, and let them know. Weigh your words (the tongue can be a fire, says James). Use words to edify. Write it out; send letters – they are little treasures. Encourage children in front of others (praise them in public; discipline them in private).
5. Love without condition.
“Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands…rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself…and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel…” (John 13:3-5).
After Jesus washed feet and ate “The Last Supper” with his disciples, he said, “Little children…A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:33-35).
Thornton said he was a teenager and a fairly new Christian when he told his stepfather that he loved him. His stepfather, for the first time Thornton remembers, responded with “I love you.”
“Tell them you love them,” Thornton said. “Love them with actions. Love them with respect – 70 percent of communication is non-verbal.”
6. Yield to God.
“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up” (Deuteronomy 6:5-7).
“…Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve...But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15).
Fear or Faith
From a message by Pastor Randy Thornton
“Whenever a person is ruled by fear, he takes matters into his own hands,” said the Rev. Randy Thornton, during a recent sermon at the church he leads, Grace Church in Southern Pines, N.C.
Israel wanted a king, and Saul was tall, attractive and humble, said Thornton, 52. Saul, who reigned from 1025-1004 B.C., seemed to love God and even prophesied, but during Israel’s war with the Amalekites, he failed to follow God’s instructions.
The Amalekites were descendants of Amalek, Esau’s grandson. They refused to allow the Israelites to cross their land when the Israelites migrated to the Promised Land (Exodus 17). God directed Saul to destroy the Amalekites, including their possessions, livestock and king.
Saul spared their King Agag and took the best of their livestock for himself. The Prophet Samuel rebuked Saul, beheaded Agag and told Saul that God had rejected him as Israel’s king (I Samuel 15).
“God demanded judgment, but Saul showed mercy,” Thornton said. “Did your child need judgment (discipline), and you showed mercy? And now he’s on drugs…When judgment is due, do we show mercy? (Someone called that error “the problem of ‘misplaced mercy’.”) How many can say that at some time in your life you’ve made decisions out of fear?”
Thornton contrasted Saul with David, Saul’s successor. When fear crippled Israel, David viewed Goliath, the Philistine’s giant strongman, through God’s perspective and killed Goliath with a sling and a small stone.
“…When David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine…the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets (tambourines), with joy, and with instruments of music (lutes). And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands. And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him…” (1 Samuel 18:6-8).
Saul feared loosing his kingdom; he probably feared his son would never sit on Israel’s throne.
“When you find yourself taking matters into your own hands rather than trusting God, you are headed for disaster,” Thornton said. “Fear destroys faith and causes us to manipulate. Where does the spirit of fear come from? From Satan himself.”
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).
“Our children are growing up in a world where it’s almost embarrassing to be called a Christian,” Thornton said. “There are many undercover Christians, today.”
Five stumbling blocks to standing for Christ and overcoming fears:
1. The Approval of Others: “…Among the chief rulers…many believed on him (Jesus); but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue. For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God” (John 12:42-43).
“We can let fear control us, or we can pay the price to do the right thing,” Thornton said. “The ‘soft choices’ destroy us.”
2. Traditions: Jesus said, “For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men…” (Mark 7:8).
3. The Voice of Reason: “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 16:25).
4. Letting Feelings Determine Your Decisions: “In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did that which was right in his own eyes…” (Judges 21:25).
“Mick Jagger has been singing ‘I can’t get no satisfaction’ for 40 years,” Thornton said. “Let truth guide you, not feelings.”
5. Letting Doubts Cause You to Question Absolute Truth: Instead of doubting these verses, believe them: “I am the LORD; I change not” (Malachi 3:6). “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrew 13:8). “Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23).
“Biblical absolutes guide and protect you,” Thornton said. “How many realize fear has had some influence on your lives? Fear is overcome by faith. ‘Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil’…He has not given us a spirit of fear. You can make right decisions when fear doesn’t dominate your life.”
“Whenever a person is ruled by fear, he takes matters into his own hands,” said the Rev. Randy Thornton, during a recent sermon at the church he leads, Grace Church in Southern Pines, N.C.
Israel wanted a king, and Saul was tall, attractive and humble, said Thornton, 52. Saul, who reigned from 1025-1004 B.C., seemed to love God and even prophesied, but during Israel’s war with the Amalekites, he failed to follow God’s instructions.
The Amalekites were descendants of Amalek, Esau’s grandson. They refused to allow the Israelites to cross their land when the Israelites migrated to the Promised Land (Exodus 17). God directed Saul to destroy the Amalekites, including their possessions, livestock and king.
Saul spared their King Agag and took the best of their livestock for himself. The Prophet Samuel rebuked Saul, beheaded Agag and told Saul that God had rejected him as Israel’s king (I Samuel 15).
“God demanded judgment, but Saul showed mercy,” Thornton said. “Did your child need judgment (discipline), and you showed mercy? And now he’s on drugs…When judgment is due, do we show mercy? (Someone called that error “the problem of ‘misplaced mercy’.”) How many can say that at some time in your life you’ve made decisions out of fear?”
Thornton contrasted Saul with David, Saul’s successor. When fear crippled Israel, David viewed Goliath, the Philistine’s giant strongman, through God’s perspective and killed Goliath with a sling and a small stone.
“…When David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine…the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets (tambourines), with joy, and with instruments of music (lutes). And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands. And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him…” (1 Samuel 18:6-8).
Saul feared loosing his kingdom; he probably feared his son would never sit on Israel’s throne.
“When you find yourself taking matters into your own hands rather than trusting God, you are headed for disaster,” Thornton said. “Fear destroys faith and causes us to manipulate. Where does the spirit of fear come from? From Satan himself.”
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).
“Our children are growing up in a world where it’s almost embarrassing to be called a Christian,” Thornton said. “There are many undercover Christians, today.”
Five stumbling blocks to standing for Christ and overcoming fears:
1. The Approval of Others: “…Among the chief rulers…many believed on him (Jesus); but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue. For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God” (John 12:42-43).
“We can let fear control us, or we can pay the price to do the right thing,” Thornton said. “The ‘soft choices’ destroy us.”
2. Traditions: Jesus said, “For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men…” (Mark 7:8).
3. The Voice of Reason: “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 16:25).
4. Letting Feelings Determine Your Decisions: “In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did that which was right in his own eyes…” (Judges 21:25).
“Mick Jagger has been singing ‘I can’t get no satisfaction’ for 40 years,” Thornton said. “Let truth guide you, not feelings.”
5. Letting Doubts Cause You to Question Absolute Truth: Instead of doubting these verses, believe them: “I am the LORD; I change not” (Malachi 3:6). “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrew 13:8). “Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23).
“Biblical absolutes guide and protect you,” Thornton said. “How many realize fear has had some influence on your lives? Fear is overcome by faith. ‘Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil’…He has not given us a spirit of fear. You can make right decisions when fear doesn’t dominate your life.”
You Were Born for This - Review
From a message by Pastor Randy Thornton
“You can know about God but not be a conduit of his power,” said the Rev. Randy Thornton, senior pastor of Grace Church in Southern Pines, N.C., as he preached recently at the church. “If you don’t see the demonstration of the Holy Spirit in your life, how is all the knowledge helping?”
Thornton, 52, recently began a sermon series based on “You Were Born for This: Seven Keys to a Life of Predictable Miracles,” a book published in 2009 by Bruce Wilkinson, author of “The Prayer of Jabez.” (Six million copies of “The Prayer of Jabez” have been sold.)
Multnomah Press, publishers of “You Were Born for This,” says about the book: “Anyone can do a good deed, but some good works can only happen by an act of God. Around the world these acts are called miracles – not that even religious people expect to see one any time soon. But what would happen if millions of ordinary people walked out each morning expecting God to deliver a miracle through them to a person in need? “You Were Born for This” starts with the dramatic premise that everyone at all times is in need of a miracle, and that God is ready to meet those needs supernaturally through ordinary people who are willing to learn the “protocol of heaven”…Wilkinson describes how anyone can be a ‘Delivery Guy’ from heaven in such universally significant arenas of life as finances, practical help, relationships, purpose and spiritual growth.”
“Publisher's Weekly” says, “Peppered with stories of miracles in which he (Wilkinson) has participated or that he has observed, the book focuses on ways that people can intuit the leading of God to respond to the needs of others. The place to begin, Wilkinson recommends, is by believing that ‘everyone you encounter has an unmet need that God strongly desires to meet supernaturally through you.’ Critics of The Prayer of Jabez” will find similar problems with this book – the suggestion that God responds to prayer with instant results and more than a whiff of a packaged program. In this volume, however, Wilkinson responds to previous criticisms of a self-serving theology by concentrating on helping readers make miracles happen for other people rather than for themselves.”
Pastor Thornton endorses “You Were Born for This.” Here are some of his comments from a sermon, “Doing God’s Work by God’s Power,” he based on the book:
“You can be a believer and not operate in God’s power,” Thornton said. “Will you partner with God to deliver miracles?”
Most of us want God to deliver miracles for us, but as we “know God,” we’ll want Him to bring miracles to others, too, he said.
He referred to this passage: “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:17-20).
“Every day, start out your life not living for ‘you,’” Thornton said. “The miracles that Jesus did were because of the relationship between him and God.”
“…God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him” (Acts 10:38).
Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised” (Luke 4:18).
“Do you believe God can use the words you say to change someone’s life?” Thornton asked. “Does God want to use you? The answer is ‘Yes!’”
Peter spoke confidently “in the flesh” about his dedication to Jesus, but he then denied Jesus three times. After he was filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter preached with confidence.
“Are you willing to be a conduit for the Holy Spirit?” Thornton asked. “Really, it’s quite the simple heart that says, ‘Here am I, Lord. Send me.’”
“You can know about God but not be a conduit of his power,” said the Rev. Randy Thornton, senior pastor of Grace Church in Southern Pines, N.C., as he preached recently at the church. “If you don’t see the demonstration of the Holy Spirit in your life, how is all the knowledge helping?”
Thornton, 52, recently began a sermon series based on “You Were Born for This: Seven Keys to a Life of Predictable Miracles,” a book published in 2009 by Bruce Wilkinson, author of “The Prayer of Jabez.” (Six million copies of “The Prayer of Jabez” have been sold.)
Multnomah Press, publishers of “You Were Born for This,” says about the book: “Anyone can do a good deed, but some good works can only happen by an act of God. Around the world these acts are called miracles – not that even religious people expect to see one any time soon. But what would happen if millions of ordinary people walked out each morning expecting God to deliver a miracle through them to a person in need? “You Were Born for This” starts with the dramatic premise that everyone at all times is in need of a miracle, and that God is ready to meet those needs supernaturally through ordinary people who are willing to learn the “protocol of heaven”…Wilkinson describes how anyone can be a ‘Delivery Guy’ from heaven in such universally significant arenas of life as finances, practical help, relationships, purpose and spiritual growth.”
“Publisher's Weekly” says, “Peppered with stories of miracles in which he (Wilkinson) has participated or that he has observed, the book focuses on ways that people can intuit the leading of God to respond to the needs of others. The place to begin, Wilkinson recommends, is by believing that ‘everyone you encounter has an unmet need that God strongly desires to meet supernaturally through you.’ Critics of The Prayer of Jabez” will find similar problems with this book – the suggestion that God responds to prayer with instant results and more than a whiff of a packaged program. In this volume, however, Wilkinson responds to previous criticisms of a self-serving theology by concentrating on helping readers make miracles happen for other people rather than for themselves.”
Pastor Thornton endorses “You Were Born for This.” Here are some of his comments from a sermon, “Doing God’s Work by God’s Power,” he based on the book:
“You can be a believer and not operate in God’s power,” Thornton said. “Will you partner with God to deliver miracles?”
Most of us want God to deliver miracles for us, but as we “know God,” we’ll want Him to bring miracles to others, too, he said.
He referred to this passage: “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:17-20).
“Every day, start out your life not living for ‘you,’” Thornton said. “The miracles that Jesus did were because of the relationship between him and God.”
“…God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him” (Acts 10:38).
Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised” (Luke 4:18).
“Do you believe God can use the words you say to change someone’s life?” Thornton asked. “Does God want to use you? The answer is ‘Yes!’”
Peter spoke confidently “in the flesh” about his dedication to Jesus, but he then denied Jesus three times. After he was filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter preached with confidence.
“Are you willing to be a conduit for the Holy Spirit?” Thornton asked. “Really, it’s quite the simple heart that says, ‘Here am I, Lord. Send me.’”
Worship as Extravagance
The Rev. Bill Fuller preached recently about “Worship as Extravagance” at Grace Church in Southern Pines, N.C.
Fuller, Grace Church’s executive pastor, earned a bachelors degree in religion at UNC Chapel Hill in 1974. After graduation, he lived six months among the Gurage people in Ethiopia. That experience inspired him to serve God cross-culturally and led him to Columbia Graduate School of Bible and Missions, where he earned a Master of Divinity degree in Missions. He and his wife, Georgia, live in Sanford, N.C. They have two children.
Fuller spoke about extravagant giving, speaking and living.
He read 2 Corinthians 9:6-7: “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
The word “cheerful” is rooted in the Greek word “hilaros,” which translates to the English word “hilarious,” Fuller noted. “Hilarious” means “exuberant, enthusiastic, exhilarated.”
He told of the woman who “let her hair down in public” – something Jewish women never did, he said – and anointed Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume.
“Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
“But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, ‘Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages’…
“‘Leave her alone,’ Jesus replied. ‘It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me’” (John 12:1-8).
Nard is processed from leaves of a flowering plant that grows in the Himalayas of China and in the northern region of India and Nepal. Pure nard, in 2011, would be worth $2,800 an ounce, Fuller said. Mary poured about a pint (16 ounces) on Jesus’ feet.
“Extravagance is not measured by the size of the gift you made but by the sacrifice you made,” Fuller said. “God loves extravagant givers, because he is an extravagant giver.”
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).
Fuller said we should serve God with our speaking.
“Why is it so hard to say extravagant things about God?” he asked. “Because it’s a sacrifice. Some of you will have to give up the energy to speak up. Sacrifice your self-image, and speak up. Jesus suffered so we could be welcomed into God’s family. Are we too ashamed to speak extravagantly of God in public? Praise just flows from the lips of people who know what God did for us.”
Worship also involves extravagant living, Fuller said. “Spending your life for God is the only reasonable response for what he’s done,” he said. “He became poor and destitute and sacrificed his body, so you might not suffer the wrath of God.”
Fuller asked the audience to sing “Take My Life, and Let It Be Consecrated.” Here are some of that hymn’s words penned in 1874 by Frances R. Havergal:
“Take my life and let it be / Consecrated, Lord, to Thee. / Take my moments and my days / Let them flow in ceaseless praise; / Let them flow in ceaseless praise. / Take my hands and let them move / At the impulse of Thy love. / Take my feet and let them be / Swift and beautiful for Thee… / Take my voice and let me sing / Always, only, for my King. / Take my lips and let them be / Filled with messages from Thee… / Take my silver and my gold / Not a mite would I withhold / Take my intellect and use / Ev-’ry pow’r as Thou shalt choose… / Take my will and make it Thine / It shall be no longer mine. / Take myself and I will be / Ever, only, all for Thee… / Take my love, my Lord, I pour / At Thy feet its treasure store, / Take myself and I will be / Ever, only, all for Thee, / Ever, only, all for Thee.”
Can I Forgive?
From a message by Pastor Randy Thornton
“If you are going to live the Christian life, you are going to have to learn to forgive,” the Rev. Randy Thornton said.
Thornton, 53, a husband, father of four and senior pastor of Grace Church in Southern Pines, N.C., recently delivered this message, “Can I Really Forgive,” at the church.
Thornton told of a man who seemed to generate conflicts in his relationships. That man adored his late mother and said he had resolved problems with his still-living father, who years ago abused him.
A friend of the fellow in this story counseled him and felt impressed that his conflicts with people had to do with his adored mother. The man said he didn’t think he had unresolved issues with his deceased mother, who, more than the father, was the leader in the home during his growing-up years. While thinking about his friend’s impression, however, the man saw a mental scene of his mother and father in the home where he grew up; he saw his father abusing him and his mother not intervening. He realized he had un-forgiveness toward his mother. Though he had idealized her, he harbored subconscious bitterness toward her. He repented (and hopefully experienced fewer conflicts with people).
Bitterness can eat away at relationships, Thornton said. The people who are closest to you can hurt you the most. Bitterness holds you captive; you become a slave to the person you hold bitterness toward. A person needs to understand the “root” of his bitterness.
Thornton told of counseling a lady “who had mental illness.” She had problems with her father; finally, she forgave him and witnessed to him.
“Three months after she shared Christ with him, her dad accepted the Lord,” Thornton said. “The key to seeing God move is for you to choose to forgive others, no matter what they’ve done.”
“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:31-32 NIV).
“See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many” (Hebrews 12:15).
Don’t cause yourself to fall “short of grace”: “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you” (Matthew 6:14).
Don’t cause a root of bitterness to spring up, cause trouble and defile many. Thornton defined “grace” as “God’s desire and power to release.” He said a “root” is “a plant’s ability to survive.” If you add to the root system, new branches appear. Dump anger onto your wife and children, and that anger can transfer to generations and defile many, Thornton said.
Sin and shame in a person’s heart can cause bitterness to grow there, too. Thornton read about the woman at the well (John 4 NIV):
Jesus and his disciples visited Sychar, a Samaritan town, and the disciples went to buy food. Jesus, worn out, sat alone at Jacob’s well; during the heat of the day, a Samaritan woman came to draw water. Most women probably obtained water from that well during morning hours, Thornton said, adding, “Was it that she wanted no one to see her?” The Jews looked down on Samaritans, but Jesus showed kindness. She experienced God’s love.
Jesus asked the woman, “Will you give me a drink?” She said, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water…whoever drinks the water I give will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Jesus asked her to go and get her husband; she said she had no husband; Jesus said he knew she’d had five husbands and that the man she lived with was not her husband. He told her he was the Messiah. The woman left her water pot, went to the city and told the men, “Come and see a man who told me all the things I have done! Could this be the Messiah?”
“When God sets you free of shame, you can access confidence in front of those who’ve shamed you,” Thornton said. “The woman at the well left her water pot and her shame at the well. Jesus set the woman free. He can do the same, today. Are you not ‘walking’ with others because you feel shame and come at noon to the well? Jesus can set you free to walk with others. It wasn’t by accident that Jesus ended up in Samaria. He was there to set people free. He’s here today to set you free.”
“If you are going to live the Christian life, you are going to have to learn to forgive,” the Rev. Randy Thornton said.
Thornton, 53, a husband, father of four and senior pastor of Grace Church in Southern Pines, N.C., recently delivered this message, “Can I Really Forgive,” at the church.
Thornton told of a man who seemed to generate conflicts in his relationships. That man adored his late mother and said he had resolved problems with his still-living father, who years ago abused him.
A friend of the fellow in this story counseled him and felt impressed that his conflicts with people had to do with his adored mother. The man said he didn’t think he had unresolved issues with his deceased mother, who, more than the father, was the leader in the home during his growing-up years. While thinking about his friend’s impression, however, the man saw a mental scene of his mother and father in the home where he grew up; he saw his father abusing him and his mother not intervening. He realized he had un-forgiveness toward his mother. Though he had idealized her, he harbored subconscious bitterness toward her. He repented (and hopefully experienced fewer conflicts with people).
Bitterness can eat away at relationships, Thornton said. The people who are closest to you can hurt you the most. Bitterness holds you captive; you become a slave to the person you hold bitterness toward. A person needs to understand the “root” of his bitterness.
Thornton told of counseling a lady “who had mental illness.” She had problems with her father; finally, she forgave him and witnessed to him.
“Three months after she shared Christ with him, her dad accepted the Lord,” Thornton said. “The key to seeing God move is for you to choose to forgive others, no matter what they’ve done.”
“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:31-32 NIV).
“See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many” (Hebrews 12:15).
Don’t cause yourself to fall “short of grace”: “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you” (Matthew 6:14).
Don’t cause a root of bitterness to spring up, cause trouble and defile many. Thornton defined “grace” as “God’s desire and power to release.” He said a “root” is “a plant’s ability to survive.” If you add to the root system, new branches appear. Dump anger onto your wife and children, and that anger can transfer to generations and defile many, Thornton said.
Sin and shame in a person’s heart can cause bitterness to grow there, too. Thornton read about the woman at the well (John 4 NIV):
Jesus and his disciples visited Sychar, a Samaritan town, and the disciples went to buy food. Jesus, worn out, sat alone at Jacob’s well; during the heat of the day, a Samaritan woman came to draw water. Most women probably obtained water from that well during morning hours, Thornton said, adding, “Was it that she wanted no one to see her?” The Jews looked down on Samaritans, but Jesus showed kindness. She experienced God’s love.
Jesus asked the woman, “Will you give me a drink?” She said, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water…whoever drinks the water I give will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Jesus asked her to go and get her husband; she said she had no husband; Jesus said he knew she’d had five husbands and that the man she lived with was not her husband. He told her he was the Messiah. The woman left her water pot, went to the city and told the men, “Come and see a man who told me all the things I have done! Could this be the Messiah?”
“When God sets you free of shame, you can access confidence in front of those who’ve shamed you,” Thornton said. “The woman at the well left her water pot and her shame at the well. Jesus set the woman free. He can do the same, today. Are you not ‘walking’ with others because you feel shame and come at noon to the well? Jesus can set you free to walk with others. It wasn’t by accident that Jesus ended up in Samaria. He was there to set people free. He’s here today to set you free.”
How to Face the Future
From a message by Pastor Randy Thornton
The Rev. Harold Camping, 89, predicted that a huge earthquake, beginning around 6:00 p.m. on May 21, 2011, would precede the Rapture.
Pastor Randy Thornton said he fell asleep as he rested on a couch in his home around 5:30 p.m., Saturday, May 21, 2011. He woke up after 6:00 p.m. and realized the Rapture hadn’t happened.
During a sermon titled “How to Face Your Future,” Thornton, 53, senior pastor of Grace Church in Southern Pines, N.C., referred to Jesus’ words about the “Rapture” in Matthew 24:26: “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Matthew 24:26 NIV).
In Christian eschatology (the study of “last things”), the “Rapture” is a reference to the “being caught up” referred to in 1 Thessalonians 4:17: “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”
Camping predicted that on May 21, 2011, Christians would exit the earth. His nonprofit Christian organization, Family Radio, took in $80 million in contributions between 2005 and 2009 and advertised “Judgment Day.” According to “Wikipedia,” Camping applied numerology to his interpretations of Bible passages to predict dates for the “End Times.” He calculated the Rapture would occur on May 21 and God would destroy the Earth and the universe on October 21. “When May 21 passed without incident, Camping stated he now believes a ‘spiritual’ judgment occurred on that date and that the physical Rapture would occur on October 21, 2011, simultaneously with the destruction of the universe by God,” “Wikipedia” reports. Camping previously predicted “judgment days” on May 21, 1988, and September 7, 1994.
Thornton, who says he believes the Rapture will occur someday (at an unknown time), asked his church, “How do believers in Jesus Christ prepare for what’s ahead?”
He listed two things NOT to do:
1. Do not make the mistake of planning without God.
“Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city…carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil” (James 4:13-16).
“I challenge the men of this church, heads of households, to prepare for the future,” Thornton said. “Pray that we would hear what’s on the heart of God. I believe the Holy Spirit is beginning to call people back into prayer in a new way.”
2. Do not presume about tomorrow (James 4:14, 16). “You need to be able to hear a storm coming,” Thornton said. “Are you going to walk with God, if you lose your job? If you put God first, he will provide. In this nation, we are going to have some great opportunities to follow God.”
He gave four points to consider in preparing to face the future:
1. Have a God-relationship. “God desires a relationship with his people,” Thornton said. “This is no time for namby-pamby, double-marshmallow Christians.”
2. Have faith. “If you’ve given your life to Jesus Christ, it won’t matter what happens in the future,” he said.
3. Obey God’s Word. “Shallow Christianity won’t last very long…where you come to church and then live like hell all week long.”
“Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (James 1:21-22).
4. Put God first in your finances (Malachi 3:6-12). Don’t break covenant with God by withholding tithes. “Tithing teaches us to put God first,” Thornton said. “When you choose to take from God…what a man sows, he will reap.”
In conclusion, Thornton asked, “How do you prepare for the future?” and referred to this verse: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you” (Jeremiah 29:11).
The Rev. Harold Camping, 89, predicted that a huge earthquake, beginning around 6:00 p.m. on May 21, 2011, would precede the Rapture.
Pastor Randy Thornton said he fell asleep as he rested on a couch in his home around 5:30 p.m., Saturday, May 21, 2011. He woke up after 6:00 p.m. and realized the Rapture hadn’t happened.
During a sermon titled “How to Face Your Future,” Thornton, 53, senior pastor of Grace Church in Southern Pines, N.C., referred to Jesus’ words about the “Rapture” in Matthew 24:26: “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Matthew 24:26 NIV).
In Christian eschatology (the study of “last things”), the “Rapture” is a reference to the “being caught up” referred to in 1 Thessalonians 4:17: “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”
Camping predicted that on May 21, 2011, Christians would exit the earth. His nonprofit Christian organization, Family Radio, took in $80 million in contributions between 2005 and 2009 and advertised “Judgment Day.” According to “Wikipedia,” Camping applied numerology to his interpretations of Bible passages to predict dates for the “End Times.” He calculated the Rapture would occur on May 21 and God would destroy the Earth and the universe on October 21. “When May 21 passed without incident, Camping stated he now believes a ‘spiritual’ judgment occurred on that date and that the physical Rapture would occur on October 21, 2011, simultaneously with the destruction of the universe by God,” “Wikipedia” reports. Camping previously predicted “judgment days” on May 21, 1988, and September 7, 1994.
Thornton, who says he believes the Rapture will occur someday (at an unknown time), asked his church, “How do believers in Jesus Christ prepare for what’s ahead?”
He listed two things NOT to do:
1. Do not make the mistake of planning without God.
“Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city…carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil” (James 4:13-16).
“I challenge the men of this church, heads of households, to prepare for the future,” Thornton said. “Pray that we would hear what’s on the heart of God. I believe the Holy Spirit is beginning to call people back into prayer in a new way.”
2. Do not presume about tomorrow (James 4:14, 16). “You need to be able to hear a storm coming,” Thornton said. “Are you going to walk with God, if you lose your job? If you put God first, he will provide. In this nation, we are going to have some great opportunities to follow God.”
He gave four points to consider in preparing to face the future:
1. Have a God-relationship. “God desires a relationship with his people,” Thornton said. “This is no time for namby-pamby, double-marshmallow Christians.”
2. Have faith. “If you’ve given your life to Jesus Christ, it won’t matter what happens in the future,” he said.
3. Obey God’s Word. “Shallow Christianity won’t last very long…where you come to church and then live like hell all week long.”
“Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (James 1:21-22).
4. Put God first in your finances (Malachi 3:6-12). Don’t break covenant with God by withholding tithes. “Tithing teaches us to put God first,” Thornton said. “When you choose to take from God…what a man sows, he will reap.”
In conclusion, Thornton asked, “How do you prepare for the future?” and referred to this verse: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you” (Jeremiah 29:11).
How to Stay Refreshed
From a message by Pastor Randy Thornton
“I like working,” the Rev. Randy Thornton said, as he began a recent sermon called “How to Stay Refreshed” at Grace Church in Southern Pines, N.C. He admitted he has a difficult time taking a vacation.
Thornton, 53, who has served as Grace’s senior pastor for 23 years, began,” as I understand, a 6-week “sabbatical,” the day after his recent “refreshing” sermon ended. Grace Church leaders asked “Pastor Randy” to take six weeks off from his ministerial duties. They said he had preformed well and deserved time to “get alone with God.”
A “sabbatical” (with a lower case “s”) is defined as “any extended period of leave from one's customary work, especially for rest, to acquire new skills or training, etc.” The word “Sabbatical” (with a capital “S”) refers to the “Sabbath,” a “day of rest and religious observance.”
Note: “Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy” (Exodus 20:8 (NIV). Old Testament Jews observed the Sabbath, or seventh day of the week (Saturday) as holy. Most professing Christians accept Sunday as the New Testament “Lord’s Day” (Acts 20:7).
Pastor Thornton said he is taking a sabbatical to renew his relationship with God; he said all Christians should spend time with God and avoid “burnout.”
“God wants you just to ‘chill’ and hang out with him. God didn’t create you to run like an Eveready battery,” he said.
He read John 15:15: (Jesus said) “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”
We need to spend time with God in order to sense what God wants to “make known to us.”
“God is not like you and me,” Thornton said. “Problems, life and stresses begin to wear us out. We are human, and God is not.”
He gave some guidelines on “How to Win”:
“Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever” (1 Corinthians 9:25).
“We all want to hear at the end of our lives: ‘Well done, good and faithful servant,’” Thornton said. “Sometimes we’re motivated out of a desire to feel important, and that wears us out. God made you, and you’re born of the Spirit (if you have accepted Christ) and of the flesh.”
Thornton said God created the earth and its inhabitants (Genesis 1:27-31), and he “rested”:
“By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done” (Genesis 2:1-3).
Perhaps God rested to provide an example for mankind, Thornton suggested. “Why would God take a break, if he wasn’t tired? Man is created with a need for rest.”
Thornton said God deems your relationship with him and your family as important.
“Sunday should be a time to refresh yourself and spend time with God and family,” he said, adding that George Barna says the average father spends only 37 seconds per day with each of his children. “At the end of life, will you say you’d rather have spent more time with your job or your family? God says work six days. Sitting on the couch on Sunday is not being lazy. You can ‘do things for Christ’ and neglect your relationship with him.”
“Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy” (Exodus 20:9-11 NIV).
Thornton mentioned S. Truett Cathy, founder of the Chick-fil-A restaurant chain. Chick-fil-A stores close on Sundays. A member of the First Baptist Church in Jonesboro, Georgia, Cathy has taught Sunday school there for over 50 years. “God has truly blessed that company, because he (Cathy) took a stand,” Thornton said.
Thornton concluded by saying, “You want to learn how to put God first? Then learn how to rest in God, We have made too much of recreation. Sports, hobbies and activities are sucking the life out of us. Create priorities that are going to be successful. I am going on a sabbatical to spend time with God.”
“I like working,” the Rev. Randy Thornton said, as he began a recent sermon called “How to Stay Refreshed” at Grace Church in Southern Pines, N.C. He admitted he has a difficult time taking a vacation.
Thornton, 53, who has served as Grace’s senior pastor for 23 years, began,” as I understand, a 6-week “sabbatical,” the day after his recent “refreshing” sermon ended. Grace Church leaders asked “Pastor Randy” to take six weeks off from his ministerial duties. They said he had preformed well and deserved time to “get alone with God.”
A “sabbatical” (with a lower case “s”) is defined as “any extended period of leave from one's customary work, especially for rest, to acquire new skills or training, etc.” The word “Sabbatical” (with a capital “S”) refers to the “Sabbath,” a “day of rest and religious observance.”
Note: “Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy” (Exodus 20:8 (NIV). Old Testament Jews observed the Sabbath, or seventh day of the week (Saturday) as holy. Most professing Christians accept Sunday as the New Testament “Lord’s Day” (Acts 20:7).
Pastor Thornton said he is taking a sabbatical to renew his relationship with God; he said all Christians should spend time with God and avoid “burnout.”
“God wants you just to ‘chill’ and hang out with him. God didn’t create you to run like an Eveready battery,” he said.
He read John 15:15: (Jesus said) “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”
We need to spend time with God in order to sense what God wants to “make known to us.”
“God is not like you and me,” Thornton said. “Problems, life and stresses begin to wear us out. We are human, and God is not.”
He gave some guidelines on “How to Win”:
“Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever” (1 Corinthians 9:25).
“We all want to hear at the end of our lives: ‘Well done, good and faithful servant,’” Thornton said. “Sometimes we’re motivated out of a desire to feel important, and that wears us out. God made you, and you’re born of the Spirit (if you have accepted Christ) and of the flesh.”
Thornton said God created the earth and its inhabitants (Genesis 1:27-31), and he “rested”:
“By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done” (Genesis 2:1-3).
Perhaps God rested to provide an example for mankind, Thornton suggested. “Why would God take a break, if he wasn’t tired? Man is created with a need for rest.”
Thornton said God deems your relationship with him and your family as important.
“Sunday should be a time to refresh yourself and spend time with God and family,” he said, adding that George Barna says the average father spends only 37 seconds per day with each of his children. “At the end of life, will you say you’d rather have spent more time with your job or your family? God says work six days. Sitting on the couch on Sunday is not being lazy. You can ‘do things for Christ’ and neglect your relationship with him.”
“Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy” (Exodus 20:9-11 NIV).
Thornton mentioned S. Truett Cathy, founder of the Chick-fil-A restaurant chain. Chick-fil-A stores close on Sundays. A member of the First Baptist Church in Jonesboro, Georgia, Cathy has taught Sunday school there for over 50 years. “God has truly blessed that company, because he (Cathy) took a stand,” Thornton said.
Thornton concluded by saying, “You want to learn how to put God first? Then learn how to rest in God, We have made too much of recreation. Sports, hobbies and activities are sucking the life out of us. Create priorities that are going to be successful. I am going on a sabbatical to spend time with God.”
The Foundation of a Strong Family
During a sermon, “The Foundation of a Strong Family,” the Rev. Randy Thornton, senior pastor of Grace Church in Southern Pines, N.C., read this:
“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people” (2 Timothy 3:1-5 NIV).
“Is this not a picture of our day?” Thornton asked.
He read Genesis 2:18-24: “The LORD God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. … So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, … he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib …, and he brought her to the man. The man said, ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, for she was taken out of man.’ That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.”
“God’s design for the future is ‘family,’” Thornton said. “Jesus talks about the church as a family. You have your physical family, but you also have your church family.”
We will answer to God for how we live our lives, Thornton said. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10).
“God is a loving God, but the other side is this: God is a just and holy God, and he must judge sin; all believers will one day stand before Christ,” Thornton said. “We will have no defense. I would-a, could-a, should-a is not going to work in heaven.”
He said God will consider three issues: 1. How much truth did you know? 2. How many opportunities did he give to you? 3. What did you do with all he entrusted to you?
“What a man sows, he reaps,” Thornton said. “How many have done something stupid and had to pay for your actions? God wants us to live a life of holiness and obedience. He desires us to live in family.”
1. A family exists to shelter one from storms: “Whoever fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for their children it will be a refuge” (Proverbs 14:6).
2. A family helps one deal with change: The culture changes every three to five years. A family helps one deal with failure. “It’s a place where change and failure can be embraced, and they (family members) still love you,” Thornton said.
3. A family helps you deal with rejection: “Life hurts,” he said, “but family is a safe place, a secure place. Family doesn’t end; it’s a life-time endeavor.”
Thornton said some of the unhappiest people living in Moore County, N.C., are those who worked hard, neglected their families, retired and now feel their children are just waiting to collect an inheritance when they die.
“The family is a learning center for life,” he said. “Don’t provoke your children.”
“Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4).
“Some things are learned in the context of family and community; Lone Rangers always get shot down,” Thornton said. “And a lot of childrearing is learning which end of the child to pat.”
There are three stages of training: parental control, self-control, and God control (the greatest control). Relationships are learned in “family.”
“Your children are going to struggle a little bit,” Thornton said. “There may be a time when they slip and fall. Parents, don’t give up. A family is a place to have fun and enjoy life. Make family events fun. … You can’t change where you’ve been in the past, but you can change what your family becomes. Family is a place for life and ministry. If you want to build a strong family, you need to know the Lord and help everyone in your family know the Lord.”
“They (Paul and Silas) replied (to their jailor), ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved – you and your household’” (Acts 16:31).
“I believe we have to be committed to God’s design for the family,” Thornton said. “Cultivate a relationship with God. Fight for your family. Failure is only a failure if you stay down and wallow in your failure. Let’s live according to the holy will of God.”
Saturday, September 17, 2011
How to Affair-Proof Your Marriage
Pastor Randy Thornton spoke recently on “How to Affair-Proof Your Marriage: First Loves Need Second Chances” at Grace Church in Southern Pines, N.C.
“We have a lot of people in different stages (of life), and we want to address staying morally pure,” said Thornton, Grace’s senior pastor.
He married Sarah in 1980 and took her to see some places where avalanches had occurred in Colorado, his home state. He noticed his wife, from the Sandhills of N.C., shied away from some of his beloved high-altitude scenery. He asked what was wrong. Sarah said, “Randy, there are no guard rails. We could die!”
“People in marriage are being taken down by avalanches, because there are no guardrails,” Thornton said. “They find themselves in wrong relationships – either emotionally or physically.”
He said trouble brews and deception reigns when one steps out from under the “umbrella of authority” and that rebellion is “as the sin of witchcraft” (1 Samuel 15:23 NIV: “For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry…).
“There are people in this room who are close to the guardrails, maybe even close to going over,” he said. “It’s best to be under authority where God can bless.”
He warned of “the sins of the fathers,” saying, “What a parent does in moderation, a child will do in excess.” He said it’s better to stick with a difficult marriage and work at it, so the children have a chance at success in life. “Who suffers in an adulterous affair? It’s the children. Marriage is crumbling, and it’s what holds this society together.”
“Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral” (Hebrews 13:4 NIV).
“I could tell, as a pastor, hundreds of stories of betrayal,” he said. “If emotional needs are met outside of marriage, physical needs are not far behind. There are no reasons anyone should have an affair, but some people do.”
He gave 15 ways to affair-proof your marriage:
1. Make your relationship with God your top priority in life.
2. Make your relationship with your spouse your top priority outside of your relationship with God.
3. Nurture the emotional intimacy in your marriage.
4. Show appreciation on a regular basis.
5. Spend time together doing fun things and just “hanging out.”
6. Keep your intimate sexual life passionate and active.
7. Discuss and resolve issues as they come up. “…In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold” (Ephesians 4:25-27).
8. Share your goals for the present and the future; support each other’s goals.
9. Talk about the problem of infidelity and know that it can strike any marriage.
10. Make wise decisions about contacts with the opposite sex at work and other settings, including church. Reportedly, 18-year-old men think of sex every 32 seconds. “If men are subject to sexual desires, let me challenge ladies to not come to church in sexual array,” Thornton said. “Dress in a way that ‘puts on the Lord Jesus Christ.’” Be careful with workplace relationships and avoid casual hugs and kisses. He warned of inappropriate Internet relationships, which begin with emotional attachments for “cyber-space soul mates.” He said, “They are becoming an increasing problem. Infidelity does not always include sex. Don’t play with fire. Don’t get close to the
guardrails. Who’s going to pay the price? The children and the children’s children.”
11. Evaluate your vulnerabilities.
12. Watch for three danger signals that you’ve crossed the line: emotional intimacy, sexual tension and secrecy.
13. Establish boundaries.
14. Have a sense of honor and duty.
15. WWJD? – What Would Jesus Do? Jesus said, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41).
“Witnessing to your high school girl friend is no good,” Thornton said. “Have your wife witness to her, or call a pastor in her city. What would Jesus do? He’d pray and ask God to give him strength!”
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Worship as Waiting
From a 2011 02 04 message by the Rev. Randy Thornton
“God wants to know you personally and intimately in a deep way,” said the Rev. Randy Thornton, preaching recently at Grace Church in Southern Pines, N.C. “What does it mean to worship God while you’re waiting?”
Thornton, a husband and a father of four adult children, serves as Grace Church’s senior pastor. He said a Christian can fall into a routine and neglect his relationship with God.
“One of the key things in life is learning how to put ‘margin’ in your life,” he said.
Our culture is fast-paced. Men and women work hard. They need time for recuperation or exhaustion comes.
“Soon, you’re two strangers in a house,” Thornton said.
He read Genesis 2:2-3: “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.”
“Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest” (Exodus 34:21).
Thornton said, “On the seventh day, he (God) said, ‘It’s chill time.’ We need a day to ‘connect. Sometime my wife just says, ‘Talk.” And I’ll say, What about?’ And she’ll say, ‘I don’t know. Just talk.’”
Our culture is doing everything it can to keep us from spending time with God and with the family, he observed.
“It’s hard for Americans to slow down,” he said. “We can’t sit still. Why are the kids on Ritalin? We can’t sit still.”
Thornton gave these warning signs that indicate a person is too busy and on the edge of burnout:
A sense of hopelessness
Frequent tears
Difficulty concentrating
Decision-making comes hard
Irritability
Insomnia
Lowered activity levels
Lack of mental attentiveness
Eating disorders
Aches and pains
You have to make this decision: Getting healthy is a top priority.
“I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand” (Psalm 40:1-2 NIV).
Sometimes our prayers are “whining,” Thornton said. “Some of us are bogged down in our lives. We have lost perspective. When they waited patiently, he lifted them out of the slimy pit. We need God to fill our emotional tanks. Some people seem to be in one life crisis after another.”
God wants to fill us on a daily basis, Thornton said. He then asked, “How many could spend 20 minutes with God? Say, ‘God, I want to come before you and wait patiently.’ Tell God, ‘I’m here. Speak.’ Invite him to come and be with you. His manifest presence becomes almost tangible.”
“He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the LORD and put their trust in him. Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods” (Psalm 40:3-4 NIV).
Thornton noted, “God says, ‘Let me give you my love to love others.’ Rearrange your schedule. It has to be intentional…if we want to win the race in the long run.”
He said “Chick-fil-A” honors God by not opening its restaurant on Sundays.
“Chick-fil-A is one of the most successful businesses in the fast-food industry,” Thornton said.
He noted that God wants us full of his Spirit and that if we are full of God, when someone asks us to ‘talk,’ we’ll have something to say.
“Turn off the electronics and talk, connect,” Thornton said. Making an appeal particularly to men, he said, “Can you spend 20 minutes (with God)…could I extend that to one hour? Take one hour and spend time with God, without an agenda.”
He concluded by praying, “God, I know you want everyone here to know how to wait upon the Lord.”
“…They that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).
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