From Pastor Tom - How to Improve Your Prayer Life

              You can learn a lot about a person by the way they pray.  For instance, a selfish prayer indicates a selfish spirit.  Their prayers sound like a Christmas list.  Other people try to impress you with their prayers, yet they come off as arrogant and prideful.  How then should we pray?  In the first chapter of Nehemiah we find a model prayer that contains four secrets to improving your prayer life.

1.  Base your request on God’s character.

                Acknowledge the greatness of God.  That’s what Nehemiah did.  Verse 5 says, “Lord God of heaven, the great and awe-inspiring God who keeps His gracious covenant with those who love Him and keep His commands.”

Notice that Nehemiah says three things about God:

A.  He calls God “great” – that’s God’s position.

B.  He calls God “awe-inspiring” – that’s shows God’s power.

C.  He says God “keeps His gracious covenant” – that shows God’s faithfulness.

When you start your prayer by acknowledging God’s character – this is called praise.

2.  Confess the sin in your life.

                The second thing Nehemiah did was confess the sin in his life.  “I confess the sins we have committed against You. Both I and my father’s house have sinned.” (v. 6)  Notice that Nehemiah confessed not only his sins but also the sins of his family.  In our society we are taught that we are only responsible for ourselves.  This is not true!  We are all in this together.  We are our brother’s keeper.

3.  Claim the promises of God.

                Nehemiah prayed, “Please remember what You commanded Your servant Moses.” (v. 8) Can you imagine saying “remember” to God!  God doesn’t forget.  But He wants us to claim the promises He has made to us.  Nothing pleases God more than when we remind God of what He has promised us.  It shows that we are listening to Him and that we have heard His word.

4.  Be specific in what you ask for.

                If you want specific answers to your prayers you need to make specific requests.  Nehemiah did not hesitate to pray for success.  He boldly prayed:  “Give Your servant success today.”  (v. 11)  Have you prayed for success?  If not, why not?  What is the alternative?  Failure!  There is nothing wrong praying for success in what ultimately leads to the glory of God.  If you are God’s child, God wants you to be successful in serving Him.  Pray boldly.

May God Bless

Pastor Tom

From Pastor Tom - Needs Or Greeds

There is an incredible promise in Philippians 4:19-20.  The verse reads:

      “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (ESV)

Look closely at this verse.  It doesn’t say, “My God might…” or “My God may …” it says “My God will supply every need of yours…”  This is a written fact.  God has given his word.  He has put his character and reputation on the line.  “I will meet your needs.”

Does this mean rent?  Yes.  Car payments?  Yes.  Utility bills?  Yes.  It includes all of our needs.

Now, realize that this verse does not say, “God will meet all of our greeds.”  There is a big difference between needs and wants.  He is not going to give you everything you want.  If he did you would be spoiled to death.  However, he has promised to supply your needs.

If God has promised to meet our needs, why is it then that so many people struggle in the area of finances?  Did God fail?  Did he lie?  Did he exaggerate?  No!  But, with every promise that God makes, there are conditions and requirements.  Here are six conditions:

 1.  We need to ask God for help.

            “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, it will be opened to you.”               Matthew 7:7 (NKJV)

2.  We need to ask with the right motives.

            “You do not have, because you do not ask.  You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on you passions.”  James 4:2b-3 (ESV)

3.  We need to learn to be content.

            “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”  Hebrews 13:5 (ESV)

4.  We need to practice sowing and reaping.

            Every farmer knows that you can’t harvest what you have not sown.  The same is true with God.  If you do not give him what he requires how can you expect to get anything from him?

            “Honor God with everything you own; give him the first and the best, then he will fill       your barns.” Proverbs 3:9-10a (Msg)

5.  We need to be honest.

            “God cares about honesty in the workplace; your business is his business.”  Proverbs 16:11 (Msg)

6.  We need to trust God with our life.

            “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you          everything you need.”  Matthew 6:33 (NLT)

This last verse says, “He will give you everything you need.”   It may not be everything you want.  There is a big difference between needs and greeds.  God will supply your needs.

May God Bless

Pastor Tom

From Pastor Tom - John 3:16

Let me share a few thoughts with you from John 3:16.  You know the verse - it says:

                         "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,                                      that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."  (John 3:16)

The verse is a twenty-six-word parade of hope: beginning with God, ending with life, and urging us to do the same.  Brief enough to write on a napkin or memorize in a moment, yet solid enough to weather two thousand years of storms and questions.  If you know nothing of the Bible - start here.  If you know everything about the Bible - return here.  We all need the reminder.  The heart of the human problem is  the heart of the human.   And God's treatment is prescribed in John 3:16.

He loves.  He gave.  We believe.  We live. 

He loves.

God loves you because he chooses to do so.  "God wasn't attracted to you and didn't choose you because you were big and important... He did it out of sheer love..." (Deut. 7:7-8, MSG).  God's love for you depends on his goodness, not yours.  And since he is totally good, you are absolutely loved.  You don't need to win his love, you already have it.  And since you can't win it, you can't lose it.  He will love you forever.  You may step outside of his will, but never his love.  Mark it down.  He loves you.  So much , in fact , that...

He gave.

He gave his one and only Son.  Jesus is God's "one and only."  He is unlike any other person in history  Every quality we attribute to God, we can give to Jesus.  Jesus has an eternal life span, unending wisdom, and tireless energy.  Most of all, Jesus is sinless.  When he lived on the earth, he never sinned,  "He never did one thing wrong.  Not once said anything amiss"    (1 Peter 2:22, MSG).

We, on the other hand, do wrong things daily.  We stretch the truth.  We hurt people.  We take advantage of the weak and disrespect our family.  What should God do?  He has made his position clear,  "Anyone whose life is not holy will never see the Lord"  (Hebrews 12:14, NCV).  Where does that leave us?

It leaves us depending on the 3:16 promise.  "God... gave his one and only son..."  Though sinless, Jesus took our sin.  God placed our sin on his Son and punished it.  When Jesus died on the cross, he died for us in our place.  Our response to this great gift is simple...

We believe.

We trust Jesus to do what we can't.  We don't trust our own efforts to save us.  We can't save ourselves.  We don't place our trust in other people to save us.  We believe in him.

We take similar steps of trust daily, even hourly.  Believing the chair will support us, we set our weight on it.  Believing water will hydrate, we drink it.  Trusting the work of the light switch, we flip it.  We have faith in the doorknob, so we turn it.  We trust power we cannot see to do work we can't accomplish.  Jesus invites us to do the same with him.  And when we do, when we believe...

We live.

God gives us brand-new life.  He gives us joy in this life and the promise of eternal life with him.  We have joy because we have his spirit living within us.  Little by little his Spirit changes us to be more like Jesus.  No guilt in life, no fear of death, he gives life, now.

And life for eternity.  In Heaven you will be you at your best.  No anger or sadness, tears or trouble.  Never weary, selfish, or defeated.

Clear mind, tireless muscles, unhindered joy.  And most of all, God!

"Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and the knowledge of God" (Romans 11:33, ESV). Heaven is a perfect place of perfected people with our perfect Lord.

Would you like to accept the 3:16 promise?  You can.  Tell God you accept him.

"Father, I believe you love me.  You gave your one and only Son so I can live forever with you.  Apart from you , I die.  With you, I live.  I choose life.  I choose you."

Jesus awaits your prayer.  Believe in him and you will...    Not..   Perish...                                    You will have life, eternal life, forever.

Pastor Tom

From Pastor Tom - Getting Connected Matters

The world has never been more connected. Companies have laid millions of miles of fiber optics and shot satellites into space so that people can communicate with each other. People all around the world are texting each other on smart phones. Yet people feel more and more disconnected.  We don’t feel nearly as connected to each other as people did a generation ago.

 We were created for Relationship - In fact the first thing God said was, “It’s not good for man to be alone.” God said that humans were not made for isolation. We were made for connection. Why? We were created in the image of God. The Bible says God is love. And to love, you’ve got to have somebody to love.

 The Bible says that that being spiritually connected means:

 We’re built like a Building - “In Christ you are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God” (Ephesians 2:22 NRSV). We are meant to fit together like bricks in a new building. It’s essential that the parts of a building fit together. You aren’t safe otherwise because there’s no support. Likewise, those who aren’t connected to a church family in any meaningful way have no support. Life is tough. We all need the support of people who care about us.

 We’re joined in a Body - “Just as there are many parts to our bodies, so it is with Christ’s Body. We are all parts of it, and it takes every one of us to make it complete, for we each have different work to do. So we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others” (Romans 12: 4-5 TLB). What Jesus Christ did when he was here in his physical body, he wants to do today through the church. We are the body of Christ on Earth. We are his hands. We are his feet. All of us have to play our part. Being part of the body of Christ means we are a part of something bigger than ourselves, and if we don’t play our specific part, the mission of the church is impacted.

 We’re born into a Family - “I want you to know how people who are members of God’s family must live. God’s family is the church…” (1 Timothy 3:15 GW). This is my favorite metaphor for the church. Most people think that Christianity is a belief system. There are beliefs in Christianity, but it’s so much more. Christianity is a belong system. The Bible says we were born again into God’s family when we became a follower of Jesus. It also says that we’ve been adopted into God’s family.  Because we are part of God’s family, we should accept one another and love one another.

 We’re attached to a Vine - “Live in me, and I will live in you. A branch cannot produce any fruit by itself. It has to stay attached to the vine. In the same way, you cannot produce fruit unless you live in me"  (John 15:4 GW). Being connected isn’t just a horizontal issue. It’s a vertical one as well. We need to be connected to God himself. Jesus says when we are connected to him it’s like being attached to a vine. Fruit not connected to a vine dies. It’s that simple.

 Two new opportunities for getting connected are starting this month at APC. 

 1.  Purpose Driven Life Bible Study  Starting July 9th at 6:30 pm we will begin a study on the book - "The Purpose Driven Life".  I will be teaching the study which will help us discover what God's purposes are for our lives. 

 2.  Sit and Sew  On July 19th starting at 9 am - Sit and Sew will be meeting in the Manse Hall.  This is an opportunity to meet with others and work on your crafts or learn a new one.  Quilting, Scrap-Booking, Knitting are just some of the crafts that you might want to share. 

 Let’s work together to stay connected.

 Pastor Tom

From Pastor Tom - Stressed or Rest?

“I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil.”  Job 3:26 (NIV)

 Have you ever felt the way Job felt?

 Consider these statistics: 

• People now sleep 2½ hours less each night than people did a hundred years ago. 

• The average workweek is longer now than it was in the 1960s.

• We spend eight months of our lives opening junk mail.

• We spend five years of our lives waiting for people who are late. 

We are a piled-on, stretched-to-the limit society.  We have too much rush, too many choices, too much work, too much debt, too much activity.  We’re information overloaded, chronically rushed and chronically exhausted.  Simply put, we’re stressed by the pace of life.  In the military we call it “OP-TEMPO.”  The pace has picked up and there is no hint of a slow-down anywhere in the near future.

 Is there a solution?  Yes.  It’s called rest!  Consider the following verse:

 “Come to me and I will give you rest – all of you who work so hard beneath a heavy yoke.  Wear my yoke – for it fits perfectly – and let me teach you; for I am gentle and humble, and you shall find rest for your souls; for I give you only light burdens.”  Matthew 11:28-30 (LB)

We think that rest is connected with a complete stop of work – it’s not.  It is connected with the following three principles:

1. Find what fits:  Find the parts of your job which you enjoy. These tasks become your “rest period.”  Why?  Because “it fits perfectly” – I enjoy them.  I have the skills and abilities to accomplish the job and I enjoy working on these tasks.  It fits!  It is no longer a burden but a joy.

2. Take smaller bites:  The question has been asked; “How do you eat an elephant?”  The answer is simple; “One bite at a time.”  Often we try eating the whole elephant in one sitting.  (Carry the whole load.)  Look at what Jesus said; “I give you only light burdens.”  Smaller loads.  Break down the large tasks into smaller pieces. 

3. Seek God’s guidance:  Many of the things we get stressed about don’t really matter in God’s big plan of things.  What does God care about?  Ask Him.  (Prayer)  Read the book He wrote for you.  (Bible study.)  I’ll bet He’ll let you know what the important things are.  He has already said, “Come to me.” 

May God Bless,                                                                                                                            Pastor Tom

From Pastor Tom -Clearing The Clutter That Blocks God’s Voice

Did you know that God wants to speak to you – but many times we are not receptive?  Job 33:14 says:

“God may speak in one way, or in another, Yet man does not perceive it.”

 The problem is not that God does not speak.  The problem is that sometimes we don’t perceive God speaking because we are not receptive or perceptive.  Sometimes we are just too preoccupied with other things to hear His voice. We have communication clutter.

 Let me give you five simple steps to clear up the clutter.

1.  BEGIN WITH THE RIGHT ATTITUDE                                                                           Reverence, expectancy, humility and obedience are all key attitudes in hearing God’s voice.  God wants us to have the right attitude as we seek Him.

“Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth, Who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility.”  Zephaniah 2:3 (NKJV)

2.  SET ASIDE TIME TO TALK AND LISTEN TO GOD                                                                Jesus set aside a special time to pray.  Here is the pattern that He used.

"Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went to a solitary place, where he prayed."  Mark 1:35

 3.  CHOOSE A SPECIAL PLACE TO TALK AND LISTEN TO GOD                                            Not only did He set aside a special time He also set aside a special place where He could be alone with the Father.

"Jesus left the city and went, as he usually did, to the Mount of Olives ... to pray."  Luke 22:39 (GN)

 4.  READ THE BIBLE                                                                                                                     God speaks through the Bible.  That is one reason it is called The Word of God.  How can we expect to hear God’s voice if we don’t read His Word?  In fact in 2 Timothy chapter 3 we find.

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NKJV)

5.  LISTEN FOR GOD’S VOICE                                                                                                      "Be still, and know that I am God."  Psalm 46:10

May God Bless,                                                                                                                            Pastor Tom

Spring is in the air! The Farmers Market is back!

Feel that nice warm breeze in the air.  Or maybe that was snow I saw on the grass a few days ago when I glanced out the window on a very chilly morning.  Oh well, it must be springtime in Kansas.  And you know what that means - time for the annual Auburn Farmers Market to start back up for the summer.  The first day for the market will be Tuesday, April 29.  The hours are from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.  The Market is held in the church parking lot. 

For those of you interested in participating in the Farmers Market as a vendor here is the necessary information:

There is a one time fee of $10.00 payable on your first visit to set up at the market.   ALL items sold must be made or grown locally by the vendor and/or his or her associates. You may reserve a spot at any point during the summer.  If you have any questions about selling items please call Laura Alexander @ 785-836-2337.

And, of course, for those of you interested in buying some homemade items or delicious fresh produce just visit the market each Tuesday to see what is available.  See you at the market!  

From Pastor Tom - Keys to Developing Self-Control

            “A person without self-control is like a house with its doors and windows knocked out.”       Proverbs 25:28 (Msg)

Self control brings with it a feeling of confidence and an inner sense of security.  Self control and self discipline are key factors in any success in this life.  Without self discipline and self control a person is “out of control.”  Without self control, self discipline and commitment you are unlikely to achieve anything of lasting value.  The Apostle Paul realized this when he wrote;

            “Every athlete exercises self-control in all things.  They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.  So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.  But I  discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should  be disqualified.”  1 Corinthians 9:25-26 (ESV)

Olympic athletes train for years in order to have a chance to win a brief moment of glory.  But the race we are running is far more important then any earthly athletic event.  What we do here on earth will affect our eternity.  How do we gain self control?  Let me suggest 4 steps to self-control.

1.  Put the past behind you.

Philippians 3:13-14 says, “Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal.”  Many of us are caught in the past and we live with a misconception.  “Once a failure, always a failure.”  This is NOT true.  Failure in the past does not mean you’ll never be able to change.  You can.

2.  Talk back to your feelings.

Do you let your feelings manipulate you?  God doesn’t want you to be controlled by your feelings.  He wants you to master your moods.  Talk back to them.  Learn to challenge them.  In Titus 2:11-12 we read, “We’re being shown how to turn our backs on a godless, indulgent life, and how to take on a God-filled, God-honoring life.  This new life is starting right now.”  (Msg) God gives us the power to take back our destructive feelings and replace them with God-honoring ones.

3.  Believe you can change.

In 1 Corinthians 10:13 it says, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.  God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”  (ESV)  That’s a fact.  If you are a Christian you can never say, “The temptation was too strong; I couldn’t help myself.”  When your self-control is being tested, you need to fill your mind with the promises of God.

4.  Depend on God’s power.

Any struggle you are facing will be easier to conquer with God’s help.  In fact, you will never reach self-control without God’s help.   The secret to self-control is Christ’s control.  “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”  Luke 9:24

May God Bless

Pastor Tom