Becoming God's Masterpiece: Part 3

Dr. Eric Geiger, pastor, author, vice-president of LifeWay’s Church Resource Division, said, “The Christian life is not about trying more, it is about dying more.” In our series on Transformation through the month of January, we have been examining how we can cooperate with God in His work of transforming us into His masterpiece. Our efforts are not to be simply trying harder to “do” spiritual things so that God will bless us. It is exactly as Dr. Geiger said; our efforts to cooperate with God’s work in us are all about surrender. We surrender ourselves more and more to Him as we carve out time in our lives for Him. As we invest time in His Word, in prayer, in worship and meditation, God works in us to shape us into the image of His Son Jesus. It’s not about doing, it’s about dying.

On January 15 & 22 we explored how God uses worship and prayer to transform us, and we offered some suggestions on how to incorporate both into our daily routines. Do you remember them?

Worship

• Prepare for Worship – Deliberately set aside everything else, plans for the day, worries and cares, and focus on giving God His due praise and adoration. Confess any known sin and make right any known wrongs.
• Participate in Worship – Sing! Pray! Give! Respond as the Spirit leads! Don’t just be a spectator as others worship God. Worship Him as if no one is present except Him and you.
• Add Worship to Your Week – Make worship a daily exercise. Spend time before God in simple praise and thanksgiving. Add some praise music to your day whenever possible. Sing along. Begin a worship lifestyle.

Prayer

• Set a Time for Prayer – Set aside time to pray. Guard that time as you do every other important appointment.
• Use Prayer Lists – Create lists to aid in focused, deliberate intercession for others. Pray through your lists regularly. Make notes of any answered prayers or situational changes. Keep praying.
• Pray the Scriptures – We can always steer our prayers toward God’s purposes when we pray His Word back to Him. Saturate your prayers with Scripture. (Scripture memorization that was discussed in a previous week helps greatly here!). Allow God’s Word and will to guide and shape your prayers.
• Pray as Communication – Converse throughout the day with God. Shoot “arrow prayers” to Him as you face every new challenge of the day.

As you read and study the Word, pray, and worship daily, God will work the process of transformation in you bit by bit. Go back and watch the “God’s Chisel” video again. Review how the process works. Don’t be discouraged; it’s a marathon not a sprint.

In the closing message of the series we will examine how God uses partnerships in the process of transformation. God works in us so that He can work through us; and as He works through us He is also working in us. It’s an exciting journey. Will you join us?

More on Being God's Masterpiece

YOU are God's Original Masterpiece. On January 1 we explored Ephesians 2:10 which declares us to be God's "workmanship". The word means masterpiece, a unique composition. We learned that God does this work in us, but we must cooperate, and that it is a long journey. We are spending the month of January learning ways we can cooperate with God in this process of transformation, so that we will become His perfect Masterpiece. 

The message on January 8 dealt with "Transformation Through the Word" using several different scriptures, but primarily focused on Hebrews 4:12. The Word of God is the primary tool He uses in the work of transformation. As we saw in the video from January 1, God cuts away everything that does not look like Jesus. This verse tells us that God's Word cuts through and reveals the thoughts and intents of our hearts. It shows us what is not like God, and how we are to remove those things. It is spiritual surgery, and any surgery is painful. But the results are well worth the pain of the process!

Are you joining us on the journey to become God's Masterpiece? Here are the Bible challenges we are taking:

• Read the Bible every day. Yearly Bible reading plans are available at church, or there are literally thousands available free on the internet. I personally use one through www.youversion.com. It is free, and sends reminders to me daily in my email, and I can even get reminders and read it on my smart phone with a YouVersion app. Check it out.
• Use Sunday School material to supplement your daily Bible reading. The free material we provide is an excellent resource to guide you, and provide additional understanding as you read. If you don't take one home, start this week.
• Memorize Scripture. Memorizing Scripture allows you to carry more tools in your toolbox for the Holy Spirit to use as He seeks to help you each day. We have begun memorizing a verse or passage every month. For January, let's seek to memorize the key verse for the Transformation message series:

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:10 (NKJV)

Remember to read with a pencil and paper nearby. Make notes about what you read, do not understand, or when God speaks to you. Seek to understand what you read. And when you understand it, ask yourself, "so what?" What do you need to do with what you have read? How do you need to respond? How will you begin and when? with whom do you need to share what you have learned? 

Set aside time each day and get to know God's Word. Before you know it, you will experience transformation!

God's Masterpiece

YOU are God's original Masterpiece. The main verse from Sunday's message was Ephesians 2:10 (NKJV): "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." The Greek word for 'workmanship' means something intricately created, woven, or composed. We get our English word poem from it. Just as God masterfully created the heavens and the earth, He also created you. And not just physically; His desire is to weave you into the greatest masterpiece of all: the image of His Son Jesus.

But it is a long process, not unlike a marathon. God does the work over time as we discipline ourselves to cooperate with Him. There is work for us to do, that God will use to transform us into His masterpiece. I will write about some of the basic steps this month. For now, review the video below that was shown in our January 1 worship service. There are more comments below.

So, are you tired of "doing the dance to get the hug"? Are you ready to surrender total control to God? Why not take a moment right now to breathe a prayer to God and express to Him your total surrender? Tell Him that you want to become all the He desires for you, and that you are willing to embark on the journey. Commit to Him, and to yourself, to cooperate in every way with His transforming work. Now, share your commitment with a friend and ask them to hold you accountable. I would love to know of your commitment also. Please write to me at pastor@araratbaptistchurch.com and let me know of your decision. I would love to pray for you and offer any assistance I can. May God bless you as you begin this journey!

Musings on 2011

Me working while in CT with Adrian for testing at Yale University, February 2011. Yes, it’s been a while since my last posting. Many things have happened since I wrote here. Too many things to spend lots of space writing but suffice it to say, life has been busy in the Stover household, the West TN branch as well as the East TN division. In fact, reflecting on the entire year of 2011, it has been one of the most trying years to date. Multiple health crises and life changes have kept us all near the breaking point. Many personal and ministry goals have gone unreached, even un-attempted, as we have found ourselves in survival mode. I found myself just trying to hold my family intact and invest a great deal of time in them to provide some stability in the midst of turmoil. However, to do this, other things were left undone. I am sure many have been and are displeased; but none of them know the depth of despair and anguish our personal crises have caused. I have learned that I cannot measure the trials and circumstances of others by my own experience because each one’s trials are unique to them. Similarly, no one else can judge our lives or actions by their own desires or opinions, having never been where we are. Being in the public eye, or as some call it “living in the fishbowl of ministry”, I have learned to let others form their own opinions while we stay true to our Lord and to one another. Some will understand; a few will reach out to help shoulder the burden; most will stand at a distance with a critical eye. We will each render an accounting to our Master for ourselves alone.

What has been learned? At the end of every year, indeed at the end of every experience, that is the question to consider. What have I learned through the experience and how can I be better because of it? How can I be different and how can God get more glory through me now? I have learned to love more and to give more grace. Everyone struggles, just like me. They will not benefit or see God through my critical spirit or condemnation. They will see Him through me as I offer grace, love, understanding, patience, and help. Instead of placing more demands on them, I should offer to come alongside where they are, link arms with them, and help to pull the load. This is not to say that people should not be challenged or held accountable; we all should and must. However, Jesus never stomped on those who were hurting but sincerely making an effort. He lovingly and patiently challenged them while at the same time offering the assistance they needed to move ahead. I am not the Lord Jesus or His Holy Spirit. But I am His instrument for working His kind of ministry, when I allow myself to be used. I firmly believe now more than ever before that when I stand to render an accounting before God, He will not condemn me for not being legalistic enough; but I fear He will say I should have given more grace.

So what will it be like in 2012? I cannot say. I can only look at the scars that 2011 has left behind: a heart-healthy diet, more gray hair, a wife who still cannot eat and battles health issues every day, a son whose seizures daily seem to change for the worse, a daughter who increasingly becomes more independent as she grows into the woman God has created her to be, another son facing college, parents with serious long-term health challenges of their own, 7 hours away, and the usual collection of bumps and scrapes accumulated by walking through a world of fallen humanity. It is my hope that lessons learned through this past year will transform me into a better disciple, husband, father, son, pastor, neighbor, citizen, and human being. Only time will tell; but the future looks bright. The Light of the World is my lamp!

Andrew's Senior Pictures

Andrew Stover, age 17, October 2011

This month we had a friend who is a professional photographer make Andrew's senior pictures. Many thanks to Liberty DeFilippo of Lighthouse Photography for these wonderful pictures. Above is just a sample, and probably my favorite. See the entire collection here, and visit LIberty's site by clicking on the link above. Both links will open in a new window.