I was just thinking on this Saturday Morning, December 31, 2011

Philippians 3:12-21 New Living Translation ®,  

12 I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.

13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,

14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

15 Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you.

16 But we must hold on to the progress we have already made.

17 Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example.

18 For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ.

19 They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth.

20 But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.

21 He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.

A New Year! Realizing we are spending this our last day of 2011, hope you are making the most of this historical day.

What I love about the New Year is that we get to make a fresh start. Right now, you and I have the most fantastic opportunity, we actually get to leave behind what did not seem to work for us in 2011 and we now have the opportunity to embrace the vision of all that we would like to see take place and be fulfilled through us in this New Year of 2012. As my quote says:

"May you lend yourself to the ways of the Lord Jesus Christ in this New Year and let Him give you another chance to fulfill His will and get all things done right in 2012."

For the past twelve years, I have had a simple New Year's ritual that has been a great way to ring in the new for my life. I love to read and use the writings of the Apostle Paul, Philippians 3:12-21, New Living Translation ®, in looking over the past year and setting my goals for the New Year, so that I can accomplish the will of God in and through my life this coming year.

I have shared this with a few of my personal friends who have loved what I am trying to do and some of them have joined me in doing these things in a similar way. I want to share these few things with all of you. I suggest you do this on New Year's morning, shortly after you get up and get the New Year of 2012 off to a good start:

1. Start with a fresh cup of hot home brewed FOLGER’S which is always the best part of waking up. (You can use a lesser brand of coffee tea or your favorite soft drink), this is simply to stimulate you and awaken you so you can get yourself focused on your day.

2. Start with a 10 - 15 minute quiet time in which you set your attention on releasing yesterday and opening yourself to this new day.

3. On this first day of the New Year write yourself a list on a note pad, i-pad, computer or other electronic device. Write all the things in 2011 that you would like to release. This can include old sinful things that do not serve to promote the will of God through your life. Such things as grudges or resentments you are personally hanging onto, fears that are holding you back, circumstances in your life that you would like to see changed, or things you failed to do in this old year.

This list can include the old habits in your life that are holding you down such as eating too much, not exercising, you having a negative or bad attitude. Make sure your list is as complete as you can possibly make it with everything that did not seem to work for you in this past year of 2011. My list is usually a few pages long.

4. I personally read my list a couple three times and get it into my mind that I am not going to let these things control me or hold me back in this New Year (2012). When I made a hand written list I then would shred these pages through a paper shredder and make a deal with myself these things are in my past they are behind me and I am looking forward to this New Year of fulfilling the will of God. (You can shred your list, cut it into many pieces and throw it into a trash can or step out doors and burn it, but whatever you do get it behind you.) Now that I make the list on an electronic device I keep them stored on my hard drive, but I still put them behind me. The one advantage of this is when I go to make my new list at the end of this another year, I can look back and know whether I really did put these things behind me or if they hampered my efforts yet another year.

As I release this list, I imagine letting go of the past and putting it behind me, I then make every effort of getting myself into the presence of the Lord and release myself to following His will this New Year.

5. Now, I go on to setting my New Year Goals. Make a list of all that you wish to accomplish for the Lord and for yourself in 2012. Include the good habits you would like to embrace, the external circumstances you would like to change, and the internal spiritual experiences you would like to experience this year (joy, freedom, ease, love, peace, acceptance of all that is, etc). You must be as specific as you possibly can. Make your goals obtainable, have short term goals and long term goals in your life. Some of the goals are goals that are continuing goals that are progressively being obtained each year. These continuing goals need to be written again for this New Year, but they must be written from the point they were at the ending of the Old Year and where you plan for them to be when they are completed in time to come.

Read your list of goal out loud to yourself, more than one time. Speaking these goals out loud to yourself will help you to actualize them in your mind. You will actually get a picture of them etched into your mind if you read them over and over to yourself. You can get a positive feel for each and every goal visualizing them through faith as though each one of them were actually being fulfilled as you read and speak them. This will give you the courage to obtain them this New Year.

Put this list of your personal goals in a special place, where you can glance at them often and keep them fresh in your life, this will keep you focused for this coming year.

Notice how you feel after doing this ritual. I always feel cleansed, lighter, renewed, and excited about what is ahead in this New Year.

Please let me know your experience with this and why don’t you share with me any New Year ritual you love through email rodbankens@yahoo.com or in a private message on my Rodney Bankens Facebook page.

This is a very special New Year's for me. I will for the first time in many years spend New Year's Eve in the privacy of my own home with my wife and my two toy poodle’s, this is an extraordinary way to spend New Year’s eve. I cannot think of a better way to start this New Year of 2012.

I am praying, hoping and wishing that this New Year of 2012 be a great year for you and your family as you all work to fulfill the will of God through life? A year that is so full of God’s wonder, grace, mercy miracles, love and the deepest fulfillment of your soul.

But as I end this I must tell you this is going to be a year of radical change for our nation and our world. As we strive to reach our goals and fulfill the will of God and reach souls we had best do it with urgency and with all our might, understanding the end of life as we now know it is here. As far as liberties and freedoms, they are almost at the end. What we are going to do for the kingdom of God and winning souls for the kingdom we better do it quickly, if things continue as they are now going we will not have these same rights and liberties at the end of 2012. Wake up saints of God, let us realize this is a New Year, but it is also the beginning of the end.

Like I said, I was just thinking…

"THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS"

I have been thinking today while I am at the Wyndham Fairfield Plantation Vacation Resort reading and even listening to so many ideas and thoughts of the Christmas season so let me just Express my thoughts in this blog.

THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS

I love Christmas – it truly is the most wonderful time of the year! I do not like all the hustle and bustle of Christmas time. The running to and fro, and the commercialism of Christmas is really a sin, but the cost of Christmas should never be forgotten.

My family memories of Christmas…when I was a child up thru my mid-twenties, we spent most of our Christmas eves at my grandmother Bankens eating Christmas goodies and going outside to pop fireworks around an open campfire. Then we would leave there around 9:00 pm and go spend the next few hours at our home. We would eat, exchange presents with each other and eat again.  Then after I got married, we would include my wife’s family in all of the tradition. We just made wonderful memories at Christmas.

I am looking forward to going to my mother’s for Christmas again this year, the giving of gifts, playing the gift exchange game of “Dirty Santa”, then eating gumbo and potato salad on Christmas Eve. Then on Christmas Day, smoked turkey, smoked ham, cornbread dressing with brown gravy and cranberry sauce, butter beans, Sweet potato Casserole, Corn Casserole, potato salad, Pecan Pie, Potato Pie, Pumpkin Pie, Krispy Crème Donut Bread Pudding with rum sauce to ladle over it, 3 layer-Pineapple Crème Cake.  

But – what is Christmas really all about?
• Survey that was taken on-line: top three answers for “What is Christmas all About?”

1. Christmas presents,

2. Christmas trees,

3.  Snow

Some of the results I have seen on Facebook include:

1. spending money on things I do not want to buy but I buy it anyway

2. it's a time for caring and sharing with our family and close friends while we feast, party and have a wonderful time

3. A time of surprises while we watch our children and grand-children’s eyes and the excitement of receiving their gifts under the Christmas tree.

But I ask us this is this what Christmas is really all about?

My favorite response was: it is a time to forget yourself, your problems and your concerns and think of others and how to show Christ in all you do.

In this blog, I want to talk to you about the spirit of Christmas! THE FIRST CHRISTMAS:

Luke 2:10-11KJV,

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

The first Christmas happened over 2,000 years ago when Christ Jesus was born!

THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS:
1 Tim 6:17-19 New Living Translation ®,

17 Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment

18 Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others.

19 By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.

In the USA, most of us do not think of ourselves as being rich, but the truth is, we are all rich. But if you own a car, you are considered rich by most people in the world. The point is not ‘yes, YEA I am rich’, but what are we going to do with what we do have? If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back, and a roof over your head, and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of the people in this world. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace, you are among the top 8% of this world’s wealthy. More than 1 billion people do not have access to safe water, let alone a thin dime to their name.

The question: What is the true spirit of Christmas?

1. To do good and live right in this present world,

2. To be rich in good godly works,

3. To give generously to the needs of others.

DO GOOD:

Jesus said, Luke 6:27 New Living Translation

27 "But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you.

This is a radical statement from Jesus Christ Himself! It kind of makes us stand up and take not and say, “WHAT?” Jesus tells us to pray for those who curse us – I have a hard time praying for those I love! So how can you and I do GOOD?

1. By blessing people. Never pass up an opportunity to pray for someone.

2.  A kind word, a hug, a smile or a simple hello can mean so much!

3. Choose to walk in forgiveness. We’re coming to the end of the year. Let go of past hurts and offenses and start the New Year with a clean slate!

ONE WRITER PENNED, “All that is necessary for evil to prosper is that enough good men do nothing.”

Peter talks about Jesus, Acts 10:34-38 New Living Translation

34 Then Peter replied, "I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism.

35 In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right.

36 This is the message of Good News for the people of Israel—that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.

37 You know what happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee, after John began preaching his message of baptism.

38 And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

2. BE RICH IN GOOD WORKS: (Message Bible = be rich in helping others). Luke 6:29-30,
“29 If someone slaps you in the face, stand there and take it. If someone grabs your shirt, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it.

30 If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.

• Jesus adds: “And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.” (Matt. 5:41).
• Turn the other cheek, go the extra mile – this is RICH in good works!

How can we be rich in good works?

1. Get involved serving – in the local church and in the community.

2. Let’s let our lights shine in the community!

3. If you see someone in need, help them! “Give to EVERYONE who asks!”

4. We need lots of help in the church – ushering, greeting – can you help?

GIVE GENEROUSLY:

Luke 6:31-34 New Living Translation ®,

 31 Do to others as you would like them to do to you.

32 "If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them!

33 And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much!

34 And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit? Even sinners will lend to other sinners for a full return.

Even a sinner (someone who doesn’t know God) will lend to those who can repay them. But God wants our generosity to be extravagant - giving more than is necessary or even more than is wise.

Paul reminded the people of the Words of Jesus Christ… Acts 20:35 New Living Translation ®,

35 And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"

When we do this for other people, we will be blessed beyond measure as well!

How can we give generously?

1. The first thing we must bring our tithe and offering to the storehouse, this is our “First  Fruits.” Many saints stop here.

2. God also wants us to be generous in giving to others, especially the poor!

Proverbs 22:7-9 New Living Translation ®,

7 Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender.

8 Those who plant injustice will harvest disaster, and their reign of terror will come to an end.

9 Blessed are those who are generous, because they feed the poor.

3.  To be a Christian a true saint of God, is to be a giver and to be generous!

Psalms 37:21-26 New Living Translation ®,

21 The wicked borrow and never repay, but the godly are generous givers.

22 Those the Lord blesses will possess the land, but those he curses will die.

23 The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.

24 Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.

25 Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread.

26 The godly always give generous loans to others, and their children are a blessing.

4.  There are many opportunities to give during the year, but at Christmas we see so many needs:

a. Tupelo Child that we sponsor at NCUPC…

b. Food for the needy Children and Family’s…

c.  Less fortunate in the local church…shut-ins…

WHY SHOULD WE DO THIS?

Luke 6:35-38 New Living Translation ®,

35 "Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked.

36 You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.

37 "Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven.

38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back."

Jesus said, “I want you to do good, be rich in good works, and be extravagantly generous givers because that’s how I am, and you are my follower.” That is what our Heavenly Father is like – and we want to be like Him. Our generous giving should cause our community to say good things about us as Christians. Our generosity allows people to see God’s generosity. This is the spirit of Christmas:

“For God so loved the world that He GAVE His all…Jesus Christ laid His life down for this whole world!”

The spirit of Christmas is the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Oh for us to simply be like Jesus!

A CHALLENGE:
Let us do good, be rich in good works, and give generously. This is the spirit of Christmas!

Again I say as I did in the beginning of this blog, I take pleasure in almost everything pertaining to the Christmas season each year, knowing that even the person who is the least aware of the deepest meaning of Christmas is still being touched by the impact of the greatest fact of all:

John 3:1-17 New Living Translation ®,

3 There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee.

2 After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. "Rabbi," he said, "we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.

3 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God."

4 "What do you mean?" exclaimed Nicodemus. "How can an old man go back into his mother's womb and be born again?"

5 Jesus replied, "I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.

6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.

7 So don't be surprised when I say, 'You must be born again.'

8 The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can't tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can't explain how people are born of the Spirit."

9 "How are these things possible?" Nicodemus asked.

10 Jesus replied, "You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don't understand these things?

11 I assure you, we tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won't believe our testimony.

12 But if you don't believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things?

13 No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven.

14 And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,

15 so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.

16 "For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

This is the "greatest fact" about Christmas and is worth our hearing as a reminder that Christmas celebration never need be argued against because we feel that "it costs so very much." Decorating and celebrating—giving and receiving gifts at this season—are not unworthy practices not a waste of our time and money (although Christmas spending is now so overwhelmingly "commercial").

It should not be so with we who are Christians, we should never let ourselves become snared in that cynical trap of commercialism! But we also must understand that Christmas has always been costly—from the very beginning, in fact. It cost Heaven everything!

Bethlehem's barnyard cradle was not the only sacrifice. It was simply the original packaging for the treasure that Heaven's heart was giving to this world.

The Cross was the real price of Christmas, for it was wrapped in the Gift from the start—a Gift that was marvelously and mysteriously provided for and pre-paid from before all time!

1 Peter 1:18-21 New Living Translation ®,

18 For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver.

19 It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.

20 God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but he has now revealed him to you in these last days.

21 Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory.

So it was, the Christ Child came to us, and in light of appropriately evaluating that costly gift, everything in me wants to answer a call I hear the Spirit whispering during this season. He is summoning me—can you hear Him summoning you too? He is calling us to "spend big" this season—to do so in a dynamic and holy way that answers to one of this season's most common truisms: "Christmas is for children." It is a common sentiment but join me in probing more deeply its meaning in the light of Heaven's gift of the Christ Child.

Join me in "spending" whatever needs to be "laid out or laid down" for God to find in me another "child of Christmas." I want the willingness of His only begotten (unique) Son—a willing readiness to go, to love, to serve, to give, and to care for human need and brokenness—to be replicated in me.

Do you feel it with me? I believe you do...and accordingly, let me urge you to join me in this prayer reflecting a childlike response to the Lord’s search for those who will "spend as He spent" for Christmas:

Dear Lord, I am simply YOUR child created by YOU, designed for YOUR personal delight and to fulfill a desirable destiny, and I know that I am immensely loved and restored through YOUR coming to this earth as a babe in the manger. YOU were that first Christmas Child.

Now, dear Lord, I am asking you to make me a child after YOUR own heart, this Christmas and beyond this Christmas season. As I bow my head now with humility and gratitude and with the joy born in me which springs from YOUR gift to us in and through the birth of the babe in the mange, Jesus Christ. I pray: Help me pay the price of becoming truly childlike with Christ-like dimensions of trust and self-giving. Help me lay down my all, Lord, that the Child of Christmas be multiplied in me...and thereby YOU gain a harvest of children and families during this Christmas season, and for seasons to come.

Saints of God, put your "Amen" on this prayer along with mine, would you? Let us move into this season with the spirit of childlikeness, manifesting in ways that cause our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to see the reward of their investment multiplied in us, the Spirit of Christmas.

I was just thinking on this Wednesday morning, December 7, 2011

I received this question from a Bible School Student. Pastor, for our assignment we are to ask a Church Leader or Pastor to answer this question for us, would you please help me with this assignment?

"How do Church Leaders (pastors) deal with people who do not like you?"

How do we as church leaders (pastors) deal with people who do not like us?

Anyone who is a pastor, teacher or leader knows that leadership is a lonely place often times, and they have a big target on their back that can be large and sizeable, easily shot at.

Maybe I am the only church leader (pastor), but I am pretty sure I am not the only one out here who has a church member or for that matter a couple church couples that just do not like me, and I mean really they do not like me.

In all of these cases, it seemed to have started with a couple leadership decisions that I made that they did not like. Then it continued on with the times that I preached about Christian accountable and then challenged the church members to live more like Jesus Christ. They all became upset with me at the same time and have been holding onto that anger against me and publicly voice their differences to other people in the Church Community and also to many in the surrounding community as if they are ordained of God to guide the church away from my leadership vision. Maybe most of you as leaders (pastors) have never experienced this, but for those that have or those that have not yet, it is a good thing to know, because being in leadership (pastor) is a lonely place often times, and the target on your back can be sizeable. Here are some things that I have learned in dealing with church members like this.

We as pastors, teachers and leaders must kill those who dislike us with kindness of course: These are the church members that I often go out of my way to please – dropping by their home every so often, especially when they call and say they have to talk to me, (which most often is not a positive time), or meet them in town – and really try to rebuild that bridge or build some trust again. This is not because I need them to like me, but being intentional with them as church members trying to make it easier to avoid these times of disorder will mean something to them, even if not immediate or right away. Being gracious and relentlessly forgiving is what the best leaders (pastors) I know do. A real godly pastor lives a life of daily forgiveness and leads as though they have no oppositions in life.

We as leaders (pastors) must accept this as life: If there is a church member that despises you but shows up for church services week in and week out, CONGRATULATIONS PASTOR! You are doing a great and wonderful job! When church service becomes more and more about praise, worship, and what is being preached from the Bible, and not about who is doing the teaching or preaching, this is a sign of good leadership and a strong church community.

When a pastor’s ministry becomes just a personality cult, hanging onto the charisma of a human leader, it is unsustainable and destined for sudden failure. Sometimes, you need to accept that not every church member is going to ever be on board with your dreams and vision.

At some point pastors, we must move on: There will come a point where you have tried everything you know to do. It is at that point where you have exhausted all of your options. That point where you have drank too many bad, stale cups of coffee with these who dislike you and you have wasted so much of your valuable time trying to pamper and help them and they continue to be disgruntled. It is now time for you to move on. But do not mistake this moving on as you writing off those church members as failing them, never forget all that you have done for them in times past. But understand this is a sign of your moving forward for the benefit of the entire church community. When you focus your energies, time and effort on the church members who want to be discipled and they begin to bloom, blossom and they get involved with the working of the church and they begin to grow, spiritually eventually those church members which are disgruntled and dislike you will decide whether or not they want to become a participant in what is going on in the church or whether they are going to remain on the outside looking in or maybe even find themselves another church to go and be miserable in, these kind will find fault with ever leader (pastor) and every church.

It is important that we as pastors and church leaders move on, focusing on what we are called to do, and make disciples of the church members that come under our leadership, investing our time, energies and efforts in the ones who desire to fulfill the will of God and continually reaching for others who are searching and reaching for the kingdom of God.

Remember this, leaders (pastors) do not waste your ministry, time and efforts on the people who are always trying to control and manipulate you, you will never please them. Give your ministry to the church members who accept your leadership vision and build a great church around them.