Author: Mike Farley

New Word and New Year

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It’s time for a new year so it’s time for a new word. If you are new to this idea the word of the year was something I was introduced to about a decade or so ago. The idea is that resolutions can be easy to accomplish or easy to fail at. Also, unless you are really good at crafting it then it probably only applies to one or two areas of your life. A word however can be far-reaching.

Last year my word was “willing”, and it was a good year to be willing. I wanted to be willing to do bigger things for God, willing to go deeper, be more obedient, or whatever else God wanted to do in and through me. I wanted to be willing to take chances in my relationships with my wife, daughter, friends, and so on. I wanted to be willing to try new things. Willing was good but if I am honest willing played to my strengths. I am naturally looking for a change and a little crazy. It is not a hard thing for me to be willing. It is not a bad thing to play to your strengths because they need work too. If we put all our energy into our weaknesses, then our strengths can start to wane. For this new year, the new and exciting 2022 I desire to stretch myself.

My word for this year is not a strength but a weakness. This year I will be intentional. I am naturally pretty good at reacting. I am pretty good at responding to something and getting things done. I am a doer. I am a mover and a shaker. I am not nearly as intentional as I would like. So, this year will be the year of intentionality.

I want to be intentional in my time with God, my wife, my daughter, my boys, my friends, my quiet time. At the end of the year, I want to be a more intentional person.

Jesus is a great example when we think about intentionality. In Luke 9:51 it says that Jesus set His face towards Jerusalem, but some translations add a little spice and say He was steadfast (KJV), resolute (BSB), fixed (LSV), either way, you slice it Jesus was determined and intentional, He was going to Jerusalem to take His cross and die for the sins of the world.

In Mark 10:13-16, Jesus is blessing children. The disciples in their grand wisdom try and stop this but Jesus was intentionally doing what He wanted so he became indignant. We could go on and on, but the point is Jesus was intentional about everything He did. There is also the thing about being conformed into the image of Christ (Rom 8:29) so it is not just a word but an attempt to be more like the Lord I love.

I would highly encourage you to pick a word. Find something that can fit into as many areas of life as possible and then go after it. An example would be healthy. Healthy while usually thought of in terms of physical can mean healthy relationships and a healthy view of God. You are only limited by your imagination and prayer life. So, find a word, and explore the possibilities.

Just a thought,

Mike

Caesar’s Household – Church Planting in NOLA

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Below is text from a college I spoke at in Memphis. If you need a speaker for your school, church, or group click here.

Philippians 4:22

All God’s people here send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household.

I highlight this verse before talking to you about church planting in New Orleans because today we expect to find Christians everywhere. Especially here in the Bible Belt. You can go to the mall and meet Christians, you can go to a store and hear Christian music, you can go almost anywhere, do almost anything and run into Christians or a minimum a Christian influence. There are some places in the world where that is not the case and Caesar’s house would have been a place like that. You would not expect to meet a follower of Jesus. You would not expect to see the influence of the Gospel and yet it was there. Making cracks in the Roman foundation, starting to grow and reproduce. No matter how hard they tried to stop it, the Gospel because was taking root in the home of Caesar.

Let’s say Philippians was written sometime in the mid-60s. At that time there were Christians in Caesar’s house. It was not until about 313 AD that Christianity was officially tolerated in Rome. It took 248 years from there being just a few Christians in Caesars house to it being tolerated and then a decade or so later being adopted as the official religion of Rome.  

On one hand that is a long time, on the other hand, that is a blink of an eye and it happened because Christians were willing to go to the hard places and do the hard things.

When I started seriously thinking about planting a church about 5 years ago my requirements were not where do I want to be. It was not where would I like to live. Those are fine questions and to some extend played a part but my main question, my wife’s main question was where are we needed? Where can we go that needs a church? That was the question. That was the drawstring to our bow. We spent time in France. We were about to move to North Africa. We talked about Las Vegas, and we looked at some other locations. They all had one thing in common; there was a need.

In New Orleans, there is a need. In New Orleans, there is a spiritual heaviness. It is a bit dirty; sin is common, people are a little rough and rude, and you do not drive by a lot of churches. Just this past Sunday after church I saw a guy in the Walmart parking lot kick a car because he didn’t like how close they parked to his car.

The Christian community that is there is a bit tightknit. And most people in leadership know each other. There is also a heritage of Catholicism there, but it is somewhat of a memory. When I invite people to church, they are a bit shocked. I invited a young man at Target to church the other day and he was grateful and surprised. Church, the Gospel, and Christians are not expected there. 

Some of the churches we do have are either closing or close to dead. This makes me incredibly sad. I hate seeing a church die.

When my family got close to the point of moving, we sat down and talked about it and realized that we were going to have to think about NOLA as a mission’s field. And that was a blessing from God because it is very much like a mission’s field. And that is OK.

I asked John what he wanted me to talk about and he said, Passion for church planting in New Orleans, challenges, opportunities, and victories.

Passion is easy and that is what I started with. I have passion for church planting because I spent my formative years in New England outside of Boston. I had a troubled childhood to say the least and to my knowledge I never knew a Christian and I was never invited to church. I have a passion for church planting in hard places because I believe that is where they are needed most.

If I could elaborate a little more, I would say I feel compelled. Paul says in 1 Cor 9:16 woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel. Four years ago, I went to New Orleans for the first time, and instantly I knew I wanted to do ministry there. I felt it in my bones. We took and family trip and it did not look like it was going to happen. Four years later and many other changed plans later and we are there. It is hard, it is tiring, I work 60+ hours a week between the church and another job, but I know I am doing what I should be doing.

I am happy and willing to lay down my life, time, and desires to serve in New Orleans because the work is needed. One study I heard said there are not enough evangelical Christians to fill the Superdome. Which by the way was recently bought by Caesars Entertainment? So now, New Orleans is home to Caesar.

I could honestly spend our entire time together talking about my passion for church planting in New Orleans and my passion for church planting in general. But I want to share some things with you about how we see God moving.

When Hurricane Ida hit it felt like a pause and to be clear it was. My family lost our home, the church building was damaged, people were left abandoned to the elements, and worse. But it was also an opportunity. In two weekends with the help of other churches from the Gulf area, we served around 10k meals, gave away tens of thousands of supplies ranging from food to cleaning products, tarped roofs, cleaned debris, fixed fences, and more. What looked like a pause was an invitation to get to know people that we would have never met before.

We can make a lot of plans, but we must remain flexible. There are two verses that I believe are important to remember when thinking about missions and church planting

James 4:15 says

“Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”

Ecclesiastes 11:6

In the morning sow your seed, and at evening do not let your hand rest, because you don’t know which will succeed, whether one or the other, or if both of them will be equally good.

We had planned our big grand opening on September 12th to try and introduce the community to the new church. Our plans changed but for the better in my opinion.

We had two teams from the Gulf come in and for two weekends we served 10k meals. It was insane and awesome. One day for lunch we ran out of food in record time. Numerous people told us they had not eaten in a few days, and they were just so grateful. But this day we went through our 1000 meals at lunch in 45 minutes max. All of a sudden, this lady we had never met before pulls up and brings $2000 worth of food and made-up quick lunch bags for a few more hundred people.

One night after the dinner rush a lady came who had a premature baby during the hurricane. She had nothing for this baby. The team told her we did not have anything but would find it. 20 minutes later a guy showed up out of nowhere with preemie supplies and asked if we needed them. God is on the move. I could go on, but we have seen God move in crazy ways!

In everything we see God moving.

Four months ago, I began praying for a new worship leader. I knew the guy who was there was going to be leaving and we were going to have an opening. After the storm, a friend of mine called me and said he wanted to come down and serve for a week. He took a week off work and came down. He had been praying about moving down and thought he would come to serve first. We got to talking and while he was a rapper, he has been leaning more towards worship. He moves down in late November and will start helping out with worship for us. I would have never guessed he would be on the team, but God is good!

I met a guy in Houston when we evacuated, and he happens to live just down the road from us. I have been inviting him to church for a month and he finally came.

God is moving and in the moving, we need to be actively following and seeking Him.

See we are not trying to grow a church for the sake of growing a church but change two cultures and bring light to the darkness.

The first culture is in our church itself and with other Christians in the area. Inviting people to church, outreach, evangelism, these things are not generally on the radar. One way to do this is like old quote says, “if you set yourself on fire the whole world will come to watch you burn.” So that is exactly what we are doing. We are first setting ourselves ablaze and telling the Holy Spirit to have His way with us.

We are trying to help people who know Christ set themselves on fire for the Gospel and to ignite others.

The second culture is the outside world and for that we need help. Drug abuse, sexual sin, moral failures, mental illness, poverty, these things are all common down there. It is life. We have a guy who regularly gets high and hangs out at the church property. We have had to call the cops at the church on other people. It is not an easy place. I tell you this for two reasons. One I don’t want to paint some pretty picture and make someone think they should come down and it’s going to be easy. But two there is someone or someones who hear this and think YES, I WANT THAT! It is not all crazy but crazy is there.

We need Christians to come and serve and work. We need a move of the Holy Spirit. We need to see workers come and work the harvest.

I can fully understand the sentiment and energy behind Isaiah 6:8

Who will I send? Who will go for us? I said: Here I am. Send me.

We need workers, who are willing to come and put their hands to the work. People who can bring in fresh energy, fire, passion, ideas, and talents. There are only so many people I can invite to church on my own. There are only so many people I can meet and invite into life with me. I am not one to just invite people to church. That is good, needed, and helpful, but I want to invite people into life. I want to invite them into my home and get to know them and grow with them. I want to see them see Jesus on Monday and Thursday and not just Sunday. We need others who are willing to come and do that.

We want to see people come to Christ and experience life change. The church needs workers, but we also need people to find faith in Jesus who provides life change. As a leadership team, our goal is to see people set free by faith in Jesus.

Just a thought,

Mike

Looking out for Others

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For me and a lot of you, life gets busy. Between work, family, gym, hobbies, or whatever else you are into life is busy. We wake up and hit the ground running. I read one article that said the average American sleeps eight hours and has five hours of leisure time a day. I am not sure who these people are but good for them (I guess). I and a lot of you are probably not average. We are taxed to the max. I am chugging a Cotton Candy Bang at Nine AM as I write this.

I read another article that said the average American spends $164.55 a day. This total is from everything to housing, gas, groceries, masks (let’s be honest COVID is costly), coffee, and more. I am not complaining I am just pointing out that we spend a lot of time, money, and energy every day on things we need and have to do. This is fine, and I have no major issues with this (maybe I do). What I am reminded of today is Philippians 2:4 which says, “Everyone should look out not only for his own interest but also the interest of others.”

Because we are so busy and must spend so much money to live in this great country of ours, we can easily forget to look out not only for our own interest but also the interest of others. We need to pay attention to the things we need to do. We have to go to work, pay bills, pick the kids up from school, etc. We even need that leisure time we all keep hearing about. These things must get done and that is ok but we have to remember that other people are doing it too and I think that is how we remember to look out for others.  

If we remember that other people are also doing the same thing we are, if others are striving for the same things we are, if we remember that other people are annoyed with the check line length then we can remember to look out for their interest as well. When we keep people as a priority, we can look out for them.

I ride a motorcycle and I love the bumper stickers that say lookout for motorcycles. What I love even more is when people look out for my motorcycle. The idea is nice, but I much prefer the action of people looking out for me. When can notice people and that is great but if we do not act on that then we are not really doing anything. So how do we make people a priority and look out for their interests as well as our own?

I think really it is a culmination of a lot of little things. Saying hi to the cashier, smiling at someone, letting someone merge into traffic, letting someone with one item go in front of you at the store, not yelling at other drivers, and so on. If in the little things, we slow down and look out for the people around us then we start to do something amazing. We have to be intentional because by nature we are selfish. Human nature prioritizes self-preservation and self-focus. That is just one of a thousand reasons we need Jesus to save and sanctify us. And looking out for the interest of others is part of the sanctification process, the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in us conforming us to the image of Christ. That is why right after Paul writes this he jumps into Christ’s humility and exaltation. It is part of a larger process.

These little actions start to build into something larger, they start to accumulate in you. If we do ten little random things a day for other people to look out for them it might not make a huge difference in those ten people, but it does make a huge difference in you.

At some time or another many of us have thought about what we do if we won the lottery. Maybe we think about the charities we would give to, the family and friends we would help, the cars we would buy (let’s be honest). We think about what we would do with all that money, but what can we do with the time we have today? What can we do with the money we have in our wallets? It is great to dream but it is better to act. We have the opportunity every day to do something for someone, to look out for the interest of someone else but it starts with making people a priority.

Here is what I propose as you go through your day today notice someone else who is going through their day and imagine what it would be like if someone made you a priority at that moment. How would it change your day, hour, or ten minutes if someone looked out for your interest and then try to do that thing? If you do this it might help them but it will definitely help you become more like Christ as you walk out your faith.

Just a thought,

Mike

Leaving an Egypt Mind

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I have been reading through Exodus and it is always a favorite of mine because of the exodus story and the principals in the stories of the people after they leave. In case you did not know the title of the book Exodus just comes from the Greek translation and basically means leaving. The people in Exodus left Egypt. It is a book of leaving. But it is more than just leaving Egypt.

One of the stories I like in the book is from chapters 24-31 and this is where Moses is on the mountain with God. God called Moses up Mount Sinai and God gives Moses the details of the tabernacle, how to ordain the priest, how to make special perfume and incense, how to offer sacrifices, and some other things. It is a long 8 chapters and I will be honest sometimes it feels like it goes on forever. But what God is doing here is showing Moses and us what He wants. He is giving the instructions for how to do it right. He is trying to spell out how to live in covenant with Him.

The reason I say I like this section and not love it is because I know Exodus 32 is coming. I know that in Exodus 32 we read about the people asking Aaron to make a golden cafe and Aaron doing it. He does not even seem to put up a fight he just does it. For 40 days Moses was up on the mountain getting God’s instructions and the people grew tired so they wanted to something they thought up.

The people left Egypt physically, but they had not left Egypt mentally. Egypt was still a part of their thinking. They lived there their whole lives. Generations of Israelites lived there. It is not surprising but was wrong. The problem is that God was giving the plan and the people had their own ideas of what life should look like.

What about you and me? Do we grow impatient while God is working in the silence? Do we start to drift off and go back to what we know, which is to do things our way, to make our own plans, to make our own Gods? We have two and only two choices when we are waiting on God to move. We can either think or act like God has forgotten about us and do things our own way or we can wait in the silence.

Acting impulsively and taking matters into our own hands might accomplish something but it does not mean it was something worth accomplishing. However, if we wait, no matter how long, and trust that God is working in the silence we can see miracles, blessings, and God’s best.

The people had things they need to do while waiting on God. It was not like they were just sitting around doing nothing, but they needed to wait for God’s plan before entering the promise. The people left Egypt, but they still had Egypt in the brain. We must leave our own Egypt. We are no longer citizens of the old place when we accept Christ but just like the people in desert, we need to get our old Egypt thinking out of our heads.

I just want to encourage you today. If you are waiting in the silence, then wait. Do what you are supposed to be doing but wait on the move and instruction of God. If God has finally spoken and you are now walking in what He has done, then walk in it. Do it with grace and humility rejoicing that God has given you His best for your life. Whatever it is, wherever you find yourself we should always be pushing towards God, His best, His glory, and His holiness. Things are so much better on that side of it.

Just a thought,

Mike

Do We Go Straight to Heaven?

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In this first article in the series what does the Bible say about it we are asking the question; do we go straight to heaven when we die? Before we answer that question, we should know what the options are. Some say yes absolutely, when we die, our bodies are transported to heaven and we rest with the Savior. Some say that when we die our bodies go into the ground, but our souls go to heaven. Some argue that we just go to sleep and wake up when Jesus comes back. But the question is what does the Bible say?

I should point out that we will primarily be looking at what the New Testament says because while the idea and concept of the afterlife is present in the Old Testament it is not as developed as the New Testament. The New Testament has a great deal to say about the matter because we have Christ who has conquered death and ascended into heaven and the promise for believers is that we will join Him.

First, we should look at the term sleep because the Bible uses this term to talk about death. It is one thing to talk about death in an abstract way but if you have lost someone you love then death feels a little harsh so to soften it the Bible uses the word sleep a fair amount of the time. In 1 Corinthians 11:30 when Paul talks about taking Communion in an improper way, he says some have fallen asleep. In 1 Thessalonian 4:13-14, Paul talks about the brothers and sisters in the church who sleep in death. The church in Thessalonica was facing this very question about what happens when someone dies. Paul lets them know that we as believers in Christ have hope. Psalm 139:8 says that even if we make our bead in Sheol or the depths we are not out of God’s field of vision. Death is sleeping but what kind of sleeping is it?

We could look at each option and prove or disprove them, but this is not a scholarly paper. I think the best approach is to look at what the Bible says concerning our question and look at 1 Corinthians chapter 15 because there is a lot of information for us there. The thing we have to understand is the resurrection and as N.T. Wright often says we have to go back to the resurrection. The first thing is that Jesus was raised from the dead. He was dead and now He is not. He was put in the ground and now He lives. He was buried and now He sits at the right hand of the Father. This tells us something very important; there is a bodily resurrection. 1 Corinthians 15:13-14 says that if Christ was not raised neither are we. If Jesus was only a spirited resurrection, then we are still in our sins. There is no hope, no freedom, no way out from sin in this life but He was raised. The resurrection of Christ was God’s stamp of approval on Christ’s sacrifice saying yes, the debt is paid in full! It is a marvelous and wonderful thing. Oh, how I could get sidetracked here but the important thing for this discussion is to remember that Jesus was raised from the dead and was raised in His body.

The next thing to take notice of is that we will be raised in a different type of body. This is a point when many get confused and have questions. Sadly, the Bible is silent on exactly what type of body, but it will be different in some way. What we do know is that what is sown in corruption will be raised in incorruption (1 Cor 15:42). What does this mean? Again, we do not exactly know but what we do know is that the new body will not die, decay, or ache. My body aches all the time (mostly at night) but the new body will be perfected and not have the same problems because it will be made new. Here is an example of how you can be in a body, but it is a different body. My wife has stomach issues. She felt her stomach all the time. She switched to a gluten-free diet and remarked the other day that she does not feel her stomach anymore. She knows she has one, but she does not feel it. Get the picture. In this life and in this body, you might have an ailment of some kind but in the new resurrected body it will be free.

Jesus looked the same but still had the crucifixion scars but at the same time, it was different. He could still eat but He could also walk-through walls. He walked but still disappeared and reappeared somewhere else. He was still in a body, but it was different. Will ours be the same? I have no idea, but I do know that Revelation talks about the new city, and Revelation 19 it uses banquet feast language so maybe there is food (although I lean towards a vegetarian meal). The important thing to note and remember is you will have a perfected body when Jesus raises you from the dead.

So where does this leave us? 2 Corinthians 5:8 says that to be present with the Lord is to be absent from the body. Death sends us straight to heaven. When we tie that into what we just looked at we get a picture of what it looks like when we die. Our bodies go into the ground sleeping until the resurrection and then when Christ returns, we are reunited with our bodies which are now perfected and no longer die, decay, or ache. We will be with Him forever. There are other aspects of this we could look at like what is it like in heaven or what do we do. The Sadducees tried to trip Jesus up with these questions (Matt 22:30) but Jesus moved on to the more important topic.

Death happens (for now) but for the believer, it is not the end, it is a switch in the mode of being. Those who confess with their mouth and believe in their hearts that Christ was raised from the dead temporarily lose their bodies when they die but they live in heaven with Christ. When Jesus comes back, and He is coming, they will be reunited with their bodies, and it will be amazing. If you are worried about cremation, or those lost at sea don’t be worried. God is going to do what He does best which is more than we can ask think or imagine.

Just a thought,

Mike

A Brand New Series

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Today I am starting a new series called what does the Bible says about it. I cannot say how frequently I will add to this series because some questions require more research, but I will do my best. If you like what you are reading and would like to donate to the cause and help me continue to publish articles like these and others you can by clicking here.

The idea behind this series of articles is simple and started with a question. The question was do I believe that when we die, we go straight to heaven because that is what I have read in the Bible or because that is what people say? It is a simple enough question, and it is also the first one we will look at but the idea behind the question is larger.

Do we believe certain things because it is what the Bible says and teaches or because we have been told that is what the answer is? In all things we need to go back and see what the Bible actually says and means in its message, language, and context. Yes, context is important. Context is important because words only have meaning in context. For example, if I say I am so hungry I could eat a horse do I mean I could eat a literal horse or a large amount? Or am I talking about the size of my hunger and not the size of the meal I intend to eat? When we look at the attire in a church should women still have their head covered or was that a cultural thing and we need to understand the culture behind it?

First a disclaimer I do not live in a mental, emotional, or cultural vacuum. I do have preconceptions and they will bleed through. I am going to do my best to just present the facts as I see them but as best as I can tell pure objectivity does not exist. Some questions are simpler than others and some are more complexed and nuanced. That does not mean that there is no truth. I am not a relativist I believe that there is absolute truth for important topics, but some things are simply preference. For example, what ice cream is best? The answer is it totally depends on your tastebuds, history, family, mood, etc. But a question like did Jesus rise from the grave? Yeah, I see no option but yes based on history and the facts of the early church (yeah, I went there).

So, soon we will have our first post looking to answer the question “when we die do, we go straight to heaven?” This should be fun. Also you can submit your own questions and so we can play along together.

Just a thought,

Mike

Moving to New Orleans

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We are excited to announce that we are moving to New Orleans in late July to work with a new church plant. We are beyond excited as this has been something on our minds for the past four years and God has graciously opened a door for us.

In May of 2017, I (Mike) went to New Orleans for a work conference, and instantly I knew I wanted to be part of church planting and ministry there. As much as Mike loved the city it was clear at that time that ministry in New Orleans was not in the cards however the desire did not diminish but grew. Four years later we took another family vacation to the city. It was not with the plan to see about moving, although that was partially there, mainly it was just a getaway. This time the outcome was different. God opened a door for ministry with new friendships and a fresh passion to serve the city.

New Orleans is not just a city or an area but a way of life. Church cannot just be a Sunday gathering but a way of life that integrates the Gospel into the everyday. Our prayer and desire are to bring the Gospel into everyday living and let the joy, passion, and love of Christ overwhelm people. New Orleans is a NAMB Send city which helps show just how important and strategic it is to reach this great city.

What will we be doing? The church we are working with, Family Church, is (re)launching this Fall and Mike will be working as the Associate Pastor focusing on small groups, administration, organization, and multiplication. This will be a one-year position while we learn about the city, the people, and how to best integrate ourselves and the Gospel into New Orleans. After that, we will go out and plant a new church that plants churches in a rapid and healthy way to reach our city. The church being a new church that is re-launching is able to provide a modest salary, but we need to raise an additional $3000 a month. We are praying, seeking, and believing for 30 families who can support us at $100 a month to reach New Orleans. We have one family who has decided to join us in financial support and a few more who are looking at what they can do. We are very excited and grateful for all the love, prayers, and support.

You can learn more here and sign for the newsletter and join the support team!

With love,

Mike, Julie, and Gracie.

Acts Chapter 2: A Mighty Change and Unity

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The Spirit is given in Acts Chapter 2 and everything for the fledgling church changes. They go from wondering what is next to proclaiming Christ in power. They go from focused on the earthly kingdom to focusing on the Spiritual Kingdom. They go from questions to answers. This all occurs because of the receiving of the Holy Spirit and there is a lot to look at but first, we need to back up. 

The giving and receiving of the Holy Spirit are tied to the giving and receiving of the Law in Exodus 24:15-17. We don’t know for sure but the Jewish people of the time and many today believed that God gave Moses the Torah (or Law) Pentecost (Shavuot). The people believed this is when God gave His Holy Law. God gave His Law to Moses and people needed to obey it and hold to the letter of it. The Law was God’s rule book on how covenant people were to behave and live. It gave them guidance on how to maintain the relationship with God. But all along God was working towards something different, something better, something more permanent and inward.

God promised that He would give a New Covenant, one that did not require external enforcement, an external reading, an external commitment. He was going to be as close to the greatest as He was to the least. All people would have the same access and connection to Him. When we read Jerimiah 31:33-34 we see that God was moving towards a relationship that was not based on external but internal and binding in a way the Law could never be. Something that would drive the people in a way they could never expect. 

With that background in mind, we can look at Acts 2:1-4. The Spirit is given on this day to bring in the New Covenant. The people were united and of one purpose (accord) they received the promise together. God was fulling His promise to write His law on our hearts and be our God. God was making us complete. He was taking the best He had which was Himself and placing it inside of us. No longer do people have to go somewhere, ask someone, or do something to get direction. The Spirit of God is now living on the inside of us. The promise had come but there was more to be completed. 

We have to back up again because what we are reading is the fulfillment of promises. To look at the fulfillment without looking at the issue and the promise is to miss the wonder of the conclusion. It would be like watching part two of a movie after the cliffhanger and thinking you fully understand the second part. We need the rest of the story in Genesis 11:5-7 to see why this is so amazing. The people after the flood were rebellious against God and wanted to not only meet God on their own terms, but they wanted to make God meet them on their terms. God cannot be mocked so He confused their language and broke their unity. God took their gift of unity and broke it to show He is One true God and that He cannot be forced into anything. He wanted to ensure people knew that He had total power and dominion. 

When we understand that then we can read Acts 2:6 with a new lens. God was now reuniting all people under His Son. He sent His Spirit so all people would be able to be unified in heart, mind, and spirit. The giving of the Spirit not only put God’s purpose and law on their hearts but united them together externally as well. 

The church now has power (the Holy Spirit) and unity. The church can now start her mission to change and disciple the world. Now people do not have to wait for a special moment because we are baptized into the Spirit at the moment, we accept Christ (Eph 1:13; 1 Cor 12:13).

It is in Acts 2:5-26 that Peter gives his big sermon where 3000 people come to Christ. We see a lot of things in this sermon, but one important thing is that Peter tells the people they are guilty of killing the Messiah. The Mosaic Law gives no sacrifice for murder. If you kill someone that is it there is no way to escape the punishment. Add to this that the people killed God’s Messiah and Son. However, what is amazing is that the people hearing Peter ask what can be done. According to the Law, they had no right to ask such a question, but I believe the Spirit was guiding them along. Peter tells them that there is forgiveness available in Christ by believing in Him. 

Acts 2:42-47 shows the growing church and how they operated daily. It shows us what it meant for the fledgling church to navigate this new world of unity, power, and forgiveness. Theologians, scholars, and the average man on the street has poured over these verses for two millennia to try and understand how we contextualize or use this to structure our churches. I would argue there is no easy answer. There is no one-stop shopping here because it is incredibly complex. That being said I think there is at least one thing we can take away from it regardless of your context: Unity. 

Unity is a central theme in this chapter. The disciples were united in prayer. The people were united in their response to the Gospel. The Spirit coming united people in language. The people are later united in giving towards the cause and for those in need. Unity is what the church needs. I get it there are denominational and doctrinal differences, but unity can still be achieved. We can still be united for the cause of Christ. First, we unite to God being reconciled to Him, after that it should be easy to unite to each other. 

Just a thought, 

Mike

Sowing and Reaping – Six Month Challenge

/ Mike Farley / Leave a comment

Video Version can be found here

I think in general we all want something more or different out of life. It might not be huge changes or monumental differences but there is probably some change you want in your life. There is a good chance that somethings in your life need to change. I am not talking about things you just need to learn to be content with, I am talking about when things need to change. Serious things like losing weight, saving money, getting a good job, building healthy relationships, and so on. Important things in life that you should want to be changed. Because we can all have areas and things that need to change, I want to give you two tools from the Bible that will help you do this but first a word about time.

Time is going to move forward whether we like it or not. Time moves regardless of personal desire or preference. Time moves forward. I am going to say something that right now does not sound profound or all that clever but in six months it will be six months from now. I know what you are thinking “well duh.” But think about that for a second, what if six months ago you decided to make a change. What if six months ago you decided you wanted to lose weight? By now you might have hit your target. What if six months ago you decided you wanted a better relationship with your spouse? By now you would have a better relationship. What if six months ago you decided you wanted to be in a better job? Chances are by now; you would have that job. Six months is going to go by whether we like it or not. But what does six months have to do with changing your life?

We think about changing our lives but what if instead, we thought about changing the next six months? What if instead of focusing on something so monumental as changing our life we thought about being in a different place in six months? Would that help? Would that make a difference? Would it do anything? I say yes, yes it would because six months is manageable, and six months is attainable. Six months is something we can see. Six months is something that can grow. I am going to give you two tools from the Bible that can help you change the next six months. Also, I should note that these two things are really two pieces of the same tool.

The first is that you reap what you sow (Gal 6:7). This is sometimes thought about in a negative sense. You find yourself in trouble and someone says “well, you reap what you sow.” They mean you got what you deserve, and this is partially true. Sometimes this is used when talking about finances. We talk about sowing and reaping in church and we are talking about giving and receiving. This is also partially true. However, the bigger principle is that you get out what you put in. If you sow (plant) corn you get corn. The thing is sowing (planting) takes time. You don’t just plant some corn and boom you get a harvest. Corn takes between 60 and 100 days to grow so you need to plant, water, and wait. You need to plant, nourish the thing planted, and wait.

If we pick weight loss for example, then we need to do things now that will help us achieve our goal later. The weight loss is the goal or the fruit, but the planting is what we do beforehand. we change our eating habits, we exercise, we do what it takes now to see the fruit later. If we want a better relationship with our child or children in six months, we need to start planting different things now to reap better things later. We will get in what we put out. If you keep eating Oreos (I love Oreos) you get an Oreo body. If you keep ignoring your children, you get children who don’t want to spend time with you. You get out what you put in. Change what you put in the ground now and you will get something different in six months.

The second tool is that things reproduce after their own kind (Gen 1:11). God has designed the world that things reproduce after their own kind. Again, corn kernels make corn stocks. Humans reproduce and make little humans (babies). Dogs make dogs. Peace makes peace. Laughter makes laughter. Things reproduce after their own kind. So not only do we get out what we put in but what we get out reproduces and makes more of the same. If we make changes now to see different results in six months, then in six months we have something new that will reproduce after its own kind. The small seeds we plant now to make changes start to compound and reproduce after their own kind.

If we decided that in six months, we want a better job and we planted the seed for a better job (change in work ethics, determination, applying, studying) then we not only end up with a better job we are different as a person with different habits, motivations, and goals. Those things reproduce after their own kind and a new system has been created that creates other changes as well. If you want a better relationship with your kids and you put in the work to make that happen then your kids will more than likely also have a better relationship with their kids. Things will reproduce after their own kind but first, we must plant the right seed.

This can all happen in six months. Whether we like it or not six months is going to go by. In six months from today, it will be September 8th, 2021. It does not matter if you want it to be something different you don’t get a choice. What we do get to decide is what will be different in six months. What will be different for a lifetime after that?

Just a thought,

Mike

Seeking and Pruning

/ Mike Farley / Leave a comment

(Video version can be seen here)

Have you seen the video about the sheep named Barrack that was found? It is pretty cool and if you have not seen it, I recommend checking out one of the videos. Barrack was lost in the Australian wilderness for about 5 years and when he was found he had about 77lbs of extra wool. He could barely see, drank water from puddles, and his wool was full of twigs, dirt, and insects. It took them about an hour to cut away all of the wool that was weighing him down. They found this sheep, cleaned him up, and he is on the road to recovery. It is a very cool story and one that made me think about Luke 19:10 and John 15:2-5 among other things.

In Luke 19:10 Jesus says that He has come to seek and save the lost. Jesus says His mission is to find those who are lost and then make them unlost. He says the whole point of His coming is to look for those who are missing and then make them found. In John 15:2-5 Jesus says that we are the vine, and He is the branch but before this, He says that the Father prunes us to make us more fruitful. We get this picture that we are pruned or that we have bad things cut back so we can produce more fruit. First, we are found and then we are pruned. That is the process. The hard part is that like the lost sheep Barrack when we are found we often have a lot that needs to be pruned.

Some people come to Christ and have less that needs to be pruned and some people have more. The point is that we all have pruning that needs to occur. With Barrack, the initial pruning (shearing) took over an hour, and all that extra was cut off. The external had changed but he still needs to heal from 5 years in the wilderness. When you and I come to Christ there is an initial pruning that happens in the way of the Holy Spirit coming in and changing us from the inside. We are forgiven of sin and made new. Sometimes, like in my case, there is a lot that He removes right away but even if that happens there is more and continual pruning that needs to occur.

Coming to Christ and finding freedom and salvation requires nothing from us except to accept it. He has done all of the work because we cannot. Salvation is a free gift. The pruning takes work. The pruning takes time. The pruning takes cooperation on our part. This is because pruning requires that you submit to what God is doing for it to be effective. God can remove things in your life that are holding you back but if you keep returning to them or trading them for new versions of the same vices then the pruning is not effective. Your submission to the will and leading of the Lord is needed. What if tomorrow Barrack decides he does not like being kept in a pen and then heads back out to the wilderness? He will be covered in mud, dirt, and weighed down again. The pruning that freed him will not be effective because he will once again be the same as he was. What if after coming to Christ you decide forgiveness from past sins is enough and you just want to go out and do as you please again? You will get weighed down, covered in mud, and need heavy pruning again. The pruning process of God is non-negotiable. It must occur.

What does this mean for us? How do we get the pruning, how do we respond in the pruning, how do we cope? Hebrews 7:25 says, Therefore, He (Jesus) is always able to save those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede for them. Jesus is always able to save because He lives to intercede for us. This saving is not just the initial salvation either. Jesus can save us daily. When we are being pruned and unsure how we will move forward Jesus saves us and intercedes for us. He owes us nothing, but He chooses to live for us. What can He not do? Who can He not save? What is beyond His ability? The Lord of all the universe, the Word of God, the Author of Life chooses to intercede for you and me. Whatever you require, whatever you lack He can provide and make a way for! In the pruning, we must move forward and push towards Jesus. That is how we get through it, that is respond, that is how we cope. We push towards the one who is available and able to save us. 

There is so much more we could talk about with this, but I would just encourage you today that if you are in the midst of a pruning season, and you know when you are, that you submit to the pruning and seek Christ. Press into Him because that is the only way you will get through it with the fruit you were meant to bear. Be pruned and be changed. Embrace the process and welcome His direction. Maybe it means you let things go, maybe it means you move, maybe it means you admit something. Whatever it is, however hard it is be pruned and see how you can be made new today. 

Just a thought,

Mike