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 The idea is
shocking...
It is a thought many people have never even entertained. What is it that
is so astounding? It is the fact that God hates. Most often we think of God
as love (1 John 4:8). Love eliminates hate, right? Wrong. As a matter of
fact, appropriate hate is a result of love. For instance, Psalm 119 is a
very lengthy expression of love and appreciation for God’s word. It
is as a result of that love for God’s instruction that the Psalm
expresses hatred for “every false way” (Psalm 119:104, 128).
God is love. He loves us as His creation and above all else desires
close fellowship with us. That fellowship is destroyed by sin. Sin taints
and tarnishes His people and makes association with a holy God impossible.
That is why God hates sin. It destroys those whom God loves. How tragic
when people become enamored with the very things that ruin their
relationship with God, the very things God hates. So, in Proverbs 6:16-19,
seven objects of God’s hatred are listed: haughty eyes, a lying
tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans,
feet that run rapidly to evil, a false witness who utters lies, and one who
spreads strife among brothers.
Yes, God hates these things. And, if we love God, we’ll hate them
too. It is no virtue to love everything. If we love what God hates we are
estranged from Him (1 John 2:15). That’s the very problem Jesus died
to fix.
So, what do you hate?
Here is your copy of firstIMPRESSIONS,
Volume 8.09. Live for God, on purpose, letting
the same mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus!
 Go
Prepare the Table
When I was a young boy, my brother and I had certain chores that we were
assigned to do. One of those tasks was to set the table for dinner. Neither
my brother nor I particularly enjoyed when it was our turn to set the
table, but we did want to eat dinner, and no one could eat until we took
care of our duty! You see, in our house, the table was also the place where
we tended to set things down throughout the day. It was also where my
brother and I would sit to do our homework. There was no way that we could
eat at our table until we took the time to clear it off, and then set it
for dinner.
In Luke 22, we find Jesus and His disciples as they approached the
Passover, and specifically as the day of Unleavened Bread arrived. In the
eighth verse, it says that Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and
make preparations for us to eat the Passover.” Before Jesus and the
disciples could share what we today call the last supper, there were
preparations that needed to be made.
This Sunday, we will once again share in the ordinance of Communion.
Just as Christ had Peter and John go to make preparations for the Passover,
He is calling you and I to make preparations for the communion table. We
need to “clear the table,” so to speak.
Be sure to join us here at WFA this week, as we “make ready”
the Passover, following the admonition found in 1 Corinthians 11:28 to
“examine ourselves” as I share the message “Go Prepare
the Table” as we prepare for the Lord’s Supper.
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 The
Prayer Force
by Rick Ezell
Prayer is the indispensable and vital function of a believer. No aspect
of our Christian life is more essential and crucial to our personal growth
and health, and the church’s growth and health, than spending time
with God. We are never taller than when we are on our knees. We are never
stronger than when we are confessing our weaknesses. We are never bolder in
public than when we are quiet before God in private.
Prayer brings God to us. Prayer reminds us
that we need God more than he needs us. The essence of prayer is to join
God, not God joining us. We ask what is on God’s heart rather than
telling God what is on our hearts. Prayer is the lifeline that saves the
drowning soul. Prayer is the umbilical cord that provides nourishment to
the starving spirit. Prayer is the channel by which God’s life-giving
presence flows to us.
St. Augustine, the early church father and theologian, described prayer as
like a man in a hapless boat who throws a rope at a rock. The rock provides
the needed security and stability for the helpless man. When the rock is
lassoed, it’s not the man pulling the rock to the boat (though it may
appear that way); it is the pulling of the boat to the rock. Jesus is the
rock, and we throw the rope through prayer.
Prayer changes us. The early disciples were
once timid and afraid, hiding and secretive, embarrassed and ashamed. But
when they prayed for boldness and power in public ministry, God changed
them. He transformed wimps (weak, ineffectual, and insipid persons) into
warriors (bold, courageous, and powerful people).
Richard Foster wrote, “To pray is to change. Prayer is the central
avenue God uses to transform us. If we are unwilling to change, we will
abandon prayer as a noticeable characteristic of our lives. The closer we
come to the heartbeat of God the more we see our need and the more we
desire to be conformed to Christ.”
Don’t pray unless you want to change. Don’t pray unless you
want to be propelled to action. Don’t pray unless you want to move on
the offensive. Don’t pray unless you want to go to war. And, when you
go to war you need power.
Prayer unleashes the power of God. Prayer is
the most powerful weapon in the believer’s arsenal. Is it any wonder
that the Evil One seeks valiantly to keep Christ followers from praying?
When we don’t pray Satan has won the battle. But, when we pray, the
power of God is unleashed.
The power is felt on the human front. Sidlow Baxter wrote, “Men
may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, despise
our persons, but they are helpless against our prayers.”
Then, the power is felt on the spiritual front. Samuel Chadwick said,
“The one concern of the devil is to keep saints from prayer. He fears
nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, prayerless religion. He
laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray.”
Prayer equips us for battle. The battle is for
the hearts of men and women. God needs us on the front lines telling others
about him. The war is won in the trenches of men and women’s will.
Prayer equips us for that engagement.
How foolish one would be to go to battle without proper preparation,
training, and equipment. How foolish are we to go to spiritual battles
without prayer. John Henry Jowett claimed, “It is in the field of
prayer that life’s critical battles are won or lost.” As
believers and as a church we will only be triumphant in storming the lines
of evil for the souls of men and women when we pray.
Let us pray. The souls of men and women hang in the balance.
as seen in Rick Ezell’s “One Minute
Uplift” weekly email devotional of January 31, 2008. Dr. Ezell is
pastor of First Baptist Church in Greer, South Carolina.
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 Faithful
“Many a man will declare his own goodness, but
a faithful man who can find?” – Proverbs 20:6
I saw a photo of the excavations of Pompeii, the ancient Roman city that
was buried, almost frozen in time, under tons of volcanic ash. The eruption
was so sudden, so violent, that many people were doing the basic day to day
stuff of life when they were instantly smothered. There was no warning.
Death was virtually instantaneous.
One lone Roman soldier stood vigil facing the volcano. He saw the
eruption and the deadly ash cloud headed for the city and could have tried
to run. He chose to stand. Roman soldiers DID NOT leave their posts unless
relieved. They stood faithful to the task before them. They feared their
commanding officers more than their enemies; more than death.
This lone soldier stood his ground and was buried alive facing the
volcano. His assignment was to guard the city. He stands silent vigil over
that doomed city today. He was faithful to the task. God calls us to be
faithful witnesses to the world and each other of His goodness. Your
testimony of Christ has little power if you are not loving your spouse,
honoring your parents, raising godly children, walking out the life of Christ
within you in this fallen world.
Jesus promised that when we appear before Him, for those who walked
close in obedience to him, will hear these words – “Well done,
you good and FAITHFUL servant. Enter into the joy of the Lord.” We
cannot enter in the Lord’s joy in this life or the next unless we are
faithful to His call on our lives.
Joy is an issue of the heart. You have to be close, intimate with
someone to hear their heartbeat. The One we desire calls himself
“Faithful and True.”
I saw on a sports broadcast once a long distance runner who won a
grueling race. His trainer was waiting for him at the finish line. This
victorious athlete ran past the trophy right into his coach’s arms.
The token reward could wait. I suspect he wanted to hear his coaches’
praise.
I want to finish my life like that – running right into my
Saviors’ waiting arms. His words, “Well done, you good and
faithful servant” are what I am running to finally hear. His rewards
can wait. I want his smile. “Be faithful unto death, and I will give
you the crown of life.” (Revelation 2:10)
Will you stand firm to the call of God? Will you be found faithful?
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 Think
Alan Redpath once formed a “mutual encouragement” fellowship
at a time of stress in one of his pastorates. The members subscribed to a
simple formula applied before speaking of any person or subject that was
perhaps controversial.
T – Is it true?
H – Is it helpful?
I – Is it inspiring?
N – Is it necessary?
K – Is it kind?
If what we are about to say does not pass these tests, we should keep
our mouths shut.
as seen in Rocky Henriques’ “The Timothy
Report,” on February 25, 2008. www.timothyreport.com
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 The Guts to Fail
by Steve Goodier
Someone quipped that a classified newspaper ad read: “For sale.
Parachute. Only used once, never opened, small stain.”
I realize that we cannot afford to fail in some endeavors. But I also
know that we cannot afford NOT to fail in most of what we do.
Unfortunately, too many of us live by the motto: If at first you
don’t succeed, don’t admit that you tried. Why? We often feel
ashamed or embarrassed when we fall flat.
In his book THE COURAGE TO FAIL (McGraw-Hill, Inc. 1993), Art Mortell
tells about a conversation he had with baseball’s Lou Brock. It took
place when Brock held the record for stolen bases. He was about 35 years
old at the time and his days as a professional player were winding down.
Brock was talking about why he successfully stole more bases than younger,
faster players.
“When you start out in baseball,” Brock said, “you’re
young and you have the speed and reflexes. However, when you try to steal
second base and you get thrown out, it’s a long walk back to the
dugout, with 40,000 fans watching you. When you reach my age, you come to
understand that records are not set by being the quickest, but by the
willingness to look bad in the eyes of others.”
There are other ways to avoid failure throughout life:
• Never ask anyone out. There will be no possibility of rejection
and embarrassment.
• Never ask for a promotion. That way you will not risk the
humiliation of being turned down.
• Never go back to school. You cannot fail a class you do not
take.
• Never change careers. You’ll never fail at something you
never try.
• Never try anything you’ve never done before.
If success is just avoiding failure, I don’t want it. But if
success is about pursuing a passion or finding the guts to risk in order to
experience life fully, then I want it. Even if it means a lot of long walks
back to the dugout while everyone is watching.
as seen in Steve Goodier’s “Life Support.”
To subscribe send an email to LifeSupport-subscribe@ya
hoogroups.com
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 In The Beginning...
When Rev. Gary Sapp was with us for our recent Missions
Convention, he shared a story that many have requested. Here it is!
In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth and populated the
Earth with broccoli, cauliflower and spinach, green and yellow and red
vegetables of all kinds, so Man and Woman would live long and healthy
lives.
Then using God’s great gifts, Satan created Ben and Jerry’s
Ice Cream and Krispy Creme Donuts. And Satan said, “You want
chocolate with that?” And Man said, “Yes!” and Woman
said, “and as long as you’re at it, add some sprinkles.”
And they gained 10 pounds. And Satan smiled.
And God created the healthful yogurt that Woman might keep the figure
that Man found so fair. And Satan brought forth white flour from the wheat,
and sugar from the cane and combined them. And Woman went from size 6 to
size 14.
So God said, “Try my fresh green salad.” And Satan presented
Thousand-Island Dressing, buttery croutons and garlic toast on the side.
And Man and Woman unfastened their belts following the repast.
God then said, “I have sent you heart healthy vegetables and olive
oil in which to cook them.” And Satan brought forth deep fried fish
and chicken-fried steak so big it needed its own platter. And Man gained
more weight and his cholesterol went through the roof. God then created a
light, fluffy white cake, named it “Angel Food Cake,” and said,
“It is good.” Satan then created chocolate cake and named it
“Devil’s Food.”
God then brought forth running shoes so that His children might lose
those extra pounds. And Satan gave cable TV with a remote control so Man
would not have to toil changing the channels. And Man and Woman laughed and
cried before the flickering blue light and gained pounds.
Then God brought forth the potato, naturally low in fat and brimming
with nutrition. And Satan peeled off the healthful skin and sliced the
starchy center into chips and deep-fried them. And Man gained pounds.
God then gave lean beef so that Man might consume fewer calories and
still satisfy his appetite. And Satan created McDonald’s and its
99-cent double cheeseburger. Then said, “You want fries with
that?” And Man replied, “Yes! And super size them!” And
Satan said, “It is good.” And Man went into cardiac arrest.
God sighed and created quadruple bypass surgery.
Then Satan created HMOs
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 The
Last Impression
One day God was walking through the Garden of Eden. After a short while,
he came across Adam. Adam was in low spirits this particular day, and God
asked him what was wrong. Adam told the Lord that he was lonely.
God responded that He would create Adam a companion. She would walk by
his side for all eternity. She would listen to his problems. She would wash
his clothes. She would keep his house clean. She would cook his meals. She
would do anything to keep him happy. Most importantly, she would never
complain or nag him.
To this Adam was ecstatic. His spirits lifted immediately.
The Lord hated to tell him that this creature would come at a price. God
told Adam that the creature would cost him an arm and a leg.
Adam responded, “What can I get for a rib?”... And the rest
is history.
Today is an “extra” day! It’s “leap
day” – February 29th. For everyone who says they would get so
much more done if they just had a little more time... well, today’s
the day for you! And, once you get everything done today, be sure to start
the week off right by joining us for worship on the first day of the week,
this Sunday, at WFA! You will find that as you give the first portion of
your week to God in corporate worship, that the rest of the week will be
far better! See you this Lord’s Day here at WFA!
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