Fiction's Stop Sign

Restore To Me The Joy ... ...

2012-02-27T12:29:00.000-06:00

By: Roland Contreras

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin … … Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” (Psalm 51:1-2, 12)

It is believed that a mournful and repenting King David penned this Psalm not longer after his sin with Bathsheba was brought to light. There are several things to recognize here in the Psalm. Primarily that David is repenting. Repentance is a must in our walk with Christ despite the fact that many churches around the world neglect to teach and preach on such a thing. Secondly we need to recognize that David is dealing with the root of his sin. Far too often we spend all our energy and resources attacking the sin itself without giving notice to the underlying issue, our heart. This is what David is doing as he pours himself out to God. That is why his sin of adultery is not even mentioned here. Because, ultimately, he knows that this particular sin is simply a symptom of a deeper and far worse problem - a heart that has grown cold and far from God. His heart found no joy or gladness in Christ and the result was detrimental to him. His sin led to death and betrayal throughout his Kingdom. I can’t help but think that this gives great meaning to what God said in Numbers 32:23, “… … your sin will find you out.”

“Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” I can’t help but think that David was thinking: because when that joy fades I become unfaithful. Is this not true for us all? When we are confronted with sin and fall into its grasp it is because we have chosen joy in the world over joy in Christ. We have lost sight of what matters most and have rejected the Creator in favor of creation. Importantly, not only does David cry out for restoration but for God to sustain him as well. Often we are restored and never really allow God to sustain us through our walk with him. The result is a pattern of sin and a constant falling down because we pay no mind to the offer of God sustaining us.

Oh how we need to cry out like David and plead with God for restoration of HIS joy and sustenance in our life. Because when we cling to HIS joy, when we have a hold on HIS promise then everything else fails in comparison. And when we stand on a roof overlooking the city and see sin staring right at us we can joyfully embrace Christ and his strength and take pride in knowing that HE is far better than anything the world can offer.

The Faithful Walk With God ... ...

2012-02-20T11:33:00.000-06:00

By: Roland Contreras

“Wisdom is justified by all her children.” (Luke 7:35 ESV)

Faithfulness is a rarity in our culture today. It used to be that faithlessness was the odd man out but as the tide has changed those who commit themselves to anything or anyone are seen as old-fashion and primitive. Even within the church there is a clear picture of those who are simply going through the motions of “faith” compared with those who are dedicating every second of their life for, as Paul stated in Ephesians 1, “the praise of His glorious grace.”

If one ever desires to see the authenticity of Christianity one simply needs to look to the life of a genuine Christian. In other words Christianity is proven; it is vindicated by the faithfulness of its followers. That is what Christ is declaring when he personifies the virtue of wisdom in Luke 7. The Pharisees were accusing Jesus of a radical approach to ministry in comparison to John the Baptist (see Luke 7:33-35). Jesus turns the tables on them with this bold statement. James picks up on this theme when he writes in James 2:18, “… I will show you my faith by my works.” Do people look at your life and see Christianity vindicated by the way you represent it? Do you represent your Jesus well?

Now please understand that faith does not come by church attendance, knowing John 3:16 or by quoting Psalm 23. We are faithful by our hearts dependence on Christ for life and salvation. God made it clear that “we love Him because he first loved us.” Going to church, giving and knowing scripture is a product of the faithful one and The Faithful One. Faith produces works not vice-versa. Sadly, we often make the mistake of falling into religion rather than into Christianity. The Pharisees constantly challenged Jesus as to what it meant to be religiously faithful. Christ demonstrated the essence of what it means to be faithful and as his children we are to model His faithfulness for His glory and praise so that our light may shine to a dying world.

Point to Ponder:
Are you exemplifying Christianity in word and deed? Are you making Jesus proud? Even He knows what is done in secret.

Not much has changed ... ....

2012-01-16T14:24:00.000-06:00

By: Roland Contreras

On April 16, 1963 MLK wrote a letter from a prison cell in Birmingham, Alabama. He was troubled by the racial tensions and the injustices that were prevalent in the neighborhoods, cities and culture. MLK cried out for the church to take a noble and firm stance against the outright sinfulness that was occurring. In doing so he brought to light the ineffectiveness of a church the clings to a specific mentality. He stated,"So often the contemporary church is a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. So often it is an archdefender of the status quo. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the church, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the church's silent--and often even vocal--sanction of things as they are." In other words, the church was failing to be the church. It was satisfied with the structure and order as it was and had no desire to change anything. Perhaps it was out of fear of the repercussions or maybe it was out of plain ignorance of the truth of scripture. The pharisees of the Bible were such a people. They had no desire to confront the legalism that was their lifestyle and to repent of their hypocrisy and hatred for Christ. MLK was dealing with the pharisees of his time. He later stated, "If today's church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century. Every day I meet young people whose disappointment with the church has turned into outright disgust." It seems not much has changed in regards to these type of churches since the time of MLK. While MLK lived his life setting in motion what would become a monumental era in our history, these sort of churches were lackadaisical and/or outright rebellious in their attempts to change anything. Now today we don't deal with racial tension the way MLK did. I realize racism is still very much an issue, but comparatively speaking, MLK's dream has come to fruition and praise God for that. Again I say, what hasn't changed is particular churches that continually cling to a culture-influenced system of ideals rather than those that are laid out in scripture. In short, these sort of churches are not really churches at all but, as MLK put it, social clubs.

Now please don't let this particular brand of church twist you into thinking that all churches are like this. They are not. So I encourage you to find a genuine Bible-believing church that is not satisfied with the way things are but is continually endeavoring to be better for the sake of the Kingdom and for the glory of the Savior. If every church operated this way, church would begin to influence the culture and not the other way around.

Thanksgiving and Christianity

2011-11-24T23:57:00.000-06:00

By: Roland Contreras

Thanksgiving is a long holiday tradition whereby we take time to focus on all the blessings that the Creator of the universe has so graciously bestowed upon us. For some Thanksgiving comes once a year and is filled with plentiful delights that are not only pleasing to the eye but to the appetite as well. For some it is filled with football on the big-screen while family and friends gather around in a sort of campfire routine. For others it simply falls short of its intention.

But for the Christian, Thanksgiving is not something that is just celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. For the Christian, Thanksgiving is not something that is done only at the dinner table. For the Christian, Thanksgiving is a perpetual holiday whereby the Christian praises and worships Christ. It is not predicated on blessing or suffering but is done simply because of who Christ is. Truth be said, thanksgiving is a good thing ... ... no, thanksgiving is a great and awesome thing.

It is a great thing because it allows the opportunity to revel in the grace of God ... ... his common grace to be more specific. That is, his grace and mercy that simply allows us the opportunity to wake up every morning and be presented with the freedom to praise him in all we do a la 1Corinthians 10:31 or to respond to his call to salvation a la Romans 8:30. Plus, despite the fact that many may be traversing through a forest of suffering and pain, the common grace of God allows you to breathe air and experience the blessing of being alive.

It is awesome because, like everything, our gratitude focuses on Christ. He is the epicenter of our joy ... ... our greatest joy. This is where thanksgiving should center. It should center on the truth of Christ and his free gift of grace. It should center on the fact that "while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!" (Romans 5:8-9). This is the core of Thanksgiving and Christianity.

SNAPSHOTS OF ABUNDANT LIFE FELLOWSHIP

2011-10-16T15:35:00.001-05:00

By: Roland Contreras

I've noticed a plethora of photo essays springing up all over the net so I thought I'd give it a try. Every weekend I have the honor of serving alongside some incredible leaders and joining with some amazing people in worshipping the Savior, Jesus Christ. Aside from the countless hours of prayer and bible reading/studying that is undertaken throughout the week, below are a couple of pictures that will give you a little insight as to what takes place in a typical weekend at ALF. Though it is not pictured, several men from the church gather every Saturday morning to pray for our church, our mission and our community. Enjoy!

Saturday afternoon begins with an empty worship center that doubles as a gym for our school during the week.

Set up of the stage and chairs is done by faithful church members on a rotating basis. These people sacrifice an hour or two of their afternoon to make sure that our worship center is ready by Sunday morning.

Saturday evening the sound system is set up and the P&W team comes in for practice and sound check.

Running speaker cords can sometimes find you in an awkward position.

Jobot the Robot paid us a visit. You never know what you might run into here.

P&W practice is underway.

A gorgeous sunset after practice. Creation itself testifies of God's greatness.

Sunday morning ... ... ready to worship and glorify the Savior.

Final sound check and run-through.

Sunday school to get things started. Children, tweens, youth & adults each have their separate classes. Here's a couple of classes in action.

The excitement is just riveting, right guys?

Pastoral prayer before service begins.

Your view as you enter the worship center.

Corporate worship is one of the ways we serve and make much of the glory of God. Here are some snapshots.

The technical side of Sunday morning.

On Sunday morning, parents have the option of taking their children to our Kidzone Children's Chapel where they can experience a worship service designed just for them along with age-appropriate bible study. Below are some quick pics of hang-time right before bible study.

Prayer-time is a very important aspect of our worship service. Every Sunday we set aside some time to corporately lift up our prayers and praises to God.

We conclude our service with a message from one of our pastors. We make every effort possible to communicate that we are a church that holds the Word of God to be infallible and inerrant. We stand solely on it's truth without compromise. This particular Sunday focused on Exodus 3 and Moses' conversation with God, specifically God's statement, "I will be with you."

Great opportunities for fellowship and conversation occupy the majority of everyone's time after service is over. Though not pictured, our small group ministry serves as an incredible outlet for this as well. Small groups allow us to create deeper relationships and experience community and accountability with those who are a part of ALF or those who are taking a curious peek.

Consider this photo essay your invitation to join us on Sunday morning. We would love to have you be our guest! In the mean-time, you can get more information at www.abundantlifefellowship.com.

WHO WAS AND IS AND IS TO COME ... ...

2010-04-19T22:49:00.002-05:00

Who was and is and is to come. What does that mean? We serve a God who has no ending and has no beginning. Wrapping our minds around, what many would see, as not only impossible but also illogical is mind-numbing to say the least. I am reminded of God’s words to the prophet Isaiah when he spoke: “My ways are not your ways neither are my thoughts like your thoughts.” That sums up the greatness of our God, at least for me anyway. God is so far beyond anything that my hands can do or my mind can conceive. He is far beyond anything I can ever invent or write. The ipad, Shakespeare, modern medicine, nuclear fission, all these human accomplishments stand null before a God whose ways exceed the calculating capacity of a super-computer. Can we ever truly understand that the universe-creating God has always been, that he has always existed? There has never been a point in God’s history where he came into being - because he always was. Yet the beauty through all this - is that God does not remain untouchable. And even though our human capabilities can never garner the approval of the Creator, we are not without hope. God is forever reaching for our hearts and extending his helping hand to all who will simply receive it. Through the sacrifice and resurrection of his one and only son Jesus Christ, we can attain a peace and joy that has far-reaching implications on the life that we live. A God who is above all things humbled himself, walked this Earth and died for me. He was and is and is to come!

ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING

2010-03-25T22:12:00.000-05:00

"You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." - Ephesians 4:22-24

It has continually been my prayer that people (myself among all included) would be both blessed and convicted by my attempt to convey the truth of God's word and His purpose for our lives. What I do is not anything new; I don't claim to come up with new ideas or revelation, special interpretations or postmodern gimmicks. In the words of Graham Nash, "I am a simple man, so I sing a simple song." Though my song is more of a message of truth and hope, those lyrics stand true for me and the life that I have lived and am living. So, with that in mind, I share my heart with words that currently flow through my heart and out the tips of my fingers and onto this page.

It is my never-failing hope that we consistently allow Christ to change those things in our life that are sinful and repulsive in the eyes of God. Those are words we don’t like to hear, but it’s true. Our sins are repulsive and gross. From slipping a curse word to lying, to pornography and adultery, regardless of what it is, it repulses God and separates him from us. We must actively be pursuing our relationship with Christ.

You see, whether we believe it or not we all need to make some changes. Everyone has something in their life that needs to change. When it comes to change, we have an easy time identifying and wanting it. But making it happen is something else entirely. Simply put, we can’t change. Not on our own at least. We need help, direction and hope if we’re going to really make change in our lives.

It is a fact that whatever a person allows to occupy his mind will sooner or later determine his speech and his actions. This is the premise behind Philippians 4:8 and Colossians 3:2,5: establishing wholesome thought patterns. 2Corinthians 10:5 says we should "take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ." What it is saying is that our attitude (assuming in Christ) is the beacon by which our life is lived, therefore, our attitude should be subject to Christ’s standards.

A sour and bitter attitude was never God’s plan for our life. That sounds a bit like Osteenism, but stay with me. For some reason our attitude has the dangerous ability to keep us from experiencing the most out of life. For some, God has withheld his blessing because of our refusal to change. Our perspective in life will always reflect our attitude towards this world. Our decision making will be shaped by our attitude towards the moral and ethical values laid out in scripture. One of the most important keys to change is the ability to make proper decision that not only effect us now but have eternal significance. All these things are determined by our attitude and if we are ever to be changed and transformed into God’s loving and enduring people, change in life must be constant, and our attitude must be determined by those things that we see as Godly, Christ-like and Eternal.

SATISFACTION IS AN AMAZING THING

2010-03-23T10:18:00.002-05:00

"You don't have to know a lot of things for your life to make a lasting difference in the world. But you do have to know the few great things that matter, and then be willing to live for them and die for them. The people that make a durable difference in the world are not the people who mastered many things, but who have been mastered by a few great things. If you want your life to count, if you want the ripple effect of the pebbles you drop to become waves that reach the ends of the earth and roll on for centuries and into eternity, you don't have to have a high IQ or EQ; you don't have to have good looks or riches; you don't have to come from a fine family or a fine school. You have to know a few great, majestic, obvious, simple, glorious things, and be set on fire by them." - John Piper

Seeing it for what it is ... ...

2010-02-02T10:09:00.000-06:00

Here's a story for you:

A young man, probably in his early twenties, stumbles into the emergency room and falls to the floor. He has just been inflicted with a life threatening emergency and if he doesn't deal with it fast, he will die. His injury is very visible and painful - as made evident by his moans. The gasps and sudden awes of the other patients adds to the fact that this young man is in dire need of assistance. Moms are shielding the eyes of their children, even grown men are turning away in disgust. Others begin silently praying for him. The nurses are frantically searching for gauze and other medical items that will help this young man recover. Even the non-medical personal are trying to do what they can to help. It is around this time that a suave almost seductive looking doctor glides his way into the emergency room. He is a very unique doctor. He is well dressed and properly groomed. He looks like something out of a dream, it's almost as if he is to good to be true. His smile if infectious, his presence is overwhelming for some. The eyes of the other patients gleam with excitement at his very presence. The look on their face changes from horror to hope. The doctor pays little mind to the injured young man, he just smiles and waves at the other patients. The doctor finally acknowledges the young man and begins to assess him. He goes down a list of questions that have very little do to with the extent of his injury. In extreme pain, the young man pleads for the doctors help. The nurses and other patients look on anxiously. What happens next is mind-blowing. The doctor tells the young man that he see absolutely nothing wrong with him, not one single thing. The young man looks puzzled and even some of the nurses look at each other with a questioning look. Others appear to be agreeing with the doctor. One nurse who tries to intervene with the reality of the young man's situation is quickly quieted by others who are siding with the doctor. The young man questions the doctor's diagnosis. The doctor replies that these type of things are not his calling and that he chooses to focus only on the good of the situation. The nurse again tries to voice the reality of the situation, she screams out to the young man that he should go to another doctor but her voice is drowned out by the those who are giving sudden praise for the doctor's unique diagnosis. The young man presses further and makes note that it is obvious that he will die if not treated properly. The doctor replies in a calm and formal manner and says that he makes no judgments on what injuries he has or had in the past. The doctor again continues about how he looks for the good in his patients, he even states that the man should be happy that he still has his hair combed and that his shoes are not dirty by all the blood. The young man, drawn in by the appealing outlook of the doctor, begins to agree. Everyone seems happy and content that the doctor has healed the man despite an injury that is very noticeable. The young man tries to get up and in a fit of an emotional high is able to walk quite a distance but eventually succumbs to his reality of his injuries and dies. The doctor looks at the young man with a faint smile and then turns and goes about his day, content and proud that he did his job. The young man, now dead, was never healed, never made whole and will never be complete.

Sadly this story is true in every way imaginable, symbolically speaking of course. The doctor represents a particular breed of pastors and preachers and Christians for that matter who will neglect to address the sinfulness of man and the addiction in their hearts. They instead believe that by focusing on only the good - that it will erase or cancel out the bad. Not true and totally unbiblical. To be truly healed and completely forgiven, acknowledging ones sinfulness before God is a prerequisite to Biblical salvation. Perhaps more on this in another post.

Laziness 101 ... ...

2010-01-21T09:03:00.002-06:00

Proverbs 19:24 says, "A lazy man buries his hand in the bowl and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again."

I couldn't help but laugh when I first read this verse. I must have gone through Proverbs a dozen times and never really paid much mind to this verse. My initial reaction was of humor. I thought, "really, did I really read that right." The imagery that comes to mind, from that verse, just resonates. Proverbs 19:24 is quite fitting for the world today isn't it? My church is currently in a stewardship sermon series on Sunday mornings and as I read this verse I couldn't help but think, "now that can preach." By the way, if you'd like to check out the series you can click here. But it does seem that laziness is quite the norm amongst this generation - or at least from what I have witnessed. Anyways, just wanted to share that. My little rant for the day.

The Portrait of Christ ... ..

2010-01-05T10:31:00.006-06:00

Well this is my first blog in the new year. I must admit that, at times, I do find it hard to be disciplined to actually take the time to sit and write or type in this case.

I am always in awe when I have the opportunity to read others thoughts - especially when it gives me a peek into their mind regarding God and Christian truth. So it is my prayer and hope that, perhaps, I will one day turn to these soon to be old writings and be intrigued and taken back by my somewhat intellectual musings.

So here I go:

Despite popular opinion, and I know this will puzzle some people, a new year does not equal a new start. Though the new year carries with it the impression that all things can become new, that is, perhaps, one of the greatest lies ever. Now don't get me wrong, making resolutions and and being ambitious about change is a great and admirable thing. But the bottom line is that change and more specifically "all things made new" is only attainable through the solitary work of Jesus Christ.

You see, the portrait of Christ that 21st century artists (I'm speaking figuratively here) have painted has tainted the reality of the portrait. It has confused the viewer and has simply betrayed absolute truth.

The result is that people now see a portrait of Jesus minus his divinity. And since this kind of Jesus is what the portrait reveals, the idea that a new year equals a new and refreshing life has taken center stage. In short, only Jesus Christ can bring absolute and resolute change to our life.