Robert

Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight (Acts 20:7)

As one who is seeking to restore Christianity to the way that it was practiced in the first century, I am fascinated by passages such as Acts 20:7 that give us a window into the past. No, I’m not saying let’s go back to no air conditioners or other modern amenities (although I do believe that might help some of our 2014 American tendencies of complaining and getting caught up in our church buildings). Instead, I’m interested in a pure, unadulterated way of serving God. I know that those in the New Testament were acceptable to God. The Bible tells me they were. It follows, then, that if I do the same things today – in the same way they did them – I, too, can be pleasing to God. And that’s what life is all about.

In Acts 20:7 we read that the disciples came together on the first day of the week. Inasmuch as every week has a first day, then we understand that they came together weekly on Sundays. The two words “came together” are in the passive voice form, meaning that they assembled by the call of another. It was the divine authority of God that called these Christians to assemble. Notice the purpose that brought them together: “to break bread.” This was not a common meal, it was the Lord’s Supper, the very supper that Jesus instituted before going to the Garden of Gethsemane. That supper is designed, of course, as a memorial of Christ’s death till He comes.

Apparently this first century worship service also included the preaching of the word, because the text says that “Paul … spoke to them.” We know from other passages of Scripture that the first century church would sing when they assembled for worship (Col. 3:16). They would pray together (Acts 4:23-31), and they gave of their funds to meet the needs of the church (1 Cor. 16:1-2).

Worship is about God. In his book Showtime!: Worship in the Age of Show Business, Dan Chambers offers some common misconceptions regarding the purpose of worship (page 139). He mentions that the purpose of worship is not to create a euphoric emotional state within people, nor is its purpose to effect a behavioral change in people. The function of worship is not to make Christianity attractive to the unchurched world or to promote church programs and social agendas. Finally, we must not think that worship’s purpose is to fill pews and swell collection plates. While the byproducts of worship may result in things like stirred emotions, behavioral changes, interest in Christianity, important announcements, and increased attendance, the purpose of worship is not to be found in these activities.

True worship is about God. This Sunday, as you leave this assembly, ask yourself: “Did I praise God and declare His magnificence in my worship?” That’s what it’s all about.

Let’s wrap it up: There’s definitely an urgent need to get back to the New Testament pattern. That is what we, as new creations in Christ Jesus, are called to do and to be – to live what is taught in the New Testament. After all, if we love Jesus, we will keep His commandments.

Over the Weekend: Be sure to worship this Lord’s day. This is an important, reverent, special time when we can commune with God and remember our Savior’s death in our stead. If you need assistance locating a place to worship this Sunday, I’ll put a link in our show notes to an interactive map. Just navigate to your area and I’m sure you’ll find a place with which to worship.

Memory Verse: We return one last time to this week’s memory verse.

Ecclesiastes 12:13 – Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all.

OUTRO:

Thanks for joining today me on The New You. Archives of this program, episode transcripts, and more Christian podcasts can be found online at thelightnetwork.tv.

My email address is robert@thelightnetwork.tv and my voicemail number is 903-265-4448.

I’ll meet you tomorrow for the Q & A Saturday edition of The New You. Have a great weekend!

April 24, 2014April 22, 2014

The New You: April 24, 2014 (ep 46)

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Thursday, April 24, 2014
“Make Me a Servant” Part 2

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Episode Transcript:

It’s Thursday, April 24, 2014, I’m Robert Hatfield and this program delivers daily thoughts for new Christians. This is THE NEW YOU!

And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ (Col. 3:23-24).

In a context directed to those whose occupations were slaves, inspiration gives us some incredible insights into what it means to be a slave of Christ (which Romans 6 says Christians are, by the way). We noticed on Tuesday that HOW we serve is just as important as the service itself. Today, I want us to look at the motivation for the service that we render. Paul teaches that it’s all about WHO we serve. He says, “… for you serve the Lord Christ.”

The way Jesus is identified here is interesting: “the Lord Christ.” The phrase refers to Jesus’ authority to rule (Lord), and to His deity (Christ, predicted Messiah, anointed One). Now that I’m a Christian, serving Jesus is THE PRIMARY objective in my life. Nothing is more important than serving my Lord. This is why Jesus urged His audience during the Sermon on the Mount to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Mat. 6:33). I hope you had a chance yesterday to read 1 Corinthians 7:17-24 because it makes this point clear. Paul says: “You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men” (1 Cor. 7:23). We can serve Jesus in whatever state we find ourselves. The point is to serve Him.

How do you spend your time? If you spend a majority of your day at school, then be a Christian student. If you spend the majority of your day at work, then be a Christian employee or employer. At the ball field, be a Christian spectator or player. In your home, be a Christian spouse, parent, or child. The point is, let the Lord rule in your heart, and be a Christian wherever you are. Serve Him!

Additionally, be sure to MAKE time for the things that should be the most important things. Make time to study your Bible (2 Tim. 2:15). Make time to pray (1 Thes. 5:17). Make time to use your talents specifically for the Lord’s work. We make time for what is most important to us. If you find it difficult to have time for the spiritual things, then quit with the excuses and be proactive for your spiritual health. The Lord is depending on you, and your eternity in heaven depends upon your spiritual growth and work.

Let’s wrap it up: Making time for the things that matter is a sacrifice. Sometimes it will be inconvenient. Sometimes you’ll forget until the very end of the day when you’re just ready to go to sleep. Sometimes you’ll have the best intentions, but life will throw you for a loop and you’ll have to juggle your well-thought-out schedule. But make it happen. Jesus sacrificed His heavenly home to come to earth and to ultimately die for you. Today, He stands at God’s right hand as your Savior. This is what he tells you to do: “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). Sounds like work. Sounds like sacrifice.

Sometime today: Read Acts 20:7-12. Here, we find an interesting picture of a first century worship service! More on that tomorrow.

Memory Verse: We return once again to this week’s memory verse. Say it with me!

Ecclesiastes 12:13 – Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all.

OUTRO:

Thanks for joining today me on The New You. Archives of this program, episode transcripts, and more Christian podcasts can be found online at thelightnetwork.tv.

My email address is robert@thelightnetwork.tv and my voicemail number is 903-265-4448.

I’ll meet you tomorrow for another edition of The New You.

Today, be a servant. Focus on WHO you serve for the motivation. You are a servant of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords! He’ll make your way brighter and your load lighter.

April 23, 2014April 22, 2014

The New You: April 23, 2014 (ep 45)

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Wednesday, April 23, 2014
“There is One Baptism”

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Episode Transcript:

It’s Wednesday, April 22, 2014, I’m Robert Hatfield and this program delivers daily thoughts for new Christians. This is THE NEW YOU!

Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38).

So an elderly woman had just returned to her home from an evening worship service and was startled to find an intruder in her house.

Catching the man in the act of burglarizing her home, she yelled, “Stop! Acts 2:38!”

As the burglar stopped dead in his tracks, the woman calmly called the police and explained what she had done.

Shortly, several officers arrived and took the man into custody.

As he was placing the handcuffs on the burglar one of the officers asked, “Why did you just stand there? All the lady did was mention a verse of Scripture.”

“Scripture?!” replied the burglar. “She said she had an AXE and TWO 38’s!”

Clearly, Acts 2:38 is a powerful verse! But we already knew that. It’s here that Peter tells the Jews present on that Pentecost day following Jesus’ resurrection what they needed to do in order to be saved. They had heard Peter and the apostles preach Jesus to them. They believed the message that they heard and came to this important question: “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37). That’s when Peter gave this famous Acts 2:38 response. Repentance and baptism were necessary for their salvation. Glancing on through Acts chapter two reveals that 3,000 of them were baptized (Acts 2:41), and they were added to the Lord’s church (Acts 2:47).

Baptism indicates unity of obedience and means of entrance into Christ. That’s why Paul says that there is “One Lord, one faith, [and] one baptism” in Ephesians 4:5. All Christians have been forgiven of their sins in the same obedient act of baptism. In Acts 22:16, Ananias asked Paul, “Why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (emp. added, RH). 1 Peter 3:21 says that baptism saves us. Ephesians 5:23 says that Jesus is the Savior of the body, and Paul identifies the body as the Lord’s church up in Ephesians 1:22-23. Jesus saves only His body, the church, and all of the saved people are in the church (Acts 2:47).

Baptism is that important step that puts us into Christ (Gal. 3:26-27). We are not baptized into preachers or religious leaders (1 Cor. 1:13), nor are we baptized into different religious bodies, or denominations. Further, there is but one baptism that unifies us today. Holy Spirit baptism has ceased (1 Cor. 13), as has the baptism of John.

And so, we enter the one Lord (Jesus Christ) by our obedience to the one faith (the form of doctrine, the gospel message), and are, thus, united into one body, the church.

Let’s wrap it up: Someone has said, “My faith is not in the water; my faith is in the One who said get in the water.” We understand that there is nothing holy about the water in which we are baptized. The change that takes place is a spiritual one. But that doesn’t take away from it’s reality. You are a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). You have been purchased by Christ (1 Cor. 6:19-20).

Memory Verse: I bet you already have Ecclesiastes 12:13 down by now. This is an easy one.

Ecclesiastes 12:13 – Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all.

Imagine how different we will be if we put first things first every single day. There’s our challenge for today.

Sometime today: Read 1 Corinthians 7:17-24 to answer this question: What is the primary objective of a Christian? 1 Corinthians 7:17-24 has the answer.

OUTRO:

Thanks for joining today me on The New You. Archives of this program, episode transcripts, and more Christian podcasts can be found online at thelightnetwork.tv.

Do you have a suggestion for The New You that would help this podcast better meet your needs? Have an idea that would make the program more compelling to you or to someone you know? Why don’t you contact me with your suggestions! I’ll be happy to hear them! My email address is robert@thelightnetwork.tv and my voicemail number is 903-265-4448. Questions for Q & A Saturday are also welcome there, of course. That’s 903-265-4448 or robert@thelightnetwork.tv

I’ll meet you tomorrow for another edition of The New You.

Until then, blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love! We are a part of that one body, having received the word of the one Spirit, looking forward to our one hope, submitting to our one Lord, obeying the one faith, and entering Christ’s body by means of the one baptism. We’re serving the one, true God together! Let’s live for Him today and every day.

April 22, 2014April 21, 2014

The New You: April 22, 2014 (ep 44)

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Tuesday, April 22, 2014
“Make Me A Servant” Part 1

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Episode Outline:

HOW You Serve (Col. 3:23)

A. “Heartily” – from the soul – “Life,” “Soul,” “Mind”

Mark 12:30 – “And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.”

a) This extends into my entire life.

(1) Paul says, “Whatever you do…”
(2) Mat. 16:25-26 – “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”

B. Service from the Soul

1. My actions are a direct representation of my heart.
2. What does it say about my heart if I complain a lot about the service that I am asked to give?

a) Phil. 2:14-15 – “Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world”

(1) Complaining is a sin.
(2) See 1 Pet. 4:7-11
(3) cf. 2 Cor. 9:7 – “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.”

3. Mat. 12:35 – “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.”
4. Prov. 23:7 – “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”

C. Service for the Savior

1. My actions are a direct reflection upon my Savior.

a) When I serve the church, I serve the Christ!

b) Mat. 25:31-46

2. Paul says that, when we serve others, we are to give it our ALL – as if we are directly serving the Lord.

a) We are called to a higher standard.
b) We do not live to serve men. We live to serve Jesus.

3. Am I willing to give my money, my time, my life, my heart to service?

a) Jesus EXPECTS this of Christians!
b) Christianity is rarely – if ever – convenient. That’s not why we are Christians.

(1) Mark 10:45 – “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

(2) Mat. 26:38 – “Then He said to them, ‘My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.’”

(3) Luke 14:26 – “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.”

D. A true servant delights to serve – in any capacity. Their actions of service reflect their willing hearts and their love for the Savior.

April 21, 2014April 20, 2014

The New You: April 21, 2014 (ep 43)

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Monday, April 21, 2014
“Life is a Stewardship”

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Email: robert@thelightnetwork.tv
Voicemail: 903-26-LIGHT (903-265-4448)

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Episode Transcript:

It’s Monday, April 21, 2014, I’m Robert Hatfield and this program delivers daily thoughts for new Christians. This is THE NEW YOU!

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:

Fear God and keep His commandments,

For this is man’s all.

For God will bring every work into judgment,

Including every secret thing,

Whether good or evil (Eccl. 12:13-14)

Ecclesiastes asks the question, “Is life worth living?”. While hints to the answer are found throughout the book, one has to wait until the very end – in chapters eleven and twelve – to get the final conclusion to Solomon’s life experiments. In the final two chapters of Ecclesiastes, the preacher describes life in four ways. He says that life is an adventure to live by faith, that life is a gift to enjoy, and that life is a school to learn our lessons. We’ve examined each of these topics in previous episodes of The New You. Today, we focus on the fourth of these life lessons and it’s this: Life is a stewardship; fear God.

Webster says that a steward is “a person whose job is to manage the land and property of another person.”. God created life (Gen. 1). He is the giver of all gifts (James 1:17), and it is in Him that we “live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). We depend entirely upon God for the very air that we breath and for each day that we’re given.

Paul says “we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out” (1 Tim. 6:7), so we better use the things we’ve been given to accomplish God’s will. James says, “you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away … you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that’” (James 4:14-15).

As Christians, we understand our dependency upon God. Where would we be without God’s grace, mercy, kindness and love? Ephesians tells us exactly where we’d be – Christ-less, spiritually homeless, hopeless and God-less (Eph. 2:12).

One who is truly wise will realize his or her dependence upon God early on. Solomon conducted one experiment after another to find the purpose of life. He looked at power, riches, wisdom, and everything else only to find that all is vanity and grasping for the wind. But when he broadens his view and stops looking at life solely from an “under the sun” human perspective, he finds the real purpose of life: “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all” (Eccl. 12:13).

To “fear” God means to honor and respect God. We stand in awe of Him! We are aware of His great power and of His great love for mankind (John 3:16), and our reaction is one of pure respect. Note that this reverence for God is necessary before the next step, keeping His commandments, is possible. In John 14:15, Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” The same logic is used there in John as here in Ecclesiastes 12. We must love the Lord first, then we will serve Him. We must love God first, then we will serve Him.

Ecclesiastes 12:14 cannot be overlooked here. Life has purpose because of its relation to eternity. We will be judged by everything that we have done – whether good or evil. Even the secret things will be exposed on that judgment day!

Let’s wrap it up: We all have an appointment with the judgment day (Heb. 9:27), so we need to be prepared! Here’s how to do it: give your life to the Lord. Completely and fully give it to Him. Relinquish control of your life and allow yourself to be the clay and God to be the Potter. Then, be a steward. Understand that God gave you life so that you would live for Him. Accomplish His will. Bring Him glory. This is man’s all. Nothing is more important than that.

Memory Verse: Turning now to this week’s memory verse. Today’s thoughts are so important that I think we need to reflect on them all week long. So, this week’s verse is Ecclesiastes 12:13!

Ecclesiastes 12:13 – Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all.

Great job! We’ll have this verse down in no time.

OUTRO:

Thanks for joining today me on The New You. Archives of this program, episode transcripts, and more Christian podcasts can be found online at thelightnetwork.tv.

I’ll meet you tomorrow for another edition of The New You.

Until then, remember that, as a Christian, you are a steward of your resources – including the most basic resources of life that God gives you each day. Use your life wisely. Live for God and glorify Him. 1 Corinthians 6:20 puts it this way: “For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”