EUREKA!!
I had the opportunity of serving the Lord as a pastor in Arizona. I believe the Lord gave me the spiritual gift of teaching.
It was fun to prepare and preach sermons. I could preach Sunday morning, Sunday evening and Wednesday night.
However, Discipleship was woefully neglected. Why? I had no idea how to do it or what materials to use.
People came to meet with me with various needs. I was lost with no rudder to guide me.
Several years later I discovered the discipleship materials produced by VCLi.
I wanted to yell – Eureka!!
I saw that I could still use my gift of teaching only now it could be guided in an excellent format.
I didn’t think I could disciple someone in a one-on-one context. Now I had a rudder, a guide.
God has used the SALT books to guide me to disciple many people with a variety of needs.
They have also been a primary tool to challenge me in my walk with God.
I have learned the source of my negative emotions as I try to play God.
Walking after the flesh is happening less frequently now.
I know how to forgive others and do it quickly.
My wife and I now have a clear way to enhance our communication.
It has been delightful to see how God uses these 7 books to help people in all areas of life.
One man said, “It is amazing. When I have a problem or struggle all I have to do is study the
next lesson and I get the answer.”
He said this as he was banging his head with the book for emphasis!
Now when I meet with someone I have a treasure of truth based on God’s Word that I can share.
I encourage you to check out the SALT books and see how God could use them in your ministry.
Ted Sellers
Pastor – you are valuable – really!
God tells pastors to, “Preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season.” 2 Timothy 4:2
Let me tell you how my first pastor did it.
When I was 16 a friend of mine invited me to his church.
I had not gone to an evangelical church before. I still remember what the pastor preached about.
It was the subject of Faith. I understood it.
He preached the Word in season in church.
I continued to go and listen. He was not polished but he was sincere.
That summer my friend invited me to help with Vacation Bible School.
He told me we would be in the class with the older kids and be in charge of the refreshments.
I was in! Who taught the class? The Pastor did.
He preached the Word in season at VBS.
He talked about heaven and how to get there.
He said if we were sure we were going to heaven to sign a sheet.
I wasn’t sure. I asked if he would explain how to get to heaven.
He preached the Word to me in season in his 1956 Chevrolet.
Right there I opened my life to Jesus.
Sometime after that he discovered that I wanted to learn to drive – remember – I am 16.
My parents didn’t want to teach me. The pastor took many hours and taught me how to drive.
He preached the Word out of season as he taught me to drive.
He taught my friend also. On one occasion my friend started the pastor’s car and jammed
down on the gas pedal while turning the key — until the engine raced to a loud roar and died.
The engine was shot! The pastor didn’t tell his parents.
He preached the Word out of season by taking a second job driving a school bus to pay for the new engine.
I will be in heaven because of that pastor. I am a pastor now.
Pastor, you are important today to the people in your church.
Continue to preach the Word in and out of season. God is pleased with you today.
Does obedience bring immediate blessing?
You would naturally think that our obedience to God brings His immediate blessing.
Consider Abram’s call by God. He is told to leave his home and family and move to a new country.
He is promised blessings and that he would become a great nation.
“The Lord said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your relatives, and your father’s home,
and go to a land that I am going to show you. I will give you many descendants,
and they will become a great nation. I will bless you and make your name famous,
so that you will be a blessing.” Genesis 12:1-2
But look what happens when he arrives at God’s new home for him.
Verse 10 says there was a famine in the land.
What?! How could God send him to a place of famine?
Where is the blessing? He decides to go down to Egypt.
Was that a good decision? Did he ask God what to do?
Some commentators have said that Egypt is a picture of the World.
Before he even gets to Egypt he tells his wife to lie about being his wife.
Why didn’t Abram stay in Canaan? Couldn’t have God taken care of him there?
Often there are problems at the beginning of a task.
William Carey went to India as a missionary from England.
His wife didn’t want to go. A few years after his arrival, his young son died.
His wife was furious and even tried to kill William. He stayed and became,
“The father of modern missions.”
Where has God placed you? Can you stay there by His power and trust His provision?
Have you asked God to do something and He didn’t do it?
Don’t be tempted to walk away from Him and go to Egypt (the world) for answers.
We can do that with our finances (take out another loan),
our appearance (this will make me look good),
our walk with God (I’m upset with God’s apparent silence so I will turn away from Him and look to the world),
or our relationships (I shouldn’t do this but I think it will bring me acceptance.)
God’s blessing will come if we stay faithful to His direction, but it may not be immediately.
He is God and we can’t make Him perform like a little puppet.
Do you live like a Priest?
Consider the total commitment of the priests in Leviticus 8:22-23
This was the ceremony of ordination for the priests.
They were being set apart to serve the Lord.
He then presented the other ram, the ram for the ordination, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head. Moses slaughtered the ram and took some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. (NIV)
What was this to demonstrate?
Could it be that the ear symbolized the head of a person.
This would include the eyes, the ears, the mind and the mouth.
All of these parts of the body were to be dedicated to the Lord.
God wants us to dedicate our conversations, looks, listening, and thoughts to Him.
Holy things are dedicated to God. They are to bring Him glory.
How will this conversation bring glory to God?
How will watching and listening to this movie or TV program bring glory to God?
Are these drifting or fantasy thoughts bringing me any closer to God?
The right thumb could indicate action or service or work with our hands.
How can I connect this job to God and ask Him for strength, wisdom and ability?
Obviously these priests were serving God in the tabernacle.
Your work at home or the office or wherever can also be for God. It can bring glory to Him.
The right toe could signify movement or direction for our life.
Where are you feet taking you? It is a place where God will be glorified?
Is God involved in this decision which will affect your future?
Remember the children’s song –
Oh, be careful little eyes, what you see.
Oh, be careful little eyes, what you see.
There’s a Father up above, looking down in tender love,
So be careful little eyes, what you see.Be careful little ears what you hear
Be careful little mouth what you say…
Be careful little hands, what you touch…
Be careful little feet, where you go…
Take time today and dedicate your entire body to God.
Ask Him to use your eyes, ears, mind, mouth, hands and feet to bring Him glory.
You are His royal priest! 1 Peter 2:9
Abandon Jesus?
Did the disciples of Jesus ever abandon Him?
They sure did and it is recorded in John 6:16-17
After Jesus fed the 5,000 He saw that they were ready to take him
by force and make him king, so He went higher into the hills alone.
His disciples went down to the shore and waited for Him.
He didn’t come and when it got dark they pushed off for Capernaum.
Then a storm hit them. They were about 4 miles out. Jesus walked to them.
They were afraid. He said – “I am here! Don’t be afraid.”
They let Him into the boat and immediately the boat arrived at their destination.
Questions:
1. Why did His men abandon Him?
2. How did they think He would get to Capernaum?
Observations:
1. They left Him and went in their strength.
2. A storm hit them very hard.
3. They were in danger.
4. Jesus came to them where they were.
5. They invited Him into the boat.
6. They arrived at their destination immediately.
Applications:
1. When we leave Jesus we get frustrated.
2. Storms come to make us realize we need Him.
3. Then at the right time He shows up to rescue us.
4. When we get Him into the boat with us we arrive at our destination.
Warnings:
1. Beware of striking out without Him.
2. We can live without Him to our detriment.
3. We can go to work, clean the house, talk to friends, watch TV,
eat food, and many other daily activities without Him.
4. We need to get Him into the boat BEFORE we push off.
Solution:
1. Wait for Him. They were impatient.
2. Invite Him to join you in your daily life. They were just going
on a short trip.
3. Say, “Come, Lord Jesus, please join me and take charge as I begin
this task,go here, meet with this person, make this phone call,
or make this decision. I wait on You to give me what
I need – courage, love, kindness, joy, or humility”
Psalm 27:14 “Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous.
Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.” NLT
Take Him with you constantly at the beginning of a thing and
you will arrive at your destination much more quickly than if
you strain at the oars for hours.
Yield to Him and depend on Him. He is the LORD!
Ted Sellers
Idols in your life?
You know the 10 commandments. Which one do you think God used the most words to communicate?
Wouldn’t it be one that really mattered to Him? It is #2.
“Don’t make, worship or serve an idol.” Exodus 20:4-6
The apostle Paul was very encouraged with the believers in Thessalonica because,
“You turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.” 1 Thessalonians 1:9
God is a jealous God and desires our worship and service. Consider three ways we can commit idolatry:
1. If we seek the acceptance and approval of people then acceptance becomes my idol.
Young men join gangs to get acceptance.
2. If we want to control all the people and circumstances in my life then my being in control is my idol.
Addictions to drugs, alcohol, food, sex, work, and entertainment are expressions of control.
3. If we have a standard for how everything is to be done my way, then my standards become an idol.
I just want everyone to do things “right”, the way I do them.
Living for these idols causes us to replace God and become god.
It is all about getting acceptance, being in control, and setting standards for others.
We live for these things instead of living for God and His acceptance, allowing Him to be in control, and letting Him set the standards for us and others.
Are there idols in your life today?
Are you living for a spouse, child, or someone else’s acceptance?
Who or what are you trying to control?
Who are you judging because he/she is not living up to your standards?
Is it time for you to turn from these idols and serve and worship the only true and living God?
Is it time to let Him be God and stop trying to be god?
“Nothing so defiles and entangles the heart of man, as the impure love of things created.”
Thomas A Kempis – The Imitation of Christ
Run with endurance!
This past week I ran my first marathon.
I give all the praise to God! He gave me the strength to finish and then gave me
a dose of humility. I came in dead last! I was not an athlete in High School.
Several years ago while getting a physical the doctor asked me if I was a runner.
“No way,” was my reply. He then told me that I have the heart of a marathon runner.
So, last year I began planning and training.
Check out these running jokes –
“My doctor recently told me that jogging could add years to my life.
I think he was right. I feel ten years older already.”
“You have to stay in shape. My grandmother started walking five miles a day
when she was 60. She’s 97 today and we don’t know where she is.”
All jokes aside, it is difficult to keep our bodies in shape.
Most of don’t do physical labor. Therefore we have to add some kind of exercise to our lives.
Let’s examine Hebrews 12:1-2 and see how living the Christian life is compared with running a race.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith.”
We are reminded of the many people in God’s Word who were stretched physically for God’s work.
“Let us strip off every weight that slows us down.”
Extra weight is removed by a serious runner. What is your weight today? Could it be fear and worry?
“Especially the sin that so easily trips us up.”
Is there a secret sin in your life today? If allowed to continue it will trip you up and cause a major downfall.
“And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.”
Remember the story of the tortious and the hare? Slow and steady wins the race.
I saw many people walking the marathon and they all finished ahead of me.
Endurance is the ability to continue performing a given task over a prolonged period of time.
Will you finish well your life of faith? Even though I was last there were about a dozen other runners who did not finish.
They were picked up by a bus. That would have been embarrassing!
“We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus.”
As Christians we can easily forget we are in a race.
We need to run toward Jesus and run away from anything or anyone who would pull us away from Him.
Look to Him. He is the goal and the finish line.
Let’s run with endurance today. Don’t let your body tell you what to do.
If need be, make a plan to move your muscles.
Ask God what He wants you to do to take better care of His body.
Is your disciple a child of God?
Has God given you the privilege of ministering one-on-one to someone? It is wonderful to be able to share God’s truths. However, it is possible to miss the most important truth. They need to become a child of God.
We can help a person be a better spouse and show them how to forgive. We can give scriptural wisdom about finances and parenting. However, if we overlook their relationship with God we have done them a great disservice. I always start with the Spiritual book in the SALT Discipleship series. If a person is not right with God they will have no power to deal with the other 6 areas of life. In the second chapter the subject of salvation is addressed.
You can begin the chapter by asking a simple question, “Could you tell me how you came to know the Lord?” If they tell you how and when they came to Christ that is wonderful. If there is some confusion or hesitancy then turn to page 25. Ask this question, “As you look at this diagram you will see the person in Adam and in Christ.” Then ask, “Are you in Adam, in Christ, or somewhere in the middle?” It is a trick question. If they say, “Somewhere in the middle.” then you know they are not sure of their salvation. I have had people say, “I want to be In Christ” or “I am trying to be a Christian.” Those statements reveal a genuine desire to know Christ. You can ask, “Would you like to know for sure that you are In Christ?” If they respond positively then use pages 20-24 to explain God’s plan and provision for salvation. You can invite them to pray the prayer at the bottom of page 24.
May God give you the courage to address this most vital issue. You will have people praising God forever because of your faithfulness!
Do you see the Lord?
Isaiah 6:1 “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted,
seated on a throne.”
Overall King Uzziah was a good king. He died. That’s a bad day.
But what happened to the prophet? He saw the Lord!
This verse could have read, “In the year that King Uzziah died I grieved his death.”
When bad things happen what do we see – the bad event and its ramifications or do we “See the Lord?”
When these things happen what do we see?
Loss of a job – we see devastation.
Divorce – we see disgrace.
Sickness – we see disruption of daily life.
Youth rebellion – we see disaster ahead.
Death of a loved one – we see depression.
Can God use the serious issues and events in our life to reveal Himself to us?
Yes! But we get stuck on the issue and totally miss the Lord.
Could we ask this question, “Lord, I don’t like this but what do you want me to see about you through this?”
Loss of job – we see He provides Philippians 4:19.
Divorce – we see He comforts – 2 Corinthians 1:4
Sickness – we see He is present Psalm 23
Youth rebellion – we see He guides – Proverbs 3:5-6
Death of a loved one – we see He is peace. John 14:27.
Let’s be like Isaiah and allow the difficult events of our life cause us to look up and see the Lord.
Two sides of the communication coin
Have you been confused after you talked with someone?
What happened It just didn’t go well.
Did they get defensive?
Did you hold back what you really wanted to say?
Ephesians 4:15 give us the two sides of the communication coin.
“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the
mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.”
Did you see the two sides? They are truth and love.
Both are necessary for good communication. There are two kinds of communicators.
One is very concerned about sharing the truth.
You always know where you stand with these people.
They tell you the truth even if you are not asking for it.
They can be overbearing and judgmental. They miss the love ingredient.
This results in people becoming defensive.
They say that you don’t seem to care.
On the other side of the coin are the people committed to love.
They care about you and don’t want to offend you in any way.
As a result they hold back and don’t give you the truth.
You know they love you but you don’t know what they are thinking because they can’t confront you.
On which side of the coin do you communicate?
Are you a truth teller that can offend people with your harsh words?
Or have you been so concerned about not offending someone that you didn’t say what needed to be said?
Miscommunication is the result.
Jesus was a master communicator. He spoke the truth in love.
In john 8:11 He says to the woman caught in adultery,
“Neither do I condemn you; go your way. From now on sin no more.”
He called what she did a sin and told her to stop it. He also showed His love by saying
that He did not condemn her.
This is often seen in parenting. The truth talker lets the children have it. They know where
they were wrong but often forget the issue and just remember that Mom or Dad was very angry with them.
The love talker sees the child disobey but doesn’t want to rock the boat and says nothing.
The child knows when wrong has been done and wonders why he or she is not corrected.
The proper way to communicate is to have the courage to speak the truth and
the love to share it without rejecting your child.
If you are a truth talker ask God to soften your words with His love.
If you are a love talker ask God to give you the courage to speak the truth.
Let’s look for opportunities to speak the truth – and do it in love.
