Dropping Heavenly Calls

"Prayerlessness is a spirit of independence from God." -Adrian Rogers

It's so awkward.

Terry had been listening to me talk for 30 seconds non-stop when I realized, "I'm not that interesting." Sure enough, I pulled the phone from my head to see those disheartening words:

Call Failed.

Lots of people have failed calls when it comes to God. It's not because He switched to Sprint or Boost Mobile. The problem is on your end.

So how can you connect with God through your prayers? Remember first that it's not an equation....

On knees + eyes closed = God's answer

But there are some important scriptures to remember as you attempt to connect with God through prayer.

James 5:16 (NIV)
"...the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective."

Isaiah 59:2 (NIV)
"But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear."

The point: If you're not close to God, stop blaming Him for the silence.

If I fail to show love to my wife, should I expect quick and favorable responses from her? Probably not. She may still give them because she's just a great person, but there comes a point that she has to get my attention when I'm failing to truly connect with her.

So check yourself before you go blaming God for dropping your heavenly calls. Prayer isn't a puzzle. It's conversation with a God who wants to hear from you. So make the call, and admit to God that the shallow prayers and/or prayerlessness was a problem on your end. God is ready to hear!

Gone on Mission!

I doubt you're going to die...

But I'm not writing a blog for this week. I've been working on messages for the worship services of our World Changers mission trip to Muncie, IN. Honestly, I didn't have the brain power for anything else after that.

This is the first mission trip for our youth and I'd appreciate your prayers for their effectiveness for the gospel.

Thanks for hanging with me, and I hope to transition everything over to Pastortibbs.com very soon. If you subscribe, nothing will change for you, and I'll ensure that you can still find these articles if you care!

Exchanging achieve for believe!

I hate learning. 

Maybe I should qualify that statement. I really hate learning how little I know.

I have been listening to lots of church leadership podcasts as I go on bike rides or drive, and there are so many issues being brought up before me.

• Does our parking meet the needs of our sanctuary seating?
• Do we have 80% of our worship attendance involved in small group Bible studies?
• And roughly 50 billion other things to remember.

I'm a teacher probably more than I'm a pastor. I love leading people to depth in Jesus, and I hate the logistics of ministry. Where's UPS on that one?

So when I read Genesis 15:6 in my devotional time recently, the Holy Spirit gave me a great comfort.

"Abraham believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness." (Genesis 15:6)

God didn't credit Abraham for working harder, but believing harder! So I'm reminded that what God wants to do in my church is not about my ability to plan. It's not about my ability to achieve.

It's about my ability to believe.

Jesus said to seek His Kingdom and righteousness first. And seeking requires belief in a God who's ready to work if we'll stop trying to do so much of it by ourselves. 

Can You Question God?

"Because answers exist only to questions." -Mungara Krishnamurti

Second Sermon is changing. It's been a great opportunity to sharpen my skill and focus on where my writing should go.

My passion is to drive myself and you to a greater devotion to the Bible and to prayer. So my writing will direct that way, and I hope you find it to be a benefit. In fact, this entire site will get a face lift and update very soon. So thanks for your comments and with that....

Is it OK to question God? Reading in Job 38, God begins His response to many of Job's questions and complaints with a pretty strong response:

"Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me." Job 38:3

God's response to Job doesn't mean you should never ask God questions. The test is whether you are asking questions of God, or simply questioning God.

Asking questions of God is prudent, but questioning God is prideful. Be sure you make the distinction. Job 38:2-3

— Heath Tibbetts (@HeathTibbetts) July 6, 2015

For example, the prophet Habakkuk asked God questions. Job questioned what in the heck God was thinking!

We all go through trials and difficulties as a believer, and when those days come, it's OK to be honest with God and ask Him questions. But be careful that you are seeking answers instead of assigning blame.

The One Church American Christians Need to Be Praying for NOW!

You probably don't know their pastor, but he needs your prayers.

You likely don't know the town, but they are unprepared for what's coming.

While the specifics aren't clear, we must begin praying now for the church that will be challenged on same-sex marriage.

While watching an episode of "The West Wing" recently, President Bartlet uses a game of chess to teach staffers a lesson on international politics. While his subordinates continuously focus on the most recent move, the President keeps reminding them to "look at the whole board".

It's time Christians stopped focusing on their next Facebook rant and started looking at the whole board. The obvious next move is to force a church to allow a same-sex ceremony in their building. And the gay community won't be focused on accomplishing this in a church that already approves of such unions.

Same-sex marriage reminds me of Social Security. It's often said that Social Security will never be fixed because the issue is more valuable to politicians than a solution. A solution would remove a major set of talking points that both parties would sorely miss in their campaign platforms. And the same holds true for the gay community who no longer can bang the drum for legalizing same-sex marriage.

They need an issue. And if the board truly sits as I imagine, we shall soon find out how much religious freedom we truly have as followers of Jesus Christ. Will a church that has adequately stated their stance against same-sex marriage, through by-laws and constitution, be legally forced to provide their church to a gay couple if they demand it? This will be the litmus test that proves our ability as people of religious conviction to stand firm when there are other avenues available for someone to exercise a legal right.

I am neither a prophet, nor the son of a prophet, and I truly hope that I have evaluated the board incorrectly. But instead of hoping the hour never comes, let us pray that if it does, we as Christians are ready to stand up! Not with a "spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind." (1 Timothy 1:7). 

Let us take the power, love, and mind of Christ into the next round of this debate. And let our first priority always be to win souls first and arguments second. 

Can Pastors Be Restored After a Fall?

"Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things." -Peter Drucker

This is a bit raw for me still this morning, and I'm trying my best to keep a check on my emotions.

Good luck with that, Heath.

Sunday I preached a sermon on "The God of 2nd Chances" from Acts 15. I demonstrated through the life of John Mark that a past failure doesn't indicate a pointless future.

And then I read Monday morning of Tullian Tchividjian, a mega-church pastor in Ft. Lauderdale who just resigned from his church due to an affair. It was barely a year ago that another mega-church pastor in Ft. Lauderdale had to resign his church for the very same reason.

Ft. Lauderdale just got harder to reach for Jesus.

So what do we do with these pastors and others like them? Don't they deserve a second chance just like the man or woman in their congregation who committed the same sin?

As a person, yes. 
As a pastor, no. 

John MacArthur recalls the story of a pastor who made national headlines after being caught in an adulterous affair. After a year of counseling and restoration, the church had a recommissioning service to welcome him back to public ministry in their church. They wanted to show the forgiveness of Jesus, but in doing so, they are enabling that man to make the same mistakes as before.

Pastors can be restored, but the idea of restoration needs to be adjusted. They don't need restored to leadership, but to a closeness with Jesus (both of the Ft. Lauderdale churches are doing this openly). They need to be restored to their wives, their children, and their friends.

Leadership is a privilege, not a right, and the man who has chosen sex, money, or power over the righteousness of Christ has lost that privilege. Once restored, he can be useful to the kingdom in a number of ways, but public pastoral ministry shouldn't be one of them.

So whether a pastor or church member, pray for and encourage the pastors you know as they face temptations around every corner.

Why Christians are losing the marriage fight.

Do you know what I hated about being a Southern Baptist as a teenager? I was always against something. Much like the Pharisees, we were always saying don't, but hardly ever saying do.

Christians are becoming more known for what they're against, than what they're for. As a Bible-believing follower of Jesus, I hold to the view of scripture when it comes to marriage. But for me, this isn't just about whether men marry men. It's concerns a more fundamental breakdown of marriage.

When polled, the U.S. population in general estimates the homosexual community to comprise 25% of the U.S. population. The real number is just under 3%. So even if homosexual marriage becomes the norm across the country, an opportunity taken by a fraction of 3% won't be the death blow for marriage.

Marriage is dying because we are raving against homosexual marriage, but not advocating for heterosexual marriage. People across this country are bailing on promises to the "love of their life" and setting a precedent that affects children's views of marriage for the rest of their lives. Of course Millennials aren't getting concerned with marriage commitments. It didn't mean much for their moms and dads. 

So as Christians, let's take a stand for marriage! Encourage hurting families in your church. Talk to that friend that you can see is teetering on an affair. Unless once again the vows of marriage truly mean something, our nation as a whole will never care who makes them.