Rising Church

Even though the word "covet" isn't a word we probably use on an everyday basis, "coveting" is something we probably all do on an everyday basis. When we see what others around us have, it is very easy for us to "crave, envy, lust after, begrudge, want, aspire to, have eyes on, long for, wish for" what others have. We are naturally jealous and envious creatures. The problem is this jealousy and envy often leads to ill will towards others. In this sense, God's Top 10 #10 deals with the root cause of many of the other relationship-destroying sins our Heavenly Father is trying to steer us clear of with the 10 commandments. #10 is aimed directly at the heart, at our minds, at our inner thoughts. After all, what happens when we covet our neighbor's house, our neighbor's spouse, our neighbor's job, our neighbor's personality, our neighbor's stuff? Coveting leads us to steal, kill & destroy others. So what's the cure for coveting? #1, be content. #2, be grateful. #3, be giving. The reality is #1 leads to

Many of God's Top 10 present what we called "worst-case scenarios", a certain sin or violation carried out to its worst possible endpoint. When it comes to #9, the worst possible endpoint of giving false witness against our neighbor would be in a court of law where our testimony is a matter of life and death. What happens when people take the stand in a court of law and lie, stretch the truth, exaggerate, withhold key information? Justice becomes elusive. The guilty are set free and the innocent are condemned. And while most of us will probably never be in such an extreme situation, the reality is giving false testimony, lying about ourselves or others, is something which occurs every day in our world today. While we may not at first recognize how this can be deadly, we believe the lie that lies are harmless, we need to see the truth, which is that lies and giving false testimony, whether in a court of law or in the court of public opinion, are equally deadly. We destroy people's reputations. We kill

In the original Hebrew, God's Top 10 #6 is only 2 words long, "no murder". While this may seem pretty simple, perhaps one of the only 10 commandments that we can all confidently assert "never have I ever" too, the reality is there is a whole lot more going on with this command than first meets the eye. While we may have never murdered anyone physically, how many of us have murdered someone relationally? Jesus takes #6 back to its root cause, all the way back to its inception and says if you've ever been angry at your brother or sister, you're guilty of breaking #6. Murder starts with the heart. So how do we prevent things like murder & assault, whether physical or relational? First off we need to follow Jesus' lead and love those who hate you. While that may sound unrealistic, perhaps a first baby step in the right direction would be to simply "bear with each other" and tolerate those you disagree with. Second we need to nip anger in the bud. We cannot afford to give the devil that kind of foothold i

Could the reason so many of us suffer physically, mentally, emotionally, relationally, even spiritually, be because we never stop, we never cease, we never rest, we never stop? As the Creator of Life, our Heavenly Father knows a thing or two about how to live the best life possible, and shares that inside information with us in the 10 commandments, "God's Top 10". God's Top 10 #4 is a positive command, do this, not a negative command, don't do this. Our Heavenly Father tells us to "remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy". In other words, don't forget to take your day of ceasing, your day of desisting, your day of resting. Keep the Sabbath day separate. Treat it differently than you do every other day of the week. This is your day to stop. Our Father knows that if we work, if we are active nonstop, we will burnout. We weren't created to operate 24/7, we were created to need these natural rhythms of both work and rest. Plus, it is when we cease striving that we are able to know that He is God. I

What does it mean to not take the Lord's name in vain? Is there more to God's Top 10 #3 then simply not having a potty mouth and watching your OMG's? If you think about it, there is something really special, and extremely powerful, about the fact that God has let us in on his name. God doesn't want to be complete strangers with us. God doesn't want us only knowing him in some distant way, calling him solely by his title and position, "Mr. God". God wants to be in a much deeper and more intimate relationship with us. He wants us to be on a first-name basis with him, so tells us his name, YHWH, I am! And now that he has revealed his name to us, how do we treat the name that is above all other names? Do we treat his name flippantly, as if it doesn't mean anything? Or do we treat his name as hallowed, set apart, distinctly special? Do we use God's name falsely to invoke his blessing, backing & support on things God has not blessed, backed or supported? Do we profane God's name by our lifestyles? As be

If God's Top 10 #1 is all about who or what we worship, then God's Top 10 #2 is all about how we worship. There's a big difference between who and how! We as human beings are extremely creative and imaginative creatures. Look around you and you'll see evidence of human creativity in architecture, engineering, writing, art, etc. This capacity to create is what sets us apart from every other living creature on planet Earth. Could this be a result of our being created in God's own image? And what happens when we take that creative capacity and point it towards God? Here's what happens, we run the danger of creating our own versions of God, versions of God created in our own image. We put God in a box, a box of our own creating. But how can you put a God who is "indescribable, uncontainable, untamable" in a box? So here are 3 quick implications of God's Top 10 #2: 1. Don't Put God in a Box, 2. Discover God, Don't Create God, and 3. Worship God as God dictates.

One of the saddest verses in the entire Bible is Judges 2:10, "After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel." We often make the mistake of thinking that God's Top 10 #5, "honor your father & mother", is addressed primarily to all of the kids. As if God stops half-way through giving us 9 adult commands for a children's moment where he gives 1 child command. That's not the case. This command, and this bit of counsel and advice from our loving heavenly father, is just as much for us as parents as it is for the little ones. This word "honor" literally means "weight", "heaviness". Our kids should be able to give us as parents "weight", not because our words or commands to them are weighty, heavy & burdensome, but because we are worthy of trust and therefore weight. Just like our heavenly father, everything we do and say as earthly parents with our kids should be for their best interest, not ours. The Bi

What kind of year 2020 will be for you, and what kind of decade the 2020's will be for you, will be largely dependent on the health and quality of your relationships. What if God, as our loving Heavenly Father, knows that? As the Author of Life, the Giver of Life, the Creator of Life, the Sustainer of Life, our Heavenly Father knows how to live the best life possible. He has the inside scoop. He has inside information. So what if God, out of his great love for us as his children, has given us his top 10 list for how to have the best relationships, specifically your relationship with God and with others, and thus inside information on how to live the best life possible? Would you listen? Would you obey? Would you see God's Top 10 as a threat to your independence and autonomy or would you see God's Top 10 as a sign of his care and concern for us as a good, good Father? Over the next 9 remaining weeks of this series, we'll be taking a fresh look at the 10 commandments, and how they are as relevant to us

Believe it or not, this past Sunday we finished our KNOW series in Paul's letter to the Ephesians by rewinding to Ephesians 5:20 where Paul says, "always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." One of the key byproducts of understanding God's will for our lives and being filled with his Spirit is that we will become increasingly filled with gratitude. Our minds will be renewed and we will begin looking at our lives and our circumstances differently. We will come to understand that God doesn't owe us anything. We are not entitled to God's blessings. God's provision and protection are not inalienable rights that we are owed. This new perspective gives us the freedom to see every good and perfect gift as a blessing from our Father in heaven. The Pilgrims understood this reality, and so despite massive heartache and grief, were able to stop and give thanks to God for everything 398 years ago in the Fall of 1621 at the very first Thanksgiving. The question toda

Are you dressed for battle? Are you prepared for the struggle which lies ahead? As Paul reaches the conclusion of his letter, he sums up his desires for us with 2 commands: "Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power", and "Put on the full armor of God". Paul knows from first-hand experience what we are up against and knows that we need to be filled with God's power, God's might, and God's strength if we're going to overcome the Enemy. Paul knows we can't afford to go in to this battle unprepared, without our full armor on, or the Enemy will overcome us. Although we may not be aware of it, Paul has come to know that our struggle, literally our wrestling bout, is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual rulers, authorities, powers and forces of evil. This wrestling bout is personal. It's one on one. Our coaches, parents, team-mates and friends can cheer us on, support us, pray for us, encourage us, train us, but at the end of the day, its just us and the Enemy in the wrestling ring.

Because life can be "treacherous", we need to "pay attention" to how and where we walk! Because life is short, we need to be wise and make the most of every opportunity, redeeming each moment we have. Because God has a higher calling, a higher purpose, and a higher standard for our lives, we need to understand what God's will is for our lives. Do you know God's will for your life? While the specifics for you individually may not be clear, what is clear is God's general will for all believers. God's will for all of us is that we wouldn't be fools getting drunk on wine, but that we would instead be filled with his Spirit! God's desire is that we would be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God! What are you filled with?

If you had one final message you wanted to pass along to your loved ones, what would it be? That's the impression we get with Paul's statement in Ephesians 4:1, "Therefore, as a prisoner for the Lord, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received!" What does it look like to live a life worthy of this higher calling, higher standard, higher purpose God has called us to? Paul gives us 5 standards, 5 diagnostic tests to determine if we're spiritually healthy and maturing in our faith, and curiously enough, they all have to do with how we relate to one another within the body of Christ. Now that we are all brothers & sisters in Christ, how do we maintain our one-ness? Well a good place to start is with humility, gentleness, patience and bearing with one another. So what does each of those look like in reality as we seek to live lives worthy of God's higher calling on our lives?