What's Right With the Church?

This has been an absolute incredible year at Cowboy Fellowship and we are just getting warmed up!  We have Ranch Rodeo coming up and a huge 7^th Anniversary team roping on May 1^st and we are really excited about it. We will NOT be having a Saturday night service on May 1st due to the Ranch Rodeo but we will be holding service on Sunday morning as always. We have a summer full of activities planned for the children and youth, and we have some new and exciting things in the works for this fall as well.  It is an exciting time to be a part of the Body of Christ here at Cowboy Fellowship.  So this month I want to talk about what’s right with the church.  So many focus on what’s wrong with the church, but I believe that we should be talking about all the things that are right instead. Acts 9:31 says “Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.”  I
believe that this verse points out some of the main things that are right with the church here at Cowboy Fellowship.
            The first thing is the church in Acts enjoyed a climate of peace.  The context of this verse is talking specifically about a decline in the physical persecution of this church from the outside.  However, peace involves much more then just the absence of persecution.  A church of peace is not void of conflict but instead deal with their differences openly, honestly, and as mature believers.  A climate of peace builds unity and places a high value on every person who attends.  A church of peace is truly a church that knows what it means to love the world and each other as Christ loved us.  Here at Cowboy Fellowship we have experienced this climate of peace and unity and it is a wonderful thing.
            The second thing that is right with the church is sustained spiritual growth of individual believers.  The verse in Acts says “It (the church) was strengthened.”  The Greek word used actually means to build or be built up, like building a house.  It is referring to the members of the Body who are growing spiritually.  This is happening all over Cowboy Fellowship.  We now have record numbers of people enrolled in our Monday night discipleship classes.  There are small groups and bible studies that meet almost every day of the week from our church.  And most importantly people are growing and maturing in their faith.
            The third thing we see is that the church in Acts was ALIVE!  They were encouraged by, or some translations say walking with, the Holy Spirit.  As you read about these churches in Acts they were alive and full of faith.  They took risks.  They did things no one else would do.  They were witnessing and inviting others to join them. They were excited about the things God was doing within the Body.  I see this every week at Cowboy Fellowship.  You are excited, our church is alive, and we are walking with the Spirit. 
             We also see numerical growth and multiplication happening with the church in Acts.  We have seen a
numerical explosion at our church in the last seven years.  We have seen our attendance grow.  We know that this growth is not because of anything we have done but has been made possible by God alone.  Thousands of lives have been touched and changed over the last seven years.  Our church has also been a part of helping several other churches get started.  This is great and is one more thing that is right with the church.
            Finally, we see that the church had its focus in the right place, it was focused on God and his kingdom.  I see this attitude and heart here at Cowboy Fellowship as well.  It is a wonderful thing when so many different people come together and put their differences and individual wills aside and become focused on the things of God.  This is the way it should always be and my prayer is that we would always be united under the banner of Christ not the banner of Cowboy Fellowship. 
            This month, as I said, we celebrate our 7 year anniversary.  Don’t miss our celebration service on May 2nd, it is going to be great.  We will have baptisms and potluck as well great music and an inspiring sermon.  As we approach this wonderful day let’s celebrate not just because another year has passed, but instead, let us all join together and celebrate about all the things that are right with the church here at Cowboy Fellowship.  May God continue to bless you and your family and our church in the next seven years.  I hope to see you at the roping Saturday, May 1^st @ 9 AM and the ranch rodeo @ 6 PM. Both are being held at the Poteet Lions Club Arena on the Strawberry Festival grounds. And don’t forget on Sunday morning at our church services!
                                                                                                                                        

Pastor Pete

I don't like it when the Devil does this to me....

Sometimes I feel like I am the tiger and the devil is the Monkey (LOL).  Praise God, Jesus is coming soon!!!!!

Poor Example

Whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works;
for they say, and do not do. —Matthew 23:3

     A woman in Oregon was caught driving 103 miles per hour with her 10-year-old grandson in the car. When she was stopped by the police, she told them that she was only trying to teach him never to drive that fast. I suppose she wanted him to do as she said not as she did.
    The Pharisees and teachers of the law seemed to have a similar problem. Jesus had a scathing assessment of them: They were spiritually bankrupt. He held these two groups directly responsible for this sad spiritual condition. As the successors of the lawgiver Moses, they were responsible for expounding the law so that people would walk in God’s ways and have a genuine and vibrant relationship with the Lord (Deut. 10:12-13). But their personal interpretation and application of the law became more important than God’s law. They did not practice what they preached. What they did observe was done not to bring glory to God but to honor themselves. Jesus exposed who they were—image managers, posers, and hypocrites.
     The test of the effectiveness of following Jesus is not just in what we say but in how we live. Are we telling others God’s Word and doing what it says? Let’s model by words and actions what it means to follow Him.  — Marvin Williams


Christians, remember you bear His dear name,
Your lives are for others to view;
You are living examples—men praise you or blame,
And measure your Savior by you. —Anon.

A good example preaches a powerful sermon.

This was taken from Our Daily Bread you can read more on their site or pick up your free copy at the back of the church each weekend.

God's Name

In our English language we sometimes lose sight of the more detailed and significant points in scripture because our language simply does not express certain thoughts and ideas the way the Hebrew and Greek languages do. As a result, many Christians are surprised to learn that the word we translate for God many times in the Bible actually comes from many different and more descriptive terms in the original languages.
One of the most misunderstood names for God is also one of the most well known and most frequently used words for God in the Bible, Elohim. This word can be found 2,602 times in the Old Testament. It is used thirty-two times in Genesis chapter one alone. When I first started studying Hebrew my professor assigned me the task of translating Genesis chapter one over several weeks. I was stunned when I reached the third word in the Hebrew Bible (Elohim). This word stunned me because it was plural (Gods). After taking a second look and confirming that it was indeed plural, I thought, “How cool is that? God was telling us right here that the trinity took part in creation.” However, as I studied the Hebrew language more, I came to understand that this was not the reason for the name of God being plural. Because it is almost always without exception used in the plural throughout the Bible.
To understand this difficult concept we must first remember that there is a difference in all languages between the form and sense of words. For example, think about the English word “put” for a moment. In form it is simply made up of one syllable and three letters. But in sense it can be used many different ways. You could say “put the ball over there,” or it can be used in the future tense as “I will put it there tomorrow.” One might say, “he put,” “they put,” or “we put.” The form is the same but the sense of the word changes and someone familiar with the English language is not confused by changing the sense of a word while keeping the form the same. In form, the Hebrew word Elohim is plural, but in sense it is singular. This would not have confused those familiar with the Hebrew language for a second reason.
The second reason is that Elohim is known as a majestic plural in Hebrew. The Hebrew language often times will make a word plural in form even though it is singular in sense when it wants to emphasize the greatness or absoluteness of that person. Look at Exodus 7:1 for example.

Exodus 7:1 “Then the LORD said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God (Elohim) to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet.”

God was not saying that Moses was more then one person, nor was he saying that Moses was a “God.” He said that Moses would be “like God” in that he would be greater then Pharaoh.
The third and final reason we can be certain that despite being plural in form, Elohim is singular in sense, is because it refers to God as a noun and it is virtually always accompanied by a singular verb. For example in Genesis one:

Genesis 1:1 NIV “In the beginning God (Elohim) created (bara) the heavens and the earth.”

Unlike English, in Hebrew the verb proceeds the noun. So Genesis one would actually read “In the beginning created God…” Created is the verb for God, and it is singular in form, which tells us that God is singular too.
Now that you have a basic understanding of the form and sense of Elohim you can understand what it’s primary meaning is as it relates to God. It simply means “great, mighty, strong, or powerful God” It sets God apart from all others and highlights his strength.

Castro's on Mission

Hey everyone I want to encourage you to take a few minutes and use the link below to see what the Castro's are doing. They are missionaries that we support. Currently they are doing their language training in Costa Rica but will soon be heading off to Ecuador. Please continue to pray for them.

http://www.castrochronicles.blogspot.com/

Pete

Living A Life Of Purpose

When you look at the lives of the great men and women of the Bible we see lives that were clearly lived on purpose for God. What was their secret? How did they do it? The answer is surprisingly simple. Living a life of purpose comes down to perspective, priorities, and practice.
The Apostle Paul said, “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13 NIV). This is a great example of the perspective that comes with a life of purpose. Those who whine, complain, and are constantly negative, seldom find fulfillment and purpose in their lives. Without the right perspective a life of purpose is impossible.
Paul also had the right priorities. He made Christ the center of his world. People of purpose awake each day with the desire and hope of pleasing God at the center of their lives. Many places in the New Testament we see that Paul’s only priority was Christ and as a result he lived a life of great purpose. If your goal is pleasing yourself, your boss, your coach, your parents, or any other human, you will find living a purposeful life always on the tips of your fingers but never firmly in the grasp of your hands. Colossians 1:10 (NIV) says: “And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way.” That must be our goal in all we do. We must strive to please God in everyway! That makes life so much simpler and puts a life of purpose in reach for us all. Jesus explained this principle in
Matthew 6:33 (NIV), “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Have you made the things of God your only priority in life? Those who live on purpose have one priority not multiple priorities. We must make pleasing God in every way the goal of our lives and we will find living lives of purpose to be quite simple and easy.
Finally, we must practice. There is no getting around it, we must take our perspective, and priorities and put them into practice. Everyday, when we wake up, God must be at the center of our thoughts. We must practice what the word of God teaches us if we want to live purposeful lives.
Today take a minute to examine your perspective, priorities, and the way you are practicing what God’s word teaches. May is going to be a great month at Cowboy Fellowship and we would love to have you and your family join us to be a part of all that God is doing. Let’s all make today, tomorrow, this month, and the remainder of 2010 count. Let us all strive to live lives of purpose! Life really is too short to waste even a single moment. I hope to see you in church Sunday!

Easier to say...

Have you ever noticed that some things are just easier to say? Or maybe I should state it differently, some things are easier to say than they are to do. For example, it’s relatively easy to say “I love you” but consistently producing the actions that show you love someone is far more difficult. This becomes even more difficult when we attempt to love our enemies as the Lord commands. Or how about saying, “I forgive you?” Have you ever said that but deep down found it impossible to actually do? Some things are easier to say then they are to do for sure.
Recently my wife and I found ourselves in such a situation. It was scary, uncomfortable, and challenging, to say the least. All that the entire situation required was trust in God, which should be relatively easy right? We had no other choice but to trust in Him. There was nothing anyone could do, it was all up to God. What I discovered was that it was easy to say but much harder to do. One of the verses I had recently memorized was Matthew 6:33-34.

Matthew 6:33-34 (NIV) But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

I cannot count the number of times I said that verse out loud or prayed over it during my alone time with the Lord. While I found it easier to say then to actually do, honestly I was able to do it. Surprisingly, as I studied scripture and prayed to the Lord, I found myself at ease and doing what I was saying. This was one of the greatest spiritual victories I have ever experienced. It was amazing to find myself in a place were I was able to actually do more than just say it and take it to the next level and do it. Was it easy? Of course not! Was it hard? Absolutely, but it was worth all of the effort, time, and energy it took to get to that place.

Since Easter

Hey everyone I know the blog has been empty the last two weeks but to be honest we have just not had the time. With BOOST then Easter it's just been one of those crazy times. I want to congratulate those of you who stayed with us through the New Testament campaign, it was an amazing experience. Even with Ranch Rodeo coming up expect to see more action here on the blog.

Pete

Day 39 ~ Revelation 8-15

These passages seem filled with news of destruction. Yet, John sees a sign in heaven that finally reveals a glimmer of hope. In this sign, the dragon, who is Satan, is described as having incredible might. He is so strong that he is able to sweep stars out of the sky. Yet, Satan’s abilities prove to be worthless against the strength of Jesus. As war breaks out in heaven among the angels and Satan, victory belongs to Christ and His angels.
We have hope in this life only through the saving grace of Jesus. Salvation has come to the people of God here in this passage through the crushing of Satan. No longer are they deceived by Satan, because God will ultimately be triumphant. Through Jesus’ blood, Satan is conquered. When Christ returns, Satan will be ultimately defeated. In this life, we must continue to stand firm against the devil. He will tempt us in every way he is able. Yet, what an incredible hope we have in Jesus! We do not have to fear the power of Satan, because we know that Christ will reign victorious! Let us all look forward to that day when Christ returns!

Adam Shelburne