On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and the stone had been moved away and the tomb was empty! She saw the gardener and thought he had taken Jesus’ body. "Tell me where you put Him so I can take him away." Then she realized she was speaking to Jesus. He told her to quick clinging to Him that He needed to ascend to His Father and Hers.

Easter, it represents the empty tomb and the risen Messiah. Have you ever considered your body to be a tomb? Isn’t a tomb a container for dead people? Romans 7:24 says, “who will set me free from the body of this death?” Paul is bemoaning the fact that his holy and righteous being is confined in the tomb of his body.

But before Paul could declare the victory of this dilemma, the stone had to be taken away. The prophet Ezekiel spoke the words of God prophesying the reality that the stone would be rolled away. Ezekiel 36:26 says, “Moreover I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. Paul suggests that we were all tombs before Jesus emptied them out. In Colossians he says. “When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

So here is the deal with the empty tomb. You were born dead. Your poor itty bitty baby body was a tomb that encompassed your dead spirit. And while you were dead, JESUS, lived, died, resurrected, ascended and then made Himself available to take up residency in those who know Him.

He rolled away the stone of your old self and gave you a new one; a hope and prosperity not found in the material realm but one found in the spiritual realm that has blessed you with every spiritual blessing.

If Jesus lives in you, your tomb has LIFE in it. If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

As you look around this Easter, enjoy Him who gave life to your mortal body and love those in your path that have yet to know and experience the greatest of blessings. HE LIVES!!

Keith

Is it the Behavior or the Seed?What do you believe the fundamental problem all people have in common from birth?
Is it they behave improperly or they are “by nature children of wrath”?

Think about it for a minute. Look around at all the people around you who are behaving like pagans.
Is their behavior the issue?
Or is it simply an indicator of the bigger problem… their seed?

When God cursed Satan in Genesis 3, He pointed out the problem to come: the battle between two seeds. Verse 15 says, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel."

This prophetic utterance was pointing to the virgin birth of Jesus and the battle of Satan to destroy humanity and God’s plan of redemption. It says Satan would give Jesus a painful blow, but Jesus would triumph with a fatal one.

The picture of the seed is the essence of the struggle of humanity. At the first/natural birth all people are born with the seed of Adam. But at the rebirth, their old nature is eliminated and replaced with the seed of Jesus. II Corinthians 5:17 says, “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature, the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

If someone has the seed of Adam it is only natural their behavior will reflect that reality. And if someone has been born again and has the seed of Jesus, remarkably their behavior will begin to reflect the righteousness of God. Incidentally, it is impossible to have both. A person is either in Jesus or Adam.

Teachable MomentOne way you could show this amazing reality to your children is to grab two different types of seeds; for example, the helicopter thing from a dandelion and an acorn. Show your children the dandelion seed and how it floats about aimlessly. Then ask them the question, “what will happen to this seed given enough time?” The correct answer would be more dandelions. Then compare the dandelion’s natural tendency to grow more dandelions to a person who is in Adam’s natural tendency to sin.

Then with the acorn, ask them “what will happen to this seed given enough time?” The answer should do a nice job explaining the amazing work the Spirit of God does inside each believer. Think about it. The oak can produce more oak trees; it can be used to build cabinets, furniture, wine barrels or even an amazing solid oak floor. In reality, it would be impossible to imagine what the end use would be.

As your children begin to appreciate the importance of a seed, begin to paint in their young minds the amazing possibility of what God is going to do in and through them during their lifetimes. He is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all you can think or imagine. Point them towards Jesus and stand amazed at what He can do in their lives. Rusty has enough acorns to give you a handful for your kids for a visual aid.

Keith Tyner

The headline read, “Perfect Pats”. It summarized of the 2007-08 NFL season for the New England Patriots. They amassed some amazing statistics during the regular season and were pretty well anointed the 2008 NFL Champions before the playoffs began.

Perfection is a goal for many and a destination for few. Think about it, the 2008 Patriots had arrived somewhere only three other teams had before. The 1934 and 1942 Chicago Bears and the 1972 Miami Dolphins all had undefeated regular seasons. Amazingly out of this pack only the Dolphins managed to win the championship and complete and undefeated season.

But is an undefeated season the same as a perfect one? During that so called perfect season, Jim Kiick let loose of the ball 3 times, Mercury Morris had 8 fumbles and Larry Csonka only coughed it up twice. It would seem to the untrained mind that in a perfect season these three would have had zeroes in the fumbles category of their statistics. It would also seem as though the starting quarterback would have remained healthy and played all year in a perfect season.

Now that the 2007-08 NFL season is over, it is history that the Patriots failed in their effort for an undefeated season. The upstart New York Giants surprised them by winning 17-14. That three point differential is the variable that many pundits suggest will haunt the Patriots players the rest of their lives.

Maybe it is possible there is another source that will haunt people for less than perfect performance for the rest of their lives. Maybe it is possible to experience perfection, even when it feels as though we are in the midst of failure.

Perfection is a bad objective. There is only one source of perfection and it is not you. God sent His perfect Son Jesus to be our righteousness. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

What if you separate two components of your life; your being and your behavior? Your being came into this world imperfect due to Adam’s original sin. (Romans 5:17, 18) In other words, your perfect season was over before it began. Consequently, your behavior never had a chance; it only took a short time for your selfishness to be manifest into imperfect behavior.

Since your being was maligned by Adam’s original misbehavior, it is impossible to behave properly enough to ever equate to a perfect season in God’s eyes. So there is a gaping hole in the effort to achieve perfection. It requires supernatural intervention.

The difference between the Patriots so called perfect season and the one that got away was nearly supernatural. Giant’s quarterback, Eli Manning, was in the midst of Patriot defenders; one had his jersey and nearly pounded him to the ground. Remarkably, Manning slipped out of his grasp and hurled a massive throw. Giant’s receive, David Tyree, somehow wedged the ball against the top of his helmet and maintained control to set the team up for victory. It was a once in a lifetime play.

Perfection in life is the result of a once in a lifetime play as well. (Hebrews 10:12) At just the right time, Christ died for all. He was the fulfillment of prophecy. He came that we might have life and have it to the fullest.

Once one comes to agreement with the idea He was the perfect sacrifice, they can begin to grasp they will never be able to do so themselves. He converted our imperfect being to a perfect one by faith. You are saved by faith and not works, so you have nothing to boast about. (Eph 2:8, 9)

Your inner being was set to a state of perfection the moment you trusted in Jesus as the perfect sacrifice. At that moment, God’s Holy Spirit began a mighty work from the inside out, to transform your outer being (behavior) to begin to reflect the perfection of your inner being. If you are trying to gauge perfection by your behavior, you will always come up short of the mark. But if you measure it by Christ’s perfection, you will hit the mark. The Bible says, “it is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

There is a remnant in our physical being called the power of sin. It is satan’s false holy spirit or his agent of condemnation. This is the mechanism he uses to haunt you during your lifetime. It is through your thoughts where he condemns Christians and suggests they are imperfect and unacceptable to God. John 10:10 suggests he comes to steal, kill and destroy. It is through these lies he strives to haunt you forever.

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you are perfect. Your behavior is not a complete indicator of your perfection, but will begin to look more and more like the One who lives in you.

Don’t let the evil one keep you in a desperate place just because your behavior falls short of the mark from time to time. It is the Savior who covered that shortcoming on your behalf and He is the one working in you. And as the apostle Paul said, “I am confident of this very thing, He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”

That is way better than 18-1!

Keith Tyner

We have no rules at Leavener... just relationships!
Therefore we are free to change plans even this late notice for tomorrow!

My family just returned from the Seton Specialty Hospital to visit with Danita Ballew. Danita is the single mother of three teenage girls (Quinesha, Quinita & Daisha) that we helped at Christmas. They attended our Christmas party in December and received some pretty cool gifts. The Lord even provided the opportunity for them to receive a trip to Disney World together with their mother.

It is with a heavy heart that I tell you that the trip hasn't happened yet and Danita is not doing well.

So tomorrow we have changed our plans. We are going to meet at Panera for a quick coffee and bagel at 10 AM. Then we will make our way over to the hospital. Please do not go into the hospital. There is a courtyard near the front of the hospital and it is directly below Danita's window. We will meet outside to sing and pray. We have already talked to personnel at the hospital about this. Dress appropriately (it is supposed to be 43 degrees, windy and raining).

Here is a Google Map for both Panera and the Hospital.

Isn't great to be the church? We are the body of Christ. Can't wait to hang out with you.

Rusty

Diane Phillips' life on earth ended this week. She absolutely deserves to be at her heavenly home with her eternal Father. Her last few years here on earth were hard fought in a battle with cancer. Throughout the physical struggle she never gave up. She lived life to the fullest in most everything she did. I had the honor of serving beside Diane during her 10 years of service at Northside Baptist Church. She loved the children, encouraged the parents and always supported her fellow employees. There was never a negative statement that came from Diane. She was loving, she was honest, she was direct, she was concerned, she was self-sacrificing, she was patient, she was faithful, she was a hard worker. I have incredible respect and love for Diane Phillips.

Diane served as the Director of Children's Ministry for a reason. She desired to teach children about Jesus. She consistently encouraged parents in their own faith walk so they could be prepared to teach their children. I learned much by watching Diane interact with people. I learned much by just watching her spirit minister to others. I am thankful for my friend. I will absolutely miss her but know that she will be there someday to welcome me home.

Diane... thanks for sharing your life with us. Welcome home my friend from a job perfectly done in Christ!

Rusty

Who Stole Baby Jesus?This Christmas season has proved to be very eventful for my family. We typically travel home to Tulsa where both Michelle and I were raised. The day we were scheduled to make the drive home we discovered that my sister was going to have surgery. The good news is that we were able to pray for her all day as we drove home and God answered our prayers and the surgery was successful. My sister is now home and recovering well.

But here is the interesting story... The day after our arrival to Tulsa we made our way to the St. Francis Hospital to see my sister. As we entered the lobby, my two children were attracted to the oversized nativity scene that consumed the room. Chloe looked down at the manger and immediately bellowed, "Someone stole Baby Jesus!!!!" Sure enough... Baby Jesus was missing!!! My first thought was, "How could anyone do that? That is just whacked!" Instantly I started thinking about sermon illustrations... 1) Maybe someone really needed Jesus 2) Jesus is out there waiting to be found and 3) Maybe Jesus being gone is causing people to inquire!

We proceeded to the 8th floor to see my sister and then I took my kids down to the chapel. It was the same chapel that my first grade teacher lit a candle for me when I was sick in that hospital back in 1971. We walked over to the nativity scene that was at the front of the chapel and would you believe it? Baby Jesus was missing there too! Are you kidding me? Who would steal multiple dolls of Jesus? Is there not anything sacred anymore?

As we made our way out of the hospital, I noticed the security guard sitting at the information desk. Of course you know what I am thinking... "Dude! If you were doing your job right then Baby Jesus wouldn't be missing!" I couldn't just walk by and say nothing! I was appalled! So I inquisitively asked the security guard, "Who is stealing all the Baby Jesus' around your hospital?" He looked up from his magazine and gave me one of those "stupid-idiot" looks and said, "Sir, no one has stolen Baby Jesus... It's not Christmas yet... Baby Jesus hasn't been born yet!" I smiled back and said, "That's good... never would have guessed that one!"

I've pondered that one a while. So, I guess they pack Jesus up at the end of the year and He only makes his one week appearance every year. It sure is great to know that my Jesus is alive and well and has taken up residence in my living body. I can celebrate Christmas everyday of my life knowing that God incarnate came to earth as a sacrifice for my sins and made me righteous. That is the Good News of Christmas. The only thing that is missing... my sin... not Baby Jesus!

Rusty

Christmas Day has come!

I think it was about a year ago that I was imagining what it would be like to be a part of group or ministry that didn't make much human sense. Today... I'm sitting on my couch (that was for you Terry) and wondering what in the world is happening. Allow me to describe what has occurred over the last two months.

A few weeks ago I asked the Leavener Community what they needed from this ministry. The general response was that they didn't need much at all. They wanted to be able to hang out together, process the message of grace together and help others who needed to experience freedom in Christ and freedom in other areas of their lives. That is a great description of the people who meet together on Sunday Mornings at the Ward's House.

I then asked one of my friends, who is a local nurse, if she knew of any families that had some unique situations that Leavener could come along side and minister to them. She sent me two families to follow up with. Please understand, I cannot even begin to explain the fullness of their situations in this brief blog.

The first family is a single mom (37 years young) and three daughters (12,13 & 14). Each of the three girls are treated for asthma at a local children's hospital. The mom has stage 4 bone cancer and has already survived longer than the doctors predicted. In the past week, I was able to sit down over breakfast with the mom and hear their complete story. This is a very humble family that was not seeking any help. On Saturday, several of the Leavener ladies and their daughters took this family shopping and made a list of all the things they needed. Next Friday Night (Dec 14th), we are hosting a Christmas Party at Heartland Church at 7:00 PM. We will celebrate the life of this family and encourage them through their family issues. Rick Stump will be leading us in singing some Christmas Carols as well. You won't want to miss this party!

The second family I just connected with this week. I talked to the wife who was taking her husband to the hospital for the 8th time this year. Last year they discovered that he had liver cancer. In May of this year, he had multiple organ transplant. Since then, he's had 4 additional surgeries due to complications. It has been a rough year for the family. As I continued the conversation through tears, the wife told me that their 15 year old son has had an inoperable brain tumor for four years. The growth has currently stopped. I cannot even begin to describe the emotions that were exchanged during our phone conversation. When asked how we could help, the wife informed me they had family pictures taken over a year ago and they have never been ordered or purchased. Leavener is trying to work with photographer to get these pictures to the family. Please pray the photographer will release the digital rights to these pictures so the family can have these valuable images in plenty. This would be a request beyond the normal practice of this photographer. Leavener has currently placed an order to receive a minimal order of these pictures.

I sit here amazed at the ministry opportunities that God has brought our way. I cannot answer in human understanding how all this will be accomplished. I just trust the Lord will provide as He leads us to each opportunity.

Simply Amazed...

Rusty

It's that time of the year again... between Halloween and Christmas. The one time we are trained to give thanks. You ever wonder about the people who don't have faith in God... who do they give their "thanks" to? Are they still "thankful"? And what are most people "thankful" for during this season? Their families? Stuff? Situations? People? If you have time to burn... look at this site and see what random people are thankful for everyday... very intriguing.www.43things.com

In Colossians, Paul tells us to give thanks in all that we say and do as we reflect Christ. In Romans 5, He is even so radical as to tell us that in the midst of our adversity that we should rejoice! You will have to ask for wisdom from the Spirit in grasping that truth. Sometimes we can't even put into words our thanks as Paul states in 2 Corinthians.

So let me hear from you... In the comments below, share with us things that you are thankful for. We will be discussing and sharing similar things at our gathering this week (11/18) at the Ward's House.

Caution: Paul warns us that we can even be slammed for the things we give thanks for in 1 Corinthians.

As for me... I am very thankful for the understanding of 1 Corinthians 15:56-57. Knowing where sin comes from and having been given victory over that through Jesus is absolutely great news. I am forever thankful... not just for a couple of weeks a year!

Rusty

His worst fear became reality. Driving 47mph in a 40mph zone, he was pulled over and asked for some identification. As an illegal alien, John had no legitimate identification. Consequently, he began telling the officer, “I am a mechanical engineer. My inventions and efforts have saved humanity time and lives. The bridges and other structures I have designed have been amongst the best in existence. I am a legend in my field.”

Unimpressed, the officer replied, “Congratulations! Can I see some identification?”

Unfortunately, this experience is similar in context to a discussion many Christians would experience if they were asked to spiritually identify themselves. Dependent of their efforts of good works and opinions of others’ view of the Bible, many would begin to describe their perceived identification.

This idea causes many brothers and sisters in the faith to exist with a lack of confidence about their situation much like that of an illegal alien trying to fake their citizenship in our country. The feelings of doubt and disillusionment can become intense. The solution for both is to be a citizen. Just as the illegal alien can pursue proper avenues to become a US citizen, a lost person can become a Christian and a Christian can gain confidence in their true identity.

A primary piece of identification would be love. It is not the fake, superficial love of the world. You know the one, the love that is nice to your face and then stabs you in the back when you disappoint someone. It is a pure and godly unconditional love. It is the love parents normally have for their children. It is the love a kid has for their dog. It is a love that is not waiting and keeping score. It is one that just believes and hopes the best for and from the object of it.

Jesus pointed out that love in John 13:35 "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

Think about this verse, I Corinthians 8:3 “But if anyone loves God, he is known by Him.” Isn’t that cool? If you love God, He knows you! It doesn’t say, “if you act like you love God…”, but it says “if you love Him!” Have you ever acted like you didn’t love God? Surely any honest Christian would answer yes to that question; thankfully the promise is based on our decision and not our actions!

Another piece of identification is straight out of scriptures and not my feelings. I am a new creature! Can you imagine that? I wonder how I became a new creation. Do you think it was the result of my community service or my devotion to Bible study or prayer?

Paul says, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) One translation says, “all things have become new”. In other words, my citizenship has changed and I have a whole new identity!

Peter adds a number of other components to your identification in I Peter 2:9. “But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light!”

Can you imagine the Pharisees if they had identity police? “Sir could I see some identification?” “Well sure, I am a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession and am called to proclaim God’s excellencies. Should that be sufficient for you sir?”

John 10:10 says the “thief comes to steal, kill and destroy, but Jesus came that you might have life and have it more abundantly.” Satan is at war with you. He wants to steal your true identity. He constantly whispers false ideas into your mind crying out that you are an illegal alien and not a true citizen of the Holy Nation. Don’t believe him.

Keith Tyner

It was one of those far-fetched thoughts that occurred on Saturday Night... at least for me. There existed a level of joy that was unexplainable. Could it have been from the incredible food? Playing cornhole? Being with friends? Seeing Terry with hair? Elk love in the air? Talking about Jesus?

No... I don't think it had anything to do with that... at least for me.

It was a radiant joy that wouldn't let me sit down for long. It was a deep abiding sense that was greater than just happiness. The honest truth... it had very little to do with the logistics of the evening. It had to do with being with people that sensed the same thing. The joy didn't come from the stuff that was happening around us. The joy was deep within and shared with one another. I could concur with Paul (Romans 14:7) that the kingdom of God is not eating or drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

That is somewhat explaining something that is unexplainable. The joy of the Lord is greater than any vacation experience and even more difficult to explain to people the details if they have never experienced it for their self.

Acts 13:52 says "the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit." If you take that verse out of context it sounds great. But leave it in context and it sounds even greater... Paul was teaching the Gentiles about salvation and this joy they had. The Jews caused the people of the city to run Paul out of the area. Paul and Barnabas shook off the dust and went on to the next city to proclaim the same truth of the New Covenant and the joy they can receive through the Spirit.

Unexplainable joy... each believer has this deep seeded fountain in them through the Spirit. May God cause you to tap into that source today and everyday! Romans 15:13

Rusty