Christianity Isn't For Sissies

In John 21:3 when Peter says, “I’m going fishing,” he was being sifted at that very moment.  

Would he follow Jesus any further?  Would he still believe?  Would he deny the One he said he’d go to prison for?  Would he forsake this fishing for men and go back to fishing for fish?  

He’s at a huge turning point.  A point most of us will never experience without some kind of drastic life changing, faith shaking life event.  

When you’re sifted you’ll need more than a bumper sticker that says, God Is Good.  You’ll need your heart stamped with the grit and determination we see in Jesus as he heads to the whipping post, soon to be crucified.  You’ll need dogged determination that we see in Paul when he’s locked up and left to die.  

Johnny Cash said, "Being a Christian isn't for sissies, It takes a real man to live for God - a lot more man than to live for the devil, you know? If you really want to live right these days, you gotta be tough.”  I’m not suggesting Mr. Cash was the epitome of a Christian, but he sure hit the nail on the head with those words.  

Following Jesus in the tough times isn’t for the faint of heart.  If you don’t deeply believe God when you are being sifted, you’ll quit.  And if you don’t quit, you’ll think about it.  Just ask Peter. 

Michael Mason Ministries November Newsletter

Friends, 

Thank you for your prayers, words of encouragement, and financial support.  2016 is quickly coming to a close.  I’ve had a blessed and busy year, preaching in close to sixty different churches.  I’m grateful for the opportunities.  Pray for open doors in 2017.               

We need to pray for each other.  So many of you who receive this newsletter are going through some kind of storm.  Everything from a financial crisis to family heartaches…many people are facing difficult days.  God is faithful.  Let’s stand together, praying one for another, trusting God to see us through.

You can view my website at michaelmasonministries.com. I  also write articles you might find interesting at michaelmasonline.blogspot.com. 

Prayer Requests: 

1. Thanks for the continued prayers for my dad.  
2. I have a personal prayer request.  Thank you for praying. 
3. Pray for me and my family…for God’s protection and provision.
4. Pray for preaching opportunities in 2017.  

~  November thru January Preaching Schedule ~

November

6 First Baptist Milan, Tenn.

13-16 Fairview the Grace Place, Hartselle, Al.

20-21 First Baptist, Arab, Al.

27 Northbrook Baptist, Cullman, Al.

28 Marshall, Al. Baptist Assoc.

December

4 New Life Church, Falkville, Al.

6 Muscle Shoals, Al. Baptist Assoc.

11 Grace Baptist, Hartselle, Al.

January

1 Trinity Baptist, Trinity, Al.

8-11 Bellview Baptist, Decatur, Al.

15 River City Baptist, Decatur, Al.

22 Open

29 Open

Stay The Course

Philippians 3:14

I am committed to stay the course.  Like a ship continuing in the same direction, even in bad conditions, I am committed to staying on course.  And like that ship that moves forward through the storm, I press on with no guarantee of sunny skies and smooth sailing. 

Paul said he would continue to press toward the mark…   Reminds me of a story I read years ago of an Olympic runner’s training for the big event.  He told of the many mornings he got up early to run when there was no crowd to cheer him on, no applause to motivate him, and no cameras to take his picture at the finish line.  It was just him…alone.  Still he got up every morning and did what he had to do.  He stayed the course when it would have been easy to give up.

Paul didn’t give up either.  He was hindered.  He was hated.  He was humiliated.  But he wasn’t stopped.  He stayed the course.  He would never forget the Damascus Road...he was driven by the memory of it and transformed by the power of it.  He was called, compelled, even constrained to preach – to turn the world upside down for God’s glory.  He stayed the course.  He finished well.

I am in my 35^th year of ministry.  The call of God on my life is more real than when I first began.  I realize, however, my greatest call is not just to preach the Gospel…but to please the One who called me.  That is the high call to which Paul was pressing toward. 

I am staying the course.  I will continue to preach the Bible as the absolute authority for every issue we face.  I will continue to preach Jesus Christ as the only Savior for all the world.  I will continue to preach salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. 

I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back. The Message 3:14 

Retraining Your Mules

It was October of 1904.  Evan Roberts had delivered a message God had placed on his heart and an awakening was in progress.  He had asked to speak to the entire congregation but was allowed to speak only to those who would stay after services to hear him.  Seventeen people stayed.  God moved.  The great Welsh revival was happening.

Roberts preached four simple points:  Put away unconfessed sin.  Put away doubtful habits.  Obey the Spirit immediately.  Confess Christ publicly.  History tells us that within two months 70,000 people came to Christ.  Within six months, over 100,000 were saved as a result of that simple message preached to a small crowd who stayed after to hear young Evan Roberts.  Wow.

God began to do amazing things.  Anthony Jordan described it like this:  “Bustling taverns were closed for lack of business.  Policemen were idle for lack of criminal activity.  People made restitution with others.  Perhaps the most dramatic change came in the mines.  Miners had trained their mules to respond to their commands laced with vile language.  After the miners were converted, their language changed so the mules had to be retrained to respond to non-cursing commands.” 

I pray each week for God to move in the churches where I preach…and I pray for the people to respond.  O that God would speak and we would hear and respond in such a way that no one could deny the presence and power of God at work in us.  ...That bars would be empty and churches filled.  That hatefulness would be replaced with kindness.  That our churches be revived, our faith restored, and our mules retrained. 

Lord, send a revival…

October Newsletter

2016 continues to be a busy and blessed year of ministry.  Thank you for your prayers, words of encouragement, and financial support.  October and November are good and busy months.  Pray for open doors in December and January.  Thanks for being a part this ministry.                      

I’m excited about the Guatemala Pastors Conference, October 18-21.  I’ll be a part of a team of pastors that will be busy preaching and teaching for the three-day event.  Several of you have helped pay my expenses for this trip.  Thank you for your generosity.

You can view my website at michaelmasonministries.com. I  also write articles you might find interesting at michaelmasonline.blogspot.com. 

Prayer Requests: 

1. Thanks for the continued prayers for my dad.  
2. I have a personal prayer request.  Thank you for praying. 
3. Pray for me and my family…for God’s protection and provision.
4. Pray for preaching opportunities in 2017.  

~  October thru December Preaching Schedule ~

October

2-5 Tabernacle Baptist, Vidalia, Ga.

9-12 First Baptist, Winchester, Tn.

16 First Baptist, Scottsboro, Al.

17 Dekalb, Al. Assoc. Meeting

18-21 Guatemala Pastor’s Conference

23 New Zion Baptist, Hatton, Al.

30 First Baptist, Vincent, Al.

November

6 First Baptist Milan, Tenn.

13-16 Fairview the Grace Place, Hartselle, Al.

20-21 First Baptist, Arab, Al.

27 Northbrook Baptist, Cullman, Al.

December

4 New Life Church, Falkville, Al.

6 Muscle Shoals Baptist Assoc. Christmas Dinner

11 OPEN

The Big Bet

Mark 8:34-38

The bigger the bet - the greater the gamble.  In this passage Jesus warns about gambling with your life…your soul…eternity.

In rural Alabama it’s not uncommon to hear someone use the word “bet.”  I bet you will…I bet I won’t…How much you bet? I bet he will…I bet he won’t…How much you bet?  There’s nothing the Devil likes better than for you to bet your life. Gamble with your soul. Risk it all - trade the grace of God for greener pastures.

Archie Karas is considered by many to be the greatest gambler with the longest winning streak of all time.  Between 1992 and 1995 he turned $50 into more than $40 million…only to lose it all later that year.  The warning here, however, is that of losing your soul.  Betting your life and losing your soul – for eternity. 

The great theologian Kenny Rogers said it well when he sang, “You've got to know when to hold 'em, Know when to fold 'em, Know when to walk away, And know when to run.”  Friend, you gotta know when to run.  And you gotta know where to run.  Run to God.

We are constantly faced with what 1 John 2:16 calls, the Lust of the flesh…Lust of the eyes…Pride of life. While I wish there was an escape, there simply is no place to hide from the onslaught of visual, emotional, and physical temptations.  And our will to resist is often weak.  This is nothing new – Adam, Moses, Cain, Jacob, Joseph, Hamaan, Samson, David, Peter, Judas, Ananias, Sapphira, all struggled with a weak will.   But we can learn...When we don’t control our will – Our will controls us.  We’ll either take control of our sin or our sin will take control of us. 

What will it profit a man…

What good is it if you gain the world and lose your soul?

Why gamble what’s most valuable for what’s worthless?

The Worth Of The What

Mark 8:36-37

“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”

I’ve read and heard those verses hundreds of times.  But just recently one simple word jumped out at me as if I’d never seen it before.  It’s the simple word, “What…” 

What will it profit a man…what will a man give…?  I began to think about the worth of the what.  Whatever it is that causes a person to turn away from God, deny God, or reject God…Jesus questions the “profit” of that.  What is the worth of the what… 

In preacher talk I might say, just because it makes you happy doesn’t mean it will make you holy.  I might add, just because it brings satisfaction doesn’t mean it will lead to sanctification. 

When I am a sixty, seventy, or eighty-year-old man and I look back over my life I will see a series of choices I made.  Some good.  Some bad. God help me in the choices I am making today to not gamble with God’s blessings. 

What if I gain the world and miss God?  What if I experience a few fleeting moments of worldly pleasure, and in those foolish moments I sacrifice the life God planned for me.

There’s a real possibility if I sacrifice what I have for what I want, in the end I may not want what I have.  Be careful with God’s blessings and favor.  We only have one life – a life that is blessed only if we live it for Him. 

What will it profit a man…What will a man give…  What is the worth of your what?  M