Northwest Bible Church » Mike Flores

Spring Cleaning Time

mike — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 18:41:19 +0000

So, as you know, there is spring cleaning and then there is spring cleaning. There’s the kind that most of us do that is really just a better, more thorough job than our everyday cleaning. Then there is grandma’s version. You know the type. I have vivid memories of spring cleaning as a kid at my Grandma Flo’s. The memories have left such a mark that I’m certain she did spring cleaning year round. We would scrub the floors by hand (with toothbrushes if necessary), wash every inch of every wall, vacuum in places we didn’t know existed, and take everything off every shelf and carefully dust each item individually. Don’t even get me started on the windows. I don’t remember her having a white glove, but she would definitely check everyone’s work. Few of us ever passed the first inspection. That is spring cleaning! When we were done, the freshness sparkled throughout the house and there was a new sense of comfort and peace in the house.
When was the last time we allowed God to do a spring cleaning in our lives? We so quickly add baggage to our faith that God never intended. We allow the world to creep in and cover the truth of God’s promises with layers of doubt. The fingerprints of our own pride and selfishness can cover even the windows of the “good” works in our lives.
I think it’s a valuable exercise as believers, and especially as parents, to hand God the vacuum and even the toothbrush and ask Him to clean out anything that keeps us from Him. As parents we want our children to have a genuine faith. Training them in the way they should go means our faith should be genuine, fresh, and marked by grace and a sense of unexplainable peace.
1 Corinthians 15 has been a great passage for me recently to get back to the joy of my salvation, and the victory already won by Christ over sin and death.
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures – 1 Corinthians 15:3
Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. – 1 Corinthians 15:58

Are We Prepared?

mike — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 16:48:45 +0000

Boy Scouts are known for always being prepared. Someone once said that luck is simply when preparation meets opportunity. Dancers will prepare for months for one recital. Athletes prepare or practice before they actually compete. Our kids and many amazing volunteers prepared for two months before we enjoyed their fantastic, forty-five-minute Christmas program. This month people will start preparing for our June Vacation Bible School. I could go on with how long people go to school to become doctors or teachers and more. It seems we often spend more time preparing for something than actually doing it. The reality is preparation is necessary and critical. However, as God loves to use our weakness to bring Him glory, spiritual preparation looks slightly different than what we see in the world around us.

You see David didn’t practice slaying giants for years before he faced Goliath. Daniel had no training as a lion tamer before he was thrown into the lion’s den. These men prepared but not the way the world would prepare. Their heart’s were prepared. We may never fully understand the immense power of prayer but it doesn’t take long to see it’s impact in our lives. We may not always see immediate answers to our prayers but as we pray our hearts are being prepared.

Paul tells us in Galatians 6:14 that “The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” I can think of no greater love you could show me than to lift me in your prayers to the Creator of the Universe. I’m convinced that as we pray for those around us God not only blesses them but softens our hearts toward them. He prepares us to be used by Him, for them, in very practical ways. Prayer draws us closer to God, unites us to each other and prepares us for opportunities to love our neighbors. We should practice it.

Why Are We Thankful?

mike — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:04:36 +0000

Ten passages from God’s Word that deserve our gratitude.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
- John 3:16-17

And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
- Philippians 4:7

We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us;
- 1 John 3:16a

“For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”
- John 6:40

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
- Ephesians 2:10

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
- 1 Peter 1:3-4

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
- Romans 8:1

“No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.”
- John 15:15

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
- Philippians 1:6

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
- Romans 8 :38-39

Happily Ever After?

mike — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 19:45:52 +0000

Fairy-tale endings, underdog come-backs, against-all-odds victories; they engage us, engulf us, they encourage us. Our hearts leap within us at each turn of these stories. We weep with them and laugh with them. Our insides desperately want to burst in celebration at the climax as the good-guy, the overcomer, the hero claims victory for what is right. And in the end everything is as it should be. They live happily ever after.
These stories, books, movies, lives they inspire us. The very thought of them cause eyes to tear, lumps to grow in throats, toes and fingers to tap, adrenaline to pump. Do you already have a story in mind? One that touches your heart and deeply moves you? It may seem so obvious to point to the carpenter’s son born in a manger, the long awaited Messiah of ancient prophesy, the one who gave blind men their sight and sick people their health, the one who gave his life as a ransom for the lost, the overcomer and conquerer of death, the risen Savior Jesus Christ. Do we remember the power of His work on the cross with the passion and connection we have for our favorite fairy-tale or real-life story of adventure and victory?
Having recently been inspired and encouraged by a totally fictitious, but engaging story, I find myself overwhelmed by the incredible power of the good news and the work of Christ. Feel good stories temporarily fill a deep need within us. They inspire because they offer hope. Hope that no matter the odds things might possibly work out. In the end of course this need of ours for hope is only really met in the hope given to us through Christ.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
1 Peter 1:3-4

The power of this living hope allows us to know peace and joy in the most difficult circumstances and to walk in these troubled times without fear. What we must remember is that we are not yet in the happily-ever-after part of the story. Our lives on this earth are still a part of God’s epic story. While Christ’s death and resurrection provide the way to heaven, we have the great priveledge of being used by God to be a light in a dark and hopeless world. Each day in what may seem like very ordinary events we have been given the power to choose to represent God and play a part in the ultimate feel-good story of eternity.

Everyday Life

mike — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 20:12:30 +0000

What was Daniel up to when he was brought before the king? Why was he thrown in the lion’s den? What was Joseph doing when Pharaoh called on him to interpret his dreams? And Paul, what was he doing when the jailer became a Christian? Daniel was faithfully praying. Joseph was faithfully serving and waiting. Paul was faithfully suffering and worshiping.
There’s a part of us that would jump at the chance to be a part of the amazing works of God that these men experienced. We see these big, miraculous events in their lives, but we can’t forget Daniel, Joseph, and Paul lived their faith out in every day life. Daniel’s faith was such that he risked everything to continue eating only foods that honored God. Joseph had every right to be angry about his circumstances, but chose to honor God by serving those around him. Paul endured many sufferings in his journeys so he could proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.
It’s easy to recognize the greatness of these men’s adventures. To see how God used faithful men in powerful ways. My question is, are God’s works in and through our lives any less great? Do we realize, are we thankful for, do we praise God for what he does in and through our every day lives?
I was blessed to be a part of our youth camps last month and I have to share a story with you. It’s not about a lion’s den or interpreted dreams or a saved jailer. I can’t even point out to you specifically all the lives changed by these faithful deeds. It was our first night at middle school camp and I was in the kitchen talking with the camp manager. He was telling me how impressed he was with our kids and our people. None of them were standing around giving bible lessons — though many could. It was how they were treating each other. How they were dealing with the chaos of getting into a camp that was closed just a day earlier. He commented, “if these are your middle schoolers, I can’t wait to see your high school group.” What he saw was young men and women of faith living ordinary moments in a way that brought God glory. The day may come that some may enter a lions den or interpret dreams or see jailers saved, but God also uses the faithful in amazing ways in their every day lives.

Faith-ology

mike — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 23:26:25 +0000

So I’m a little bit of a March Madness fan. When the Wildcats are doing well I’m even more of a fan, of course. My family in years past would frequently give me the “we-don’t-know-that-crazy-man” look when I’d jump up and down screaming with joy over some unbelievable shot. This year has been different though … and so much better.
I don’t always fill out brackets but I decided at the last minute to do one. Lori showed some interest in doing one also, so we printed out one for each of us (not Jesse, of course, even though he’d probably be beating me too). As Lori, Molly, and Zack filled out their brackets I could see the interest grow and the excitement increase. They don’t want to watch every game like I do, but they’re interested in them and man we had fun hootin’ and hollerin’ at the end of those overtime games last week.
I’ve had so much fun watching games with my family this year. Picking teams engaged my family and connected them to the games. This made me wonder about what engages us with God. What connects us to the important issues of our faith? What can we be doing as parents in our families, or as members of the body that cause us to celebrate eternal victories the way we celebrate a winning shot in a basketball game?
Find ways to do eternal things with your families and with the church body. Pray together for your neighbors. Serve together at the church or one of the ministries in our community. Celebrate what God is doing through you and for you.

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. – Hebrews 10:24-25

New Year

mike — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 23:29:29 +0000

Happy New Year! It’s 2009. You may or may not think about January 1st differently than other days. You may see it as many do, as an opportunity to start fresh. To give up bad habits. To start good habits. I personally love that it comes so close to Christmas. We’ve been focussing on the birth of our Savior. The gift of God. We’ve hopefully been thinking about giving. Christmas should put us in a good state of mind to start making commitments about change.
I was teaching a group of kindergartners and first graders the other day. We were talking about the gifts the magi brought Jesus. I asked them what they would bring to such an important king. They skipped right past the hypothetical and each of them answered with what they would give Jesus. The said, “Love … my heart … my life.” It’s interesting to me that as we grow up our list become more specific or have more detail, but contain less of what God wants. He wants our hearts. He wants us to “believe in the one he has sent.” (John 6:29b)
As parents we get excited when the purity of those simple answers are seen in our children’s lives. When they can connect a statement like “I want to give my life to Jesus” with a selfless action. An action that shows they love God by loving the people around them. I think we all understand that there is no classroom or curriculum that will teach them to put their faith into action. We know that Christ will do that teaching. We do need to be reminded that we, as the body of Christ, will be one of His primary teaching tools.
What could God do with a group of believers whose New Year’s resolution would be to offer our love, our hearts and our lives to Christ?

New Year’s Offering

mike — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 22:43:23 +0000

Happy New Year! It’s 2009. You may or may not think about January 1st differently than other days. You may see it as many do, as an opportunity to start fresh. To give up bad habits. To start good habits. I personally love that it comes so close to Christmas. We’ve been focussing on the birth of our Savior. The gift of God. We’ve hopefully been thinking about giving. Christmas should put us in a good state of mind to start making commitments about change.
I was teaching a group of kindergartners and first graders the other day. We were talking about the gifts the magi brought Jesus. I asked them what they would bring to such an important king. They skipped right past the hypothetical and each of them answered with what they would give Jesus. The said, “Love … my heart … my life.” It’s interesting to me that as we grow up our lists become more specific or have more detail, but contain less of what God wants. He wants our hearts. He wants us to “believe in the one he has sent.” (John 6:29b)
As parents we get excited when the purity of those simple answers are seen in our children’s lives. When they can connect a statement like “I want to give my life to Jesus” with a selfless action. An action that shows they love God by loving the people around them. I think we all understand that there is no classroom or curriculum that will teach them to put their faith into action. We know that Christ will do that teaching. We do need to be reminded that we, as the body of Christ, will be one of His primary teaching tools.
What could God do with a group of believers whose New Year’s resolution would be to offer our love, our hearts and our lives to Christ?