Author: Sean Vickers

Simple Pursuit

Simple Pursuit

Sean Vickers

WHY DOES EVERYTHING HAVE TO BE SOO COMPLICATED?

Why does everything have to be so complicated? Have you ever asked yourself that question? I know I have. As life goes on it seems to get more and more complicated with layer after layer of details piling up until it seems unmanageable. This makes one long for the simple life.

Allow me to introduce you to a song that has captured my heart and my desire for simplicity. It’s called Simple Pursuit and was written by Matt Redman. Here is the first verse and chorus:

God take us back, the place we began
The simple pursuit of nothing but You
The innocence of a heart in Your hands
God take us back, oh God, take us back

To an unswerving faith in the power of Your name
A heart beating for Your kingdom to reign
A church that is known for Your presence again
God take us back

Nothing and no one comes close to You
Nothing could ever come close
Nothing and no one; it’s You, and You only
Nothing could ever come close

When I heard the song for the first time I immediately knew it would be a favorite of mine. This song reminded me of the message Jesus had for the church of Ephesus found in Revelation, chapter 2. This church honored Jesus with their deeds, but Jesus told them they had forsaken Him as their first love. Wow. That would be a hard thing to hear from your Savior. The church at Ephesus had left their simple pursuit of their Savior and become satisfied with going through the motions with passionless service and activity.

I am thankful that this passage does not end here. Jesus prescribed a remedy for the church’s heart problem. This same remedy is for anyone that is overwhelmed with details and feels their relationship with Jesus growing cold.

Jesus said to the church at Ephesus and He says to us today, “Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.” To get back to a simple pursuit of Jesus it is important to remember our Savior and what it was like when we first trusted Him. This will give us an idea how “far you have fallen.” When a person first places their faith in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior it is normally a time of joy, gratitude, and amazement in the amazing grace of God. When our life and faith gets too complicated we forget the joy of our salvation. Some of you reading this article may not know the amazement that I am writing about.

If there has never been a moment in your life when you trusted Jesus let me invite you to one of the many Bible believing churches in Dalhart. We celebrate Jesus every week as we gather to worship. You are certainly welcomed at First Baptist Dalhart. You would be my honored guest.

The second part of Jesus remedy is to “repent and do the thing you did at first.” Repent means to change your mind or change directions. Simply put, repentance is turning back to Jesus and simply pursuing Him while doing the things we did when our faith was new and fresh. Do you remember a time when you worshipped from the heart, when you were growing in your faith, when you served Him without hesitation and with joy, and when you desired to talk to others about your faith? If these are distant memories, they don’t have to be. It’s time to get back to a Simple Pursuit of your Savior.

This article originally appeared in the Dalhart Texan and was written by Sean Vickers.

Miracle of Christmas #1

Miracle of Christmas #1

Sean Vickers

The Miracle of the Moment

Galatians 4:4-7

A Miracle is a wonderful event caused by God that brings Him glory and demonstrates His purposes and plan.

  • Don’t miss the miracle of THAT moment.
  • Don’t miss the miracle of THIS moment.

#1 A MOMENT LIKE NONE OTHER.

When the time came to completion, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!” So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. Galatians 4:4-7 (HCSB)

 

#2 EMBRACING THE HUMANITY OF OUR SAVIOR.

For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have One who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet He did not sin.  Hebrews 4:15 (NIV)

#3 TRUSTING GOD WITH YOUR MOMENTS.

He tends his flock like a Shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in His arms
and carries them close to His heart;
He gently leads those that have young.
Isaiah 40:11 (NIV)

Miracle Defined

Miracle Defined

Sean Vickers

Miracles happen in the ordinary and the extraordinary. Albert Einstein said, “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as if nothing is a miracle. The other is as if everything is.”

There are moments that God breaks through the ordinary for His glory.

A miracle is a wonderful event caused by God, that brings Him glory and demonstrates His purposes and plan.

Remembering the miracles of God in the ordinary moments of life and praising Him for the extraordinary events He preforms brings Him glory and praise.

Gratitude to God

Sean Vickers

Gratitude to God is a Heart ChangerScreen Shot 2015-11-19 at 2.59.07 PM

Luke 17:11-19

#1 GET UP! – Don’t Miss the Miracle. vv. 11-13

#2 STEP OUT! – Obey to see the miracle through. v. 14

#3 FALL DOWN! – Praise the Miracle Maker. v. 15

#4 GIVE THANKS! – Gratitude to God is a Heart Changer. vv. 15-19

LIVE IT OUT

  • Around the table
  • Invite someone to your table
  • Be creative this Thanksgiving

SCRIPTURES FOR THE THANKFUL

  • James 1:17
  • Colossians 3:15-17
  • 2 Corinthians 9:15
  • 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
  • 1 Chronicles 16:34
  • Psalm 100:4
  • Psalm 107:1

 

My Friend

Sean Vickers

GreaterLoveMy Friend

I’d like you to meet my friend.  He is strong and manly, friendly and sociable, attractive and magnetic.  He stands out in any crowd.  He is fearless and firm, but little children and strong men are drawn to him.

He is a perfect example of gentleness and kindness, of humility and courtesy; but his whole being reacts with severity against injustice, hypocrisy, and irreverence.

He seems to understand people and is especially considerate of the poor, the lonely, the sick, the forgotten – even the ugly and disreputable.

In fact, he seems to see some good in everyone.

He shuns no one, looks down on no one, seems to believe that every person in all the world has infinite worth in the sight of God.  And somehow the lowest and the worst feel this way, too, when they look into his face.

You always feel safe with this friend of mine, sufficient for whatever comes. You feel that he understands, that he believes in you.  You’d rather have his friendship than anything on earth.  You desire his approval more than anything the world can give.

This friend of mine has come to mean a lot to me.

He has promised that he will never leave me.  There have been many times when I have failed to be loyal to him, but his faith in me has never weakened.  He has been marvelously forgiving.  This has always inspired me to strive harder to measure up to his expectations.

The wonder and power of his love have been a purifying force in my soul.  Somehow, I’ve felt his goodness and strength poured into my being.  His very life has become my life.  Since I came to know him, I have been different.

I learned about God from him.  He knows God in the most intimate sort of way, like a son knows his father when the two have but one common purpose.

He made God real and near.  In fact, God is so much a part of him that I became a friend of God, and more – a true child of God.

I owe everything to him.  He showed me the meaning of life.  He made me want to be good.  He fired my soul with high purpose.  He gives me strength to overcome evil.  He has taught me that, no matter what comes, I can depend on God as my Heavenly Father.  This friend has shown me that love never fails.  His friendship is the explanation of every good thing in my life.

My friend has unlimited capacity for friendship. He is the friend of many, many people who feel toward him as I do.  Their lives have been changed by his friendship.

His friends are the best friends I have.  They can be depended on.  They are the best people in the world.  It must be that they have caught the dynamic of his personality, that they have been mastered by his purpose of love for all mankind.

Some of them are changing the world’s history.  They are creative forces in building a worldwide fellowship of love.  They have gone literally around the world to tell people of all races and nations that this friend can help them find God.  They have shed blood, sweat, and tears in order to do this.  Some have been imprisoned, banished, and killed because they dared to do his will.

This friend of mine, you see, is both loved and hated.  Millions of people refuse his friendship.  I wonder why. Can it be that they don’t really understand who he is?

That, surely, is why men killed him.  He had done no wrong.  His only offense was to be incarnate truth, purity, and love.  But they put him to death.

There was something in him, however, that overcame the power of death.  The grave could not hold him. He lives, having conquered death.  Because he conquered death, he is able to conquer evil.  And because he is able to overcome evil, the world will someday be a better, happier place.

There is a book that tells about this friend of mine.  I like to read it more than any other book.  Every time I read it, I learn more and more about him.

The book radiates his presence. You feel his heartbeat in it. It tells of his magnetic power to draw all men into his circle of friendship and of his purpose to make peace reign in all the earth.

This friend of mine would change the world if only men would follow his way of truth and love.

When I think of this friend, I wish that every person on earth could know him.

I believe, if I could help you to know him, that you, too, would want his friendship above everything else, and count it life’s highest joy to serve him.

He will not force his friendship on you.  But if you will accept him as your dearest friend in wholehearted committal, he will go with you to the end of life’s way.

He will make your life a spiritual adventure and a transforming companionship.  He will make you happy, daring, and triumphant.

His friendship will provide the resources for noble and victorious living.

He will turn emptiness into fullness, fear into courage, weakness into strength, heartache into joy, turmoil into peace, dullness into radiance, and death into life.

I’d like so much for you to meet my Friend.

His name is Jesus.

Faith and Farming

Faith and Farming

Sean Vickers

In Dalhart, Texas, we are surrounded by thousands of acres of farmland. Some of these farms have great crops, while others fail. Two of the deciding factors in a successful farm are the condition of the soil and the amount of moisture.

We have a highly trained group of people called agronomists who help our farmers have great crops. Monitoring crops and helping make important agricultural decisions, this hard working group helps farmers produce fruitful and profitable crops. Sometimes, the agronomists’ advice is the difference of having a high yielding crop or loosing the crop altogether.

In the New Testament book of Luke, Jesus taught His followers a lesson about faith by using the parable of the soils. In Luke 8, He depicts four types of soil. Jesus describes three soils that each produced no crop and one soil that generated a great harvest. In this parable, Jesus is the sower, the Word of God is the seed, and the soil represents the condition of the heart. Will you allow Jesus to evaluate your heart and be your agronomist?

The first soil Jesus describes in Luke 8 is hard soil. He said, “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up.” Luke 8:5 (NIV) Common back in Jesus’ day, there were paths between fields that were repeatedly walked on and packed down. When the seed landed in these hard places, it was unable to take root resulting in becoming bird food. This soil represents someone who hears the Word of God and immediately allows the adversary the devil to snatch the seed away. This happens when the devil reminds you of your past and tries to convince you that you are unworthy of God’s love. He also reminds you of a hurtful church experience when someone said something uncaring or when a church missed an opportunity to minister to you or your family. As a pastor, let me apologize for your hurtful experience and plead with you to ignore the devil’s reminders. He is wrong about you. God loves you and has a plan for your life. You can trade the lies for the love of God.

The second soil is shallow soil. “Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture.” Luke 8:6 (NIV) In the panhandle of Texas, we know all about lack of moisture. Shallow soil describes the person that hears the Word of God and begins to respond, but when his faith is tested falls way. Why?  There is no root. For one to avoid the shallow heart, trusting God with the details of life is essential. When fear and worry replace faith, the heart will be shallow. Is there something blocking the work of God in your heart that you need to trust Him for? He is willing to replace fear and worry with peace and confidence. All you have to do is trust God and place your faith in Him through everything.

The third soil Jesus depicts is crowded soil. “Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants.” Luke 8:7 (NIV) Weeds in our life hinder the harvest. We live in a culture full of distractions. We crowd our hearts with the the things we see and hear. The books we read, movies and TV we watch, websites we go to on the internet, and the music we listen to influences the condition of our heart.  Whatever you allow into your heart through your eyes and ears effects the state of your heart to the work of God’s Word. If your heart is crowded and full of weeds today, God is willing to cultivate your heart to produce a harvest, if you will let Him.

The last soil Jesus used to describe the condition of the heart was good soil that produced a great crop. “Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.” Luke 8:8 (NIV) There is nothing better for a farmer than when the great harvest comes up, and all the work has been worth while. To produce a fruitful harvest in your life, you must soften your heart to the Word of God and refuse to listen to lies of the devil. You also must allow God to work deep in your life beyond the fears and worries of this world. Weed out anything that would choke out the work of God in your life.

As spring approaches and farmers prepare to plant their crops, let’s pray for a bountiful harvest. Likewise, as Jesus plants the Word of God in our lives, let’s cultivate the soil of our hearts for a great harvest of spiritual fruit.

This article originally appeared in the Dalhart Texan and was written by Sean Vickers.

Christian Soldier Field Manual

Christian Soldier Field Manual

Sean Vickers

Believers in Christ are in a battle for their lives, families, churches, and nation. God has given believers, Christian Soldiers, everything they need for victory. I hope this short Christian Soldier Field Manual is challenging and encourages you to fight the good fight of the faith.

  •  Commit yourself to the battle.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. Ephesians 6:10-11 (NIV)

  •   Get ready to fight.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6:12 (NIV)

  •  Know your enemy.

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 (NIV)

  •   Fight spiritual battles with the spiritual weapons.

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.  Ephesians 6: 13-18 (NIV)

  •  Don’t fight alone.

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. James 5:16 (NIV)

  •   Don’t ever give up!

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NIV)

Biblical Repentance

Biblical Repentance

Sean Vickers

Biblical repentance is godly sorrow for one’s sin together with a resolution to turn from it.*  Repentance is necessary for salvation and necessary for godly living. Daily repentance should be present in the daily life of every believer. There is a faulty idea about repentance that it is for salvation only. The process of conviction, confession and repentance is not only the path to God in salvation it is the path back to God as we deal with sin every day. Through Christ we can have peace with God and forgiveness of every sin.

Biblical Repentance

But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Luke 13:3 (NIV)

Conviction

When He comes, He will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment: John 16:8 (HCSB)

Confession

If we say, “We have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8-9 (HCSB)

Repentance

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, Acts 3:19 (NIV)

Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.

James 4:8-10 (NLT)

* Definition of repentance from Christian Theology by Millard J. Erickson