 Hi, this is Pastor David Rosales of Calvary Chapel of the Chino Valley, California. On Sunday mornings, we've been looking at the book of 1 Thessalonians, and recently we looked at chapter 2, verse 13, which reads, for this reason we also thank God without ceasing because when you receive the Word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it, not as the Word of men, but as it is in truth, the Word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe. As a pastor, one of my greatest concerns is that God's people would be taught and ministered to by genuine shepherds, men who faithfully feed and tend God's lambs and sheep. It seems that today, many sheep are being fed the plans and ideas of men who are neglecting to feed them God's Word. Instead, they give them motivational talks that emphasize how good they are, which sadly produces self-absorbed and self-righteous sheep who fail to have a balanced view of Scripture and are lacking in humility and holiness. This reminds me of the warning given through Jeremiah when God spoke through him in Jeremiah chapter 23, verse 16, and said, Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They make you worthless. They speak of vision of their own heart, not from the mouth of the Lord. It is the pastor's responsibility to give the whole counsel of God to the people and in taking into consideration the reality of the spiritual darkness that is attempting to overcome God's light in this world, it is even more important that we thoughtfully grow in our understanding of the Word of God and how we can apply it in our daily lives. This includes everything about our walks with the Lord and especially applies when we determine those who feed our souls. People choose the church that they will attend for various reasons and not all of them are spiritual in nature. Some determine to go to churches that are close by. Others may choose a church with a well known pastor or a church that entertains them and their family. Today, more than ever, it seems that it is the children who are leading parents when it comes to attending a certain church because many parents choose to go to the church that their children like the most. In doing so, parents are yielding leadership to the children and to the children's ministry of that church because they don't want their kids to be difficult to take to church and it's easier to just give in to their demands. I would remind you that it's the parents' responsibility to raise the kids in the knowledge of the Lord and if that is taking place in the home through devotions and prayer with the children, then choosing the place for them to be taught on Sunday is not such a difficult task. Many men are so lacking in spiritual leadership that they simply go to the church their wives choose for the family instead of seeking the Lord for the place that feeds them best and then leading the family to that place. We men need to remember that God has given us headship in our families and that would include seeking God for the place that helps me as a man to become the leader He designed me to be. The sad fact is many men go to the churches that their wives choose because they simply don't want the struggle that they'll have when they choose one that ministers to them. The sad thing about all of this is that on the one hand wives say they want a godly husband who will lead the family and yet they resist when he attempts to lead the family to the right church for them. Perhaps we might want to consider what Isaiah chapter 3 verse 12 says, as for my people, children are their oppressors and women rule over them. The key is for men to have a spiritual reason for attending the church he and his family should attend. The important thing is for the husband to actually care about his spiritual life because if he does he will earn his wife's trust and will be able to handle the difficulty that his children can cause as it pertains to attending church services. When it comes to selecting a church home on the top of the list should be whether God's word is the heart of the ministry is the gospel front and center and is there a strong conviction that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes? Is it a church that understands that the gospel is God's word that when received in faith results in salvation? In 2 Timothy chapter 3 verse 15 Paul told us that it is the holy scriptures that are able to make us wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. Does the pastor really believe that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God? And is that the heart of the ministry? Paul rejoiced over the Thessalonians because they received and welcomed God's word and it effectively worked within them. They actually believed and regarded the gospel as truth from heaven and began to live by it. Warren Wearsby once wrote the Bible is inspired by the Spirit of God and written by men of God who were used by the Spirit. God's word is holy, pure and perfect. The Bible was written at great cost not only to the writers but also to Christ Jesus who became man that the word of God might be given to us. The way a Christian treats his Bible shows how he regards Jesus Christ. Sadly not everyone believes that God can actually speak to us through the Bible. Many consider the Bible to be simply a book like any other book. In our day there are many who do not believe the Bible is God's word and many ministers know this and sometimes will avoid presenting it as such. Sadly they can become afraid of boring or even losing their audiences and yield to the temptation to present upbeat motivational messages or any variety of messages on subjects their audiences desire to hear. The fact is the result very often can be full pews but empty people. Paul rejoiced that the Thessalonians received God's word. The result was that they were strengthened to go through life with hope and faith. Though they suffered persecution and affliction they not only held fast to the gospel but became evangelists who reached far beyond their city borders. In chapter 1 verse 8 Paul said from you Thessalonians the word of the Lord has sounded forth not only in Macedonia and Ikea but also in every place your faith toward God has gone out so that we do not need to say anything. May we the church wake up today and remember that Paul said let us not sleep as others do. Let us watch and be sober and let us be open about sharing our faith and attend churches that equip us to be able to do so. Though I am blessed to have a president who at least verbally acknowledges salvation through Jesus and actually has acted to preserve our religious freedoms my confidence remains in Jesus moving through his word and my hope is that the church wakes up out of its sleep and becomes active once again in living out God's word and giving out his word to the lost. May we also be those whom God's word effectively works in. This is Pastor David Rosales of Calvary Chapel of the Chino Valley, California.