It's been a hectic week. I'm trying to finish up the last few things for the class I did while in Israel. I found a temporary job at Home Depot in the garden department, which I'm loving and hating (hating because I'm getting a ton of ideas for a yard someday that I can't do anything about right now). I've been trying to work on my new blog, which has also suffered a little this past week. There has been some adjustments to the new schedule, and hopefully there are some big changes in the near future.
But this post has been on my mind all week, knowing I need to write it. This whole chapter is on Spiritual gifts, and their use in the Church. It's a topic that I've preached on trying to get people motivated to serve, but thus far hasn't been that effective. Everyone of us has at least one spiritual gift. Some have several and some have a few, some may only have one, but everyone has at least one. God doesn't put someone on earth with nothing to work with.
Each of us have different gifts, and each use our gifts, even if they are the same, differently. Because of that we need each other. This is why God never gives anyone all of them, if someone had them all they wouldn't need anyone else. Each gift is important and essential to the Church, and if someone decides not to use theirs the whole Church suffers. I won't say that the Kingdom is stalled, but it is effected.
When people refuse to use their gift, when they refuse to serve in their area of giftedness, they are denying their mission from God. When people hoard their gift to themselves they are refusing to take part in Kingdom work. This in an unfortunate act of disobedience. How many people haven't been reached because someone refused to use their gift?
I'm just kind of rambling, there is a lot that can be said about this topic and I'm just sort of letting my fingers fly over the key board. No one outlives their usefulness to God. No one uses up their spiritual gift. If you are still alive God still has a purpose for you. If you pour out your gift you will not run out, actually God may add additional gifts to you. In the Gospels Jesus told a parable about a man who went on a journey and entrusted his servants with various amounts of money. Those who used them increased what they had and the one who didn't gained nothing. In one account the one who doesn't use it has it taken from him and it is given to the one who has the most. " For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him" (Matthew 13.12).
You have a gift and it is essential to the work of the Kingdom. As long as you are breathing God has a purpose for you. The question is will you use what He has given you? Will you see the value in the gift, even if its just one, that He has given you and contribute it to the work of the Kingdom? Will you be part of the work of the Church and help the body be fully functional?
"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
The Bible on Church, 1 Corinthians 5
As we move out of the book of Acts and into Paul's Epistles, the instructions get much more specific and in depth. Many of the Churches Paul wrote to were Churches He had been to and worked with. He had a personal relationship with the people of these churches. Because of this he was able to give more specific instructions and deal with more personal issues. And so with that let's look at Paul's instruction to the Church out of 1 Corinthians 5.
Verse 12 is where we find the word "church" in this chapter, but for this one we really have to look at the whole context of the chapter. The biggest thing to note with this chapter is that it is talking about dealing with sin in the life of someone who is part of the body of Christ. This isn't about condemning/judging the person who comes three times a year for Christmas, Easter, and for some special family event. This is about dealing with sinful behavior in the lives of Christians, pretty much to the situation Jesus mentions in Matthew 18.
Here Paul is addressing a sin of immorality that has taken place in the Corinthian church. But instead of dealing with the problem, it has been over looked, and the man in question has been allowed to continue both in sin and as an acting member of the church, even though his actions are publicly known. Paul says that the church must deal with this sin, they cannot ignore it. "Your boasting is not good. Do you knot know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened..." (1 Corinthians 5.6-7b).
Sin cannot be allowed to take place in the Church. When a member of the body of Christ, one who has proclaimed Christ as Lord and accepted Him as Savior, openly lives in violation to the standards of holiness set by God, that person must be dealt with. If sin, any sin, is given a foothold in the Church, it will work like a cancer through all of it. It will infect it, and kill it, and so it must be cut out. Again, this is exactly what Jesus said to do in Matthew 18, sin has no place among God's people, and it must be dealt with.
But again, this is in reference to those who are members of the Church, those who have decided to follow Jesus and live according to His standards. Paul says, "I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves" (1 Corinthians 5.9-13).
The expectations are different. Those in the Church are expected to know better, they are no longer ignorant. It is the job of the Church to teach Holiness and help those within the Church live holy lives. It is the job of the Church to reach out into the world with the love of Christ to bring others into it. And at the same time, the Church is to uphold Holiness. It must deal with sin in order to save the person who is sinning, to protect others in the Church, and to show the rest of the world that those within the Church are different.
Those who have become part of the Church, must live like it. This "organization" has its standards and rules, just like any other organization does. Ours are holiness and righteous living, not sinless perfection, but striving towards Christlikeness. Sin and immorality have no place in this pursuit, and are unacceptable for a member of the Church.
And Paul also says that we are not to judge those outside of the Church. We are not to condemn them or look down upon them. We aren't to hold them to our standards because they don't have the same standards, and constantly shoving them in their faces will not help. Instead we are to love them and reach out to them. We are to share with them the life, love, and fulfillment that is found in Christ. As they seek more about it we are to share and show what this life looks like. It is not our place to judge and convict them, that is the Spirit's job. And when someone enters the Church as a believer in Christ, we help them strive to become like Him, and lovingly hold them accountable to the standard of holiness.
"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Verse 12 is where we find the word "church" in this chapter, but for this one we really have to look at the whole context of the chapter. The biggest thing to note with this chapter is that it is talking about dealing with sin in the life of someone who is part of the body of Christ. This isn't about condemning/judging the person who comes three times a year for Christmas, Easter, and for some special family event. This is about dealing with sinful behavior in the lives of Christians, pretty much to the situation Jesus mentions in Matthew 18.
Here Paul is addressing a sin of immorality that has taken place in the Corinthian church. But instead of dealing with the problem, it has been over looked, and the man in question has been allowed to continue both in sin and as an acting member of the church, even though his actions are publicly known. Paul says that the church must deal with this sin, they cannot ignore it. "Your boasting is not good. Do you knot know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened..." (1 Corinthians 5.6-7b).
Sin cannot be allowed to take place in the Church. When a member of the body of Christ, one who has proclaimed Christ as Lord and accepted Him as Savior, openly lives in violation to the standards of holiness set by God, that person must be dealt with. If sin, any sin, is given a foothold in the Church, it will work like a cancer through all of it. It will infect it, and kill it, and so it must be cut out. Again, this is exactly what Jesus said to do in Matthew 18, sin has no place among God's people, and it must be dealt with.
But again, this is in reference to those who are members of the Church, those who have decided to follow Jesus and live according to His standards. Paul says, "I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves" (1 Corinthians 5.9-13).
The expectations are different. Those in the Church are expected to know better, they are no longer ignorant. It is the job of the Church to teach Holiness and help those within the Church live holy lives. It is the job of the Church to reach out into the world with the love of Christ to bring others into it. And at the same time, the Church is to uphold Holiness. It must deal with sin in order to save the person who is sinning, to protect others in the Church, and to show the rest of the world that those within the Church are different.
Those who have become part of the Church, must live like it. This "organization" has its standards and rules, just like any other organization does. Ours are holiness and righteous living, not sinless perfection, but striving towards Christlikeness. Sin and immorality have no place in this pursuit, and are unacceptable for a member of the Church.
And Paul also says that we are not to judge those outside of the Church. We are not to condemn them or look down upon them. We aren't to hold them to our standards because they don't have the same standards, and constantly shoving them in their faces will not help. Instead we are to love them and reach out to them. We are to share with them the life, love, and fulfillment that is found in Christ. As they seek more about it we are to share and show what this life looks like. It is not our place to judge and convict them, that is the Spirit's job. And when someone enters the Church as a believer in Christ, we help them strive to become like Him, and lovingly hold them accountable to the standard of holiness.
"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Sunday, March 3, 2013
The Bible on Church, Acts 20
"Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood." Acts 20.28
I almost skipped over this verse simply because at first it didn't seem to be saying anything new. It presents the same idea that the Church belongs to God that is seen in Matthew 16. But as I thought about it over the last few days this verse takes God's ownership to a new level. In Matthew Jesus says that He will build His Church. It gives the impression that He is building something new, which He is, but it stops there. He says it's His Church but here in Acts we are told why it is His.
He has purchased the Church with His own blood. Jesus died to secure ownership of His Church. This puts a whole new dynamic on those who make up the Church. This isn't something we enter into casually or half heartily because Jesus paid the steepest price possible. Entering the Church is a big deal, and I feel that over the last few decades we've watered it down to an emotional experience.
In Jerusalem on the south side of the Temple Mount there are the remains of the southern steps, the primary entry point into the Temple at the time Jesus walked the earth. The steps are built in a very unusual way, every other step is different. Some are short, and some are long, and they were intentionally built that way. Most stair cases are built so that each step is the same height and length, we get in a rhythm and just climb and descend them without thinking. I've heard that if one step is off, even by a couple of centimeters, from the rest you will stumble as you walk up or down them because that little difference throws off your rhythm.
The steps at the Temple were built that way on purpose, so that people couldn't casually enter the Temple when they went to worship, or casually leave when they had finished. It took time and a conscious effort, and that was the point. The worship of God is not to be done casually, but intentionally and resolutely. We shouldn't casually enter church on Sunday to worship, nor should we causally enter the Church as a believer in Christ.
Entering the Church as a member, not as part of a specific denomination, but as a believer in Christ, is a big deal. As I've been writing this the thought of marriage has hit me, the Church is referred to as the "Bride of Christ". At weddings I often hear something along the lines of, "The covenant of marriage that you are entering into is a life long commitment. Therefore it is not to undertaken casually or in-advisably." Marriage is a big deal, and a serous commitment. It isn't something you just wake up one day and decide to do. It takes time, a foundation, and a relationship for marriage to work. Why has becoming part of the bride of Christ been largely reduced to an emotional conversion?
Jesus said that we are to make disciples, not converts. We are to help people become followers of Christ with faith in Him to stand firm through every trial. A convert is in this for as long as this works. It's like the marriage ceremony that says, "We're together as long as our love lasts." But a disciple is in this til the end, "Til death do we part."
Entering the Church, shepherding the Church is serious job. We've seen how leadership isn't to be taken on quickly or rashly, but with prayer and fasting. Entering into the Church as a believer in Christ is an important decision. I want to make sure I am saying this right, it is a serious decision. Literally it is a decision of life or death. Entering a relationship with God means giving yourself fully to God, holding nothing back, and allowing Him to transform your life into Christlikeness. Christ paid the highest price for the Church, and to be part of it, we must pay an equally high price. But it is totally worth it. The benefits far out way the costs. It is the best decision I have ever made.
"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
I almost skipped over this verse simply because at first it didn't seem to be saying anything new. It presents the same idea that the Church belongs to God that is seen in Matthew 16. But as I thought about it over the last few days this verse takes God's ownership to a new level. In Matthew Jesus says that He will build His Church. It gives the impression that He is building something new, which He is, but it stops there. He says it's His Church but here in Acts we are told why it is His.
He has purchased the Church with His own blood. Jesus died to secure ownership of His Church. This puts a whole new dynamic on those who make up the Church. This isn't something we enter into casually or half heartily because Jesus paid the steepest price possible. Entering the Church is a big deal, and I feel that over the last few decades we've watered it down to an emotional experience.
In Jerusalem on the south side of the Temple Mount there are the remains of the southern steps, the primary entry point into the Temple at the time Jesus walked the earth. The steps are built in a very unusual way, every other step is different. Some are short, and some are long, and they were intentionally built that way. Most stair cases are built so that each step is the same height and length, we get in a rhythm and just climb and descend them without thinking. I've heard that if one step is off, even by a couple of centimeters, from the rest you will stumble as you walk up or down them because that little difference throws off your rhythm.
The steps at the Temple were built that way on purpose, so that people couldn't casually enter the Temple when they went to worship, or casually leave when they had finished. It took time and a conscious effort, and that was the point. The worship of God is not to be done casually, but intentionally and resolutely. We shouldn't casually enter church on Sunday to worship, nor should we causally enter the Church as a believer in Christ.
Entering the Church as a member, not as part of a specific denomination, but as a believer in Christ, is a big deal. As I've been writing this the thought of marriage has hit me, the Church is referred to as the "Bride of Christ". At weddings I often hear something along the lines of, "The covenant of marriage that you are entering into is a life long commitment. Therefore it is not to undertaken casually or in-advisably." Marriage is a big deal, and a serous commitment. It isn't something you just wake up one day and decide to do. It takes time, a foundation, and a relationship for marriage to work. Why has becoming part of the bride of Christ been largely reduced to an emotional conversion?
Jesus said that we are to make disciples, not converts. We are to help people become followers of Christ with faith in Him to stand firm through every trial. A convert is in this for as long as this works. It's like the marriage ceremony that says, "We're together as long as our love lasts." But a disciple is in this til the end, "Til death do we part."
Entering the Church, shepherding the Church is serious job. We've seen how leadership isn't to be taken on quickly or rashly, but with prayer and fasting. Entering into the Church as a believer in Christ is an important decision. I want to make sure I am saying this right, it is a serious decision. Literally it is a decision of life or death. Entering a relationship with God means giving yourself fully to God, holding nothing back, and allowing Him to transform your life into Christlikeness. Christ paid the highest price for the Church, and to be part of it, we must pay an equally high price. But it is totally worth it. The benefits far out way the costs. It is the best decision I have ever made.
"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
The Bible on Church, Acts 15
"Therefore, being sent on their way by the church, they were passing through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and were bringing great joy to all the brethren. When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them." Acts 15.3-4
I thought about these verses all day yesterday, and honestly I was about to skip over them. Something had hit me when I first read them, and then I couldn't remember. But fortunately when I grabbed my computer today the insight returned, and I didn't pass over this instruction about Church. For this I am probably (more than likely) putting a twenty-first century spin on this, but I don't think the concept I'm about to share is too far from what these verses talk about.
The big words that hit me are "sent" and "received". One Church sends people, and another Church receives them. Here in this context they are sharing the work that God is doing in the Gentile world with the Jews. They are sharing what God is doing. They are being sent by one Church to proclaim what God is doing to another Church. I've seen this today, most often it happens when missionaries are trying to raise support to continue their mission. It's important that we do this because it gets us thinking about the world, and the Church beyond our personal sanctuary.
But I want to take this a step farther, giving it a little more practical application for today. What if the Church would send and receive people today? What if larger churches were to help small churches? Having pastored a small church I know full well the struggles and hardships that are there. No money, no volunteers, and no life. It's like fighting an uphill battle while dragging a boulder behind you. But what if the little church didn't have to do this on their own? What if a bigger church came along side of them, and cut the boulder off?
If I ever have the opportunity to pastor a larger church I want to do something about this. I want to do something to help. I know how impossible these situations are. I know the discouragement and defeat that these pastors feel daily. I know the hits they take, and how alone they can feel. And I don't want to see a young pastor, full of passion and potential, be eaten by a church.
If I ever pastor a church that has resources I want to use them to build the Church. I want to come along side the pastor of the church who needs a hand and offer it. If they need musicians, I'll try to help with that. If they need help with an event, I'll try to help them with that. Sending people who are gifted in the areas they need, to serve and build the Kingdom. This is an opportunity to work across denominational lines. We don't even need to bring doctrine into question for this. Simply focus on the core truths that Jesus is the way, and that all is done so that God may be glorified.
I hear the questions already, "What if these people who are sent leave my church for that one?" Does it really matter? Why do we act like it's a competition? Honestly, I hate the numbers game the Church loves to play. We've made it too much about the numbers, and we have to get away from that. Paul said, "Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear. Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will; the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice." (Philippians 1.12-18).
Paul was solely focused on God being glorified and the Kingdom being built. He didn't care who did it or why, so long as Christ was proclaimed and people grew into Christlikeness. We have to have this attitude. We must rejoice when God does something great in a church, even if it isn't the one that we are at. It's all God's Church anyway, so who cares what happens so long as it is proclaiming the truth and growing. God can do whatever He wants, wherever He wants. It is our job to praise Him and give Him our best. It is our job to use the gifts He has given us for works in His service.
The Church needs to send and receive so that we can give more glory to God. It's His Church, not ours.
"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
I thought about these verses all day yesterday, and honestly I was about to skip over them. Something had hit me when I first read them, and then I couldn't remember. But fortunately when I grabbed my computer today the insight returned, and I didn't pass over this instruction about Church. For this I am probably (more than likely) putting a twenty-first century spin on this, but I don't think the concept I'm about to share is too far from what these verses talk about.
The big words that hit me are "sent" and "received". One Church sends people, and another Church receives them. Here in this context they are sharing the work that God is doing in the Gentile world with the Jews. They are sharing what God is doing. They are being sent by one Church to proclaim what God is doing to another Church. I've seen this today, most often it happens when missionaries are trying to raise support to continue their mission. It's important that we do this because it gets us thinking about the world, and the Church beyond our personal sanctuary.
But I want to take this a step farther, giving it a little more practical application for today. What if the Church would send and receive people today? What if larger churches were to help small churches? Having pastored a small church I know full well the struggles and hardships that are there. No money, no volunteers, and no life. It's like fighting an uphill battle while dragging a boulder behind you. But what if the little church didn't have to do this on their own? What if a bigger church came along side of them, and cut the boulder off?
If I ever have the opportunity to pastor a larger church I want to do something about this. I want to do something to help. I know how impossible these situations are. I know the discouragement and defeat that these pastors feel daily. I know the hits they take, and how alone they can feel. And I don't want to see a young pastor, full of passion and potential, be eaten by a church.
If I ever pastor a church that has resources I want to use them to build the Church. I want to come along side the pastor of the church who needs a hand and offer it. If they need musicians, I'll try to help with that. If they need help with an event, I'll try to help them with that. Sending people who are gifted in the areas they need, to serve and build the Kingdom. This is an opportunity to work across denominational lines. We don't even need to bring doctrine into question for this. Simply focus on the core truths that Jesus is the way, and that all is done so that God may be glorified.
I hear the questions already, "What if these people who are sent leave my church for that one?" Does it really matter? Why do we act like it's a competition? Honestly, I hate the numbers game the Church loves to play. We've made it too much about the numbers, and we have to get away from that. Paul said, "Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear. Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will; the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice." (Philippians 1.12-18).
Paul was solely focused on God being glorified and the Kingdom being built. He didn't care who did it or why, so long as Christ was proclaimed and people grew into Christlikeness. We have to have this attitude. We must rejoice when God does something great in a church, even if it isn't the one that we are at. It's all God's Church anyway, so who cares what happens so long as it is proclaiming the truth and growing. God can do whatever He wants, wherever He wants. It is our job to praise Him and give Him our best. It is our job to use the gifts He has given us for works in His service.
The Church needs to send and receive so that we can give more glory to God. It's His Church, not ours.
"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Saturday, February 23, 2013
The Bible on Church, Acts 14b
"When they had arrived and gathered the church together, they began to report all things that God had done with them and how He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles." Acts 14.27
The Church is a place where we not only learn about God, but we tell others of what He is doing. Back in the day I remember a large part of Sunday night church was given to testimonies. I remember one service was nothing but testimonies. But as I grew up and was at different churches I began to notice two things, one that testimonies started to be few and far between, and two that when I did hear a testimony I had usually heard it countless times before.
I know that the larger a church gets the harder it is to do things spontaneously, or without screening. In a church of 2,500 people with several services time is an issue. But also, you never know what someone might get up and say. Something meant to focus people on God as they prepare to enter worship could turn into a very big problem if someone takes the opportunity of an open mic and starts bashing people.
Then there is the person in a small church that still has testimonies every Sunday. This person has been a faithful attendant for the last 50 years, and never misses an opportunity to thank God for saving them at a VBS back in 1967. Every week it's the same testimony. Never anything new, its as if God stopped working in their life that day back in 1967. I'm not trying to minimize the fact of salvation, but are you telling me that in the last 50 years that's the only thing you want to testify that God has done? What does that say about God? What does that say about you?
When I was pastoring a small church I felt the leading of the Spirit to start the testimony part back up. It was the first thing that took place Sunday morning to help focus us on God as we began the service. And I instituted a rule, it had to be from the last 7 days. I wanted people to be looking for God now, to see what He was doing in their lives and in the world today. It had mixed results, but overall I think it worked well.
If anyone is reading this wondering how to do it in a large church setting my suggestion is to have an email system. Have the people be able to send in a testimony/praise report each week, and then have a powerpoint (or whatever is being used now)at the beginning of the service that moves through them as people are entering.
It is crucial that we report on all of the good things that God is doing. Hearing about how He provided for financial needs, how He brought healing to sickness, or how He spoke through difficult situations, is a big part of how we encourage each other in the Church and the world.
My mentor once said, "In Christianity we do a lot of reminding people of what they already know." I'll be the first one to testify to that. The last year of my life has been difficult and full of change. And in that time many well wishing people have constantly hit me with different promises of Scripture. Honestly, most of the it was the last thing I wanted to hear. (If you are one of those people who did that, please do not be offended or upset. I greatly appreciate your encouragement and support). But when I hear things like that my mind often goes to James 2.15-16, "If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,' and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?"
Many times I feel like a lot of it is just words that Christians throw out there. But hearing a story of someone who has been in a similar situation, hearing about there faithfulness, and about God's provision in their life, that is what really encourages me. This is why testimonies are so crucial, they tell the true story of how God is still at work in the lives of His people.
(Again, I do not intend for any of the previous statements to be offensive. I am not trying to downplay the sincerity or concern that is behind the reminder of God's promises, or the encouragement and hope they are intended to give. Please do not read it that way. If that is what God has laid on your heart to share, continue to do it.)
With all of that being said, I need to share the most recent workings of God in my life. Since August I have been unemployed, not having any success in finding a job of any kind. My wife and I have actually had to move in with my parent's to avoid being homeless. Every door that I have knocked on has been shut in my face. The financial issues have been really frustrating, as has not being able to be on our own and support my wife.
Thursday we got a piece of mail from a hospital down where we used to live. It was a bill for over $700 from a visit my wife had back in September. Back in September it would have been a struggle to pay, but it was honestly impossible for us to pay it now. I wasn't worried, worst case my parent's would loan us the money to pay it, but it was just an added frustration that we didn't need right now. Hearing your wife cry and knowing there is nothing you can do to fix it is one of the worst things I've ever experienced.
She called the hospital and left a message, asking if there was anything they would be able to do. The next morning they called back. I wasn't present for the conversation, but at the end my wife was crying again, but they were good tears. She said that the hospital was going to take care of the entire bill. We have the invoice, and we're keeping it forever, because we crossed of the amount owed and wrote "God" on it.
He also did two other things yesterday, but at the moment I can't share either of them. Yesterday was a three miracle day. God is still at work. He didn't stop when the last page of Revelation was written. He didn't stop at the end of a VBS in 1967. God is still at work today. What has He done in your life?
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
The Church is a place where we not only learn about God, but we tell others of what He is doing. Back in the day I remember a large part of Sunday night church was given to testimonies. I remember one service was nothing but testimonies. But as I grew up and was at different churches I began to notice two things, one that testimonies started to be few and far between, and two that when I did hear a testimony I had usually heard it countless times before.
I know that the larger a church gets the harder it is to do things spontaneously, or without screening. In a church of 2,500 people with several services time is an issue. But also, you never know what someone might get up and say. Something meant to focus people on God as they prepare to enter worship could turn into a very big problem if someone takes the opportunity of an open mic and starts bashing people.
Then there is the person in a small church that still has testimonies every Sunday. This person has been a faithful attendant for the last 50 years, and never misses an opportunity to thank God for saving them at a VBS back in 1967. Every week it's the same testimony. Never anything new, its as if God stopped working in their life that day back in 1967. I'm not trying to minimize the fact of salvation, but are you telling me that in the last 50 years that's the only thing you want to testify that God has done? What does that say about God? What does that say about you?
When I was pastoring a small church I felt the leading of the Spirit to start the testimony part back up. It was the first thing that took place Sunday morning to help focus us on God as we began the service. And I instituted a rule, it had to be from the last 7 days. I wanted people to be looking for God now, to see what He was doing in their lives and in the world today. It had mixed results, but overall I think it worked well.
If anyone is reading this wondering how to do it in a large church setting my suggestion is to have an email system. Have the people be able to send in a testimony/praise report each week, and then have a powerpoint (or whatever is being used now)at the beginning of the service that moves through them as people are entering.
It is crucial that we report on all of the good things that God is doing. Hearing about how He provided for financial needs, how He brought healing to sickness, or how He spoke through difficult situations, is a big part of how we encourage each other in the Church and the world.
My mentor once said, "In Christianity we do a lot of reminding people of what they already know." I'll be the first one to testify to that. The last year of my life has been difficult and full of change. And in that time many well wishing people have constantly hit me with different promises of Scripture. Honestly, most of the it was the last thing I wanted to hear. (If you are one of those people who did that, please do not be offended or upset. I greatly appreciate your encouragement and support). But when I hear things like that my mind often goes to James 2.15-16, "If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,' and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?"
Many times I feel like a lot of it is just words that Christians throw out there. But hearing a story of someone who has been in a similar situation, hearing about there faithfulness, and about God's provision in their life, that is what really encourages me. This is why testimonies are so crucial, they tell the true story of how God is still at work in the lives of His people.
(Again, I do not intend for any of the previous statements to be offensive. I am not trying to downplay the sincerity or concern that is behind the reminder of God's promises, or the encouragement and hope they are intended to give. Please do not read it that way. If that is what God has laid on your heart to share, continue to do it.)
With all of that being said, I need to share the most recent workings of God in my life. Since August I have been unemployed, not having any success in finding a job of any kind. My wife and I have actually had to move in with my parent's to avoid being homeless. Every door that I have knocked on has been shut in my face. The financial issues have been really frustrating, as has not being able to be on our own and support my wife.
Thursday we got a piece of mail from a hospital down where we used to live. It was a bill for over $700 from a visit my wife had back in September. Back in September it would have been a struggle to pay, but it was honestly impossible for us to pay it now. I wasn't worried, worst case my parent's would loan us the money to pay it, but it was just an added frustration that we didn't need right now. Hearing your wife cry and knowing there is nothing you can do to fix it is one of the worst things I've ever experienced.
She called the hospital and left a message, asking if there was anything they would be able to do. The next morning they called back. I wasn't present for the conversation, but at the end my wife was crying again, but they were good tears. She said that the hospital was going to take care of the entire bill. We have the invoice, and we're keeping it forever, because we crossed of the amount owed and wrote "God" on it.
He also did two other things yesterday, but at the moment I can't share either of them. Yesterday was a three miracle day. God is still at work. He didn't stop when the last page of Revelation was written. He didn't stop at the end of a VBS in 1967. God is still at work today. What has He done in your life?
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Friday, February 22, 2013
The Bible on Church, Acts 14a
Acts 14 contains two verses that tell us about the Church. We'll look at each verse individually since they pertain to different aspects. The first has to do with Church leadership. "When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed." Acts 14.23
The Church, as with any other organization, needs leadership. There need to be people that are God centered, Christ focused, and Spirit led to give vision, offer teaching, and equip the body for service. People need leadership, without it there is no order or unity or guidance. Without leadership, or with bad leadership, there is a risk of false teaching and being mislead. Leadership is essential for believers to become like Christ.
But leadership is not something to be taken on lightly, and leadership is not to be given causally. Paul told Timothy, "Do not lay hands upon anyone too hastily" (1 Timothy 5.22a). In 1 Timothy 3 Paul gives a list of qualifications that Church leaders must meet. Ministry in the Church of God is a serious undertaking that has great accountability. And because of this Church leadership, above all else, is not be rushed into or taken on half heartily.
We are told in Acts that elders are to be appointed in every church, but it is only after they have been selected through a process of prayer and fasting. Appointing leadership is not a casual process either. It is to be seriously undergone because by selecting a Church leader you are selecting a spiritual head. You are selecting a person who is going to guide you into Christlikeness and help prepare you to serve in the building of the Kingdom.
It's important to note that it says "elders", not elder. This could be used because it says, "every church", but I think the plural is important. I think every church needs leaders. I think there needs to be a team, and therefore accountability. I know that John Eldredge and his ministry, Ransomed Heart, had three men leading it who made all of their decisions together in prayer. If prayer is important in selecting leadership, why would it be any less important for leaders in power? Along with that, ministry is too big for anyone person to undertake alone. There need to be several leaders, with various strengths and passions working together to build the Kingdom.
Once the Church has prayed, fasted, and appointed their leaders, then are to commend them to the Lord. They are to present them to God, they are to entrust them to God, and they are to lift them up continuously to God. Pray doesn't stop once the leader is selected. Prayer must continue for the leaders as they minister to the people. Leaders need the prayers and support of those they lead.
So Church, don't pull names out of a hat when you select your nest pastor. Pastors don't put someone in a ministry role just because it needs to be filled and someone volunteered for the job. Remember that those who put leaders into power share in the responsibility for how they used that power. Don't take any part of leadership lightly. When the Church has strong, Godly leaders, who are supported by committed, Godly followers, watch and see how the Kingdom advances.
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
The Church, as with any other organization, needs leadership. There need to be people that are God centered, Christ focused, and Spirit led to give vision, offer teaching, and equip the body for service. People need leadership, without it there is no order or unity or guidance. Without leadership, or with bad leadership, there is a risk of false teaching and being mislead. Leadership is essential for believers to become like Christ.
But leadership is not something to be taken on lightly, and leadership is not to be given causally. Paul told Timothy, "Do not lay hands upon anyone too hastily" (1 Timothy 5.22a). In 1 Timothy 3 Paul gives a list of qualifications that Church leaders must meet. Ministry in the Church of God is a serious undertaking that has great accountability. And because of this Church leadership, above all else, is not be rushed into or taken on half heartily.
We are told in Acts that elders are to be appointed in every church, but it is only after they have been selected through a process of prayer and fasting. Appointing leadership is not a casual process either. It is to be seriously undergone because by selecting a Church leader you are selecting a spiritual head. You are selecting a person who is going to guide you into Christlikeness and help prepare you to serve in the building of the Kingdom.
It's important to note that it says "elders", not elder. This could be used because it says, "every church", but I think the plural is important. I think every church needs leaders. I think there needs to be a team, and therefore accountability. I know that John Eldredge and his ministry, Ransomed Heart, had three men leading it who made all of their decisions together in prayer. If prayer is important in selecting leadership, why would it be any less important for leaders in power? Along with that, ministry is too big for anyone person to undertake alone. There need to be several leaders, with various strengths and passions working together to build the Kingdom.
Once the Church has prayed, fasted, and appointed their leaders, then are to commend them to the Lord. They are to present them to God, they are to entrust them to God, and they are to lift them up continuously to God. Pray doesn't stop once the leader is selected. Prayer must continue for the leaders as they minister to the people. Leaders need the prayers and support of those they lead.
So Church, don't pull names out of a hat when you select your nest pastor. Pastors don't put someone in a ministry role just because it needs to be filled and someone volunteered for the job. Remember that those who put leaders into power share in the responsibility for how they used that power. Don't take any part of leadership lightly. When the Church has strong, Godly leaders, who are supported by committed, Godly followers, watch and see how the Kingdom advances.
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
The Bible on Church, Acts 12
It's been a few days, I didn't plan on these posts being this far apart when I started. Yesterday I started a project that has been on my heart and mind for over a year now. One of my biggest desires is to do men's ministry in some capacity. I feel that this is one of the greatest needs today and it's something that has been on my heart a lot recently. And yesterday my ministry took on a new aspect. I've started another blog focused solely on ministering to men. I'm have been working on getting that set up and so didn't get around to posting on here.
This blog will still be active and I'll still be posting regularly. This one is more general, whatever hits me in something I read, see, or hear, as I'm trying to help build the Kingdom and make others more like Christ. The new blog "Man of God..." is much more specific, focused on men and what God says a man is, and helping all of us become Men of God. That's an update, now back to the Church.
"So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God." Acts 12.5
This one shouldn't come as a shock, but the Church is to be a place of fervent prayer. But do you want to know something sad, I have met more resistance to prayer in the Church than to anything else (I'm not kidding). I'm not a fan of Sunday night church when it is identical to Sunday morning. Today most Sunday night services are identical in format to the morning, but have about a fifth of the people (if they are lucky), and they are all people who were there Sunday morning. I'm all for it if it's reaching new people, but it's not. Instead it's done because it's always been done.
Such was the case in the last church I pastored. Sunday night church was what happened every Sunday night, three songs were sung, an offering was taken, and then a sermon was preached. During the initial interview I told the Church board that I would want to change that, and they said they would be in agreement. I know that change needs to take place slowly, and so I didn't try to change it completely the first month. The first night I said that I wanted to be more prayer focused, and so instead of a sermon there was a short study leaving plenty of time to pray. People didn't like it.
About a year later there were issues at church. The District Superintendents came in and one of the things they suggested was devoting Sunday nights to prayer for the next month. Because it was someone older the church was all for it, and so the month of May was devoted to prayer. Nothing really happened, and so I decided that Sunday night was going to be a continued time of prayer. The first Sunday in June the half dozen people came and when I said we were praying the response was "I thought we were done with that?!" Yeah that was said about prayer in church, and we wonder why the Church in America is dying.
Acts 12.5 says that the Church was in fervent prayer to God for Peter's release. Did you know that fervent means, "1. having or showing great warmth or intensity of spirit, feeling, enthusiasm 2. hot; burning; glowing." It's one of those words I've heard a ton but never knew what it meant. Prayer is not supposed to be a simple transitional gap filler so the music leader can get back on stage to lead a closing chorus. It isn't supposed to be a simple repeated phrase before meals. It isn't supposed to be a repeated rhyme before bed. Prayer is to be real. It is to have feeling behind it. It is to be intense, and hot like a fire. Prayer is to be consuming.
I'm not saying that a short simple prayer to God for help isn't genuine. Nor am I saying that a simple thank you before a meal is not heart felt gratitude. But what I am saying is that we don't pray like the early Church, and thus we don't see the hand of God like they did. Acts 12 tells the story of Peter's miraculous escape from prison, why? Because the Church prayed.
If the Church wants to see God move like He did in the Bible, we must pray like the believers in the Bible prayed. Their prayers were intense because they expected to see God move. They prayed not simply hoping God would answer them, but believing that He would. Go to 1 Kings 18 and read Elijah's prayer on top of Mt. Carmel, does it sound like any prayer you've heard before? What would happen if we prayed like that?
If we did, we would see the hand of God move in ways we never thought possible. Lives would be transformed, life would fill the dead spirits of many. Love would abound in people's hearts. We would see the Kingdom come on earth as it already is in Heaven. If the Church prayed fervently, God's will would be done, and the world would be turned upside down. It begins with prayer. I've heard the statement, "God only acts in answer to prayer" and honestly I believe it. The places where nothing is happening, are the places where no one is praying.
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
This blog will still be active and I'll still be posting regularly. This one is more general, whatever hits me in something I read, see, or hear, as I'm trying to help build the Kingdom and make others more like Christ. The new blog "Man of God..." is much more specific, focused on men and what God says a man is, and helping all of us become Men of God. That's an update, now back to the Church.
"So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God." Acts 12.5
This one shouldn't come as a shock, but the Church is to be a place of fervent prayer. But do you want to know something sad, I have met more resistance to prayer in the Church than to anything else (I'm not kidding). I'm not a fan of Sunday night church when it is identical to Sunday morning. Today most Sunday night services are identical in format to the morning, but have about a fifth of the people (if they are lucky), and they are all people who were there Sunday morning. I'm all for it if it's reaching new people, but it's not. Instead it's done because it's always been done.
Such was the case in the last church I pastored. Sunday night church was what happened every Sunday night, three songs were sung, an offering was taken, and then a sermon was preached. During the initial interview I told the Church board that I would want to change that, and they said they would be in agreement. I know that change needs to take place slowly, and so I didn't try to change it completely the first month. The first night I said that I wanted to be more prayer focused, and so instead of a sermon there was a short study leaving plenty of time to pray. People didn't like it.
About a year later there were issues at church. The District Superintendents came in and one of the things they suggested was devoting Sunday nights to prayer for the next month. Because it was someone older the church was all for it, and so the month of May was devoted to prayer. Nothing really happened, and so I decided that Sunday night was going to be a continued time of prayer. The first Sunday in June the half dozen people came and when I said we were praying the response was "I thought we were done with that?!" Yeah that was said about prayer in church, and we wonder why the Church in America is dying.
Acts 12.5 says that the Church was in fervent prayer to God for Peter's release. Did you know that fervent means, "1. having or showing great warmth or intensity of spirit, feeling, enthusiasm 2. hot; burning; glowing." It's one of those words I've heard a ton but never knew what it meant. Prayer is not supposed to be a simple transitional gap filler so the music leader can get back on stage to lead a closing chorus. It isn't supposed to be a simple repeated phrase before meals. It isn't supposed to be a repeated rhyme before bed. Prayer is to be real. It is to have feeling behind it. It is to be intense, and hot like a fire. Prayer is to be consuming.
I'm not saying that a short simple prayer to God for help isn't genuine. Nor am I saying that a simple thank you before a meal is not heart felt gratitude. But what I am saying is that we don't pray like the early Church, and thus we don't see the hand of God like they did. Acts 12 tells the story of Peter's miraculous escape from prison, why? Because the Church prayed.
If the Church wants to see God move like He did in the Bible, we must pray like the believers in the Bible prayed. Their prayers were intense because they expected to see God move. They prayed not simply hoping God would answer them, but believing that He would. Go to 1 Kings 18 and read Elijah's prayer on top of Mt. Carmel, does it sound like any prayer you've heard before? What would happen if we prayed like that?
If we did, we would see the hand of God move in ways we never thought possible. Lives would be transformed, life would fill the dead spirits of many. Love would abound in people's hearts. We would see the Kingdom come on earth as it already is in Heaven. If the Church prayed fervently, God's will would be done, and the world would be turned upside down. It begins with prayer. I've heard the statement, "God only acts in answer to prayer" and honestly I believe it. The places where nothing is happening, are the places where no one is praying.
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Friday, February 15, 2013
The Bible on Church, Acts 11
"and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch." Acts 11.26
The Church is to be a place of teaching. Over a year ago I was in a conversation with a man who was very musically inclined. He had at one point lead music for a church, but as we talked he seemed to put too much emphasis on music in a church service. He said, "Why can't we just sing for the whole time, and that could be the blessing?" I kept my mouth shut because I knew nothing I could say would do any good, but music doesn't due what a Biblically rooted, Spirit empowered sermon will.
Think back the fear of the Lord comments from the last post, how many songs teach you about the fear of the Lord? How many make you feel it? I can't think of a single one. Pretty much every song I've ever heard in Church falls under one of these categories: Feel good, '90's hand raise chorus, Reflective prayer, or Tear jerker. I'm not trying to take anything away from music as a part of worship. I think it's an essential element that helps us connect with part of God. But looking at the songs we sing, they only connect to part of God.
Some of my favorite songs do tell us who God is (I think Matt Redman and Chris Tomlin do a phenomenal job with this), but music cannot replace the sermon. The Church is a place where teaching is essential. We must learn about who God is, and in that learn to fear Him and find comfort in the Spirit. We must learn what the Bible says, which many people today don't know even the simplest things (last week was the Student Week Championships on Jeopardy, and the three smartest high schoolers in the competition didn't know a single answer in the Biblical Quotes category). We must learn who Christ is, what He is like, and how to become like Him. I've yet to hear a song that does all of that.
Did you know that the word pastor is only found once in the Bible? Ephesians 4.11, "And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,". That's it, the only mention in the whole Bible. That verse is followed by the Biblical job description of a pastor/teacher, "for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ." (Ephesians 4.12-13) Pastors are to teach so that the saints, those in the Church, are equipped to serve so that the Church, the body of Christ, can be built up. These works of service lead to the unity of faith and knowledge of Jesus as Savior and Lord, so that we may be mature and Christ like. (My mind is going to 1 John 2.12-14, but it's a different thought line so I'm putting this here so I remember it.)
Paul continues in verses 14-16, "As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love." We teach to equip, so that the teaching can be passed on. We teach to equip so that all are able to use their gifts in the service of God. We teach to equip so that love is presented.
The Church is a place of teaching. It is an essential element that we cannot cast aside for the sake of more music. It is something we cannot water down to "tickle the ears" of people so as not to offend them. Here in Acts 11.26 we are told that it is in Antioch where the followers were first called Christians. They were taught about Christ, they were taught to live like Him, and they were given the title "Little Christ" because they followed the teaching they had received.
Today are we worthy of that same title? Does the teaching in the Church share who Christ is and challenge and instruct the people on how to become like Him? Over the years a lot of what I've heard hasn't done that. A lot of what I've heard has been simple, shallow, feel good about your life, sermons. The Church must be a place of solid, Biblically rooted teaching. We as pastors must take up our calling and equip the saints to serve so that the Church may be built up, and full of mature Christlike Christians. For this to happen we must teach.
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
The Church is to be a place of teaching. Over a year ago I was in a conversation with a man who was very musically inclined. He had at one point lead music for a church, but as we talked he seemed to put too much emphasis on music in a church service. He said, "Why can't we just sing for the whole time, and that could be the blessing?" I kept my mouth shut because I knew nothing I could say would do any good, but music doesn't due what a Biblically rooted, Spirit empowered sermon will.
Think back the fear of the Lord comments from the last post, how many songs teach you about the fear of the Lord? How many make you feel it? I can't think of a single one. Pretty much every song I've ever heard in Church falls under one of these categories: Feel good, '90's hand raise chorus, Reflective prayer, or Tear jerker. I'm not trying to take anything away from music as a part of worship. I think it's an essential element that helps us connect with part of God. But looking at the songs we sing, they only connect to part of God.
Some of my favorite songs do tell us who God is (I think Matt Redman and Chris Tomlin do a phenomenal job with this), but music cannot replace the sermon. The Church is a place where teaching is essential. We must learn about who God is, and in that learn to fear Him and find comfort in the Spirit. We must learn what the Bible says, which many people today don't know even the simplest things (last week was the Student Week Championships on Jeopardy, and the three smartest high schoolers in the competition didn't know a single answer in the Biblical Quotes category). We must learn who Christ is, what He is like, and how to become like Him. I've yet to hear a song that does all of that.
Did you know that the word pastor is only found once in the Bible? Ephesians 4.11, "And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,". That's it, the only mention in the whole Bible. That verse is followed by the Biblical job description of a pastor/teacher, "for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ." (Ephesians 4.12-13) Pastors are to teach so that the saints, those in the Church, are equipped to serve so that the Church, the body of Christ, can be built up. These works of service lead to the unity of faith and knowledge of Jesus as Savior and Lord, so that we may be mature and Christ like. (My mind is going to 1 John 2.12-14, but it's a different thought line so I'm putting this here so I remember it.)
Paul continues in verses 14-16, "As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love." We teach to equip, so that the teaching can be passed on. We teach to equip so that all are able to use their gifts in the service of God. We teach to equip so that love is presented.
The Church is a place of teaching. It is an essential element that we cannot cast aside for the sake of more music. It is something we cannot water down to "tickle the ears" of people so as not to offend them. Here in Acts 11.26 we are told that it is in Antioch where the followers were first called Christians. They were taught about Christ, they were taught to live like Him, and they were given the title "Little Christ" because they followed the teaching they had received.
Today are we worthy of that same title? Does the teaching in the Church share who Christ is and challenge and instruct the people on how to become like Him? Over the years a lot of what I've heard hasn't done that. A lot of what I've heard has been simple, shallow, feel good about your life, sermons. The Church must be a place of solid, Biblically rooted teaching. We as pastors must take up our calling and equip the saints to serve so that the Church may be built up, and full of mature Christlike Christians. For this to happen we must teach.
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
The Bible on Church, Acts 9
"So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase." Acts 9.31 really makes me wish I had my journal from the trip so I could see what hit me when I first read it. But right now its on my professor's desk being graded, so we're going to work off of what hits me now.
The first thing we see is that the church enjoyed peace. I've written on peace before, you can read about in the Fruit of the Spirit section I've done. I think this is something missing from a lot of churches today. My mentor's cousin (I believe) was a pastor, and he had a heart attack and died during a board meeting. Another pastor friend's doctor told him to take a month off due to his high stress levels. When I was a youth pastor in Michigan I would wake up with chest pains. This isn't the picture I get from Acts 9.31.
It says that the Church was being built up. Again, I've seen a lot of this not happening too. Many churches aren't growing. Some are sitting stagnant, and some are declining (really both of these situations are on the decline). But I don't think this is simply talking about physical growth, but the building up of people. After all that's why the church exists. But today we have gossip that tears people down and cliches which cut people out, in the church. We have people who are angry and bitter over changes that happen, and they don't fail to make their voices heard even if it's silently. How does any of this defeat the gates of Hell?
The reason for the above attitudes and situations is because there is no fear of the Lord in today church. This verse in Acts 9 leads me to believe that it was a central part of the first church, so why have we lost this? I think part of it is that we've watered it down considerable. How many of us have heard a sermon where the pastor is reading a verse that contains the words "fear of God" and when he gets there pauses and says, "Now let me clarify, when I read this I don't mean fear, it's more of an awe, or a respect." Every hand is raised. Recently on a bus in Jordan I had this conversation. An college student hit me with the fear as respect thing, and my response is, "Read Exodus 19 and 20 and tell me that those people's reaction was respect. Read Isaiah 6 and tell me Isaiah's reaction is awe."
They are terrified, so terrified that they don't even want to talk with God, they beg Moses to be their intercessor. The fear of the Lord is legitimate fear. I think that's the only reaction that we can have when we come face to face with that power and holiness. In that moment we will see just how weak and unworthy we are. We're told in Psalm 111.10 that "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." In Isaiah 44.6-7 God tells us about Himself, "Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God besides Me. ‘Who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it; yes, let him recount it to Me in order, from the time that I established the ancient nation. And let them declare to them the things that are coming and the events that are going to take place." It's only when we fear Him that we can begin to understand who God is and what God's will is. And it was this attitude that the first church lived with.
But they lived with more than the fear of the Lord, they also had the comfort of the Holy Spirit. Isaiah 44.8 begins, "Do not tremble and do not be afraid;". The Spirit helps us to see that God loves us, that God desires a relationship with us. It is through the power of the Holy Spirit that we are empowered to live life in a manner pleasing and acceptable to God. But since the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, we can only begin to know the comfort of the Holy Spirit when we first know the fear of the Lord.
(Bits of the last three paragraphs come from Francis Chan's dvd "Fear God" from the Basic series).
Peace comes form the comfort of the Spirit that is possible only when we have the fear of the Lord. And when that happens the Church will increase because those who make it are built up. When we fear the Lord we won't tear down His Church, we won't gossip about others in the body, and we won't exclude those who aren't like us. The fear of the Lord fills us with humility and the comfort of the Spirit enables us to love as He loves. It is in love that the Church is built up, and when the Church is built up, the gates of Hell cannot withstand the assault.
If we want to be God's Church, we must understand and realize the fear of the Lord. I think this may be the thing that is missing most from the Church today. And once we have that, God will be able to show us more of who He is through His Holy Spirit.
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
The first thing we see is that the church enjoyed peace. I've written on peace before, you can read about in the Fruit of the Spirit section I've done. I think this is something missing from a lot of churches today. My mentor's cousin (I believe) was a pastor, and he had a heart attack and died during a board meeting. Another pastor friend's doctor told him to take a month off due to his high stress levels. When I was a youth pastor in Michigan I would wake up with chest pains. This isn't the picture I get from Acts 9.31.
It says that the Church was being built up. Again, I've seen a lot of this not happening too. Many churches aren't growing. Some are sitting stagnant, and some are declining (really both of these situations are on the decline). But I don't think this is simply talking about physical growth, but the building up of people. After all that's why the church exists. But today we have gossip that tears people down and cliches which cut people out, in the church. We have people who are angry and bitter over changes that happen, and they don't fail to make their voices heard even if it's silently. How does any of this defeat the gates of Hell?
The reason for the above attitudes and situations is because there is no fear of the Lord in today church. This verse in Acts 9 leads me to believe that it was a central part of the first church, so why have we lost this? I think part of it is that we've watered it down considerable. How many of us have heard a sermon where the pastor is reading a verse that contains the words "fear of God" and when he gets there pauses and says, "Now let me clarify, when I read this I don't mean fear, it's more of an awe, or a respect." Every hand is raised. Recently on a bus in Jordan I had this conversation. An college student hit me with the fear as respect thing, and my response is, "Read Exodus 19 and 20 and tell me that those people's reaction was respect. Read Isaiah 6 and tell me Isaiah's reaction is awe."
They are terrified, so terrified that they don't even want to talk with God, they beg Moses to be their intercessor. The fear of the Lord is legitimate fear. I think that's the only reaction that we can have when we come face to face with that power and holiness. In that moment we will see just how weak and unworthy we are. We're told in Psalm 111.10 that "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." In Isaiah 44.6-7 God tells us about Himself, "Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God besides Me. ‘Who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it; yes, let him recount it to Me in order, from the time that I established the ancient nation. And let them declare to them the things that are coming and the events that are going to take place." It's only when we fear Him that we can begin to understand who God is and what God's will is. And it was this attitude that the first church lived with.
But they lived with more than the fear of the Lord, they also had the comfort of the Holy Spirit. Isaiah 44.8 begins, "Do not tremble and do not be afraid;". The Spirit helps us to see that God loves us, that God desires a relationship with us. It is through the power of the Holy Spirit that we are empowered to live life in a manner pleasing and acceptable to God. But since the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, we can only begin to know the comfort of the Holy Spirit when we first know the fear of the Lord.
(Bits of the last three paragraphs come from Francis Chan's dvd "Fear God" from the Basic series).
Peace comes form the comfort of the Spirit that is possible only when we have the fear of the Lord. And when that happens the Church will increase because those who make it are built up. When we fear the Lord we won't tear down His Church, we won't gossip about others in the body, and we won't exclude those who aren't like us. The fear of the Lord fills us with humility and the comfort of the Spirit enables us to love as He loves. It is in love that the Church is built up, and when the Church is built up, the gates of Hell cannot withstand the assault.
If we want to be God's Church, we must understand and realize the fear of the Lord. I think this may be the thing that is missing most from the Church today. And once we have that, God will be able to show us more of who He is through His Holy Spirit.
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
The Bible on Church, Matthew 18
We were at the Jordan River preparing to do a baptism service, I was a baptizer. It was a surreal experience, that I can't put words to. One of my professors led the service and another was baptizing with me. Just before we entered the water, the group sang a chorus, "I have decided to follow Jesus". It's a simple chorus,
I have decided to follow Jesus
I have decided to follow Jesus
I have decided to follow Jesus
No turning back
No turning back
As the second verse began my fellow baptizer turned to me and said, "What a terrible chorus, we're a community." It took me a minute to realize what she was talking about but then the words of the second verse hit me and I got what she was saying,
Though none go with me still I will follow
Though none go with me still I will follow
Though none go with me still I will follow
No turning back
No turning back
The idea of following Jesus alone is one that is foreign to Scripture. Francis Chan said, "As I studied the scriptures I realized that God doesn't want me to do this by myself. That's why He made church the Church." This thing called Christianity is not a one man show. It isn't a solo mission. We are group, a whole army that works together. Back in my Church History class the professor said, "The Church goes to heaven as a group, and takes you with it."
Yes, there will be times when you might be the only one you know who is following Jesus. In countries where Christianity is illegal, and where your family and friends will excommunicate you it is very likely that you might be alone. But again, that is why God created the Church. The Church is to be a family, as we'll see specifically in 1 Timothy 3. Families are there to offer support and encouragement. Families are there to teach and instruct. But families also offer discipline and correction, and the Church is to do that as well.
The last record we have of Jesus using the word Church is found in Matthew 18.15-17, "If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector."
We see two things here, first that the Church is to uphold righteousness. Sin must be dealt with, and sin cannot be permitted to roam freely among the Church. In the Church we find accountability. As we learn to live life as a Christ follower we have others, who are farther in the journey, to help us along the way. Sometimes helping involves correction.
Jesus gives us an order for how this process is to be handled. First one on one. If you are aware of the sin of a fellow believer go to them, talk to them about your concerns. Don't tell everyone in the church, don't announce it as a "prayer request" go and talk to them. Share with them about how the action is unlike Christ and unbecoming of His followers. If they listen you have won your brother back. If that doesn't work, take one or two more with you. Take others who are fellow followers, and together talk to the person. And if at this point no change occurs, then the Church must deal with it, and it is at this point if they refuse they must be let go.
Second, we see the importance of relationships in the Church. Correction without a relationship leads to rebellion. If correction isn't given from a basis of love it does nothing but build walls. Relationships give you the right to talk, it's something that must be earned. Get to know the believers around you, learn about them, and then if there is something that needs to be addressed you can come to them as a friend, as someone who really cares. The Church is a family, and it needs to act like one.
Third, we see that no one is forced to join the Church, or be apart of it. As with any organization there are rules or standards that must be kept. If you join a sport you must play by the rules or not participate. There is a lifestyle standard for being part of the Church. If people don't want to live by that standard then we let them go. We love them, we are there for them, but we don't drag them to a service. We don't force them to be there. If they leave we wish them well. Jesus didn't force anyone to follow Him, when people didn't want to follow the truth He presented He let them go.
The Church is God's Church, and as such we must live by His standards of holiness and righteousness. We must help each other to live as Jesus demonstrated. When sin is present we deal with it from the friendship relationship that has been built. And when people refuse to live by the standard we let them go, not in anger or hostility, but in love so that sin is not given a foothold in the Church.
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
I have decided to follow Jesus
I have decided to follow Jesus
I have decided to follow Jesus
No turning back
No turning back
As the second verse began my fellow baptizer turned to me and said, "What a terrible chorus, we're a community." It took me a minute to realize what she was talking about but then the words of the second verse hit me and I got what she was saying,
Though none go with me still I will follow
Though none go with me still I will follow
Though none go with me still I will follow
No turning back
No turning back
The idea of following Jesus alone is one that is foreign to Scripture. Francis Chan said, "As I studied the scriptures I realized that God doesn't want me to do this by myself. That's why He made church the Church." This thing called Christianity is not a one man show. It isn't a solo mission. We are group, a whole army that works together. Back in my Church History class the professor said, "The Church goes to heaven as a group, and takes you with it."
Yes, there will be times when you might be the only one you know who is following Jesus. In countries where Christianity is illegal, and where your family and friends will excommunicate you it is very likely that you might be alone. But again, that is why God created the Church. The Church is to be a family, as we'll see specifically in 1 Timothy 3. Families are there to offer support and encouragement. Families are there to teach and instruct. But families also offer discipline and correction, and the Church is to do that as well.
The last record we have of Jesus using the word Church is found in Matthew 18.15-17, "If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector."
We see two things here, first that the Church is to uphold righteousness. Sin must be dealt with, and sin cannot be permitted to roam freely among the Church. In the Church we find accountability. As we learn to live life as a Christ follower we have others, who are farther in the journey, to help us along the way. Sometimes helping involves correction.
Jesus gives us an order for how this process is to be handled. First one on one. If you are aware of the sin of a fellow believer go to them, talk to them about your concerns. Don't tell everyone in the church, don't announce it as a "prayer request" go and talk to them. Share with them about how the action is unlike Christ and unbecoming of His followers. If they listen you have won your brother back. If that doesn't work, take one or two more with you. Take others who are fellow followers, and together talk to the person. And if at this point no change occurs, then the Church must deal with it, and it is at this point if they refuse they must be let go.
Second, we see the importance of relationships in the Church. Correction without a relationship leads to rebellion. If correction isn't given from a basis of love it does nothing but build walls. Relationships give you the right to talk, it's something that must be earned. Get to know the believers around you, learn about them, and then if there is something that needs to be addressed you can come to them as a friend, as someone who really cares. The Church is a family, and it needs to act like one.
Third, we see that no one is forced to join the Church, or be apart of it. As with any organization there are rules or standards that must be kept. If you join a sport you must play by the rules or not participate. There is a lifestyle standard for being part of the Church. If people don't want to live by that standard then we let them go. We love them, we are there for them, but we don't drag them to a service. We don't force them to be there. If they leave we wish them well. Jesus didn't force anyone to follow Him, when people didn't want to follow the truth He presented He let them go.
The Church is God's Church, and as such we must live by His standards of holiness and righteousness. We must help each other to live as Jesus demonstrated. When sin is present we deal with it from the friendship relationship that has been built. And when people refuse to live by the standard we let them go, not in anger or hostility, but in love so that sin is not given a foothold in the Church.
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
What does the Bible say about Church?
I started this post about two months ago, and it was a lot more negative than it should have been. After some time to think reflect, and begin looking at the Bible I'm finally diving into this. My goal was to look at this during my time in Israel. While I did get to look at some of the passages, the trip ended up being a lot more busy than I expected. While my study is not done it's time to begin sharing what I've found. I believe this message is crucial for today.
In the Bible the word "Church" appears 112 times (NASB), only two of them come from the mouth of Jesus. Several references talk about a group of believers in a specific location but don't give us any instruction on what the Church is to be, in these next few blogs I won't be looking at these. However, these stories do tell us about God doing great things in the lives of the believers who made up the first century church. Things we haven't seen in hundreds, maybe thousands, of years. Some don't believe it's possible for those things to happen today, that God has changed, or that the people then were "Better" followers of Jesus than we could ever be. But God doesn't change, and those early believers were just people like us. So the problem must be with us.
Today the Church would rather be comfortable than consecrated, tradition than transformed, secure than serving, and right than righteous. We've made church too much about US and not anywhere near about God. Today I saw on Facebook a status from someone talking about how they have their dreams and they won't stop until they achieve them because that is what life's about. I believe they are preparing for ministry, which gives me pause. This isn't about us, it's not about you or me, it's about God. And I believe the reason we don't see the things that the early church did because we are too focused on us. We've made this about us. In 2013 is Church really about God? We say it is, we put on a good show, but at the end of the day is it really? From what I've seen I don't think so.
Part of me wonders how it happened. How did something that Jesus Himself prepared and the Holy Spirit began get so far from what God intended it to be? It's because we've lost sight of who Jesus really is, what He really said, and we've denied the power of the Holy Spirit to help us live as He did. Because of that His Church looks very little, if anything, like He originally intended it to. And so with that let's look at what the Bible says about the Church.
Again, the word "Church" appears only in the New Testament and then only 112 times. The first time we see it is in Matthew 16.18, and it comes from the mouth of Jesus, "I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it." Right away we see something crucial, Jesus claims ownership of the Church. He says quite clearly, "I will build My church;". One of my biggest pet peeves is when I listen to pastors talk about "My church". Pay attention the next time and you'll hear it.
It's human nature to take ownership of things we do and accomplish. It's probably something that's said without even thinking twice about it. I know I've said it just out of habit. But it's not my church, it's the church I have the opportunity to serve at. The Church belongs to Christ, and as His possession I think it should look like how He intended for it to look. (Let me clarify, I've heard several pastors, whom I love, respect, and trust use the phrase "my church" in the context of "this is where God has placed me to serve". They in no way claim ownership over it, but others, ministers and laity, use it in the possessive sense believing it is their's and they have the final say in what it does and looks like.) The Church belongs to Christ, it is His Church. He is the head, and all who make it up will be held accountable to Him for the part they play in it.
A few weeks ago I was in Caesarea Philippi, Jesus was in the area when he said this, possibly in the very spot where I was. That night we talked about this verse. My professor pointed something out that I hadn't thought of before. In Matthew 16 Jesus says "the gates of Hades will not overpower it." My professor said how he used to think of the church as being stationary and surviving an attack from the gates of hell, the same image I had. But then he pointed out how gates don't move, they are stationary. Actually the gate post is the strongest part of a fence or wall. The gates of hell are not on the attack but on the defensive.
The Church is to storm the gates of hell, and destroy them. Casting Crowns has a song that says,
What if the armies of the Lord
Picked up and dusted off their swords
Vowed to set the captives free
And not let Satan have one more
What if the church for heaven's sake
Finally stepped up to the plate
Took and stand upon God's promise
And stormed hell's rusty gates
That is what we are supposed to be, an army that is equipped and on the move against Satan and hell. We aren't to wait passively by and sit comfortably in our pews, but to be preparing and working to rescue souls. A church the is rooted in Christ will be victorious, hell itself will not overpower it.
The Church is to be an army that is constantly before God. Those lyrics come from a song entitled, "What if His People Prayed?" The early Church believed that we had to be an army that would constantly besiege God's throne in prayer. It realized that without Him they could do nothing, that they were nothing. And somehow we've lost that. Somewhere along the way we become focused on us, we took ownership of a building, built a fortress, and have just tried to survive. And you know what? We are wrong.
It's time for the Church to pick up and sharpen our swords. It's time for us to get back in shape and ready for battle. It is time for us move up to the front lines and storm the gates of hell. It is time for the Church to be the Church of Christ.
This is the first thing the Bible tells us about the Church. This is our primary instruction. The Church is Christ's, and we are to be on the move.
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
In the Bible the word "Church" appears 112 times (NASB), only two of them come from the mouth of Jesus. Several references talk about a group of believers in a specific location but don't give us any instruction on what the Church is to be, in these next few blogs I won't be looking at these. However, these stories do tell us about God doing great things in the lives of the believers who made up the first century church. Things we haven't seen in hundreds, maybe thousands, of years. Some don't believe it's possible for those things to happen today, that God has changed, or that the people then were "Better" followers of Jesus than we could ever be. But God doesn't change, and those early believers were just people like us. So the problem must be with us.
Today the Church would rather be comfortable than consecrated, tradition than transformed, secure than serving, and right than righteous. We've made church too much about US and not anywhere near about God. Today I saw on Facebook a status from someone talking about how they have their dreams and they won't stop until they achieve them because that is what life's about. I believe they are preparing for ministry, which gives me pause. This isn't about us, it's not about you or me, it's about God. And I believe the reason we don't see the things that the early church did because we are too focused on us. We've made this about us. In 2013 is Church really about God? We say it is, we put on a good show, but at the end of the day is it really? From what I've seen I don't think so.
Part of me wonders how it happened. How did something that Jesus Himself prepared and the Holy Spirit began get so far from what God intended it to be? It's because we've lost sight of who Jesus really is, what He really said, and we've denied the power of the Holy Spirit to help us live as He did. Because of that His Church looks very little, if anything, like He originally intended it to. And so with that let's look at what the Bible says about the Church.
Again, the word "Church" appears only in the New Testament and then only 112 times. The first time we see it is in Matthew 16.18, and it comes from the mouth of Jesus, "I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it." Right away we see something crucial, Jesus claims ownership of the Church. He says quite clearly, "I will build My church;". One of my biggest pet peeves is when I listen to pastors talk about "My church". Pay attention the next time and you'll hear it.
It's human nature to take ownership of things we do and accomplish. It's probably something that's said without even thinking twice about it. I know I've said it just out of habit. But it's not my church, it's the church I have the opportunity to serve at. The Church belongs to Christ, and as His possession I think it should look like how He intended for it to look. (Let me clarify, I've heard several pastors, whom I love, respect, and trust use the phrase "my church" in the context of "this is where God has placed me to serve". They in no way claim ownership over it, but others, ministers and laity, use it in the possessive sense believing it is their's and they have the final say in what it does and looks like.) The Church belongs to Christ, it is His Church. He is the head, and all who make it up will be held accountable to Him for the part they play in it.
A few weeks ago I was in Caesarea Philippi, Jesus was in the area when he said this, possibly in the very spot where I was. That night we talked about this verse. My professor pointed something out that I hadn't thought of before. In Matthew 16 Jesus says "the gates of Hades will not overpower it." My professor said how he used to think of the church as being stationary and surviving an attack from the gates of hell, the same image I had. But then he pointed out how gates don't move, they are stationary. Actually the gate post is the strongest part of a fence or wall. The gates of hell are not on the attack but on the defensive.
The Church is to storm the gates of hell, and destroy them. Casting Crowns has a song that says,
What if the armies of the Lord
Picked up and dusted off their swords
Vowed to set the captives free
And not let Satan have one more
What if the church for heaven's sake
Finally stepped up to the plate
Took and stand upon God's promise
And stormed hell's rusty gates
That is what we are supposed to be, an army that is equipped and on the move against Satan and hell. We aren't to wait passively by and sit comfortably in our pews, but to be preparing and working to rescue souls. A church the is rooted in Christ will be victorious, hell itself will not overpower it.
The Church is to be an army that is constantly before God. Those lyrics come from a song entitled, "What if His People Prayed?" The early Church believed that we had to be an army that would constantly besiege God's throne in prayer. It realized that without Him they could do nothing, that they were nothing. And somehow we've lost that. Somewhere along the way we become focused on us, we took ownership of a building, built a fortress, and have just tried to survive. And you know what? We are wrong.
It's time for the Church to pick up and sharpen our swords. It's time for us to get back in shape and ready for battle. It is time for us move up to the front lines and storm the gates of hell. It is time for the Church to be the Church of Christ.
This is the first thing the Bible tells us about the Church. This is our primary instruction. The Church is Christ's, and we are to be on the move.
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Monday, February 4, 2013
One Day
That's the title of track 3 on Mark Schultz's most recent album. I actually can't find the lyrics online which is a shock, and the CD is out in my car which is covered in snow so at the moment I'm not going to get it. My wife and I have been listening to it since it's the only CD in the car, but honestly I haven't been paying attention to most of it. I love Mark Schultz but this is one of my least favorite of his albums, except for track 3.
Several hours have passed since I wrote that first paragraph. I learned how to make apple sauce from my grandmother, walked Rosie with my wife, and since I have driven got the CD case out of my car. As I said track 3 is the only one I've really paid any attention to, and even then it's only really one phrase that has stood out to me.
The lame will walk
The blind will see
The prisoners will be set free
And hope will rise as shadows disappear
And all that's lost
We'll find again
Death will die and tears will end
And we will come alive and truly live
Incredible lyrics, but the phrase that caught my attention is "Death will die". It sends chills through my body when I hear it. One day death will die and be no more. The thing that all men face, that respects no one, will finally meet itself and end. One day death will die.
That promise has led to some of the most rewarding moments of ministry for me. Sitting at the hospital holding a wife's hand as she's told her husband of 62 years might not make it through the night. Talking with a man dying of Lou Gehrig's disease and sharing with him the promises made to the faithful. Those are the moments when people really need you as a pastor. Those are the times when you do your greatest ministry. You are with people as they prepare to meet God.
My first funeral was easy because I knew the faith of the man. I knew that as I was giving his eulogy he was kneeling at the feet of Christ. His arms and legs had the mobility back that Lou Gehrig's disease had robbed for his final months on earth. He had died, but death was not victorious.
All men faith death, it's part of life, but death is not infinite. One day death too will die, and be no more. And this is the message that Christ has given us to share. Through Christ death has been defeated, and in Him eternal life is possible. Death will die, and those in Christ will live forever in His presence.
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Several hours have passed since I wrote that first paragraph. I learned how to make apple sauce from my grandmother, walked Rosie with my wife, and since I have driven got the CD case out of my car. As I said track 3 is the only one I've really paid any attention to, and even then it's only really one phrase that has stood out to me.
The lame will walk
The blind will see
The prisoners will be set free
And hope will rise as shadows disappear
And all that's lost
We'll find again
Death will die and tears will end
And we will come alive and truly live
Incredible lyrics, but the phrase that caught my attention is "Death will die". It sends chills through my body when I hear it. One day death will die and be no more. The thing that all men face, that respects no one, will finally meet itself and end. One day death will die.
That promise has led to some of the most rewarding moments of ministry for me. Sitting at the hospital holding a wife's hand as she's told her husband of 62 years might not make it through the night. Talking with a man dying of Lou Gehrig's disease and sharing with him the promises made to the faithful. Those are the moments when people really need you as a pastor. Those are the times when you do your greatest ministry. You are with people as they prepare to meet God.
My first funeral was easy because I knew the faith of the man. I knew that as I was giving his eulogy he was kneeling at the feet of Christ. His arms and legs had the mobility back that Lou Gehrig's disease had robbed for his final months on earth. He had died, but death was not victorious.
All men faith death, it's part of life, but death is not infinite. One day death too will die, and be no more. And this is the message that Christ has given us to share. Through Christ death has been defeated, and in Him eternal life is possible. Death will die, and those in Christ will live forever in His presence.
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Friday, January 25, 2013
There and Back, Again
Yeah I stole that from the Hobbit, but in terms of Israel I've been there and now I'm back again. My wife and I spent twelve days exploring parts of Israel and Jordan. We walked the land of the Bible, including in an ancient sewer. We visited Petra and walked the same path Harrison Ford rode to find the Holy Grail, I had no such encounter with a Crusader knight. And we spent time in the places of Jesus' final hours.
I'm still largely processing the trip, and I'm still adjusting back to Eastern Standard time (I've woken up at 3:30 am the last two nights). My appetite is coming back, for some reason the last few days I didn't each much. I've begun to get the last few things turned in, and for now most of what I have left to do is the stuff that I need to reflect on.
Two things have really been on my mind. In Jordan we got to take in the view from Mt. Nebo. The one downside is that it was winter. In the summer you can take in the view of Israel from the Dead Sea in the south to the Sea of Galilee in the north. And according to Deuteronomy you should be able see all the way to the Mediterranean in the west. Jerusalem, Jericho, and Bethlehem are all supposed to be clearly visible. Due to the winter haze we couldn't even see the Jordan River, and could just make out the norther tip of the Dead Sea. Disappointing yes, but as I thought about it I really shouldn't be envious of the view Moses got. I've been in the land twice now, which is two more times that he has.
I'm sure Moses would gladly have traded the view for my brief time in the Promised Land. But Mt. Nebo holds an important lesson. Moses' greatest ministry came AFTER he knew his dream would not come true. It is from the plains of Moab and the slopes of Nebo that Moses gives Israel the book of Deuteronomy, and the most sacred section of Scripture for the Jews. "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." (6.4-5).
Moses could have become bitter when God told him he would not be leading the people into the Promised Land. He could have lead silently and let them try and figure out who God is and how He wanted them to live on their own, but he doesn't. Instead Moses continues to pour himself fully into his leadership. And even on the edge of the land when most of us would be most jealous, he gives them perhaps the most important teaching ever. God is one, love God will all your being. Jesus Himself later said that this is the first and greatest commandment.
The lesson we learn is service to God is more important that personal dreams. Moses wanted to enter the land, and if anyone had earned it, it was him. He put up with a bunch of stubborn babies who constantly complained and insisted on going back to Egypt. He put up with it for 40 years, and even defended them before God. And yet in this we also see that no leader, no matter how great, escapes accountability with God. Moses chose to serve God and lead His people to the very end, even though his service ended on the east bank of the Jordan.
In Moses' position would you become bitter or better? I feel that most of us are bitter already. Things haven't worked out as we planned, and though we may put up a facade that we're faithful and ok with it, inwardly it tears us up and eats at us. Yeah I've been there, in some ways I'm there right now. I want to be better, I want to continue to serve, but right now I don't really seem to have anyone to lead. My days are spent alone with my dog. It's one of those situations in life that doesn't make any sense and you wonder what the point is.
Don't really have anything else to say on that yet, one of the things I need to reflect on some more.
Second thing came near the end of the trip. The crucifixion happened in one of two locations. Traditionally, the location is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, but I'm a believer in Gordon's Calvary and the Garden Tomb. This trip my thoughts were given some more evidence. The Garden Tomb is a tomb that has been cut out of the rock face. It wasn't a cave that was converted into a tomb, but I learned this time that the tomb in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was a cave. Why does this matter? Matthew 27.60 says, "his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock." Mark also has the phrase, "a tomb cut out of rock." So with that in mind I believe that it was the second site. Ultimately place doesn't matter, it's all about the event.
Gordon's Calvary is an old quarry that has what looks like a skull in the face of the rock. It was a place of execution outside the city gates on the road to Damascus. And I believe that this is the location of the crucifixion of Jesus. It was here at the foot of the hill along the road that Jesus was nailed to a cross to die for the sins of the world.
In Exodus 19.17, we are told, "Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain." The people are told not to come up the mountain, and God's glory on the mountain terrifies the people so they don't even want to try to. The people are at the foot of the mountain and God is on top. The people waiver in their commitment to God for generations, and then one day God comes down from the mountain.
In the Judean countryside Jesus is born as a baby in Bethlehem. He comes as a human and for the first time people see God as approachable. He sets an example of how to live life and shows us what God is like. But there is still a problem, people are separated from God by sin still. And so Jesus does what has to happen to bring us back into a relationship with God. He goes to the foot of the mountain, and lays down on a cross allowing himself to be nailed to it, and dies in our place. That is who God is.
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
I'm still largely processing the trip, and I'm still adjusting back to Eastern Standard time (I've woken up at 3:30 am the last two nights). My appetite is coming back, for some reason the last few days I didn't each much. I've begun to get the last few things turned in, and for now most of what I have left to do is the stuff that I need to reflect on.
Two things have really been on my mind. In Jordan we got to take in the view from Mt. Nebo. The one downside is that it was winter. In the summer you can take in the view of Israel from the Dead Sea in the south to the Sea of Galilee in the north. And according to Deuteronomy you should be able see all the way to the Mediterranean in the west. Jerusalem, Jericho, and Bethlehem are all supposed to be clearly visible. Due to the winter haze we couldn't even see the Jordan River, and could just make out the norther tip of the Dead Sea. Disappointing yes, but as I thought about it I really shouldn't be envious of the view Moses got. I've been in the land twice now, which is two more times that he has.
I'm sure Moses would gladly have traded the view for my brief time in the Promised Land. But Mt. Nebo holds an important lesson. Moses' greatest ministry came AFTER he knew his dream would not come true. It is from the plains of Moab and the slopes of Nebo that Moses gives Israel the book of Deuteronomy, and the most sacred section of Scripture for the Jews. "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." (6.4-5).
Moses could have become bitter when God told him he would not be leading the people into the Promised Land. He could have lead silently and let them try and figure out who God is and how He wanted them to live on their own, but he doesn't. Instead Moses continues to pour himself fully into his leadership. And even on the edge of the land when most of us would be most jealous, he gives them perhaps the most important teaching ever. God is one, love God will all your being. Jesus Himself later said that this is the first and greatest commandment.
The lesson we learn is service to God is more important that personal dreams. Moses wanted to enter the land, and if anyone had earned it, it was him. He put up with a bunch of stubborn babies who constantly complained and insisted on going back to Egypt. He put up with it for 40 years, and even defended them before God. And yet in this we also see that no leader, no matter how great, escapes accountability with God. Moses chose to serve God and lead His people to the very end, even though his service ended on the east bank of the Jordan.
In Moses' position would you become bitter or better? I feel that most of us are bitter already. Things haven't worked out as we planned, and though we may put up a facade that we're faithful and ok with it, inwardly it tears us up and eats at us. Yeah I've been there, in some ways I'm there right now. I want to be better, I want to continue to serve, but right now I don't really seem to have anyone to lead. My days are spent alone with my dog. It's one of those situations in life that doesn't make any sense and you wonder what the point is.
Don't really have anything else to say on that yet, one of the things I need to reflect on some more.
Second thing came near the end of the trip. The crucifixion happened in one of two locations. Traditionally, the location is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, but I'm a believer in Gordon's Calvary and the Garden Tomb. This trip my thoughts were given some more evidence. The Garden Tomb is a tomb that has been cut out of the rock face. It wasn't a cave that was converted into a tomb, but I learned this time that the tomb in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was a cave. Why does this matter? Matthew 27.60 says, "his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock." Mark also has the phrase, "a tomb cut out of rock." So with that in mind I believe that it was the second site. Ultimately place doesn't matter, it's all about the event.
Gordon's Calvary is an old quarry that has what looks like a skull in the face of the rock. It was a place of execution outside the city gates on the road to Damascus. And I believe that this is the location of the crucifixion of Jesus. It was here at the foot of the hill along the road that Jesus was nailed to a cross to die for the sins of the world.
In Exodus 19.17, we are told, "Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain." The people are told not to come up the mountain, and God's glory on the mountain terrifies the people so they don't even want to try to. The people are at the foot of the mountain and God is on top. The people waiver in their commitment to God for generations, and then one day God comes down from the mountain.
In the Judean countryside Jesus is born as a baby in Bethlehem. He comes as a human and for the first time people see God as approachable. He sets an example of how to live life and shows us what God is like. But there is still a problem, people are separated from God by sin still. And so Jesus does what has to happen to bring us back into a relationship with God. He goes to the foot of the mountain, and lays down on a cross allowing himself to be nailed to it, and dies in our place. That is who God is.
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Going Back
So I've been pretty quiet for a few a while. Not much is going on in my life. Still have no job, don't really have any ministry prospects, and really want to be out on my own again. I feel like the life has been sucked out of me and that I have a ton of potential that is just being wasted. I want something to do, I want somewhere to minister where I can be used to do something, and contribute to something worth doing.
Don't know why that all came out, guess I just needed to vent some of that. Anyway, tomorrow begins a journey that I have been waiting for for almost four years, I finally get to go back to Israel. Bags are packed and I'm just waiting for my wife to get home before we head down to Mt. Vernon. This will be our first vacation since our honeymoon, and a much needed escape from life for both of us.
As I've lived the past year I've done a lot of thinking and examining, particularly in regards to the Church. I've noticed some issues, and at times it makes me really angry. I initially started this post a few weeks ago as I was doing some work for the class I'm taking in combination with this trip. At first it was pretty harsh and negative, and typing it out helped me not post all of the thoughts I had and instead to begin to look at the Bible and what it said about the Church.
Today the Church would rather be comfortable than consecrated, traditional than transformed, secure than serving, and right than righteous. We've made church too much about US and not anywhere near about God. My biggest issue with the Church is the same as Gandhi’s. "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christian's, they are so unlike your Christ." In my twenty-six years of life, and the decade or so that I've really been aware of it, that's what I've seen to be true of the Church.
Part of me wonders how it happened. How did something that Jesus Himself prepared and the Holy Spirit began get so far from what God intended it to be? It's because we've lost sight of who Jesus really is, what He really said, and we've denied the power of the Holy Spirit to help us live as He did. Because of that His Church looks very little, if anything, like He originally intended it to. And so with that I think I'm going to take a slightly different approach to this. Let's look at what the Bible says about the Church.
During this trip, as I'm growing closer to my wife, meeting God in new ways, and walking in the footsteps of Christ, my goal is to do just that, look at what the Bible says about the Church. Once I get back I'll be sharing my findings in one way or another, possibly here, it might be the next sermon series I do if that chance ever comes. But for now I will simply ask for your prayers.
Pray for safety as we travel to and throughout the land of Israel. Pray for good weather. Pray for real encounters with God, and the wisdom to hear what He is saying. And pray for guidance as I seek His intention and design of the Church.
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Don't know why that all came out, guess I just needed to vent some of that. Anyway, tomorrow begins a journey that I have been waiting for for almost four years, I finally get to go back to Israel. Bags are packed and I'm just waiting for my wife to get home before we head down to Mt. Vernon. This will be our first vacation since our honeymoon, and a much needed escape from life for both of us.
As I've lived the past year I've done a lot of thinking and examining, particularly in regards to the Church. I've noticed some issues, and at times it makes me really angry. I initially started this post a few weeks ago as I was doing some work for the class I'm taking in combination with this trip. At first it was pretty harsh and negative, and typing it out helped me not post all of the thoughts I had and instead to begin to look at the Bible and what it said about the Church.
Today the Church would rather be comfortable than consecrated, traditional than transformed, secure than serving, and right than righteous. We've made church too much about US and not anywhere near about God. My biggest issue with the Church is the same as Gandhi’s. "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christian's, they are so unlike your Christ." In my twenty-six years of life, and the decade or so that I've really been aware of it, that's what I've seen to be true of the Church.
Part of me wonders how it happened. How did something that Jesus Himself prepared and the Holy Spirit began get so far from what God intended it to be? It's because we've lost sight of who Jesus really is, what He really said, and we've denied the power of the Holy Spirit to help us live as He did. Because of that His Church looks very little, if anything, like He originally intended it to. And so with that I think I'm going to take a slightly different approach to this. Let's look at what the Bible says about the Church.
During this trip, as I'm growing closer to my wife, meeting God in new ways, and walking in the footsteps of Christ, my goal is to do just that, look at what the Bible says about the Church. Once I get back I'll be sharing my findings in one way or another, possibly here, it might be the next sermon series I do if that chance ever comes. But for now I will simply ask for your prayers.
Pray for safety as we travel to and throughout the land of Israel. Pray for good weather. Pray for real encounters with God, and the wisdom to hear what He is saying. And pray for guidance as I seek His intention and design of the Church.
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Monday, December 17, 2012
A Prayer for Twenty-Seven Families
God, as more of the details of Friday have emerged my heart has broken for the families of victims. As I've read names and seen pictures of the children who were murdered. As I've seen videos of them and read stories of the final days and weeks of their lives I wonder how anyone could do this. As I watched an interview of a mother and father talking about their daughter who was taken from them, this has become more and more real.
I can't relate to their pain, and I pray I never will, but their pain is real. And it doesn't matter that I can't relate to them, because You can. Each child that was killed Friday morning was Your child. Each life that was ended was a life You had given, loved, and known everything about. The pain that these families are feeling is pain You are feeling with them. It is pain You understand more deeply than any human ever could.
Father, in Your love and compassion surround them. Help them to grieve, fill their minds with the joyful memories of the blessed years they had with their children. Guide them as they work through the anger. Surround them with people who will be quick to listen and slow to speak.
Above all I pray that You will fill them with hope. This is not the first time You watched Your child die. Nearly two thousand years ago you watched as Jesus, Your Son, was unjustly arrested, beaten, led outside of Jerusalem, and crucified in place of a criminal. But in His death there is hope and life for all. His sacrifice did not end in death, but in life, and because of Him hope and life are available for us as well.
This Christmas season as gifts remain wrapped and seats at the table are vacant, may they feel You all the nearer. May they know You are there with them, weeping with them. May they know that You are there offering hope, healing, and life. May their lives be filled with Your Spirit in ways that they have never experienced before. Father carry them through this time.
It is in the name of Jesus, the source of life and hope for the future, we lift these families up to You.
Amen
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
I can't relate to their pain, and I pray I never will, but their pain is real. And it doesn't matter that I can't relate to them, because You can. Each child that was killed Friday morning was Your child. Each life that was ended was a life You had given, loved, and known everything about. The pain that these families are feeling is pain You are feeling with them. It is pain You understand more deeply than any human ever could.
Father, in Your love and compassion surround them. Help them to grieve, fill their minds with the joyful memories of the blessed years they had with their children. Guide them as they work through the anger. Surround them with people who will be quick to listen and slow to speak.
Above all I pray that You will fill them with hope. This is not the first time You watched Your child die. Nearly two thousand years ago you watched as Jesus, Your Son, was unjustly arrested, beaten, led outside of Jerusalem, and crucified in place of a criminal. But in His death there is hope and life for all. His sacrifice did not end in death, but in life, and because of Him hope and life are available for us as well.
This Christmas season as gifts remain wrapped and seats at the table are vacant, may they feel You all the nearer. May they know You are there with them, weeping with them. May they know that You are there offering hope, healing, and life. May their lives be filled with Your Spirit in ways that they have never experienced before. Father carry them through this time.
It is in the name of Jesus, the source of life and hope for the future, we lift these families up to You.
Amen
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Sunday, December 16, 2012
God with Us
God, I pray that You will be ever close to the families of the victims of the Connecticut school shooting. At this time of year when we focus on the birth of Christ, the focus is to be on Emmanuel, "God with us". I pray that is what these families would experience this Christmas season. And that in the coming weeks and months you would show yourself to be Jehovah-Rapha, "the God who heals" to all who have been affected by it.
Psalm 34.18, "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."
Charlotte Bacon, 2/22/06, female (age 6)
Daniel Barden, 9/25/05, male (age 7)
Olivia Engel, 7/18/06, female (age 6)
Josephine Gay, 12/11/05, female (age 7)
Ana M. Marquez-Greene, 04/04/06, female (age 6)
Dylan Hockley, 03/08/06, male (age 6)
Madeleine F. Hsu, 07/10/06, female (age 6)
Catherine V. Hubbard, 06/08/06, female (age 6)
Chase Kowalski, 10/31/05, male (age 7)
Jesse Lewis, 06/30/06, male (age 6)
James Mattioli, 03/22/06, male (age 6)
Grace McDonnell, 11/04/05, female (age 7)
Emilie Parker, 05/12/06, female (age 6)
Jack Pinto, 05/06/06, male (age 6)
Noah Pozner, 11/20/06, male (age 6)
Caroline Previdi, 09/07/06, female (age 6)
Jessica Rekos, 05/10/06, female (age 6)
Avielle Richman, 10/17/06, female (age 6)
Benjamin Wheeler, 9/12/06, male (age 6)
Allison N. Wyatt, 07/03/06, female (age 6)
Rachel Davino, 7/17/83, female (age 29)
Dawn Hochsprung, 06/28/65, female (age 47)
Anne Marie Murphy, 07/25/60, female (age 52)
Lauren Russeau, 1982, female (age 29)
Mary Sherlach, 02/11/56, female (age 56)
Victoria Soto, 11/04/85, female (age 27)
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Psalm 34.18, "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."
Charlotte Bacon, 2/22/06, female (age 6)
Daniel Barden, 9/25/05, male (age 7)
Olivia Engel, 7/18/06, female (age 6)
Josephine Gay, 12/11/05, female (age 7)
Ana M. Marquez-Greene, 04/04/06, female (age 6)
Dylan Hockley, 03/08/06, male (age 6)
Madeleine F. Hsu, 07/10/06, female (age 6)
Catherine V. Hubbard, 06/08/06, female (age 6)
Chase Kowalski, 10/31/05, male (age 7)
Jesse Lewis, 06/30/06, male (age 6)
James Mattioli, 03/22/06, male (age 6)
Grace McDonnell, 11/04/05, female (age 7)
Emilie Parker, 05/12/06, female (age 6)
Jack Pinto, 05/06/06, male (age 6)
Noah Pozner, 11/20/06, male (age 6)
Caroline Previdi, 09/07/06, female (age 6)
Jessica Rekos, 05/10/06, female (age 6)
Avielle Richman, 10/17/06, female (age 6)
Benjamin Wheeler, 9/12/06, male (age 6)
Allison N. Wyatt, 07/03/06, female (age 6)
Rachel Davino, 7/17/83, female (age 29)
Dawn Hochsprung, 06/28/65, female (age 47)
Anne Marie Murphy, 07/25/60, female (age 52)
Lauren Russeau, 1982, female (age 29)
Mary Sherlach, 02/11/56, female (age 56)
Victoria Soto, 11/04/85, female (age 27)
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Friday, December 14, 2012
Israel Goals and Dreams
Once again, my apologies for all of my inactivity. I've found myself with too much time on my hands, and when that happens I tend to put a lot of things off. For about a month now I've been working on one of the assigments for the class I'm taking while my wife and I are in Israel. It's a paper that basically you just have to do it and you get credit, and it has taken me several weeks to get it done.
For whatever reason, today I'm going to post my paper. I don't know that I'm 100% done with it yet, but this is pretty close to the final draft. In this assignment we have to share our expectations, what where anticpating spiritually, how we will contributue to the group as a whole, place we are looking forward to, and how we'll bring it back. I think I've got it all in there.
Pre-Trip Goals and Dreams
I’ve started this paper at least a half of a dozen times. The past few weeks and months have involved so much, and I’ve been working through several emotions and situations. But with all of that, I think I finally have an idea of what needs to go into this paper.
As I prepare to return to Israel, part of me can’t believe that I finally get to go back. I’ve been waiting for this since we got back to America in January of 2009. Even though it has been four years, in some ways it feels like just yesterday. As I am working on this paper, I searched through some files to find the one I wrote for the 2009 trip. The first few paragraphs sound almost identical to what I’m experiencing now, but the rest I can’t believe I wrote.
A lot has happened in the last four years. I graduated college and stepped out into the real world. I’ve gotten married and begun this new journey of life with my best friend. I’ve been through two incredibly tough ministry assignments and taken several beatings from people in the Church. I’ve struggled with finding another ministry position and dealt with discouragement frequently. I’ve wondered a lot about my call, and why God is making it so difficult for me to do what He has called me to do.
In the past four years, I’ve thought about a lot of different things. My views of Church, ministry, and God have changed and matured. I’ve come to deeper understanding about God and what He is really like through the pages of Scripture and the wisdom of others who have served Him longer than I have been alive. I have begun to have my real passion in His service shaped and focused. And while all of that has taken place, I’ve had the chance to see just how un-Christlike, and far from God’s intent, the Church is at times. And it is with all of this very fresh on my mind that I prepare to return to Israel.
As I’ve been working through the reading for class, the biggest thing that has hit me is identity in God. It began with Exodus 19.17, “And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.” That phrase, “to meet God” has been on my mind since I read it. Moses, God’s messenger, has communicated the words of Jehovah to Pharaoh and Israel; he has been His instrument in bringing about the plagues, and he has led them across the wilderness and through the Red Sea to Sinai. Moses, the man who has spoken with God face to face, now brings Israel, God’s chosen people, to the foot of the mountain to meet Him.
They have heard about Jehovah for centuries as the story of Abraham’s faith and the covenant between Him and God has been passed down from generation to generation. They have seen His power time and again as they were delivered from slavery and traveled through the wilderness. But now they are going to meet Him. For the first time the children of Abraham are going to meet the God who spoke to Abraham and promised him the land they are moving towards. To receive the fulfillment of the promises of God, they must first meet Him and enter into a relationship with Him, He as their God and they as His people. The relationship is what it all hangs on.
Right now in my life I kind of feel like the people in Egypt, trapped in a situation that is less than desirable. In the back of my mind is this call from God into ministry. In my spirit, I have a burning passion to help the Church fall more in love with Jesus Christ, to help the people who make up the Church become more like Christ, and yet I find myself in slavery to the economy. I feel like I’m holding on to a promise, but the time of its fulfillment is uncertain, even doubtful at times.
On top of all of that, part of me feels like I have no identity. I know that men are defined by their careers, and I’m feeling very worthless without one. At the same time, I feel homeless. We’ve moved into my parent’s basement, just about the last place I want to be as a married twenty-six year old. I’m ready to be on my own again, in my own place that I have pride in, and a desire to improve. As Burge talks about in the opening pages of Jesus and the Land, “Land is potent…because it represents a place where we are rooted and can understand who we are… Each of us wants a place that we can call home, a place we may think of as our own, where familiar things are available, where old stories may be retold, where we experience some connection with a legacy that stretches out beyond us.” (p. ix)
I think in many ways I can relate to Israel, trapped, homeless and holding on to the hope of a promise. And just as the journey to the Promised Land required a stop to meet God, I feel that is what this trip will be for me. I don’t know how this is going to happen, but it has to. I am glad that I have a foundation to build on; it’s going to help me be more open and perceptive because there are things about the places that I already know, and I’ll be able to be more attuned to what God is trying to say.
I’m excited to go back and spend a few mornings by the Sea of Galilee; I’m ready to sit in the corner of Gethsemane again. I have a deeper appreciation for the Via Dolorosa and the Garden Tomb this time around. I’m looking forward to the new places as well, but for some reason Bethlehem has been predominantly on my mind recently. It might simply be because it’s almost Christmas, but maybe there is something else to it. It’s the city where God entered the world. He became homeless, with a painful future before Him, simply holding on to the promises of God. His identity was challenged; He was rejected by those who claimed to love God, and yet He endured it all, and was exalted to the highest place. And I am called to be like Him.
I hope to grow closer to God, experience Him in new ways, and return more like Christ than when I left. I think one way to do this is to help others work for the same thing. My wife and I are both on a journey of healing. The past year has been full of struggles and hardships, but we’ve made it. Now we have a chance to rest, to breathe, and to draw closer to each other, as we encounter God together in Israel.
With the college students, I’ve been where they are, and I’ve been where many of them will be in the next few years. I’ve experienced things that they are going to encounter both in life and ministry. One of the most important questions I’ve been asked is one I think I’m supposed to pass on to them, “Is Jesus enough?” Personally, I’m still working on being able to say yes daily, but I believe that’s also part of meeting God on this trip for me. The devotional I’m working on for the trip is focusing on the idea of meeting God because Jesus is enough.
Over the past few months, I have been asked this question almost daily. Honestly, I believe I’m in this phase of life to really understand and know that Jesus is enough. On this trip I feel that I’m going to come face to face with God in a new way. I believe that on this trip I have an opportunity to help others begin to answer the question, “Is Jesus enough?” as I answer it for myself. It is with great anticipation that I return to the Holy Land and the encounter with God that it holds.
As far as bringing the experience back, I honestly feel this is a personal time for my wife and me. I’m so glad God provided the finances for us to be able to share this together. Having been there once though, I know that you are affected by it, and you come back different than when you left. I do know that this experience will have an impact on our lives, marriage, and future ministry, especially after we find out what God has planned.
Since its 2012 still I can end with this, next year in Jerusalem.
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
For whatever reason, today I'm going to post my paper. I don't know that I'm 100% done with it yet, but this is pretty close to the final draft. In this assignment we have to share our expectations, what where anticpating spiritually, how we will contributue to the group as a whole, place we are looking forward to, and how we'll bring it back. I think I've got it all in there.
Pre-Trip Goals and Dreams
I’ve started this paper at least a half of a dozen times. The past few weeks and months have involved so much, and I’ve been working through several emotions and situations. But with all of that, I think I finally have an idea of what needs to go into this paper.
As I prepare to return to Israel, part of me can’t believe that I finally get to go back. I’ve been waiting for this since we got back to America in January of 2009. Even though it has been four years, in some ways it feels like just yesterday. As I am working on this paper, I searched through some files to find the one I wrote for the 2009 trip. The first few paragraphs sound almost identical to what I’m experiencing now, but the rest I can’t believe I wrote.
A lot has happened in the last four years. I graduated college and stepped out into the real world. I’ve gotten married and begun this new journey of life with my best friend. I’ve been through two incredibly tough ministry assignments and taken several beatings from people in the Church. I’ve struggled with finding another ministry position and dealt with discouragement frequently. I’ve wondered a lot about my call, and why God is making it so difficult for me to do what He has called me to do.
In the past four years, I’ve thought about a lot of different things. My views of Church, ministry, and God have changed and matured. I’ve come to deeper understanding about God and what He is really like through the pages of Scripture and the wisdom of others who have served Him longer than I have been alive. I have begun to have my real passion in His service shaped and focused. And while all of that has taken place, I’ve had the chance to see just how un-Christlike, and far from God’s intent, the Church is at times. And it is with all of this very fresh on my mind that I prepare to return to Israel.
As I’ve been working through the reading for class, the biggest thing that has hit me is identity in God. It began with Exodus 19.17, “And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.” That phrase, “to meet God” has been on my mind since I read it. Moses, God’s messenger, has communicated the words of Jehovah to Pharaoh and Israel; he has been His instrument in bringing about the plagues, and he has led them across the wilderness and through the Red Sea to Sinai. Moses, the man who has spoken with God face to face, now brings Israel, God’s chosen people, to the foot of the mountain to meet Him.
They have heard about Jehovah for centuries as the story of Abraham’s faith and the covenant between Him and God has been passed down from generation to generation. They have seen His power time and again as they were delivered from slavery and traveled through the wilderness. But now they are going to meet Him. For the first time the children of Abraham are going to meet the God who spoke to Abraham and promised him the land they are moving towards. To receive the fulfillment of the promises of God, they must first meet Him and enter into a relationship with Him, He as their God and they as His people. The relationship is what it all hangs on.
Right now in my life I kind of feel like the people in Egypt, trapped in a situation that is less than desirable. In the back of my mind is this call from God into ministry. In my spirit, I have a burning passion to help the Church fall more in love with Jesus Christ, to help the people who make up the Church become more like Christ, and yet I find myself in slavery to the economy. I feel like I’m holding on to a promise, but the time of its fulfillment is uncertain, even doubtful at times.
On top of all of that, part of me feels like I have no identity. I know that men are defined by their careers, and I’m feeling very worthless without one. At the same time, I feel homeless. We’ve moved into my parent’s basement, just about the last place I want to be as a married twenty-six year old. I’m ready to be on my own again, in my own place that I have pride in, and a desire to improve. As Burge talks about in the opening pages of Jesus and the Land, “Land is potent…because it represents a place where we are rooted and can understand who we are… Each of us wants a place that we can call home, a place we may think of as our own, where familiar things are available, where old stories may be retold, where we experience some connection with a legacy that stretches out beyond us.” (p. ix)
I think in many ways I can relate to Israel, trapped, homeless and holding on to the hope of a promise. And just as the journey to the Promised Land required a stop to meet God, I feel that is what this trip will be for me. I don’t know how this is going to happen, but it has to. I am glad that I have a foundation to build on; it’s going to help me be more open and perceptive because there are things about the places that I already know, and I’ll be able to be more attuned to what God is trying to say.
I’m excited to go back and spend a few mornings by the Sea of Galilee; I’m ready to sit in the corner of Gethsemane again. I have a deeper appreciation for the Via Dolorosa and the Garden Tomb this time around. I’m looking forward to the new places as well, but for some reason Bethlehem has been predominantly on my mind recently. It might simply be because it’s almost Christmas, but maybe there is something else to it. It’s the city where God entered the world. He became homeless, with a painful future before Him, simply holding on to the promises of God. His identity was challenged; He was rejected by those who claimed to love God, and yet He endured it all, and was exalted to the highest place. And I am called to be like Him.
I hope to grow closer to God, experience Him in new ways, and return more like Christ than when I left. I think one way to do this is to help others work for the same thing. My wife and I are both on a journey of healing. The past year has been full of struggles and hardships, but we’ve made it. Now we have a chance to rest, to breathe, and to draw closer to each other, as we encounter God together in Israel.
With the college students, I’ve been where they are, and I’ve been where many of them will be in the next few years. I’ve experienced things that they are going to encounter both in life and ministry. One of the most important questions I’ve been asked is one I think I’m supposed to pass on to them, “Is Jesus enough?” Personally, I’m still working on being able to say yes daily, but I believe that’s also part of meeting God on this trip for me. The devotional I’m working on for the trip is focusing on the idea of meeting God because Jesus is enough.
Over the past few months, I have been asked this question almost daily. Honestly, I believe I’m in this phase of life to really understand and know that Jesus is enough. On this trip I feel that I’m going to come face to face with God in a new way. I believe that on this trip I have an opportunity to help others begin to answer the question, “Is Jesus enough?” as I answer it for myself. It is with great anticipation that I return to the Holy Land and the encounter with God that it holds.
As far as bringing the experience back, I honestly feel this is a personal time for my wife and me. I’m so glad God provided the finances for us to be able to share this together. Having been there once though, I know that you are affected by it, and you come back different than when you left. I do know that this experience will have an impact on our lives, marriage, and future ministry, especially after we find out what God has planned.
Since its 2012 still I can end with this, next year in Jerusalem.
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
The Book of Revelation
The book of Revelation is one that everyone seems to like to discuss and have an opinion on. Actually one of the first questions my in-law's asked me was what I believed about it. It's something some people refuse to read, and something others force down the throat of others as events that will take place in the next few weeks. And still others believe that the events of the book happened during the time of the first century.
But maybe all of our thoughts about it are wrong, or rather, maybe our focus with it is misplaced. This past Sunday my mentor, one of the wisest and most Christlike men I will ever know, shared some insights into this book, focusing on the question, "So what?"
Below is a link to the media section of the church's website. The date is 11/25/12, and it is titled, "Revelation". If you've ever wondered, if you've never read it, I invite you to listen, and see what it's really about.
http://bcn.org/social.php
Side note: Near the beginning he mentions a couple pieces of art. What happened here is he showed small individual sections of a picture, trying to point out that we can't see the whole painting in individual small sections. Then the whole picture is revealed.
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
But maybe all of our thoughts about it are wrong, or rather, maybe our focus with it is misplaced. This past Sunday my mentor, one of the wisest and most Christlike men I will ever know, shared some insights into this book, focusing on the question, "So what?"
Below is a link to the media section of the church's website. The date is 11/25/12, and it is titled, "Revelation". If you've ever wondered, if you've never read it, I invite you to listen, and see what it's really about.
http://bcn.org/social.php
Side note: Near the beginning he mentions a couple pieces of art. What happened here is he showed small individual sections of a picture, trying to point out that we can't see the whole painting in individual small sections. Then the whole picture is revealed.
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Mankind, the Story of All of Us, Error
Last week the History Channel started a six part, twelve hour series about the history of humanity. I've always enjoyed history and so I've been looking forward to the series for the past few weeks. Today I'm watching the second part, and the beginning caught me by surprise. Part two began with the crucifixion.
As i think about it I don't know why I'm surprised, we're talking about a man who has influenced billions of lives over the last two thousand years, so it only makes sense that they would spend a few brief moments talking about Jesus. But all they talk about is his death by crucifixion, that didn't surprise me.
For the History Channel Christianity is the result of the crucifixion. Billions of people have committed their lives to a dead man who was brutally murdered. While martyrs do inspire followers of their cause, I don't know if any have continued to inspire almost two millennium after their death.
The crucifixion is an essential part of Christianity, but it is not the most essential part. It is important, but it is not the most important. Christianity does not hinge on the crucifixion, and Christianity is not based on the crucifixion. Because as the Bible tells us if all we have is the crucifixion, our faith is useless.
Even the early followers of Jesus had given up after they had seen Him killed. In Luke 24 we find two headed to Emmaus in defeat. Those who have stuck around in Jerusalem are hiding behind locked doors because they are afraid they are next. But then something happens that changes everything. Men who head home in despair return to Jerusalem to celebrate. Those who have gone into hiding begin to boldly proclaim the message publicly.
If Christ is dead that change isn't going to take place. If Christ is dead there is still no hope because the source of that hope was dead. If Christ is dead then faith is useless. The foundation of Christianity is not on the crucifixion, but in the Resurrection.
"But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins." 1 Corinthians 15.13-17.
The crucifixion is nothing without the Resurrection. The Resurrection of Jesus is what Christianity is all about. Christianity only means something if Jesus has been raised to live, because they ultimate hope of Christianity is new life with God after death. If Christ has not been raised to life, then there is no new life for any of us.
Christianity comes down to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Billions of lives have been transformed because God became man, died on a cross, and rose from the dead conquering sin, death, and Hell forever. It's all about the Resurrection.
The History Channel, to no surprise, left all of this out. And as I'm watching the rest of the episode their idea of the point of Christianity is mistaken. It isn't about people getting what the deserve, the wicked being punished and those who accept Jesus as Lord and Savior being blessed. It's about entering into a relationship with the risen Jesus, and in that receiving new life. It's all about the Resurrection.
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
As i think about it I don't know why I'm surprised, we're talking about a man who has influenced billions of lives over the last two thousand years, so it only makes sense that they would spend a few brief moments talking about Jesus. But all they talk about is his death by crucifixion, that didn't surprise me.
For the History Channel Christianity is the result of the crucifixion. Billions of people have committed their lives to a dead man who was brutally murdered. While martyrs do inspire followers of their cause, I don't know if any have continued to inspire almost two millennium after their death.
The crucifixion is an essential part of Christianity, but it is not the most essential part. It is important, but it is not the most important. Christianity does not hinge on the crucifixion, and Christianity is not based on the crucifixion. Because as the Bible tells us if all we have is the crucifixion, our faith is useless.
Even the early followers of Jesus had given up after they had seen Him killed. In Luke 24 we find two headed to Emmaus in defeat. Those who have stuck around in Jerusalem are hiding behind locked doors because they are afraid they are next. But then something happens that changes everything. Men who head home in despair return to Jerusalem to celebrate. Those who have gone into hiding begin to boldly proclaim the message publicly.
If Christ is dead that change isn't going to take place. If Christ is dead there is still no hope because the source of that hope was dead. If Christ is dead then faith is useless. The foundation of Christianity is not on the crucifixion, but in the Resurrection.
"But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins." 1 Corinthians 15.13-17.
The crucifixion is nothing without the Resurrection. The Resurrection of Jesus is what Christianity is all about. Christianity only means something if Jesus has been raised to live, because they ultimate hope of Christianity is new life with God after death. If Christ has not been raised to life, then there is no new life for any of us.
Christianity comes down to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Billions of lives have been transformed because God became man, died on a cross, and rose from the dead conquering sin, death, and Hell forever. It's all about the Resurrection.
The History Channel, to no surprise, left all of this out. And as I'm watching the rest of the episode their idea of the point of Christianity is mistaken. It isn't about people getting what the deserve, the wicked being punished and those who accept Jesus as Lord and Savior being blessed. It's about entering into a relationship with the risen Jesus, and in that receiving new life. It's all about the Resurrection.
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Monday, November 19, 2012
The Older Brother
First, I want to apologize to those who read this blog. November obviously hasn't been a very productive month for me. There has been a lot going on and I've been dealing with both family and personal issues. There hasn't been a lot of motivation to write and the things that have been on my mind are too personal to post all over the internet. All of that being said, what I'm about to share is personal.
For several weeks, maybe months, now I've been angry. It's been something that builds, as anger usually does when it isn't dealt with. Part of the problem is there are things I've needed to say to people, but I can't say to them for one reason or another. There have been people who have hurt me directly, those who I have allowed myself to be hurt by indirectly, and for most of it I've blamed God, or more, questioned why God was allowing all of the hardships to happen.
I've written and thought a lot about the Romans 8 verse, "God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love Him." And the verse in Philippians 1 that states, "It is for Christ's sake that you will suffer." Hardships are part of the life of any Christ follower, and God will cause all things to work together for the good of those who love Him. But it seems, especially of late, like my life has a lot more suffering than some people I know. It feels like I've gotten the short end of the stick, while others who haven't worked as hard as I have have gotten all the breaks.
I know I'm not the only one who has felt, or is feeling, like this. I know that there are those out there who would trade their hardships for mine in a heartbeat. The point of this is not to evoke pity, but instead to put it all in perspective.
Yesterday in church, my mentor preached a sermon that hit me. I'm not usually one who gets hit by a sermon. I don't mean to sound arrogant, but much of the preaching I've heard has been shallow, hard to follow, or just really bad. Honestly, my mentor is one of the only people I can actually listen to. He's one of the few people that I get new and deeper insights from. I have a hard time sitting in Sunday services. But yesterday was a sermon that hit me. He gave a twenty-first century version of Luke 15.11-31, the Prodigal Son.
The message hit me because it spoke to exactly where I was. He pointed out after his narrative that there are three characters, the younger brother, the older brother and the father. That is obviously nothing new, but the way he presented the older brother was. And it all comes down to the fact that I am the older brother.
We have a story of a man with two sons. One wishes his father was dead and asks for his share of the inheritance. His father gives him his share and he takes off to live it up. The older son remains with his father, working hard and being faithful. When the younger brother's share is spent and his life is falling apart he returns home, and to his complete shock, is welcomed back by his father as his son. A celebration takes place, but the older brother is absent.
He refuses to join the celebration because in his mind it isn't fair. He has never betrayed his father, but has obeyed everything he has been told to do. He has worked hard and earned what is his. His brother has spent his share and deserves nothing more, and yet his father has welcomed him back, even after all the pain and worry he has caused him, and continues to pour out more.
I am the older brother. I have worked hard and been obedient. I've committed to things God has asked even though I had absolutely no desire to do them. And even with all of that, life has been harder than I ever thought it would be. In many ways, it's been harder than most of the people I knew in college and have met in ministry. Again, I know that others have it so much harder, and I am not in anyway trying to make this bigger that it is, simply showing the attitude I've had.
I graduated college with a 3.92 GPA. I was the only religion major in my class to graduate Summa Cum Laude. I've had a few incredible internship experiences in mega churches, I was on staff at a church when I was 19, and I am the only member of my graduating class to be ordained. I've put the time and work in, and in my eyes, I am the most deserving of achievement, I've worked hard and earned it. And yet I find myself living in my parent's basement, with no ministry position, and I couldn't even get a job stocking shelves at a toy store during Christmas.
I've had a bad attitude, and in a way I've basically said to God, "How dare you put me through this and bless them." I don't want to be the older brother, but I have to admit with embarrassment that I am.
So what happens now? Where do I go from here? Honestly, I'm still trying to figure that out. I don't want to have the attitude of the older brother, where I am "owed" blessings and favor for my work and effort. I don't want the attitude of anger, bitterness, and resentment when others receive the things that I've worked for instead of me. I want the attitude of the father.
We have a man who gives unconditionally and joyfully. He gave his youngest son his share of the inheritance and let him go his way. And even though the youngest son treated him as if he were dead, when he came home he ran to him, embraced him, and poured out more blessings on him as he welcomed him home. He went out to his oldest son. In spite of the sons anger he talks with him, he reaches out to him. That is the attitude I want.
I don't know how long this stage of life is going to last. Honestly, I don't know if another professional ministry position will ever open up for me. It's hard for me to say that, because it's the call that I have on my life and I've invested so much into it. Honestly, I don't know what else I would do with my life if the door never opens up. But I do know that no matter what happens, I want to pour out the love of the Father.
No matter where I am I can show the love and compassion of God. I can be joyful in spite of my circumstances because I am a son of God. Ultimately that is reason I am to rejoice. The only thing that matters in the end is that I belong to God, and that I show His love to everyone I come in contact with. That is the attitude I want, so God, I'm asking you to help me.
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
For several weeks, maybe months, now I've been angry. It's been something that builds, as anger usually does when it isn't dealt with. Part of the problem is there are things I've needed to say to people, but I can't say to them for one reason or another. There have been people who have hurt me directly, those who I have allowed myself to be hurt by indirectly, and for most of it I've blamed God, or more, questioned why God was allowing all of the hardships to happen.
I've written and thought a lot about the Romans 8 verse, "God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love Him." And the verse in Philippians 1 that states, "It is for Christ's sake that you will suffer." Hardships are part of the life of any Christ follower, and God will cause all things to work together for the good of those who love Him. But it seems, especially of late, like my life has a lot more suffering than some people I know. It feels like I've gotten the short end of the stick, while others who haven't worked as hard as I have have gotten all the breaks.
I know I'm not the only one who has felt, or is feeling, like this. I know that there are those out there who would trade their hardships for mine in a heartbeat. The point of this is not to evoke pity, but instead to put it all in perspective.
Yesterday in church, my mentor preached a sermon that hit me. I'm not usually one who gets hit by a sermon. I don't mean to sound arrogant, but much of the preaching I've heard has been shallow, hard to follow, or just really bad. Honestly, my mentor is one of the only people I can actually listen to. He's one of the few people that I get new and deeper insights from. I have a hard time sitting in Sunday services. But yesterday was a sermon that hit me. He gave a twenty-first century version of Luke 15.11-31, the Prodigal Son.
The message hit me because it spoke to exactly where I was. He pointed out after his narrative that there are three characters, the younger brother, the older brother and the father. That is obviously nothing new, but the way he presented the older brother was. And it all comes down to the fact that I am the older brother.
We have a story of a man with two sons. One wishes his father was dead and asks for his share of the inheritance. His father gives him his share and he takes off to live it up. The older son remains with his father, working hard and being faithful. When the younger brother's share is spent and his life is falling apart he returns home, and to his complete shock, is welcomed back by his father as his son. A celebration takes place, but the older brother is absent.
He refuses to join the celebration because in his mind it isn't fair. He has never betrayed his father, but has obeyed everything he has been told to do. He has worked hard and earned what is his. His brother has spent his share and deserves nothing more, and yet his father has welcomed him back, even after all the pain and worry he has caused him, and continues to pour out more.
I am the older brother. I have worked hard and been obedient. I've committed to things God has asked even though I had absolutely no desire to do them. And even with all of that, life has been harder than I ever thought it would be. In many ways, it's been harder than most of the people I knew in college and have met in ministry. Again, I know that others have it so much harder, and I am not in anyway trying to make this bigger that it is, simply showing the attitude I've had.
I graduated college with a 3.92 GPA. I was the only religion major in my class to graduate Summa Cum Laude. I've had a few incredible internship experiences in mega churches, I was on staff at a church when I was 19, and I am the only member of my graduating class to be ordained. I've put the time and work in, and in my eyes, I am the most deserving of achievement, I've worked hard and earned it. And yet I find myself living in my parent's basement, with no ministry position, and I couldn't even get a job stocking shelves at a toy store during Christmas.
I've had a bad attitude, and in a way I've basically said to God, "How dare you put me through this and bless them." I don't want to be the older brother, but I have to admit with embarrassment that I am.
So what happens now? Where do I go from here? Honestly, I'm still trying to figure that out. I don't want to have the attitude of the older brother, where I am "owed" blessings and favor for my work and effort. I don't want the attitude of anger, bitterness, and resentment when others receive the things that I've worked for instead of me. I want the attitude of the father.
We have a man who gives unconditionally and joyfully. He gave his youngest son his share of the inheritance and let him go his way. And even though the youngest son treated him as if he were dead, when he came home he ran to him, embraced him, and poured out more blessings on him as he welcomed him home. He went out to his oldest son. In spite of the sons anger he talks with him, he reaches out to him. That is the attitude I want.
I don't know how long this stage of life is going to last. Honestly, I don't know if another professional ministry position will ever open up for me. It's hard for me to say that, because it's the call that I have on my life and I've invested so much into it. Honestly, I don't know what else I would do with my life if the door never opens up. But I do know that no matter what happens, I want to pour out the love of the Father.
No matter where I am I can show the love and compassion of God. I can be joyful in spite of my circumstances because I am a son of God. Ultimately that is reason I am to rejoice. The only thing that matters in the end is that I belong to God, and that I show His love to everyone I come in contact with. That is the attitude I want, so God, I'm asking you to help me.
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Two Thoughts
Yesterday I was able to spend some time with my mentor. As usual I walked away from the conversation with a good thought from him. We met at the local coffee shop but it was somewhat loud so we ended up driving around for a little while.
He took me to the local high school where he serves as the coach of character development for the football team. He introduced me to several players and the coach, and you could see their love and respect for him.
As he was taking me back to my car he said something, the thing that has stuck with me. "There is no batting practice in life." My mentor can find a sports analogy for just about every situation. He went on, "People live today as if it's preparation for the life they'll live someday."
I've thought about that a lot. I've seen that to be true in my own life. Right now life isn't at all like my wife and I thought it would be. We're living in my parent's basement, and I'm still looking for a job. We've had three interviews with churches, two we've said no to, and the third didn't give us the chance to say no. A few resumes I've sent out have either not been answered or have come back with the response, "We decided to go in another direction."
It's a really frustrating time. And in this time it's easy to think about the life we're hoping to have someday. In a way we treat this time like practice, something we have to go through in order to get to the game, or for me, the front lines of battle. But that's not how life works. In life there is no warm up, there is no practice, it's all the game, it's all battle. I don't mean that in a negative "Life sucks and then you die" way. What I'm saying is we only get one go at this, this is all real. All of this counts. All of this matters.
A few days ago I had a scary moment, we had a cancer scare. Everything is fine, it ended up being nothing, but for about two days as we waited to get into the doctor we didn't know. I remember that night just lying there holding my wife, fighting back tears, telling her it was all going to be ok, not knowing if it would be. And the only thought that was on my mind was, "Just hold her. Soak this all up because it might not be here forever."
Needless to say I was extremely relieved when everything came back clean. But it's put a lot into perspective for me. Reality has hit me that this moment is all there is. The life we hope for may never come, so don't waste this time preparing and holding out for what is never guaranteed. There is no practice in life, we born and its go time.
Thought number two hit me yesterday as I was driving. President Obama has been re-elected, and many are less than thrilled. I woke up Wednesday with a knot in the pit of my stomach. I am concerned about the future of my country. The change he's brought so far hasn't been for the better, and four more years really doesn't look good. It's a bit scary to think about the things he can do and say now that he doesn't have to worry about running for office again.
But as I wrote before the election, God is still in control. President Obama is just a man with no power except what God has allowed him to have, and he will one day have to stand before God and answer for how he used that power, just as all of us will.
As I've thought about some of the statements he's made, this thought came to my mind, "Sin legalized in the eyes of man is not righteous in the eyes of God." I realize that could come across as offensive, or attacking a particular view, but that is not how I mean it. I am focusing on sin in general, not one in particular.
Any law can be passed to make anything legal or illegal. The government can say that this is ok while this is not. But that doesn't change the truth and righteous standards of God. No governmental authority can overturn His standards. No one can take what God says is wrong and make it right. God is the final and absolute authority of holiness, and His standards are what all will be measured against.
As I conclude this I realize that these two thoughts tie together. We only have one shot at life, and there is only one standard of righteousness for us to live by. Let us live today fully in the moment. Let us commit ourselves to God, and strive for His righteousness. He sent Jesus to show us how to live, to die and rise again so that we could be righteous and holy. He sent His Holy Spirit to fill those who strive after Him so that they could live as Jesus modeled. We have one life, how will you live it?
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
He took me to the local high school where he serves as the coach of character development for the football team. He introduced me to several players and the coach, and you could see their love and respect for him.
As he was taking me back to my car he said something, the thing that has stuck with me. "There is no batting practice in life." My mentor can find a sports analogy for just about every situation. He went on, "People live today as if it's preparation for the life they'll live someday."
I've thought about that a lot. I've seen that to be true in my own life. Right now life isn't at all like my wife and I thought it would be. We're living in my parent's basement, and I'm still looking for a job. We've had three interviews with churches, two we've said no to, and the third didn't give us the chance to say no. A few resumes I've sent out have either not been answered or have come back with the response, "We decided to go in another direction."
It's a really frustrating time. And in this time it's easy to think about the life we're hoping to have someday. In a way we treat this time like practice, something we have to go through in order to get to the game, or for me, the front lines of battle. But that's not how life works. In life there is no warm up, there is no practice, it's all the game, it's all battle. I don't mean that in a negative "Life sucks and then you die" way. What I'm saying is we only get one go at this, this is all real. All of this counts. All of this matters.
A few days ago I had a scary moment, we had a cancer scare. Everything is fine, it ended up being nothing, but for about two days as we waited to get into the doctor we didn't know. I remember that night just lying there holding my wife, fighting back tears, telling her it was all going to be ok, not knowing if it would be. And the only thought that was on my mind was, "Just hold her. Soak this all up because it might not be here forever."
Needless to say I was extremely relieved when everything came back clean. But it's put a lot into perspective for me. Reality has hit me that this moment is all there is. The life we hope for may never come, so don't waste this time preparing and holding out for what is never guaranteed. There is no practice in life, we born and its go time.
Thought number two hit me yesterday as I was driving. President Obama has been re-elected, and many are less than thrilled. I woke up Wednesday with a knot in the pit of my stomach. I am concerned about the future of my country. The change he's brought so far hasn't been for the better, and four more years really doesn't look good. It's a bit scary to think about the things he can do and say now that he doesn't have to worry about running for office again.
But as I wrote before the election, God is still in control. President Obama is just a man with no power except what God has allowed him to have, and he will one day have to stand before God and answer for how he used that power, just as all of us will.
As I've thought about some of the statements he's made, this thought came to my mind, "Sin legalized in the eyes of man is not righteous in the eyes of God." I realize that could come across as offensive, or attacking a particular view, but that is not how I mean it. I am focusing on sin in general, not one in particular.
Any law can be passed to make anything legal or illegal. The government can say that this is ok while this is not. But that doesn't change the truth and righteous standards of God. No governmental authority can overturn His standards. No one can take what God says is wrong and make it right. God is the final and absolute authority of holiness, and His standards are what all will be measured against.
As I conclude this I realize that these two thoughts tie together. We only have one shot at life, and there is only one standard of righteousness for us to live by. Let us live today fully in the moment. Let us commit ourselves to God, and strive for His righteousness. He sent Jesus to show us how to live, to die and rise again so that we could be righteous and holy. He sent His Holy Spirit to fill those who strive after Him so that they could live as Jesus modeled. We have one life, how will you live it?
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Monday, November 5, 2012
Election 2012
Tomorrow American's who haven't voted early or by absentee ballot will head to the polls to cast their vote for the man who will lead America for the next four years. People have said this is the most important election of our time, which is also what they've said in the last three or four that I've been old enough to remember.
My vote has been cast already, and it's been based on more than the simple fact of I don't like the other candidate. I've voted based on who I believe will be the best leader for our current situation. But even as I voted I've remembered that no candidate has all the answers. No candidate can fix everything, no matter what they claim they will do.
Many people are anxious, some are even fearful about the outcome of tomorrow’s event. Part of me is worried for the future of my country. But as I think about all of that I'm reminded that the future of this nation and the rest of the world is not in the hands of any man.
No matter who is elected tomorrow, God is still in control. God knows who is going to win, and God knows what the next four years hold. God knows the trials that we are going to face. He knows the needs of the people. He knows the hearts of both men running, and God's will is going to be done. The results that we learn tomorrow will not catch Him off guard or by surprise.
And as we look at the future we must remember that no president or policy will be able to fix everything. There are problems that lie at the heart of man. Problems that can, and will, only be resolved by the transforming power of Jesus Christ. No matter who is elected our job is to pray for our leader (1 Timothy 2). Our job is to strive to become like Christ, to show the love of Christ to all people. Our job is not to worry, but simply to fall back into God's arms and trust Him.
The Bible says in Romans 8, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified."
All things work together for good, not just good things, but all things. God will use all that takes place in the next four years to work together for the good of those who love Him. All things that take place in the next four years will serve to make those who are striving after Him, become more like Christ. All things that take place in the next four years will serve to fulfill His purpose. Regardless of who is elected God is in control.
Ultimately, sin will be punished, evil will be destroyed, and God will be glorified. So for now, join me in praying for our leader, for our country, and for God's will to be done.
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
My vote has been cast already, and it's been based on more than the simple fact of I don't like the other candidate. I've voted based on who I believe will be the best leader for our current situation. But even as I voted I've remembered that no candidate has all the answers. No candidate can fix everything, no matter what they claim they will do.
Many people are anxious, some are even fearful about the outcome of tomorrow’s event. Part of me is worried for the future of my country. But as I think about all of that I'm reminded that the future of this nation and the rest of the world is not in the hands of any man.
No matter who is elected tomorrow, God is still in control. God knows who is going to win, and God knows what the next four years hold. God knows the trials that we are going to face. He knows the needs of the people. He knows the hearts of both men running, and God's will is going to be done. The results that we learn tomorrow will not catch Him off guard or by surprise.
And as we look at the future we must remember that no president or policy will be able to fix everything. There are problems that lie at the heart of man. Problems that can, and will, only be resolved by the transforming power of Jesus Christ. No matter who is elected our job is to pray for our leader (1 Timothy 2). Our job is to strive to become like Christ, to show the love of Christ to all people. Our job is not to worry, but simply to fall back into God's arms and trust Him.
The Bible says in Romans 8, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified."
All things work together for good, not just good things, but all things. God will use all that takes place in the next four years to work together for the good of those who love Him. All things that take place in the next four years will serve to make those who are striving after Him, become more like Christ. All things that take place in the next four years will serve to fulfill His purpose. Regardless of who is elected God is in control.
Ultimately, sin will be punished, evil will be destroyed, and God will be glorified. So for now, join me in praying for our leader, for our country, and for God's will to be done.
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
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