2018 is almost upon us. The older I get the more that this sounds like a threat. Time passing is something that we wish for when we are younger and dread when we are older. As our kids grow we wish we could slow things down and hold on to precious hours. Time is an important commodity.
Perhaps you have never really given it thought, but time is the very first commodity that God gave to His creation. We have the creation of light and dark and the beginning and end of day 1. And so began creation. And so continued creation on a series of light and dark creating days and hours. And as the hours passed sin entered the picture, and with sin, death. And death has a tendency to remind us that the days and hours that we are given because of the penalty of sin is much shorter than was intended. Which is why we long for time.
May I encourage you as we approach 2018 to view your life and your time and all of your other resources as a small part of the larger story of what God is doing? When you focus here it does not make time go slower, but it does redeem the time and make it for the purpose for which God gave it to you. Your time is not really yours, it belongs to the God who created time itself. And as such you are indentured to use your time to His honor and glory. Think of time as a loan. God has given it to you for a short time so that you can invest it for His purposes. And when we think of time in the way that God intended we will rest in the fact that the time we have is purposeful and meaningful.
Soli Deo Gloria.
Tuesday, December 19, 2017
Tuesday, December 12, 2017
How do we know what we know?
Do you know how many wise men there were? Of course we know this - it is in every nativity scene ever. There were three. In fact, they have names. And did you know that Jesus did not cry the night He was born. He was perfect after all. And did you know . . . Of course both of these things are absolutely false. We do not know how many wise men there were, we know how many gifts there were. And Jesus did make sounds when he was born. "No crying He makes. . . " is a farcical fancy of someone's imagination. If Jesus did not cry how would Mary know he was cold, or hungry or needed changed!
This begs the question, "How do I know what I know?" Many times we allow ourselves to know things without considering their source or authority. We do this every time we click on a headline that is fanciful and eye catching. When we believe a political pundit without fact checking we commit this problem. The bottom line is that we really ought to know why we know what we know. And the other major bottom line is this. If it does not come from Scripture, it is suspect.
Many take tradition as a source of knowledge, but tradition is insufficient and often leads to un-biblical practice. Many use experience as a source of knowledge, but simply because we experience something does not make it true. We live in a culture and time when truth is something that is hard to come by - which should drive us all the more the Scripture. There we have the promise from the faithful God Himself that "My Word is Truth". We turn to Jesus who was the Way, the Truth and the Life. And we hold most dear the truths that we know from Scripture.
So, how do you know what you know?
This begs the question, "How do I know what I know?" Many times we allow ourselves to know things without considering their source or authority. We do this every time we click on a headline that is fanciful and eye catching. When we believe a political pundit without fact checking we commit this problem. The bottom line is that we really ought to know why we know what we know. And the other major bottom line is this. If it does not come from Scripture, it is suspect.
Many take tradition as a source of knowledge, but tradition is insufficient and often leads to un-biblical practice. Many use experience as a source of knowledge, but simply because we experience something does not make it true. We live in a culture and time when truth is something that is hard to come by - which should drive us all the more the Scripture. There we have the promise from the faithful God Himself that "My Word is Truth". We turn to Jesus who was the Way, the Truth and the Life. And we hold most dear the truths that we know from Scripture.
So, how do you know what you know?
Tuesday, December 5, 2017
Another Look at Jesus
Christmas is always a hard time for a pastor. Not in the sense you might be thinking, but in the sense of talking about a story that everyone thinks they already know and if you mess with it, they call you the Grinch! Not only that, but for a few weeks the expectation seems to be that every Sunday School Lesson, Sermon and Devotional that you do be connected in some way to the Christmas story. And if you have extra services around Christmas obviously those need to be connected too! Praise the Lord that the story does not change and the message is the same yesterday, today and forever. That does not make it any easier on us pastor's though (do you feel sorry for us yet?)
Perhaps you are like a pastor in this sense. You go through your Christmas routine year after year. You get the decorations down around the same time, put them up in the same place they were before. Shop for presents either early (like you always do) or at the last minute (like you always do). There is always people who compete to put up the prettiest and brightest decorations and people who frankly just do not care. Your family does not change, just gets older. Your fights with said family members do not change. The stress does not change. In the midst of all that we call Christmas do you wonder how to stay new and fresh and how to keep Christ at the center.
May I suggest that the answer to my dilemma and yours is the same - look at Jesus. Though He and His biography is changeless, the wealth of His story and its depth are inexhaustible. Perhaps that is what we need this Christmas season - more looking at Jesus and less at ourselves. And perhaps in the looking we will find the joy that is promised, the peace that passes understanding and a desire to tell the old, old story perhaps one more time!
Perhaps you are like a pastor in this sense. You go through your Christmas routine year after year. You get the decorations down around the same time, put them up in the same place they were before. Shop for presents either early (like you always do) or at the last minute (like you always do). There is always people who compete to put up the prettiest and brightest decorations and people who frankly just do not care. Your family does not change, just gets older. Your fights with said family members do not change. The stress does not change. In the midst of all that we call Christmas do you wonder how to stay new and fresh and how to keep Christ at the center.
May I suggest that the answer to my dilemma and yours is the same - look at Jesus. Though He and His biography is changeless, the wealth of His story and its depth are inexhaustible. Perhaps that is what we need this Christmas season - more looking at Jesus and less at ourselves. And perhaps in the looking we will find the joy that is promised, the peace that passes understanding and a desire to tell the old, old story perhaps one more time!
Monday, November 13, 2017
Give Thanks to the Lord, Call Upon His Name
"Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples."
1 Chronicles 16:8
About 3 weeks ago I started to see again on Facebook a slew of people doing something that they are thankful for each day. We get to Thanksgiving and we seem to be reminded and remember our need to give thanks. We have praise services designed to give opportunity for giving thanks and we think about our thankfulness a lot more often.
I have found in my life however that if I truly evaluate my thanksgiving it sounds more like an expectation than it does genuine gratitude. If we leave the command as simply give thanks, we say, "Thank you." and seem to be done with our requirement. Which is why I love this verse. IN 1 Chronicles there is this glorious moment where the ark has been returned to Israel and David is making plans for it to be in Jerusalem. He builds it a temporary home and begins a psalm of praise that is related in content to Psalm 105. This is the first verse of that psalm in verse 8 and it contains more than just the command to give thanks. In fact, it is three commands that I believe are related.
1. Give thanks
2. Call upon His name
3. Make known His deeds among the peoples.
We are certainly to give thanks to God for all that He does on our behalf, but we have two other responsibilities along with it.
Call upon His name - this has the idea behind it of trust and reliance upon God. It has the idea of devotion to God. It carries the weight of our relationship with God and the realization that we are to place all of our lives into His capable hands.
Make His name known - this means that we are designed to tell others about all that God has done for us. And the target of this, the peoples, means that for Israel they were to tell non-Israelites about the good things that God has done. For us, this means that we are to use the things for which we are thankful as means of witness in the world around us. We are to give glory to God. So by all means, say what you are thankful for on Facebook, and then go out and trust God more, share God more with those around you. And in so doing you will demonstrate true gratitude!
1 Chronicles 16:8
About 3 weeks ago I started to see again on Facebook a slew of people doing something that they are thankful for each day. We get to Thanksgiving and we seem to be reminded and remember our need to give thanks. We have praise services designed to give opportunity for giving thanks and we think about our thankfulness a lot more often.
I have found in my life however that if I truly evaluate my thanksgiving it sounds more like an expectation than it does genuine gratitude. If we leave the command as simply give thanks, we say, "Thank you." and seem to be done with our requirement. Which is why I love this verse. IN 1 Chronicles there is this glorious moment where the ark has been returned to Israel and David is making plans for it to be in Jerusalem. He builds it a temporary home and begins a psalm of praise that is related in content to Psalm 105. This is the first verse of that psalm in verse 8 and it contains more than just the command to give thanks. In fact, it is three commands that I believe are related.
1. Give thanks
2. Call upon His name
3. Make known His deeds among the peoples.
We are certainly to give thanks to God for all that He does on our behalf, but we have two other responsibilities along with it.
Call upon His name - this has the idea behind it of trust and reliance upon God. It has the idea of devotion to God. It carries the weight of our relationship with God and the realization that we are to place all of our lives into His capable hands.
Make His name known - this means that we are designed to tell others about all that God has done for us. And the target of this, the peoples, means that for Israel they were to tell non-Israelites about the good things that God has done. For us, this means that we are to use the things for which we are thankful as means of witness in the world around us. We are to give glory to God. So by all means, say what you are thankful for on Facebook, and then go out and trust God more, share God more with those around you. And in so doing you will demonstrate true gratitude!
Tuesday, November 7, 2017
Psalm 119
This passage is the longest chapter of the Bible and I think that most people who are doing a "Read through the Bible in a year" program dread the day that they have to read through this long chapter. However, there are a few things that you should know about this chapter of Scripture that perhaps will give you a greater appreciation for it. For starters, did you know that it was a love poem?
Psalm 119 is a love poem for the Word of God. In fact, the psalmist mentions the Word of God in some way shape or form in every single verse. That's right, every verse mentions the speech of God. It uses many words, words, statutes, laws, commands, etc. but all of them refer to the same thing, what God has said to us. And the psalmist mentions it a lot!
Did you know that Psalm 119 is an acrostic. For those not familiar with poetry an acrostic is a poem where successive lines or groups of lines start with letters that spell something out. In this case the poem spells out the entire Hebrew Alphabet. And not only does he come up with one thing to say for each letter, but the psalm is broken down into groups of eight. He says eight things about the Word of God that start with the first letter (Aleph). And then he says eight things that start with the second letter. (Beth) And then the third. And the fourth. And so on all the way through the Hebrew Alphabet.
I want to pause and ask how well we could do this in our language. Find eight ways to say coherent sentences that accurately describe your love for God's Word. Now find eight ways to say them that start with the letter A. Now jump to Z and have some fun!
The point of all of this is to drive us to a deep understanding of how much the author loves the words of his God. And that leads me to a question. Do you love the Word of God? Is it precious to you? Do you care enough to express your love for it and all the benefits that it gives you? Perhaps we could learn a lot from Psalm 119!
Psalm 119 is a love poem for the Word of God. In fact, the psalmist mentions the Word of God in some way shape or form in every single verse. That's right, every verse mentions the speech of God. It uses many words, words, statutes, laws, commands, etc. but all of them refer to the same thing, what God has said to us. And the psalmist mentions it a lot!
Did you know that Psalm 119 is an acrostic. For those not familiar with poetry an acrostic is a poem where successive lines or groups of lines start with letters that spell something out. In this case the poem spells out the entire Hebrew Alphabet. And not only does he come up with one thing to say for each letter, but the psalm is broken down into groups of eight. He says eight things about the Word of God that start with the first letter (Aleph). And then he says eight things that start with the second letter. (Beth) And then the third. And the fourth. And so on all the way through the Hebrew Alphabet.
I want to pause and ask how well we could do this in our language. Find eight ways to say coherent sentences that accurately describe your love for God's Word. Now find eight ways to say them that start with the letter A. Now jump to Z and have some fun!
The point of all of this is to drive us to a deep understanding of how much the author loves the words of his God. And that leads me to a question. Do you love the Word of God? Is it precious to you? Do you care enough to express your love for it and all the benefits that it gives you? Perhaps we could learn a lot from Psalm 119!
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Psalm 118
"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting." Psalm 118:1 (NASB)
As we draw closer to Thanksgiving I always think about this verse. One of the reasons this keeps coming to me is life experience. As a child it is easy to be thankful when things go the way that we want. When we get the things that we asked for on our Christmas list for example, it is easy to say thank you. But I remember the great grandmother I had who always gave me a pair of socks. It was harder to be thankful for that. Now as an adult looking back and knowing that she made a pair of socks for each of her kids , their kids, and their kids as a close to 90 year old woman I can appreciate more the work and sacrifice. I do not know, but it is quite possible she had arthritis and making these socks was a labor of love, but I did not process all of that as a child. I only noticed how I did not really want socks and wished she would give me money instead.
The problem with this type of thinking is not just childish because we as adults tend to think this way as well. The real problem here is that thanksgiving becomes dependent on circumstance. When things happen in a good way I will give thanks, but when they do not I will struggle. And into this circumstantial thanksgiving drops this truth from Psalm 118. I am to give thanks to God because He is good.
Notice that it does not say that we are to give thanks to God because everything we experience we would call good. In fact the Scriptures are clear that we will have trouble and turmoil and trials. And yet in the good and the bad in our experience, in our circumstance, in all of it - GOD IS GOOD. And that is enough for us to give thanks.
As we draw closer to Thanksgiving I always think about this verse. One of the reasons this keeps coming to me is life experience. As a child it is easy to be thankful when things go the way that we want. When we get the things that we asked for on our Christmas list for example, it is easy to say thank you. But I remember the great grandmother I had who always gave me a pair of socks. It was harder to be thankful for that. Now as an adult looking back and knowing that she made a pair of socks for each of her kids , their kids, and their kids as a close to 90 year old woman I can appreciate more the work and sacrifice. I do not know, but it is quite possible she had arthritis and making these socks was a labor of love, but I did not process all of that as a child. I only noticed how I did not really want socks and wished she would give me money instead.
The problem with this type of thinking is not just childish because we as adults tend to think this way as well. The real problem here is that thanksgiving becomes dependent on circumstance. When things happen in a good way I will give thanks, but when they do not I will struggle. And into this circumstantial thanksgiving drops this truth from Psalm 118. I am to give thanks to God because He is good.
Notice that it does not say that we are to give thanks to God because everything we experience we would call good. In fact the Scriptures are clear that we will have trouble and turmoil and trials. And yet in the good and the bad in our experience, in our circumstance, in all of it - GOD IS GOOD. And that is enough for us to give thanks.
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
Psalm 117
Psalm 117 is a comparatively short psalm. It is only 2 verses and really only two complete sentences. And yet it contains an essential truth. It call us to praise the Lord because his mercy is great toward us. And His truth endures forever. There are essentially two elements for which we are to praise God:
1. We praise God because He has shown us mercy.
Every day that we live apart from Him he has shown us the mercy of seeing a new day. When He redeems us, it is by His mercy, and each day we live in grace following our transformation into the image of His Son, we live by the mercy of God. I remember the song that quoted the Scriptures that His mercies are new every morning.
One problem that we have is a faulty view of merit. We think that because of our greatness that we somehow have earned the mercy of God. After all, I read my Bible today. I did not commit murder today. I even tried to do something nice for my co-worker. Therefore I must be on God's good list and I deserve His favor. This is faulty because none of us deserve the favor of God because we are simply not worthy of it. We are NOT good enough. We are NOT smart enough. We are NOT worthy. We lack holiness and righteousness and goodness and justice apart from His mercy. And that is why we praise Him for it.
2. We praise God because His truth endures forever.
Truth in our culture is so fleeting and nebulous. Truth in our God does not change and is accessible through the Word. This too is reason to praise God.
So, have you obeyed Psalm 117 today? If not, will you praise the Lord with me?
1. We praise God because He has shown us mercy.
Every day that we live apart from Him he has shown us the mercy of seeing a new day. When He redeems us, it is by His mercy, and each day we live in grace following our transformation into the image of His Son, we live by the mercy of God. I remember the song that quoted the Scriptures that His mercies are new every morning.
One problem that we have is a faulty view of merit. We think that because of our greatness that we somehow have earned the mercy of God. After all, I read my Bible today. I did not commit murder today. I even tried to do something nice for my co-worker. Therefore I must be on God's good list and I deserve His favor. This is faulty because none of us deserve the favor of God because we are simply not worthy of it. We are NOT good enough. We are NOT smart enough. We are NOT worthy. We lack holiness and righteousness and goodness and justice apart from His mercy. And that is why we praise Him for it.
2. We praise God because His truth endures forever.
Truth in our culture is so fleeting and nebulous. Truth in our God does not change and is accessible through the Word. This too is reason to praise God.
So, have you obeyed Psalm 117 today? If not, will you praise the Lord with me?
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
A test
This is a test for how worthwhile taking the time to do this blog is. If you read this, please let me know in some way. I enjoy writing these blogs, but it is showing that no one is reading them. Therefore I want to test to see if anyone out there is actually reading these blogs. Thank you.
Tuesday, October 10, 2017
2 Timothy 2:15
"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15, NASB)
I cited this passage in my sermon this past Sunday and it has come up in my recent study with our youth group. There are three words in this text that I want to focus on today.
Diligent - The command to open the verse is a command that requires us to exist in a state of diligence. When I think of diligent, I think of attention to detail and in the case of the context, we are to pay attention to how we are presenting ourselves before God. And the second word gives us a concept of how we are to present ourselves to God
Workman- Specifically, this workman that we are to be is to be a workman that does not need to be ashamed. This implies that there are workmen (and women) that will present themselves to God and be ashamed. This concept of shame is a difficult one for us to understand sometimes. We are to present ourselves to God in a way that is free from shame. And the third word tells us how we can do this.
Accurately - The way to be unashamed before God is to accurately handle the word of truth that has been entrusted to us. We are to accurately handle the Word. We are to accurately handle the Gospel truth that has been given to us. Again this implies that there are inaccurate ways to handle the Word given to us. And so we are to work hard to make sure that we are understanding and using the Word of God correctly.
I think that if we use this in reverse and understand that our accurate presentation of the Word of God is how we present ourselves to God without shame it would put a fire in our Bible Study. It would mean we do not simply read to mark a checklist off, but desire to understand and dive deep into what His Word is teaching us. And we would do so with a diligence that is unmatched!
To God be the glory!
I cited this passage in my sermon this past Sunday and it has come up in my recent study with our youth group. There are three words in this text that I want to focus on today.
Diligent - The command to open the verse is a command that requires us to exist in a state of diligence. When I think of diligent, I think of attention to detail and in the case of the context, we are to pay attention to how we are presenting ourselves before God. And the second word gives us a concept of how we are to present ourselves to God
Workman- Specifically, this workman that we are to be is to be a workman that does not need to be ashamed. This implies that there are workmen (and women) that will present themselves to God and be ashamed. This concept of shame is a difficult one for us to understand sometimes. We are to present ourselves to God in a way that is free from shame. And the third word tells us how we can do this.
Accurately - The way to be unashamed before God is to accurately handle the word of truth that has been entrusted to us. We are to accurately handle the Word. We are to accurately handle the Gospel truth that has been given to us. Again this implies that there are inaccurate ways to handle the Word given to us. And so we are to work hard to make sure that we are understanding and using the Word of God correctly.
I think that if we use this in reverse and understand that our accurate presentation of the Word of God is how we present ourselves to God without shame it would put a fire in our Bible Study. It would mean we do not simply read to mark a checklist off, but desire to understand and dive deep into what His Word is teaching us. And we would do so with a diligence that is unmatched!
To God be the glory!
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
The Power of Listening
This weekend at our church we had a special guest missionary for our 2nd Missions Emphasis Sunday of the year. While speaking on Acts 8 and the story of Philip and the Ethiopian, he pointed out that one of the things that we need to do as we engage our world is to listen and ask questions. The more I thought about this the more I thought about how profound it truly is. As the weekend ended with a concert in Las Vegas that did not go as expected and many people were injured and lost their life, what struck me when I turned on the news was how nobody seemed to be listening. Everyone was pontificating and sharing their opinions. They interviewed the shooters brother and he stated his opinion of his brother. The newscasters and politicians use the situation to get the best angle on the story and the best way to spin the story to make it fit within the agenda of whatever political party happened to be speaking. In all of this, no one was listening.
We have a crisis in our world that we need to listen to. It is called Sin. It is something that we should have listened to the Scriptures about. And its answer is not to reduce the number of guns used to commit sin any more than it would be to remove the eyes that commit lust. It is not to consider the factors that led someone to commit sin. THE ANSWER is to consider the remedy to sin provided by the Lord Jesus Christ and recognize Him as Savior and Lord. Nothing else will ultimately fix anyone.
So perhaps we need to encourage people to read the Scriptures so that we can ask, "Do you understand what you are reading?" Or just ask them, "Do you understand what you are seeing" as we address cultural issues. And this applies to more than just the devastating events in Las Vegas. We need to be willing to listen to the Word of God and allow Him to change us from the inside out. We need to be much better listeners.
We have a crisis in our world that we need to listen to. It is called Sin. It is something that we should have listened to the Scriptures about. And its answer is not to reduce the number of guns used to commit sin any more than it would be to remove the eyes that commit lust. It is not to consider the factors that led someone to commit sin. THE ANSWER is to consider the remedy to sin provided by the Lord Jesus Christ and recognize Him as Savior and Lord. Nothing else will ultimately fix anyone.
So perhaps we need to encourage people to read the Scriptures so that we can ask, "Do you understand what you are reading?" Or just ask them, "Do you understand what you are seeing" as we address cultural issues. And this applies to more than just the devastating events in Las Vegas. We need to be willing to listen to the Word of God and allow Him to change us from the inside out. We need to be much better listeners.
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Knowing Nothing But Christ
Paul makes an interesting statement in 1 Corinthians 2:2. There he says, "For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified." In this statement he is commenting on the content of the gospel message that he proclaimed to them and the manner in which it was proclaimed. Most of the context relates to the idea that the gospel message was not about Paul and how he presented it, but about the power of the Word of God proclaimed and enabled by the Spirit of God to connect with the heart of the hearer.
I do not know about you, but I need to be reminded of this because I tend to sneak into my life far too often. It is very easy to become the center of what Christ has done. He did it after all for me. This thought is both misleading and dangerous. Christ did not die for me in the sense that He died for the singular purpose of my salvation. That is simply not true. Christ died in obedience to the will of the Father and to bring honor and glory to God in His perfect salvation plan. When we say that He died for me, what we need to be referring to is substitution. He died the death I should have died and in this sense, biblically, he did die for me.
But when we are proclaiming the gospel, perhaps we, like Paul, need to be reminded that we should preach nothing except Jesus. Not Jesus and our preferences in worship. Not Jesus and our neatly wrapped theological package that we think you must accept all of it or none of it. Not Jesus and . . . anything. It is simply the work of Jesus Christ on the cross that saves and that should be the center of our gospel-centered conversation.
I do not know about you, but I need to be reminded of this because I tend to sneak into my life far too often. It is very easy to become the center of what Christ has done. He did it after all for me. This thought is both misleading and dangerous. Christ did not die for me in the sense that He died for the singular purpose of my salvation. That is simply not true. Christ died in obedience to the will of the Father and to bring honor and glory to God in His perfect salvation plan. When we say that He died for me, what we need to be referring to is substitution. He died the death I should have died and in this sense, biblically, he did die for me.
But when we are proclaiming the gospel, perhaps we, like Paul, need to be reminded that we should preach nothing except Jesus. Not Jesus and our preferences in worship. Not Jesus and our neatly wrapped theological package that we think you must accept all of it or none of it. Not Jesus and . . . anything. It is simply the work of Jesus Christ on the cross that saves and that should be the center of our gospel-centered conversation.
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
Why I Preach the Bible
Why do I spend so much time preaching the Bible? I may be able to get more people in the pew if I preached "10 ways to be a better father" or "How to engage a sinful culture". Why spend any time reading the Bible if people can do this on their own. Actually, my reason is quite simple - God tells me to do it.
Paul says to a young pastor named Timothy in his second letter to him in chapter 4 and verse 1, "I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word." It is fascinating that this comes in a section referencing times when it is difficult to preach the gospel. In a world that is out of control what is it that a pastor can do to ensure his faithfulness to God? Preach the Word. And, Paul exhorts Timothy to do so. This is more than a suggestion, it is a strong command. It is a command that is judicially binding, as it requires witnesses. And the witnesses that testify to Timothy's need to preach the Word are as follows: God himself, Jesus Christ who is judge of living and the dead, by the appearance of Christ and the kingdom of God in its entirety! Every time I preach, I preach in the presence of these witnesses and therefore am exhorted to make sure that my message is the Word of God!
Paul says to a young pastor named Timothy in his second letter to him in chapter 4 and verse 1, "I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word." It is fascinating that this comes in a section referencing times when it is difficult to preach the gospel. In a world that is out of control what is it that a pastor can do to ensure his faithfulness to God? Preach the Word. And, Paul exhorts Timothy to do so. This is more than a suggestion, it is a strong command. It is a command that is judicially binding, as it requires witnesses. And the witnesses that testify to Timothy's need to preach the Word are as follows: God himself, Jesus Christ who is judge of living and the dead, by the appearance of Christ and the kingdom of God in its entirety! Every time I preach, I preach in the presence of these witnesses and therefore am exhorted to make sure that my message is the Word of God!
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
People
Living the Christian life would be really easy if it were not for the other people around. Ever thought that? Ever thought that if no one else was around you would have no trouble doing all the things you need to do? I mean it would be so easy to be kind if they would just be kind to me. I could tell the truth if I did not have to impress my boss. I would be patient if they were just a little easier to get along with!
It is interesting that the church is just as difficult a place to get along with people. We all have different personalities and different ideas of how things should be done. And sometimes these clash and cause conflict. When this happens there are a few verses that I think we should remember.
Ephesians 4:31-32
We know the second verse in this set. We know that we are to be kind, but have you ever thought about how hard it is to be kind without letting go of the bitterness, wrath, anger, slander and malice in verse 31?
Have you ever thought that this verse is here because of the tendency we have as people to exhibit this kind of behavior?
Philippians 2:1-11
Here is a challenging one where we realize that the way that we relate to one another is directly impacted by how we have related to the things that Christ has done for us. And that how we relate to one another is connected to how our ultimate example - the Lord Jesus Christ. For me this puts into perspective the things that I have to endure. Sure people can be harsh but they whipped and beat Jesus. Sure they can be mean, but they killed Jesus. And Jesus still loved them.
Today, remember that God loves you enough to include other people in your life so that you can demonstrate His love to them. Even when they are difficult!
It is interesting that the church is just as difficult a place to get along with people. We all have different personalities and different ideas of how things should be done. And sometimes these clash and cause conflict. When this happens there are a few verses that I think we should remember.
Ephesians 4:31-32
We know the second verse in this set. We know that we are to be kind, but have you ever thought about how hard it is to be kind without letting go of the bitterness, wrath, anger, slander and malice in verse 31?
Have you ever thought that this verse is here because of the tendency we have as people to exhibit this kind of behavior?
Philippians 2:1-11
Here is a challenging one where we realize that the way that we relate to one another is directly impacted by how we have related to the things that Christ has done for us. And that how we relate to one another is connected to how our ultimate example - the Lord Jesus Christ. For me this puts into perspective the things that I have to endure. Sure people can be harsh but they whipped and beat Jesus. Sure they can be mean, but they killed Jesus. And Jesus still loved them.
Today, remember that God loves you enough to include other people in your life so that you can demonstrate His love to them. Even when they are difficult!
Tuesday, September 5, 2017
The Purpose of the Law
We are soon going to be studying the law of God in our Sunday School class. Whenever I do this it is good to remind myself of the purpose of the law according to the New Testament. For this we turn to Galatians chapter 3. I want to focus today on a single verse from this text. Please note with me Galatians 3:22.
"But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise of God by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe."
My mom used to tell me to stop telling my brother to shut up, but that is precisely what the Bible says that the law does. The law shuts me up. The law reminds me that I have no ability to keep it on my own. It tells me that I am not good enough and need the love of Christ and the work of Christ to keep me in the favor of God. The law shuts me up.
Here is the simple reminder that we all need. We are all failures under the law of God. No one can keep it perfectly. No one. Not a single one of us. And that is precisely its purpose. To keep us quiet. To remind us of our need. May God use His word to consistently and constantly remind us of our need for Him.
"But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise of God by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe."
My mom used to tell me to stop telling my brother to shut up, but that is precisely what the Bible says that the law does. The law shuts me up. The law reminds me that I have no ability to keep it on my own. It tells me that I am not good enough and need the love of Christ and the work of Christ to keep me in the favor of God. The law shuts me up.
Here is the simple reminder that we all need. We are all failures under the law of God. No one can keep it perfectly. No one. Not a single one of us. And that is precisely its purpose. To keep us quiet. To remind us of our need. May God use His word to consistently and constantly remind us of our need for Him.
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
Football Season
Football season is upon us. The cute pictures of little children in huge uniforms are beginning on Facebook. The sports-casters are pontificating about which team (in either college or pro) will be good this year. I myself cheer for the Wolverines and hope they do well! What intrigues me about football is something that seems similar in all sports - the dedication that good players put into the game. There are always people who show up to practice but seem content where they are and have no desire to get better. These players may even be skilled enough to get playing time, but these are not the players that the coaches commend or the fans love. The players that seem to be the most revered are the ones that regardless of skill show up AND work their tails off to get better. Every practice, every play, they have one goal in mind - to progress and be better than the day before. These players are fun to watch.
It makes me wonder about the similarities between football players and Christians. Sometimes Christians tend to do the same thing. There are a few Christians who eagerly seek after Christ and His likeness with a ferocious tenacity and a strong desire to be more like Him. But many Christians seem to show up for "practice" on Sunday morning but do no conditioning, no strength training, no daily workouts. They may have enough talent naturally to seem normal and even fool many other Christians, but there is no drive, no desire to grow.
The question then is which type of Christian are you?
It makes me wonder about the similarities between football players and Christians. Sometimes Christians tend to do the same thing. There are a few Christians who eagerly seek after Christ and His likeness with a ferocious tenacity and a strong desire to be more like Him. But many Christians seem to show up for "practice" on Sunday morning but do no conditioning, no strength training, no daily workouts. They may have enough talent naturally to seem normal and even fool many other Christians, but there is no drive, no desire to grow.
The question then is which type of Christian are you?
Tuesday, August 22, 2017
The Coming Judgment
I was waiting for it and then the headline came, "The Solar Eclipse is a Sign that America is Evil". While it may not have been a popular headline, it was a headline none-the-less. I expected it. After all, there are some people who take any astrological oddity to mean that the judgment of God is coming.
Let me be clear. I am not saying that we are not deserving of judgment. I am one hundred percent convinced that our world should be anticipating the coming judgment. I am not saying that God will not judge, in fact - quite the opposite. I am certain with the highest level of certainty that God is indeed going to judge. The Scripture are clear that there is a day of coming judgment. What I am concerned about is the fact that it seems to me that when people state that something is definitively going to happen at such and such a time and they are dead wrong it hurts the body of Christ and the reliability of the Scriptures. This is why it is so critical that we let the Bible speak for itself and focus on teaching what the Scriptures teach.
Let me illustrate my concern this way. If I say that I am going to the store right now and I don't go, I lied. If I say I will go to the store shortly, this gives me a little more clarity and if I don't go right away I have not lied (unless it is days before I actually go). If I say that I will go to the store, this gives me immense freedom. As we apply this to the Bible and its discussion of end times, the Scriptures are clear that Christ is returning to save His church and judge the living and the dead. Absolutely it will happen. But it does not tell us when. Ever. In fact, it says that we do not know the day this will happen. It is not going to be known - it will come like a thief in the night. A thief does not announce his arrival. Yes there will be signs that are given, but if you look at the signs that are given they are signs that indicate that it could happen at any time. In fact, every generation from when Christ ascended, including the first generation of Christians thought that Christ was coming in their generation. And He could have. And that is the point. He could come today. And we need to be ready for His coming - and we need to prepare others for His coming. His coming is imminent. It could happen today.
But please do not go around stating that because it could happen today that it will happen today. Or tomorrow. Or the next solar eclipse, or the next major world event. We do not know when Christ will return. We do know that He will. And so we are to proclaim what we know - we know Christ will return, and that we should be ready. Today. Regardless of astrological sign. Regardless of world event. Preach Christ today!
Let me be clear. I am not saying that we are not deserving of judgment. I am one hundred percent convinced that our world should be anticipating the coming judgment. I am not saying that God will not judge, in fact - quite the opposite. I am certain with the highest level of certainty that God is indeed going to judge. The Scripture are clear that there is a day of coming judgment. What I am concerned about is the fact that it seems to me that when people state that something is definitively going to happen at such and such a time and they are dead wrong it hurts the body of Christ and the reliability of the Scriptures. This is why it is so critical that we let the Bible speak for itself and focus on teaching what the Scriptures teach.
Let me illustrate my concern this way. If I say that I am going to the store right now and I don't go, I lied. If I say I will go to the store shortly, this gives me a little more clarity and if I don't go right away I have not lied (unless it is days before I actually go). If I say that I will go to the store, this gives me immense freedom. As we apply this to the Bible and its discussion of end times, the Scriptures are clear that Christ is returning to save His church and judge the living and the dead. Absolutely it will happen. But it does not tell us when. Ever. In fact, it says that we do not know the day this will happen. It is not going to be known - it will come like a thief in the night. A thief does not announce his arrival. Yes there will be signs that are given, but if you look at the signs that are given they are signs that indicate that it could happen at any time. In fact, every generation from when Christ ascended, including the first generation of Christians thought that Christ was coming in their generation. And He could have. And that is the point. He could come today. And we need to be ready for His coming - and we need to prepare others for His coming. His coming is imminent. It could happen today.
But please do not go around stating that because it could happen today that it will happen today. Or tomorrow. Or the next solar eclipse, or the next major world event. We do not know when Christ will return. We do know that He will. And so we are to proclaim what we know - we know Christ will return, and that we should be ready. Today. Regardless of astrological sign. Regardless of world event. Preach Christ today!
Tuesday, August 15, 2017
Eclipse
There is a great deal of hype that has been building to see a rather unique event in the USA. We are hearing weeks in advance of strategies for how to best view this Great American Eclipse. Even though an eclipse occurs around twice a year, it is unusual in both its visibility across the US and you would have to wait a few years to be able to see another total eclipse. So the buildup and hype continues. There are bus rides you can take, hotels are booked. Traffic is supposed to be terrible in certain areas. And of course there are the warnings to not look at the sun! All of this because of an astrological occurrence.
This got me thinking about the coming of the Son of God. No one hyped his coming. Unless you were the mother and father, or a group of shepherds, you probably did not even hear about it. There was no hype. The most exciting thing was Magi coming two years later that got the King stirred up. He had a fairly normal upbringing and in his adulthood people questioned if anything good could come from Nazareth. He was unhyped. Unpublicized. And at the end of three years of ministry all the hype he had created got Him killed.
I wonder if we as Christians are excited about His return in the way we are excited to see an eclipse. We know it is coming. We know it could be today. And yet what are we doing in our personal lives to prepare? Most of us act as though nothing is happening at all. Many of us fear, wondering perhaps if God is still in control. But most assuredly He is bring about His perfect will, which involves every knee bowing and every tongue confessing. So, if this is even more sure than our ability to see an eclipse, lets get excited about it! Let's tell our neighbors, our friends, anyone who will listen that Jesus is coming back.
And you will not need a pair of special glasses to see Him!
This got me thinking about the coming of the Son of God. No one hyped his coming. Unless you were the mother and father, or a group of shepherds, you probably did not even hear about it. There was no hype. The most exciting thing was Magi coming two years later that got the King stirred up. He had a fairly normal upbringing and in his adulthood people questioned if anything good could come from Nazareth. He was unhyped. Unpublicized. And at the end of three years of ministry all the hype he had created got Him killed.
I wonder if we as Christians are excited about His return in the way we are excited to see an eclipse. We know it is coming. We know it could be today. And yet what are we doing in our personal lives to prepare? Most of us act as though nothing is happening at all. Many of us fear, wondering perhaps if God is still in control. But most assuredly He is bring about His perfect will, which involves every knee bowing and every tongue confessing. So, if this is even more sure than our ability to see an eclipse, lets get excited about it! Let's tell our neighbors, our friends, anyone who will listen that Jesus is coming back.
And you will not need a pair of special glasses to see Him!
Tuesday, August 8, 2017
Crayons on Sale Now at Your Local Retailer
It is that time of year when the center aisle of your local store is crowded with school supplies. When I was a child I always thought it cruel to remind children that school is coming. And now it seems that they begin this cruelty in the middle of July instead of even waiting until August. As a parent I view things a little differently. I thought it would be good to remind us of a few things that we can do as parents to prepare our children for school.
#1 Remind them through word and deed that Jesus comes first.
Your child is uniquely gifted by God to serve Him. That is their number one goal. We need to remind them of this on a regular basis. Good grades are certainly important, but they are not the be-all-end-all of the school experience. Extra-curricular activities can be very beneficial, but they are not the goal of the school experience. Even learning is not the main goal of the educational experience for the follower of Jesus Christ, it is to bring honor and glory to God.
"Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father." Colossians 3:17 (NASB)
Jesus must come first.
#2 Remind them that their value is in their being created in the image of God.
Your child will be tempted to find value in their friends opinions. You child will be tempted to find value in what the media bombards them with. Your child will be tempted to find value in many different places, and it is our job and joy to remind them that they are valuable simply because they are created in God's image, loved by the Almighty and chosen by God to serve. This will aid them greatly in their endeavors.
#3 Remind them to be unique (in the biblical sense) rather than focus on being different.
"Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation." 1 Peter 2:11-12 (NASB)
We are a unique people, chosen by God to bring Him glory. Thus the world will have questions, they may persecute us, they may cause us harm. Our responsibility in this is to do good deeds and show that we are unique.
Basically, remind them they are here for the glory of God and not for anything else! My prayer is that your children will have a blessed school year and that God will truly use them for His honor and glory!
#1 Remind them through word and deed that Jesus comes first.
Your child is uniquely gifted by God to serve Him. That is their number one goal. We need to remind them of this on a regular basis. Good grades are certainly important, but they are not the be-all-end-all of the school experience. Extra-curricular activities can be very beneficial, but they are not the goal of the school experience. Even learning is not the main goal of the educational experience for the follower of Jesus Christ, it is to bring honor and glory to God.
"Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father." Colossians 3:17 (NASB)
Jesus must come first.
#2 Remind them that their value is in their being created in the image of God.
Your child will be tempted to find value in their friends opinions. You child will be tempted to find value in what the media bombards them with. Your child will be tempted to find value in many different places, and it is our job and joy to remind them that they are valuable simply because they are created in God's image, loved by the Almighty and chosen by God to serve. This will aid them greatly in their endeavors.
#3 Remind them to be unique (in the biblical sense) rather than focus on being different.
"Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation." 1 Peter 2:11-12 (NASB)
We are a unique people, chosen by God to bring Him glory. Thus the world will have questions, they may persecute us, they may cause us harm. Our responsibility in this is to do good deeds and show that we are unique.
Basically, remind them they are here for the glory of God and not for anything else! My prayer is that your children will have a blessed school year and that God will truly use them for His honor and glory!
Tuesday, August 1, 2017
Proverbs 3:5-6
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6 (NASB)
These are typically pretty familiar verses. The theme of trusting God is a common one in the Scriptures and one that I think we would all agree that we need to do. We know that we need to trust God. We know that we need to acknowledge that He is supreme ruler. One big problem is how we view ourselves. We think that God is the supreme ruler but that He has made us slightly less than supreme but rulers none-the-less. We think that we should have control and say over our own life. And so I thought it would be prudent (a good word in Proverbs) to examine the phrases of these verses in more detail.
"with all your heart" - I am not going to address the phrase trust in the Lord as I think that most people know what that means at least on a basic level. But this phrase gives us the extent we are to trust God. We are to trust God with all. Everything. Nothing held back that we trust in other than God. No part of our heart that we keep or give to anything except for God Himself. God wants all of us. The heart in the ancient near east was symbolic of the whole of life. Without the heart there was no life, and so life is synonymous with heart. The muscle that pumps blood is everything to us and so we are to give our everything to God in trust. That is challenging on its own, but then the author strengthens his position in two ways.
"lean not on your own understanding" - this gives us the opposite of what it looks like to trust. Note that for this text the opposite of trust is not distrust, but trusting in yourself. This is where I find the most challenge. God does not simply want me to trust Him when I am at the end of myself. He calls for my trust at the beginning, the middle, the end, and in all of who I am. I am not at any moment to trust what I think, what my experience is, or what I believe. In all of it I am to trust God. I am to live for His glory and not my own. My WHOLE LIFE belongs to Him and I am trust Him with all of it! Despite this challenge there is a further clarification.
"In all your ways" - every path that we take. Do you get the idea of what is being said? In all of us, we are to trust none of us but all of God and everywhere we go and everything we do should exemplify our deep abiding trust in God and our complete surrender to Him. When we do this the text tells us that He will make our paths straight. So many people want direction, they want guidance, but they are unwilling to surrender. We want a God who tells us what we want to hear and spend little time listening through His Word to what He would have us do. When we trust and obey (there is no other way) we will find the joy that we seek. But we have to submit and surrender to find this kind of serenity!
These are typically pretty familiar verses. The theme of trusting God is a common one in the Scriptures and one that I think we would all agree that we need to do. We know that we need to trust God. We know that we need to acknowledge that He is supreme ruler. One big problem is how we view ourselves. We think that God is the supreme ruler but that He has made us slightly less than supreme but rulers none-the-less. We think that we should have control and say over our own life. And so I thought it would be prudent (a good word in Proverbs) to examine the phrases of these verses in more detail.
"with all your heart" - I am not going to address the phrase trust in the Lord as I think that most people know what that means at least on a basic level. But this phrase gives us the extent we are to trust God. We are to trust God with all. Everything. Nothing held back that we trust in other than God. No part of our heart that we keep or give to anything except for God Himself. God wants all of us. The heart in the ancient near east was symbolic of the whole of life. Without the heart there was no life, and so life is synonymous with heart. The muscle that pumps blood is everything to us and so we are to give our everything to God in trust. That is challenging on its own, but then the author strengthens his position in two ways.
"lean not on your own understanding" - this gives us the opposite of what it looks like to trust. Note that for this text the opposite of trust is not distrust, but trusting in yourself. This is where I find the most challenge. God does not simply want me to trust Him when I am at the end of myself. He calls for my trust at the beginning, the middle, the end, and in all of who I am. I am not at any moment to trust what I think, what my experience is, or what I believe. In all of it I am to trust God. I am to live for His glory and not my own. My WHOLE LIFE belongs to Him and I am trust Him with all of it! Despite this challenge there is a further clarification.
"In all your ways" - every path that we take. Do you get the idea of what is being said? In all of us, we are to trust none of us but all of God and everywhere we go and everything we do should exemplify our deep abiding trust in God and our complete surrender to Him. When we do this the text tells us that He will make our paths straight. So many people want direction, they want guidance, but they are unwilling to surrender. We want a God who tells us what we want to hear and spend little time listening through His Word to what He would have us do. When we trust and obey (there is no other way) we will find the joy that we seek. But we have to submit and surrender to find this kind of serenity!
Tuesday, July 25, 2017
History
Our local area is celebrating 150 years of local history this year. Along with this comes a great deal of extra activities and fun things to do. We have all heard the expressions about history like, "Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it." (George Santayana) Or Karl Marx statement that history repeats itself first as a tragedy and then as a farce. We think about our own personal histories a lot and most of us are probably not big fans of studying the history of others. I have observed that the more we move along in history it seems the less we care about it. The youngest generations seem to have a growing disinterest in what has happened in the past unless it directly comes into contact with how it impacts their life. We have a growing distrust in history as the belief that it has been written by the winners increases the belief that history is really only one side of a multi-faceted story.
This has impacted the church, and in particular Baptist churches. We care very little for any history but our own and therefore have converged with society in our concern for history. And yet the Scriptures are clear that we are to pay attention to history. We are to learn from the mistakes of Israel as they have been recorded in part for us to avoid repeating them. Titus tells older men and women to make sure to pass on their information to the younger generations. We miss some of this in the context of the local church because we have so individualized our faith that we think we have nothing to learn. I for one am grateful for those who have gone before and done what I am doing and had some success and some failure. I am exceedingly grateful to those who are willing to share their successes and failures with me that I might be a better husband and father and pastor. I am a better follower of God because of these men and women. I am more missions minded because of man named Steve (not my father). I am more focused on people because of a man named John. I survived the teen years and lived to tell about it because of the prayer of my Grandmother. I know more about hospitality from my mother and my mother-in-law. I know of sacrifice because of the stories of my Grandfather who served in WW2. And if I disregard these wonderful influences (and there are many more) than I do so to my own disservice.
So who do you have in your life that teaches you history? Find a few people to add to that list today and you will be better off for it!
This has impacted the church, and in particular Baptist churches. We care very little for any history but our own and therefore have converged with society in our concern for history. And yet the Scriptures are clear that we are to pay attention to history. We are to learn from the mistakes of Israel as they have been recorded in part for us to avoid repeating them. Titus tells older men and women to make sure to pass on their information to the younger generations. We miss some of this in the context of the local church because we have so individualized our faith that we think we have nothing to learn. I for one am grateful for those who have gone before and done what I am doing and had some success and some failure. I am exceedingly grateful to those who are willing to share their successes and failures with me that I might be a better husband and father and pastor. I am a better follower of God because of these men and women. I am more missions minded because of man named Steve (not my father). I am more focused on people because of a man named John. I survived the teen years and lived to tell about it because of the prayer of my Grandmother. I know more about hospitality from my mother and my mother-in-law. I know of sacrifice because of the stories of my Grandfather who served in WW2. And if I disregard these wonderful influences (and there are many more) than I do so to my own disservice.
So who do you have in your life that teaches you history? Find a few people to add to that list today and you will be better off for it!
Tuesday, July 18, 2017
Learning from the testimony of others
Our church recently had a concert at the local band-shell and invited both a musical guest and a speaker to share his testimony. I must confess, no one will ever hire me to share my testimony. You cant fill much time and keep much attention with, "I was saved at the age of 5 because both of my parents loved me enough to share the gospel with me." But as this man spoke of a life of drug addiction and spiraling downward while losing connection with his ex-wife and 4 kids, I realized something. What was keeping my attention was not the details of the story, but the amazing grace of God.
No matter who you are or where you are, God can reach you. No matter what your story is, if you have been redeemed then God has changed your story. And that is precisely the point. The story of our salvation is not a story about us at all. It is a story about God and for this reason, all of them are interesting. When we stop thinking about ourselves and realize that the story of our salvation is a story about God perhaps we would be more willing to share. As this man shared it was time and time again pointed out all that God was doing. It is God who saves, and when God moves it is miraculous, no matter how God is moving.
This is the truly unique thing about being a Christian. It is not about me. It is not about you. It is about a God who chooses to save those that have rejected him. It is about a God whose love reaches into our sinfulness and changes us so that we can be with Him for eternity. And for those of us who claim this part of our story, it is a glorious story that I could hear over and over and over again. If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, please seek out someone you can speak to today. If you have no one to talk to, contact our church (231.894.2686) - we would love to talk with you.
No matter who you are or where you are, God can reach you. No matter what your story is, if you have been redeemed then God has changed your story. And that is precisely the point. The story of our salvation is not a story about us at all. It is a story about God and for this reason, all of them are interesting. When we stop thinking about ourselves and realize that the story of our salvation is a story about God perhaps we would be more willing to share. As this man shared it was time and time again pointed out all that God was doing. It is God who saves, and when God moves it is miraculous, no matter how God is moving.
This is the truly unique thing about being a Christian. It is not about me. It is not about you. It is about a God who chooses to save those that have rejected him. It is about a God whose love reaches into our sinfulness and changes us so that we can be with Him for eternity. And for those of us who claim this part of our story, it is a glorious story that I could hear over and over and over again. If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, please seek out someone you can speak to today. If you have no one to talk to, contact our church (231.894.2686) - we would love to talk with you.
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
An open letter from your Bible
Dear friend,
I wanted to let you know that I am here. You can usually find me sitting on your shelf or underneath your coffee table. Perhaps I am on that ledge right when you get in the door. I appreciate that you pick me up and take me to church with you but think I might be more useful to you if you would use me a little more frequently. In fact, if you would open me up and read my pages I think that you might find a few things. I define you. I explain the world around you. I tell you how to have real joy, real peace, even the kind that passes understanding. I will make you more like Jesus the more you choose to live as I describe and trust that God will make me alive to you. I am living, active, sharper than a two-edged sword and I can tell you what is really going on inside - in the part that no one else can see and you think you are so good at hiding. I am your offensive weapon when fighting against sin and Satan.
The interesting thing is that I don't really do these things by osmosis. It is not enough to simply have a few copies of me lying around, I need to be read to be useful. I need to be studied for the fullest benefit to occur. You can imagine my frustration when I see you sad and I can bring the keys to joy. It is hard for me to see you flounder and not know what to do when I can tell you how to walk the straight and narrow. It is difficult to see you struggle when my words give freedom from sin and death. I am so much more than a guidebook, more than a help when needed, my pages are life. I am a living Word of God. Please allow me to do you a service when you pick me off of the shelf and read me.
Sincerely,
Your Bible
I wanted to let you know that I am here. You can usually find me sitting on your shelf or underneath your coffee table. Perhaps I am on that ledge right when you get in the door. I appreciate that you pick me up and take me to church with you but think I might be more useful to you if you would use me a little more frequently. In fact, if you would open me up and read my pages I think that you might find a few things. I define you. I explain the world around you. I tell you how to have real joy, real peace, even the kind that passes understanding. I will make you more like Jesus the more you choose to live as I describe and trust that God will make me alive to you. I am living, active, sharper than a two-edged sword and I can tell you what is really going on inside - in the part that no one else can see and you think you are so good at hiding. I am your offensive weapon when fighting against sin and Satan.
The interesting thing is that I don't really do these things by osmosis. It is not enough to simply have a few copies of me lying around, I need to be read to be useful. I need to be studied for the fullest benefit to occur. You can imagine my frustration when I see you sad and I can bring the keys to joy. It is hard for me to see you flounder and not know what to do when I can tell you how to walk the straight and narrow. It is difficult to see you struggle when my words give freedom from sin and death. I am so much more than a guidebook, more than a help when needed, my pages are life. I am a living Word of God. Please allow me to do you a service when you pick me off of the shelf and read me.
Sincerely,
Your Bible
Tuesday, July 4, 2017
Freedom
"So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed in Him, 'If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.'" (John 8:31-32, NASB)
We like to think of freedom on the 4th of July. It is a natural thing to remember all of the freedoms that we have this time of year. But when you get right down to it, we are not free. We have liberties that have been bought for us with a price, but liberties are bound in the confines of the society that exercises them. We do not understand real freedom. We are always enslaved to something. We are enslaved to time. We are enslaved to the confines of our background and our families, which we cannot be free from. We cannot be free from past choices. And even those choices we will make in the future are not free in the truest sense of the word, but rather influenced by a large variety of factors.
That is why when it comes to this national celebration I like to stop and think about the verse above. We CAN have true freedom, but it does not come through the sacrifice of soldiers, but through a servant who died for you and for me. Those of us who place our faith and trust in Him are truly free. We are free because we are bound by nothing except our love for the one who paid the ultimate price of our freedom. We are free because we know the truth. And we are free because we willingly commit ourselves to the Word of God. It seems counterintuitive that we would be free by committing to obedience but that is precisely what the Scriptures tell us. When we commit our lives to Christ we find freedom - true freedom. The kind of freedom God has in Himself. This is true freedom, and it cannot be bought except with the precious blood of Jesus.
So this week, remember the search for true freedom. And remind someone of the freedom that you have found in Christ!
We like to think of freedom on the 4th of July. It is a natural thing to remember all of the freedoms that we have this time of year. But when you get right down to it, we are not free. We have liberties that have been bought for us with a price, but liberties are bound in the confines of the society that exercises them. We do not understand real freedom. We are always enslaved to something. We are enslaved to time. We are enslaved to the confines of our background and our families, which we cannot be free from. We cannot be free from past choices. And even those choices we will make in the future are not free in the truest sense of the word, but rather influenced by a large variety of factors.
That is why when it comes to this national celebration I like to stop and think about the verse above. We CAN have true freedom, but it does not come through the sacrifice of soldiers, but through a servant who died for you and for me. Those of us who place our faith and trust in Him are truly free. We are free because we are bound by nothing except our love for the one who paid the ultimate price of our freedom. We are free because we know the truth. And we are free because we willingly commit ourselves to the Word of God. It seems counterintuitive that we would be free by committing to obedience but that is precisely what the Scriptures tell us. When we commit our lives to Christ we find freedom - true freedom. The kind of freedom God has in Himself. This is true freedom, and it cannot be bought except with the precious blood of Jesus.
So this week, remember the search for true freedom. And remind someone of the freedom that you have found in Christ!
Tuesday, June 27, 2017
VBS
We are in the midst of our VBS program. I have to say that this is the one time a year I am most reminded that as a pastor I cannot do it all and that I am so grateful that God has given us a church body to help fill roles and do things together that none of us could accomplish alone. I am so grateful for those who have organized it, teach each day, help with the crafts, clean up all the messes, hold the children who are crying, help keep order in the midst of what quickly can become chaos. I am thankful for those who are daily praying. Thankful to those who lead singing, who help at the sound booth, who man (or woman!) the registration table. I am blessed by those who do the skits each day - to those that guard doors and make sure the children are safe and taken care of. I am privileged to work alongside people who take the time to make snacks, help decorate, fill in wherever is needed. I cannot fail to mention those that mow the yard so it looks nice, clean the facilities at the end of each day above and beyond their normal responsibilities. And this is just for one VBS program. Following our week we will have a parade for the 4th of July and hand out water. Each Sunday many of these same people are faithfully teaching or helping in some way. I cannot do all of this and if I even tried to remotely do most of it, I would quickly lose my sanity, but the faithful service of God's people accomplish together far more than any one person could do on their own. And to the glory of God our VBS is going so well. Lives are being impacted with the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ and the lives of children are being changed as they learn that they are a treasure to Jesus. Thank you to all who are helping bring honor and glory to God through their faithful service.
Wednesday, June 21, 2017
Psalm 139
"I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well." Psalm 139:14 (NASB)
I recently got the opportunity to take a short vacation to travel and see both my parents and my wife's parents. During part of this trip we were staying at a campground and got the chance to simply see the beauty of what God had created. Through the bugs and heat we were still able to see that which God created. We can look around and see the grandeur of the trees and hills. The majesty of a bird in flight. The power of flowing water. The immensity of a storm. And at all of these things we tend to marvel. But have you considered the marvel that is you?
God spoke the world into existence, and the pinnacle of His creative action was the creation of mankind. The psalmist personalizes this when he recognizes that He is fearfully and wonderfully made. But he goes a step further to recognize that when God works at something there is nothing wrong with it or bad about it. Puts my receding hairline into perspective. Puts those age spots and even gray hairs into perspective. (I never thought it fair to go bald and gray simultaneously)
We tend to think of ourselves and find the things wrong with us. Do this long enough and we begin to question our value. This is as contrary to Scripture as pride is! We are to seek and find our value in our position as a creation of God. We are to recognize that God does not make mistakes and that if we are here we are a creation of the Heavenly Father who loves us enough to make us for His honor and glory. It is not that it is all about us, but it is about giving thanks to a Creator who cared enough to make us special.
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
Love
"We love, because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19 (NASB)
Our culture is enamored with the concept of love for each other. We have a whole segment of the movie industry dedicated to perpetuating a faulty concept of what love is. We have young people growing up who think about love in the context solely of personal pleasure. We have this because we have generations of adults who have demonstrated that love is simply about personal pleasure. As a culture we can fall into love and fall out of it just as easily. And we have a divorce industry that demonstrates our commitment to self love. For our culture, love begins, and ends, with me.
I believe that this is the foundation for a number of critical problems within our culture. The acceptance of homosexuality and other forms of sexual deviancy is because of the base of love being centered in me. I have heard good Christian people tell me that they do not know how they can stop their child/friend/co-worker/family-member from choosing to live in sin because it "makes them happy". This is the reason politics is so divisive. Everything begins and ends with me.
This one simply verse from John contradicts all of it. Love, and the ensuing understanding of life, does not begin with me. Instead, love begins with God. When we consider this it means that there is someone we must look to outside of ourselves to define for us what love is, and God certainly has defined it for us. Love is self-sacrificial. Love is patient. Love is kind. Love keeps no record of wrong . . . and it goes on and on. When we think of love in this way it changes our perception, not only of the concept of love, but our concept of the world and even ourselves.
So love the way God intended love to be. Because our love is dependent and secondary upon the love that God has for us.
Our culture is enamored with the concept of love for each other. We have a whole segment of the movie industry dedicated to perpetuating a faulty concept of what love is. We have young people growing up who think about love in the context solely of personal pleasure. We have this because we have generations of adults who have demonstrated that love is simply about personal pleasure. As a culture we can fall into love and fall out of it just as easily. And we have a divorce industry that demonstrates our commitment to self love. For our culture, love begins, and ends, with me.
I believe that this is the foundation for a number of critical problems within our culture. The acceptance of homosexuality and other forms of sexual deviancy is because of the base of love being centered in me. I have heard good Christian people tell me that they do not know how they can stop their child/friend/co-worker/family-member from choosing to live in sin because it "makes them happy". This is the reason politics is so divisive. Everything begins and ends with me.
This one simply verse from John contradicts all of it. Love, and the ensuing understanding of life, does not begin with me. Instead, love begins with God. When we consider this it means that there is someone we must look to outside of ourselves to define for us what love is, and God certainly has defined it for us. Love is self-sacrificial. Love is patient. Love is kind. Love keeps no record of wrong . . . and it goes on and on. When we think of love in this way it changes our perception, not only of the concept of love, but our concept of the world and even ourselves.
So love the way God intended love to be. Because our love is dependent and secondary upon the love that God has for us.
Tuesday, June 6, 2017
Involvement in Your Local Church
We all want something out of our church. This in itself is not a bad thing - after all, the Scriptures are fairly clear that we are going to gain benefit from gathering together. It is commanded that we do, but we gain encouragement and edification and growth together in Christ. We gain the chance to serve one another and love one another and in doing so, we are served and loved. I think that many people have a wrong idea about what church is and what church does. For many, church is just something to do. This "doing" concept of church involves people who are just there on Sundays and check off a box on their to-do list. They have done church and can wait a week or two before feeling as though they need to do it again. Some people do church and are really involved in church. They tend to get burnt out because they are simply doing what they know to be right. Many times, these people have a hard time saying, "No." They fill our positions and things seem great, but they too are simply doing church. There are people who have been "doing church" for so long they now believe it is someone else's turn to "do church" and believe they have earned the right to sit still for a while and just observe and sometimes complain. In fact, there are many different ways that people "do" church. They can be involved or uninvolved. They can be long time members or first time visitors. They do not however develop authentic relationships within the context of church. They may have friends, but their church friends likely do not know the real person, they are able to "do" church in whatever way they deem best.
So often when we consider the work of the church we are thinking in the context of doing church together and the old 80/20 principal comes into view. 20 percent of the people are doing 80 percent of the work. But notice the word between the numbers - "doing". We must break free from this unbiblical mindset of doing church. Instead, we need to "be" the church. The church is not something outside of ourselves that we do, but something that we are. It is an identity. We are the church. We talk about this in theological terms, but then when it comes to our practice we revert to doing church together. If we are the church, it changes our perspective on things. First of all, there would be no one who was unwilling to participate. Paul talks about one body and many members and all the members are critical to the function of the body. If you are a church you are indispensable to the work of the body of Christ. It does not matter how much you do, it matters that you are being you - using the gifts that the Spirit has given you to serve the body you love dearly because it is YOUR BODY! You are the church.
I believe if we could think in these terms it would solve a lot of issues that all churches face. If we are doing church it is easy to fight over ways that church is done. If we are being the church we would set aside personal differences for the glory of Christ. If we do church we can complain it is not done right, if we are being the church we realize every time we say something negative we are insulting ourselves. It helps us avoid burnout because we are not doing church but being Christ's representatives and it is for Him we serve. It would help because all of us would be involved in some way. It would help in a number of other areas as well. So, be the church this week. And I hope to see you, because the body is not the same without you!
So often when we consider the work of the church we are thinking in the context of doing church together and the old 80/20 principal comes into view. 20 percent of the people are doing 80 percent of the work. But notice the word between the numbers - "doing". We must break free from this unbiblical mindset of doing church. Instead, we need to "be" the church. The church is not something outside of ourselves that we do, but something that we are. It is an identity. We are the church. We talk about this in theological terms, but then when it comes to our practice we revert to doing church together. If we are the church, it changes our perspective on things. First of all, there would be no one who was unwilling to participate. Paul talks about one body and many members and all the members are critical to the function of the body. If you are a church you are indispensable to the work of the body of Christ. It does not matter how much you do, it matters that you are being you - using the gifts that the Spirit has given you to serve the body you love dearly because it is YOUR BODY! You are the church.
I believe if we could think in these terms it would solve a lot of issues that all churches face. If we are doing church it is easy to fight over ways that church is done. If we are being the church we would set aside personal differences for the glory of Christ. If we do church we can complain it is not done right, if we are being the church we realize every time we say something negative we are insulting ourselves. It helps us avoid burnout because we are not doing church but being Christ's representatives and it is for Him we serve. It would help because all of us would be involved in some way. It would help in a number of other areas as well. So, be the church this week. And I hope to see you, because the body is not the same without you!
Tuesday, May 30, 2017
Summer is Upon Us
My how time flies. It seems like just yesterday that we were thinking about shoveling and the snow and here we are on the doorstep of summer. Cookouts, beaches, and the glorious wonder of children without school. Vacation is truly a wonderful thing, and yet as an adult I am reminded that for parents, summer is often a stressful time as they have to figure out what to do with the kids because work schedules do not allow three month summer breaks. Going to the beach is good fun because we have to pack up the chairs, make the picnic lunch, remember to buy the sunscreen and all of the other details that a simple day at the beach requires.
This line of thinking reminds me that sometimes we think of life as summer break. We want God to give us the fun and the joy of play but we do not want to even think about the work that goes into life. God holds the whole world in His capable hands and the expectation of 7 billion people is that He is bending to our will rather than orchestrating the most beautiful trip we could imagine. He is the one who packed the car with everything that we would need to make the journey, and we complain because we don't have one of our toys - nevermind that He packed 5 things that were more fun, we complain about the one thing we want but don't have. He protects us every moment of every day but we complain in those moments we have to wait for 1 minute for the sunscreen to be applied. It is as if He is killing our joy because we cant be in the water right NOW! He packs a beautiful lunch and we envy the guy next to us who is grilling instead of picnicking.
The analogy goes on, but I think you get the idea. This summer be reminded that God is faithfully loving us every moment of every day and providing all that we need for life and for godliness in His glorious Word. He has given us all good things in Christ and provided for an eternal home for us. Let us not whine on the trip about momentary discomfort, but rejoice in the destination that God has provided for us - an eternal fellowship with Him!
This line of thinking reminds me that sometimes we think of life as summer break. We want God to give us the fun and the joy of play but we do not want to even think about the work that goes into life. God holds the whole world in His capable hands and the expectation of 7 billion people is that He is bending to our will rather than orchestrating the most beautiful trip we could imagine. He is the one who packed the car with everything that we would need to make the journey, and we complain because we don't have one of our toys - nevermind that He packed 5 things that were more fun, we complain about the one thing we want but don't have. He protects us every moment of every day but we complain in those moments we have to wait for 1 minute for the sunscreen to be applied. It is as if He is killing our joy because we cant be in the water right NOW! He packs a beautiful lunch and we envy the guy next to us who is grilling instead of picnicking.
The analogy goes on, but I think you get the idea. This summer be reminded that God is faithfully loving us every moment of every day and providing all that we need for life and for godliness in His glorious Word. He has given us all good things in Christ and provided for an eternal home for us. Let us not whine on the trip about momentary discomfort, but rejoice in the destination that God has provided for us - an eternal fellowship with Him!
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
A Series of Jokes
Sometimes it is good to just stop and laugh. So in light of this revelation, I thought that the blog for the day would be a series of jokes. I hope that you enjoy!
A Sunday School teacher asked the children just before she dismissed them to go to church, "Why is it so important to be quiet in church?" After a brief pause, one girl raised her hand and said, "Because people are sleeping?"
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Visiting his grandparents, a small boy opened the big family Bible. He was fascinated as he fingered through the old pages. Suddenly, something fell out. He picked it up and found that it was an old leaf that had been pressed flat between the pages. "Mama, look what I found," he called out.
"What have you got there, dear?" his mother asked."
With astonishment in his voice, the boy answered, "I think it's Adam's underwear!"
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After explaining the commandment to honor your father and mother, a Sunday School teacher asked her class if there was a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters.
One boy, the oldest in his family, immediately answered, "Thou shalt not kill."
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A Sunday School teacher asked the children just before she dismissed them to go to church, "Why is it so important to be quiet in church?" After a brief pause, one girl raised her hand and said, "Because people are sleeping?"
________________________________________________________________________________
Visiting his grandparents, a small boy opened the big family Bible. He was fascinated as he fingered through the old pages. Suddenly, something fell out. He picked it up and found that it was an old leaf that had been pressed flat between the pages. "Mama, look what I found," he called out.
"What have you got there, dear?" his mother asked."
With astonishment in his voice, the boy answered, "I think it's Adam's underwear!"
______________________________________________________________________________________
After explaining the commandment to honor your father and mother, a Sunday School teacher asked her class if there was a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters.
One boy, the oldest in his family, immediately answered, "Thou shalt not kill."
______________________________________________________________________________________
Three boys are in the school yard bragging about their fathers. The first boy says, "My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calles it a poem, and they give him $25."
The second boy says, "That's nothing. My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a song, and they give him $200."
The third boy says, "I got you both beat. My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a sermon, and it takes eight men to collect all the money!"
The second boy says, "That's nothing. My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a song, and they give him $200."
The third boy says, "I got you both beat. My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a sermon, and it takes eight men to collect all the money!"
I hope that you have a day that is filled with laughter!
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
Remembering
I was reflecting on the Monday after Mother's Day how we as people tend to remember things only when we have reminders. We might forget to thank our mothers entirely were it not for a day to remember them. We might neglect to remember our country's history and the glorious gift of freedom were it not for the celebration on the 4th of July. And for me personally, I seem to forget anything that is not promptly entered into my phone to remind me of an upcoming event or task. We are a forgetful people. I think that this is important to remind ourselves so that we appreciate the times that we are told to remember in the Scriptures. We are told to remember the Sabbath in Exodus 20:8. It is interesting that this is precisely one of the things that Israel forgot to do and one of the reasons they went into captivity. But perhaps most of all is the command to "do this in remembrance of me". (1 Cor 11). We are to remember at all times the sacrifice that Christ made for us and we have been given an ordinance we are to remember until Christ returns for us. I wonder though if we think about the death, burial and resurrection of Christ nearly enough. In my church heritage we do it once a month. The implication is however that we are to do the remembering a lot more often that. In fact, when he gave the command to the disciples he used two things present in every meal. Common things - things they would likely see every time they sat down to eat. I think this was to remind them to remember - every day - that Jesus died for them.
Do you remember?
Do you remember?
Tuesday, May 9, 2017
Unexpected Blessings
Sometimes, life does not go the way that we planned. People disappoint us, plans fail, things break down. Sometimes it seems to happen all at once. Ever had a weekend where multiple things break and nothing seems to go the way that you planned? A weekend where you feel on your first day back to work that you have been working really hard, but have nothing to show for it but the list of things you still have to do? I am learning that in the midst of these kinds of days or weeks there are blessings to be found. The blessing of people coming alongside of you to help you through the struggle. The blessing of people willing to share their struggles in order to encourage you in yours. I find it fascinating that in my life I tend to stop counting blessings when I am blessed the most, but when I am struggling, every blessing matters. Perhaps this is why James tells us in chapter 1 verse 2, "Count it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials. . ." He goes on to describe the process God uses to mature us - using trials to build endurance to make us perfect and complete. God's plan for your perfection involves the use of difficult circumstances to grow you into the likeness of His Son. This is one of the great unexpected blessings of being a Christian. I do not have to despair because even the worst day of my life is being used for the glory of God.
So the next time you are having a bad day, do not simply try to ignore it and get past it, but give thanks FOR it. Seek the blessings in the midst of all of the pain and together we can give glory to our great God who helps grow us through the difficulty He allows and even orchestrates for us to face. To God be the glory, even in our pain.
So the next time you are having a bad day, do not simply try to ignore it and get past it, but give thanks FOR it. Seek the blessings in the midst of all of the pain and together we can give glory to our great God who helps grow us through the difficulty He allows and even orchestrates for us to face. To God be the glory, even in our pain.
Tuesday, May 2, 2017
A Note to the Students in All of Us
I remember vividly the feeling of being a student in May. It was though the finish line was just around the corner but suddenly you were saddled with the weight of projects and finals and homework. All you could see was the glorious goal of sleeping in and doing whatever you wanted for the glorious summer months. Days upon days of cartoons and sleepovers and forts built and the sheer bliss of being free. The only thing keeping you there was the requirements placed upon you and you resented school for it! Your thoughts as of May 1 became of the summer plans and all else seemed to simply drag you back to a reality you wanted no part of.
May I suggest that this is the experience of many Christians. We have the joys of eternity before us and we get so caught up with our thoughts of how wonderful it will be that we view the tasks that we have here, however noble, as simply burdens that keep us from being where we really want to be. This is a faulty view of eternity and a lousy view of what it means to be a Christian. Like summer, we can appreciate the genuine joy that comes with eternity without neglecting our lives as students here on earth. God gives us clear instructions that we are to live out our final days on earth in a particular way - namely to bring Him glory as we share His name with the world around us in word and deed.
We need to change our perspective from a focus on what is coming to a focus on where we are now in the present. What has God given you as a challenge for today? In what way can you be more like Jesus today as He changes your behaviors and character. Who can you serve today? Who can you love today? How can you impact those that do not yet know the Savior for the Kingdom of God? Our assignments are not something that we do because we have nothing better to do, they are the commands of God given us for our joy. We cannot look past them. We cannot think of them as simply filler. We must instead find the joy in the journey of following after Christ and walking in His Spirit. Today.
May I suggest that this is the experience of many Christians. We have the joys of eternity before us and we get so caught up with our thoughts of how wonderful it will be that we view the tasks that we have here, however noble, as simply burdens that keep us from being where we really want to be. This is a faulty view of eternity and a lousy view of what it means to be a Christian. Like summer, we can appreciate the genuine joy that comes with eternity without neglecting our lives as students here on earth. God gives us clear instructions that we are to live out our final days on earth in a particular way - namely to bring Him glory as we share His name with the world around us in word and deed.
We need to change our perspective from a focus on what is coming to a focus on where we are now in the present. What has God given you as a challenge for today? In what way can you be more like Jesus today as He changes your behaviors and character. Who can you serve today? Who can you love today? How can you impact those that do not yet know the Savior for the Kingdom of God? Our assignments are not something that we do because we have nothing better to do, they are the commands of God given us for our joy. We cannot look past them. We cannot think of them as simply filler. We must instead find the joy in the journey of following after Christ and walking in His Spirit. Today.
Tuesday, April 25, 2017
A Man Full of Faith and the Spirit
As you work through the book of Acts you find the story of a man named Stephen. Not much is said by way of introduction of Stephen. In fact, the story goes like this. The church needed men full of the Spirit and wisdom who were of good reputation. One of them was Stephen. Stephen was full of faith and the Holy Spirit. Then it briefly tells of his ministry. He was performing signs and wonders among the people. He was doing this full of grace and power. Now what is interesting is that Stephen seems like an ordinary guy. He was not an apostle. We do not hear about him in the gospels so it is unclear how long he had even been following Jesus. However, note the power of a man who is full of the Spirit. Note the impact that can be had.
This is the first lesson for the day. When we are full of faith and the Spirit of God we can do great things for Christ in the power of the Spirit. Simply have faith in what God will be able to do in and through you and walk in the Spirit of God.
There is another lesson however, let us say that it is likely a little less popular. When you are full of faith and the Spirit and when you are doing things in the name of the Lord Jesus, this does not mean that people will fall to their knees in prayer, and in fact, they may drop down only to pick up stones to throw at you. This is the short story of Stephen. While doing great things with God's help, he was blamed for something he did not do and brought before the law to be condemned. Instead, he preached, condemning all those who were there condemning him and this led not to their immediate repentance, but to the end of his life. He died proclaiming the name of Christ.
The second lesson for the day is this. Being full of faith and the Spirit will often lead to persecution and struggle. This does not mean that we stop. We continue because all we have is faith in God and trust that when we follow the Spirit of God we will be doing what God wants us to do. So, if you are down because people are not responding do not let that hinder your witness but remember that so long as God gives you breath you are to declare the glorious praises of the One who called you into the image of His son.
This is the first lesson for the day. When we are full of faith and the Spirit of God we can do great things for Christ in the power of the Spirit. Simply have faith in what God will be able to do in and through you and walk in the Spirit of God.
There is another lesson however, let us say that it is likely a little less popular. When you are full of faith and the Spirit and when you are doing things in the name of the Lord Jesus, this does not mean that people will fall to their knees in prayer, and in fact, they may drop down only to pick up stones to throw at you. This is the short story of Stephen. While doing great things with God's help, he was blamed for something he did not do and brought before the law to be condemned. Instead, he preached, condemning all those who were there condemning him and this led not to their immediate repentance, but to the end of his life. He died proclaiming the name of Christ.
The second lesson for the day is this. Being full of faith and the Spirit will often lead to persecution and struggle. This does not mean that we stop. We continue because all we have is faith in God and trust that when we follow the Spirit of God we will be doing what God wants us to do. So, if you are down because people are not responding do not let that hinder your witness but remember that so long as God gives you breath you are to declare the glorious praises of the One who called you into the image of His son.
Tuesday, April 18, 2017
Responses to Resurrection Sunday
Holy week is finished. Lent is over. We have celebrated the Risen Savior. Now what? I think that this is kind of the mentality of a lot of Christians. We love celebrating the major holidays like Christmas and Easter, but at the end of them we kind of just think of waiting until the next one. And there is no real next holiday that we celebrate with vigor until next Christmas. Ok, maybe we should include Thanksgiving. But that still gives us a good 7 months until we have something to focus on. What to do we do in the meantime?
May I suggest that the center of the Christian faith is the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and that every day that we are alive is a day to celebrate this glorious moment in history? Colossians 3:17 reminds us that all we do we are to do in the name of the Lord Jesus, but do you realize that this is only possible because of the resurrection? Look at verse 1 of the same chapter:
Therefore, if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
The chapter then goes on to list all that we are to do as we live our new life which is in Christ (vs 4). All of what we do for Christ is only possible because of the Risen Christ. If Christ is not raised, we are not raised and we are dead in our sins. So, each day God gives us is a reminder that we can live for Him BECAUSE we serve a Risen Savior. So, what do we do now that Easter is over? We live every day of our lives for Christ because the resurrection is never something to stop celebrating!
May I suggest that the center of the Christian faith is the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and that every day that we are alive is a day to celebrate this glorious moment in history? Colossians 3:17 reminds us that all we do we are to do in the name of the Lord Jesus, but do you realize that this is only possible because of the resurrection? Look at verse 1 of the same chapter:
Therefore, if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
When Bad Things Happen
I was reminded this last week of a necessary response to the terrible things that happen in life. I returned from a relaxing conference to find that someone I knew was recently home from the hospital as a result of a fall, one going to the hospital as a potential heart attack. Someone close to me had an emergency with their child and then later in the weekend nearly lost their home to a fire. People tend to struggle to make sense of these kinds of events. Some, in hope that they will be done, tend to group them in sets of three. Some tend to internalize all of the struggle, even those that are not personal to them. But we all struggle when bad things happen. Atheists struggle, Buddhists struggle, people struggle.
One of the reasons that I am a Christian is that my belief system helps me to understand the pain. The Bible is very clear that pain exists and makes it clear why pain exists. It tells of a God who created all things perfect and when Adam and Eve chose to disbelieve God, opting for their own desires instead, pain entered the world. Every moment from that choice on has had pain of some kind.
The Bible also tells me that pain and struggle are temporary, which is a great encouragement if you are in the middle of struggle and toil. The pain is just a vapor when compared to the glory of the eternity that has been secured for us by the Lord Jesus. Pain, while very real, and death, while very real, met their match and are conquered and powerless. Nothing can separate me from the love of Jesus.
In the midst of the pain and suffering the Bible tells us how we can make it through - we need to rely fully and trust in our Sovereign Savior and allow His strength to work in and through us. Our God, in His infinite mercy, saw fit to enter the suffering world and suffer with us and for us. He died on a cruel cross in order to be raised to life to secure for us our eternal life. And a God who cares enough to do that is a God that I want to serve.
One of the reasons that I am a Christian is that my belief system helps me to understand the pain. The Bible is very clear that pain exists and makes it clear why pain exists. It tells of a God who created all things perfect and when Adam and Eve chose to disbelieve God, opting for their own desires instead, pain entered the world. Every moment from that choice on has had pain of some kind.
The Bible also tells me that pain and struggle are temporary, which is a great encouragement if you are in the middle of struggle and toil. The pain is just a vapor when compared to the glory of the eternity that has been secured for us by the Lord Jesus. Pain, while very real, and death, while very real, met their match and are conquered and powerless. Nothing can separate me from the love of Jesus.
In the midst of the pain and suffering the Bible tells us how we can make it through - we need to rely fully and trust in our Sovereign Savior and allow His strength to work in and through us. Our God, in His infinite mercy, saw fit to enter the suffering world and suffer with us and for us. He died on a cruel cross in order to be raised to life to secure for us our eternal life. And a God who cares enough to do that is a God that I want to serve.
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Hello from Indianapolis
I am presently attending the Gospel Coalition conference in Indianapolis. I love that my church is gracious enough to allow me to get away for a few days to hear some really good preaching. This preaching is mainly on the book of Galatians and has been superb. As we have talked about this, one question comes to my mind that I wanted to share with you.
How important is the gospel to you?
As we have discussed Galatians and the apostle Paul and the way that he addresses the Galatians churches, it becomes evident that to Paul the gospel is everything. And getting the gospel correct according to the biblical revelation is critical. I wonder how much the gospel is central in our lives. Is the gospel something we think about at church every once in a while? Is the gospel something that we think of when we think of the lost? Is the gospel something that occasionally we come across, or is the gospel, and getting the gospel right, of first importance to us?
How important is the gospel to you?
Perhaps the better measure of this is not what you say about it, but what others would say on your behalf. Do your co-workers know how important the gospel is to you? What about your family? Your friends? Can they tell how critical the gospel is in your life, or is it simply something that you reference privately and no one really knows what you think about the gospel or what you think the gospel is? And so, leaving the discussion of the content and impact of the gospel to another blog, I simply ask you to consider:
How important is the gospel to you?
How important is the gospel to you?
As we have discussed Galatians and the apostle Paul and the way that he addresses the Galatians churches, it becomes evident that to Paul the gospel is everything. And getting the gospel correct according to the biblical revelation is critical. I wonder how much the gospel is central in our lives. Is the gospel something we think about at church every once in a while? Is the gospel something that we think of when we think of the lost? Is the gospel something that occasionally we come across, or is the gospel, and getting the gospel right, of first importance to us?
How important is the gospel to you?
Perhaps the better measure of this is not what you say about it, but what others would say on your behalf. Do your co-workers know how important the gospel is to you? What about your family? Your friends? Can they tell how critical the gospel is in your life, or is it simply something that you reference privately and no one really knows what you think about the gospel or what you think the gospel is? And so, leaving the discussion of the content and impact of the gospel to another blog, I simply ask you to consider:
How important is the gospel to you?
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
The Incredible God We Serve
This week in Sunday School we discussed Romans 11:33-36. The more I dwell on this passage the more amazed I am at the God that we serve. This expression of praise begins with the acknowledgment of how much God knows and the wisdom He exudes with this knowledge. I had asked the class for things that the Scriptures say that God knows. I am sharing part of this list and I hope that it encourage you today to realize that God has it all under control.
God knows me. (Psalm 139:1)
- he knows when I sit and rise
- he knows my thoughts
- he knew all of my days before I was formed
- he knows our anxious thoughts
God knows the names of the stars. (Psalm 147:4)
God knows when a sparrow falls to the ground. (Matthew 10:29)
God knows our names and we are His. (Is. 43:1)
God knows past, present and future. (Revelation 22:13)
God knows the numbers of hair on your head. (Luke 12:7)
And the list goes on and on. The point is that a God who is all knowing certainly sees what you are going through and better yet knows the end of it and how He is going to use that event to bring about His glory! Let us praise God together for how powerful His knowledge truly is!
God knows me. (Psalm 139:1)
- he knows when I sit and rise
- he knows my thoughts
- he knew all of my days before I was formed
- he knows our anxious thoughts
God knows the names of the stars. (Psalm 147:4)
God knows when a sparrow falls to the ground. (Matthew 10:29)
God knows our names and we are His. (Is. 43:1)
God knows past, present and future. (Revelation 22:13)
God knows the numbers of hair on your head. (Luke 12:7)
And the list goes on and on. The point is that a God who is all knowing certainly sees what you are going through and better yet knows the end of it and how He is going to use that event to bring about His glory! Let us praise God together for how powerful His knowledge truly is!
Tuesday, March 21, 2017
The Light of the World
As a pastor there are usually only a few Sundays per year that I get to hear a sermon. I love it when on one of those rare occasions, the sermon you hear is a good one! This week we had our missionary Tim Blazer give the message and he called our attention to Matthew 5:14-16 and reminded us that we are the light of the world.
One of the things I appreciated most about the sermon was the point about us being illuminated bodies. He pointed out that we are not luminescent bodies - we do not shine on our own. Christ was this. He was the Light of the World. He shone in darkness and darkness did not comprehend it. We instead, are like the moon. We have no light on our own. We shine a reflected light. What a glorious truth. It is so important that we do not draw attention to ourselves, but instead choose to shine the light of Jesus and allow Him to do the glowing through us!
When you think about your shine, are you shining the light of Jesus or some other light? It is tempting to shine our own lights. To make our lives about ourselves. To make the world see us. This is a wrong course of action for the Christian. However, there are other ways we can fail to shine properly. When we draw more attention to our church than to Christ, we have failed in our role as illuminated bodies. When we draw more attention to our denomination than to Christ we have failed in our role as illuminated bodies. In fact, if anything is the center of our lives other than Christ Jesus, than we have failed to shine His light and are shining a non-light. This is perhaps why we have lost our impact, because we are shining the wrong light!
When we sing, "This little light of mine, I am going to let it shine. . . " we are in fact teaching bad theology. First of all the light is not mine, it is the light of Christ shining through me. And secondly, the light is not in any way little. It is the light of Christ, the light that in the end will eliminate the need for sun or moon or stars. This light is a powerful light. It is true however that we have to make the choice to let it shine. We have to dim and hide all the other things in our lives that would obscure the true light and let Christ shine through us.
One of the things I appreciated most about the sermon was the point about us being illuminated bodies. He pointed out that we are not luminescent bodies - we do not shine on our own. Christ was this. He was the Light of the World. He shone in darkness and darkness did not comprehend it. We instead, are like the moon. We have no light on our own. We shine a reflected light. What a glorious truth. It is so important that we do not draw attention to ourselves, but instead choose to shine the light of Jesus and allow Him to do the glowing through us!
When you think about your shine, are you shining the light of Jesus or some other light? It is tempting to shine our own lights. To make our lives about ourselves. To make the world see us. This is a wrong course of action for the Christian. However, there are other ways we can fail to shine properly. When we draw more attention to our church than to Christ, we have failed in our role as illuminated bodies. When we draw more attention to our denomination than to Christ we have failed in our role as illuminated bodies. In fact, if anything is the center of our lives other than Christ Jesus, than we have failed to shine His light and are shining a non-light. This is perhaps why we have lost our impact, because we are shining the wrong light!
When we sing, "This little light of mine, I am going to let it shine. . . " we are in fact teaching bad theology. First of all the light is not mine, it is the light of Christ shining through me. And secondly, the light is not in any way little. It is the light of Christ, the light that in the end will eliminate the need for sun or moon or stars. This light is a powerful light. It is true however that we have to make the choice to let it shine. We have to dim and hide all the other things in our lives that would obscure the true light and let Christ shine through us.
Tuesday, March 14, 2017
Being One Heart
Acts 4:32 reminds us that the believers that were forming the church were of one heart and soul. I find it interesting that we tend to use the heart to describe romantic love so often in our culture that this sounds almost weird. We think of being soulmates with the person we are romantically involved with. We have completely and totally surrendered the concept of love to romantic love. In doing so, we have hindered our ability to understand and appreciate the ways that we are to love people that our outside of our romantic life. We have allowed the culture to define love and we fail to understand how we are to love people outside of our conceptualization of romantic love.
I believe that we need to go back to a biblical understanding of love and allow it to define all other dimensions of love for us. Love, biblically, begins with God. "We love Him because He first loved us." This is more than just a verse to memorize, it is a foundation upon which we build our loves. Love is defined and explained in God himself. Without going into too much detail (I would encourage you to study this on your own) love begins with the love that the Trinity has within God himself. God the Father and God the Son and God the Spirit love one another with a self-sacrificial, obedient, all consuming love. When we think of what God has done for us, love is patient as God is patient. Love is kind as God is kind. Love keeps no record of wrongs because God has forgiven our sins. All that love is should be and is defined in the character of God.
Romantic love is a misnomer. In fact, in the culture of the ancient near east, romanticism was secondary to family. Family chose your spouse for you for the benefit of the family. In a different culture we need to recognize that romantic love is still secondary to familial love. Love is to be expressed in family in different ways. Children are to express their love for parents through obedience. Parents are to express their love for one another in service and mutual submission. Both are to express their love for parents or children as a reflection of their love for God.
In the church then we should think of love in this familial sense. We are to submit to one another to point to a God who is greater. We are to serve one another because of our God who served us. We are to sacrifice for one another because of the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior. This is easy to understand. And when it comes time to consider starting a family of your own I would encourage you not to think of love in the romantic sense, but in this same familial sense in which your job is to seek someone who can serve God with you.
When we are able to do this people will come to know the God we serve. They will know we are Christians by our love for one another after all!
I believe that we need to go back to a biblical understanding of love and allow it to define all other dimensions of love for us. Love, biblically, begins with God. "We love Him because He first loved us." This is more than just a verse to memorize, it is a foundation upon which we build our loves. Love is defined and explained in God himself. Without going into too much detail (I would encourage you to study this on your own) love begins with the love that the Trinity has within God himself. God the Father and God the Son and God the Spirit love one another with a self-sacrificial, obedient, all consuming love. When we think of what God has done for us, love is patient as God is patient. Love is kind as God is kind. Love keeps no record of wrongs because God has forgiven our sins. All that love is should be and is defined in the character of God.
Romantic love is a misnomer. In fact, in the culture of the ancient near east, romanticism was secondary to family. Family chose your spouse for you for the benefit of the family. In a different culture we need to recognize that romantic love is still secondary to familial love. Love is to be expressed in family in different ways. Children are to express their love for parents through obedience. Parents are to express their love for one another in service and mutual submission. Both are to express their love for parents or children as a reflection of their love for God.
In the church then we should think of love in this familial sense. We are to submit to one another to point to a God who is greater. We are to serve one another because of our God who served us. We are to sacrifice for one another because of the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior. This is easy to understand. And when it comes time to consider starting a family of your own I would encourage you not to think of love in the romantic sense, but in this same familial sense in which your job is to seek someone who can serve God with you.
When we are able to do this people will come to know the God we serve. They will know we are Christians by our love for one another after all!
Tuesday, March 7, 2017
Worry
"So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34 (NASB)
I am not sure upon initially reading this verse that it is that much of an encouragement. After all it ends with a reminder of the trouble that we will have in each day. Don't worry about tomorrow because there is enough to worry about today does not sound all that uplifting! And yet when we understand the context, we see the great encouragement.
You see, Matthew has just recorded the words of Jesus that says that God will care for our daily needs. He has stated it in the prayer that Jesus teaches the disciples in verse 11. He has stated it in verse 30 when He reminded us that God cares for us. So we can know with confidence that God is going to care for our daily needs, and that is where we really find the encouragement. We don't need to worry about tomorrow because we don't need to worry about today because both are in the hands of our Sovereign God.
But this is only good news for us if we use this knowledge to do what God has called us to do. You see, worrying about tomorrow or today is set in contrast to something in the passage. We are also told that this type of anxiety is common to mankind and that we as believers should do something different with our anxiety. We seek something other than freedom from worry. This is interesting because most of us probably have some anxiety, and most of us wish we did not have anxiety. But fixing anxiety is not as simple as doing better. It is not about practice, it is about refocussing. It is about reminding ourselves that God is great. And, the secret to freedom from anxiety is given to us by Jesus himself in the book of Matthew in verse 33 of this same chapter.
"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Matthew 6:33 (NASB)
The secret to anxiety free living is simply to change what you seek. If you seek freedom from anxiety, you will not find it. But if you seek the Kingdom of God and the righteousness of God you will find freedom from anxiety as well as being able to better see the care of God for you. So today make a commitment to yourself to seek God first. And when you do, believe that the freedom from anxiety will be a natural result of your commitment to God first.
I am not sure upon initially reading this verse that it is that much of an encouragement. After all it ends with a reminder of the trouble that we will have in each day. Don't worry about tomorrow because there is enough to worry about today does not sound all that uplifting! And yet when we understand the context, we see the great encouragement.
You see, Matthew has just recorded the words of Jesus that says that God will care for our daily needs. He has stated it in the prayer that Jesus teaches the disciples in verse 11. He has stated it in verse 30 when He reminded us that God cares for us. So we can know with confidence that God is going to care for our daily needs, and that is where we really find the encouragement. We don't need to worry about tomorrow because we don't need to worry about today because both are in the hands of our Sovereign God.
But this is only good news for us if we use this knowledge to do what God has called us to do. You see, worrying about tomorrow or today is set in contrast to something in the passage. We are also told that this type of anxiety is common to mankind and that we as believers should do something different with our anxiety. We seek something other than freedom from worry. This is interesting because most of us probably have some anxiety, and most of us wish we did not have anxiety. But fixing anxiety is not as simple as doing better. It is not about practice, it is about refocussing. It is about reminding ourselves that God is great. And, the secret to freedom from anxiety is given to us by Jesus himself in the book of Matthew in verse 33 of this same chapter.
"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Matthew 6:33 (NASB)
The secret to anxiety free living is simply to change what you seek. If you seek freedom from anxiety, you will not find it. But if you seek the Kingdom of God and the righteousness of God you will find freedom from anxiety as well as being able to better see the care of God for you. So today make a commitment to yourself to seek God first. And when you do, believe that the freedom from anxiety will be a natural result of your commitment to God first.
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
The Importance of the Christian Calendar
I may lose a little bit of the Baptist points I have accumulated for saying this, but there is something that I think that the Catholic church across the street does better than we do. Ouch, it hurts just admitting it. Many times however there is a greater appreciation for the Christian calendar at "high church" settings that I find that go unnoticed in my Baptist tradition. Today is Fat Tuesday. And while there is no special religious significance to either the title or to the day itself, it is a crucial day in the life of the church. It is the day before Ash Wednesday. Tomorrow marks the beginning of the celebration of lent - the 40 days leading up to Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday. During lent, for centuries people of the Christian faith have found ways to remind themselves of the sacrifice of Christ and have sought to focus their attention upon the work of Christ in a special way during these 40 days. (Obviously this is a large over-simplification, but for the purposes of the blog today I have less interest in explaining church history and more in the focusing my attention on the death of Christ.)
Like Christmas, we often approach Easter with a very secular attitude. We shop for candy, decorate eggs and then if we are feeling really spiritual we find some way to connect these secular practices with the church's message about the resurrection of Christ. We use resurrection eggs to tell the story now. The sad thing is that the church has at its disposal a very marvelous and unique way to remember and recall and keep in front of our people the events that we celebrate - the calendar. When we choose to focus our attention on Christ for 40 days throughout lent we are commemorating His death, burial and resurrection. When we choose to find ways to intentionally focus our thoughts we are accomplishing something that connects us and our children to something far deeper than a resurrection egg filled with candy will ever do.
Let me be clear that there is nothing magical about the calendar and it is not nearly as important as the events that it recalls that are recorded for us in Scripture. In fact, this is why we associate the celebrations of the calendar with our catholic neighbors - in some cases the calendar has superseded the Scriptures and this is NOT what we want to do. Celebrating Lent does not make you a super-Christian or draw you closer to God, only the blood of Christ can draw you close to God. However, the limitations of something do not make it useless and I believe that using the calendar to focus our attention and reminding us that the events in the life of Christ define our lives help us to remember that our day to day needs to be focused on Christ.
Tomorrow begins a 40 day celebration and remembrance of the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Whether or not you celebrate Lent, I hope you will celebrate the event that it commemorates - it is an event that we are to proclaim until Christ returns. I thank God for His dying for me and look forward to celebrating it in the days, and weeks, and years that He chooses to give me. Soli Deo Gloria.
Like Christmas, we often approach Easter with a very secular attitude. We shop for candy, decorate eggs and then if we are feeling really spiritual we find some way to connect these secular practices with the church's message about the resurrection of Christ. We use resurrection eggs to tell the story now. The sad thing is that the church has at its disposal a very marvelous and unique way to remember and recall and keep in front of our people the events that we celebrate - the calendar. When we choose to focus our attention on Christ for 40 days throughout lent we are commemorating His death, burial and resurrection. When we choose to find ways to intentionally focus our thoughts we are accomplishing something that connects us and our children to something far deeper than a resurrection egg filled with candy will ever do.
Let me be clear that there is nothing magical about the calendar and it is not nearly as important as the events that it recalls that are recorded for us in Scripture. In fact, this is why we associate the celebrations of the calendar with our catholic neighbors - in some cases the calendar has superseded the Scriptures and this is NOT what we want to do. Celebrating Lent does not make you a super-Christian or draw you closer to God, only the blood of Christ can draw you close to God. However, the limitations of something do not make it useless and I believe that using the calendar to focus our attention and reminding us that the events in the life of Christ define our lives help us to remember that our day to day needs to be focused on Christ.
Tomorrow begins a 40 day celebration and remembrance of the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Whether or not you celebrate Lent, I hope you will celebrate the event that it commemorates - it is an event that we are to proclaim until Christ returns. I thank God for His dying for me and look forward to celebrating it in the days, and weeks, and years that He chooses to give me. Soli Deo Gloria.
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
I am spoiled.
I have come to the realization that I am spoiled. All parents know about that moment when their child has been spoiled. For instance, perhaps the child has gone to grandma's house and enjoyed their fill of cookies and sugary drinks and then they come home to reality where breakfast has more bran than sugar and drinks are clear because they are water. It is hard to come down from the mountain of grandmas to the reality of home.
I realize however that this is how I often view my relationship with God. When things are going good I feel like I am at grandmas. God is answering prayers and moving in marvelous ways, my bank account is full and I am happy as a clam at high tide. Then something bad happens and I wonder immediately where God went and why my life is now not the mountain-top experience I long for? When things get hard I wonder where God is. Here is the kicker. I am spoiled.
No where does God promise me perpetual bliss until the moment that He returns. In fact He is pretty clear that until that happens life will be hard. So I can be thankful for the times when things are going perfectly, but when things do not, it is not that God is distant, it is that I am spoiled and my expectations have changed.
This is just my story. But I wonder if there are others out there willing to admit with me that we are spoiled. We treat God as though He is our grandfather and expect Him to continue to spoil us. When he does not, we throw a little tantrum. May God help us to rely on Him in good and bad times and trust that what He does is best for us, even when it does not feel too good!
I realize however that this is how I often view my relationship with God. When things are going good I feel like I am at grandmas. God is answering prayers and moving in marvelous ways, my bank account is full and I am happy as a clam at high tide. Then something bad happens and I wonder immediately where God went and why my life is now not the mountain-top experience I long for? When things get hard I wonder where God is. Here is the kicker. I am spoiled.
No where does God promise me perpetual bliss until the moment that He returns. In fact He is pretty clear that until that happens life will be hard. So I can be thankful for the times when things are going perfectly, but when things do not, it is not that God is distant, it is that I am spoiled and my expectations have changed.
This is just my story. But I wonder if there are others out there willing to admit with me that we are spoiled. We treat God as though He is our grandfather and expect Him to continue to spoil us. When he does not, we throw a little tantrum. May God help us to rely on Him in good and bad times and trust that what He does is best for us, even when it does not feel too good!
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
Life is hard, God is good.
I was thinking on the way to work this morning about how often I think about things but in the wrong order. The title of the post today contains two statements that both are true. And if we think about both, we tend to think about them in this order. We know life is hard. It is all around us. We have to bury loved ones who die far too early. We experience sickness and pain. We know those or may be those who struggle with depression and anxiety. Life is hard. And then we sort of tack on the ending, "but God is good." as if that is the thing that will allow us to be able to endure the hard times that life has to throw at us. When we have a few moments of decency, we simply wait for the shoe to drop and more hard times to come. This is defining life by the statement "life is hard."
Romans 8 seems to take a different approach. It begins instead with the premise that God has forgiven us in Christ and we are not condemned. And if we are not condemned than we have the greatest gift of all and therefore we know that God is working out all things for our good. (Romans 8:28) I want you to read that again. All things are being worked for good. We do not have to endure. We do not have to engage the world with a defeated attitude that waits for the next bad thing, God is good. If we define life in the reverse order and start from the premise that God is good, our perspective changes. Now we are not enduring life, but as Romans 8 says, we are overwhelmingly conquering life. We see the pain as challenges, difficulties as opportunities for God to show how good He really is.
The fundamental difference as I see it in my life is a question of who is first. If I am first in my thoughts I will first think about how hard life is and then secondly think about the goodness of my God. If I am thinking about God and His kingdom first than I will think of God being good in all things.
Please note that this is not a call to minimize the pain. The Scriptures are clear that the statement life is hard is true, and particularly true for believers. We do not pretend there is no pain. We do not fake a smile and pretend we do not hurt. Instead we embrace the hurt and thank God for the opportunity to see just how good He can be. So, God is good. And Life is hard. God help us to keep the order straight.
Romans 8 seems to take a different approach. It begins instead with the premise that God has forgiven us in Christ and we are not condemned. And if we are not condemned than we have the greatest gift of all and therefore we know that God is working out all things for our good. (Romans 8:28) I want you to read that again. All things are being worked for good. We do not have to endure. We do not have to engage the world with a defeated attitude that waits for the next bad thing, God is good. If we define life in the reverse order and start from the premise that God is good, our perspective changes. Now we are not enduring life, but as Romans 8 says, we are overwhelmingly conquering life. We see the pain as challenges, difficulties as opportunities for God to show how good He really is.
The fundamental difference as I see it in my life is a question of who is first. If I am first in my thoughts I will first think about how hard life is and then secondly think about the goodness of my God. If I am thinking about God and His kingdom first than I will think of God being good in all things.
Please note that this is not a call to minimize the pain. The Scriptures are clear that the statement life is hard is true, and particularly true for believers. We do not pretend there is no pain. We do not fake a smile and pretend we do not hurt. Instead we embrace the hurt and thank God for the opportunity to see just how good He can be. So, God is good. And Life is hard. God help us to keep the order straight.
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
I am a Witness
Have you considered that if you are a follower of Jesus Christ that you have a responsibility - a job that Christ left His disciples until He returns? Most of us take the time to fulfill our responsibilities and yet we think very little about what Christ said to His disciples in Acts 1:8. He told them that they would be His witnesses. His martyrs. That by their lives or deaths they were to testify to the truth found in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is what we are to do.
Paul reminds of this truth in 1 Corinthians 11 as well when he reminds us that every time we partake of communion we are proclaiming the Lord's death until He comes. This puts into perspective for us how we often engage life and our relationship with God. We tend to live and act as though God is a part of what we do, but often the part that gets put last. We are called to think like Christ and yet we only think about it when we need something. We do not strive to think like Christ while we have things handled ourselves and so we wind up testifying to our great strategic thinking. We are called to show love like Christ and yet when we show love we tend to do so with the goal in mind that people will like us better and so again testify more about us than we do about Christ.
At the end of the day perhaps we should evaluate our day on how well we testified to Christ on any given day. Was today about me or was today about Christ? In doing so we shift how we look at each day. Perhaps this will lead to a better start to my day? Perhaps it will lead to a better perception of who I am and why I am here. But regardless we can know that we are fulfilling the purpose for which God has placed us on this earth if we witness to Christ during every available opportunity!
Paul reminds of this truth in 1 Corinthians 11 as well when he reminds us that every time we partake of communion we are proclaiming the Lord's death until He comes. This puts into perspective for us how we often engage life and our relationship with God. We tend to live and act as though God is a part of what we do, but often the part that gets put last. We are called to think like Christ and yet we only think about it when we need something. We do not strive to think like Christ while we have things handled ourselves and so we wind up testifying to our great strategic thinking. We are called to show love like Christ and yet when we show love we tend to do so with the goal in mind that people will like us better and so again testify more about us than we do about Christ.
At the end of the day perhaps we should evaluate our day on how well we testified to Christ on any given day. Was today about me or was today about Christ? In doing so we shift how we look at each day. Perhaps this will lead to a better start to my day? Perhaps it will lead to a better perception of who I am and why I am here. But regardless we can know that we are fulfilling the purpose for which God has placed us on this earth if we witness to Christ during every available opportunity!
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
Whiter than Snow
"Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."
Psalm 51:7
After preaching this past Sunday, I descended from the platform to sing the last song with the congregation. As I did so, I looked out the window and saw a beautiful snow falling- the kind with the big white flakes sticking together to form clumps of snow that hit the ground with a gentle heaviness. As I saw the snow fall, I was reminded of this verse. I shall be whiter than snow.
When we think about this verse, we must note that being whiter than snow is conditional. It is conditioned upon being washed. We cannot cleanse ourselves. We cannot wash ourselves in a way that will create this whiteness. We have no purity and so we need to be purified by another; We are dirty and need to be washed by hands cleaner than ours. This is another reminder of how much we need Jesus.
Titus 3:5 says, "He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit. . . "
Psalm 51:7
After preaching this past Sunday, I descended from the platform to sing the last song with the congregation. As I did so, I looked out the window and saw a beautiful snow falling- the kind with the big white flakes sticking together to form clumps of snow that hit the ground with a gentle heaviness. As I saw the snow fall, I was reminded of this verse. I shall be whiter than snow.
When we think about this verse, we must note that being whiter than snow is conditional. It is conditioned upon being washed. We cannot cleanse ourselves. We cannot wash ourselves in a way that will create this whiteness. We have no purity and so we need to be purified by another; We are dirty and need to be washed by hands cleaner than ours. This is another reminder of how much we need Jesus.
Titus 3:5 says, "He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit. . . "
We need the blood of Jesus to save us and when He saves us, He washes us and makes us clean. Think of it. The red blood of Jesus changes our blackened hearts to purest white. That is a color scheme worth praising God for. A color change that is impossible apart from grace. And every time I am reminded by the snow of this truth I rejoice! I am cleansed by the blood of Christ and when God sees me he sees the purity of Jesus standing in my place. What a joy! What an encouragement to live in praise of His glory!
Rejoice today that if you have Jesus you are cleansed by His blood and you are white as snow! Praise be to God!
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
Why You Need a Church
During the course of the next year or so we will be focusing in our Sunday Morning Worship on the Power and Spread of the gospel in the book of Acts. This study will focus on the fledgling church and its humble beginnings and exponential growth due to the power of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. As we do this, I know that there are some people out there who wonder about why they need a church. Have you ever asked the question, 'Why do I go to church?' Perhaps you go out of some feeling of religious obligation. Perhaps you go because your parents always went. Perhaps you think that in going to church you are performing some duty before God that will earn you heavenly brownie points. Perhaps it is merely a social gathering and you go simply to be with friends. Why should we go to church? The simply answer is that we need church. Allow me to outline just a few points in the New Testament that illustrate this point.
1 Corinthians 12 - you need a place to use your spiritual gift(s) and there is a place that needs you!
God gives to each of us a spiritual gift at the moment of salvation and these gifts need an outlet! They need some place to be used. You cannot use the spiritual gift of encouragement without someone to encourage. You cannot give without a recipient. You cannot serve with out someone to serve. You need a place to use your spiritual gifts in a way that brings honor and glory to God, and God's chosen place for you is in the local church.
James 5:19-20 and Galatians 6:1 - you need a place where you can be corrected!
If you live your relationship with God in singularity with just you and God I promise you that you are going to go easy on yourself. We never tell ourselves just how bad we really are, especially when we don't want to change. Instead, you need a church where you build relationships that will tell you when you are doing something that is inconsistent with the Word of God. You need people who will boldly correct you when you are wrong.
Ephesians 5:19 - you need a place where you can speak the Word of God to others and hear the Word of God through worship.
We need to worship. We were created for worship. We were created to live in a community of people who worship together. You cannot speak to one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs without having someone to speak to. This goes for all of the other "one anothers" in the New Testament to. We need each other.
So, if you don't have a church family would you consider finding one this week? Perhaps it could be ours, but find someplace and some group of people with whom you can worship God together. And in doing so you will be a blessing and be blessed.
1 Corinthians 12 - you need a place to use your spiritual gift(s) and there is a place that needs you!
God gives to each of us a spiritual gift at the moment of salvation and these gifts need an outlet! They need some place to be used. You cannot use the spiritual gift of encouragement without someone to encourage. You cannot give without a recipient. You cannot serve with out someone to serve. You need a place to use your spiritual gifts in a way that brings honor and glory to God, and God's chosen place for you is in the local church.
James 5:19-20 and Galatians 6:1 - you need a place where you can be corrected!
If you live your relationship with God in singularity with just you and God I promise you that you are going to go easy on yourself. We never tell ourselves just how bad we really are, especially when we don't want to change. Instead, you need a church where you build relationships that will tell you when you are doing something that is inconsistent with the Word of God. You need people who will boldly correct you when you are wrong.
Ephesians 5:19 - you need a place where you can speak the Word of God to others and hear the Word of God through worship.
We need to worship. We were created for worship. We were created to live in a community of people who worship together. You cannot speak to one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs without having someone to speak to. This goes for all of the other "one anothers" in the New Testament to. We need each other.
So, if you don't have a church family would you consider finding one this week? Perhaps it could be ours, but find someplace and some group of people with whom you can worship God together. And in doing so you will be a blessing and be blessed.
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
The Power of the Spirit of God
This Sunday we started a new series on the book of Acts. I am personally excited by the series, not just because of the fact that I am preaching it, but that I am learning from it. One of the first things that is promised to the disciples is this: "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. . ." (Acts 1:8, NASB) I have always known that the book of Acts is about the transitional time between Jesus ascension and the start of the church. I have always known that the beginning is the reception of the Spirit of God. What struck me as I studied this particular time is that the promise that is made is not the promise of the Spirit. The promise of the Spirit happened earlier in the gospels. Here the coming of the Spirit is not promised, it is assumed. It is a "when the Spirit has come." In other words, the Spirit coming is going to happen - what you need to look for when it happens is that you will gain something that the Spirit is going to bring.
Interestingly enough, what this text says the Spirit will bring is precisely what most of us are missing in our walk with God. The word is a simple, 5 letter word - POWER. Christ promises that the disciples will have power when the Spirit comes. This power will go out and transform the world as they knew it for Christ. This power will give them boldness even in the face of death. This power that they would have came from the Spirit of God. We have that same Spirit. We have the same Christ. We have the same salvation, resurrection, mediator, High Priest. We have the same promise of God's presence, the same assurances, the same Father, Son and Spirit. We have the same power. The difficulty is that we chose to live in this world as though every thing around us is stronger than we are. The homosexual agenda will not overcome the Word of God. The political environment will not conquer the Spirit of God. The difficulties we face cannot overcome the Love of God. We are overcomers. We have power.
Perhaps we should start to live like we are powerful!
Interestingly enough, what this text says the Spirit will bring is precisely what most of us are missing in our walk with God. The word is a simple, 5 letter word - POWER. Christ promises that the disciples will have power when the Spirit comes. This power will go out and transform the world as they knew it for Christ. This power will give them boldness even in the face of death. This power that they would have came from the Spirit of God. We have that same Spirit. We have the same Christ. We have the same salvation, resurrection, mediator, High Priest. We have the same promise of God's presence, the same assurances, the same Father, Son and Spirit. We have the same power. The difficulty is that we chose to live in this world as though every thing around us is stronger than we are. The homosexual agenda will not overcome the Word of God. The political environment will not conquer the Spirit of God. The difficulties we face cannot overcome the Love of God. We are overcomers. We have power.
Perhaps we should start to live like we are powerful!
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