I wanted to share an excerpt from a book I recently read called Core Christianity by Michael Horton.
"Jesus isn't just the answer to our questions; he gives us better questions. It's not that our needs are unimportant, it's that they're so shortsighted. We don't know what we really need. Our immediate problems are not necessarily our deepest or our most serious. We focus on the symptoms because they are right in front of us. And they are real: loneliness, abandonment, guilt, fear, depression, broken relationships, and financial or health issues. But Jesus Christ is the answer to the deeper and wider problems that we all face. He did not come just to give us our best life now. He came to give us eternal life. He came to free us from the curse of death and hell and the tyranny of those habits that poison our relationship with God and others."
(Horton, Michael. Core Christianity. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016)
I love the first line. Jesus is not just the answer to our questions, He gives us better questions to ask! It is interesting because most of us are trained to be inherently selfish and centered solely on our own needs and wants and we have a hard time differentiating the two. In fact, some things that we call needs are not needs at all. When we were shopping for a house we made a list of things we "needed". Maybe you have done something similar. On that list we had multiple bedrooms, multiple bathrooms, a garage etc. These are not needs and many people around the world would scoff at what I called a need.
Jesus refocuses my life. He gives me a new perspective. He does not just make my perspective a little better He calls me to total surrender and demands that I hear and listen to His perspective. He calls my views of my own life and needs not only inadequate, but sinful and demands that I change. So often we get this all backward. We find ourselves content with our own understanding of the world and our own emotional responses to situations. We learn to trust a great deal in ourselves and when our world turns upside down we turn to those things we have learned to rely upon. And God comes and tells us we are doing it all wrong. We should not turn to strength, but revel in our own weakness that God's power is manifested. We should not trust in horses and chariots, but trust in the name of the Lord our God. We should not lean on our own understanding but always acknowledge God and understand that His ways are higher (and better) than ours!
God help me to ask better questions and realize all of the answers that you have already given me in Jesus!
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Tuesday, August 13, 2019
The Armor of God
"Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm." Ephesians 6:13 (NASB)
My last post was about the ways that Satan wants to break down a church. Thankfully, God does not leave us without the ability to withstand the onslaught that Satan will bring. But, we have to prepare ourselves with armor that neither belongs to us or comes naturally to us. I do not wish to rehash the sermon that I just preached (although if you would like it is online through the website www.whitelakebaptist.com. But I do want to make a few points about the verse that I listed above in particular.
1. We are supposed to take up the full armor of God. Not a part of the armor, but the full armor. I cannot imagine that if we were going to war and defending ourselves with a suit of armor that we would intentionally leave off a part. We need all of it. We need truth and righteousness and the gospel and faith and salvation and the Word of God. We cannot stand properly against everything that the devil throws at us without all of the armor - do not leave part of it behind!
2. Notice that as you put on the armor, you have two responsibilities. One is to resist and the other is to stand firm. At the end of it all God does not want us to storm the gates of hell and conquer Satan. That would make no sense given that Satan is already defeated. He does however know that the modus operandi that Satan has is to try and tear down believers through deception and lies until the day that Christ returns. A deceived believer is useless to his Savior and a benefit to the opposition. We instead are to simply hold our ground!
3. It is worth reminding ourselves of over and over again - the therefore is there for a reason and in this case the reason is the reminder that our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against forces of darkness and wickedness (verse 12). No matter what is happening in your life, your primary struggle is not against whatever it is. It is not against cancer, it is not against people, it is not against politics. Our primary struggle is against Satan. This is not to say that Satan is behind every corner, but it does point out that he is the one with whom we war. The funny thing about this is that the war that Satan knows he is fighting is ultimately pointless. Satan has already lost and his doom is sure. But he is not too happy with that and so he continues to fight rather than graciously accept his own defeat. Praise God for the victory that we already have through the work of Christ!
My last post was about the ways that Satan wants to break down a church. Thankfully, God does not leave us without the ability to withstand the onslaught that Satan will bring. But, we have to prepare ourselves with armor that neither belongs to us or comes naturally to us. I do not wish to rehash the sermon that I just preached (although if you would like it is online through the website www.whitelakebaptist.com. But I do want to make a few points about the verse that I listed above in particular.
1. We are supposed to take up the full armor of God. Not a part of the armor, but the full armor. I cannot imagine that if we were going to war and defending ourselves with a suit of armor that we would intentionally leave off a part. We need all of it. We need truth and righteousness and the gospel and faith and salvation and the Word of God. We cannot stand properly against everything that the devil throws at us without all of the armor - do not leave part of it behind!
2. Notice that as you put on the armor, you have two responsibilities. One is to resist and the other is to stand firm. At the end of it all God does not want us to storm the gates of hell and conquer Satan. That would make no sense given that Satan is already defeated. He does however know that the modus operandi that Satan has is to try and tear down believers through deception and lies until the day that Christ returns. A deceived believer is useless to his Savior and a benefit to the opposition. We instead are to simply hold our ground!
3. It is worth reminding ourselves of over and over again - the therefore is there for a reason and in this case the reason is the reminder that our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against forces of darkness and wickedness (verse 12). No matter what is happening in your life, your primary struggle is not against whatever it is. It is not against cancer, it is not against people, it is not against politics. Our primary struggle is against Satan. This is not to say that Satan is behind every corner, but it does point out that he is the one with whom we war. The funny thing about this is that the war that Satan knows he is fighting is ultimately pointless. Satan has already lost and his doom is sure. But he is not too happy with that and so he continues to fight rather than graciously accept his own defeat. Praise God for the victory that we already have through the work of Christ!
Tuesday, August 6, 2019
How to Destroy a Church
I regularly receive a devotional from Ligonier ministries. The most recent arrival contained an interesting portion that imitated C.S. Lewis work The Screwtape Letters. The devotional is written in the same style as the Lewis book in that it is written as though it is written by an older and wiser demon with the goal of instructing a younger demon how to accomplish the purposes intended for him. The devotional contained 16 such attacks that have the potential to destroy the church. I wanted to note these 16 things as I think they do have the potential to destroy the church and want to make sure that we avoid them. Please remember that as these are written allegorically from one demon to another as things that will work to destroy the church and not things that I condone. I encourage us to find no place for these attacks by countering them with their opposite.
1. Erode Evangelism and Missions
2. Cultivate Cowardice and Worldliness
3. Subvert Communion and Baptism
4. Wreck the Word of God
5. Wear Down Worship
6. Push Against Personal Piety (holiness)
7. Demonize Church Discipline
8. Make Marriage Miserable
9. Fracture Families
10. Destroy Doctrine
11. Frustrate Fellowship
12. Obliterate Offerings
13. Pulverize the Pastor's Family
14. Sabotage Sanctification
15. Diminish Deacons
16. Attack Assurance
I know that I have seen Satan at work doing these things, sometimes even in our own church. May God help us fight Satan with the power of the Spirit of God and the truth of the Word of God for the glory of God!
1. Erode Evangelism and Missions
2. Cultivate Cowardice and Worldliness
3. Subvert Communion and Baptism
4. Wreck the Word of God
5. Wear Down Worship
6. Push Against Personal Piety (holiness)
7. Demonize Church Discipline
8. Make Marriage Miserable
9. Fracture Families
10. Destroy Doctrine
11. Frustrate Fellowship
12. Obliterate Offerings
13. Pulverize the Pastor's Family
14. Sabotage Sanctification
15. Diminish Deacons
16. Attack Assurance
I know that I have seen Satan at work doing these things, sometimes even in our own church. May God help us fight Satan with the power of the Spirit of God and the truth of the Word of God for the glory of God!
Tuesday, July 16, 2019
The Importance Place of Sorrow in the Life of a Christian
I believe that we have mistaken joy for happiness.
What I mean by this is that we know the Scriptures call us to give thanks and to have joy in all circumstances. These are clear statements. And so we have assumed that we need to be happy at all times. We pretend each Sunday morning that there are things that do not bother us that really grate at our souls. We endure hardship and feel guilt because we are not going through our day with a smile. We have mistaken happiness and assumed that God has called us to happiness in every moment and every circumstance.
The Scriptures do certainly teach that we are to have joy and to give thanks. But the same Scriptures also contain a book called Lamentations. They contain a whole group of psalms that are known as the psalms of lament. There are multiple examples of God's chosen leaders crying out to him in their pain and despair and agony and fear and God does not condemn them for doing so. It would seem to me that when we look at the whole of Scriptures that there is the ability for a believer to both lament their situation and praise and thank their God for the very same situation they are lamenting.
Which is why I think we need a better understanding of the place of sorrow in the life of a believer. When people die well before they should, when illness takes someone we love, when pain is a part of the daily life of a person, when an infant dies we need to know that this is not the way it is supposed to be and God tells us so. We can lament illness and pain and grief and hurt. These things are not a part of the world as God created it.
In fact, I think we need to have more godly lamentation. We need to lament the things that are not as God intended. If we just put on a happy face we are doing disservice to Christ who came to die to make the wrong things right again. So cry out in the midst of things that are wrong and unfair. And in our grief and sorrow we will find our praise all the more meaningful.
What I mean by this is that we know the Scriptures call us to give thanks and to have joy in all circumstances. These are clear statements. And so we have assumed that we need to be happy at all times. We pretend each Sunday morning that there are things that do not bother us that really grate at our souls. We endure hardship and feel guilt because we are not going through our day with a smile. We have mistaken happiness and assumed that God has called us to happiness in every moment and every circumstance.
The Scriptures do certainly teach that we are to have joy and to give thanks. But the same Scriptures also contain a book called Lamentations. They contain a whole group of psalms that are known as the psalms of lament. There are multiple examples of God's chosen leaders crying out to him in their pain and despair and agony and fear and God does not condemn them for doing so. It would seem to me that when we look at the whole of Scriptures that there is the ability for a believer to both lament their situation and praise and thank their God for the very same situation they are lamenting.
Which is why I think we need a better understanding of the place of sorrow in the life of a believer. When people die well before they should, when illness takes someone we love, when pain is a part of the daily life of a person, when an infant dies we need to know that this is not the way it is supposed to be and God tells us so. We can lament illness and pain and grief and hurt. These things are not a part of the world as God created it.
In fact, I think we need to have more godly lamentation. We need to lament the things that are not as God intended. If we just put on a happy face we are doing disservice to Christ who came to die to make the wrong things right again. So cry out in the midst of things that are wrong and unfair. And in our grief and sorrow we will find our praise all the more meaningful.
Tuesday, July 9, 2019
The Joy of Jericho
We are studying the book of Joshua in our SS class each Sunday morning (at 9:45 AM if you want to come!) As we read the last couple of weeks, we noticed how joyous and amazing the story of Jericho is. In truth, we spend a lot of time talking about Joshua. We started learning the story back when we were kids in Sunday School. We sang songs about Joshua and the "battle" of Jericho. We know the walls come down from walking around and the people go in.
I think that there is still much we can learn and appreciate from the story of Jericho, even as adults. But the chapter that immediately follows we often overlook. We talk and think about Jericho but think that is where the story ends. We forget that in the narrative of Jericho God records a command that is disobeyed. One man ignores the commands of God and a whole nation feels the brunt of the punishment of sin. God simply removes his presence from being with His people. He cannot stand sin and the sin of Achan was an affront to His holiness and could not be tolerated. It was more than just taking something that he should not have taken, he stole something from God Himself. And so God withholds his presence.
This translates into losing a battle against a small town that had only a few people to defend it. The contrast as Joshua records it is stunning. Win when impossible, lose when you don't need much help and the point that it makes is that it is not about the size of the obstacle at all, but the power of God being with you or not dependent upon obedience. God is immensely powerful and promises His power and presence for those who follow Him. But when we do our own thing and decide we do not need God, God simply allows us the freedom to do things our own way, without His power and presence and often the results are disastrous. God tells us to put our spouse first. When we do this we are blessed and can see His good results. When we put ourselves first we usually wind up fighting! God tells us to grow the church through the personal sharing of the gospel. When we think it is the pastor and deacons job to grow the church God simply allows us our choice and we move forward without the power and presence of God! This leads to stagnant churches and hollow Christianity at home. I could go on and on. Do you want the power and presence of God to be active in your life? Of course we all do. But we often forget that we see the power and presence of God when we choose to obey and follow his path for our lives. Sometimes we need to stop telling God things and listen instead.
Will you listen?
I think that there is still much we can learn and appreciate from the story of Jericho, even as adults. But the chapter that immediately follows we often overlook. We talk and think about Jericho but think that is where the story ends. We forget that in the narrative of Jericho God records a command that is disobeyed. One man ignores the commands of God and a whole nation feels the brunt of the punishment of sin. God simply removes his presence from being with His people. He cannot stand sin and the sin of Achan was an affront to His holiness and could not be tolerated. It was more than just taking something that he should not have taken, he stole something from God Himself. And so God withholds his presence.
This translates into losing a battle against a small town that had only a few people to defend it. The contrast as Joshua records it is stunning. Win when impossible, lose when you don't need much help and the point that it makes is that it is not about the size of the obstacle at all, but the power of God being with you or not dependent upon obedience. God is immensely powerful and promises His power and presence for those who follow Him. But when we do our own thing and decide we do not need God, God simply allows us the freedom to do things our own way, without His power and presence and often the results are disastrous. God tells us to put our spouse first. When we do this we are blessed and can see His good results. When we put ourselves first we usually wind up fighting! God tells us to grow the church through the personal sharing of the gospel. When we think it is the pastor and deacons job to grow the church God simply allows us our choice and we move forward without the power and presence of God! This leads to stagnant churches and hollow Christianity at home. I could go on and on. Do you want the power and presence of God to be active in your life? Of course we all do. But we often forget that we see the power and presence of God when we choose to obey and follow his path for our lives. Sometimes we need to stop telling God things and listen instead.
Will you listen?
Tuesday, June 25, 2019
VBS Update
We are in the second day of VBS 2019 - Missions Adventure Preparation School and are learning about different parts of the world and what it takes to be a missionary. We are learning stories of missionaries who have gone before and most importantly we are passing on the message of the good news of Jesus to a great group of kids. We are already hearing of the fruit of the labor and how the gospel is creating questions in the hearts of some of the kids.
I wanted to let you know that i am most pleased that we have a great group of over 20 helpers who are here today to help in some capacity. Some are helping check the kids in, some are helping in crafts, some are teaching, some are helping get snacks for the kids - some are helping in games. We are so glad for all of the help and the multitude of help makes serving the 78 kids and their families much easier. We also thank all of you who are praying for your ongoing prayers for our VBS. We are so blessed to be able to serve the community and so grateful for all your prayer.
As we continue to serve in VBS, please keep praying and there is still opportunity to help this week, so stop on by and we will find a place for you to help!
I wanted to let you know that i am most pleased that we have a great group of over 20 helpers who are here today to help in some capacity. Some are helping check the kids in, some are helping in crafts, some are teaching, some are helping get snacks for the kids - some are helping in games. We are so glad for all of the help and the multitude of help makes serving the 78 kids and their families much easier. We also thank all of you who are praying for your ongoing prayers for our VBS. We are so blessed to be able to serve the community and so grateful for all your prayer.
As we continue to serve in VBS, please keep praying and there is still opportunity to help this week, so stop on by and we will find a place for you to help!
Tuesday, June 11, 2019
You are Here for the Benefit of the Church
"And He gave some as apostles and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ."
Ephesians 4:11-13 (NASB)
We have an interesting way of looking at things in our culture that is sometimes wrong and even against Scripture. I have been a pastor in some capacity now for over 15 years (only a few years compared to some) and I have noticed in that time that people tend to treat church like it is a fast food restaurant. They will go regularly and call it their favorite place until they stop serving the food they like. Or they have a bad experience with one of the staff and they decide to go elsewhere. Or someone is not as friendly greeting them as they think they should be and they go elsewhere. Or they drop their kids programming and they decide they have to leave. The problem with this view is that they are the consumer of church and the church is simply there to provide goods and services for them to consume. Even people who are serving in the church can succumb to this idea. The problem is that this view that the church is something that is to provide for my needs is flat out wrong.
These verses in Ephesians (alongside many other Scriptures) remind us that the church is not for us - instead, we are for the church. God has gifted each believer with a gift that is to be used to the benefit of others in the context of the church. And if you are not using your gift for the benefit of others, you are missing a major part of your calling as a Christian. In other words, church is not something that exists solely to benefit you, but it exists for you to benefit the people who exist as the church. You exist to benefit God's people!
The question then should move from, "What is my church doing for me?" to , "What am I doing for my church?" It is a major shift in focus. This is not to say that you get nothing from the church, but these verses also define what we ought to look for when we are being church together. It lists three benefits that we should receive from service. We should attain unity with our fellow believers, we should attain a greater knowledge of the Son of God and we should attain maturity. May I suggest that we use these things as the mark of considering churches - will I be unified with the believers, will I attain a greater knowledge of the Son of God and am I going to be matured here?
It is interesting that musical styles and children's programming are not mentioned here.
So, how are you doing? Are you serving? Are you seeking to be a benefit to the body of Christ that develops unity, knowledge and maturity? If not, perhaps it is not the church that is doing it wrong!
Ephesians 4:11-13 (NASB)
We have an interesting way of looking at things in our culture that is sometimes wrong and even against Scripture. I have been a pastor in some capacity now for over 15 years (only a few years compared to some) and I have noticed in that time that people tend to treat church like it is a fast food restaurant. They will go regularly and call it their favorite place until they stop serving the food they like. Or they have a bad experience with one of the staff and they decide to go elsewhere. Or someone is not as friendly greeting them as they think they should be and they go elsewhere. Or they drop their kids programming and they decide they have to leave. The problem with this view is that they are the consumer of church and the church is simply there to provide goods and services for them to consume. Even people who are serving in the church can succumb to this idea. The problem is that this view that the church is something that is to provide for my needs is flat out wrong.
These verses in Ephesians (alongside many other Scriptures) remind us that the church is not for us - instead, we are for the church. God has gifted each believer with a gift that is to be used to the benefit of others in the context of the church. And if you are not using your gift for the benefit of others, you are missing a major part of your calling as a Christian. In other words, church is not something that exists solely to benefit you, but it exists for you to benefit the people who exist as the church. You exist to benefit God's people!
The question then should move from, "What is my church doing for me?" to , "What am I doing for my church?" It is a major shift in focus. This is not to say that you get nothing from the church, but these verses also define what we ought to look for when we are being church together. It lists three benefits that we should receive from service. We should attain unity with our fellow believers, we should attain a greater knowledge of the Son of God and we should attain maturity. May I suggest that we use these things as the mark of considering churches - will I be unified with the believers, will I attain a greater knowledge of the Son of God and am I going to be matured here?
It is interesting that musical styles and children's programming are not mentioned here.
So, how are you doing? Are you serving? Are you seeking to be a benefit to the body of Christ that develops unity, knowledge and maturity? If not, perhaps it is not the church that is doing it wrong!
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