Here it is 2010. As I look back over the last year, it was most likely the greatest year of spiritual growth I have ever had! It all started with a phone call from a doctor in April and the word cancer. Doctors had discovered growths on my neck and after a battery of test I got a call from Dr. Cushard himself. I can still remember the conversation like it was yesterday. He said I had tumors and they needed to come out immediately. He then proceeded to tell me I was being refereed to a surgeon at the Sacramento Cancer Center. Which prompted me to ask the question, "Do I have cancer?", to which he responded, "yes". The weight of that moment was incredible, I paused and said, "ok, I'll do whatever I have to do". At the end of the conversation I walked out back and sat down and opened my Bible, I was speechless. Right about then I read this verse "He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return" (Psalms 78:39 NIV).
This verse opened my eyes to reality, life is short and what are you doing with it? From that moment on I gave everything to God. It was the most freeing moment of my life. Over the next few months life slowed way down and I had to learn to lean of God everyday. I graduated from college on May 16th and the following week had surgery. Everything went great, better than expected. In the months afterward God had been strengthen me in ways I never knew. He lifted me out of the pit and put a new song in my mouth and praise song to my Lord. Is everything perfect not at all, but my out look is totally different. I see every day as a gift and I can't wait to proclaim Christ in my life and to the world around me.
So as I look back 2009, it was challenging to me in ways I never imagined and Christ carried all the way. As I look ahead to the coming year I can't wait to see what happens next, already things are happening. I have seen Christ at work in our church, people's lives are being changed and it's all because of Him.
Thank you Lord!
~ps
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010
The Person of the Cross
As I study the Bible and especially the writings of Paul, I notice something. Paul's answer to any question is always Christ, especially Christ on the cross. In our lives we are always looking for answers. We want answers about our families, about life. Why is there such evil in the world? Why are people the way they are? Why am I the way I am? The list goes on and on and we are no different from people of the past. From the very beginning we have struggled to find these answers and more. In Paul's day it wasn't any different and Paul's answer was always the same, Christ. Christ is the answer to all of our questions. He is either answer or the solution. Evil and sin are in the world, there is no denying it. Christ is the answer! Relationships are broken, Christ is the answer. We are selfish and greedy with our time, money and everything else, Christ is the answer. We are out of touch with our Father in heaven, lost and astray, Christ is the answer!
Paul also glorified the cross. The cross was the ultimate place of shame in Paul's time. No one would have ever worn a cross around their neck. The cross was a place of scorn and ridicule, yet Paul boasted in the cross, "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world" (Galatians 6:14 NIV). The reason Paul could make such a claim is because Paul knew the person of the cross.
Paul had spent his life dedicated to becoming a Pharisees. He went to the finniest schools, he was up and coming. He prided himself in being the most knowledgeable, the most loyal, and the most 'religious'. If anyone could boast in his own righteousness it was Paul, in which he said he was 'faultless'. But on the road to Damascus all of that changed. In meeting Christ Paul's whole life was changed forever. He was never the same again, in fact in Philippians he would say this, "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ" (Philippians 3:7-8 NIV). Paul looked back and considered everything he had learned, everything he had accomplished rubbish, trash, garbage! Compared to knowing Christ, nothing else mattered for Paul.
In my own life the closer I draw to Christ the more my life changes. I start to see people the way Christ sees them. In the battle with sin, I see my sin more like Christ sees my sin and I am disgusted and humbled. The person of the cross changed my life forever. I have never been the same and I can't live without him. Paul knew this and thus boasted in the cross and preached the gospel with boldness. In your life remember the person of the cross, Christ and boast to the world in knowing him.
~ps
Next we'll look at the "Power of the Cross"
Paul also glorified the cross. The cross was the ultimate place of shame in Paul's time. No one would have ever worn a cross around their neck. The cross was a place of scorn and ridicule, yet Paul boasted in the cross, "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world" (Galatians 6:14 NIV). The reason Paul could make such a claim is because Paul knew the person of the cross.
Paul had spent his life dedicated to becoming a Pharisees. He went to the finniest schools, he was up and coming. He prided himself in being the most knowledgeable, the most loyal, and the most 'religious'. If anyone could boast in his own righteousness it was Paul, in which he said he was 'faultless'. But on the road to Damascus all of that changed. In meeting Christ Paul's whole life was changed forever. He was never the same again, in fact in Philippians he would say this, "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ" (Philippians 3:7-8 NIV). Paul looked back and considered everything he had learned, everything he had accomplished rubbish, trash, garbage! Compared to knowing Christ, nothing else mattered for Paul.
In my own life the closer I draw to Christ the more my life changes. I start to see people the way Christ sees them. In the battle with sin, I see my sin more like Christ sees my sin and I am disgusted and humbled. The person of the cross changed my life forever. I have never been the same and I can't live without him. Paul knew this and thus boasted in the cross and preached the gospel with boldness. In your life remember the person of the cross, Christ and boast to the world in knowing him.
~ps
Next we'll look at the "Power of the Cross"
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
December Newsletter
Humility is an interesting word. The dictionary defines it as “the quality or condition of being humble; modest opinion or estimate of one's own importance.” I look around me and there seems to be a lack of humility in our culture. Everyone seems to have an inflated view of their self importance. As we come into the Christmas season, you will experience long lines filled with people more important than you. As I look at the Christmas story there is one word that jumps out at me more than anything else, and that is humility.
Jesus was born, the King of kings, the Lord of lords. He is praised and worshiped by all the heavenly bodies and yet came to us as a defenseless child. He wasn’t born in large mansion, surrounded by the luxuries. He was born in a manger surrounded by livestock and straw. He should have been wrapped in the finniest linen, but he was wrapped in simple blanket. The Word became flesh in the humblest of ways. All of the world leaders should have been there and worshiped him, but it was the shepherds who were invited.
Not only was Jesus humble in his birth but he lived his short life in deep humility. Jesus, God in flesh emptied himself and made himself nothing, taking on the very nature of a servant, in the likeness of a human being. As a man he humbled himself and became obedient to death, the death of a common criminal, nailed to a cross!
So this Christmas season as you start to get caught up in the season, remember the humility of Christ. Reflect on Him and what He means to your life. It is through Him Christmas has its meaning and purpose. It is through Him we have the greatest gift of all and that is forgiveness of sin and promise of everlasting life. With Him we receive in abundance all the joy, peace, love we all long for. The greatest gift given at Christmas isn’t something bought in a store, it is Jesus. So as you gather with friends and family, take time to share the Christmas story. Tell them of our great King who was born in manger and how he gave his life for you and I. Share the greatest gift ever given, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Amen.
-ps
Jesus was born, the King of kings, the Lord of lords. He is praised and worshiped by all the heavenly bodies and yet came to us as a defenseless child. He wasn’t born in large mansion, surrounded by the luxuries. He was born in a manger surrounded by livestock and straw. He should have been wrapped in the finniest linen, but he was wrapped in simple blanket. The Word became flesh in the humblest of ways. All of the world leaders should have been there and worshiped him, but it was the shepherds who were invited.
Not only was Jesus humble in his birth but he lived his short life in deep humility. Jesus, God in flesh emptied himself and made himself nothing, taking on the very nature of a servant, in the likeness of a human being. As a man he humbled himself and became obedient to death, the death of a common criminal, nailed to a cross!
So this Christmas season as you start to get caught up in the season, remember the humility of Christ. Reflect on Him and what He means to your life. It is through Him Christmas has its meaning and purpose. It is through Him we have the greatest gift of all and that is forgiveness of sin and promise of everlasting life. With Him we receive in abundance all the joy, peace, love we all long for. The greatest gift given at Christmas isn’t something bought in a store, it is Jesus. So as you gather with friends and family, take time to share the Christmas story. Tell them of our great King who was born in manger and how he gave his life for you and I. Share the greatest gift ever given, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Amen.
-ps
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Sermon: Glimpse of Heaven Mark 12:18-27
Have you ever had anything that was heavenly? I think of things I might consider heavenly. Smoking a brisket or a rack of ribs, in my smoker is heavenly. The smell of coffee brewing early on a chilly morning is heavenly. Sinking into my bed at the end of a long day can also be heavenly. But really those things are nice, I really enjoy them. What about the ‘heaven’ moments in life? Where you catch a glimpse of something magical, supernatural, something so special you cannot express it in words. Like the birth of a child and the first time you look down at them, lying there and they grab your finger…the moment you connect. The first time you fell in love, when you looked at her and you knew she was the one. Stepping out on a mountain top and seeing beauty overwhelming. Seeing someone you love and have prayed for truly given their lives to Christ.
But these moments are only fleeting, they are like a mist on a summers day. You always remember the feeling, the moment. In the Bible I think we also see ‘glimpses’ of heaven. Jesus is again confronted by another group of teachers called the Sadducees. In answering their question Jesus gives us a glimpse of heaven. Mark 12:18-27:
Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. "Teacher," they said, "Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and have children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died without leaving any children. The second one married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third. In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too. At the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?" Jesus replied, "Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. Now about the dead rising--have you not read in the book of Moses, in the account of the bush, how God said to him, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!" (Mar 12:18-27 NIV)
Here the teachers who don’t believe in the resurrection asking a question about the resurrection! In the Old Testament, if a brother died another brother would merry the widow and to produce children to care for her and keep the family line alive. The Sadducees only followed the first five books of the Bible and nothing else. So they didn’t believe in the resurrection or any life after death. So Jesus answers their question, he rebukes them for not knowing Scripture and for underestimating God.
Don’t we still underestimate God? We place him in boxes; we think he is like us. But nothing is impossible for God, nothing. He is all powerful! That is important because in the next line he says, “When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven”. First we have to recognize God has the power to raise the dead. He defeated death through Jesus Christ, the Bible says, “The last enemy to be destroyed is death. (1Co 15:26 NIV), Death has been swallowed up in victory." "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1Co 15:54-57 NIV).
The second part I have given a lot of thought too. “neither marry nor be given in marriage” Firstly marriage is the strongest bond of love we can experience here on earth. All through the Bible marriage is used as an illustration of the relationship between God and man. But here the bond is marred by sin, it is not perfect, it is broken because we are broken. In heaven we will recognize our spouses but the bond will be overshadowed by a new order. We will no longer be broken; we will be made whole again. We will be in the presence of God, we will live with God. There is nothing that can compare to that. It is this thought that should give us hope, it should drive us to live for Christ and to make him known to others. Let me further illustrate this thought.
Yellow is not my favorite color. But Vincent van Gogh saw yellow differently. This famous Dutch painter, sadly, abandoned his faith he had grown up with in a Christian home and sank into depression and destruction. By the grace of God, as he later began to embrace his faith again, his life took on hope, and he gave that hope color.
The best-kept secret of van Gogh's life is that the truth he was discovering is seen in the gradual increase of the presence of the color yellow in his paintings. Yellow evoked (for him) the hope and warmth of the truth of God's love. In one of his depressive periods, seen in his famous The Starry Night, you finds a yellow sun and yellow swirling stars, because van Gogh thought truth was present only in nature. Tragically, the church, which stands tall in this painting and should be the house of truth, is about the only item in the painting showing no traces of yellow.
But by the time he painted The Raising of Lazarus, his life was on the mend as he began to face the truth about himself. The entire picture is blindingly bathed in yellow. In fact, van Gogh put his own face on Lazarus to express his own hope in the Resurrection. It was this glimpse of heaven that changed van Gogh, it gave him hope. That no matter what happens here, there is going to be a day when everything will be made right. It is this thought that we can start painting yellow into our own lives, knowing we have a fresh hope and the hope of new beginnings.
Listen to how Jesus finishes this question: Now about the dead rising--have you not read in the book of Moses, in the account of the bush, how God said to him, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!" Jesus is telling us the key to all of this, it is what van Gogh grasped, God is not the God of the dead, but of the living…he is the living God, he is about life! We will raise again with him in heaven.
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Rev 21:3-4 NIV)
The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. (Rev 21:23 NIV)
It is the glimpse of heaven in our lives that are there to remind us of things to come. They are there to give us hope in a dark world. In answering the question of the Sadducees, Jesus gives us a glimpse of heaven. He gives us a peek of things to come. But we will only see it if we are in relationship with Him, if we know Jesus.
But these moments are only fleeting, they are like a mist on a summers day. You always remember the feeling, the moment. In the Bible I think we also see ‘glimpses’ of heaven. Jesus is again confronted by another group of teachers called the Sadducees. In answering their question Jesus gives us a glimpse of heaven. Mark 12:18-27:
Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. "Teacher," they said, "Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and have children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died without leaving any children. The second one married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third. In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too. At the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?" Jesus replied, "Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. Now about the dead rising--have you not read in the book of Moses, in the account of the bush, how God said to him, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!" (Mar 12:18-27 NIV)
Here the teachers who don’t believe in the resurrection asking a question about the resurrection! In the Old Testament, if a brother died another brother would merry the widow and to produce children to care for her and keep the family line alive. The Sadducees only followed the first five books of the Bible and nothing else. So they didn’t believe in the resurrection or any life after death. So Jesus answers their question, he rebukes them for not knowing Scripture and for underestimating God.
Don’t we still underestimate God? We place him in boxes; we think he is like us. But nothing is impossible for God, nothing. He is all powerful! That is important because in the next line he says, “When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven”. First we have to recognize God has the power to raise the dead. He defeated death through Jesus Christ, the Bible says, “The last enemy to be destroyed is death. (1Co 15:26 NIV), Death has been swallowed up in victory." "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1Co 15:54-57 NIV).
The second part I have given a lot of thought too. “neither marry nor be given in marriage” Firstly marriage is the strongest bond of love we can experience here on earth. All through the Bible marriage is used as an illustration of the relationship between God and man. But here the bond is marred by sin, it is not perfect, it is broken because we are broken. In heaven we will recognize our spouses but the bond will be overshadowed by a new order. We will no longer be broken; we will be made whole again. We will be in the presence of God, we will live with God. There is nothing that can compare to that. It is this thought that should give us hope, it should drive us to live for Christ and to make him known to others. Let me further illustrate this thought.
Yellow is not my favorite color. But Vincent van Gogh saw yellow differently. This famous Dutch painter, sadly, abandoned his faith he had grown up with in a Christian home and sank into depression and destruction. By the grace of God, as he later began to embrace his faith again, his life took on hope, and he gave that hope color.The best-kept secret of van Gogh's life is that the truth he was discovering is seen in the gradual increase of the presence of the color yellow in his paintings. Yellow evoked (for him) the hope and warmth of the truth of God's love. In one of his depressive periods, seen in his famous The Starry Night, you finds a yellow sun and yellow swirling stars, because van Gogh thought truth was present only in nature. Tragically, the church, which stands tall in this painting and should be the house of truth, is about the only item in the painting showing no traces of yellow.
But by the time he painted The Raising of Lazarus, his life was on the mend as he began to face the truth about himself. The entire picture is blindingly bathed in yellow. In fact, van Gogh put his own face on Lazarus to express his own hope in the Resurrection. It was this glimpse of heaven that changed van Gogh, it gave him hope. That no matter what happens here, there is going to be a day when everything will be made right. It is this thought that we can start painting yellow into our own lives, knowing we have a fresh hope and the hope of new beginnings.
Listen to how Jesus finishes this question: Now about the dead rising--have you not read in the book of Moses, in the account of the bush, how God said to him, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!" Jesus is telling us the key to all of this, it is what van Gogh grasped, God is not the God of the dead, but of the living…he is the living God, he is about life! We will raise again with him in heaven.And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Rev 21:3-4 NIV)
The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. (Rev 21:23 NIV)
It is the glimpse of heaven in our lives that are there to remind us of things to come. They are there to give us hope in a dark world. In answering the question of the Sadducees, Jesus gives us a glimpse of heaven. He gives us a peek of things to come. But we will only see it if we are in relationship with Him, if we know Jesus.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
DISCLAIMER……
I’m a bit on the angry side today, so everything that I say is purely of my own free will. My comments and feelings do not represent the Dethroned by Grace web site.
Preparing for church today I was excited, excited to teach people about Christ, excited about seeing fellow believers, excited to worship a loving God who has saved me, but all that quickly dissipated shortly after I walked into the door and was confronted with the human element of THE church.
People, all of us sinful, are so selfish. When did it become ok in the church to say, “It’s all about me? What are you going to do for me?”
A church is not a fast food restaurant where you walk up to the counter and say, “I want a cheeseburger, please hold the tomato and mustard.” In church we do not reserve the right to say, “I want a class for my 8 year old and make sure he’s saved before he’s 9 years old.”
What is wrong with saying, “I have an 8 year old, how can I help in getting him saved before he is 9?” How can I be involved? How can I SERVE!?
And when did Jesus say, “Hey, its ok, go ahead and quit! When things get tough, when people make you mad or when you get your feelings hurt, go ahead and turn your back on your family, (the church….the bride) and walk away.” ??
You know…… I don’t like church politics, I don’t like money issues and I don’t like when Christians don’t act like Christians…….if you confess to love Christ, then you must strive to ACT like Christ, LOVE like Christ, and ultimately LIVE like Christ.
Ok, my rant is over…..sorry about being so blunt! In the end of it, I love Christ and I know that he loves me. I won’t quit! I expect others to stick with me……like the bible say’s…..
Hebrews 12:1
1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
Yes, we each have a race marked out for US, if we quit we won’t finish OUR race and we will fail for Christ!
I have some wonderful people in my church, people that I love and would walk on broken glass for, people that want what I want, to save souls for Christ, but we must always keep our eyes on the prize…………..TO BE LIKE CHRIST!
Be humble, be loving, be giving, be like Christ!
May God bless you! Please don’t let my words offend you, but inspire you to be more like Christ, view your brothers and sisters in Christ as family and in that thought, work it out………don’t quit!
I’m a bit on the angry side today, so everything that I say is purely of my own free will. My comments and feelings do not represent the Dethroned by Grace web site.
Preparing for church today I was excited, excited to teach people about Christ, excited about seeing fellow believers, excited to worship a loving God who has saved me, but all that quickly dissipated shortly after I walked into the door and was confronted with the human element of THE church.
People, all of us sinful, are so selfish. When did it become ok in the church to say, “It’s all about me? What are you going to do for me?”
A church is not a fast food restaurant where you walk up to the counter and say, “I want a cheeseburger, please hold the tomato and mustard.” In church we do not reserve the right to say, “I want a class for my 8 year old and make sure he’s saved before he’s 9 years old.”
What is wrong with saying, “I have an 8 year old, how can I help in getting him saved before he is 9?” How can I be involved? How can I SERVE!?
And when did Jesus say, “Hey, its ok, go ahead and quit! When things get tough, when people make you mad or when you get your feelings hurt, go ahead and turn your back on your family, (the church….the bride) and walk away.” ??
You know…… I don’t like church politics, I don’t like money issues and I don’t like when Christians don’t act like Christians…….if you confess to love Christ, then you must strive to ACT like Christ, LOVE like Christ, and ultimately LIVE like Christ.
Ok, my rant is over…..sorry about being so blunt! In the end of it, I love Christ and I know that he loves me. I won’t quit! I expect others to stick with me……like the bible say’s…..
Hebrews 12:1
1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
Yes, we each have a race marked out for US, if we quit we won’t finish OUR race and we will fail for Christ!
I have some wonderful people in my church, people that I love and would walk on broken glass for, people that want what I want, to save souls for Christ, but we must always keep our eyes on the prize…………..TO BE LIKE CHRIST!
Be humble, be loving, be giving, be like Christ!
May God bless you! Please don’t let my words offend you, but inspire you to be more like Christ, view your brothers and sisters in Christ as family and in that thought, work it out………don’t quit!
Sunday, July 20, 2008
"But, I thought better of it......."
From the Message Bible
Ezekiel 20: 13-17 "'But Israel rebelled against me in the desert. They didn't follow my statutes. They despised my laws for living well and obediently in the ways I had set out. And they totally desecrated my holy Sabbaths. I seriously considered unleashing my anger on them right there in the desert. But I thought better of it and acted out of who I was, not by what I felt, so that I might be honored and not blasphemed by the nations who had seen me bring them out. But I did lift my hand in a solemn oath there in the desert and promise them that I would not bring them into the country flowing with milk and honey that I had chosen for them, that jewel among all lands. I canceled my promise because they despised my laws for living obediently, wouldn't follow my statutes, and went ahead and desecrated my holy Sabbaths. They preferred living by their no-god idols. But I didn't go all the way: I didn't wipe them out, didn't finish them off in the desert.
When I read this passage the other day I had to read it again, then again, then again! God actually said, "But, I thought better of it..." HUH??? I understood that God wanted to squash Israel for their rebellion. He wanted to wipe them out, finish them off in the desert! They were bowing down to false Gods and showing some serious disrespect for God who had given them everything, but He thought better of it....WHY? Two reasons that really smacked me in the head.
Firstly, because he "acted out of who I was, not by what I felt". Who HE was, not what HE felt!! Holy Cow! You mean we shouldn't act on our emotions? We should stay in touch with who we are as Christians and stick to our Christian principles? Well, that sounds practically impossible, but in Christ anything is possible right? Right!
Secondly, God also didn't want HIS NAME to be tarnished. He wanted to be honored and not blasphemed by other nations.This is a great piece of advice! It occurred to me that when a brother or a sister in Christ turns their back on me, hurts me or my family and I want to wipe them out or I want to 'unleash my anger on them' just as God wanted to do, I should think better of it. Not for their good, but for my own and all the other people that are watching....and believe me they are watching!!
I should protect my witness by not letting go of angry words or by being mean spirited and in doing so I will be protecting my name as.......Christian! In doing so, the name Christian will be something to uphold and hopefully be respected, not mocked or laughed at.
Finally, God is awesome and this is yet another passage that has helped me deal with my feelings about people who have kicked me to the curb! Praise God that he is so loving with his wisdom and that he has given us the Holy Spirit to help us make it when we don't have the strength to make it on our own.
In Christ,
The Wife of A Pastor
Ezekiel 20: 13-17 "'But Israel rebelled against me in the desert. They didn't follow my statutes. They despised my laws for living well and obediently in the ways I had set out. And they totally desecrated my holy Sabbaths. I seriously considered unleashing my anger on them right there in the desert. But I thought better of it and acted out of who I was, not by what I felt, so that I might be honored and not blasphemed by the nations who had seen me bring them out. But I did lift my hand in a solemn oath there in the desert and promise them that I would not bring them into the country flowing with milk and honey that I had chosen for them, that jewel among all lands. I canceled my promise because they despised my laws for living obediently, wouldn't follow my statutes, and went ahead and desecrated my holy Sabbaths. They preferred living by their no-god idols. But I didn't go all the way: I didn't wipe them out, didn't finish them off in the desert.
When I read this passage the other day I had to read it again, then again, then again! God actually said, "But, I thought better of it..." HUH??? I understood that God wanted to squash Israel for their rebellion. He wanted to wipe them out, finish them off in the desert! They were bowing down to false Gods and showing some serious disrespect for God who had given them everything, but He thought better of it....WHY? Two reasons that really smacked me in the head.
Firstly, because he "acted out of who I was, not by what I felt". Who HE was, not what HE felt!! Holy Cow! You mean we shouldn't act on our emotions? We should stay in touch with who we are as Christians and stick to our Christian principles? Well, that sounds practically impossible, but in Christ anything is possible right? Right!
Secondly, God also didn't want HIS NAME to be tarnished. He wanted to be honored and not blasphemed by other nations.This is a great piece of advice! It occurred to me that when a brother or a sister in Christ turns their back on me, hurts me or my family and I want to wipe them out or I want to 'unleash my anger on them' just as God wanted to do, I should think better of it. Not for their good, but for my own and all the other people that are watching....and believe me they are watching!!
I should protect my witness by not letting go of angry words or by being mean spirited and in doing so I will be protecting my name as.......Christian! In doing so, the name Christian will be something to uphold and hopefully be respected, not mocked or laughed at.
Finally, God is awesome and this is yet another passage that has helped me deal with my feelings about people who have kicked me to the curb! Praise God that he is so loving with his wisdom and that he has given us the Holy Spirit to help us make it when we don't have the strength to make it on our own.
In Christ,
The Wife of A Pastor
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
The Urge to Follow Jesus
As I have stated I am reading through Bill Hull’s “The Complete Book of Discipleship”. He challenged my thinking in this section and I’m interested in what you think.
“First, if you don’t feel the urge to follow and become like Jesus, God isn’t at work in you. And if God isn’t at work in you, he’s not in you. You’ll know he’s at work and in you when he moves your will, and a moved person will always act. You can respond to God’s call only when he gives you the will to do so. When you hear the words of Jesus, “Follow me,” and the urge to obey rises up within you, then you can be assured that God is at work.
A practical point should be noted here. As a leader, when you call people to follow Jesus, don’t fret over those who say no. Far too many professing Christian have decided not to follow Jesus. They make this choice either because they never repented and turned to Christ in the first place or because they’ve been misled and think of discipleship as optional.”
Several statements really jump out at me, “a moved person will always act” and at the end when he is talking about Christians being mislead to think discipleship is “optional”.
Discipleship has been on my heart for some time now and I think in the church we have greatly missed this boat. I especially have been burdened since becoming a pastor, because I see evidence of it. In our services it seem the focus is on us and not on Christ. In our lives we are falling further away from the call to holiness, to be Christ like, to live our faith. This is all falls back on discipleship.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said this “Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ” Bonhoeffer also said “Believing in Christ starts with self-denial, then answering his calling. That’s what it means to take up our cross. This journey of following Christ as his disciple is a lifelong one. Anything less is a Christless Christianity. Without the reality of following Jesus, Christianity is just a religious philosophy.”
-ps
“First, if you don’t feel the urge to follow and become like Jesus, God isn’t at work in you. And if God isn’t at work in you, he’s not in you. You’ll know he’s at work and in you when he moves your will, and a moved person will always act. You can respond to God’s call only when he gives you the will to do so. When you hear the words of Jesus, “Follow me,” and the urge to obey rises up within you, then you can be assured that God is at work.
A practical point should be noted here. As a leader, when you call people to follow Jesus, don’t fret over those who say no. Far too many professing Christian have decided not to follow Jesus. They make this choice either because they never repented and turned to Christ in the first place or because they’ve been misled and think of discipleship as optional.”
Several statements really jump out at me, “a moved person will always act” and at the end when he is talking about Christians being mislead to think discipleship is “optional”.
Discipleship has been on my heart for some time now and I think in the church we have greatly missed this boat. I especially have been burdened since becoming a pastor, because I see evidence of it. In our services it seem the focus is on us and not on Christ. In our lives we are falling further away from the call to holiness, to be Christ like, to live our faith. This is all falls back on discipleship.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said this “Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ” Bonhoeffer also said “Believing in Christ starts with self-denial, then answering his calling. That’s what it means to take up our cross. This journey of following Christ as his disciple is a lifelong one. Anything less is a Christless Christianity. Without the reality of following Jesus, Christianity is just a religious philosophy.”
-ps
Friday, July 4, 2008
Independence Day
Today is Independence Day. The Fourth of July in America has been and still is a very special day for us as a nation. It is the day we celebrate our Independence from Britain, we were no longer a 'colony', but a free nation. We choose to govern ourselves and we fought a long and bloody war to gain that freedom. Freedom came at a great price then and it still carries the same price tag, blood. Through the centuries our nation has had to defend our right to be free. We have fought for the freedom of others and we have even fought ourselves. Even today our young troops are fighting for freedom in a far away land. Someone always wants to take freedom away. Islamic forces want us to live and worship the way they believe to be best. Environmentalists want us to live and eat the way they believe is right. The list goes on and one.
Everywhere I turn it seems someone is after the freedom we posses. In my faith there are forces that also want to take away my freedom and enslave us. Satan the age old enemy of God wants me to live as a slave to my sin. He would love nothing more than for me to give up and just give in. In Romans 6 says I am dead to sin and alive in Christ. Paul also tells me the life I live I am to live by the spirit and not by the law. I am to live empowered by the dwelling of the Holy Spirit. I died with Christ and I will rise with Him in life. I have freedom, freedom from the bonds of sin, if I offer myself up to God, if I surrender control to the spirit. At first glance this too would seem to be a form of slavery, but in reality it is the ultimate freedom. Sin so dominates our lives we don't even realize it at times. Everything I see, think, feel is off the mark, just enough. I have an antenna on my roof that works by line of sight and the receiver is a mile away. If my antenna is off just an eighth of an inch, it would miss the receiver by a hundred feet. Even if we are off by a little in our lives, we miss God by a lot. So we need someone to line us up, to point the way. Jesus does just that, he lines us up and keeps us straight, if I let him. Once we are connected he changes us, he transforms us from the way we were to the way we will be, but we need to be connected. Freedom is in the change, God frees us from our former selves. He gives a new freedom from the burden of sin.
Freedom has a price and Christ paid the price for us. He shed his own blood so that we might have freedom from the bondage of sin. So this Fourth of July think about the freedom we have and give thanks to our Lord.
-ps
Thursday, July 3, 2008
New Ideas
I'm reading a book titled "The Complete Book of Discipleship", by Bill Hull. So far the book has been a very interest read and I love how he has gone back in history to see 'discipleship' has grown and evolved over the years. Being a history buff or a 'context' guy, the more I understand the past of something the better I grasp the concepts presented. He is a new idea I read. A young pastor looking at the church he was part of realized it needed a boost. It needed a new breath of life, it had grown cold and lacked zeal. So here is what he came up with:
- To encourage a more extensive use of the Word of God, it should be read and discussed in the collegia pietatis or small group.
- To encourage members to read the Scripture privately.
- To read books of the Bible from start to finish so they could be understood the way they were written.
- To conduct one's small group much like the Scripture instructed in 1 Corinthians 14:26-40.
- To minister to one another as believer-priest.
- To hold each other accountable to live out the truth of God's Word with integrity.
- To help each other keep their commitments to God.
- To conduct themselves well, even among those they disagreed with.
This young pastor name is Philip Spener and he lived from 1635-1705. He helped bring about reform in the Lutheran Church which after a hundred years after Luther, which had grown in orthodoxy, cold, detached, in need of resuscitation. You see there isn't anything new, Solomon was right. This list is still needed today.
-ps
Sermon: A Changed Heart Mark 7:1-23
We have finished our VBS and what a challenging week it has been. We learned about “God’s unshakeable truth”. The motto for the week was ‘know the truth, speak the truth, and live the truth”. The kids learned it was important to know the truth, but it was also important to speak it and to live it.
It’s not enough to know the truth, there has to be action behind the truth. Truth needs to be played out in front of the world around us. Truth needs to seen and heard. But the only way that can happen is by having a changed heart. Let’s read Mark 7:1-23
Jesus has just feed the five thousand; he has healed the sick, walked on water, and set the captives free. People are talking about him everywhere and he has gained the attention of the religious leaders of his day. In fact we see they have sent out a party ‘to check things out’. The first thing the leaders observe is the disciples not washing their hands before eating. In Jesus’ day, there was an elaborate ceremony before eating.
These Jewish rituals where performed before each meal. Devout Jews would perform a short ceremony, washing their hands and arms in a specific way. The disciples did not have dirty hands, but they were simply not carrying out this traditional cleansing. Jesus understood exactly what they where accusing him of and it was not following tradition. The cleansing wasn’t in scripture it was tradition. So Jesus uncovers this entire line of thought and he challenges them on this because he knew where their hearts were, their hearts were in the traditions they followed and not in God.
Jesus accuses them of hypocrisy in v.7. They are saying they worship God, but in fact they are worshiping rules made by men. Hypocrisy can be defined as pretending to be something you are not and have no intention of being. Jesus called the Pharisees hypocrites because they worshiped God for the wrong reasons. Their worship was not motivated by love but by a desire to attain profit, to appear holy, and to increase their status.
We can become hypocrites when we pay more attention to reputation than to character, or carefully follow certain religious practices while allowing our hearts to remain distant from God, and lastly anytime we over emphasize others' sins, by emphasizing our own “virtues”.
In fact the Pharisee’s and zealot religious followers had used the excuse of giving to God to get out of their obligation to care for their own parents. They thought it was more important to put money in the Temple treasury than to help their needy mothers and fathers!
Jesus is identifying the real problem; the Pharisees and religious leaders had a ‘heart condition’. It’s not what goes into a man that makes him unclean, but what come out from his heart that makes him unclean, v.20-21.
Today
Looking at this passage I think it is easy to see, even today the church has a ‘heart condition.’ We have become so locked on to our traditions, our ‘Christian Culture” we have lost our ability to influence the culture around us. It has become ‘good enough’ to listen to Christian radio, go to a Christian bookstore, and attend church once a week. But slowly our hearts have changed. Christians no longer influence our culture because we know the truth, but we don’t speak the truth and we don’t live truth.
Because of this we have slowly watched our freedoms slip away. 36% of evangelicals think ‘homosexuality’ is alright and the number is much higher in other Christian denominations. This week we will celebrate our “Independence Day”, when we as a nation fought off the shackles of religious oppression, taxation without representation. We fought for the freedom of speech, freedom of religion, for the right to govern ourselves…without government dictating what we were to believe.
Yet today those very ideals are being threatened. This week I attended a meeting of local pastors in a conference call. All over the state of California pastors gathered in conference rooms to hear about the threat to traditional marriage. See this threat is more than a man marring a man, or women marring another woman. It’s about telling you what you are to accept as normal. It’s about telling you what is acceptable in church and what is not.
What are we to do?
I believe it all starts with our hearts, before we can start to influence our culture, our
friends and our families, we need a change of heart. Jesus says this in verse 21-23 “For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man "unclean.” Yet these are the very things are being reflected in churches today. We need to repent as Christians and start to live the way Christ intended us to live. We need to repent of not setting the example in marriage, we need to repent of pornography in our homes, we need to repent of greed and materialism, we need to repent of arrogance. The list is right in front of us, we need to start living the truth.
Freedom
Freedom isn’t free, it has a price. It is a price as Americans we are familiar with. We have watched generation after generations give their sons and daughters for the freedom of others. Our faith is not different, you where bought with a price. Christ gave his life for you; Christ lived and died, so that you might live. Christ came to heal the “broken hearted”, He wants to fix our heart condition. It starts with putting our faith in Him, trusting him to remove our sin. It starts by trusting him to come into our hearts and to change us from the inside out. Freedom start with Christ in us, freedom comes from Christ changing us, freedom come from the spirit living through us in our lives.
Do you want to change to world? Do you want to see culture change, start by allowing Christ to live through you. Galatians 2:20 says this “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
-ps
It’s not enough to know the truth, there has to be action behind the truth. Truth needs to be played out in front of the world around us. Truth needs to seen and heard. But the only way that can happen is by having a changed heart. Let’s read Mark 7:1-23
Jesus has just feed the five thousand; he has healed the sick, walked on water, and set the captives free. People are talking about him everywhere and he has gained the attention of the religious leaders of his day. In fact we see they have sent out a party ‘to check things out’. The first thing the leaders observe is the disciples not washing their hands before eating. In Jesus’ day, there was an elaborate ceremony before eating.
These Jewish rituals where performed before each meal. Devout Jews would perform a short ceremony, washing their hands and arms in a specific way. The disciples did not have dirty hands, but they were simply not carrying out this traditional cleansing. Jesus understood exactly what they where accusing him of and it was not following tradition. The cleansing wasn’t in scripture it was tradition. So Jesus uncovers this entire line of thought and he challenges them on this because he knew where their hearts were, their hearts were in the traditions they followed and not in God.
Jesus accuses them of hypocrisy in v.7. They are saying they worship God, but in fact they are worshiping rules made by men. Hypocrisy can be defined as pretending to be something you are not and have no intention of being. Jesus called the Pharisees hypocrites because they worshiped God for the wrong reasons. Their worship was not motivated by love but by a desire to attain profit, to appear holy, and to increase their status.
We can become hypocrites when we pay more attention to reputation than to character, or carefully follow certain religious practices while allowing our hearts to remain distant from God, and lastly anytime we over emphasize others' sins, by emphasizing our own “virtues”.
In fact the Pharisee’s and zealot religious followers had used the excuse of giving to God to get out of their obligation to care for their own parents. They thought it was more important to put money in the Temple treasury than to help their needy mothers and fathers!
Jesus is identifying the real problem; the Pharisees and religious leaders had a ‘heart condition’. It’s not what goes into a man that makes him unclean, but what come out from his heart that makes him unclean, v.20-21.
Today
Looking at this passage I think it is easy to see, even today the church has a ‘heart condition.’ We have become so locked on to our traditions, our ‘Christian Culture” we have lost our ability to influence the culture around us. It has become ‘good enough’ to listen to Christian radio, go to a Christian bookstore, and attend church once a week. But slowly our hearts have changed. Christians no longer influence our culture because we know the truth, but we don’t speak the truth and we don’t live truth.
Because of this we have slowly watched our freedoms slip away. 36% of evangelicals think ‘homosexuality’ is alright and the number is much higher in other Christian denominations. This week we will celebrate our “Independence Day”, when we as a nation fought off the shackles of religious oppression, taxation without representation. We fought for the freedom of speech, freedom of religion, for the right to govern ourselves…without government dictating what we were to believe.
Yet today those very ideals are being threatened. This week I attended a meeting of local pastors in a conference call. All over the state of California pastors gathered in conference rooms to hear about the threat to traditional marriage. See this threat is more than a man marring a man, or women marring another woman. It’s about telling you what you are to accept as normal. It’s about telling you what is acceptable in church and what is not.
What are we to do?
I believe it all starts with our hearts, before we can start to influence our culture, our
friends and our families, we need a change of heart. Jesus says this in verse 21-23 “For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man "unclean.” Yet these are the very things are being reflected in churches today. We need to repent as Christians and start to live the way Christ intended us to live. We need to repent of not setting the example in marriage, we need to repent of pornography in our homes, we need to repent of greed and materialism, we need to repent of arrogance. The list is right in front of us, we need to start living the truth.
Freedom
Freedom isn’t free, it has a price. It is a price as Americans we are familiar with. We have watched generation after generations give their sons and daughters for the freedom of others. Our faith is not different, you where bought with a price. Christ gave his life for you; Christ lived and died, so that you might live. Christ came to heal the “broken hearted”, He wants to fix our heart condition. It starts with putting our faith in Him, trusting him to remove our sin. It starts by trusting him to come into our hearts and to change us from the inside out. Freedom start with Christ in us, freedom comes from Christ changing us, freedom come from the spirit living through us in our lives.
Do you want to change to world? Do you want to see culture change, start by allowing Christ to live through you. Galatians 2:20 says this “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
-ps
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