Not conformed, Be transformed!

 As a church family we have been going through what we call, "redemption road". It is one of the Bible reading challenges we have undertaken as of late, reading a chapter a day, Monday through Friday with weekends of. The scripture for redemption road is the book of Romans. Romans is known for its rich theology and clear gospel. There is so much for us to learn and apply in these 16 chapters than to just read a chapter and cross it off our to do list. Already we have learned so much but today as I opened my Bible and began to read the 12th chapter I was reminded of one of the most important truths a believer in Jesus can understand. Paul starts off stating that we are to present our bodies, a living and holy sacrifice, pleasing to God.... This is our spiritual act of worship. That is quite a statement but he continues in verse two with a most profound truth, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."

I love the do and don't contrast. Do not be conformed to this world..... Take a moment and let that sink in. How often do you go along with things because, well, thats just the way things go? Or how often do you blend in with the world and its corruption because you don't want to be one of those stuffy Bible thumpers?

The reality is that for a regenerated heart, it will increasingly become more difficult to live in the world. On the one hand you will begin to take on its character and corruption but on the other hand Paul finishes by saying that you, "are to be transformed by the renewing of your mind" Transformation is a process and it comes from the renewing of your mind. In other words, putting spiritual truths above the worlds suggestions. Embracing the righteousness of God in the face of corruption and continually seeking God in everything. In so doing you will prove the will of God, which Paul says is good, acceptable and perfect. Something we know the world and its corruption can never claim, even though it tries. 

Paul goes on to speak about using spiritual gifts, behaving like a Christ follower and ends with a warning. Verse 21, Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good. 

So why don't we use today to do good? Give that person a smile, greet that person who you never talk with, let someone go in front of you, buy someones coffee, or ask if you can sit with someone who is alone. These are pretty minimal in effort but will read great opportunity to show the will of God. After a few days of doing these things you might just find out you are being transformed into the image of our savior. There is no going back, let us push through striving to do good works, not for salvation but because of salvation. Till next time

P.M.

What is church?

 We could have a room full of people, pose the question, "what is church" and have just as many responses as people. The problem is that many of the responses would be subjective and would have more to do with a persons upbringing, experience, preferences, and traditions than what the word of God teaches. Many have the view of church being a stuffy, irrelevant, "have to" when in reality it should be the highlight of the week. The joy of corporate worship, the command of our Father and the encouragement we gain from fellowship should far outweigh the inconvenience of church. 

That being said most of us already know that the church is not a building it is people. Sadly with each generation we are seeing a trend that church simply doesn't matter, after all what is God going to do if I don't go to church?

There was a pastor in the upper east part of the country who took on a dyeing church with enthusiasm and energy, he gave it his all week after week. Seeing little to no change, he ramped up efforts and to his dismay the church continued to dwindle. He had one last thought, a final shot at building the church. He ran an ad in the paper with the death notice of the church. He made arrangements for the funeral at the church with a casket in front covered in flowers and the date was set. Curiosity consumed the community and they came to see what this funeral was all about. Starting 30 minutes before service the sanctuary filled up, bringing tears to the pastors eyes as he desired to accomplish this with all the work before and now seeing all the people brought mixed emotions. By service time there was standing room only and those in the back on tip toes to get a glimpse of the casket. The service began and the pastor delivered a wonderful eulogy, but the people couldn't wait to see the casket. The pastor invited people to give their final respects as they would line up and file by the casket. He moved the flowers aside and opened the lid, moving aside so the people could funnel by. As each person walked by, soberness filled their faces. As each person shuffled by, responding in shame, they set eyes on the dying church...... a mirror that the pastor had placed inside the casket reflecting the church that had died.

Why is it people like to say they belong to a church when they seldom place priority on entering the front doors?

We see the condition of our great country and see the attacks on churches and pastors daily, but in many cases we literally don't lift a finger to change the tide of change. We know that things will grow increasingly worse, but no where in scripture does it speak to giving in, laying back and watching the destruction. You and I are called to fight the battle, serve Christ and instead of licking your wounds at home, to celebrate with the brethren that we are found worthy to pick up the sword for our Lord. The gathering, corporately, is for worshiping God, but in that we get so much out of it. Praying for one another, serving one another, encouraging one another and so much more. 

So here is my challenge. Forget what you thought you knew about the church and open your Bibles to Acts chapter 2:36-47. The first century church was bold, vibrant, unified and focused on what mattered most. Join me as we explore getting back to doing church correctly. 

Till next time.

P.M.

De-Ce-it?

When it comes to deceit and lies we've all been both the recipient and the giver. In Joshua chapter 9 the Gibeonites weave an elaborate string of lies to save their own lives. Some argue that this is not sinful because they are showing their submission to God's chosen. If that logic applies than think of the free reign that we would be given to lie and decieve one another, all for the purpose of good. One cannot read throught the pages of Joshua without seeing instances of deciet that seem to be rewarded. Note the word seem in that last sentance. But what is really cool about chapter 9 is the way Israels leaders, including Joshua, respond when they find out the Gibeonites lied to them. They didn't try to back out or make excuses they simply held to thier covenant to not kill them. They were made slaves to Israel and became "hewers of wood and drawers of water". Let me ask you today what it is that you need to keep your word on even though the you agreed by terms that were false or inaccurate? Do the hard thing and honor your word today and God will be pleased and honored. Till next time, keep it in the WORD.
P.M.   

Living by Faith

This week we will be discussing chapter 6 of Joshua which is well known for the battle of Jericho, the walls coming down, Joshua's victory and most everything but what the main point is about. Truth is it is a completion to chapter two. Yes Joshua has victory and yes Rahab is safely brought out, but what about God and what about Rahab and Joshua's faith? Seems like we overlook it pretty quickly with the focus on the physical. Remember the preincarnate Christ with sword drawn in chapter 5, encouraging Joshua that He would win the battle for Israel not any tricky military strategy. And have you ever "wondered" why the red cord isn't mentioned when Joshua sends the spies to get Rahab out? (o.k., I'll give you this one early this one time. It was the only part of the wall that did not collapse. makes it pretty easy to figure out which house was hers huh?) Chapter 6 is full of faith, but did you realize that the word faith is only found four times in the O.T. and each time is a different Hebrew word, and none are found in Joshua, let alone chapter 6? This seems to defy the rules of Bible study. Normally you look for repeated words to get an idea of what is important and I would still encourage you to do just that, but in this case if that were all we did, we may miss the point altogether. This week read through Joshua 6 and come back again for the extra points for deeper study.
Till then keep in the Word!!
PM

Leading part 9

If you think back to your years in school, we can all recall "teachers" that we found totally boring and those who opened a world that we hadn't seen before. What is the difference? For sure one of the characteristics is an enthusiasm to pass on knowledge on a subject that they truly loved. As they would teach that passion would show through. Its kinda like a cold virus, you can't see it with the eye but your bound to catch it. That is our topic of today. The ability for an elder to teach is a characteristic that can be easily abused, misunderstood and all around confusing. This doesn't mean that they know everything, or that when they teach everyone stops what they are doing and rushes over as though in a trance. It doesn't mean that they are gifted in teaching, although some will be for sure.

The Greek term is very simply, instruct through teaching. To instruct someone is to show them the way they should go, through revealing of truth. The intention of teaching/instructing is to bring about action. As a pastor I always try to look at the irreducible minimum and what is the application in my life. Elders are indeed expected to be able to help us on our way through teaching. Regardless if it is one on one or a group, an elder must be able to share the truths of scripture and explain what the relevance is. The Holy Spirit will get hold of a person and bring about change and conviction if need be as the elder is submissive to the Lords instruction in their own lives. For an elder to teach he must be in the Word and have an understanding which is confirmation of an elders calling to overseeing a flock. Many look to the pastors for instruction but Biblically speaking all elders should be ready to teach. Why not spend a moment as you consider these truths to pray for your elders and the ministry they are called to? Pray for a strong walk and wisdom as well as discernment as they fill the office of elder.
In it with you
Mark

Review on Herman Who

One of the joys of my job is keeping up to date on resources. Most of the time this can be overwhelming. Making certain that the author or publisher are solid, the information is accurate and what kind of setting would be best for it, not to mention how it stacks up against the other similar resources. Often times in this process I run into quality resources that would be highly recommended. That is just such the case with my current review. When I heard the claim, "Give us 75 minutes and we'll give you a masters level class on hermeneutics", of course I was skeptical. I know Todd Friel and respect his ministry but come on it takes a lot longer than that to get to a masters level in studying scripture. Hermeneutics of course is the art/science of studying scripture. This is an important tool for the Christian as we study, that we come to correct conclusions at the end of our study. I have read many books and debated many people in regards to the studying of scripture and have narrowed it down to one main resource I recommend. That is until now. Herman Who? is the title of Todd's systematic training on hermeneutics. He is very thorough and clear as he teaches us a proper way of studying scripture. He walks the viewer through step by step and sure enough at the end of the video he has equipped the lay person with some heavy arsenal to dig in and study scripture. The claim is for the most part accurate. The thing they don't mention is it will be a lifetime of perfecting as are all methods. Although some think they have "arrived", we never quite growing, learning and perfecting our studies. The thing I really appreciate with Herman Who? is the emphasis on understanding the context and historical setting in which the author writes. Its kind of like the difference of reading today's town newspaper, or a Chinese paper from the mid 1800's. We would immediately understand the context in our local paper but to look back into a time and place we are not familiar with we have many hurdles to jump. We must understand the customs, political, economical, and social aspects to name a few. The more we understand about the author and the surroundings in which he wrote the better we understand the text.
Herman Who?, is well worth the time and effort and would be a valuable addition to your video library.
Until the next time
Pastor Mark
2nd Tim 2:15