John 10:22-42 extra points

I and the Father are one, is the subject of this text as the first 21 verses, were Jesus as the good Shepherd.

The Jews wanted to hear plainly if He is the Messiah or not. They clearly understood Jesus' claim as we read in verse 30, I and the Father are one. We know this because the response was not to fall to their knees and worship, it was to stoop, pick up rocks, and intending on stoning Him.

Several things to address.

First, this word "one" is what seems to confuse people even today.  Some claim that the trinity is polytheistic, or worshiping multiple gods. Others claim that the trinity is a manifestation of God in three ways at different times and they exist apart from one another not simultaneously. Both are heretical views and should be ignored. The term "one" is complicated but put with other scriptures such as Jesus baptism where all three persons of the God head are present and believing that scripture supports scripture it will come into focus. 

Its similar to when we read that we were created in God's image. Does that mean that God is multicolored, male and female, short and tall, etc? OF course, not, so we look to other scriptures and see that we were created with intellect, emotions, etc. So when it comes to the trinity or in this case two of the members of the trinity being one, it becomes clear they are unified, all wise, loving, patient and on and on we go. The primary purpose of the Lords statement was to clarify, that not only did the Father send Him, He came from the Father and they are one in purpose and essence, yet distinct in person hood. 

We covered the reality that some are not of the sheep pen, others (gentiles or us) are of a "different" pen but will be brought along with the sheep that are in Israel. This is great news for the gentile believer that we also are included in the plans of redemption and eternity in heaven.

How do we know if we are of His sheep? Glad you asked, Jesus answers. The sheep of His fold, recognize His voice and they follow Him. They know the character of the shepherd and respond the only way they know how. To be present with, to follow after. We feel safe and taken care of in His presence, we desire to be with Him in the word, and prayer, we strive to live a life that reflects the shepherds values and that includes loving Him and loving others. Where He goes, where He sends us we obediently go and we are confident He has a plan and it is to prosper and not to harm us.

He gives us eternal life. No other source, no other way, it comes from Him and it is a gift to those who respond. You are sealed for the day of redemption.

But let's take a quick look at the disbelief of those who reject the Lord.

Their reactionary response show us the passion in which they hated Jesus. They were willing to take His life. Do you know why? Ultimately, it stems from pride and self righteousness, both of those qualities are absent from the Lord but very present in the devil. They are responding in the flesh to a spiritual conviction. Why do you suppose people even today are critical towards the church? They point out your flaws and persecute the church, (the true church) as a sign of proof that we are hypocritical yet miss their own hypocrisy.  Yet Jesus' response was one of truth, consistency and love. 

Those who rejected Him also considered themselves "religious". Sound familiar? The way Jesus addresses it is similar to what He did in the wilderness when tempted by Satan, He responded each time with scripture. What is the weapon of choice in Ephesians 6? It is the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. That is what matters, that is what makes the difference and that is what divides.

Heb 4:12  For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 

Jesus takes the Jews to the word of God to show them the fallacy of their arguments. Jesus quotes out of psalms using a statement that they had taken out of context regarding those who were judging and proclaiming to be a spokesman for God, yet were really only projecting themselves. The phrase, called you gods, isn't recognition that there are other gods, but simply a form of rebuke to the self righteous living as though it is all about them. The Jewish leaders would be rebuked in this statement and so Jesus follows it up with the truth. If I do the things of my Father then believe, if I do not do the things of my Father don't. In fact He goes so far as to say, don't believe me then, believe the works that are evidence of who He is. 

I suppose that is a good place to stop, My only hope is this clarifies your own experience and gives you hope as you share the good news with others. The rejection is not towards you, but because of your affiliation with Jesus and the conviction that comes with the flesh. Keep sharing the gospel and be encouraged. 

Till next time.

P.M.

Security of Salvation part 2

 Last time we began to discuss the controversial Hebrews 6 passage. A widely misunderstood and mysterious section of scripture that is difficult even for the scholars.

We made it through the first few verses last time but this week we really get to the nuts and bolts of the scripture as we ask the question, "once someone has come to faith in Jesus, can he/she lose or turn from that faith and lose salvation?" Of course one concern is the genuineness of ones profession and the authenticity of being truly "born again" in Christ.

Let's look at the text before breaking it down.

Heb 6:4  For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit,
Heb 6:5  and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,
Heb 6:6  and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame. 

(NASB)

When we look at the text there are a few words that will need to be defined.

First we see the word enlightened. This does not pose any real confusion to our question, as it is simply the revelation of Jesus Christ. Once anyone has heard the gospel or been told of the grace of God they no longer walk in darkness regarding Jesus' sacrifice and the way of salvation. In fact if you simply look at the disciples, Judas Iscariot was enlightened, acted as if one of the followers but in reality had rejected the Light.

The second word that needs explained is "tasted". Some of the people addressed in this letter to the Hebrews had tasted the heavenly gift. The heavenly gift here is the Lord Jesus, his words, grace, miracles, etc. There is no mention of repentance and eating and drinking, only tasting. I would guess this concept is pretty straight forward as we see a similar idea in 1st Corinthians 7:14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband; for otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy.  (NASB) The teaching here is not that the unbeliever is saved because of someone else's faith, but they are receiving the blessings of the other persons faith. When God blesses the righteous those around them will be able to taste of those blessings, maybe even look like it is because of them. In Matthew chapter 27 Jesus was offered wine mixed with gall. A drink to help with the pain that had a bitter taste. Jesus tasted it but would not drink it. John 6:53 tells us tasting is not enough, Joh 6:53  So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. Joh 6:54  "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. Clearly the people who have been informed and experienced Jesus have all but accepted Him. So what about the last part of verse 4 where it appears they are genuine because they have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit? Well hang on because this goes deep. The Spirit of God reveals the truth of God to the unregenerate, which is all of us at some point before coming to Christ. One author calls it the preconversion ministry of the Holy Spirit. In other words we in our own flesh are unable to discern spiritual matters and so the Spirit of God opens our eyes to Spiritual truth. In reality it would be impossible for us to choose Christ without the revelation or enlightenment, through whatever source, and the Holy Spirits revelation to us of these spiritual truths. The Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost....you and me. According to John 16:8 He convicts unbelievers of sin, of righteousness and of judgment so a person can partake in these benefits without being indwelled by Him. Let me remind the readers that it would be foolish to believe every person in church on any given Sunday is truly regenerated. They are partakers in service and events, maybe even try to teach and direct, but God knows their hearts. They receive the glory they long for by being in and among the blessed believers and take the glory from God as if it is theirs. Every church has these people!

Verse 6 therefore is referring to those who appear by all indications to belong to the body of Christ but resemble Judas more than Jesus. When I was serving in missions I went through a tough phase when it finally occurred to me that if I share the gospel and someone rejects it that they are without excuse, they have been informed, invited and warned. Of course, how naive to believe anyone has a valid excuse, but I think you see my point. Those who hear and taste and reject the truth..ie Jesus, will be allowed to have their choice. God will not force them to come to Him. So the concept of verse 6 is once a person has come to this point of experiential faith and never personalized it, never repented, never trusted in Jesus and walked away, they will be turned over to their consequences. I have had two men in my life share the gospel and although I didn't respond until a third man shared with me, I never became hostile or flat out rejected Christ, I just didn't gravitate toward him at that time. I became increasingly curious, felt the hand of God leading me toward Him and eventually accepted His gift of salvation, through faith in Christ. I shudder to think it could have gone the other way, my attitude in those days very well could have rejected the truth and according to verse 6, once my decision has been made I am clearly disregarding God, betraying His invitation, spurning Christ, and joining the forces that oppose Him. This could be almost instantaneous or it could be years in the making. Billy Graham had a mentor who got him involved in ministry by the name of Charles Templeton. Charles was charismatic and a great speaker, enthusiastic and seemed to be on fire for Christ. Until one day he revealed he had been living a lie and was done with the charade. Billy and others were shocked and devastated, but Charles went on sadly to reject the Lord. Even Lee Stroble tried to reach him but it was unclear if he was able to complete Lees book before his death. 

In case you were unfamiliar with what an apostate is, it is someone who hears the gospel, makes a profession of being a Christian, becomes identified with a christian church, then abandons their profession of faith, decisively repudiate Christ, desert the christian fellowship, and take their place among the enemies of the Lord Jesus Christ. By default if your not with Christ, your against Christ, this isn't the NFL where you can pick your team. One more thing, the apostate can only be a non-Christian. Not to be confused with the average person who hears the gospel and does nothing about it.

For those apostates it is impossible for them to be renewed again because they were never renewed to begin with. This would be suggesting a second crucifixion of Christ which would suggest the first one wasn't enough or appropriate. 

This is a condensed exhortation of these verses and certainly many other aspects and considerations could be followed up for even more clarity. But if you are like me and this text has caused you to question your security in Christ, let me remind you...Joh 10:26  "But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. Joh 10:27  "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;
Joh 10:28  and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. Joh 10:29  "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. Joh 10:30  "I and the Father are one."

Maybe in my next blog I will try to answer the question that is closely related to today's topic, "is there such a thing as a carnal Christian and if so are they truly saved?"

Till next time.

P.M.

Security of Salvation part one

 Paul tells the Corinthian church, 2Co 6:2  for He says, "AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU, AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU." Behold, now is "THE ACCEPTABLE TIME," behold, now is "THE DAY OF SALVATION"— . (NASB) The Corinthian church was full of milk drinking infant Christians and Paul had written to them multiple times to address their infancy in faith.

Today i want to touch on a scripture that gave me a wrestless year of trying to figure it out and is one of the deep subjects of scripture. I in no way feel adequate to explain such complex spiritual issues but I know others have struggled with this scripture as well. The scripture in reference here is Hebrews chapter 6 which some would suggest support the loss of salvation. I had been taught once saved always saved but never could reconcile my stance with this verse. Probably because I was looking to support what I already believed instead of approaching the text to see what it actually teaches. That would be the difference between eisegesis and exegesis.

We must understand that in chapter 5 the author was discussing the priesthood of Jesus until verse 11 where he digresses to rebuke the Hebrews. He says that they have become dull of hearing and by this point ought to be teachers but are still infants in need of being taught the elementary teachings of the faith. In short what the author is doing is warning the Hebrews not to become apostates, or someone who falls away from their original beliefs.

So when we get to chapter 6 we see the word therefore, which is a continuation of thought. Another way to say it might be, "in light of this warning, let me press on and stress the need for your spiritual growth.

Remember he his writing to the Jews who held to a stringent code of rules and regulations.They struggled with the mere idea of faith as opposed to works, even though it has always been about faith the code required obedience which is key to understanding this passage. 

In verses 1 and 2 the author contrasts the Jewish faith with the christian faith. One could say that the Jewish faith was the infancy and beginning words of God. After all the prophets, the historical writings and the patriarchs were taught about the foundation, or the coming of a messiah. The messiah that we would need to approach with faith. We see this further in these first verses as many of the Jewish doctrines were to prepare them for this messiah. These basic doctrines stopped shy of the death and resurrection. The Old Testament believers believed that God would send a messiah but not everyone recognized Him when He came. Christianity then, would be the advancement to maturity living under grace and not law. (Romans 6:14-15). 

According to verse 3 maturity will follow, God permitting.

One final thought before we approach the core of the text found in verses 6:4-6. The phrase "faith toward God" found in verse one is very Jewish oriented. This is a phrase that was much more common in the Old testament than in the New testament where the phrase is usually faith in Christ or in Jesus. This reminds us of who the main recipients were of this letter.

Well thats all we have time for this week, be sure and catch the conclusion to this fascinating scripture next week in part two. 

Till next time.

P.M.

Foolishness of the Cross

 Just a few weeks till Easter and undoubtedly the minds of many are turning toward the death burial and resurrection of Jesus.

Over the years countless individuals have studied and made claims that the cross of Jesus just isn't possible. The time line doesn't line up, the gospels seem to have conflicting reports and so they conclude the error lies within the Bible. If something that significant, in other words all of Christianity hinges on the cross, is faulty than the entire Bible must be dismissed as unreliable. This of course brings into question those who are desperate to understand and are confronted with this supposed wisdom, those who are persuaded that the Bible is untrustworthy and renders their faith foolishness.

This concept and attempt to hijack the gospel with self proclaimed wisdom has bothered me more and more in recent years. Many times it is the "creastors" those who only attend church two times a year, who want to educate those who actually come to church regularly, read their Bibles and take a genuine interest all year in the gospel. But this year in God's providence I have been studying through the book of 1st Corinthians for our current series, "Corinthian coach". I say in God's providence, because the first chapter addresses this very current dilemma in the church. By verse 10 the apostle Paul is already rebuking the believers for the factions they have formed. Arguing over which man to follow when the gospel clearly reveals only one man worth following. But by verse 18 Paul has identified two people groups. don't forget this letter is to the church and therefore is assuming that they know the gospel and love God.Of course, they don't have the parable of the tares yet so they don't realize that even the first century church contained weeds mixed throughout the wheat.

The first people group are those who are perishing. These people may look like, act like and sound like the real deal but in their hearts they are playing church. They don't believe the gospel and have their own ideas on what it means to be saved.

The second group are those who are being saved. These folks don't claim to know everything, there are things about the Bible, God, and even the gospel that are confusing and hard to understand but in their hearts they know the word of God is reliable and the lack of understanding is not a reason to void the truth.

But the interesting thing is Paul says the thing that distinguishes them into these two groups is the word of the cross. Or course you and I call it the gospel today but it is the same thing that Paul is referring to. It is found in verse 18 of chapter one. He says the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. In fact what is being emphatically stated between the lines here is without believing the gospel of the cross it is impossible to be saved. These people search for humanly wisdom which is kind of an oxymoron. They might be wise in their own sight but Paul later says the foolishness of God is wiser than the wisest humans claims. In fact the term foolishness here is where we get our word moron from and the word perishing in verse 18 means to destroy. 

on the other hand to those who are being saved it is the power of God. Maybe you have heard someone speak of the power of the gospel. It is the most life changing truth you can possibly hear if you are willing to believe. We as humans seek to understand and that's a good thing, but when it comes to the gospel we have entered into the world of spiritual revelation. Without God's Holy Spirit it would be impossible to understand the gospel. Why? Because it is spiritually discerning and contains great wisdom and insight into our creator. 

So what is the gospel exactly? The gospel contains what most have called the bad news, good news syndrome. The bad news, you are a sinner, you were born that way and your sin offends a holy and righteous God. And by the way you are helpless to remedy the situation. A just judge requires justice and that is God's demand. We were given the 10 commandments, which Jesus summarized into two, love God, and love others. This served as a guide to reveal that not one of us can keep the commandments and therefore even if we think we are good, the standard shows we fall flat. The good news, which is where we get the term gospel, is that God provided payment for our sins, past present and future. He sent His Son Jesus who willingly went to the cross, having never sinned, fulfilling the law and therefore provided the perfect sacrifice for mankind. Having been crucified on a cross, He was killed, buried and rose from the grave 3 days later. His resurrection was the defining moment that defeated death and for those who believe give us the glorious hope of eternity in heaven. 

That being said it does sound pretty sensational and hard to believe, that is why it is called faith. For example you believed the chair you are in would hold you up when you sat down. The faucet had water come out when you turned it on and the computer had power when you plugged it in. All things you probably couldn't explain every detail about,, yet you believe, that is faith.

I will leave it at that and let you wrestle with it for now. your comments and questions are welcomed and my prayer is that all who read this will come to the same conclusion I have.....Jesus is my Lord and savior and I place my faith in Him and abandon my own efforts to be saved. After all it is not foolishness, it is the power of God.

Till next time.

P.M.

Ashes to ashes

 As a pastor you get some regular type questions, and they usually come about the same time of year. There are many surrounding Christmas, such as how many wise men were there? Was Jesus born in a cave? Doesn't the Old Testament say it is evil to bring a tree into the house and decorate it? 

But there are other times as well that bring questions to the minds of people. How could it be 3 days if Jesus died on Friday and rose on Sunday? If we have a fall festival and have the kids dress up is that better than having the kids go trick or treating?

Some of these questions are wonderful and show a persons interest in following scripture as best as they can, while others are just for argument sake. 

Today I want to address a question regarding Ash Wednesday. I have had over the years dozens of questions, from what time is service to, does the ash have to be on the forehead or can it be on the wrist, and probably everything in between. The entire subject is very confusing and based more on tradition than anything Jesus said or did regarding Ash Wednesday.

Let me first be clear that I never have done ash Wednesday services and will not be. That is not to offend those of you that go and have a cross of ashes painted on your forehead but let me explain why I personally disagree with it. 

Ash Wednesday marks the start of the Lenten season, a period of 46 days of fasting and prayer that lead us into Easter. While most of the churches that have this service will acknowledge that it was never a command from Christ they tie it to the 40 day temptation of Jesus. I will be the first to say that is a bit of a stretch. They also would claim the basis of the ashes, are the several records in scripture of putting on sackcloth and covering themselves in ashes while mourning. If this is the case wouldn't Good Friday make more sense to receive the ashes, considering the temptation is an entirely different subject theologically not to mention the fasting and praying. When you get right down to it, many will observe the ashes but neglect the fasting even if they do the praying part.

When it boils down to it this is a matter of tradition, not all bad, and theology. Simply put, if the theology doesn't make sense then why are we doing it? Really we could put ash on our heads and fast and pray anytime of the year. In fact wouldn't it make more sense when we lose a loved one, seeking Jesus or at a time of desperation to seek God in fasting and prayer as we saw with Job and others?

So here is problem number one I personally have. The same people that usually observe the ashes, will often recite the Lords prayer as a prayer, instead of the intended model it was meant to be. Did you realize that before the Lord gives the model of praying in Matthew chapter 6, He gives warnings, not to be like the hypocrites who stand before men to be seen, instead you are to do it in the inner room in secret. You are not to use meaningless repetition, in other words, God wants to hear your heart not some predescribed montra to chant. (Mt. 6:5-8) You can pray publicly or privately but do it in the right sense. But that is just the beginning. When we fast we are not to be obvious about it. We are to make this a matter between the Lord and ourselves, so when we walk around with an ash cross on our forehead we are asking to be noticed. If you disagree with me I would personally challenge you to put on sackcloth and ashes and sit in a prostrate position and then maybe i will consider your motives. An ash cross does indeed draw peoples attention to the fact you are in mourning if that is why we do it, right? But my opinion is no more special than anyone elses, so I wonder what scripture might say about this. 

Mat 6:16-18 "Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. (NASB)

certainly we have two topics here, that of fasting and praying and that of mourning. While I do agree that sackcloth and ashes were a sign of mounring, I still must maintain that  this practice was long before Jesus' temptation and should be studied out carefully. We see many places in the New Testament where fasting and prayer were prescribed but don't seem to be followed by the sackcloth and ashes, let along a one day event, because we know we are not going to have that cross on for very long or people will think we don't shower, haha. 

Anyway this is just the tip of the iceberg so if you decide to observe with ashes, do your homework and understand as well as observe all that goes with it traditionally. If you choose not to observe ashes, I would also challenge you to stand with clear understanding why you do not. It isn't merely enough to do something, we must be in accord of what scripture says and proceed with a clear conscience before the Lord. May the Lord give you the clarity of understanding and be able to differentiate between theology and tradition. 

Till next time

P.M.

 

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.

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 for a change!?

So what exactly does it mean to lead for a change? Its one of those double meanings. One side seems somewhat negative and the other side seems to be referring to an end result. Only we can influence what side of the coin comes up. I was once told by a wise guy, not necessarily a wise man if you catch my drift, that when it comes to leadership it means to lead or get out of the way. As a manager for many years that seemed like a good thing to do and seemed to work, the problem was where and how to lead those entrusted into my care. To nurture and help them to discover was not a quality I really excelled at.
When it comes to church there are many different ideas floating around as to what leadership looks like, how it should respond and who exactly is leading? These range from the pastor makes all the decisions and does everything to the pastor should have no say he gets paid to do what we pay him for. I love these discussions as you can see the heart and the self motives in many of these interactions. Scripture fortunately has plenty to say in regards to this subject, and considering God is a God of order, has a clearly laid out plan for leadership. Let me first clarify that when I refer to leadership I am referring to the term most of America would consider pastors, elders, deacons, trustees or whatever you want to call them, but those who have come forward to answer a call to lead in a church setting. This is not to be confused with the many commands that we are all ministers of the gospel and are expected to share our faith and create disciples. We each are responsible to continue our growth and although people help us it ultimately comes down to what are we doing to grow personally.
Join me over the next few weeks as we look at what scripture has to say in regards to the church and its leadership. You will be amazed and challenged, and in many cases confirm what you may have already thought or known. Catch ya soon.
Mark

Leading the Way

As I've been preparing the message for the "Good Friday" service , my mind has been running a mile a minute with thoughts, applications, and parallels. The one that hit me this morning is how much we have in common with Peter, James and John. These three of course were in Jesus' inner circle. We see in Mark 14:32-42, that these three were to keep watch as Jesus prayed to the Father. Three times Jesus returns to find them sleeping. The first time Jesus singles out Peter and says to him that the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. (MK 14:38) Now its not certain if Peter is singled out because a few verses earlier Peter was willing to die for Jesus, and now can't even stay awake, or was giving extra attention to a man that we know Satan had asked to sift like wheat. Either way we see three men totally committed to Christ and yet weak in their flesh. Very similar to many of us. We confess Christ and try to live for Him but usually find ourselves in prayer asking God for forgiveness and strength. I have never heard a sermon preached on this point or even this perspective mentioned in Christian circles. Do not be discouraged as their is a great encouragement as we can tell from later writings. These men did stand strong and indeed were used in mighty ways. I believe the reality of Jesus' return is a fog for many. After all how do we compare to Peter who having Jesus with him physically, could still deny Him on several occasions? What does it mean to "live for Christ" to you? Does it mean sacrifice, patience, love, peace, unity, or what? The disciples believed they lived for Jesus and yet argued who would be greatest in heaven. Does this describe you in any way. Why not pause right now and ask the Lord to reveal your areas of weakness that you might be strengthened to serve Him all the more that when our days are ended you might hear, "well done good and faithful servant". In it with ya.
Mark

Unity is sweet fellowship

When we come together there is always the potential for hazardous results, especially if we have strong personalities in the same place. This past weeks sermon on "me Church" was a comical look at a very serious subject. How do two Christians get by our differences in a way that not only glorifies God but brings the two closer to each other and God? I mentioned three elements in Philippians 2:1-4. The right motives and the right markers were discussed but the third point was left off or church would have gone another hour. Although some are fine with that, others get fidgety and begin to lose interest. I wanted to quickly list out some of the main points to the third element, the right means.
The right means has 5 sub points and I will briefly touch on them.
First is "rejecting selfishness", and is listed first because it is a root of all other sins. Look at the example described in Isaiah 14:12-17. Seeking his own will above Gods, Satan fell. Selfishness comes with the idea of building oneself up by tearing others down. 1st Corinthians 3 Paul expresses his disappointment in the church in Corinth, still on milk when they should have been on solid food. Because of their jealousy and strife they were restricting their growth and unity. Jerry Bridges in his book "Respectable Sins" suggests four categories of selfishness. They are selfishness with our interests, selfishness with our time, selfishness with our finances, and selfish through our inconsiderateness. Pretty accurate from my point of view. Which of these do you find yourself challenged with? What are you willing to do to take care of it. Paul gives the solution in our featured text, PH 2:1-4. Check it out and let me know what you see and what your doing about it. I would love to hear from you. We will take a look at the second of these characteristics of the "right means", tomorrow. Until then humble yourself before the Lord.
Mark

What do your itching ears want to hear?

Paul warns Timothy in 2nd Timothy 4:3-4, that there will come a day when men will not tolerate sound doctrine but instead will surround themselves with a great number of teachers that will say what their "itching ears want to hear", and furthermore that they will turn their ears from the truth and turn aside to myths. Does this sound like today? And what about us? Do we fall into this category on certain topics or at certain times? Do you stand firm or try to water it down as to not offend anyone. I would like to challenge us to consider the time for "political correctness" is over, not that I ever really thought that it was right anyway. As we draw nearer to the glorious return of our Lord, is it not worth taking a stand and firmly planting your feet on the foundation of scripture. Take a chance to share with those around you. Remember that the only link in many cases between Jesus and the lost is you!! Be bold and fear not because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.
I know of a couple who took political correctness to a fault. Friends from a foreign country had come to stay with them and were Muslim. At meal time in an effort to keep piece the hostess not only prayed to Jesus but also to Allah. How shameful for any Christian to lift up any other name but the name that saves us. This is the very type of thing Paul is trying to protect the church from. Its time to join him with all our might and speak truth, unapologetically, winning the lost and building the body for the glory of Jesus! Are you in?
Till next time.
Mark

where is your loyalty?

Pastor Mark

The last month has consisted to a lot of smack talk about who's team is the best. A funny thing is that many of "their" teams are those sitting in someones living room watching the teams that did earn a spot in the super bowl. We make plans and invite guests to come and watch the game in our homes and eat way to much. We plan snacks, activities for halftime and prepare the house for our guests. Now don't get me wrong, this was my dream Superbowl. My favorite two teams since I was a kid growing up. Going into the game was a win/win for me. But I can't help but consider how much more important our life is and especially when we consider our eternity. Why is it we can be bold for our favorite teams, talking tough to anyone that dare puts down our team? Or how is it we can so easily switch teams because our favorite player switches teams or they start losing? When it comes to loyalty our first loyalty should undoubtedly reside in Jesus Christ. We should be bold and speak out as to our dedication to Him. I am so thankful that Jesus' loyalty does not sway with the moment as ours can at times. He is fully devoted to us and loves us with a love so great and so pure we struggle to understand it. Pro 21:21 reads he who pursues righteousness and loyalty Finds life, righteousness and honor. How interesting that if we pursue righteousness and loyalty, we will find life, righteousness and honor. Life of course is the crucial element. Remember all people are going to have all eternity, some to despair and torment seperated from God, others will experience the saving grace to eternal life. Do your co-workers know what team you are playing for? Do they know you stand firm and are loyal and unwavering for the Kingdom? Everyone is committed, so the question is what are you committed to?

loving the unlovable

There was a song in the 80's, (I'm dating myself here), where the singer sang the words, people are people so why should it be you and I should get along so awfully. As a teen I liked the song but not till recently did I really pay any attention to the words. Sure we could cruise down the road singing along with hundreds of songs including this one, but do we really pay attention to what the message is? Simply put we are all created beings and although some have more power, wealth, or age we are still just people. people born with a sin nature and, as I have repeatedly said, sin is the great equalizer. It seems this message continues to present itself in my life in many forms, rather consistently. For instance my small group is going through Ecclesiastes where King Solomon has amassed a great wealth, built many great structures, including the Temple for God, and is wiser than anyone before him. Yet in all his wealth, wisdom, and power he wrestles with his flesh. Solomon displays a characteristic that is evident in most of us if not all of us. that is the characteristic of discontent. We suffer in varying degrees of this illness and in different ways but at the end of the day, as Solomon found out, we still look at the "what ifs" and the "if onlys". Paul puts things in perspective as he penned the words found in Php 4:11 Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am, and again in 1Ti 6:8 If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. David Platt in his book Radical, discusses the differences between our comfy living rooms and the mission field, (my paraphrase). How we have left the battle to others although the great commission commands us to make disciples. The key to this all is summed up in three words that Jesus Himself said are only second to loving God. Those words are, Love thy neighbor! (Matthew 22:39). Tomorrow we come together to worship God. A family of believers celebrating "LIFE TOGETHER". Let us not see people as we have in the past, in deed as our father once saw you, a sinner in need of salvation. See you soon.
Pastor Mark