...With God - Week Five
2 Chronicles 7:14
As seen in the life of Abraham, the walk with God is a journey where we can authentically become a friend of God. And yet some of those who appear on the outside to be walking with God are simply acting out a role, lacking a true relationship with God. Judas, one of Christ's 12 disciples, spent significant time with the Christ; however he never had a true conversion to the Lordship of the Savior. Interestingly, in John 12, Judas belittles Mary for anointing the feet of Jesus. Judas asks, "Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?" Immediately scripture notes in the next verse the motives of Judas, "...not that he cared for the poor," John writes, "...but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bear what was put therein." In complete contrast, when speaking of Abraham, James writes, "And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness...." Abraham serves as a complete contrast to Judas, for Judas was a lover of money, which scripture teaches in 1st Timothy 6:10, is the "root of all evil." However, Abraham demonstrates time and again belief, as James notes, in God. And not just a belief based on lip service, but in belief (faith) that was shown through action.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Having smart kids can sometimes be really troubling, because they really put you on the spot. This week my oldest, Claire, who is 5, asked me, “Dad, why did God make Lucifer?” At first I just laughed, because truthfully, the “big” questions that she’s been asking are the same questions I tussle with in my own journey in the Word of God. Another incident this week, again with Claire, was a question about Cain and Abel. “Dad,” she asked, “why did God like Abel’s sacrifice and not Cain’s?” Again my response was laughter. She has learned so much at the Point and in the kid’s classes that we offer. The amazing part is that she is dealing with some “big” questions. Ironically, I’ve been teaching through the book of Genesis for the past 10 weeks and examining the same “big” questions from the Word of God. I was so glad to have answers to her questions, not because I’m a Bible guru, but because the material was fresh in my mind from the Institute. Wherever you are in your journey with God and in his crazy life, realize that God’s Word holds all, absolutely all, the answers to the “big” questions that life poses. When you can’t find an answer, turn to the Word of God. In 2 Timothy, Paul explains how amazing the word of God really is. He writes, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be complete, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” Why do we have the Institute? Small Groups? Preaching? Because the Word of God is the only source of truth and hope we have to depend on.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
A beautiful and broken world…really that just basically sums up life. Sunday at the Point was just incredible; nearly 20 people made a public profession of faith in Christ, 3 were baptized, the word of God was clearly proclaim, lives were touch, and yet in the midst of celebration brokenness. Around 5:30 Sunday evening I received a call that Pastor Mark Wentzel was being rushed to by ambulance to Genesys Hospital. The beauty of Sunday morning was eclipsed by brokenness. As I sat with Pastor Mark, Cindy, Shelly, and Ben I was blessed by a family who is grounded, not in religion, but on the solid rock that is Jesus Christ. And yet I was left wondering, “Why?” Specifically for me, why Mark…he’s so kind and really loves God and His people. So rather than turn to philosophy or my own experiences, I cling to the Word of God. In Isaiah 55 God says, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” I don’t know why certain events happen to certain people, but I do place my faith in a holy and righteous God, whose ways are beyond my understanding. During the next few weeks, as we help Pastor Mark recover, my prayer for our church is that we will trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean not to our own understanding. In all our ways, we will acknowledge Him, and we will always let Him direct our path.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Amazing Grace
Without a doubt the most famous “church” song in the world is “Amazing Grace.” The song is truly inspirational and written from the heart of a man who understood the grace of God. But sometimes I wonder if I have cheapened the enormity of the grace of God. I have been studying the last few days the concept of grace in the New Testament, and have been astonished by what I have found.
To begin, grace is simply getting what I don’t deserve. 1 Timothy 1:14 says, “And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Jesus Christ.” The grace of God is shown to the world in the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. It was in His death, that the grace of God was offered to mankind. That grace includes so much more than just everlasting life, it gives us hope, peace, abundant life, joy, and frees us from the penalty of sin. Sin is revealed to us through the God’s law (Romans 3:20) establish in the Old Testament. But at the death of Christ on the cross, we can return to fellowship with God once again through the grace of God given in Jesus Christ.
But this fellowship is not just a “long distance relationship,” God actually lives inside us (1 Corinthians 6:19). He places His Holy Spirit to live in us and propels us into a deeper understanding of His grace. In Galatians 5 verse 18 it says, “…if you be led of the Spirit, you are not under the law.” And continues by explaining that no longer are we subject to the rules a regulations of the Law, but we are led by the Spirit, which produces from inside us, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, which there are no laws against.
Shockingly, the grace of God found in Jesus Christ allows us to be in a relationship with God, where we are in Him (Philippians 3:9) and He is in us. Grace is so much more than an offering of salvation from Hell, it is a radical transformation into an extraordinary fellowship with almighty God.
To begin, grace is simply getting what I don’t deserve. 1 Timothy 1:14 says, “And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Jesus Christ.” The grace of God is shown to the world in the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. It was in His death, that the grace of God was offered to mankind. That grace includes so much more than just everlasting life, it gives us hope, peace, abundant life, joy, and frees us from the penalty of sin. Sin is revealed to us through the God’s law (Romans 3:20) establish in the Old Testament. But at the death of Christ on the cross, we can return to fellowship with God once again through the grace of God given in Jesus Christ.
But this fellowship is not just a “long distance relationship,” God actually lives inside us (1 Corinthians 6:19). He places His Holy Spirit to live in us and propels us into a deeper understanding of His grace. In Galatians 5 verse 18 it says, “…if you be led of the Spirit, you are not under the law.” And continues by explaining that no longer are we subject to the rules a regulations of the Law, but we are led by the Spirit, which produces from inside us, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, which there are no laws against.
Shockingly, the grace of God found in Jesus Christ allows us to be in a relationship with God, where we are in Him (Philippians 3:9) and He is in us. Grace is so much more than an offering of salvation from Hell, it is a radical transformation into an extraordinary fellowship with almighty God.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Wizards, Witches, and Those Who Speak to the Dead
Through the revelation of scripture we find that God punishes certain sins more seriously than others. In the cases of witches, wizards, and those who speak to the dead, God, under the Law (Old Testament) commands the Levites, His priests, to put those who participate in these demonic activities to death. In Leviticus 20:27, God says, “A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them.” Earlier in Leviticus 19:31 He warns His people, “Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God” Again in Leviticus 20:6, God gives a serious warning to his people, “And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.” Going further in the Old Testament in the book of 2 Chronicles chapter 33 verse 1 through 6, a king named Manasseh angers the Lord by participating in witchcraft, dealing with a familiar spirit, and wizards. Without doubt the weight of scripture clearly shows that wizards, witches, and those who call upon the dead, ghosts, or spirits (familiar spirits), are clearly in violation of the holy Law of God.
Now for us in the age of grace, many have completely disregarded the Law, as if it were obsolete. However, in the law there are basically two types of laws, ceremonial and moral. The laws of God speaking against witches, wizards, and those who speak to the dead are still applicable today, in the sense that they solidify a Godly moral compass. In Acts 16, Paul encounters a young damsel who had the ability to see the future. At first it seems like a harmless, fun, even helpful gift. But Paul, an Apostle of Jesus Christ, doesn’t speak out against the fortune telling, he actually casts a demon out of the girl and she losses the ability to tell the future. This account from Acts, clearly explains that those who have the ability or hold claim to the ability to tell the future are at the very least tampering with demonic forces and at the most possessed of a demon.
The practical application for us, as followers of Jesus Christ, is that horoscopes, fortune tellers, palm readers, and the like, may simply be masquerading as authentic, yet are still representing demonic forces that are absolutely opposed the true things of God. Beyond just fortune telling, are those who claim a “connection” to those who have passed on. Without a doubt, this is NOT EVER of God and is a trickery of satanic forces. As followers of Christ we must never participate in any of the previously discussed acts and in turn must reveal the true source of future revelation, the Word of God.
Now for us in the age of grace, many have completely disregarded the Law, as if it were obsolete. However, in the law there are basically two types of laws, ceremonial and moral. The laws of God speaking against witches, wizards, and those who speak to the dead are still applicable today, in the sense that they solidify a Godly moral compass. In Acts 16, Paul encounters a young damsel who had the ability to see the future. At first it seems like a harmless, fun, even helpful gift. But Paul, an Apostle of Jesus Christ, doesn’t speak out against the fortune telling, he actually casts a demon out of the girl and she losses the ability to tell the future. This account from Acts, clearly explains that those who have the ability or hold claim to the ability to tell the future are at the very least tampering with demonic forces and at the most possessed of a demon.
The practical application for us, as followers of Jesus Christ, is that horoscopes, fortune tellers, palm readers, and the like, may simply be masquerading as authentic, yet are still representing demonic forces that are absolutely opposed the true things of God. Beyond just fortune telling, are those who claim a “connection” to those who have passed on. Without a doubt, this is NOT EVER of God and is a trickery of satanic forces. As followers of Christ we must never participate in any of the previously discussed acts and in turn must reveal the true source of future revelation, the Word of God.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
A Spirit of Fear
October for many is a season of fear, and truthfully our culture finds a lot of fun in it. Hollywood will distribute it’s most bloody and terrifying movies of the year, while on television old horror classics will be re-run over and over. Haunted houses, scary costumes, and other more sinister events such as séances and the like, will happen as Halloween is celebrated. For many Christians this seasons becomes a time where we regularly violate our conscience and the fundamental reason for this guilt and source of questioning the “season” is found in 2 Timothy 1:7, where Paul writes, “…God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
Often times this scripture is misused to say all types of things, but we must let the scripture speak. All fear is not bad, but a “spirit of fear” is clearly not from God and comes from another source. To ride a roller coaster and sky dive or to participate in some other “death defying” act, for some of us, becomes a way we face our fear. But in these cases, we are not perpetuating a “spirit of fear.” In my own life I have examined the movies, television shows, events, and so on that I allow myself and my children to participate in. I do so, not because I want to necessarily shelter my children from culture, but because I look to scripture and realize that God does not impart to His people a “spirit of fear,” and nor should I to my children.
This year, stop and think about the things that you and I are allowing ourselves and our children to participate in. Stop and think about the movies that we see or allow our kids to see. Do they foster a “spirit of fear,” or of love and a sound mind. How about the TV shows? There are so many that clearly violate scriptural teaching (more on this in tomorrow’s blog), and yet many of us continue to watch regularly. Of course our children will be wearing costumes, but in truth, are the costumes we allow them to wear God honoring or do they honor things that scripture clearly speaks out against? Each of us must, as scripture teaches, examine ourselves and ask the Holy Spirit to show us areas where we can align our life and our family with the Word of God. Am I telling you that the Bible says not to let your children walk around a collect candy from friendly neighbors? Of course not. But what I am saying that there is a proliferation of a "spirit of fear" that is accepted as normal that we must protect ourselves and our families from.
Tomorrow I will be writing about clear violations of the scripture found in culture, like witches, séances, fortune telling, and several others, which some deem as silly games, but God calls them for what they are…sin.
Often times this scripture is misused to say all types of things, but we must let the scripture speak. All fear is not bad, but a “spirit of fear” is clearly not from God and comes from another source. To ride a roller coaster and sky dive or to participate in some other “death defying” act, for some of us, becomes a way we face our fear. But in these cases, we are not perpetuating a “spirit of fear.” In my own life I have examined the movies, television shows, events, and so on that I allow myself and my children to participate in. I do so, not because I want to necessarily shelter my children from culture, but because I look to scripture and realize that God does not impart to His people a “spirit of fear,” and nor should I to my children.
This year, stop and think about the things that you and I are allowing ourselves and our children to participate in. Stop and think about the movies that we see or allow our kids to see. Do they foster a “spirit of fear,” or of love and a sound mind. How about the TV shows? There are so many that clearly violate scriptural teaching (more on this in tomorrow’s blog), and yet many of us continue to watch regularly. Of course our children will be wearing costumes, but in truth, are the costumes we allow them to wear God honoring or do they honor things that scripture clearly speaks out against? Each of us must, as scripture teaches, examine ourselves and ask the Holy Spirit to show us areas where we can align our life and our family with the Word of God. Am I telling you that the Bible says not to let your children walk around a collect candy from friendly neighbors? Of course not. But what I am saying that there is a proliferation of a "spirit of fear" that is accepted as normal that we must protect ourselves and our families from.
Tomorrow I will be writing about clear violations of the scripture found in culture, like witches, séances, fortune telling, and several others, which some deem as silly games, but God calls them for what they are…sin.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
1 Peter 2:9
People have occasionally asked me if my Dad and I discuss our sermon topics before Sunday, and the answer is “No.” Actually sometimes we’ll talk about Biblical truths that I later hear in sermon form, but anything planned never happens. Occasionally, however, the Holy Spirit does something funny and we end up preaching sermons that are connected. This past week was one of them, from 1st Peter 2:9.
As I studied 1st Peter 2:9, I began to see an incredible pattern that, honestly, humbled and shocked me. Here is what the Word of God says:
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
As I read this verse, I began to realize that it’s all about God and His action. Peter uses the words chosen, royal, holy, and peculiar. When I read those words, which Peter is using to describe the believers position in God’s Kingdom through Jesus Christ, I realize that everything we have is not from our efforts, but from the action of a sovereign and loving God. God chooses us, through His son He makes us royalty and holy, and claims us as His own (peculiar). Then He allows us to show the world His goodness and greatness, because He and He alone has called us out of the darkness of this world and into a life lived in the light of Himself. Peter, better than most, understood the gracious call of God, out of a life of meaningless pursuits, into a life full of God’s majestic displays of power through fishermen and simple servants. When we realize that God’s grace is so much more than just eternal life, we will truly be speechless at the revelation of who God is.
As I studied 1st Peter 2:9, I began to see an incredible pattern that, honestly, humbled and shocked me. Here is what the Word of God says:
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
As I read this verse, I began to realize that it’s all about God and His action. Peter uses the words chosen, royal, holy, and peculiar. When I read those words, which Peter is using to describe the believers position in God’s Kingdom through Jesus Christ, I realize that everything we have is not from our efforts, but from the action of a sovereign and loving God. God chooses us, through His son He makes us royalty and holy, and claims us as His own (peculiar). Then He allows us to show the world His goodness and greatness, because He and He alone has called us out of the darkness of this world and into a life lived in the light of Himself. Peter, better than most, understood the gracious call of God, out of a life of meaningless pursuits, into a life full of God’s majestic displays of power through fishermen and simple servants. When we realize that God’s grace is so much more than just eternal life, we will truly be speechless at the revelation of who God is.
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