my friend Matt really inspired me to start listening to sermons on podcast instead of listening to music. It's been absolutely sensational. my aversion to it at first was that i wanted to be able to listen to the entire sermon in one sitting and be able to really focus upon what i was hearing. i'm finding out, however, that even the tidbits i've been able to hear in the small fractions of time have been not only helpful but transforming. The more i listen the more i hunger. my faith is growing more and more which coincides with what Paul says in Romans 10:17 that faith comes from hearing the Word of God (which in context is actually the Gospel message).
i listened to podcast yesterday from Imago Dei (a church located in Portland, Oregon) and the message was based on Hebrews. The point that the Spirit used to touch my heart was that we can come to God's throne and expect to receive mercy.
Hebrews 4:14-16 says, "So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. (NLT)"
i can't tell you how many times i've read that passage, but never have i really understood and personalized what this passage teaches about God. When we go to God's throne we will find MERCY. i've always had this conception of God that, yes He loves me, but He's also upset and disappointed in me when i sin or when my faith is weak. i go to Him expecting judgment or at least some type of displeasure. Then i consider what this passage is teaching.
When i go to my God, because of what Christ has done, i don't have to worry about Him judging me or even being disappointed in what i've done. He knows me. He knows what i've said, thought or done. He understands my weaknesses.
He won't reject me. He won't reprimand me. He won't tell me, "I told you so," or "You should have known better." He has compassion. He gives comfort. He has mercy.
my problem is far too often i don't come to the throne. i'm much like the one we find in Proverbs 28:13: "People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy." i conceal rather than confess. i try to cover with fig leaves rather than coming clean.
Are there still consequences for sin? Yes. Will there be judgment? Yes, but only in the sense that we must live with the choices we have made (i.e. consequences). Romans 8:1 tells us, "So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus." 1John 1:9 says, "But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness." I believe based on Scripture that the accounting that we will have to do will not necessarily have to do with our sin (i.e. watching a movie of all our sin and having to tell Christ why we did it) but rather the accounting will be about what we did with the gifts and opportunities God gave us. How we managed our earthly responsibilities will determine our level of responsibility in the coming Kingdom. Certainly there will be shame, but not condemnation.
That encourages me to hold on, realizing that if i do let go of the rope, Christ is the anchor at the end picking up the slack and my Father is there to pick me up dust me off and get me back in the fray.
Thanks for reading.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Reflection
i'm excited today at the prospects of the revamping of our youth ministry at Haven. Since our new name is Revolution and our theme is changing the world by sharing God's love, i decided to change this blog title so that our youth ministry would have the exclusive rights for online blogging and networking. The new title for this blog is based on 2Cor. 3:18: "So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord--Who is the Spirit--makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image." (NLT) my desire is to simply reflect Christ in everything i do, that those who look at me don't see me but see Him. In reflecting my Savior it will be my goal to encourage readers to join me as i share my reflections that we together might shine brighter and brighter until the day of Christ. Soli Deo Gloria. To God alone be all glory. Thanks for reading.
Monday, October 6, 2008
A Matter of Perspective
Our pastor here at Haven, Kevin Clark, just preached yesterday on one of the most difficult passages that i've wrestled with in my Christian experience. He preached on latter half of James 5, the part about calling for the elders of the church to anoint the sick with oil and pray over them. James then says this will result in healing.
The part i've always wrestled with is the healing. James seems to be laying out a formula here that should work every time. He says to anoint and pray and that the prayer offered in faith would heal the sick. He doesn't say it might heal the sick or "Lord-willing" the sick would be healed. He says A (anointing) + B (prayer of faith) = C (healing).
The difficulty is that this doesn't always work. my father-in-law battled cancer for two years until God took him home. It was a very painful process, very heart-wrenching to see him suffer and to try to comfort my wife who ached for him very deeply. He had been anointed and prayed over numerous times...yet...he still died.
Did he not have enough faith? Well, in context, the prayer of faith has nothing to do with the one who is sick. The prayer mentioned is that of the elders. (Kinda rules out faith healers. "Well, you weren't healed because you didn't have enough faith." Actually faith healer, the onus is on you.)
Did the elders then not have enough faith? Were they not trusting God to heal my father-in-law? Did God actually put his life in the hands of these men and because they didn't have the right amount of "faith" God's hands were tied? Sorry, Dwight. I wanted to heal you, but those elders didn't have enough faith... Really?
The problem then is not with God. God is not in any way limited by our faith or lack thereof. His kingdom rules over all. None can hold back His hand or challenge His authority. He declares the end before the beginning. He calls His shot millenia in advance with absolute certainty. God is God.
The problem is not with James. "Maybe he just misquoted God or misunderstood what God meant." All Scripture is God-breathed, including James.
The problem is in understanding the perspective. Kevin showed us (listen to the sermon from 10-5-08 at achurchworthfinding.com) how that the key words for sick and heal can not only be translated from a physical perspective but also from a spiritual one.
Here's the point. James, in context, has been talking about spiritual struggles. His call is to hang on during the difficult times because Christ is returning to set everything straight. It makes sense then that the sick is one who is spiritually oppressed and defeated and that the healing is actually a spiritual restoration and rejuvenation.
God can and very well may choose to heal physically but He never promised us that in His Word. He has promised to never abandon us or leave us helpless when we needed Him most. He's promised to give us a home with Him in glory and to richly reward those who are faithful during this earthly pilgrimage. He never promised a life of ease, a life of comfort, a life of health and wealth. And I think that's difficult for us to swallow. After all, we're Americans, the nation blessed by God.
No one would dispute the tremendous impact that Apostle Paul made for the cause of Christ. No one would deny his faithfulness. Take a look then at the circumstances God placed in his life in 2Corinthians 11: more suffering than any of us would care to deal with. Nevertheless, Paul said in 2Corinthians 4 and 12 that the things he suffered here actually prepared him for the glory of life eternal. The temporal tribulation he experienced in this life produced for him eternal glories that last forever.
Think about that... Had Paul simply been delivered out of every difficulty, had he been spared the pain and the suffering of his circumstances he right now would have nothing in glory. No wonder he took pleasure in his "weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that [he suffered] for Christ." (2Cor. 12:10 NLT) He got it! He understood! He had the right...perspective.
The problem is our perspective. We want to free from trials and tribulations, yet we fail to see life from the Father's point of view.
God has promised to be with us, to keep us and to pick us up when we're weary. The point of James 5 is that we have a support group that God has given us called the church to help us along the way. God can heal us. He can still work miracles. Yet even when He doesn't, He's still working for good. We just can't see it yet.
Even in death, God is simply answering the prayer of His Son in John 17:24: "Father, I want these whom You have given Me to be with Me where I am..." You see, life is simply a matter of perspective.
Thanks for reading.
The part i've always wrestled with is the healing. James seems to be laying out a formula here that should work every time. He says to anoint and pray and that the prayer offered in faith would heal the sick. He doesn't say it might heal the sick or "Lord-willing" the sick would be healed. He says A (anointing) + B (prayer of faith) = C (healing).
The difficulty is that this doesn't always work. my father-in-law battled cancer for two years until God took him home. It was a very painful process, very heart-wrenching to see him suffer and to try to comfort my wife who ached for him very deeply. He had been anointed and prayed over numerous times...yet...he still died.
Did he not have enough faith? Well, in context, the prayer of faith has nothing to do with the one who is sick. The prayer mentioned is that of the elders. (Kinda rules out faith healers. "Well, you weren't healed because you didn't have enough faith." Actually faith healer, the onus is on you.)
Did the elders then not have enough faith? Were they not trusting God to heal my father-in-law? Did God actually put his life in the hands of these men and because they didn't have the right amount of "faith" God's hands were tied? Sorry, Dwight. I wanted to heal you, but those elders didn't have enough faith... Really?
The problem then is not with God. God is not in any way limited by our faith or lack thereof. His kingdom rules over all. None can hold back His hand or challenge His authority. He declares the end before the beginning. He calls His shot millenia in advance with absolute certainty. God is God.
The problem is not with James. "Maybe he just misquoted God or misunderstood what God meant." All Scripture is God-breathed, including James.
The problem is in understanding the perspective. Kevin showed us (listen to the sermon from 10-5-08 at achurchworthfinding.com) how that the key words for sick and heal can not only be translated from a physical perspective but also from a spiritual one.
Here's the point. James, in context, has been talking about spiritual struggles. His call is to hang on during the difficult times because Christ is returning to set everything straight. It makes sense then that the sick is one who is spiritually oppressed and defeated and that the healing is actually a spiritual restoration and rejuvenation.
God can and very well may choose to heal physically but He never promised us that in His Word. He has promised to never abandon us or leave us helpless when we needed Him most. He's promised to give us a home with Him in glory and to richly reward those who are faithful during this earthly pilgrimage. He never promised a life of ease, a life of comfort, a life of health and wealth. And I think that's difficult for us to swallow. After all, we're Americans, the nation blessed by God.
No one would dispute the tremendous impact that Apostle Paul made for the cause of Christ. No one would deny his faithfulness. Take a look then at the circumstances God placed in his life in 2Corinthians 11: more suffering than any of us would care to deal with. Nevertheless, Paul said in 2Corinthians 4 and 12 that the things he suffered here actually prepared him for the glory of life eternal. The temporal tribulation he experienced in this life produced for him eternal glories that last forever.
Think about that... Had Paul simply been delivered out of every difficulty, had he been spared the pain and the suffering of his circumstances he right now would have nothing in glory. No wonder he took pleasure in his "weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that [he suffered] for Christ." (2Cor. 12:10 NLT) He got it! He understood! He had the right...perspective.
The problem is our perspective. We want to free from trials and tribulations, yet we fail to see life from the Father's point of view.
God has promised to be with us, to keep us and to pick us up when we're weary. The point of James 5 is that we have a support group that God has given us called the church to help us along the way. God can heal us. He can still work miracles. Yet even when He doesn't, He's still working for good. We just can't see it yet.
Even in death, God is simply answering the prayer of His Son in John 17:24: "Father, I want these whom You have given Me to be with Me where I am..." You see, life is simply a matter of perspective.
Thanks for reading.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
The Truth is Worth It
A few nights ago, i was reading my daily portion of Scripture for our youth group when at the end i realized that i was supposed to be in 1Timothy but i had just read 2Timothy. Yet what i read was exactly what it was that i needed--a true gift from God.
The passage was 2Timothy 2:1-7 and just a few moments ago i had the privilege of sharing some thoughts with the staff at our Christian school and i'd love to share some of those same thoughts with you.
Paul is writing to Timothy, his spiritual son in the faith, and from church history we know that this was the last letter Paul penned that is part of Scripture. Shortly after this Paul would be beheaded for his faith. It is this same faith that Paul urged Timothy to hold on to.
Paul shares that the truth that he preached, the truth that he lived and soon would die for was, is and always will be reliable. It had been confirmed and had been proven. The call is to stand firm in the midst of it. To grab hold and never let go.
That's easier said than done, right... Especially since our world is not exactly the most amiable environment for living like Christ. Yet, Paul, now nearing the end, says that this truth that has absolutely consumed his life was worth everything he had suffered (and he had suffered much, 2Cor. 11).
So what Paul tells us is that it's not easy to live the truth and to pass it on to others. That's not very popular today. Since i'm an American i deserve to have a faith that i can freely express to others and that i can practice without having to struggle. Yet that is reality...struggle.
Three images that Paul gives us to help us fight to live and share God's truth are the soldier, the athlete and the farmer.
The Roman soldier, if he was worth his salt did not allow anything to distract him from his duties. He kept to his post. He did not entangle himself in the affairs of civilian life. In other words, he was focused.
We're so busy, yet how much of what we're doing really matters? Are we focused on seeking God's kingdom first or is that just something we try to squeeze in on Sunday mornings if we haven't stayed out too late on Saturday night? We need focus.
The Olympic athlete would maintain the strictest of disciplines in order to compete in the games. If he broke any rule during not only the games but also the rigorous training period he was immediately disqualified and lost everything he had been working for.
We don't want to hear the word "no". We don't want to deny what our soul craves and thirsts for, yet that is what Paul is telling us. If what we desire compromises or adulterates God's truth in any way, we cannot allow it to be part of our lives. We need discipline.
The farmer is the picture of patience. He's not lazy. He would till and tend his field rigorously each day making sure that nothing would impede the growth of his precious crop. Yet, he had to wait for it to mature. When the harvest finally came, it was worth all the toil because he had the precious first fruits in his hands. The crop was worth it.
So is the truth. The truth is worth holding on to. We must be patient through all of the struggles. Through the storms as well as the droughts of life, we must hold fast. Why?... Because the truth, God's truth is worth it.
Stay focused: don't allow yourself to be spread so thin that you're not fulfilling the one thing God's gifted you to do.
Stay disciplined: don't allow yourself to stray from the truth of God's Word. We must live what we say we believe.
Be patient: being a beacon of God's truth is worth the sacrifice.
It's ironic that i even mention the word sacrifice because when the day of Christ comes i really believe that all of us will echo the words of J. Hudson Taylor, missionary to China, when he said, "I never made a sacrifice." Thanks for reading.
The passage was 2Timothy 2:1-7 and just a few moments ago i had the privilege of sharing some thoughts with the staff at our Christian school and i'd love to share some of those same thoughts with you.
Paul is writing to Timothy, his spiritual son in the faith, and from church history we know that this was the last letter Paul penned that is part of Scripture. Shortly after this Paul would be beheaded for his faith. It is this same faith that Paul urged Timothy to hold on to.
Paul shares that the truth that he preached, the truth that he lived and soon would die for was, is and always will be reliable. It had been confirmed and had been proven. The call is to stand firm in the midst of it. To grab hold and never let go.
That's easier said than done, right... Especially since our world is not exactly the most amiable environment for living like Christ. Yet, Paul, now nearing the end, says that this truth that has absolutely consumed his life was worth everything he had suffered (and he had suffered much, 2Cor. 11).
So what Paul tells us is that it's not easy to live the truth and to pass it on to others. That's not very popular today. Since i'm an American i deserve to have a faith that i can freely express to others and that i can practice without having to struggle. Yet that is reality...struggle.
Three images that Paul gives us to help us fight to live and share God's truth are the soldier, the athlete and the farmer.
The Roman soldier, if he was worth his salt did not allow anything to distract him from his duties. He kept to his post. He did not entangle himself in the affairs of civilian life. In other words, he was focused.
We're so busy, yet how much of what we're doing really matters? Are we focused on seeking God's kingdom first or is that just something we try to squeeze in on Sunday mornings if we haven't stayed out too late on Saturday night? We need focus.
The Olympic athlete would maintain the strictest of disciplines in order to compete in the games. If he broke any rule during not only the games but also the rigorous training period he was immediately disqualified and lost everything he had been working for.
We don't want to hear the word "no". We don't want to deny what our soul craves and thirsts for, yet that is what Paul is telling us. If what we desire compromises or adulterates God's truth in any way, we cannot allow it to be part of our lives. We need discipline.
The farmer is the picture of patience. He's not lazy. He would till and tend his field rigorously each day making sure that nothing would impede the growth of his precious crop. Yet, he had to wait for it to mature. When the harvest finally came, it was worth all the toil because he had the precious first fruits in his hands. The crop was worth it.
So is the truth. The truth is worth holding on to. We must be patient through all of the struggles. Through the storms as well as the droughts of life, we must hold fast. Why?... Because the truth, God's truth is worth it.
Stay focused: don't allow yourself to be spread so thin that you're not fulfilling the one thing God's gifted you to do.
Stay disciplined: don't allow yourself to stray from the truth of God's Word. We must live what we say we believe.
Be patient: being a beacon of God's truth is worth the sacrifice.
It's ironic that i even mention the word sacrifice because when the day of Christ comes i really believe that all of us will echo the words of J. Hudson Taylor, missionary to China, when he said, "I never made a sacrifice." Thanks for reading.
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