...by Bobby Jackson
What a fresh breath of air this series has been for me. In a season where many of us seemed stressed out, did you enjoy laughing as much as I did this week?
And laughter led to reflection as I was challenged this week to answer this tough question, “What do I expect from my God?” Do I expect that He is going to forgive me whenever I ask, that He will support me and make me feel better when I am low, that He will answer my prayers? Should I have expected that Jesus would come to the earth to save me from my sins?
To expect that really puts God into a “You owe me” or “You better deliver” kind of relationship. At best it is a joyless, selfish relationship with little appreciation and feels more like someone fulfilling His side of our contract.
So what can I expect from God? He has promised that He will forgive (1 John 1:9, Psalm 103:12), that He is close to me when I’m down (Psalm 34:18), that He will answer my prayers (John 14:13, 2 Peter 3:9), and that He would come to earth to save me from my sins (Luke 19:10, Philippians 2).
We can expect some things of God, but only because He is like a Father that loves us more than anyone ever could and has chosen to serve rather than be served. I don’t deserve anything but because of His love we can expect a lot of God. In fact, He is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).
It’s easy to think of what I expect from God, but maybe the better question is what should He expect of me?
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
The Cultivating Power of Community.
So I think one of the most valuable things that we can do to cultivate our personal relationship with Jesus is to allow others in our circle of friends to influence us and have an effect on us as we follow Christ together.
Obviously, this comes with a few different considerations. This presumes that you are surrounding yourself with people who are going to have a good effect on you. Generally, it's a good principle to remember that who you surround yourself with is who you become. If you want to become more loving, surround yourself with loving people. If you want to become more forgiving, surround yourself with forgiving people. If you want to become more generous, surround yourself with generous people. The opposite is also true, though: if you surround yourself with people who are angry all the time, you'll probably start to cultivate that in your life. The same if you surround yourself with stingy people or sad people or whatever else. It's just a fact of life.
Obviously, this isn't to say you can only spend time with all the greatest people in the world who have incredible commitment to virtues you're trying to build in your life. We are asked by God to be a light to the world, and this means placing ourselves right in the midst of our broken, fallen world - not shielding ourselves from it.
The real question here, though, is who am I allowing to speak into my life? Are they people who are helping to cultivate me as a Christ follower? Or are they people who might actually be destructive to me as a Christ follower? This is especially valuable around the holidays... don't let parties, get-togethers, and all the other hustle and bustle of the Christmas season crowd out the valuable power of community to help cultivate your relationship with Jesus in your life. We all need it!
P.S.: Merry Christmas! Thanks for making my job the best one in the world!
Obviously, this comes with a few different considerations. This presumes that you are surrounding yourself with people who are going to have a good effect on you. Generally, it's a good principle to remember that who you surround yourself with is who you become. If you want to become more loving, surround yourself with loving people. If you want to become more forgiving, surround yourself with forgiving people. If you want to become more generous, surround yourself with generous people. The opposite is also true, though: if you surround yourself with people who are angry all the time, you'll probably start to cultivate that in your life. The same if you surround yourself with stingy people or sad people or whatever else. It's just a fact of life.
Obviously, this isn't to say you can only spend time with all the greatest people in the world who have incredible commitment to virtues you're trying to build in your life. We are asked by God to be a light to the world, and this means placing ourselves right in the midst of our broken, fallen world - not shielding ourselves from it.
The real question here, though, is who am I allowing to speak into my life? Are they people who are helping to cultivate me as a Christ follower? Or are they people who might actually be destructive to me as a Christ follower? This is especially valuable around the holidays... don't let parties, get-togethers, and all the other hustle and bustle of the Christmas season crowd out the valuable power of community to help cultivate your relationship with Jesus in your life. We all need it!
P.S.: Merry Christmas! Thanks for making my job the best one in the world!
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Beyond Sunday - The Perfect* Christmas: A Christmas Story
...by Jo Anne Stas
“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). Matthew 1:23
When I reflect on the message this week, I repeatedly come back to Greg’s statement, “The world was broken before Jesus came, while he was here and after he left. Jesus didn’t come into this world to fix everything he came to be with us through everything.” I think about what a powerful statement that can be if I let it permeate my mindset. It can have the power to change my expectations—if I let it.
And often times all it takes is looking at a situation from a different perspective. God’s perspective. That houseful of challenging relatives you’re hosting this Christmas. God says, “I’m with you.” That broken relationship that hurts so much. “I’m with you.” That job you’ve been praying for. “I’m with you.” That health issue you’ve been asking God to heal. “I’m with you.” That bill you don’t know how you’re going to pay. “I’m with you.” That’s the beauty of Christmas—remembering anew how God is with us. He will not leave us alone.
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27
“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). Matthew 1:23
When I reflect on the message this week, I repeatedly come back to Greg’s statement, “The world was broken before Jesus came, while he was here and after he left. Jesus didn’t come into this world to fix everything he came to be with us through everything.” I think about what a powerful statement that can be if I let it permeate my mindset. It can have the power to change my expectations—if I let it.
And often times all it takes is looking at a situation from a different perspective. God’s perspective. That houseful of challenging relatives you’re hosting this Christmas. God says, “I’m with you.” That broken relationship that hurts so much. “I’m with you.” That job you’ve been praying for. “I’m with you.” That health issue you’ve been asking God to heal. “I’m with you.” That bill you don’t know how you’re going to pay. “I’m with you.” That’s the beauty of Christmas—remembering anew how God is with us. He will not leave us alone.
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Beyond Sunday - Jesus is _____: My Leader?
...by Jeff Sanford
On Sunday, nearly sixty Suncresters made a decision to either follow Jesus for the first time or renew their commitment to following Jesus. So what exactly does it mean to let Jesus be your leader and where do we start?
I’m certainly not an expert on leadership or on Jesus, but I do know that if Jesus is LEADING you, then you must be FOLLOWING him. In Luke 9:23, Jesus tells his followers that, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.”
Wow! Luke 9:23 is an extremely challenging passage, but it gets at the core of what it means to truly follow Jesus. First of all, it’s a daily commitment. With all that’s going on in the world today and all the things that are guaranteed to satisfy us, it’s easy to lose track of what or who it is that’s influencing our decisions on a daily basis. Often times, I veer off the right path but Jesus reminds us that we must commit daily to pursuing him.
Jesus also tells us to take up our cross and follow him. What does that mean? To me, it means that I must reject the things that get in my way of spending time in his Word, praying over Scripture, and pursuing him so that I can know the way that Jesus is leading. It means that I must do the things that Jesus does rather than what comes naturally or feels comfortable. It means that I must reject what earns the praise of men and concentrate on what pleases God. It means I must love when I’d rather seek revenge. It means I must offer grace and forgiveness when I feel like holding a grudge. It means I must serve when I’d rather sit back in comfort. It means I must have hard conversations when I’d rather not ruffle any feathers. It means I must be patient when I’d rather lose my temper. And it means that I must give generously when I’d rather save or pursue my own desires.
Following Jesus also means that I probably won’t look or act like everyone else around me. Following Jesus means that a lot of people will probably disagree with my decisions. Following Jesus means that I will have to make sacrifices in this life. But a life of following Jesus offers love, grace, peace, hope, strength, joy, contentment, and abundant life that you will find in nothing or no one else. And when you’re following Jesus, you understand that the benefits last for eternity!
On Sunday, nearly sixty Suncresters made a decision to either follow Jesus for the first time or renew their commitment to following Jesus. So what exactly does it mean to let Jesus be your leader and where do we start?
I’m certainly not an expert on leadership or on Jesus, but I do know that if Jesus is LEADING you, then you must be FOLLOWING him. In Luke 9:23, Jesus tells his followers that, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.”
Wow! Luke 9:23 is an extremely challenging passage, but it gets at the core of what it means to truly follow Jesus. First of all, it’s a daily commitment. With all that’s going on in the world today and all the things that are guaranteed to satisfy us, it’s easy to lose track of what or who it is that’s influencing our decisions on a daily basis. Often times, I veer off the right path but Jesus reminds us that we must commit daily to pursuing him.
Jesus also tells us to take up our cross and follow him. What does that mean? To me, it means that I must reject the things that get in my way of spending time in his Word, praying over Scripture, and pursuing him so that I can know the way that Jesus is leading. It means that I must do the things that Jesus does rather than what comes naturally or feels comfortable. It means that I must reject what earns the praise of men and concentrate on what pleases God. It means I must love when I’d rather seek revenge. It means I must offer grace and forgiveness when I feel like holding a grudge. It means I must serve when I’d rather sit back in comfort. It means I must have hard conversations when I’d rather not ruffle any feathers. It means I must be patient when I’d rather lose my temper. And it means that I must give generously when I’d rather save or pursue my own desires.
Following Jesus also means that I probably won’t look or act like everyone else around me. Following Jesus means that a lot of people will probably disagree with my decisions. Following Jesus means that I will have to make sacrifices in this life. But a life of following Jesus offers love, grace, peace, hope, strength, joy, contentment, and abundant life that you will find in nothing or no one else. And when you’re following Jesus, you understand that the benefits last for eternity!
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Listen, Listen, Listen!
So this week on the good ol' Cultivate blog, I thought I'd tell you about a resource that I've been getting some really great use out of over the past few months and I think that you will too.
If you read my blog, you are probably acquainted with my Andy Stanley man crush (I still blame Greg Lee). He's a great teacher and pastor at a place called North Point Community Church in Atlanta. I don't know exactly how I got started listening to this guy teach and preach, but once I did, I was hooked. He's got a lot of wisdom and insight, and anytime I find something (whether it be a book, a sermon, a video, whatever) with his name on it, I try my best to carve out some time so I can listen to it.
But today I am here to tell you about North Point's podcast. Basically, this is a way you can subscribe to their weekly messages, many of which are from Andy, but some are from other teachers at North Point. On my drives to and from Cincinnati each week, I mostly listen to music, but I usually take some time to listen to one or two messages, most of which are from North Point. I always walk away with some great insights - I especially loved their Guardrails series from back in the spring.
To subscribe to get these messages, simply go to the "Podcast" section of iTunes and type in North Point Community Church, and you'll find it. Hit subscribe, and your iTunes library will automatically download new messages when they are posted each week. If you aren't an iTunes user, simply go to www.northpoint.org and hit the "messages" tab, and you can download that week's current message. You can even watch them online there if you'd like as well.
This is seriously a great way to help cultivate your personal relationship with Jesus even further! Check it out! And if you're interested in more stuff like this, check out the North Point Ministries podcast. For something with more of a leadership bent, check out the Andy Stanley Leadership podcast.
Happy listening!
If you read my blog, you are probably acquainted with my Andy Stanley man crush (I still blame Greg Lee). He's a great teacher and pastor at a place called North Point Community Church in Atlanta. I don't know exactly how I got started listening to this guy teach and preach, but once I did, I was hooked. He's got a lot of wisdom and insight, and anytime I find something (whether it be a book, a sermon, a video, whatever) with his name on it, I try my best to carve out some time so I can listen to it.
But today I am here to tell you about North Point's podcast. Basically, this is a way you can subscribe to their weekly messages, many of which are from Andy, but some are from other teachers at North Point. On my drives to and from Cincinnati each week, I mostly listen to music, but I usually take some time to listen to one or two messages, most of which are from North Point. I always walk away with some great insights - I especially loved their Guardrails series from back in the spring.
To subscribe to get these messages, simply go to the "Podcast" section of iTunes and type in North Point Community Church, and you'll find it. Hit subscribe, and your iTunes library will automatically download new messages when they are posted each week. If you aren't an iTunes user, simply go to www.northpoint.org and hit the "messages" tab, and you can download that week's current message. You can even watch them online there if you'd like as well.
This is seriously a great way to help cultivate your personal relationship with Jesus even further! Check it out! And if you're interested in more stuff like this, check out the North Point Ministries podcast. For something with more of a leadership bent, check out the Andy Stanley Leadership podcast.
Happy listening!
Beyond Sunday: Jesus is _______: Extreme Forgiver?
...by Kevin McHugh
On my Mother's side of my family I have many Aunts and Uncles; and there are several relationship problems scattered between them. This one Aunt won't speak to another because of something in the sixties. Another one has a different problem with a different one, also from the distant past. My Mom held grudges against several of them; and she occasionally would tell me about her grievances. Well they were not minor, but they were not that awful either, but it seemed nobody was willing to forgive.
Aren't we lucky our God is beyond all that? I have to admit that the enormity of God's capacity to forgive is something that is hard for me to fully understand. My sins are many; I try to do better each day but still fall short each day. Yet I can come to God with faith and sincerity and He will forgive me over and over and over again? Yes He can and He will because of what Jesus did for us!
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:8
Andy did a beautiful job walking us through Romans 3.
To be righteous means to be in good standing with God - can't we just be totally good on our own? "Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law, rather through the law we become conscious of our sin." - Romans 3:20
So I need a savior, so does everyone reading this. Here's the extreme, yet beautiful truth.
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." - Romans 3:23-24
Andy, thanks for reminding us about this remarkable truth - my Mom & her sisters can testify how hard it can be for humans to forgive, but our God is so much bigger and provided us all a path through Jesus.
On my Mother's side of my family I have many Aunts and Uncles; and there are several relationship problems scattered between them. This one Aunt won't speak to another because of something in the sixties. Another one has a different problem with a different one, also from the distant past. My Mom held grudges against several of them; and she occasionally would tell me about her grievances. Well they were not minor, but they were not that awful either, but it seemed nobody was willing to forgive.
Aren't we lucky our God is beyond all that? I have to admit that the enormity of God's capacity to forgive is something that is hard for me to fully understand. My sins are many; I try to do better each day but still fall short each day. Yet I can come to God with faith and sincerity and He will forgive me over and over and over again? Yes He can and He will because of what Jesus did for us!
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:8
Andy did a beautiful job walking us through Romans 3.
To be righteous means to be in good standing with God - can't we just be totally good on our own? "Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law, rather through the law we become conscious of our sin." - Romans 3:20
So I need a savior, so does everyone reading this. Here's the extreme, yet beautiful truth.
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." - Romans 3:23-24
Andy, thanks for reminding us about this remarkable truth - my Mom & her sisters can testify how hard it can be for humans to forgive, but our God is so much bigger and provided us all a path through Jesus.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
The Prodigal God.
Basically, in this book, Keller (who's a pastor of a 6,000 member church in Manhattan) takes the story of the Prodigal Son from Luke 15 and absolutely turns it on its head. Most of the time, we spend any time analyzing that story talking about the son that took his inheritance, went away, blew it all, and came back, only to discover his father extending the hand of open fellowship to him. We do this for good reason; it's a key part of the story. But Keller's point in this book is that really, there are two lost sons: the son who went away and came back and also the older son; the one who never left. This son did all the right things; he did what his father asked, he never left home. However, in the end of the story, we discover that by refusing to come in and celebrate the recovery of his lost younger brother that it's the older son who's really lost.
I think this book hit me square between the eyes because it captures a spiritual principle that I believe God has been teaching me over the past several months, and that's that God doesn't owe me anything. Keller's point in this whole book is that the sin of both sons in this story is the same. They both wanted to take control of their lives and get what they wanted or felt they deserved instead of what the father wanted for them. The younger son chose to do this just by doing his own thing and charting his own course in life. The older son did this by obeying, but obeying with this expectation that it in some way entitled the father to give him stuff. We can do the same thing spiritually (at least I do); we can do all the right stuff on the outside, but if deep down it's really just to manipulate God into getting what we want, then our acts are no more righteous than the wild living of the "younger brothers" of the world in which we live. The solution is to first understand the saving love of Christ for us on the cross, and to see that God has already given us everything. We need to let the cross transform us into people who serve out of loving affection, not selfish motives or dutiful obligation.
This book is great, and if you read one thing I've posted about on here, I hope that this is it. It's an easy read, only 133 pages, and it's well worth it. Once I picked it up, I had a tough time setting it down... I pretty much finished it in one sitting!
And whatever you do, I hope that you take some time to have an awesome dinner with family and friends and give thanks for all that God has given. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Beyond Sunday - Jesus is _______: Religion Builder?
...by Larry McManus
No doubt you have heard that, “There are two things you don’t talk about: religion and politics.”
“RELIGION”. What comes to mind when you hear the word? Does it have anything to do with love, community, relationship, or grace? More importantly, what does Jesus think of “religion”?
As I looked into New Testament today, the word “religion” does not show up in any of Jesus’ talks, not even once, so it appears that Jesus was not about the business of building a new religion. As we heard in the sermon, Jesus viewed the religious activity of the Pharisees to be a hindrance and a barrier to encountering God. Religion was about doing the opposite of the don’ts, and being against the things that were deemed “bad”. This negative perspective on religion hasn’t changed much over the past 2010 years.
Neither is the church an “institution” or a “business”. Sure there are some basic elements of business organization within the practical function of a local church, but are we just another religion or business? How sad when we, within the church, adopt the worldly misconceptions that we are just an institution or another religion among many viable religions.
We learned in the sermon this week that religious attitudes can be a barrier to encountering God. Jesus was about building a movement that encouraged true encounters with the living God. He doesn’t care about a system of rules and regulations that bind us.
So what are the take-a-ways? I’m examining my own attitudes about religion and how I view the world. I refuse to be defined by the “anti’s”-- we don’t do this, we don’t like that, we’re against this or that. The next step is to begin to make amends with those I may have offended with my pious “religious” attitudes. It’s easy to be judgmental; the world does it all the time. Jesus said, “For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.” John 12:47
No doubt you have heard that, “There are two things you don’t talk about: religion and politics.”
“RELIGION”. What comes to mind when you hear the word? Does it have anything to do with love, community, relationship, or grace? More importantly, what does Jesus think of “religion”?
As I looked into New Testament today, the word “religion” does not show up in any of Jesus’ talks, not even once, so it appears that Jesus was not about the business of building a new religion. As we heard in the sermon, Jesus viewed the religious activity of the Pharisees to be a hindrance and a barrier to encountering God. Religion was about doing the opposite of the don’ts, and being against the things that were deemed “bad”. This negative perspective on religion hasn’t changed much over the past 2010 years.
Neither is the church an “institution” or a “business”. Sure there are some basic elements of business organization within the practical function of a local church, but are we just another religion or business? How sad when we, within the church, adopt the worldly misconceptions that we are just an institution or another religion among many viable religions.
We learned in the sermon this week that religious attitudes can be a barrier to encountering God. Jesus was about building a movement that encouraged true encounters with the living God. He doesn’t care about a system of rules and regulations that bind us.
So what are the take-a-ways? I’m examining my own attitudes about religion and how I view the world. I refuse to be defined by the “anti’s”-- we don’t do this, we don’t like that, we’re against this or that. The next step is to begin to make amends with those I may have offended with my pious “religious” attitudes. It’s easy to be judgmental; the world does it all the time. Jesus said, “For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.” John 12:47
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Beyond Sunday - Jesus is ______: Miracle Worker?
...by Michael Switzer
Miracles not as a 'favor' but as a reminder.
Even as a Christian, I find the idea of miracles very difficult to grasp. It's hard to imagine that, in a universe created with such eloquent and intricate laws of physics, God the creator might bend or change laws to impact a situation's outcome or that He might manipulate a thought process, perception, or ability of someone. Why would God choose to perform miracles?
As Greg suggested, miracles are rare and inconsistent. But how rare and how inconsistent? It’s fascinating to me to think that if everyone on earth exclusively experienced just one miracle during his or her lifetime, God would be performing an average about 175 miracles every minute (over 250,000 per day). That seems like a lot of intervention. If it's not the case that God has such regular intervention, should it be surprising that most of us might never experience firsthand a miracle of God?
It's often said the birth of a child is a miracle. Is it? There's no doubt in my mind childbirth is an extremely complex and intricate process that, at its core, no one understands (as in the context of a reason). We know to some extent what happens during child birth but why it occurs in the first place is forever a mystery whose answer is held only by God. Simply because child birth is complex and amazing and it yields a new life, is it necessarily a miracle?
Miracles to me are a very serious exception created by God as a reminder. Miracles are intentional, and I believe the intent lies within the mean or the process through which the miracle takes place. When I pray for a miracle to occur, am I not just praying for the outcome of a situation to be changed (usually for my or someone else's benefit)? Do I miss the point of miracles if my posture is 'God, work your magic and do me a favor?' When God does perform miracles He has a purpose. I think we overlook His purpose when we focus on what we get out of the deal rather than the transformations we're asking Him to make. Let miracles serve not as 'favors' of God but as 'reminders' of who God is and His existence.
When we pray for miracles or are blessed in some way to experience a miracle, let us focus on the fact that the hand of God entered (or can enter) into our lives and touched it in a miraculous way.
Miracles not as a 'favor' but as a reminder.
Even as a Christian, I find the idea of miracles very difficult to grasp. It's hard to imagine that, in a universe created with such eloquent and intricate laws of physics, God the creator might bend or change laws to impact a situation's outcome or that He might manipulate a thought process, perception, or ability of someone. Why would God choose to perform miracles?
As Greg suggested, miracles are rare and inconsistent. But how rare and how inconsistent? It’s fascinating to me to think that if everyone on earth exclusively experienced just one miracle during his or her lifetime, God would be performing an average about 175 miracles every minute (over 250,000 per day). That seems like a lot of intervention. If it's not the case that God has such regular intervention, should it be surprising that most of us might never experience firsthand a miracle of God?
It's often said the birth of a child is a miracle. Is it? There's no doubt in my mind childbirth is an extremely complex and intricate process that, at its core, no one understands (as in the context of a reason). We know to some extent what happens during child birth but why it occurs in the first place is forever a mystery whose answer is held only by God. Simply because child birth is complex and amazing and it yields a new life, is it necessarily a miracle?
Miracles to me are a very serious exception created by God as a reminder. Miracles are intentional, and I believe the intent lies within the mean or the process through which the miracle takes place. When I pray for a miracle to occur, am I not just praying for the outcome of a situation to be changed (usually for my or someone else's benefit)? Do I miss the point of miracles if my posture is 'God, work your magic and do me a favor?' When God does perform miracles He has a purpose. I think we overlook His purpose when we focus on what we get out of the deal rather than the transformations we're asking Him to make. Let miracles serve not as 'favors' of God but as 'reminders' of who God is and His existence.
When we pray for miracles or are blessed in some way to experience a miracle, let us focus on the fact that the hand of God entered (or can enter) into our lives and touched it in a miraculous way.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Mentoring.
So just a couple nights ago, I finished writing a paper for one of the classes I am taking this semester, and it was a review of a book called Leaders Everywhere. The book offered up several ideas on developing a leadership culture within churches and ministry, and there were certainly some insights contained within that book that were helpful. One of the key suggestions, though, was that part of being a leader means that you will take upon yourself the responsibility of mentoring others, helping them become leaders.
That made me think about my life. I really wouldn't say I had a mentor in anything really until I came to Suncrest and Bobby sort of took me under his wing and offered up some great mentoring for me which continues to this day. Now, with responsibilities at Highland, I am also thankful that Jared has also taken the initiative to share some insights with me as well. Having these relationships has really helped to supply in me some things that are lacking, and I am very thankful for them.
It sounds strange to really even think about, but I think that entering into a relationship with someone to serve as your mentor can be a very useful and beneficial thing. I know that when I finally let my "I already know it all" attitude of pride melt away and actually entered into these relationships, it started to serve as one of the most useful things for me ever. I think the same can be true for each of us as we try to cultivate a relationship with Jesus. There is something incredibly powerful about us finding people who have gone before or may be a little more experienced on the journey than we are. These are people who can come alongside you, offer some great advice, and be an incredible friend. I truly can't say that enough. It makes a difference to have someone who can help show you the way.
But on the opposite end of the spectrum, I think that there's also incredible power in us choosing to mentor others. I know that my first reaction to hearing something like that is to say, "Who, me? What do I have to offer?" But I think it is an incredibly valuable practice both for the other person and for us. Just as I have freely received advice from mentors, I want to offer it as well when asked. As one of the worship pastors for our campuses, part of my job is to offering mentoring to up and coming leaders and worship leaders. I don't know if I always feel qualified, but I find that oftentimes I walk away from those conversations learning something myself.
After experiencing it myself, I am a big fan of mentoring. I'd highly recommend it to you as well! Take a shot, and learn from someone else on your journey to cultivate a personal relationship with Jesus!
That made me think about my life. I really wouldn't say I had a mentor in anything really until I came to Suncrest and Bobby sort of took me under his wing and offered up some great mentoring for me which continues to this day. Now, with responsibilities at Highland, I am also thankful that Jared has also taken the initiative to share some insights with me as well. Having these relationships has really helped to supply in me some things that are lacking, and I am very thankful for them.
It sounds strange to really even think about, but I think that entering into a relationship with someone to serve as your mentor can be a very useful and beneficial thing. I know that when I finally let my "I already know it all" attitude of pride melt away and actually entered into these relationships, it started to serve as one of the most useful things for me ever. I think the same can be true for each of us as we try to cultivate a relationship with Jesus. There is something incredibly powerful about us finding people who have gone before or may be a little more experienced on the journey than we are. These are people who can come alongside you, offer some great advice, and be an incredible friend. I truly can't say that enough. It makes a difference to have someone who can help show you the way.
But on the opposite end of the spectrum, I think that there's also incredible power in us choosing to mentor others. I know that my first reaction to hearing something like that is to say, "Who, me? What do I have to offer?" But I think it is an incredibly valuable practice both for the other person and for us. Just as I have freely received advice from mentors, I want to offer it as well when asked. As one of the worship pastors for our campuses, part of my job is to offering mentoring to up and coming leaders and worship leaders. I don't know if I always feel qualified, but I find that oftentimes I walk away from those conversations learning something myself.
After experiencing it myself, I am a big fan of mentoring. I'd highly recommend it to you as well! Take a shot, and learn from someone else on your journey to cultivate a personal relationship with Jesus!
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Beyond Sunday - Jesus is _______: Provocative Teacher
...by Dave Wright
Quick…think of the best teacher, mentor, or boss in your life. Why were they “the best”? What characteristics did this person have that stick out? The one thing that sticks out from my best teacher is the challenges he threw at me. He knew I had the talent, but he pushed me to become even better. I hated bringing a project to him for the first time, knowing he would be “constructively dissatisfied.” Imagine if you were one of Jesus’ Apostles and you had to turn in something to him? Would you be dreading what he was going to say, or would you be willing to listen to his constructive criticism?
Greg’s sermon touched on three things regarding Jesus as a provocative teacher. He confronts our status quo, exposes our motives, and challenges us to grow. It is hard to remember…but Mark 9:23 says, “Everything is possible for him who believes.”
BTW…have you ever felt like the “new kid”? I felt like the new kid playing at the Highland Campus this past Sunday…but in a good way. It seemed like all new people were worshiping in just the month I was there last….how wonderful to see people looking for the provocative teacher in their life. I know everyone says this, but you have to go and check out the other campuses and see how Suncrest is being used by God to change lives.
Quick…think of the best teacher, mentor, or boss in your life. Why were they “the best”? What characteristics did this person have that stick out? The one thing that sticks out from my best teacher is the challenges he threw at me. He knew I had the talent, but he pushed me to become even better. I hated bringing a project to him for the first time, knowing he would be “constructively dissatisfied.” Imagine if you were one of Jesus’ Apostles and you had to turn in something to him? Would you be dreading what he was going to say, or would you be willing to listen to his constructive criticism?
Greg’s sermon touched on three things regarding Jesus as a provocative teacher. He confronts our status quo, exposes our motives, and challenges us to grow. It is hard to remember…but Mark 9:23 says, “Everything is possible for him who believes.”
BTW…have you ever felt like the “new kid”? I felt like the new kid playing at the Highland Campus this past Sunday…but in a good way. It seemed like all new people were worshiping in just the month I was there last….how wonderful to see people looking for the provocative teacher in their life. I know everyone says this, but you have to go and check out the other campuses and see how Suncrest is being used by God to change lives.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Some Worship Resources for You...
It's kind of weird, but as I sit here at my desk and think about what to post about today on the Cultivate blog, it struck me that we talk a ton about books, messages, websites, and a bunch of other cool resources where you can go to help cultivate your personal relationship with Jesus, but we don't really spend a lot of time talking about great worship resources! And a huge part of my job is leading worship! You'd think that would be a little more at the forefront!
Well, I want to make sure that we remedy that, my friends. So, today, I'd like to pass along a few of the worship projects I've been listening to lately that have really been pushing me in a good way worship-wise. I've got a total of 8 hours to and from Cincinnati in my car each week, so I've certainly got some time to listen!
So, what's been playing on my iPod recently, you ask? Well, allow me to share some of my favorites!
1. A Beautiful Exchange, Hillsong Live: It's hard to have a list of some great worship stuff without talking about Hillsong. I think these loveable Aussie worship leaders are on CD project number 4,905,809 now, but I'm not sure. I especially love the song "Forever Reign." The language describing the richness of God's love and the reminder it is always more than enough has really stood out to me in this season.
2. Singalong, Phil Wickham: I actually hadn't listened to this CD for a while, but decided to listen to it today on my ride home. Great choice. It's simply a recording of several acoustic performances on one of his tours, and it's really cool to worship along with. Wickham has this really passionate voice and passionate way of leading, and that stirs up a passion inside of me.
3. The Rising, Charlie Hall: My good buddy Charlie Hall (okay, we're not really friends, but I like to imagine that we are) is a little too artsy for some, but I really like his music and his perspective when he writes. This is his new CD he just released a few weeks ago, with some really cool songs on there. I especially love that I feel like his worship songwriting really takes the form of prayers to God... something very personal that seems to resonate well with me. Maybe it will with you too. Also, if you don't own it already, his earlier release "Flying Into Daybreak" may possibly be the greatest worship CD of the 21st century. Buy that too.
4. Kingdom Come, Elevation Worship: Elevation Church located in North Carolina (Charlotte area, I believe) and has one of the most creative teams of people assembled to lead worship there. All of the songs on this CD were written for use in their church and stem out of the journey into God's story that they are experiencing in their church. If nothing else, the song "The Church" is probably one of the most gripping and compelling songs I've heard in quite a while... it alone makes this CD purchase worth it.
5. Awake, North Point Worship: If you read my personal blog, you probably know about my enormous man crush on Andy Stanley (I still blame Greg for starting it). This is a live worship recording from Andy Stanley's church (my second man crush is probably a tie between either Todd Fields or Eddie Kirkland, both of whom are North Point worship leaders featured on this CD), and it just features a lot of solid songs on here that I really love to worship with. It's like the worship CD version of "Old Faithful" for me. I think you'll find it pretty worth adding to your library.
Honorable mention? Awakening, Passion. Just get it. Trust me.
Well, I want to make sure that we remedy that, my friends. So, today, I'd like to pass along a few of the worship projects I've been listening to lately that have really been pushing me in a good way worship-wise. I've got a total of 8 hours to and from Cincinnati in my car each week, so I've certainly got some time to listen!
So, what's been playing on my iPod recently, you ask? Well, allow me to share some of my favorites!
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Beyond Sunday
...by Doug Gamble
This past Sunday I announced some exciting news to our Hobart Campus. We have been given a facility and in early 2011 we will move into our own 24/7 space. God has certainly thrown open a huge door for us, even though we were not sure it was the right door at first. As with a lot of areas of our life, the open door isn't always obvious. It takes trust to both SEE the door and WALK through it. We doubt ourselves. We doubt it is God we are actually hearing from. We doubt that He could use us.
When the Israelites were led out of Egypt they questioned their decision to follow God. They complained because it was taking longer than they liked. They griped about the conditions. They questioned Moses' leadership. But their experience in the desert was exactly what they needed to build a deeper trust in God. That trust was essential to God's plan being carried out through them. And it's essential for His plan to be carried out through us.
I met with a man this week who is in a "desert" experience. Even though he had dedicated his life to serving God, his life fell apart. He has been angry. He has doubted. He has wanted to give up. But he is holding on, taking one step at a time and trusting that God will bring him through this experience. And each step of the way his trust grows.
Growing in trust is not an instantaneousness act. Trust only develops in time through experiences where trust is needed. So if you find yourself in a season of waiting or a season in the desert, keep taking steps forward, learning to trust with each step. If you can't see the open door, take time to specifically focus on your relationship with Jesus. If you see a door but are afraid to walk through it, pray like crazy and step through it.
This past Sunday I announced some exciting news to our Hobart Campus. We have been given a facility and in early 2011 we will move into our own 24/7 space. God has certainly thrown open a huge door for us, even though we were not sure it was the right door at first. As with a lot of areas of our life, the open door isn't always obvious. It takes trust to both SEE the door and WALK through it. We doubt ourselves. We doubt it is God we are actually hearing from. We doubt that He could use us.
When the Israelites were led out of Egypt they questioned their decision to follow God. They complained because it was taking longer than they liked. They griped about the conditions. They questioned Moses' leadership. But their experience in the desert was exactly what they needed to build a deeper trust in God. That trust was essential to God's plan being carried out through them. And it's essential for His plan to be carried out through us.
I met with a man this week who is in a "desert" experience. Even though he had dedicated his life to serving God, his life fell apart. He has been angry. He has doubted. He has wanted to give up. But he is holding on, taking one step at a time and trusting that God will bring him through this experience. And each step of the way his trust grows.
Growing in trust is not an instantaneousness act. Trust only develops in time through experiences where trust is needed. So if you find yourself in a season of waiting or a season in the desert, keep taking steps forward, learning to trust with each step. If you can't see the open door, take time to specifically focus on your relationship with Jesus. If you see a door but are afraid to walk through it, pray like crazy and step through it.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
The 22 Day Challenge.
So, recently, there's been a lot of talk here on the Cultivate blog about challenges.
I mean, we just finished that 100 day e100 Challenge a few weeks ago, right? But I saw someone post about this on facebook a few weeks ago and I couldn't help but post about it on here as well in case some of you might be interested in it.
This is called the 22 Day Challenge, and it is hosted by a group called "I Am Second." I Am Second (www.iamsecond.com) is a really cool website with a bunch of videos of people talking about how living second and putting Jesus in the driver's seat of their lives has made a huge difference for them. They talk about their changed lives (something we are all about here at Suncrest!) and how following Jesus has just made life make sense. Some of the videos are from average, ordinary people like you and me, while others are from some fairly well-known figures: football players, musicians, coaches, CEO's, etc. If you ever have some free time and are looking for an inspiration, check the site out!
But on this site, they have the 22 Day Challenge, which is a really easy, yet exciting way to help challenge you in your relationship with Jesus. Each day, you'll watch an I Am Second video, and then be encouraged to share that video with one person who you think will really appreciate it or be impacted by it. You'll also receive a next step each day for yourself and be encouraged to pray for your community to experience the power of living second. I'm hoping to give this a try soon myself! If you're interested in signing up to try it, click here. It's totally free... you'll just get an e-mail each day with your instructions for the rest of the day.
It's a cool site, so I hope you check it out! DO IT! And experience the power of living second.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
The Beautiful Fight.
I actually was required to read this book for a class I'm taking at school this semester, but I found it to be a worthwhile read. Thomas opens up the book by sharing this story about a woman named Perpetua who lived in the Roman Empire, but had such a deep faith that she boldly continued sharing Christ, even at the cost of her own life (which she actually lost being killed by a lion in Rome's ampitheater in front of thousands of people).
The whole premise of the book is helping Christians to embrace a life that shows clear transformation. I think we can all attest that this is one of the most powerful evidences of God's working in a person's life; the transformation that we see in him or her because of the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. In The Beautiful Fight, Gary Thomas wants to help people embrace that sort of lifestyle; one that really demonstrates a true transformation made possible only by the power of Christ within each one of us.
I know that for me, this book hit me at a good time. The whole theme is something that really captured me; I want to live a life that shows transformation because of my commitment to following Jesus. I haven't felt like I've been hitting that mark lately, and Thomas offers some good ideas on how I can better live a life that, while a struggle, will in the end show the transformational power of God in me. Here at Suncrest, we want to be a church that is used by God to change lives. And I think that starts with us letting God change our life individually.
Really, it's a great read! I'd highly recommend it to you to check out!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Beyond Sunday - People of the Second Chance: This is who we are
...by Larry Walker
Brandon spoke so realistically this week, didn’t he? When he preached on how even the most righteous have questioned and sinned, it just became so much more real to me. Hearing that these mighty people like Moses and Peter didn’t think they could make a difference, it just felt so personal. Moses had to lead people into the Red Sea. Am I really being asked to do something of that magnitude? But still I hesitate jumping in when there is a need. Gosh, work is tough right now. Well, I would but what about the Bears game?
John 21:15 calls us to feed the lambs. Make disciples in His name. Not when we can spare 5 minutes, but that this should be first on the list. There is such joy attained when giving and receiving second chances. We should share this great joy with those who need that second chance. And we should look at it as a second chance to spread His word.
Brandon spoke so realistically this week, didn’t he? When he preached on how even the most righteous have questioned and sinned, it just became so much more real to me. Hearing that these mighty people like Moses and Peter didn’t think they could make a difference, it just felt so personal. Moses had to lead people into the Red Sea. Am I really being asked to do something of that magnitude? But still I hesitate jumping in when there is a need. Gosh, work is tough right now. Well, I would but what about the Bears game?
John 21:15 calls us to feed the lambs. Make disciples in His name. Not when we can spare 5 minutes, but that this should be first on the list. There is such joy attained when giving and receiving second chances. We should share this great joy with those who need that second chance. And we should look at it as a second chance to spread His word.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Beyond Sunday - People of the Second Chance: I don't measure up
...by Randy Parish
I think we may all have a little Moses in us. Not that many of us have been asked to lead a nation, but we all have been asked to do something that is unfamiliar or even uncomfortable to us. We usually throw up the “I couldn’t possibly do that” flag. We like routine, we like the familiar. We love our favorite lounging around clothes and “comfort food.” We don’t want someone coming around and asking us to do something outside of our comfort zone. We have a dozen reasons why not before the other person finishes asking. Greg outlined that we think our limits are based on our past, our talents, our strength and our control. When we set these limits, we limit the size of our God. We don’t want to let go because it means we have to give up control. I’ve never done that so I couldn’t possibly be any good at it. I don’t want to fail. We pray for God to give us strength or direction and when it comes…. we shrink back. We have a solution in mind when we pray and don’t feel our prayers are answered until we get our solution. We limit God. Think about how big our God is. He can do anything, or be limited by how big we let him be. We may never have done something before, but we have to let our weakness be filled by what God is offering. He knows where we are lacking and will provide the strength or talent or the experience we need. So even though our limits are self revealing about what our doubts are, those doubts are destroyed by our stepping out in obedience to what God wants us to do.
I think we may all have a little Moses in us. Not that many of us have been asked to lead a nation, but we all have been asked to do something that is unfamiliar or even uncomfortable to us. We usually throw up the “I couldn’t possibly do that” flag. We like routine, we like the familiar. We love our favorite lounging around clothes and “comfort food.” We don’t want someone coming around and asking us to do something outside of our comfort zone. We have a dozen reasons why not before the other person finishes asking. Greg outlined that we think our limits are based on our past, our talents, our strength and our control. When we set these limits, we limit the size of our God. We don’t want to let go because it means we have to give up control. I’ve never done that so I couldn’t possibly be any good at it. I don’t want to fail. We pray for God to give us strength or direction and when it comes…. we shrink back. We have a solution in mind when we pray and don’t feel our prayers are answered until we get our solution. We limit God. Think about how big our God is. He can do anything, or be limited by how big we let him be. We may never have done something before, but we have to let our weakness be filled by what God is offering. He knows where we are lacking and will provide the strength or talent or the experience we need. So even though our limits are self revealing about what our doubts are, those doubts are destroyed by our stepping out in obedience to what God wants us to do.
Cultivate Serving Opportunities
Well folks, hope you enjoyed all of the e100 resources that we posted on here over the past several months! I know that it was beneficial to me to be going through all of that with you... hope it was useful for you as well!
As we sort of get back into a regular rhythm with these next few posts, I just wanted to share with all of you some opportunities we have for serving within Cultivate at all four if our Suncrest campuses. If you're interested in helping out, you can always fill itouton a Connection Card, give us a call here at church (219-365-9000), or just get in touch either in person or via email with your campus Cultivate leader (Bobby at St. John, Larry McManus at Hobart, Rachel Kaser at Walkerton, or myself at Highland). I know we'd all love to hear from you!
Campus Prayer Team: These are the folks who volunteer to stay after service for a little bit to pray with folks who would like to be prayed with. This is an awesome opportunity to get a chance to really give some comfort and peace to this who are hurting and in tough situations. Plus, the time commitment is light! Just a few minutes after service is all it takes to volunteer!
Baptism Class Teacher: At each of our campuses we try to have some sort of forum for talking with folks about taking the next step of baptism. If you have a passion for teaching, then this could be a great serving opportunity for you! You'll get a chance to talk to people about what the Bible teaches regarding baptism and help people take their next steps in faith.
Communion Comments Team: This is the group of people that come up every so often on stage and share the thoughts that lead into our time of communion each week. If that sounds like something you'd be interested in, then get in touch with your campus Cultivate leader!
Just wanted to share those opportunities with you to serve within Cultivate. If one of those sounds great to you, then get in touch with us and start serving!
As we sort of get back into a regular rhythm with these next few posts, I just wanted to share with all of you some opportunities we have for serving within Cultivate at all four if our Suncrest campuses. If you're interested in helping out, you can always fill itouton a Connection Card, give us a call here at church (219-365-9000), or just get in touch either in person or via email with your campus Cultivate leader (Bobby at St. John, Larry McManus at Hobart, Rachel Kaser at Walkerton, or myself at Highland). I know we'd all love to hear from you!
Campus Prayer Team: These are the folks who volunteer to stay after service for a little bit to pray with folks who would like to be prayed with. This is an awesome opportunity to get a chance to really give some comfort and peace to this who are hurting and in tough situations. Plus, the time commitment is light! Just a few minutes after service is all it takes to volunteer!
Baptism Class Teacher: At each of our campuses we try to have some sort of forum for talking with folks about taking the next step of baptism. If you have a passion for teaching, then this could be a great serving opportunity for you! You'll get a chance to talk to people about what the Bible teaches regarding baptism and help people take their next steps in faith.
Communion Comments Team: This is the group of people that come up every so often on stage and share the thoughts that lead into our time of communion each week. If that sounds like something you'd be interested in, then get in touch with your campus Cultivate leader!
Just wanted to share those opportunities with you to serve within Cultivate. If one of those sounds great to you, then get in touch with us and start serving!
Friday, October 15, 2010
100. The New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:1-22:21).
by Wesley Blackburn
So recently, about a month ago, I was diagnosed with this condition in both of my eyes called floaters (I swear that's the technical term... you would think they'd have something a little more "medical" sounding).
Maybe some of you have this condition as well (we should form our own little Suncrest support group). I can't speak for anyone else, but I find this condition to be one of the most annoying things in the world. Basically, what happens in your eye is that if you're nearsighted (like me), oftentimes the different shape of your eye causes the sack inside your eyeball that contains eye fluid to detach from the back of your eye. Unfortunately, though, when this happens, little tiny pieces of debris are let loose into your eyeball. So, anytime you're in areas where there's a solid, bright colored background (like a wall or the sky) or really when you're anywhere that there's a lot of light (like outside on a sunny day), when you turn your head or move your eyes to look at something, you'll see the shadows of these specks, threads, or dots in your vision that are the "floaters" that are floating around inside your eye.
It is truly one of the most annoying things ever. There are certain rooms in our church building where we have meetings that I hate being in because I find myself being constantly distracted by these little moving objects. When I make my drive to and from Cincinnati every week, I know I'm going to encounter these little guys every time I shift my vision or check my blind spot. While they can be signs of serious eye issues in some people, they're actually normally benign and harmless (that's what they are in my case). It is absolutely, completely selfish and shortsighted, but I can't wait to live in a world where stupid stuff like eye floaters won't affect me anymore... when my life is free from little annoyances like that.
You could say that in a way, my eye floaters are making me look forward to heaven.
But for some of us, we suffer with something way more painful and serious than a stupid little eye condition, don't we? For some, basic things I take for granted like vision or hearing simply don't exist. Maybe some of you reading this right now have heard the sting of the word "cancer" and have been told you only have a short time left. Maybe you were in an accident that will make sure you never walk again, or maybe you're suffering from some painful, difficult to deal with disease that won't kill you, but sure makes your life feel miserable to live. Some of us suffer the pain of being separated from those we love: fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, husbands, or wives.
And it's in these situations that we feel the incredible joy of heaven calling us.
Truly, I don't think there's a more happy, joyful passage in the Bible than this one. It's a fitting way to end our 100 day study together. Truly, it is incredible to think of a world like heaven where things we just take as everyday realities no longer exist: death, crying, pain, anger, hurt, and yes, even eye floaters, will be wiped away. Forever. And those things will be replaced with the incredible joy of a perfect, unbroken, untarnished relationship with our Creator God who loves us. It brings goosebumps on my skin and tears to my eyes.
This is what pushes us. This is what reminds us it is all worth it. In the moments where I am tempted to give up, to throw in the towel, and to live a shortsighted life that values things of earth above the things of God, heaven should be my focus, calling me to remember the incredible riches that lie in store for a person who faithfully follows God. This is probably why the Bible talks so much about us focusing on heaven... it's a reminder to us that things aren't the way they were supposed to be, and that someday, that glorious perfect order will be restored. Someday, we'll be free from all the junk of this world. Someday, we'll get to see our glorious, gracious Savior face to face.
Someday, I'll get rid of these eye floaters.
So recently, about a month ago, I was diagnosed with this condition in both of my eyes called floaters (I swear that's the technical term... you would think they'd have something a little more "medical" sounding).
Maybe some of you have this condition as well (we should form our own little Suncrest support group). I can't speak for anyone else, but I find this condition to be one of the most annoying things in the world. Basically, what happens in your eye is that if you're nearsighted (like me), oftentimes the different shape of your eye causes the sack inside your eyeball that contains eye fluid to detach from the back of your eye. Unfortunately, though, when this happens, little tiny pieces of debris are let loose into your eyeball. So, anytime you're in areas where there's a solid, bright colored background (like a wall or the sky) or really when you're anywhere that there's a lot of light (like outside on a sunny day), when you turn your head or move your eyes to look at something, you'll see the shadows of these specks, threads, or dots in your vision that are the "floaters" that are floating around inside your eye.
It is truly one of the most annoying things ever. There are certain rooms in our church building where we have meetings that I hate being in because I find myself being constantly distracted by these little moving objects. When I make my drive to and from Cincinnati every week, I know I'm going to encounter these little guys every time I shift my vision or check my blind spot. While they can be signs of serious eye issues in some people, they're actually normally benign and harmless (that's what they are in my case). It is absolutely, completely selfish and shortsighted, but I can't wait to live in a world where stupid stuff like eye floaters won't affect me anymore... when my life is free from little annoyances like that.
You could say that in a way, my eye floaters are making me look forward to heaven.
But for some of us, we suffer with something way more painful and serious than a stupid little eye condition, don't we? For some, basic things I take for granted like vision or hearing simply don't exist. Maybe some of you reading this right now have heard the sting of the word "cancer" and have been told you only have a short time left. Maybe you were in an accident that will make sure you never walk again, or maybe you're suffering from some painful, difficult to deal with disease that won't kill you, but sure makes your life feel miserable to live. Some of us suffer the pain of being separated from those we love: fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, husbands, or wives.
And it's in these situations that we feel the incredible joy of heaven calling us.
Truly, I don't think there's a more happy, joyful passage in the Bible than this one. It's a fitting way to end our 100 day study together. Truly, it is incredible to think of a world like heaven where things we just take as everyday realities no longer exist: death, crying, pain, anger, hurt, and yes, even eye floaters, will be wiped away. Forever. And those things will be replaced with the incredible joy of a perfect, unbroken, untarnished relationship with our Creator God who loves us. It brings goosebumps on my skin and tears to my eyes.
This is what pushes us. This is what reminds us it is all worth it. In the moments where I am tempted to give up, to throw in the towel, and to live a shortsighted life that values things of earth above the things of God, heaven should be my focus, calling me to remember the incredible riches that lie in store for a person who faithfully follows God. This is probably why the Bible talks so much about us focusing on heaven... it's a reminder to us that things aren't the way they were supposed to be, and that someday, that glorious perfect order will be restored. Someday, we'll be free from all the junk of this world. Someday, we'll get to see our glorious, gracious Savior face to face.
Someday, I'll get rid of these eye floaters.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Beyond Sunday - People of the Second Chance: I've been wronged
...by Kevin McHugh
People of the Second Chance has been a message series that really resonates with me for a couple of reasons. First of all, the circumstances have been different. My wife has been busy helping out at the Walkerton Campus and my schedule has been different as well. This has resulted in me attending solo a couple times and not in my normal time slot; it's just been unusual and it seems I am tuned in differently. OK, the second reason is much better that this lame lead in....
The second reason I relate to this message series is all about the content and the thoughtful and genuine way it has been taught:
"I've screwed up" (guilty as charged)
"I'm running on empty" (yep - feel that way sometimes)
and this week's message, "I've been wronged"
The first two have been easier to wrap my mind around because of the things I bring upon myself, but this week's message has been harder - What about all the injustice in this world? I have read that this is one of the most common questions heard when people are questioning faith in God. So I sit here wondering who might be reading this and if they wonder where God is when life is really kicking their tail right now.
Greg taught on this using the account of Joseph in the book of Genesis. Joseph was subjected to betrayal, slavery, false accusation, imprisonment, and basically had his tail kicked for about 17 years through no fault of his own. Yet in the end Joseph recognized a meaning in it all and told the very brothers who betrayed him about God's plan, and how countless lives would be saved from famine because of the chain of events that resulted from Egypt storing up food based on Joseph's interpretation of Pharaoh's dreams. It is harder to see God when we are enduring an injustice, but Joseph sure did - that's a good example for me and I hope it hit home for you as well.
Greg made the point a few times: Don't mistake God's silence for absence. It's tough to keep a heavenly perspective when things are going bad and it's not even our fault. So the challenge presented to us is to know how much our God deeply loves us and to feel his spirit in us regardless of the circumstances. We have examples like Joseph in the Bible and I also like the account made by Paul in his second letter to the Corinthians - check out Chapters 11 & 12. Talk about getting your tail kicked unjustly, but what an outcome! A guy who has guided countless to salvation!
People of the Second Chance has been a message series that really resonates with me for a couple of reasons. First of all, the circumstances have been different. My wife has been busy helping out at the Walkerton Campus and my schedule has been different as well. This has resulted in me attending solo a couple times and not in my normal time slot; it's just been unusual and it seems I am tuned in differently. OK, the second reason is much better that this lame lead in....
The second reason I relate to this message series is all about the content and the thoughtful and genuine way it has been taught:
"I've screwed up" (guilty as charged)
"I'm running on empty" (yep - feel that way sometimes)
and this week's message, "I've been wronged"
The first two have been easier to wrap my mind around because of the things I bring upon myself, but this week's message has been harder - What about all the injustice in this world? I have read that this is one of the most common questions heard when people are questioning faith in God. So I sit here wondering who might be reading this and if they wonder where God is when life is really kicking their tail right now.
Greg taught on this using the account of Joseph in the book of Genesis. Joseph was subjected to betrayal, slavery, false accusation, imprisonment, and basically had his tail kicked for about 17 years through no fault of his own. Yet in the end Joseph recognized a meaning in it all and told the very brothers who betrayed him about God's plan, and how countless lives would be saved from famine because of the chain of events that resulted from Egypt storing up food based on Joseph's interpretation of Pharaoh's dreams. It is harder to see God when we are enduring an injustice, but Joseph sure did - that's a good example for me and I hope it hit home for you as well.
Greg made the point a few times: Don't mistake God's silence for absence. It's tough to keep a heavenly perspective when things are going bad and it's not even our fault. So the challenge presented to us is to know how much our God deeply loves us and to feel his spirit in us regardless of the circumstances. We have examples like Joseph in the Bible and I also like the account made by Paul in his second letter to the Corinthians - check out Chapters 11 & 12. Talk about getting your tail kicked unjustly, but what an outcome! A guy who has guided countless to salvation!
99. Hallelujah (Revelation 19:1-20:15)!
By Steve Butera
The book of Revelation almost always evokes a reaction from people. Some see it akin to fortune telling and others find it difficult to understand and would rather avoid it. For sure, it is filled with symbols and realities that require us to pay attention and ask for God’s help in understanding it. One thing I do feel sure about is that there isn’t any part of the Bible that we can ignore, overlook, or pass by. Every word, from the very first to the very last is necessary and has the power to transform us. Each word is intentional by God and is life for us. So, I pray that I don’t ignore any of it…not the lineage of Jesus in Matthew, the complex descriptions in Numbers, or the vision of Revelation.
Revelation was written by the apostle John to Christians in the first century. Christians who were facing great persecution, fears, and even death. Rome, being the epitome of Godlessness and opposition to the Gospel made it very difficult for them. So, Revelation was written for these Christians to help them in their challenges, suffering and fears. But like the entire Bible, it is written for us now as well. The Bible is timeless in that way. Revelation is also about the final destruction of Godlessness and the final destiny of the Church of Jesus Christ. Both of these are associated with the return of Jesus Christ. Chapter 19 is approaching that final moment in all of history when Jesus is returning in Glory. So when you think about it this way, it’s a part of God’s word we as Christians want and need to know about.
So in chapter 19 John’s attention is turned from earth to heaven, and there are some really interesting observations I make in this chapter. First I notice the reaction of heaven to the fierceness that is going on down on the earth. They are not ignoring the unfolding judgments. No, they are singing a chorus about them. They are rejoicing about them. So we see that heaven is not uncomfortable with the judgment of God. If you ponder that, you realize that God’s judgment actually lies at the heart of heaven’s glorying in who God is.
One other thing that’s interesting is that it appears that Heaven is not always a place of undisturbed tranquility. John says “I heard what sounded like a vast crowd in Heaven shouting.” Think about a huge stadium filled to capacity and everyone roaring with shouts. Then multiply that 1000 fold. Can you imagine? Later he says “then I heard again what sounded like a vast crowd or the roar of a mighty ocean.” Notice how he describes it by saying “what sounded like.” It is as if it’s indescribable to him. God and heaven are so beyond our human understanding; John can only give us a sense of what he is seeing and hearing. The reason heaven has this reaction is that God has vindicated His own honor. He has displayed his power.
I see this is getting long, and I try not to do that, but what God is revealing to us through Revelation is so amazing, that it is hard for me to encapsulate it succinctly. So, I will try to wrap this up.
Going back to the persecuted Christians I mentioned initially, you know how it is when you face persecution and great fears? You begin to wonder “how is God going to deal with this?” “Is He aware of what I’m going through?” You ask yourself “Is God involved, does he really care, is evil going to win in my situation?” I think we can see Revelation as being about hope. You may ask “what are you talking about?” Revelation is filled with judgments, horror and destruction. Hope? Yes, hope! For the simple reason that God is showing us in Revelation how things are going to end. We get to see that God is the one who has the final word, that evil does not triumph, but God does. Think about it, all the questions we have about God’s justice, his faithfulness, and whether evil or God will win in the end are answered. We are assured that God has the last word. This is what the chorus in heaven is all about, that God has demonstrated His salvation in His judgment.
If you think of salvation as rescuing people from the bondage of Satan and the powers of darkness, we see that God has saved us; he has defeated our enemy, he has broken the power of satin and cast him down. So it is like salvation and judgment go together in a sense. We see that God is true to His word. God has vindicated His name and glory is brought to Him. We see GOD has control. So Revelation is both a comfort to me and also helps me stay motivated to be set apart from the world. As I think of all of these things, all I can really do is be in awe of God’s awesome, wonderful, and incredible plan that will unfold. It makes me want to worship Him and give Him the Glory that is due Him! Praise God!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
98. The Throne of Heaven (Revelation 4:1-7:17).
by Wesley Blackburn
What was the most terrifying moment in your life?
I don't know that I can remember all of mine. I remember passing out on stage one time during a choir number at church growing up. That was kind of scary. I remember feeling really terrified when I was in Brazil on a bus that was going up steep mountain hills on the side of the mountain in the middle of a big storm, wondering if we were going to fall off. I remember the feeling of terror sitting in a hospital emergency room only a few months ago wondering if something serious was wrong with me and if I was perhaps enjoying some of the final moments of my life.
Heck, I actually got a chance to go out with a girl recently and that was pretty terrifying to me, too.
Whatever your terrifying moment is, I think we can all be confident that it will pale in comparison to the sheer terror we'd experience if we were in John's shoes before the throne of God in heaven.
There's a lot you can say about God. Here at Suncrest, I feel like we do a pretty good job talking about God as a healer, forgiver, lover, and friend. All of those things are true. All of them are great. God's identity as those things are some reasons why I worship and serve him each week. I'm glad we focus on those a lot.
But there's another side of God that I don't think we focus in on very much, and that's the scary side (yeah, you read that correctly). One of the most frequent commands in the Bible we are given is the command to fear God... that we would have a good idea of how vast and huge he is and how incredibly tiny and small we are. The Bible tells us in Proverbs that the beginning of wisdom is for us to fear God; to have a proper and reverent respect for who he is.
A few years ago I was reading some reflections from David Crowder, a popular worship leader who's written many songs to help the church worship (some of which we even use at Suncrest). He was writing on an experience he had in France one time where he got a chance to walk around in an old, Gothic cathedral in the city. Crowder noted the very ominous, imposing architecture (both on the inside and outside), but what was most interesting to me was his description that this cathedral "was build to resize you." In other words, that when you would walk into this church, you would be reminded of how teeny-tiny you are and how enormous, large, and powerful God is.
That's always stuck with me. It's great to have God as your friend. I think that's nice and comforting. I'd even say that through the sacrifice of Jesus, we can even argue that it's biblical. But let's not forget the grand, huge, enormous God we also worship. The very same God that is our friend is also the being we should fear the most. Maybe sometimes, it's good for us to get a view of God like the one David Crowder was reminded of. Or maybe the one John was reminded of here in Revelation.
God is great, and greatly to be praised. He is mighty and powerful and to be feared.
Maybe we need to remember sometimes to worship him solely for that.
What was the most terrifying moment in your life?
I don't know that I can remember all of mine. I remember passing out on stage one time during a choir number at church growing up. That was kind of scary. I remember feeling really terrified when I was in Brazil on a bus that was going up steep mountain hills on the side of the mountain in the middle of a big storm, wondering if we were going to fall off. I remember the feeling of terror sitting in a hospital emergency room only a few months ago wondering if something serious was wrong with me and if I was perhaps enjoying some of the final moments of my life.
Heck, I actually got a chance to go out with a girl recently and that was pretty terrifying to me, too.
Whatever your terrifying moment is, I think we can all be confident that it will pale in comparison to the sheer terror we'd experience if we were in John's shoes before the throne of God in heaven.
There's a lot you can say about God. Here at Suncrest, I feel like we do a pretty good job talking about God as a healer, forgiver, lover, and friend. All of those things are true. All of them are great. God's identity as those things are some reasons why I worship and serve him each week. I'm glad we focus on those a lot.
But there's another side of God that I don't think we focus in on very much, and that's the scary side (yeah, you read that correctly). One of the most frequent commands in the Bible we are given is the command to fear God... that we would have a good idea of how vast and huge he is and how incredibly tiny and small we are. The Bible tells us in Proverbs that the beginning of wisdom is for us to fear God; to have a proper and reverent respect for who he is.
A few years ago I was reading some reflections from David Crowder, a popular worship leader who's written many songs to help the church worship (some of which we even use at Suncrest). He was writing on an experience he had in France one time where he got a chance to walk around in an old, Gothic cathedral in the city. Crowder noted the very ominous, imposing architecture (both on the inside and outside), but what was most interesting to me was his description that this cathedral "was build to resize you." In other words, that when you would walk into this church, you would be reminded of how teeny-tiny you are and how enormous, large, and powerful God is.
That's always stuck with me. It's great to have God as your friend. I think that's nice and comforting. I'd even say that through the sacrifice of Jesus, we can even argue that it's biblical. But let's not forget the grand, huge, enormous God we also worship. The very same God that is our friend is also the being we should fear the most. Maybe sometimes, it's good for us to get a view of God like the one David Crowder was reminded of. Or maybe the one John was reminded of here in Revelation.
God is great, and greatly to be praised. He is mighty and powerful and to be feared.
Maybe we need to remember sometimes to worship him solely for that.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
97. Messages to the Churches (Revelation 2:1-3:22).
by Wesley Blackburn
So, after hearing about John's initial vision, we now hear some messages from God to several different church communities of the day. Some of these messages contained high praise. Some contained points of rebuke; places where God wanted to see these communities do better. Nevertheless, I think that would have to be a great thing to hear from God himself with some advice for the church you are a part of. Definitely scary and humbling, but cool nonetheless. Reading these writings to churches, it made me wonder what God might write to Suncrest. What would God say about the things we are doing well? Poorly?
But through reading these letters, I noticed a couple of different things. First, I saw that a common theme was for many of these churches to just hold on. Several of these churches were undergoing some severe persecution from local Jewish groups that saw them as a threat, as well as some in the Roman government who saw Christian worship as strange, out of place, and a threat to the worship of their gods. And what does God say to these persecuted followers of him? Hold on. Keep at it. I think that today, in our moments of pain and difficulty, God is saying the same thing to us... hold on. Stay with it. Remain faithful.
I'm also just personally always haunted by God's words to the church in Laodecia in Revelation 3:14-19. God was hard on these people because they were so lukewarm in their response to him; they could simply care less. Based on the description, it seems like this church was filled with wealthy, well to do individuals who felt they didn't need anything from God. They felt pretty self-sufficient. And yet, they were the only church out of all the ones here in Revelation where God didn't say a single positive thing. God still loved and cared for them (see verse 19), but cared too much about them to let them continue in their ways.
I think that the church in Laodecia is scary to me because in a lot of ways I think a lot of American churches are in a similar situation. Has our excessive wealth (and believe me, compared to any other country on the planet, America's wealth is excessive no matter how little your assets are) made us complacent? Are we in danger of needing God's rebuke, just like the Laodecians? Definitely a question to keep thinking about as we continue on as part of God's church here in America.
So, after hearing about John's initial vision, we now hear some messages from God to several different church communities of the day. Some of these messages contained high praise. Some contained points of rebuke; places where God wanted to see these communities do better. Nevertheless, I think that would have to be a great thing to hear from God himself with some advice for the church you are a part of. Definitely scary and humbling, but cool nonetheless. Reading these writings to churches, it made me wonder what God might write to Suncrest. What would God say about the things we are doing well? Poorly?
But through reading these letters, I noticed a couple of different things. First, I saw that a common theme was for many of these churches to just hold on. Several of these churches were undergoing some severe persecution from local Jewish groups that saw them as a threat, as well as some in the Roman government who saw Christian worship as strange, out of place, and a threat to the worship of their gods. And what does God say to these persecuted followers of him? Hold on. Keep at it. I think that today, in our moments of pain and difficulty, God is saying the same thing to us... hold on. Stay with it. Remain faithful.
I'm also just personally always haunted by God's words to the church in Laodecia in Revelation 3:14-19. God was hard on these people because they were so lukewarm in their response to him; they could simply care less. Based on the description, it seems like this church was filled with wealthy, well to do individuals who felt they didn't need anything from God. They felt pretty self-sufficient. And yet, they were the only church out of all the ones here in Revelation where God didn't say a single positive thing. God still loved and cared for them (see verse 19), but cared too much about them to let them continue in their ways.
I think that the church in Laodecia is scary to me because in a lot of ways I think a lot of American churches are in a similar situation. Has our excessive wealth (and believe me, compared to any other country on the planet, America's wealth is excessive no matter how little your assets are) made us complacent? Are we in danger of needing God's rebuke, just like the Laodecians? Definitely a question to keep thinking about as we continue on as part of God's church here in America.
Monday, October 11, 2010
96. A Voice and a Vision (Revelation 1:1-20).
by Wesley Blackburn
Revelation is an incredible book of the Bible, and without a doubt, one of the most hotly disputed. I'm really looking forward to you all getting to hear some of Steve and Beka's thoughts later on this week about it, but in kicking our brief jaunt through this book, I just wanted to note a couple of things in my reading of Revelation 1.
#1. Jesus comes on the clouds. At least, that's what it says in verse 7. Christ will come on the clouds. This is significant for a few reasons, probably the most important being that this is Messianic-type imagery. In other words, Jesus being this figure who comes on the clouds is something that is actually a fulfillment of an Old Testament prophecy and actually makes a statement about his lordship.
But I also think that there's a real significance to the fact that Jesus is portrayed coming on clouds in a somewhat metaphorical sense as well. In a time in my life several years ago where God seemed really distant, my friend Brent shared with me Revelation 1:7 and shared that he felt there was symbolic truth there pointing to the simple fact that when the clouds and storms of life come, there we often find Jesus as well. In that point in my life, I was in great pain emotionally and spiritually, but it brought me comfort to think that in the midst of that "cloud" in my life, there was Jesus. He was coming right alongside. And he would use this situation for his glory and purposes.
#2. John was listening for the call of the Spirit. The book of Revelation was actually a letter written by the disciple John, explaining a vision that he had of the end days. This letter would then be sent to several different churches in order to offer some hope and encouragement that in the end, God wins. We have nothing to fear.
But what kind of struck me was the fact that John was truly listening for what God was seeking to do in his life. Could you imagine what would have happened if God gave John a vision, but he simply ignored it or chalked it up to just being some weird dream? John was sensitive to what God was wanting to say to him, and out of that sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, I believe we find the book of Revelation.
So many times, I think that we totally miss what God is trying to do in our lives. We don't find him, often because we aren't looking for him. Of course, you could take that too far, trying to find God giving you some special message in everything, which is probably just as dangerous a habit to get into. But I just wonder how many things I potentially miss, not because God isn't speaking, but because I'm not listening. I don't want to miss out on what God wants to say. And that means having a receptive and open heart that's looking and waiting for God to speak at any moment.
Revelation is an incredible book of the Bible, and without a doubt, one of the most hotly disputed. I'm really looking forward to you all getting to hear some of Steve and Beka's thoughts later on this week about it, but in kicking our brief jaunt through this book, I just wanted to note a couple of things in my reading of Revelation 1.
#1. Jesus comes on the clouds. At least, that's what it says in verse 7. Christ will come on the clouds. This is significant for a few reasons, probably the most important being that this is Messianic-type imagery. In other words, Jesus being this figure who comes on the clouds is something that is actually a fulfillment of an Old Testament prophecy and actually makes a statement about his lordship.
But I also think that there's a real significance to the fact that Jesus is portrayed coming on clouds in a somewhat metaphorical sense as well. In a time in my life several years ago where God seemed really distant, my friend Brent shared with me Revelation 1:7 and shared that he felt there was symbolic truth there pointing to the simple fact that when the clouds and storms of life come, there we often find Jesus as well. In that point in my life, I was in great pain emotionally and spiritually, but it brought me comfort to think that in the midst of that "cloud" in my life, there was Jesus. He was coming right alongside. And he would use this situation for his glory and purposes.
#2. John was listening for the call of the Spirit. The book of Revelation was actually a letter written by the disciple John, explaining a vision that he had of the end days. This letter would then be sent to several different churches in order to offer some hope and encouragement that in the end, God wins. We have nothing to fear.
But what kind of struck me was the fact that John was truly listening for what God was seeking to do in his life. Could you imagine what would have happened if God gave John a vision, but he simply ignored it or chalked it up to just being some weird dream? John was sensitive to what God was wanting to say to him, and out of that sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, I believe we find the book of Revelation.
So many times, I think that we totally miss what God is trying to do in our lives. We don't find him, often because we aren't looking for him. Of course, you could take that too far, trying to find God giving you some special message in everything, which is probably just as dangerous a habit to get into. But I just wonder how many things I potentially miss, not because God isn't speaking, but because I'm not listening. I don't want to miss out on what God wants to say. And that means having a receptive and open heart that's looking and waiting for God to speak at any moment.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Beyond Sunday - People of the Second Chance: I'm running on empty
...by Beka Jackson
This week seemed familiar to me. Did it seem that way to you? Ecclesiastes reminded me so much of the book of Philippians. In the spring, we walked through that book and learned what Paul had to say about life. I think maybe he learned from the book of Ecclesiastes!
Greg talked about “nothing new under the sun...” When he began to explain earth as being the “under the sun” and heaven being outside or above that, I immediately thought of Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Solomon discovers after years of searching everywhere on the earth, that the earth doesn’t hold the key to life. It is above earthly things.
It was a nice reminder. I am continually looking for meaning and purpose in the things I do, the things I am known for here on this earth. I seek meaning and purpose in relationships. I seek approval like it is going out of style! And I am continually coming up empty. Still feeling the need to search.
The times in my life that I have felt like I have a meaning are the times that I am “think(ing) about such things.” Or like Solomon says it, “fear God and keep his commandments”. When I am searching for His truth, for His calling in my life, I find it. His truth has already been given to me; that’s easy to find. And even though His calling in my life is sometimes unclear, I still feel like I have a purpose even just in the search.
This week seemed familiar to me. Did it seem that way to you? Ecclesiastes reminded me so much of the book of Philippians. In the spring, we walked through that book and learned what Paul had to say about life. I think maybe he learned from the book of Ecclesiastes!
Greg talked about “nothing new under the sun...” When he began to explain earth as being the “under the sun” and heaven being outside or above that, I immediately thought of Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Solomon discovers after years of searching everywhere on the earth, that the earth doesn’t hold the key to life. It is above earthly things.
It was a nice reminder. I am continually looking for meaning and purpose in the things I do, the things I am known for here on this earth. I seek meaning and purpose in relationships. I seek approval like it is going out of style! And I am continually coming up empty. Still feeling the need to search.
The times in my life that I have felt like I have a meaning are the times that I am “think(ing) about such things.” Or like Solomon says it, “fear God and keep his commandments”. When I am searching for His truth, for His calling in my life, I find it. His truth has already been given to me; that’s easy to find. And even though His calling in my life is sometimes unclear, I still feel like I have a purpose even just in the search.
94. Faith and Works (James 1:1-2:26).
by Wesley Blackburn
If someone were to ask me my favorite passage of Scripture I would quickly say James 1:22 “do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves, do what it says.” How wonderfully simple, to the point, and practical is that…like most of the book of James.
There are few other favorite convicting verses of mine from this section. See if they convict you in the same way they do me:
-1:2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds… If I want to be stronger and better, I have to go through trials. I’ve noticed that often when people come from difficult backgrounds they often have a strength of character that others can only admire. My mom is one of these people. She has continually risen above tough circumstances to become one of the strongest people I know. Consider the equation: trial of faith = perseverance = maturity.
-1:19 everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. If only I could get past the quick to listen, then I’ll start to work on slow to speak and slow to become angry. I think I could spend my entire life on that one verse. You know the people that don’t shoot off their mouth or say immature things, those are the people everyone else wants to listen to.
-1:22ff That whole mirror imagery is cool to me. Do I look into the Bible, the mirror, and see a reflection of myself? I wish.
-2:1 don’t show favoritism. How often I cling to that which is familiar, or like me, or safe and comfortable. How much God calls us to love the outcast, the poor, the weak.
-2:13 mercy triumphs over judgment. When it is all said and done, I am failing a lot. Which is why I’m so thankful for verse like this that remind me that God is just as strong in His mercy as He is in His judgment of us.
One of the main points of this e100 HAS to be that we don’t merely listen to the Word, but that we do what it says. How will you put into play something that you are reading/learning/experiencing about God this week?
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
92. A New Creation In Christ (2 Corinthians 4:1-6:2).
by Scott Skowronski
Sit and think about the following for a moment:
"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
When we feel like quitting, when we get frustrated, when we get angry, when we question going forward, we place our faith ahead of our flesh remembering that "our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." We are living a temporary assignment away from home and work to please God so that when it is our time to be with him we can confidently await the promise of heaven.
We must recognize that our sins will not be held against us. We become a new creation when we accept Christ as our Savior. We become reconciled to God. "I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation."
As I read these passages today, I could not help but to think about how God's mercy has allowed me to arrive exactly where I am. It became clear to me that I must take the light shining in my heart and help others find it too. I am fully able to "Let light shine out of darkness." I was helped to find the glory of God through the face of Christ and am determined to help others also find this saving grace.
When I think back over the past two years of my life, I see a transformation that has reformed who I am and what I stand for on a daily basis. It amazes me how a desperate honest conversation with God guided me to becoming a new creation in Christ forever changing the rest of my time spent in this world and therefore eternity.
The once dark, sick and isolated world of my life has become filled with hope relentlessly bright and shining with love from every angle. I trust obediently and through that trust I am provided with all that I need to experience the joy I was meant to receive to bring glory to God. I am so grateful and invite all of you to join me in pursuing God's will living with this dedication at the forefront of our actions.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
88. Good Soldiers of Christ (2 Timothy 2:1-26).
by Wesley Blackburn
As I sit and get ready to write this post, I just have to laugh. If there's been one passage of Scripture rolling around in my mind and heart recently, it is actually from 2 Timothy 2. The words here definitely carry a lot of weight. Obviously, they're the words of Scripture, so that makes them important in and of themselves. But there's something interesting about 2 Timothy; it is believed to be the final letter that Paul ever wrote (at least that we have and know of today). Paul was writing to Timothy, a young man (probably in his late teens or early to mid twenties) who had trained under Paul for a long time and had become one of Paul's most trusted friends and ministry colleagues. Paul knew the date for his trial before the Roman emperor Nero was coming, and that that could very well be it for him. So, before potentially dying, Paul wanted to make sure he left his best friend Timothy some words of wisdom.
And that's what we have here... Paul's advice to Timothy on how to be a servant of God. It all comes to a summary in verse 15: Paul asks Timothy to do everything in his power to present himself before God as one who did the job given to him and handled the message of God's truth with care.
But I'm also struck by something else in this chapter. Paul spends a lot of time asking Timothy to remember things that he already knew about Christ. That Christ is resurrected, that Christ died for us, that Christ gives us our salvation. Our identity is found in Christ. When we keep Him and His promises at the forefront of our minds, everything else has a way of falling into place. I think that's the biggest thing I take from Paul's words here; we need to keep Christ at the center. That's when we know we are good soldiers of Christ.
As I sit and get ready to write this post, I just have to laugh. If there's been one passage of Scripture rolling around in my mind and heart recently, it is actually from 2 Timothy 2. The words here definitely carry a lot of weight. Obviously, they're the words of Scripture, so that makes them important in and of themselves. But there's something interesting about 2 Timothy; it is believed to be the final letter that Paul ever wrote (at least that we have and know of today). Paul was writing to Timothy, a young man (probably in his late teens or early to mid twenties) who had trained under Paul for a long time and had become one of Paul's most trusted friends and ministry colleagues. Paul knew the date for his trial before the Roman emperor Nero was coming, and that that could very well be it for him. So, before potentially dying, Paul wanted to make sure he left his best friend Timothy some words of wisdom.
And that's what we have here... Paul's advice to Timothy on how to be a servant of God. It all comes to a summary in verse 15: Paul asks Timothy to do everything in his power to present himself before God as one who did the job given to him and handled the message of God's truth with care.
But I'm also struck by something else in this chapter. Paul spends a lot of time asking Timothy to remember things that he already knew about Christ. That Christ is resurrected, that Christ died for us, that Christ gives us our salvation. Our identity is found in Christ. When we keep Him and His promises at the forefront of our minds, everything else has a way of falling into place. I think that's the biggest thing I take from Paul's words here; we need to keep Christ at the center. That's when we know we are good soldiers of Christ.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
87. The Love of Money (1 Timothy 6:3-21).
by Wesley Blackburn
So, in Bible college, I had this professor named Steve Yeaton for a class called Intro to Ministry. Basically, it was this freshman-level course that talked about random pastoral stuff... how to do a wedding or funeral, good basic tips for pastoral counseling, how to do pastor taxes (yeah, exciting stuff) and that sort of thing. But Professor Yeaton had a really witty sense of humor, and I'll never forget one day how he told our class that a guy only gets into ministry for two things: chicks and money. We laughed pretty hysterically (I can assure you, as a pastor on staff at Suncrest, I have neither chicks or money in abundance... just in case you were wondering).
I think everyone kind of makes jokes like that about money. I don't know that I have ever had a conversation with someone where they said, "Wes, I just have more money than I know what to do with!" That just doesn't happen. But some people let that lack become a real driving force for them. They do everything with money in mind. We probably have all known a person who has seen their life wrecked by a continual greed and desire for more and more money. Just as Paul says in this letter, the love of money truly is the root of all evil. When money consumes us, we'll destroy anything in our path to get more and more stuff. And the cruel irony that Paul observes is simply that we don't get to take our stuff with us when we die anyway (1 Timothy 6:7). We're literally spinning our wheels for something that's here for a moment and then... POOF! It's gone.
But I also don't want us to go too far to the extreme and say the wrong thing here, either. Paul says that the love of money is the root of all evil. Money itself is not. I really like what Dave Ramsey has to say on this issue. He compares money to a brick. In itself, it's neutral. It's what we do with it that makes it good or bad. We can use a brick to do something bad, like break a window or destroy someone's property. But we can also use a brick to do something great, like build a home or a hospital. The same is true with money. We can use it for terrible things, like purchasing so much junk we don't need putting us into deep debt, or we can use it for great things, like giving to someone in need, giving to our church, or providing for our families.
As Christ followers, I believe that God wants us to be people who are driven by a deep desire to use what God has given us in the greatest way possible to make a difference in the world that He would be proud of. So if you've got money, great! Don't hoard it... use what you need and give the rest away. You're not going to hold onto it for long anyway. And if you're like me, where you don't have a ton of money, don't fret! God will continue to provide for us (read Matthew 6 if you don't believe me). Let's just make sure we aren't driven by a desire to gain more and more for ourselves.
So, in Bible college, I had this professor named Steve Yeaton for a class called Intro to Ministry. Basically, it was this freshman-level course that talked about random pastoral stuff... how to do a wedding or funeral, good basic tips for pastoral counseling, how to do pastor taxes (yeah, exciting stuff) and that sort of thing. But Professor Yeaton had a really witty sense of humor, and I'll never forget one day how he told our class that a guy only gets into ministry for two things: chicks and money. We laughed pretty hysterically (I can assure you, as a pastor on staff at Suncrest, I have neither chicks or money in abundance... just in case you were wondering).
I think everyone kind of makes jokes like that about money. I don't know that I have ever had a conversation with someone where they said, "Wes, I just have more money than I know what to do with!" That just doesn't happen. But some people let that lack become a real driving force for them. They do everything with money in mind. We probably have all known a person who has seen their life wrecked by a continual greed and desire for more and more money. Just as Paul says in this letter, the love of money truly is the root of all evil. When money consumes us, we'll destroy anything in our path to get more and more stuff. And the cruel irony that Paul observes is simply that we don't get to take our stuff with us when we die anyway (1 Timothy 6:7). We're literally spinning our wheels for something that's here for a moment and then... POOF! It's gone.
But I also don't want us to go too far to the extreme and say the wrong thing here, either. Paul says that the love of money is the root of all evil. Money itself is not. I really like what Dave Ramsey has to say on this issue. He compares money to a brick. In itself, it's neutral. It's what we do with it that makes it good or bad. We can use a brick to do something bad, like break a window or destroy someone's property. But we can also use a brick to do something great, like build a home or a hospital. The same is true with money. We can use it for terrible things, like purchasing so much junk we don't need putting us into deep debt, or we can use it for great things, like giving to someone in need, giving to our church, or providing for our families.
As Christ followers, I believe that God wants us to be people who are driven by a deep desire to use what God has given us in the greatest way possible to make a difference in the world that He would be proud of. So if you've got money, great! Don't hoard it... use what you need and give the rest away. You're not going to hold onto it for long anyway. And if you're like me, where you don't have a ton of money, don't fret! God will continue to provide for us (read Matthew 6 if you don't believe me). Let's just make sure we aren't driven by a desire to gain more and more for ourselves.
Monday, September 27, 2010
86. Elders and Deacons (1 Timothy 3:1-16).
by Wesley Blackburn
Based on outward appearances, there's not a whole lot very flashy about this passage. As a pastor and Bible college student, I get to hear a lot about people's favorite Bible verses and things about Scripture that inspire them, and I don't recall anyone ever saying, "Hey, you know the passage that talks about elders and deacons? 1 Timothy 3? Yeah... that's definitely my favorite part of the Bible."
But despite its lack of flash, I think that this passage gives us some important considerations. Namely, that God really values leadership, especially within his church. In laying down the things that qualify a person to serve as an elder or deacon in the church, Paul really pushes people toward something great. He pushes them to go above and beyond the call in many ways. To me, this shows that God doesn't just want us to slip by, especially if we are wanting to be leaders in His body. In fact, God calls us to something far greater as leaders. The whole "be above reproach" idea is strongly communicated here. God wants us to be people that are far beyond being even one bit close to being dragged down accusations that might haunt us!
Reading this passage also just makes me thankful to get to serve with such great leaders at Suncrest. We've got some great people serving on our staff, and some even better people in our church who serve as elders and leaders. We've been truly blessed with people who have stepped up to the plate and done such a great job casting direction and vision for our church, serving faithfully, and boldly following wherever God leads!
Leadership is important. 1 Timothy 3 encourages me to keep aspiring to be a better leader, and it also makes me thankful for the great leaders that we already have at Suncrest!
Based on outward appearances, there's not a whole lot very flashy about this passage. As a pastor and Bible college student, I get to hear a lot about people's favorite Bible verses and things about Scripture that inspire them, and I don't recall anyone ever saying, "Hey, you know the passage that talks about elders and deacons? 1 Timothy 3? Yeah... that's definitely my favorite part of the Bible."
But despite its lack of flash, I think that this passage gives us some important considerations. Namely, that God really values leadership, especially within his church. In laying down the things that qualify a person to serve as an elder or deacon in the church, Paul really pushes people toward something great. He pushes them to go above and beyond the call in many ways. To me, this shows that God doesn't just want us to slip by, especially if we are wanting to be leaders in His body. In fact, God calls us to something far greater as leaders. The whole "be above reproach" idea is strongly communicated here. God wants us to be people that are far beyond being even one bit close to being dragged down accusations that might haunt us!
Reading this passage also just makes me thankful to get to serve with such great leaders at Suncrest. We've got some great people serving on our staff, and some even better people in our church who serve as elders and leaders. We've been truly blessed with people who have stepped up to the plate and done such a great job casting direction and vision for our church, serving faithfully, and boldly following wherever God leads!
Leadership is important. 1 Timothy 3 encourages me to keep aspiring to be a better leader, and it also makes me thankful for the great leaders that we already have at Suncrest!
Friday, September 24, 2010
85. The Supremacy of Christ (Colossians 1:1-23).
by Wesley Blackburn
I sincerely believe that there is no decision that a person can make that is more important than the decision a person makes about Jesus.
I say that for a couple of different reasons. Number one, I think the Bible teaches us that the decision of what we do with Jesus has ramifications for our eternity. But secondly, I think that a decision to say that Jesus is the Son of God and is more than worthy of me following Him will force a fundamental change in the way we live our lives. All of a sudden, we find the motivation to be more loving. More forgiving. More compassionate. More joyful. More peaceful.
Colossians 1 contains one of the most important statements about who Jesus is. Paul tells us here that He is the very image of God Himself, and all things were created through Him. All the fullness that lies within God the Father can be found in Jesus. He is supreme over all things and in all things (a great reminder, especially when we walk through difficult times in life).
But quite possibly, the greatest thing that Paul says about Jesus in this passage is that He is active member in the ministry of our reconciliation. We were once enemies of God because of the terrible choices that we made; we disobeyed His commands, chose to do our own thing our own way, and overall, just chose to say "no" to whatever it was God asked of us. But through Jesus, we have been reconciled with God. No longer is this a relationship on rocky terms... it is a relationship filled with the incredible love of God for us! The all supreme, all knowing, all-powerful God chooses relationship with us. We never have to worry if He is on our side... we know that He is always working things together for those who love Him.
I sincerely believe that there is no decision that a person can make that is more important than the decision a person makes about Jesus.
I say that for a couple of different reasons. Number one, I think the Bible teaches us that the decision of what we do with Jesus has ramifications for our eternity. But secondly, I think that a decision to say that Jesus is the Son of God and is more than worthy of me following Him will force a fundamental change in the way we live our lives. All of a sudden, we find the motivation to be more loving. More forgiving. More compassionate. More joyful. More peaceful.
Colossians 1 contains one of the most important statements about who Jesus is. Paul tells us here that He is the very image of God Himself, and all things were created through Him. All the fullness that lies within God the Father can be found in Jesus. He is supreme over all things and in all things (a great reminder, especially when we walk through difficult times in life).
But quite possibly, the greatest thing that Paul says about Jesus in this passage is that He is active member in the ministry of our reconciliation. We were once enemies of God because of the terrible choices that we made; we disobeyed His commands, chose to do our own thing our own way, and overall, just chose to say "no" to whatever it was God asked of us. But through Jesus, we have been reconciled with God. No longer is this a relationship on rocky terms... it is a relationship filled with the incredible love of God for us! The all supreme, all knowing, all-powerful God chooses relationship with us. We never have to worry if He is on our side... we know that He is always working things together for those who love Him.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Beyond Sunday - Journey: Worth it?
...by Bobby Jackson
Well, it has all come down to this. For the last several weeks we’ve been encouraged to identitfy, pray, respond in love, and to partner with what God is doing in the local church. Quite a good buzz especially this week about the power of a simple ask.
What draws me personally is having something worth asking people to. In my case I have two things: Suncrest and who Jesus is.
I am proud to invite people to know the people and culture of Suncrest. It is unlike anyplace I have ever been. I find myself getting genuinely jazzed about what we do here and it overflows when I talk with others about what we do or invite them to “come and see” or “kick the tires”. I think one of the most powerful influences for Christ is an authentic Christian community.
And of all the things I could give my life to or help others know about, helping people understand the crazy love of Jesus overwhelms me. When I begin to explain it or talk about what it looks like in my simple life, I am blown away at the magnitude of His grace and love. Getting started in the conversation is sometimes hard for me, but talking about God’s extreme love flows once it gets started.
What seems worth it to you? What are you willing to risk talking about? How much do we believe that Jesus really is who He said He is? Reflecting on that compels me/us. I pray it is a fruitful week as you and I look to invite our “one” to take a step toward a relationship with Jesus.
By the way, someone reminded me this week to not make a big deal about inviting our friend to Suncrest so that they don’t feel like they were just a project or a score for you…seemed like a good reminder.
Will your “one” be here this week?
Well, it has all come down to this. For the last several weeks we’ve been encouraged to identitfy, pray, respond in love, and to partner with what God is doing in the local church. Quite a good buzz especially this week about the power of a simple ask.
What draws me personally is having something worth asking people to. In my case I have two things: Suncrest and who Jesus is.
I am proud to invite people to know the people and culture of Suncrest. It is unlike anyplace I have ever been. I find myself getting genuinely jazzed about what we do here and it overflows when I talk with others about what we do or invite them to “come and see” or “kick the tires”. I think one of the most powerful influences for Christ is an authentic Christian community.
And of all the things I could give my life to or help others know about, helping people understand the crazy love of Jesus overwhelms me. When I begin to explain it or talk about what it looks like in my simple life, I am blown away at the magnitude of His grace and love. Getting started in the conversation is sometimes hard for me, but talking about God’s extreme love flows once it gets started.
What seems worth it to you? What are you willing to risk talking about? How much do we believe that Jesus really is who He said He is? Reflecting on that compels me/us. I pray it is a fruitful week as you and I look to invite our “one” to take a step toward a relationship with Jesus.
By the way, someone reminded me this week to not make a big deal about inviting our friend to Suncrest so that they don’t feel like they were just a project or a score for you…seemed like a good reminder.
Will your “one” be here this week?
84. Rejoice In the Lord (Philippians 4:4-9).
by Wesley Blackburn
To me, Philippians 4:4-9 is one of the passages in the Bible that has the most to say to how I live my life and to provide the peace that God wants us to have through Jesus Christ. Paul's advice here has an incredible bearing upon our lives and I know that if we apply what Paul says here, it could totally revolutionize the way our lives look.
For me, though, the biggest thing we learn from this passage is the importance of us not worrying. Worry is an absolutely destructive force in our lives. When we worry, stress, fret, and fear, we can feel like we are living an absolutely miserable life. Things fall apart. Every waking moment is spent thinking about what is going wrong or what could go wrong. It is rough. It's also consuming.
Paul advises, though, instead of us worrying, we should pray. We need to come to God first with our problems, with our issues, and with the things that are weighing us down. Paul assures that when we pray, we will discover an incredible peace that overtakes us and reminds us that everything will be okay; that God is still in control and still on His throne. We never have a reason to fear when we remember that God is in control and is working out all things for the good of His kingdom and His children! What's even better is that Paul doesn't put some limit on what we can pray about. Simply anything that is a concern can be brought to God, asking for His help and His provision. Several books in the Bible remind us of that awesome fact.
I know that recently, my life has went through a real season of worry. It's been rough. But I also know that (sadly) in my worry, I often don't take my concerns to God in prayer. But when I do, I know that somehow, someway, I experience a real peace. And that is wonderful, especially in seasons of worry. So keep praying! God is listening. And that gives us a great reason to rejoice in the Lord.
To me, Philippians 4:4-9 is one of the passages in the Bible that has the most to say to how I live my life and to provide the peace that God wants us to have through Jesus Christ. Paul's advice here has an incredible bearing upon our lives and I know that if we apply what Paul says here, it could totally revolutionize the way our lives look.
For me, though, the biggest thing we learn from this passage is the importance of us not worrying. Worry is an absolutely destructive force in our lives. When we worry, stress, fret, and fear, we can feel like we are living an absolutely miserable life. Things fall apart. Every waking moment is spent thinking about what is going wrong or what could go wrong. It is rough. It's also consuming.
Paul advises, though, instead of us worrying, we should pray. We need to come to God first with our problems, with our issues, and with the things that are weighing us down. Paul assures that when we pray, we will discover an incredible peace that overtakes us and reminds us that everything will be okay; that God is still in control and still on His throne. We never have a reason to fear when we remember that God is in control and is working out all things for the good of His kingdom and His children! What's even better is that Paul doesn't put some limit on what we can pray about. Simply anything that is a concern can be brought to God, asking for His help and His provision. Several books in the Bible remind us of that awesome fact.
I know that recently, my life has went through a real season of worry. It's been rough. But I also know that (sadly) in my worry, I often don't take my concerns to God in prayer. But when I do, I know that somehow, someway, I experience a real peace. And that is wonderful, especially in seasons of worry. So keep praying! God is listening. And that gives us a great reason to rejoice in the Lord.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
83. The Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20).
by Wesley Blackburn
I remember when I was a kid, our Sunday School class had to memorize all the parts of the armor of God. I wish I could say that I did so really willingly and that it was a truly transforming thing for my life. Unfortunately, though, that was not the case. I was more excited about the Pop Tart I would get from my teacher after reciting them properly.
But years later, I think I've been able to shed that childlike idea about the armor of God. Now as I think about it, if we could master all of the stuff that Paul talks about being part of the armor of God, we'd be in good shape. Truth, righteousness, peace, and all of the other things Paul talks about in this passage are things that could truly transform our lives if we'd truly grasp them and live them out.
But I think the thing we need to latch onto in this passage is actually before Paul even lists out the armor of God. It comes in Ephesians 6:12, where Paul writes "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
I'm really not a fan of the people who pawn all of their life's difficulties off onto Satan. But I think I often go to the other extreme. I live so much in this world that I oftentimes forget that there's a whole spiritual world that I can't see. And that world has a real effect on my world. Sometimes the best tactic of the enemy is to lure us into forgetting that he really exists, and that I believe he really is oftentimes trying to work against us. He can put real obstacles in our way.
But the good news? We have a God who has overcome the enemy! We don't have to worry. And we can know that we will overcome as well, if we will only put on the armor of God.
I remember when I was a kid, our Sunday School class had to memorize all the parts of the armor of God. I wish I could say that I did so really willingly and that it was a truly transforming thing for my life. Unfortunately, though, that was not the case. I was more excited about the Pop Tart I would get from my teacher after reciting them properly.
But years later, I think I've been able to shed that childlike idea about the armor of God. Now as I think about it, if we could master all of the stuff that Paul talks about being part of the armor of God, we'd be in good shape. Truth, righteousness, peace, and all of the other things Paul talks about in this passage are things that could truly transform our lives if we'd truly grasp them and live them out.
But I think the thing we need to latch onto in this passage is actually before Paul even lists out the armor of God. It comes in Ephesians 6:12, where Paul writes "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
I'm really not a fan of the people who pawn all of their life's difficulties off onto Satan. But I think I often go to the other extreme. I live so much in this world that I oftentimes forget that there's a whole spiritual world that I can't see. And that world has a real effect on my world. Sometimes the best tactic of the enemy is to lure us into forgetting that he really exists, and that I believe he really is oftentimes trying to work against us. He can put real obstacles in our way.
But the good news? We have a God who has overcome the enemy! We don't have to worry. And we can know that we will overcome as well, if we will only put on the armor of God.
Friday, September 17, 2010
80. The Trip to Rome-Acts 25:1-28:31
...by Kay Roberts
Whew! That was wild and crazy reading! Is your head spinning? I know mine is.
I can’t imagine the ordeal that Paul went through on this trip. The trip itself was no picnic and to throw in on top all he had endured prior to setting foot on the ship. But what I can imagine is his faith in God. Throughout this entire reading, Paul never waivers. He is the one encouraging the sea captain and advising him even though he is prisoner. He doesn’t try and escape or manipulate those around him for his own agenda. He could’ve absolutely taken advantage of his position in offering counsel to this in charge of him but didn’t. Not once! What a beautiful example Paul has left us especially for this day and age when everyone is out for number one…themselves! His faith and trust in God was so strong that he didn’t waiver.
How can we apply this to our lives today? What steps do we need to take to move forward with our faith? How can we live more boldly in our lives like Paul did?
Whew! That was wild and crazy reading! Is your head spinning? I know mine is.
I can’t imagine the ordeal that Paul went through on this trip. The trip itself was no picnic and to throw in on top all he had endured prior to setting foot on the ship. But what I can imagine is his faith in God. Throughout this entire reading, Paul never waivers. He is the one encouraging the sea captain and advising him even though he is prisoner. He doesn’t try and escape or manipulate those around him for his own agenda. He could’ve absolutely taken advantage of his position in offering counsel to this in charge of him but didn’t. Not once! What a beautiful example Paul has left us especially for this day and age when everyone is out for number one…themselves! His faith and trust in God was so strong that he didn’t waiver.
How can we apply this to our lives today? What steps do we need to take to move forward with our faith? How can we live more boldly in our lives like Paul did?
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Beyond Sunday - Journey: Team Sport
...by John Stas
“You can do it, we can help”…those words sure do resonate with me. We have lived in our home for 23 years and during that time my wife and I have tackled quite a few home improvement projects. I am pretty adept at working around the house so most of the improvements were do-it-yourself jobs. We have finished the basement, remodeled the kitchen, built a front porch, refinished the hardwood floors, remodeled the laundry room, built two decks in the backyard, replaced all of the windows, replaced the roof---twice and I can’t count how many times the walls have been painted. Wow! No wonder I’m tired.
With every project we tackled we were able to assess the job at hand, and we were smart enough, in most cases, to seek the help and expertise of others to allow us to get the job done right. Greg’s message drove home that same point. No matter how inadequate we feel about talking with our “one” we have the resources at our disposal necessary to get the job done…if we seek them out.
The best assistance I received on my home projects came when I sought the help of a friend or relative who had already done what I was attempting to do. In engaging our “one” that approach is also a sound one. The idea of a partnership between me, the church, and God makes all the sense in the world. I’m the only one who can tell the story of how Jesus has influenced my life. The church and other Christ followers have experiences that I can draw on, but God is ultimately responsible for changing my “one’s” heart. Home Depot’s advertizing encourages the do-it-yourselfer to stop putting off their projects and get started. Good advice! “You can do it, we can help.”
“You can do it, we can help”…those words sure do resonate with me. We have lived in our home for 23 years and during that time my wife and I have tackled quite a few home improvement projects. I am pretty adept at working around the house so most of the improvements were do-it-yourself jobs. We have finished the basement, remodeled the kitchen, built a front porch, refinished the hardwood floors, remodeled the laundry room, built two decks in the backyard, replaced all of the windows, replaced the roof---twice and I can’t count how many times the walls have been painted. Wow! No wonder I’m tired.
With every project we tackled we were able to assess the job at hand, and we were smart enough, in most cases, to seek the help and expertise of others to allow us to get the job done right. Greg’s message drove home that same point. No matter how inadequate we feel about talking with our “one” we have the resources at our disposal necessary to get the job done…if we seek them out.
The best assistance I received on my home projects came when I sought the help of a friend or relative who had already done what I was attempting to do. In engaging our “one” that approach is also a sound one. The idea of a partnership between me, the church, and God makes all the sense in the world. I’m the only one who can tell the story of how Jesus has influenced my life. The church and other Christ followers have experiences that I can draw on, but God is ultimately responsible for changing my “one’s” heart. Home Depot’s advertizing encourages the do-it-yourselfer to stop putting off their projects and get started. Good advice! “You can do it, we can help.”
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
77. The First Missionary Journey (Acts 13:1-14:28).
I can’t imagine how many times in my life I have read this passage, but it’s been a while. In some ways it seems like a random account of Paul’s missionary journeys: Paul goes here, Paul goes there. This happens, that happens. Not quite so random, though. My son Tim tells me that the Book of Acts shows how the spread of the gospel unfolds geographically. You know Acts 1:8 well by now, don’t you? “…in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Well, now we are going to the ends of the earth with Paul. The ends of the earth as he knew it anyway.
The book unfolds biographically, too. The first part of the book of Acts tells more about Peter’s ministry to the Jews, and at this point (ch.13) the focus goes to Paul and his ministry to the Gentiles. But who is the real main character of the Book of Acts? It’s God. This is not so much a passage about what Paul is doing, as it is about what the Holy Spirit is doing. Though the Suncrest mission statement says that we want to be used by God to change lives, that could have been the mission statement for Paul’s life as well! It is God who is at work in the Book of Acts, in a mighty way, and he used the church to get his work done.
And folks, we are the church. God might not be calling you to the uttermost parts of the earth, but he is calling you next door or down the street. He is calling you to share your heart with your “one,” the neighbor, co-worker, or family member who needs his unconditional grace. Pray for opportunities and pray for open minds and open hearts. The early church did not pray for ease and comfort, they prayed for boldness and power. Let’s do the same!
Friday, September 10, 2010
75. Good News for All (Acts 10:1-11:18).
by Dave Wright
Now, Peter was trying to figure out what he just saw when the men Cornelius had sent arrived. They told him they were to bring him to Caesarea and meet with their boss, the Roman guard. So Peter went along. While Peter was traveling back, Cornelius started to ask his friends and family to stop by. As they gathered at the house, Peter approached. But I also think he had to hesitate before walking in. This was a room full of Jews! Was this a trick? Cornelius met him at the door. The passage tells it much better than I ever could from here:
“You know, our church is filled more of the Holy Spirit than the church down the street.”
“I don’t know how they can be considered a place of worship…they only have communion every quarter.”
“How do they consider themselves to be Children of God when they…?”
Wow, it seems like every time I am asked to write one of these blogs I start by things I have overheard. So…how many times have you heard these words…or even said them yourself?
Acts 10:1 through 11:18 tells the story of Cornelius, a Roman guard who lived in Caesarea. One afternoon Cornelius was visited by an angel who told him to send his men to Joppa and find Peter and bring him back to see him. While the men were coming to get Peter, he was in Joppa on a rooftop when he fell into a trance and saw a vision of Heaven open and unfurl a large sheet of all kinds of four-footed animals. The voice of the Lord said to Peter, “Get up Peter, kill and eat!” Peter replied to the Lord saying, “Surely not. I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” But the Lord replied, “Do not call anything impure the Lord has made clean.”
Now, Peter was trying to figure out what he just saw when the men Cornelius had sent arrived. They told him they were to bring him to Caesarea and meet with their boss, the Roman guard. So Peter went along. While Peter was traveling back, Cornelius started to ask his friends and family to stop by. As they gathered at the house, Peter approached. But I also think he had to hesitate before walking in. This was a room full of Jews! Was this a trick? Cornelius met him at the door. The passage tells it much better than I ever could from here:
7Talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. 28He said to them: "You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean. 29So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?"
30Cornelius answered: "Four days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me 31and said, 'Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor. 32Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, who lives by the sea.' 33So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us."
34Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right. 36You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— 38how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.
39"We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, 40but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. 41He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. 43All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."
This was a “aha” moment in Peter’s life. The vision now made sense. The “Good News” is for everyone. God does not show favoritism and accepts people from every nation who fear him and do what is right. The passage goes on to say that as Peter spoke, the Holy Spirit came upon everyone present and Peter stayed to baptize them. A few days later, the word had spread about what had happened. Peter was grilled, being asked “How can you go into a house of uncircumcised men and eat wth them?” Peter told them of his vision and replied, “So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God?" What a great response to an obviously silly question. Who was Peter to think that he could oppose God and not spread the good news?
The Good News is for everybody. It is not just for the church that has the most “Holy Spirit Quotient," or for the church with quarterly communion service. I repeat, the Good News is for everybody. God gave his Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for everybody’s sins. Is there any better news anywhere?
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