What team is God on?
I was reading this morning in Joshua and came across the scenario in ch. 5:13-15 where Joshua has a run-in with a man with a drawn sword. When Joshua doesn’t recognize him, he asks, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” The man replied, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.” In other words, “I’m not on your side and I’m not on their side. I’m on God’s side.”
Many scholars believe that this is a theophany, an appearance of God in human form. It is interesting to note in this passage that God doesn’t take any sides. He is on his own side. He is there to accomplish his purposes for his own glory and no one else’s.
I think many times we assume that God is on our team. Now to be sure, there is a sense in which God is on our side. Paul wrote so eloquently in Romans 8:31 “If God is for us, who can be against us?” I love that promise! However that promise in context applies to the assurance of our salvation.
I think we make a subtle mistake when we assume that God must defend our personal agendas. This can take many forms such as one Christian denomination claiming that they have a corner on all truth and that God is on their team and not with any other denomination. Or that God is against everyone who does not agree with our particular view on non-essential points of doctrine.
So what team is God on? … His own. The question is not whether God is on our team, but whether or not we are on his. God didn’t give victory to Israel at Jericho because he was on their side. He gave them victory because they were on His side. In fact they were defeated at the battle of Ai in ch. 7 because they assumed God was on their side even though there was sin in their camp. God is seeking people who will join his team for his glory and the advancement of his kingdom. What a privilege to be invited onto the team!
With God
This is a blog post I wrote for my brother Dave‘s young adult ministry. You can check out the original post on the new Apex blog.
Psalm 60:12 is a powerful verse written by David, the king of Israel. It says “With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes.”
David is saying that there is nothing like God’s presence in and among his people. This history of Israel is one large illustration of this. When God was with them, there was nothing that could stand in their way. Moses led the host of Israel out of Egyptian slavery with signs and wonders because God was with them. Joshua led them into the promised land where they defeated peoples greater and more numerous because God was with them. Gideon defeated 120,000 Amalekites with 300 men because God was with them.
Conversely, when God’s presence was not among them, they wandered in the desert for 40 years. In the book of Judges they experienced enslavement to an assortment of Canaanite peoples. They were eventually sent into Babylonian exile because of their failure to honor God and walk in his ways.
The point is this: we cannot afford to live without the presence of God in our lives and in our midst as a people.
Today, our enemies are not people. But as Paul the apostle says, our enemies are “the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” The battle we are in is a spiritual battle. Our calling as the church is to proclaim Christ and lead people from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God. That’s what victory looks like for us. This is not accomplished in our own strength or might but by the presence and power of God at work in us and through us.
In another sense, there is our need to walk in the presence of God personally so we can fight our personal spiritual warfare.
God’s presence in our lives is negatively affected by sin
David writes in Psalm 51:11 “Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.” David knew that nothing was more precious than the presence of God in his life. He also knew that his sin had grieved the Holy Spirit and caused his relationship with God to fracture. Therefore the entirety of Psalm 51 is gut wrenching repentance. He knew that if there was going to be any moving forward, he would have to repent of his sin and find forgiveness in God. He knew that his relationship with God must be restored if he wanted the presence of God to fill his life again.
From time to time we will sin in various ways that will affect our relationship with God. When this happens, we must be quick to repent and make things right with God. We must be quick to fall on his mercy, and forsake whatever is sinful.
God’s presence in our lives must be cultivated intentionally
One of my favorite verses is James 4:8 which simply says, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” I love this verse because it reveals to us a very important key to pursuing God and living in his presence. It basically means that if we want to see God at work in our lives, we need to take steps toward him. Sometimes we wonder why it seems that God’s presence and power are not as much at work in our lives as we wish they were. While God certainly chooses to work in different ways at different times, I think often our lack of sensing his presence is due to our failure to actively pursue him.
2 Questions to consider
1. How is my walk with God today?
Not how was it 10 years ago or 20 years ago, but how is it going today? We must be diligent to maintain a freshness in our walk with God. Are you closer to the Lord today than you were last year?
2. What changes do I need to make in order to pursue God more fervently?
What do I need to stop doing? Excessive busyness could be hurting your spiritual life. Are there patterns of sin that you need to repent and get rid of? Secondly ask yourself, What do I need to start doing, or start doing again? Do you have a consistent, unhurried time of reading the bible and praying each day? Maybe you need to start building friendships with people who will build you up spiritually and encourage you.
When’s God’s presence is in your life there is nothing better. When it is absent there is nothing worse because “With God, we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes.”
Treasure Hunting
As a kid I went through a phase where I was obsessed with pirates and treasure. I made treasure maps and even buried toys in the ground. As I was preparing for this past Sunday’s message, I realized that in a sense, none of us ever really grow out of treasure hunting. In fact, all of us are continuously treasure seeking our entire lives. The treasure we seek just takes different forms over the years. It might not be buried treasure in the sand, but it could be money, a big house, a sweet car, fame, popularity, a job (and so on and so forth).
The issue is not whether we will seek treasure, but whether we will seek the only treasure that matters. In such a materialistic culture, we are tempted to make good things into ultimate things, and end up like the rich man who had everything but was not rich toward God. In Matt. 6:19-24 we find that people who are rich toward God understand 4 basic principles:
1. Heavenly treasure is the only secure investment
- “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” Matt. 6:20
- Material wealth will not last. Everything will pass away. True wisdom is found in living for eternity.
- “Only one life, ’twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last” author unknown.
2. Our heart will always follow our investments of time, talent, & money
- “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matt. 6:21
- Regardless of what we say we value the most in life, the way we actually invest our time, talent, and money reveal our heart’s actual treasure. Our actions really do speak louder than our words.
3. A divided focus produces a darkened life
- “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.” Matt. 6:22-23
- A healthy eye is a “single” eye, aka a life lived with singleness of purpose, and wholehearted devotion to Christ. If we try to follow Christ and the world, or Christ and anything else, we will have a divided heart and life and the result is darkness.
4. Our ultimate devotion can only belong to one master
- “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” Matt. 6:24
- We will “serve” a master. Its the way we’re wired. We’re made to worship. We will either worship our money or worship God with our money. Money isn’t bad, the love of money is bad. We will ultimately serve whatever we love the most.
These principles are penetrating, soul-searching principles. Don’t be afraid of evaluating your life in the light of them and making changes if necessary. If you do, you’ll end up rich toward God, which is the only kind of “rich” that matters.
The Spirit Filled Lifestyle
Had a great time at our first Holy Spirit service of the summer at Bridgeway Church last night. I taught on how to live a Spirit filled lifestyle. I think all Christians know that we are to be “filled with the Spirit” since Paul said in Eph. 5:8 “Be filled with the Spirit.” We just don’t know how to live continuously in that reality. Since being “filled with the Spirit” is a lifestyle and not just a single event, I believe there are three disciplines that Scripure teaches that enable us to live empowered lives.
1. The Discipline of Submission
Full submission to Christ via repentance always precedes reception of the Spirit’s empowering work. Acts 2:28 tells us, “And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” The idea here is that if there’s no repentance there’s no reception of the Spirit. The reason is simple, we can’t be filled with the Spirit if we are knowingly resisting him. Acts 3:19 says it this way, “Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, 20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus.” Submission and repentance is not a one time thing. It is a daily discipline and a lifestyle to be cultivated.
2. The Discipline of Desire
God often responds in proportion to our desire. This principle is highlighted in Jer. 29:13 which says, “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” In other words, we shouldn’t expect to receive much if we are half hearted about it. We will find him when we seek with all our heart. That means seeking him with single-minded passion and devotion. Heb. 11:6 says it like this, “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Our pursuit of God shouldn’t be an afterthought. It should be the primary pursuit of our lives. Its not wrong to have hobbies or to be passionate about things, but our passion for other things should never put to shame our passion for God.
3. The Discipline of Action
God gives the Holy Spirit’s power to those who are committed to the Holy Spirit’s purpose. Acts 1:8 tells us the Holy Spirit’s purpose, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 4:31 says it like this, “And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.” Note that it says they continued to speak the word of God with boldness. If they continued, it meant they were doing it before. They were already serving in ministry and intended to continue to serve in the power of the Spirit. If we have no intention of serving the mission of the church and making disciples, we can’t expect to live a Spirit filled life.
These three disciplines are tough, but they are necessary and the rewards are worth it. Be encouraged today. If we commit ourselves to these disciplines we will see God do immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine.
Master’s Graduation
Well the day has finally come. We are in Springfield, MO where today I’ll be graduating with my master’s degree from AGTS. It’s taken me a while to finish, but the program has been very rewarding. While I originally intended to complete the Master of Divinity program, I recently decided to go ahead and graduate with the Master of Arts in Theological Studies. I’m grateful that they are allowing me to graduate and still finish my thesis paper over the summer.
Springfield has a special place in my heart. It is the town where I attended college, made many lifelong friends, learned to drive a Fedex truck, and met my amazing wife. On our trip so far we’ve been able to meet up with some friends and mentors, catch a hot roll at Lambert’s, and tour the new Realife Student Center at our home church while in college. I’m a pretty sentimental person and this trip to Springfield truly makes me grateful for all that God did in my life while I lived here.
Why Become A Member Of A Local Church?
Local church membership is implicit in the New Testament. While the Bible refers to the Church Universal which is made of all believers from all times and places, the predominant references to “churches” are local communities of faith (i.e. the churches at Galatia, Colossae, Ephesus, Corinth, Philippi, Sardis, Thyatira, etc.) under the leadership of a particular group of qualified elders. It was simply assumed that when someone became a believer they were “added to the church” (Acts 2:47). In other words, they were not saved without being added to the church, and they were not added to the church without being saved.
Many today do not see the importance of membership in a local church. Much of this thinking however is not rooted in Scripture, but rather the individualistic culture of our time. The language of “membership” comes from Romans 12:4-6 where the Apostle Paul says, “For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them.”
Therefore, church membership is not like membership at a social club or YMCA. A church member is one who has gone from being a consumer to a contributor, one who shares the responsibility of the church’s health and growth. A church member is not primarily concerned with how their needs can be met as much as how they can be used by God to meet the needs of others. Additionally, we commend the following practical reasons for church membership:
1. Accountability
By committing to a local church family, a Christian is voluntarily inviting the accountability of the Elders and other members of the church. Members choose to submit to the leadership of the church and to the other members for accountability. By submitting to the leaders of a local church, we are inviting them to hold us accountable to live according to our faith. We invite their teaching to keep us doctrinally accurate, their loving guidance if we should waver in our faith, and their caring correction should we stray from holiness.
One of the greatest marks of Christian maturity is to invite accountability into our lives. The only reason someone would resist accountability would be to conceal sin. God places spiritual leaders in our lives for very important reasons. In the New Testament, all Christians were expected to seek, support, and submit to the leadership of their local church pastors. Hebrews 13:17 tells us, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.”
2. Care
The Christian life was simply not intended to be lived alone. As believers, we are meant to “do life together” in Christian community. One of the most important factors in our spiritual growth is the development of Christ-centered relationships. We need to be connected relationally with people who we know and who really know us.
Proverbs 18:1 says, “Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment.” Isolation is extremely dangerous to our spiritual development. A lamb that is isolated from the flock and away from the shepherd is extremely vulnerable to attack. By not committing to a church, we are isolating ourselves from the protection that the flock and the shepherds provide. If we live in community with one another we experience the care, encouragement, and support of our brothers and sisters in Christ. When we are down, they are there to lift us up. When they are down, we are there to lift them up. It is absolutely crucial that we be connected relationally with other believers.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 tells us that, “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!” Genuine, life-giving relationships with other Christians does not happen accidentally. It is something that must be intentionally cultivated. The best way to do so at Bridgeway Church is to start volunteering in a ministry and get plugged into a community group.
Furthermore, we are far more effective for the kindgom of God together than we are individually. We can accomplish more in terms of evangelism and impact as a team than as lone rangers.
3. Contribution
God has distributed various gifts to his children according to his will. These gifts are meant to be used to serve and build up the body (Rom. 12:3-6; 1 Pet. 4:10-11). The beauty of the body of Christ is that each of us is different! Because we are all different, we need the unique contributions of one another. When we are all contributing to the health, ministry, and support of the church the mission is advanced.
Each of us has a measure of time, talent, and treasure that God has entrusted to us. This means we are stewards of what he has given us. Our calling from God is to be faithful stewards who responsibly invest our time, talent, and treasure into the kingdom of God. We all have a contribution to make toward the effectiveness of our church in spreading the gospel. If we fail to invest our time, talent, and money, the church will not be what it could be if we were all faithful.
Slickery Sunday
This past Sunday was cool in more than one way. Temperature wise it was actually freezing. So freezing that our gracious hosts at Ambridge High School unable to get the parking lot de-iced in time for our service at 10:30. But Sunday was also cool in a sense other than temperature. Rather than cancel our worship service, we decided to on-the-spot move it to 11:00 at our Ministry Center facility down the street for anybody who was able to make it.
To be honest, I was not expecting much of a turnout on a day when they closed some of the parkways in Pittsburgh. To my pleasant surprise we nearly packed the place out with people eager to worship God together. Makes me proud to be part of such passionate, amazing church.
I love being part of a church that is that is willing to roll with the punches (or the ice) and find a way to worship together in inconvenient conditions. That being said, I’m also happy for the rest of our church family that either couldn’t make it out of their driveway or didn’t want to risk dying on the way. We are so glad that you are alive and safe! You were with us in spirit 
I guess I’m saying all this to say I had a lot of fun Sunday. Yeah it was different, yeah it was cold, but we made it work and God’s presence was with us. I love my church family and can’t wait until next Sunday when we can all gather again at the school to raise our praise together and receive the Word of God. ‘Till then, stay warm!
Divine Appointments
I love how God works. Yesterday was a unique day for me. Throughout the day I met 4 brand new people at different times as I was going about life. In the course of conversation with each of them, God opened up an opportunity to talk about faith and I ended up inviting all 4 of them to church!
I still think that personal invitation is the absolute best form of marketing. You just can’t beat it. People are much more willing to travel long distances to attend a church with a friend than a church down the street where they don’t know anybody. I know its a simple lesson, but I’m re-learning that God does not bring people into our lives by accident, and he loves to set us up with divine appointments.
My encouragement to you is to be sensitive today to the people that God may be sending your way. Look for opportunities that he may open up to share the gospel, and bring somebody along with you this Sunday!
A Rare Privilege
This past Sunday we had the rare privilege of having Pastor Jeff Leake as a guest speaker. Jeff is the Lead Pastor of Allison Park Church, which started Bridgeway in 1998. In the late 90′s God gave pastor Jeff a vision to plant 5 churches in 5 years. Not only did they plant 5 churches, they are currently planning the 8th for early next year!
Pastor Jeff was my pastor growing up. He is a spiritual father to me and our entire church. It is an honor to be a part of such a great movement of churches reaching the city of Pittsburgh for Christ!
On Sunday he shared a powerful message with us about the journey from promise to provision. In the message, he showed us how the experience of Abraham in Genesis 15 illustrates the principle of Hebrews 10:36 “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.“
From the life of Abraham he showed us that after we receive a promise from God we often face a major problem. In the problem phase things don’t make sense and the promise seems more and more unlikely.
This leads us to the next phase in which we must persevere. Perseverance is all about staying true no matter what. In the perseverance phase we develop faith and character.
Then, in God’s timing, after we have done the will of God we will receive his provision. It is important through the whole journey to keep our eyes, heart, and devotion upon God and not the provision. This will keep us from making an idol out of the provision. This process applies to individuals, churches, and families. Such a great word!
Walking In God’s Will
As the saying goes, familiarity breeds contempt. Sometimes the things we are most familiar with become the things that we take the most for granted. One such popular phrase in the church is this: “God has a perfect plan for your life.” Many of us have heard it so many times that it has begun to lose the power of its effect on us. Scripture makes it clear here and here that God does indeed have a perfect plan for us. If the infinitely good, all-knowing, sovereign God of the universe has a plan for our lives, then it must be the best way to live. The essence of folly would be to live outside of his perfect plan, to live out of step with his will.
Here are 5 questions that I ask myself to help me keep in step with God’s will:
1. Do I care about what God wants for my life? – When we are truly submitted to Christ as our Lord, our deepest desire will be to live for him and his will. If we don’t care about what God wants for us, its time to reevaluate things. I love the psalmist’s prayer in Ps. 143:10, “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!”
2. Have I surrendered my desires to God? – Sometimes the things we desire most are not God’s best for us. It may be a relationship or an activity that is actually drawing our hearts away from the Lord. Sometimes our “quest for God’s will” can actually be nothing more than trying spiritualize our disobedience so that we feel better about it. At the end of the day we must be able to say like Jesus, “Not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42).
3. Have I spent time in real prayer? – It is so easy to casually say, “I’m praying for God’s will” when we have actually spent little or no time in actual prayer. God does not desire his will to be a secret. He wants to show us, we just need to ask! I love the promise of Jer. 33:3 which says, “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.”
4. Have I sought godly counsel?- One indication that we are outside of God’s will is that we are avoiding the counsel of godly people. When we know we are living in sin, the last thing we want to hear is the counsel of godly people. Prov. 13:20 tells us that “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”
5. Will my decision further myself and my goals, or God and his goals? - Living according to God’s will means living primarily for him and his agenda and not ourselves and our agenda. May we say with John the Baptist, “He must increase, I must decrease” (John 3:30).
Taking our Meds
The same is true spiritually as it is physically: bad things happen when we don’t take our meds.
The remedy prescribed for people whose relationship with God has been damaged is God’s grace. When we fall or mess up, it is God’s desire that his grace lead us back into fellowship with Him. James 4:6 says, “But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’”
God provides his healing grace to all who are in need of it. The grace of God is the ability and desire to do God’s will. His grace enables us to do what he asks of us. It is healing grace because it brings us back to God. Yet not all receive the healing grace of God.
Only the humble receive God’s grace. When I was young I often spit medicine out of my mouth. James is telling us that having pride in our hearts is like spitting out the healing grace of God. It’s usually pride that keeps people from taking medication, thus hindering recovery. The same is true spiritually.
Shattering Stereotypes
I think one of the biggest challenges facing Christianity in America is negative stereotypes of Christians. Sadly, for many people today, one bad experience with a Christian who was hypocritical, mean, judgmental, or legalistic has led them to believe that all Christians are that way. Many unchurched people today are rejecting Christianity and the church because they equate those things with a false image they received from one bad experience.While we may not think that is very fair, it is a reality.
This led me to the fresh realization that if I call myself a Christian, I am a reflection of Christ. All Christians are constantly portraying Christ in some way, for better or worse. People are looking at us and forming opinions about God and Christianity based on our lives. The question is, are we portraying Him well?
I believe that one of the things God has called Christians to in today’s world is shattering stereotypes. Just as one person can change someone’s view of God negatively, so one person can change it positively. If we set out to display Christ’s love in our attitudes and actions, by being gracious, kind, and forgiving, I believe we would see our ministry effectiveness multiply.
Perhaps God wants to use your example today to make somebody think, “Maybe there really is something to Christianity. Maybe I was wrong about Jesus and his followers after all.”
“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matt. 5:16
Words and Works
Have you ever encountered a person who seemed to have a chronic problem of giving their word but never following through? Maybe its someone who promises to do something, but never does it, or promises to be somewhere but doesn’t show up. When people fail to follow through on their word, we can’t help but lose trust in them.
In fact we all know people whose word means something because they always honor their word. When they say something, there’s weight to it. And we all know others whose word really doesn’t mean much because they rarely, if ever, do what they say. This is why we say that actions speak louder than words. Because words alone don’t mean much if they are not accompanied by actions that demonstate their genuineness.
On Sunday we saw that the same is true when it comes to our faith in Christ. The central point of James 2:14-26 is that when it comes to our faith, our conduct will either confirm or contradict our confession.
In other words, its not only important that we profess faith in Christ with our mouths, but that our lives bear witness to the truth of that confession through the works that we do.
James’ main concern is with people who verbally profess faith in Christ while continuing to persist in a lifestyle that contradicts his will. Basically, is Jesus really our Lord and God if we persistently refuse to submit to his leadership and live for him? Our words may say one thing, but our actions may reveal something quite different.
The best way to bear the fruit of good works in our lives is to be connected to Jesus. Just like a fruit tree does not need to work hard at producing its fruit, so a genuine believer will produce the fruit of a believer by being connected to Jesus, the one who ultimately produces that fruit in our lives.
Divine-Human Cooperation
It is important to note that true spiritual growth and transformation into the image of Christ from “glory to glory” is ultimately a work of God in our lives. This means that we cannot produce spiritual growth through human effort any more than we can make the leaves grow on a tree.
But this does not mean that we are to do nothing. In fact, Scripture is clear that we are to pursue Christlikeness and discipline ourselves for the purpose of godliness. While I can’t make the leaves grow, I can cultivate the soil around a plant, get it appropriate water and sunlight so that it can grow.
What Scripture calls for is a divine-human cooperation.
Paul said, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” Philippians 2:12-13
“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.” 1 Corinthians 15:1
Is spiritual growth produced by human effort? No
Is spiritual growth the result of a work of God in our heart? Yes
Does this mean we don’t do anything? No
If true spiritual growth and transformation is a work of God, then the spiritual disciplines are a means of positioning ourselves to receive God’s grace.
This can be illustrated through the stories of Bartimaeus and Zacchaeus (Luke 18:35-43; 19:1-10). Both of these men were transformed by the power of Christ through voluntarily placing themselves in his pathway. The spiritual disciplines are a way of seeking Christ and placing ourselves in the pathway of the transforming grace and power of Jesus.
Richard Foster has said, “God has given us the Disciplines of the spiritual life as a means of receiving his grace. The Disciplines allow us to place ourselves before God so that he can transform us… By themselves the Spiritual Disciplines can do nothing; they can only get us to the place where something can be done.”
Three Years
This month marks my three year anniversary of becoming a pastor. It is hard to believe that I have already been in full-time ministry for three years! This journey has been amazingly rewarding. I have learned so much… especially how much I don’t know! I’m incredibly thankful to serve such an amazing church that has so graciously put up with this rookie!
While the pressures have been some of the most intense I have felt in my entire life, the joys have far outweighed the difficulties. Every life that has been changed by the power of Christ makes it worth everything. There’s nothing else I would rather do. Here’s to many more years to come!
Graduation Time
Last night I had the privilege of giving the invocation and benediction at Ambridge Area High School’s 108th annual Commencement. It was such an honor to bless these students and join the celebration of their achievement. Cannot believe it’s already been eight years since I graduated high school! As I was preparing my prayers for these graduates I was reminded of how graduation is in many ways the threshold of a whole new phase of life.
If you’re graduating this year whether from high school, college, or grad school, know that God has a special purpose for your life. Sometimes stepping into the unknown can be a little scary whether it be college, military, or the workforce. After high school and college comes increased freedom, increased responsibility, and, as my friend has eloquently put it, the 3 M’s: Marriage, Mortgage, and Minivan.
Yet Prov. 3:5-6 encourages us to “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him,and he will make straight your paths.” Regardless of where life takes you next, if you trust in God and follow him with all of our heart, you can know that he will direct all of your paths.
Encountering God In His Word
This week we began a new 6-week class on Wednesday night called Foundations. It is basically an introduction to foundational Christian doctrine as well as a course in practical Christian living. In the first session we looked at the foundation of Scripture. One of the particularly important points we discussed was one of the main purposes of Scripture. While Scripture serves a number of purposes, it is critically important that we not turn the study of God’s word into an end in and of itself. This is because God’s word is meant to lead us into a relationship with the Author, Jesus Christ.
Jesus himself spoke of this when he said to the religious Pharisees of his day, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life” (John 5:39-40). He was in effect saying that the Scriptures bear witness about him and are meant to lead people into a relationship with God. In saying this, he is not knocking Bible study, but he is rather encouraging proper Bible study which will lead into a growing relationship with himself. In fact, Bible study is critically important because the Scriptures show us who God is. However, mere Bible knowledge is not enough if it does not lead us into an experiential relationship with Jesus Christ.
It is possible to have the Bible memorized forward and backward and yet end up in hell. The point is not that we neglect to study God’s word, but that we diligently pursue Bible knowledge for the purpose of growing in our understanding of Jesus and our relationship to him. Allow your time in God’s word to become a means of knowing, loving, and pursuing its Author.
Faithful Creativity
While the Bible makes it clear that there are several things a church should do (such as worship, prayer, fellowship, preaching, baptism, and communion), it allows incredible freedom in how some of these things can be done.
For instance, the Bible does not say that communion must be taken in a church building with dim lighting and soft, peaceful music. It does say however, that we must examine ourselves and take it in reverence and remembrance. Because we are currently meeting in a brand new auditorium, we were forced to be creative about how we take communion since food and drink are not allowed. It was a cool change this past Sunday to try a “self-serve” approach as we gathered to celebrate communion together in the school atrium at the close of the service. I was expecting it to be really awkward, but it turned out to be incredibly refreshing.
I think God did not prescribe certain ways of doing church so that we wouldn’t become devoted to a certain time period or style, but rather to him. God knew that one day his followers would worship in various places, times, and cultures and he has given us a lot of room for creativity while still remaining faithful to Scripture.
Weekend in Review
This weekend was incredible! First off, I had the amazing privilege of being the best man in my brother David’s wedding on Saturday. It was an amazing ceremony. He and Emily are going to change the world for God! Also great to see so many family from out of state (Chicago, Kansas City, St. Louis, Houston)!
On the trip back from the wedding we found out that our dog ran away (this part of our weekend was not incredible, but the incredible part is coming). She had been missing for 8 1/2 hours when we got the news. It was getting dark by the time we were nearing home and… BY A MIRACLE OF GOD Jessica spotted our puppy walking along the side of a two-lane highway about a half mile from our house! So, praise God, our puppy once was lost but now is found!
Lastly, really enjoyed preaching Sunday from James 1:2-4 on how to face trials. We can allow trials in life to either strengthen us or devastate us. If Christ is the center of our life, he will carry us through anything. While he may or may not deliver us from the pain of all trials, he will always be present with us to strengthen us and prepare us for our ultimate home with him.
The Word and the Spirit
At Bridgeway Church we aim to be a people of the Word and a people of the Spirit. I believe healthy churches are a balance of the two. Oftentimes churches are heavy on one or the other.
Those that are off-balance in the Word direction often have right doctrine and right thinking regarding truth, but can be devoid of any passion. Some major pitfalls here are legalism, judgmentalism, and traditionalism.
Churches off-balance in the Spirit direction often have vibrant and lively worship and are full of passion and enthusiasm, but can end up in theological error if the Word is neglected. Some major pitfalls here are manipulation, sensationalism, and false doctrine.
In Scripture, an example of the former kind might be the believers in Acts 19:1-6. They literally said to Paul, “We have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” An example of the latter could be 1 Corinthians 12-14. The Corinthian church was zealous for spiritual gifts, but were chaotic in their expression of them. Paul wrote not to squelch their zeal, but to instruct them in the proper usage of spiritual gifts so that the church could be edified.
Our experience of the Spirit is accurate insofar as it is in line with the Word. In this way, the two are not mutually exclusive, but rather complementary. Our knowledge of the Word deepens, enriches, and gives definition to our experience of the Spirit. Also, our experience of the Spirit give us greater passion to dig into the Word. The key here is balance. May we be a people of both the Word and Spirit!
The Truth Convicts
When we come to church, we come for several reasons. In addition to worshipping God and fellowshipping with other believers, we come to hear God’s word. We don’t gather to hear self-help, pop psychology, stand-up comedy, or moralistic therapy talks. We come to hear what God has to say. We come to hear HIM in his word. To encounter his truth and be shaped by it. This is the greatest need of our souls. When this healthy encounter with the life-changing word of God truly takes place there are several obvious things it produces in us such as joy, comfort, encouragement, insight, etc.
While all of these will surely take place at one time or another, there is another effect of encountering God’s word which does not always seem as popular. Conviction. In Acts 2:37-38, after Peter preached the first Christian sermon, the text says
Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ”
In other words, the preached word of God produced an intense inner conviction and the only appropriate response was to completely turn from sin and turn to Christ in faith. If we are going to grow into mature believers, conformed to the image of Christ, we can expect that his word will continually confront various discrepancies in our lives between how we are living and how he is calling us to live. This is obvious because we all are a work-in-progress with a long way to go in our spiritual development.
We shouldn’t think it strange then, when we experience conviction in church. In fact, I would suggest that if we never experience conviction in church, we might not be hearing the truth. I also suggest that one sign of the faithful preaching of God’s word is the presence of genuine biblical conviction. If you experience genuine conviction while in church (I’m not talking about being guilt tripped) you can have confidence that you are hearing truth.
Genuine biblical conviction is something that we should all long for and desire because sin and deception is destructive to us. Becoming aware of destructive sinfulness in our lives is something we should be grateful for. If we never experience conviction, it could be that we’re not hearing the truth at all because sometimes the truth hurts. But the painful truth is often the way to the deepest healing.
So, experiencing genuine conviction from time to time in church is good, healthy, and necessary. We should be careful to welcome conviction rather than run from it as some will do in the last days. Check out what Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:3-4:
“For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”
Its a scary day when we start rejecting the convicting, reforming, healing truth of God’s word. If you experience genuine conviction in church, thank God for it. If not, you may not really be hearing the truth. Yes God’s word brings joy, encouragement, peace, etc. But it also brings conviction. At the end of the day, I don’t want to be lulled into justifying compromise and complacency by finding teachers who make me feel good about my sin. I want to be confronted with the truth no matter how painful because God’s truth is what I need and I have a lot of growing to do.
Teacher Day
Yesterday we had fun celebrating our local educators with Teacher Appreciation Sunday. Gave away a bunch of gift cards and had a blast!
Really enjoyed changing things up and doing something to honor our teachers who are on the front lines of shaping our society.
Thanks or all you do! We value your effort and commitment!
Struggling with hope in this ecomomy?
Really enjoyed being a host location for Dave Ramsey’s simulcast last night! It was a historic moment, being the single largest simulcast event in history with over 6,000 locations nationwide.
Dave’s content was amazing as he filled us with hope for the future. The Q&A time was particularly helpful. As he closed the evening, Dave left us with 3 things to do if we are struggling with hope. They are:
1. GET UP- We need to take action and get moving. While God is sovereign, we are also responsible to get out and do what we can.
2. DON’T PARTICIPATE IN LOSER TALK- We need to hang around people who inspire us and build us up. Dave said, “If you hang out with losers, you’re gonna be one.”
3. LEARN TO GIVE AGAIN- Giving takes our eyes off of ourselves. You will always have more hope when you get your eyes off of yourself.
I’m really grateful for Dave’s leadership in the media and the positive message he is spreading. Check out the updated content on the Town Hall for Hope website. If you missed it, they will be airing the event on Fox Business network throughout next week.
Tendency To Drift
I noticed a recurring theme this morning as I was reading in Deuteronomy. Moses repeated exhorts the people of Israel to “Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life” (Deut. 4:9; also 4:15; 6:12; 8:11).
Clearly, Moses was keenly aware of the human predilection to drift. As humans, we have a tendency to stray off in the wrong direction. As a result, Scripture continually encourages us to renew our minds, receive new hearts, and carefully watch ourselves.
If you’ve ever been to the beach, you know how easy it is to drift down the coast. Without even realizing it, you can find yourself swimming on a totally different beach from where you started. That is also our tendency spiritually. We may not feel like we’re going backward, but if we are not careful, we can easily end up in a a damaging place.
Spiritual growth must be intentional. If we are haphazard or accidental, we will surely drift in the wrong direction. Moses’ simple but direct words carry good advice for us: “Only take care, and keep your soul diligently.”
