What are you worshiping today!! The quote below challenges the least religious of us to realize that we can’t get through a day without some kind of worship.

We are never not worshiping…. It is easy to see that you and I have been created to worship. We’re flat-out desperate for it.  From sports fanaticism to celebrity tabloids to all the other strange sorts of voyeurisms now normative in our culture, we evidence that we were created to look at something beyond ourselves and marvel at it, desire it, like it with zeal, and love it with affection. Our thoughts, our desires, and our behaviors are always oriented around something, which means we are always worshiping–ascribing worth to–something.  If it’s not God, we are engaging in idolatry.  But either way, there is no way to run the worship switch in our hearts off. (Matt Chandler. The Explicit Gospel p. 103)

What is the “worship drug” of choice today?

Matt Chandler (above) writes in his book The Explicit Gospel:

Every effort to remake the Christian faith leads to wickedness.  Every effort to adjust the gospel so it appears more appealing more palatable, is foolishness.  This is liberal theology’s only play in the playbook.  “Let’s get rid of the atoning work of Jesus Christ because it’s harsh.  Let’s get rid of hell because it’s offensive.  Let’s save Christianity by changing Christianity.”  But in the urban context of Acts 2, with people all over the ancient world gathered in Jerusalem, Peter announces, “you killed him.  The majestic one true God of the universe–you crucified.”  …and men were cut to the core.  They wanted to know, “what do we do in response to this news?”  Peter tells them, “Repent and be baptized.”

What saved them? Their faith.  No action brought about their salvation.  They hadn’t fed any poor people.  They hadn’t been going to church.  They hadn’t in the end, done anything but heard, “God is majestic, and you have sinned, but in Christ you can be reconciled to him,” and they were so cut to the heart that they responded with saving faith

Acts 2 takes us back to the truth that we simply have to tell.  God does the opening of hearts.

Some people won’t like hearing it.  What else is new? This has been true as far back as Genesis.  It has always been true that some people do not want to hear this message.  But some are going to hear it and be saved.  so relational evangelism? Go for it, as long as it turns into actual evangelism. You having out having a beer with your buddy so he can see that Christians are cool is not what we’re called to do.  You’re eventually going to have to open up your mouth and share the gospel.  When the pure gospel is shared, people respond. (p.80-81)

This is a follow up thought to some of the things that i preached yesterday.  It is important for us to understand what it is we are trying to do as we witness.  And primarily it involves “telling of His marvelous deeds!”

What do you think?

Neil Cole writes in his book Organic Church, “Church attendance is not the barometer of how Christianity is doing. Ultimately, transformation is the product of the Gospel.  It is not enough to fill churches; we must transform our world.  Society and culture should change if the church has been truly effective.  Is the church reaching out and seeing lives changed by the Good News of the Kingdom of God? Surely the numbers of Christians will increase once this happens, but filling seats one day a week is not what the Kingdom is all about.  We do Jesus an injustice by reducing His life and ministry to such a sad story as church attendance and membership roles.  The measure of the church’s influence is found in society–on the streets, not in the pews.”

As 2012 begins, I am feeling the Lord prod us along to a deeper place with Him as his people. Pew sitting will not do for the disciple of Christ.  Loving each other deeply, caring for our world in His name, even risking being thought of as freaky spiritual will be our new goal and identity.

These thoughts come from my sermon entitled Good News an exposition of Luke 2:8-15:

Every one of us, whether we have been able to name the longing of our heart or not; feels parched and thirsty in soul.  We need a proper diagnosis for the ache inside, that yearning.  We must understand that the yearning we have is a thirst for God.  Psalm 42 says, “As the deer pants for water so my soul pants for you, oh God.”   Our problem is that we often misdiagnose the pain; and fail to apply the remedy, Good News.

Part of this is because we live in an era, a time, where commodities compete for the position of being the “Good News”.  When in reality they are only imposters.  The Good News of Christmas has been hijacked in America by Walmart and Target, Amazon.com, and Best Buy.  These temples (for people worship in these places)…these new consumer oriented temples offer “a good news” of their own. New identities can be purchased. New experiences are made available.  and everything you buy promises to fill you up, revive and invigorate you.  But it won’t!

The god of Consumerism stuffs our soul with “junk food” so that we fail to have an appetite, a hunger and thirst, for the Good News of God.  Alan Hirsh calls what we do as we move through consumer land, “retail therapy”.  (p. 109) We consume consume consume to the point that we are bloated by our stuff.  It is like eating M and M’s before the thanksgiving meal. We have that great feast before us Turkey Dressing Sweet Potato Casserole, Green Bean Salad.  But we get to the point where we just aren’t hungry for the feast because we’ve stuffed ourselves with all that candy.

This imposter to Good News needs to be called out.  Stop bloating yourself with it.  It will not satisfy the longing of your heart and soul.

I am prayerful this morning for all those that I know that are in trouble. There are so many forms of trouble: Health/Sickness, Vocational/Joblessness, Family, Marriage/Divorce, Financial/Debt, .  Each of these categories represents a person that I have spoken to this week.    In my reading I came across something that is helpful.  This quote comes from Walter Henrichsen’s book, Disciples are Made not Born:

“A proper perspective of God and man shows us that all of the evil and calamity (i.e trouble) that fall upon man is a product of his own folly and sinfulness.  Conversely, all of the good that falls upon a man is a product of God’s grace and mercy.  The natural man takes issue with this.  He, in violent disagreement, would turn this around and say that all of man’s achievements, his blessings, and his progress are attributed to his own ingenuity and greatness.  However, when calamity and disaster strike, he is quick to blame God……People who have trouble attributing all that is good to God and all that is evil and wrong to the sinfulness of man understand neither the character of God nor the character of man.  Now, we must be quick to remind ourselves that circumstances often enter our lives that are a reflection of God’s perfect plan but which we, because of our lack of perspective, interpret to be evil.  Take, for instance, the cross of Calvary.  If you and I had been with the disciples on that eventful day, we, like they, would no doubt have seen the Crucifixion as a tragedy.  Likewise, if we had been with the women at the tomb on that Sunday morning when they found it empty, we like they, would have concluded that a further calamity had struck, that somebody had stolen the body.”

Now as I was musing over this quote I thought about some troubles that I have personally experienced.  My folks divorced when I was young and I think I can safely say that it was because of sin that it happened.  This was trouble due to human willfulness.  But…but…God even took that moment, of evil and calamity and trouble, and used it to bring a blessing into my life.  When I look back from eternity on my life and I come to the divorce, I may have to say that it was the best gift that ever came into my life… because it drove me to the gospel.   Did God “ordain” the divorce.  I don’t know!  I am still musing over that.  God is not the author of sin, but he certainly controls the outcome.

I pray for all my friends in trouble today.  God is working!

Fall at First

Last night in Bible study about 25 of us were looking at 2 Timothy 3:1-5.  Paul said “People will be lovers of themselves, …ungrateful, unholy, ³ without love, unforgiving, …without self-control, …conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— ⁵ having a form of godliness but denying its power.”  We had a great conversation… that developed into a comparison between what “having a form of godliness” means versus having the real “power of godliness.”  We determined that having a form of godliness is where you do all the things that look spiritual (i.e. go to church, teach in church, read the Bible) but don’t exhibit three things that are present as the power of godliness takes hold of the believer.  First, the real power of godliness is present as our lives are marked by holiness. To be marked by holiness means we live life to reflect the character of God, …lovingly, joyfully, peacefully. Second the power of godliness is present as we move through the difficulties of life with trust and assurance that God is in control.  And finally the power of godliness is present as we demonstrate a strong passion for seeing the kingdom of God expand in the world! I want to thank the group last night for the laughs, for the deep thoughts and for being open to a movement of the Spirit that only is possible as we work through God’s Word together!

You will be encouraged and challenged.  We are need more Steve Scheibners who have this life objective.  Watch to the end.

“Life’s Objective: To Seek, Trust and Glorify God Through Humble Service and Continual Prayer.  To Raise Up Qualified Disciples As Quickly As Possible, So That One Day I Might Hear God Say…’Well Done Good and Faithful Servant.’ Steve Scheibner”

In preparation for today at church we pulled together some thoughts of some great churchman from our past.  The book, Taking Hold of God edited by Joel Beeke and Brian Najapfour, is a compilation of thoughts of reformed and puritan thinkers on prayer.  In my reading of this book it inspired three letters to our congregation. We “received” a letter from Martin Luther, John Knox and Jonathan Edwards.  Below is the letter from Jonathan and it quotes him directly.  Be inspired and encouraged toward a life of prayer:

Dear Saints of the Lord,

In the beautiful land and colony of the king of England, Massachusetts, I grew in love and devotion to our Lord.  I watched as people were deeply convicted of His holiness and His grace.  I have written previously and quote myself here as it pertains to our life in prayer:

“While we as believers are praying, God gives us sweet views of his glorious grace, purity, sufficiency, and sovereignty, and enables us with great quietness, to rest in him, to leave ourselves and our prayers with him, submitting to his will and trusting in his grace and faithfulness.”

“Therefore, let the godly take encouragement from hence in your prayers to come boldy to the throne of grace, and to come frequently. It may well be your delight…to come to a God that is so ready at all times to hear and to grant whatever you desire that tends to your blessed happiness.” 

In other words don’t forget to pray!!

Praying for you!

Signed Jonathan Edwards

Our Christian Life Center was full last night as we gathered to have a great meal and to hear a gifted teacher speak.  Stuart and Jill Briscoe are with us for the weekend.  Stuart’s talk last night spoke to the CHURCH.  An excerpt of his teaching had to do with the importance of the group of people that gathers as the church (the called out ones).  They are so important that they complete Jesus and make Him able to be present in our time. Stuart used an illustration of a time as he pastored in Milwaukee when they Elmbrook church was building a new sanctuary.

“When Jesus says I will be with you in Spirit what is Jesus talking about.  I (Stuart) told (tongue and cheek) the contractor to make a small gallery for the spirit. I was joking with him of course.  This Joke is about those who say that they are with us in spirit even though they are not with us in body.  Well the contractor said to me “If you ain’t here in the body you ain’t there period.”  But Jesus says he will be with us in Spirit always. Well the contractor is onto something because you can’t be present in spirit without a body.  He was onto something that goes something like this.  … A body is the means whereby a spirit operates in a geographic location.  So…if the church is the body of Christ then that completes Jesus so that his Spirit is present too. What is the body of Christ but the locus of Jesus’ Spirit.  Could it be that the church is the vehicle through which Christ’s Spirit operates in a geographic location. Yes!! We are the community of the called and the means whereby Jesus is present in the world today.”  Stuart spoke to the necessity of being Church.  Without it there is no place for the Spirit of Jesus to be present. Any thoughts?

Last night we studied 2 Timothy 2 and thought together about the allegiance that we are called to as a soldier of the Lord.  Here we have Major Sullivan Ballou, (2nd Rhode Island Volunteers), as he expresses his commitment to God’s will and call over all else!                                                                                                           .

Ballou married Sarah Hunt Shumway on October 15, 1855. They had two sons, Edgar and William. In his letter to his wife (below), Ballou attempted to crystallize the emotions he was feeling: worry, fear, guilt, sadness and, most importantly, the pull between his love for her and his sense of duty to his country formed by God’s sovereign call upon him.

July 14,1861
Camp Clark, Washington DC

Dear Sarah:

The indications are very strong that we shall move in a few days – perhaps tomorrow. And lest I should not be able to write you again I feel impelled to write a few lines that may fall under your eye when I am no more.

I have no misgivings about, or lack of confidence in the cause in which I am engaged, and my courage does not halt or falter. I know how American Civilization now leans upon the triumph of the government and how great a debt we owe to those who went before us through the blood and suffering of the Revolution. And I am willing – perfectly willing – to lay down all my joys in this life, to help maintain this government, and to pay that debt.

Sarah, my love for you is deathless, it seems to bind me with mighty cables that nothing but omnipotence can break; and yet my love of Country comes over me like a strong wind and bears me irresistibly with all those chains to the battlefield. The memory of all the blissful moments I have enjoyed with you come crowding over me, and I feel most deeply grateful to God and you, that I have enjoyed them for so long. And how hard it is for me to give them up and burn to ashes the hopes and future years, when, God willing, we might still have lived and loved together, and see our boys grown up to honorable manhood around us.

If I do not return, my dear Sarah, never forget how much I loved you, nor that when my last breath escapes me on the battle field, it will whisper your name…

Forgive my many faults, and the many pains I have caused you. How thoughtless, how foolish I have sometimes been!…

But, oh Sarah, if the dead can come back to this earth and flit unseen around those they love, I shall always be with you, in the brightest day and in the darkest night… always, always. And when the soft breeze fans your cheek, it shall be my breath, or the cool air your throbbing temple, it shall be my spirit passing by.

Sarah do not mourn me dead; think I am gone and wait for me, for we shall meet again…

Sincerely,

Major Sullivan Ballou

http://jayandmolly.com/ballouletter.shtml

Ravi Zacharias commenting on this letter says at the end of his A Soldiers Letter presentation: “(Ballou) died one week later at the battle of Bull Run.  Think of the beauty of that letter. All the loves converging in the young heart but only the power of omnipotence could give him the dictates of what he was willing to become and do.”