Two Thoughts to Ponder

Greetings All!

     Today I send to two short and totally unrelated "thoughts" for you to ponder.  The first is "Doubt as the Doorway to Truth" by Madeleine L'Engle.  I have found this to be true in my own experience.  In fact, about three years after I came to Christ, I prayed for greater faith. The result (quite to my surprise) was to be assaulted by many doubts that seemed to come out of nowhere!  It confused me entirely. I asked for faith and I received doubts It wasn't until later that I realized that it was in seeking answers to those doubts that faith came.  God's ways are not our own! 

     
     The second "thought" is a true story passed on to me by a friend who leads short term mission trips overseas -- Paul Hatmacher of "Churches in Missions.'  It's a story that displays the providential intervention of God in the life of one very unsuspecting man.  Enjoy!

Doubt as the Doorway to Truth 

     "We are often taught that it is unfaithful to question traditional beliefs, but I believe that we must question them continually -- not God, not Christ, who are at the center of our lives... but what human beings say about God and about Christ. Otherwise, like the church establishment of Galileo's day, we truly become frozen people. Galileo's discoveries did nothing whatsoever to change the nature of God; they threatened only man's rigid ideas of the nature of God....

     The great metaphysical poet, John Donne, writes: 'To come to a doubt, and a debatement of any religious duty, is the voice of God in our conscience: Would you know the truth? Doubt, and then you will inquire." If my religion is true, it will stand up to all my questioning. There is no need to fear. But if it is not true, if it is man imposing strictures on God (as men of the religious establishment did in the days of Galileo) then I want to be open to God, not what men say about God. I want to be open to revelation, to new life, to new birth, to new light. Revelation. Listening. Humility. Remember -- the root word of humble and human is the same: Humus. Earth.  We are dust. We are created. It is God who made us and not we ourselves."

An Incredible Story 

     "Joseph Stalin ordered the purge of all Bible's and believers in Russia.  Millions of Bibles were confiscated and multitudes of believers were sent to die in prison camps.  Recently, COMission Ministry, sent a team to Stravopol (east of the Black Sea in Russia) and had literally thousands trust in Christ. They needed Bibles and heard from a local that there was a warehouse outside of town where Stalin had the Bibles stored.  Wondrously, the officials gave them permission to check it out and they found thousands of Bibles that had been taken from believers.  So the team hired students from a local college to clean out the warehouse. 

     One young man they hired was a skeptic, but he accepted the job for the money.  As the day wore on they noticed the young man had disappeared. They eventually found him in the corner of the warehouse weeping. He had slipped away having taken a Bible.  What he found shook him to the core.  Out of the thousands of Bibles, he had found one belonging to his grandmother... a woman persecuted all her life, who had died in prison.  No wonder he was weeping.  God had just dramatically revealed Himself to this young man.  His grandmother had no doubt prayed for him and for that city. Her prayers had followed him. And now this young man's life has been transformed by the very Bible that his grandmother found so dear." 

     God's ways truly are mysterious - beyond searching out (Romans 11:33).  He moves and guides in ways we least expect. "The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps" (Prov. 16:9). Little did that skeptic know at the beginning of the day (following his hearts desire for a little extra money) that his life would be blessed in an infinitely greater way by the time he headed home that evening.  God's ways are so much higher than ours -- and always better!

Living in the Grace of Jesus, Pastor Jeff

What Path Do I Follow

Greetings Everyone!

     Today's "thought" took me back to the days just prior to, and shortly after becoming a follower of Jesus. I was 23 and could barely think of much other than Jesus -- who He was, what He had done, what His call on my life meant, and how obeying that call would change everything in my life.  I did lose friends.  One called me a "religious fanatic."  Others politely avoided me.  And, yes, I'm not faultless. I did suffer from earnest zeal without knowledge or the wisdom that comes from experience. It's not all that untypical for a person who finally discovers that Jesus is real and wants to make sure everyone else does too (mistakenly thinking it's totally up to them). Sometimes (I have to confess) I've wished I could go back in time and approach some people and situations a bit more wisely than I did, for in some cases I'm sure I did more harm than good to the cause of Christ.

Yet, in other ways I miss many aspects of that "first love" stage. That spiritual discovery stage where everything about the faith is so new and fresh!  A time when I was less "balanced,"  had not gotten into many of the burdensome or restricting routines and responsibilities of life, and was more of an adventurer and risk taker for Jesus.  Maybe some of you can remember that stage in your life.  And if it is merely a memory, with little of it remaining, maybe you need to ask what happened to make it fade?  Do you miss it?  Have you prayed for the Lord to restore it?  Have you followed Jesus' spiritual prescription for those who have "lost their first love"  where He says in Revelation 2:5: "Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent (for letting it happen), and do the things you did at first."   Consider this excerpt from Kyle Idleman's book, "Not a Fan," and see if you (like me) might not need to repent and seek a new portion of God's ever-fresh and spirit-renewing grace. Enjoy.

     "In Matthew 19 we find a man whose name we don't know.  We learn enough from the Gospels to know he is referred to as the "Rich Young Ruler." He's followed a path that has led to wealth and power. (That's the path most of us are trying to find.) He comes to Jesus with a question. In verse 16 he asks: "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"

    You have to give him credit for asking the right question. He wants to know how to get to heaven. But even the way he asks it reveals the heart of a fan [and not a follower]. He asks, what must "I do"?  That word could be translated "acquire" or "earn." He thinks it's going to be an impressive resume that will get him in. Eventually Jesus tells him what he must do. In verse 21 he says: "Sell all your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasures in heaven. Then come, follow me."  Jesus invites the man to become his follower, but first the man is told to sell all his possessions and give to the poor. He's faced with the choice of following Jesus or keeping his stuff, but he couldn't do both. There is no way to follow Jesus without denying himself. Many people want to make this story about money, but it's not as much about money as it is about following Jesus. Jesus puts this man at a crossroads. He can follow the path that leads to money, or he can follow Jesus; but he can't follow both.

     So what does this mean for you and me? Is selling everything a requirement to follow Jesus? Well, it may be. In fact, I would say the more defensive you are of Jesus' words to this man, the more likely it is that Jesus might be saying them to you.  What is true is that everyone who follows Jesus will find himself or herself at a similar crossroads as this man in Matthew 19.  You won't be able to take the path of following Jesus without walking away from a different path. He wanted to follow Jesus, but when forced to choose between Jesus and his stuff, he chose his stuff. He wouldn't deny himself.  What choice will you make? 

     A few years ago I was pretty deep into some tribal areas of Africa. One night I finished preaching a message to a crowd of a few dozen people. I presented the gospel and the invitation of Jesus to follow him.  There were two young men, probably in their twenties, who accepted Christ and committed to follow him. The following afternoon these two men showed up at the house where we were staying. They each carried a good sized bag over their shoulder. I went over and asked the local missionary we were staying with why they had come. He explained that these two men would no longer be welcomed by their families or in their village. When I heard that, I was afraid that maybe this was going to be more than they would be willing to go along with.  About that time the missionary said to me, "They knew this would happen when they made the decision."

     They were choosing Jesus over their families. They were choosing Jesus over their own comfort and convenience, and "fans" don't do that. Only true followers are willing to deny themselves and say, "I choose Jesus. I choose Jesus over my family. I choose Jesus over money. I choose Jesus over career goals. I am his completely. I choose Jesus over looking at porn. I choose Jesus over a redecorated house. I choose Jesus over my freedom.  I choose Jesus over what other people think of me."  A follower makes a decision every day to deny himself and choose Jesus, even if it costs everything. When we sacrificially deny ourselves for Christ's sake it is the clearest evidence of our committed love. A committed love is best demonstrated through sacrifice. When we deny ourselves for another person it communicates true love."

     In light of what he says each one of us must ask: "What path do I follow?  If love is shown by sacrifice and self-denial for the sake of another, do I show such a love for Jesus in my life?  Since I cannot follow two paths (or two Masters), when given the option between family, money, career goals, porn, freedom, a redecorated house, what people think of me, or Jesus, what do (or will) I choose?  What have I chosen in the past? Am I still just a fan, or have I become a follower? Do I admire Jesus from a distance, sitting in the stands and cheering, or have I walked down onto the field of play to become a true, committed, disciple?"   Read Revelation 2:1-7.  Do you remember the heights from which you have fallen?  Has the Holy Spirit convicted you with the need to repent?  Will you take Jesus at His word and return to, "doing the things you did at first"?

In His Service, Pastor Jeff

The Best Advice I Ever Got

Greetings All,

This week's thoughts come from a book entitled, "The Best Advice I Ever Got," a book of wit and wisdom for graduates, published by Zondervan.  I offer you just three of the many selections in the book. They are helpful and wise. I trust you will enjoy them!

1. "Humility is the mark of a true winner."    Coach Charlie Siesky

     "My coach was one of the winningest coaches in the history of Indiana track and field. It was the first meet of my sophomore year.  I had done well the previous season, but I knew I could accomplish more and trained rigorously to do so. When I finished in first place I pumped my fist in the air and raised my finger to signal my first victory. I was shocked, however, to see a picture of this in the local newspaper the next morning. Even though it hadn't been my intention, it looked as if I was signaling that I was number one.  That day is when coach Siesky offered his words of wisdom. He taught me, "humility is the mark of a true winner." 

     That season I went on to win all but four meets, I set and broke the city record twice and was named to the all-state team. My picture appeared in the newspaper five more times, but never again with my finger raised."

James Cullum --  Minister and Author

2. "It can't be sunshine all the time or the flowers wouldn't grow for lack of rain."   (Words to Francine Rivers from her mother.)

     "My mother wrote these words of wisdom to me in a letter during my college years when i was struggling. I was working part time and having difficulty completing my courses, and her timely encouragement gave me the fresh perspective and boost I needed. I've never forgotten those important words. They have carried me through many trials over the years. What I have learned is that there is no achievement without struggle. The Lord uses trials and trouble to draw us to him and to teach us to rely on his strength rather than our own. He develops our character and faith through all the difficulties of life on this earth."

Francine Rivers - Author 

3. "No one can be everything to another person."   (Unnamed church lady.)

     "When my daughter was born, I felt a huge amount of responsibility to be sure that I was able to give her everything she needed. I often felt discouraged and anxious sensing that I was unable to ensure her future success or even keep her as safe and well as I thought I should. Once, while I was murmuring and self-deprecating to a woman at my church, she interrupted me and said: "You can't be everything to your daughter or anyone else. Pray that God will bridge the gap between what you can give her and what she needs." Those words were a revelation and a relief to me.

     I've incorporated that principle into every area of my life. Before I begin a writing project, prepare for a speaking engagement, or deal with an issue with a friend or family member, I pray that God will bridge the gap between what I can give and what is needed. This does not mean that I ever do less than my very best, but it does allow me to accept my limitations and refocus my perspective onto God's vast resources. What I really love is when I realize that God is using me to bridge the gap for someone else." 

Nancy Rue - Author and Speaker

     God DOES call us to do things we cannot do.  That is what drives us in faith, and the reliance of a hope mixed with desperation, to seek Him who is faithful to fill the broad gap between our can't and His can.  For he is, as Paul says, "able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or think" (Eph. 3:20).  Were He never to ask us to do what cannot be done humanly speaking, we would never know the sufficiency of His power and grace to compensate for our human weakness. 

May the Lord encourage you in your walk this day.

In His Service, Pastor Jeff

Harvard University's Original Purpose and Mission Statement

Greetings All,

     Today's 'thought' was one of interest to me as one who loves and dabbles in history.  It is an article that shares Harvard University's Original Purpose and Mission Statement and how it has changed. The author -- Dr. Georgia Purdom -- did not know this, found it interesting, and so I thought you may find it interesting as well.
     At a time of year when people are making new resolutions, I thought Harvard's original missions statement might be one you may consider adopting for the upcoming year (and maybe beyond)!  For although it is true that like so many they have not kept their resolution, it was/is a worthy resolution, and therefore I submit it to you for your consideration!  Enjoy.

     "Yesterday our pastor shared with the congregation an interesting story about Harvard University’s seal and motto. The original motto, “Truth (Veritas) for Christ (Christo) and the Church (Ecclesiae),” was adopted in 1692 and was a part of their original seal as seen below (in Latin):

     The motto and shield with this original verbiage can still be found at multiple places on Harvard’s campus. It may be difficult to discern from this picture, but the Harvard Graduate Christian Community website states the following: "Interestingly, the top two books on the shield are face up while the bottom book is face down. This symbolizes the limits of reason, and the need for God’s revelation." 

     At some point in Harvard’s history the motto was changed to simply “Truth” and the seal changed to that pictured below:

     In the modern Harvard seal notice all three books now face up. This symbolizes a belief that there is no limit to man’s reasoning and God’s revelation is no longer needed. The change in the motto reflects a change in the university’s mission.

     The Harvard Graduate Christian Community website states this:

     

     1. Harvard University was founded in 1636 with the intention of establishing a school to train Christian ministers. In accordance with that vision, Harvard’s “Rules and Precepts,” adopted in 1646, stated: 

     2. Let every Student be plainly instructed, and earnestly pressed to consider well, the main end of his life and studies is, to know God and Jesus Christ which is eternal life (John 17:3) and therefore to lay Christ in the bottom, as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and learning. And seeing the Lord only gives wisdom, let every one seriously set himself by prayer in secret to seek it of him (Prov. 2:3).

     3. Every one shall so exercise himself in reading the Scriptures twice a day, that he shall be ready to give such an account of his proficiency therein, both in theoretical observations of language and logic, and in practical and spiritual truths, as his Tutor shall require, according to his ability; seeing the entrance of the word gives light, it gives understanding to the simple (Psalm 119:130). 

     This is obviously no longer their mission, and thus “Christ and the Church” were removed from the motto. How sad to see a university that was founded by a minister—solidly believing that knowledge, wisdom, and understanding come only from God’s Word—now believe that truth can be found apart from God and elevate man above God as the ultimate authority."

     With prayers for a spiritually prosperous new year.  In His Service, Pastor Jeff

Relativism

Greetings All,

This weeks 'thought' comes to you from John Piper.  It is found in his book, "Think - The Life of the Mind and the Love of God." And though it will require some thinking, and an intellectual critique of the major under girding beliefs of our culture, it is worth the time to consider it, since what's at stake is knowing God, and loving God, and even being saved (John 17:3). Enjoy!  


"The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being."  Hebrews 1:3

    "Jesus is the fullest revelation of God. 'Whoever has seen me,' he said, 'has seen the Father' (John 14:9). This means that knowing and loving Jesus is the test of knowing and loving God... 'The one who rejects me, rejects him who sent me' (Luke 10:16).  If they loved God they would love him. Why?  Because he makes God known more clearly and more fully than any other revelation. 

     Therefore, the main reason Jesus says to love God with all our mind (Mark 12:30) is that the mind is the faculty for thinking about Jesus, and therefore about God. If we do not use our minds to know and think about the fullest revelation of God in the person and work of Jesus, we would not know God... God has given us minds so that, by thinking with the Spirit's help, we can know the truth and beauty and worth of God through Jesus and treasure him above all things, and spend our lives expressing this in as many ways as our minds can pursue... Loving God with all our mind means that our thinking is wholly engaged to do all it can to awaken and express the heartfelt fullness of treasuring God above all things.

Yet everything I have said so far is pointless if knowing is impossible, or if nothing is there to know [as would be the case if relativism was true]...

    The pursuit of knowing God for the sake of loving God would be vain if there were no such thing as reliable, objective knowledge of real things. But one of the most common notions today is that such knowledge is impossible. One of the names for this attitude is relativism...        Some [relativists] claim there is no objective, knowable reality outside ourselves. They say that our thinking does not produce reliable knowledge of God or anything else outside of us.  Instead, our observations and our thinking simply give rise to expressions of personal or communal preferences and perspectives. So thinking does not lead us to universally valid truth or beauty or goodness defined by the nature and will of God, it simply leads us to expressions of what we feel and perceive... In this view, truth, if the word is used at all, does not refer to universally true statements about God and man and life. It may refer to your own inner integrity--acting in accord with the world as you see it. But it doesn't refer to truth that all people should agree with...
Relativism comes into play when someone says, 'There is no knowable, objective, external standard for right and wrong that is valid for everyone...' This is the essence of relativism: no one standard of true and false, right and wrong, good and bad, or beautiful and ugly, can preempt any other standard. No standard is valid for everyone...

     One seed of relativism is the deep, sinful, human desire not to be ruled by God or by any standard claiming the authority of God. This deep-seated rebellion can express itself in many ways. One is simply to say: 'God, I don't bow to your standards. I create my own.'   Another more subtle and more common way to rebel is to say: 'God's standards don't exist.' Or: 'God's standards can't be known. That is, there is no universally valid standard for judging my behavior. Therefore I am free from any authority outside myself. I can do as I please.' These are the seeds of relativism.  This is where it comes from.

     [Yet] relativism is not a coherent philosophical system. It is riddled with contradictions -- both logical and experiential... Claiming truth for a statement that nullifies truth is self-contradictory... And every businessman knows that philosophical relativists park their relativism at the door when they go into the bank and read the language of the contract they are about to sign.

     People don't embrace relativism because it is philosophically satisfying, they embrace it because it is physically and emotionally gratifying. It provides the cover they need at key moments in their lives to do what they want without intrusion from absolutes."

In other words, most relativists don't really believe in relativism; they simply use relativism when its to their advantage and reject it when its not.  In fact, at its core relativism is really little more than a sophisticated form of pragmatism which seeks to give people a rational (though contradictory and intellectually incoherent) basis for living in a duplicitous way -- confessing one thing, but following it only when it benefits them.

     For instance, though relativists deny all moral absolutes, they often adhere to the absolutes they deny when relativism would be to their disadvantage.  When a cashier at a store is supposed to give them $50 dollars change after a purchase, and instead shoves $45 of it in their own pocket and gives them only a $5 bill as change, I have yet to see any professed relativist say: "Oh, that's fine, after all everything is relative."   The same is true in regard to abusing their children, burning down their house, or stealing their car (especially if it's uninsured). In such cases I dare say most relativists I know would react as if the absolute nature of the 8th commandment was indeed absolute! They would interpret,"Thou shalt not steal,"  to mean, "Thou shalt not steal" (at least, not from me)!
     Yet when it comes to the 7th commandment which forbids adultery outright, the, "Thou shalt not" -- when such people find themselves tempted to do so, and do not want to resist -- is conveniently said to be relative, and an appeal is made to the relativist's creed: "Everything is relative, there are no moral absolutes"  (irrational and self-contradicting as that statement is).

What then is relativism?  A philosophy used to justify making the self, instead of God, the arbitrator of all absolutes. Not doing away with absolutes, but affirming absolutes when their relativism would be to their disadvantage, and denying absolutes when relativism can be used to thier advantage.  In that sense we could say that relativism is the ultimate expression of self-centered thinking.
     It not only leads to the inability to know (and thus love) God -- and in a very real way experience His salvation -- it also (as we can so easily see in our society) leads to selfishness and ungodliness in all of its least desirable forms. As Piper goes on to point out: "The immoral dimension of relativism is most obvious when relativists live their lives. They simply do no live them as if relativism is true. Professors may play the academic game of relativism in their classes, but... Nobody is a relativist when his case is being tried in court and his objective innocence hangs on objective evidence. The whole system of relativism is a morally corrupting impulse. It brings with it duplicity and hypocrisy. It is a great bluff."

When Jesus said the truth will set you free, He meant us to understand that objective and unchangeable truth exists. And it is our task under God to search for it, find it, believe it, and then live in accordance with it -- and not just us, but all people everywhere.   In the Name of Him Who is the Way, the Truth and the Life,  Pastor Jeff  

Creation - Revelation - Salvation

Greetings All,

This week's 'thought' comes to you from John R. W. Stott in the opening paragraphs of his book, "Basic Christianity." I have been leading a Thursday night discipleship group using the IVP Study based on this book, and called "Christ - Basic Christianity." The words he writes are a needed reminder in a world that often thinks that we determine our own destiny; are the "captain of our souls," and thus the initiators when it comes to the search for God and salvation. Enjoy.

"'In the beginning God.' The first four words of the Bible are more than an introduction to the creation story or to the book of Genesis. They supply the key which opens our understanding to the Bible as a whole. They tell us that the religion of the Bible is a religion of the initiative of God.

You can never take God by surprise. You can never anticipate him. He always makes the first move. He is always there 'in the beginning.' Before man existed, God acted. Before man stirs himself to seek God, God has sought man. In the Bible we do not see man groping after God; we see God reaching after man. Many people visualize a God who sits comfortably on a distant throne, remote, aloof, uninterested, and indifferent to the needs of mortals, until, it may be, they can badger him into taking action on their behalf. Such a view is wholly false. The Bible reveals a God who, long before it even occurs to man to turn to him, while man is still lost in darkness and sunk in sin, takes the initiative, rises from his throne, lays aside his glory, and stoops to seek until he finds him.

This sovereign, anticipating activity of God is seen in many ways. He has taken the initiative in creation, bringing the universe and its contents into existence... He has taken the initiative in revelation, making known to mankind both his nature and his will... (and) He has taken the initiative in salvation, coming in Jesus Christ to set men and women free from their sins... God has created. God has spoken. God has acted. These three statements of God's initiative in three different spheres form the summary of the religion of the Bible...

Christianity is not just pious talk. It is neither a collection of religious ideas nor a catalogue of rules. It is a 'gospel' (i.e. good news) -- in Pauls words 'the gospel of God... concerning his Son... Jesus Christ our Lord.' It is not primarily an invitation to man to do anything; it is supremely a declaration of what God has done in Christ for human beings like ourselves."

Years beforehand A. W. Tozer had said nearly the same thing in his book, The Pursuit of God:

"Before a man can seek God, God must have sought the man... We pursue God because, and only because, He has first put an urge within us that spurs us to that pursuit. 'No one can come to me,' said our Lord, 'except the Father which has sent me draw him,' and it is this very prevenient drawing that takes from us every vestige of credit for the act of coming. The impulse to pursue God originates with God, but the outworking of that impulse is our following hard after Him, all the time we are pursuing him we are already in His hand: 'Thy right hand upholdeth me' (Ps. 63:8). In this divine 'upholding' and human 'following' there is no contradiction. All is of God, for as von Hugel teaches, God is always previous. In practice, however, (that is, where God's previous working meets man's present response) man must pursue God."

He truly is, as Francis Thompson once wrote, The Hound of Heaven. To His name be the glory for all that He has done and continues to do.

May your trust be in Him, Pastor Jeff