Wednesday, April 27, 2011

The Worlds Greatest Story

Once upon eternity, God was and is and would ever be. He is the starting point of the story, the source of all creation. God made Earth, home to a perfect Garden paradise where the first humans-Adam and Eve-were to live as worshipers by loving Him, serving Him, and enjoying relationship with Him. There was perfect harmony rooted in love, acceptance, and intimacy, by which Adam and Eve enjoyed immense freedom to steward creation. Just one restriction was imposed for their good: God commanded them not to eat fruit from a specific tree.

As amazing as this perfect world was, God's enemy wanted to destroy it. Soon, dark clouds gathered over paradise: The Enemy tempted Adam and Eve to disobedience. In rebellion, they chose to disobey God and eat the fruit. The consequences were devastating. Sin came into every human and into all creation, destroying harmony. Adam and Eve, and all humans since, were now fallen and separated from God, in desperate need to be made right with Him once again.

God did not leave His creation to suffer forever under sin's grip. A promise made by God set our hope upon a rescue through a perfect Savior who could conquer sin and the Enemy. In Jesus Christ, God's Son, we see that promise kept. By Jesus' sinless life and substitutionary death, He secured the only possible rescue from sin.

One day, those who have put their trust in Jesus alone will experience the fullness of the rescue secured through Christ's substitutionary death on the cross. When God makes all things new, everything will be restored to its original perfection. Then all who have put their faith in Jesus Christ's perfect life, atoning death, and conquering resurrection will be forever with God, loving Him, serving Him, and enjoying a relationship with Him forever, just as God had intended from the beginning.

Intrigued by the story, read the whole story here...http://viewthestory.com/3156

Friday, April 22, 2011

What Easter means to me

Here God speak this truth over you this Easter season:
I love you so much that I crushed my Son under the full fury of my righteous wrath for you. In the Garden of Gethsemane, my Son cried out for this bitter cup to pass from him. And I remained silent. Why? Because I love you that much. And when my Son uttered that shriek on the cross, unlike any other protest in all of history, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" I again remained silent. Why? To convince you that I love you. Behold the supreme demonstration of my love-the cross-the death of my Son. What more can I say? What else do you require to be convinced of my love for you?"

Remember, wherever you are, whatever your circumstance God loves you. Today, ponder this truth-it was the Father's love-his love for sinners who richly deserved his righteous wrath-that moved Him to sacrifice His only Son as our substitute.

Friday, April 15, 2011

A Message of hope for Homosexuals


Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men/women who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.-1 Corinthians 6:9-11

I know that a lot of you reading this only clicked on the link because you were angry with me and wanted to find some way you could disagree. I want you to know that contrary to popular belief I do not hate you. I love you and that is why I must tell you that if you are a practicing homosexual, you must stop living as a homosexual and turn to Jesus. Here is what the Bible teaches:

1 Corinthians 6:9; starts with very bad news. Paul is the author of this book of the Bible and he is writing to a church in Corinth, (hence the title). Paul writing under the guidance of God writes that no one who insists on justifying unrepentant, ongoing homosexual behavior (no exceptions) can be saved. Unrepentant, practicing homosexuals are excluded from heaven (1 Cor. 6:9).

But, there is hope!

The exclusion is self-inflicted, and ANYONE who has ever engaged in homosexual sin (again no exceptions) can repent (turn from homosexual acts), trust in Jesus, be forgiven and so enter Heaven (1 Cor 6:9-11).

In order though to be forgiven it requires both confession and repentance. Confession means we agree that God is right to condemn sin, and you must start agreeing that homosexual behavior is sin. Repentance means actually turning away from the sin for which God is right to condemn us, so you must also forsake homosexual behavior.

If you confess, repent, and trust in Christ you can become a FORMER homosexuals. Authentic repentance is demonstrated by a radical change of life,“That is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified” (1 Cor 6:11). The verb tense in Greek treats homosexuality as a condition that can be forsaken (completely left behind). It is NOT a permanent state that must always characterize the way one is. Two words for “homosexual” appear in the Greek text both referring to a state of existence (of being). Combined with the verb tense used, the text makes homosexuality (as a state of existence) something that can be changed, left behind—something some you were but no longer are.

The message is: homosexual identity does not need to be permanent—homosexual sin excludes a person from the kingdom of God if and only if that person insists upon justifying unrepentant, on-going homosexual behavior. Look to Christ, confess and repent of your sins and trust in Christ and you will live forever with Him in Heaven.

Monday, April 11, 2011

What I will miss

Yesterday, I was smacked in the face with the reality that Julia and I have only fifteen months left in the States.  In fifteen months, Julia and I will be saying good-bye to family, friends, and loved ones in order to travel to the other side of the world and proclaim the message of Christ to a people group who does not know Jesus.  We will be gone for 2-3 years with little to no contact with anyone back home.  I am scared and sad over all I will miss...

I will miss my family.
I will miss talking on the phone with my mom every Sunday.
I will miss asking my dad for advice and talking about basketball and theology with him.
I will miss my sister getting married to the man of her dreams.
I will miss my brother becoming acclimated to life in the army as well as finding a girlfriend.
I will miss Julia's family.
I will miss theological/ministry conversations with her dad and asking for advice concerning cars.
I will miss her moms amazing cooking and self-less attitude.
I will miss her sister getting married to the man of her dreams.
I will miss her brother growing up into a man and living for God.
I will miss the Hills, Dotys and Hamiltons.
I will miss family vacations, and get together during the Holidays.
I will miss the comforts of America. AC, Food, Entertainment.
I will miss friends.  We are becoming close with the members of our small group and making friends with all of our neighbors. I will miss everyone.

It will be very hard to say good-bye to everyone and everything.  I am broken and sad over all we are leaving behind. No-one said it would be this hard.



Saturday, April 9, 2011

Walk on the Grass


Sometimes, it's not proper etiquette to walk on the grass.  But occasionally, I like to veer off of the sidewalk and stroll through the grass anyway.  It's not just because I'm a rebel, but to remind myself of my purpose in life.  Walking on the grass keeps me honest.  As a preacher, I can't always walk where people expect me to.  Our world has posted signs everywhere in the social and moral scene saying, "Don't walk on the grass!"  In other words, "Mind your own business; let me live as I want; don't tell me I'm wrong."  But God calls us to speak to people where they live, in their joy and pain, and yes, in their sin.

I can't stay off the grass and stay true to God at the same time.  When I preach, I want people to sip on the sweet wine of righteousness and gag on the bitter dregs of sin.  The message of judgment has all but fallen out of our vocabulary.  The hope of the Lord's return and the threat of his awful dealings with sin is sometimes mocked, even by evangelicals. 

Such a message which lashes out against lying, cheating, divorce, abortion, racism, adultery, homosexuality, gossip, and smut will not be readily received by a world that knows nothing else.  But God has commissioned us to proclaim the horrors of sin and the glories of Christ.  Christ is our only hope, and without him people will forever suffer in hell.  We must remind people that life is short, and death will come to us all. 

Shout it from the mountain tops and the valleys, "God hates sin and loves righteousness."  To the world, this message is taboo.  What could be more socially incorrect?  But even our loving Lord, who forgave the immoral woman, also turned over tables and chased defilers out of the temple.  Yes, our Lord has a whip.  Without Christ we will all die in our sin and perish in hell. To say this is more than any person can take.  But this is the message, the only message that we have.  Our culture tells us that making such claims is walking on forbidden grass.  Yet, if Christ's own family at times thought he was crazy (Mk 3:20-35), how much more foolish will we look in this world? 

Preachers, don't lose your focus.  God ordained you as truth-tellers.  Herald that message as though your life depends on it, for surely it does.  Tell your people the whole truth.  Judgment is coming unless they turn to Christ as the only forgiveness of sin.  Preachers, walk on the grass!  Stand up for the truth!  Proclaim God's word without shame!  It's our responsibility to walk where God walks, and that includes on the grass.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

The Story

 The Creator-Redeemer is at work,


to re-establish a relationship with His own,






from among the nations for His glory.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Found: God's Will


As an individual who has spent the majority of my collegiate academic career in private Christian Universities I have heard the term “call” used a lot.  The word “call” comes into play concerning an individual assuming the role of a pastor, missionary, etc.  In every ministry class I have been enrolled in, the professor has taken time to explain the “call”.  As I prepare to serve overseas with the IMB, everyone continues to ask me to explain to them my “call” to missions.  Whenever the meeting takes a turn to begin talking about a “call” to missions or to the ministry, I never know how to respond.  I know what they want me to say, they want me to explain about “the” time when I felt God’s leading toward missions.  The problem is however, I am not sure if there ever was a specific time or if I have always just heard about the great need of taking the Gospel overseas and therefore “wanted” to go.  I had always appeased the person asking the question.  I explained to him/her about a desire I had to serve overseas and then I talked about my experience working with inter-national students both in America and abroad; this was my common answer…until last week.  Last week I was in chapel and a speaker was talking about a “call” to ministry.  He said, “that a “call” to the ministry will sustain you when times get tough. If you do not have a call then you are more likely to leave the mission field or abandon the pulpit.”   This statement by the speaker started me on an all out search for answers.   What does the Bible say about the will of God or a call to ministry?  What about other resources?   What do books, speakers, and fellow believers say? 

Most Christians have struggled in similar ways as I did to discover God's specific calling for them.  I want to explore the idea of a calling, and see if this is really the best way to talk or think about ministry.  In 1980, Garry Friesen wrote a book titled, Decision Making and the Will of God.  Friesen argues that there is no specific will of God for each believer.  Rather, believers should make wise decisions based on what Scripture has revealed.  Friesen deals in detail with all of the passages that supposedly promote the specific will of God.  So, I don't want to just rehash those same passages.   

Rather, I want to briefly discuss whether or not there is a calling to missions or ministry in general.  I think this is needed because 1) not everyone will read Friesen's 400 page book, and 2) because the idea of a calling plays such a big part in the language and beliefs of the average Christian.  I am finding that an understanding of a calling affects the way Christians make decisions and the way they counsel others.  Thus, there are lots of ramifications to this idea of a calling.  So, we do well to explore it.  

As I move into the process of applying for the apprenticeship program with the International Mission Board, I'm talking to lots of missionaries about where I might serve.  Frequently, I'm counseled to go where God is calling me.  By "calling" I understand them to mean a strong sense that God is clearly leading me in a certain direction.

Go Where God Calls
What frustrates me with the advice "go where God calls you" or "find where God is working and join him" is that it is given as sort of the panacea answer, the ultimate solution to all my questions and doubts.  But this advice only begs the question.  To tell me to go where God is calling me leaves unanswered the very question it proposes to answer-Where do I go?
As we think about a calling, let's consider the first missionary journey in Acts 13:2.  It says, "And while they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them'" (NASV).  The other passage that comes to mind regarding God's call to missions is the Macedonian Call in Acts 16.  Paul wanted to preach in Asia, but was forbidden by the Spirit, and a vision led him over to Macedonia.  Many Christians conclude that all believers must therefore have this kind of clear calling.  But, can we make either of these experiences the standard for all other missionaries?  If so, why?  Nowhere does Scripture promise this sort of clarity when doing God's will. 

For a moment, let's take a look at pastoring.  If there's any Christian vocation that warrants a call, other than being a missionary, it's pastoring.  Most pastors I know talk about a calling to the pastorate.  So let's look at a few passages about pastoring.  First Timothy 3:1 says, "If a man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do."  Ephesians 4:11 says Jesus "gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers."  And 1 Peter 5:2 exhorts elders or pastors to "shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for gain, but with eagerness."  None of these three passages talks about a call, but they do talk about qualifications and desire.  First Peter 5:2 mentions the will of God, but there's a textual variant at this point, so it might also be rendered, "not by compulsion but willingly," as the NKJV has it.  But, even if the original reading is as the NASV has it, the phrase "the will of God" is a far cry from establishing our modern day concept of God's call to the pastorate.

Four Guiding Principles
As I examine the above passages and other Scripture regarding pastoring and missions, I see no warrant for what we often mean by God's calling: a strong, clear, and unalterable sense of God's leading.  Rather, I think the whole idea of serving on the mission field, or any other ministry, is best talked about in terms of: 1) gifting and qualifications, 2) obedience, 3) desire, and 4) faith.
1)      Gifting and qualification are significant.  If you tell a mission organization God has called you to a particular country, they're not going to send you based on that alone.  You'll have to meet other qualifications (lot's of other qualifications).  And rightfully so.

2)      Obedience to Scripture is also of utmost importance.  In general, we know that Christ wants to reach the nations for his name sake (Hosea 2:23, Acts 28:28).  We can confidently say that missions work is a good and noble thing.  Scripture commands it (Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8) so it's got to be the right thing to do, in most cases.  Christians in the U.S. saying God hasn't called them to missions are mistaken.  Unless uncontrollable circumstances prevail, like a sick spouse or rebellious child, etc, no Christian has a right to say that cross-cultural missions isn't for him.  He can at least take a two-week trip into another culture before concluding he's not gifted for cross-cultural living.

3)      Desire is also a key player here.  Psalm 37:4 says to "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart."  I take this to mean that when you are delighting in God, he will give you what you are desiring to have (also see Psalm 20:4, 145:19, Pro 10:24).  These passages lead me to believe that wanting to do something, while not the most important thing is nonetheless important.  Yes, sometimes we need to do some things whether we want to or not.  And God doesn't say that he will always give us what we want, but God is not against us wanting to be where we're going to serve. 

4)      Faith really is the bottom line of where we live every day.  It doesn't matter how sure we are of a decision to go to a particular people group, or to marry a certain godly person, it's still a step of faith.  We have the promise that Christ will never leave us or forsake us on this life's journey, but there's no guarantee that it will always be an easy journey.  

I think that from God's perspective, since he is absolutely sovereign, he does in fact have a specific will for us.  By virtue of his sovereign control, it must have specific ramifications.  But, from ourperspective his specific will for each of us isn't something we have to discover.  God doesn't promise clarity at this point.  The Bible will guide us into truth, and when we have to decide on things not specifically covered in Scripture, like which country we personally should serve in, then biblical principles like the four discussed above can guide us.  I suggest that a calling is not the best way to talk or think about our approach to missions (or to any other ministry).  Instead, it might be better to talk about what we are gifted to do, what we truly want to do, and what is the biblical thing to do.  Some might ask, "Why not say that the four things you've presented are part of God's calling rather than different from it?  Why do the things you've suggested have to be opposed to a belief in a call?"  They're different because the assumption made when we talk about God's call is that it's definite, something that can be verified, something that is obligatory, something that can't be influenced by others, and something specific to us.  But, Scripture doesn't teach this concept of a call for all believers, or even for most believers.  Although the view I've espoused here has its weaknesses (i.e., there's still confusion about making the wisest choice), it seems to be a better biblical model than the idea of a calling.  Some might argue that a calling is the only thing that will keep you on the field when things get rough, but I suggest that other noble things, such as God's sustaining grace, can keep you there too.