veritas

Be of good cheer

2009-10-28T07:43:00.005-07:00

Fall is such a great time of year, it is my favorite season. Cool evenings, warm days, change in the air, slowing down, harvest time, quail hunting season, football games, Thanksgiving gatherings, time for playing with kids, counting our blessings and giving.

What makes life good is the right focus. I am certain that many bad things happen in the fall, just as they do at other times throughout the year. What makes the fall season better is how my focus changes. In other words, the reason for the change is spiritual, not material.

But not merely spiritual. A lot of spiritual things can be very negative and harmful. Things like anger, worry, depression or lust. The secret of a happy life is God's grace and truth. God's word is good news for sinners, help for hurting, strength for the weary, courage for the fearful, and hope of glory for the burned out.

Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, (14) I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

There is more to this life than what we can make of it, that is why Jesus came. John 10:10, Jesus said, the thief comes to kill, steal and destroy but I have come that they might have life, and that abundantly. The thief Jesus refers to is Satan. The life that Jesus gives is spiritual life, and it changes the lives of millions throughout the earth. This abundant life is for every person, no matter their circumstances.

I have seen it in the African bush, secular San Francisco, in burned out ex-communists in Ukraine, and in impoverished colonnias of Nogales. There is a life that Jesus brings that is not dependent on what someone else can do or what we own. It brings freedom and a deep strength. Peace, joy, love and endurance.

The opposite is reality without God. Consider King Solomon at a time in his life away from God.
Ecclesiastes 2:3-11 Driven on by my desire for wisdom, I decided to cheer myself up with wine and have a good time. I thought that this might be the best way people can spend their short lives on earth. (4) I accomplished great things. I built myself houses and planted vineyards. (5) I planted gardens and orchards, with all kinds of fruit trees in them; (6) I dug ponds to irrigate them. (7) I bought many slaves, and there were slaves born in my household. I owned more livestock than anyone else who had ever lived in Jerusalem. (8) I also piled up silver and gold from the royal treasuries of the lands I ruled. Men and women sang to entertain me, and I had all the women a man could want. (9) Yes, I was great, greater than anyone else who had ever lived in Jerusalem, and my wisdom never failed me. (10) Anything I wanted, I got. I did not deny myself any pleasure. I was proud of everything I had worked for, and all this was my reward. (11) Then I thought about all that I had done and how hard I had worked doing it, and I realized that it didn't mean a thing. It was like chasing the wind---of no use at all.

He tried it all, and found vanity. Life under the sun without God is vanity. But that isn't God's plan. God is alive, He is with us, and within reach. All it takes is faith. Praying for you to find Him, He is looking for you.

We are the Body

2009-10-24T07:26:00.000-07:00

We ARE the body of Christ. I grew up in a good church, and am a pastor of a good church. One of the struggles I have observed in my life and church since I was young to this day is to learn what church really is.

The following are 3 of the most common misconceptions about the Church.
Church is somewhere to go on Sunday.
Church is on television, listening to a sermon.
Church is a building.

These may be reality, but they are not Biblical. The Church IS the Body of Christ. Since we are the Body of Christ, a question to ask is what does this mean?

Body is a noun, body means life. Body means going and doing.

If Jesus came to our community, what would he do? Where would he go? What would he say? If we are the Body, what is Jesus doing in and through us?

Casting Crowns sings this powerful song:

It's crowded in worship today
As she slips in
Trying to fade into the faces
The girls' teasing laughter is carrying farther than they know
Farther than they know

A traveler is far away from home
he sheds his coat
And quietly sinks into the back row
The weight of their judgmental glances tells him that his chances
Are better out on the road

But if we are the Body
Why aren't His arms reaching
Why aren't His hands healing
Why aren't His words teaching
And if we are the Body
Why aren't His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way

Jesus paid much too high a price
For us to pick and choose who should come
And we are the Body of Christ

We are the Body

2009-10-18T13:40:00.002-07:00

Ephesians 4:11-13 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, (12) to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, (13) until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,

I love my vocation and church. Buy God's grace, I serve the Lord and His people as a pastor-teacher. This morning we studied with our new members how God has shaped us for His purpose. Rick Warren's explains that God has called every member to ministry, and that God has shaped believers lives in several ways.

S - H - A - P - E stands for the words:
Spiritual gifts
Heart - meaning what we care about most
Ability - skills, education, and training
Personality - our unique style and personal attributes, including strengths and weaknesses
Experiences - our life experiences, both the good and the bad things we have been through.

Our "shape" all works together, and God intends to equip each member of the Body to build up the others, so that the Body grows and becomes more like Jesus.

That means that a pastor-teacher can help equip the saints, learning the truth, and to obey Jesus commands. The great resource in the church is the Church. the people of God. Together we can do all things through Christ.

Humility and Honesty

2009-10-15T07:41:00.011-07:00

The following post is a response to a comment left by a reader. This believer takes issue with my essay, Darwin's Dream. I thought it would be helpful for others to read as well.

First, I want to thank you for your thoughtful comments on the essay. You raise good points and your objections made me want to improve the original essay. The following are a few notes that may answer some of your objections and enlist your trust.

Secondly, the purpose and motivation of this particular essay is pastoral in nature. My essay was a written to respond to national news reporting about the discovery of the "missing link" in human evolution. Several reports excitedly predicted this new discovery would turn the world upside down by provide conclusive evidence which should shift our thinking about the meaning of life itself.

My aim of my response is to encourage God's people to faithfulness and second, to offer a pastor's teaching and commentary in matters such as these so as to encourage their faith in God's Word.

There are Christian scientists such as Dembski, Behe, and Kreeft, are creationists. Their writings and books are reasonable and rational arguments for God's existence the Biblical account. The theories of Darwin and of scientist such as Richard Dawkins are not consistent with the Biblical account of creation or the teachings of Christ.

At the same time, there are scientists who have taken up the promotion of atheism and evolution, most notably Richard Dawkins.

As Darwinism's modern bulldog, Dawkins is flabbergasted that the majority of educated Americans believe God created the universe, and according to polls, more than half do not believe the theory of evolution's ideas about origins.

So, when Charlie Gibson of ABC news reported the discovery of the missing link in human evolution, he opined that this discovery was of great importance as it was likely to prove Darwin's theory. He ended his comments, "this discovery was what Charles Darwin dreamed before he died.

Many scientists quietly tolerate religion, as long as "religion keeps it's nose out of their business". In other words, let the religious preach their ideas, but woe to them that stray into the "real" world with their ideas. It seems Dawkins and others have concluded such tolerance may have been a mistake. Religion is effectively hindering the acceptance of the scientific explanations for life.

Most Christians are not students of biology or paleontology or philosophy for that matter, and are unlikely to read or hear rebuttal to the ideas that were set forth as factual and objective truth on national network television news.

In addition, there have been notable examples of fraud in this particular field of "human evolution." However, it is most unlikely that retractions or apologies are offered the news or scientists if such theories proves unreliable or over reached.

Your point is well taken that if my accusation of fraud was to cast doubt on this latest discover, that would be unwarranted, unfair, and dishonest.

The essay was incomplete in this respect. The examples of fraud are here is a link to such information.

As to the affects of these ideas in society, there as Margaret Sanger (founder of Planned Parenthood), and Peter Singer (Princeton ethicist whose ideas are beyond the pale). I was not laying the blame at Darwin's feet, but showing the connection of his ideas to it.

Darwinian utilitarianism has gone to seed, the apples didn't fall far from the tree.

I know a pastor who preached a sound Biblical message from Genesis chapter 1 in his church, teaching clearly a 7 day creation period.

He might have expected questions or even disagreement, but everyone smiled and nodded approvingly. As a follow up message, on Sunday night he specifically addressed issues relating to Darwinism and other scientific dogma.

The response was very different. Many thanked him for the study, and others were offended. The offense seems to have been about the facts of science versus the belief inthe Bible.

Some, perhaps most believers have comparmentalized their faith. The Bible and science are not inherntly at enmity, but this does not require one to accept any or all scientific claims. I believe that scientific inquiry is a noble pursuit with our God given intelligence. It is the sin nature of man that leads toward sin and evil. Science makes a good tool but a terrible master.

Some believers reject so called "evolutionary facts" because they are not Biblical, they are not particularly well studied in science and to argue bits of bones and chemicals is out of their league.

I am grateful that there are a growing number of believers who are experts in their fields in the scienitific community. Their work as scientists is not to advance their faith, but to pursue God's truth in creation.

In the mind of the average believer, there is the nagging suspicion that science must be correct. On the other hand, they believe the Bible is true, and so what results is a sort of parallel universe. God lives in one, and scientific reality lives in the other.

God's truth is not a separate, special reality, and His truth will not be silent. Factual information is important, and sound Biblical teaching is my aim, which in my view, must lead to application not only to my own "personal faith" but to the real world and its ideas.

Second footnote:
Darwin's ideas must have seemed reasonable and rational to him. Darwin "identified" the gaps in his theory and assumed that future exploration, research and study would fill in the gaps. At the same time, as a trained clergyman, he must have understood that his views were inconsistent with Biblical teaching.

Darwin's gaps still exist, most objective observers agree. Hence the magnitude of "discoveries" that somehow fill the gap certainly makes the news.

Finally, my prayer is for the preachers and teachers of God's Word to be true to Him, and not be intimidated or uninformed about current scientific "dogma". God's Word is reliable, and it is the Spirit's sword.

Amen to your faith in God's Word.

Darwin's dream

2009-10-03T08:46:00.007-07:00

The news reports that scientists have "discovered the missing link" in "human evolution". The breaking news reports of such discoveries have proven unreliable in the past, and so the question comes to mind.

How do these "monumental discoveries" become non-newsworthy when they prove to be mistaken and unreliable. The truth is, scientists are not always objective, and the "news" rarely is. But there's more to it. These facts are not facts, but are ideas. And ideas, whether about nature, or other matters are subject to interpretation.

As a matter of fact, ideas are spiritual. Meaning what? Ideas are real but not in the sense of material. They are spiritual. Ideas are abstract and produced by "human beings" or other beings for that matter. The Bible teaches that God is true, and all that is true is true because of Him. The Bible also teaches about the "father of lies, Satan" and that he has been at work since the beginning of human history, ie. Adam, Eve, Cain and Abel.

Human beings develop and adopt ideas, most of which is not original to them. People pick and choose ideas, we all do it. We see it all the time. Scientists are only human.

The latest, greatest news on supposed human origins all smacks of dishonesty and manipulation. The facts are not facts, Ideas have spiritual basis, and the "father of lies" acts and speaks through the minds of man. To an atheist, this sounds like mumbo jumbo I am sure, but let them explain the sordid history of scientific discoveries.

The stories include doctored photographs, faked bones, as well as missed guesses and wrong interpretations. I don't mean to falsely accuse all scientists of such gross misbehavior, nor to ignore that fact that most scientist desire to be objective.

Many scientists don't believe in God or the Bible, but many do. That is not the main point of this blog either. The bottom line is, ideas are spiritual, not driven by only by scientific inquiry and data, but by our sin nature, Satan, or by God's Spirit and Biblical truth.

Back to the news report I heard in CBS last night. The news anchor reflected on Darwin, stating that this newly discovered "missing link" was what Darwin dreamed but didn't find. I thought it would consider this statement. What did Darwin dream about.

Darwin's famous work Origin of Species was published in 1859. What is less well-known is its original and shocking sub-title: The Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life. The naturalist followed up his culture-shifting work with The Descent of Man in 1871. Here, he extrapolated upon man's relationship with apes by moving from mere physical attributes to psychological and moral traits. Darwin's dream was how to continue man’s evolution. Darwin's ideas were evil:

"With savages, the weak in body or mind are eliminated; and those that survive commonly exhibit a vigorous state of health. We civilised men, on the other hand, do our utmost to check the process of elimination; we build asylums for the imbecile, the maimed, and the sick; we institute poor-laws; and our medical men exert their utmost skill to save the life of every one to the last moment. There is reason to believe that vaccination has preserved thousands, who from a weak constitution would formerly have succumbed to small-pox. Thus the weak members of civilised societies propagate their kind. No one who has attended to the breeding of domestic animals will doubt that this must be highly injurious to the race of man. It is surprising how soon a want of care, or care wrongly directed, leads to the degeneration of a domestic race; but excepting in the case of man himself, hardly any one is so ignorant as to allow his worst animals to breed." - Charles Darwin

Darwin's dream is dangerous, and immoral. The interpretation of bones by scientists goes far beyond science, and so do the ramifications of such ideas about human life are not just published in science texts. Darwin's ideas led to eugenics, abortion, euthanasia and the like. Hitler read Darwin and applied these ideas to his Third Reich.

Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man comes to the Father except by me." And "I have come that they might have life, and that to fullest." Jesus is alive. Genesis 1 says, God created them in the image of God. Two very different ideas. One is a lie, and God's Word is true. Let his truth bless you today.

Looming Life Questions

2009-09-18T15:01:00.002-07:00

by Dr. Richard Land

(this excerpt of the excellent address by Dr. Land during meetings I attended recently in Nashville, acknowlegments to Baptist Press)

America faces a "gathering storm" related to the value of human life, ERLC President Richard Land said in an address to trustees.

Land warned of the institutionalization of a quality of life ethic in American society. "Actions in our legislative and judicial systems are symptomatic of a moral and spiritual disease," he said, reminding the trustees of Moses' call to the Israelites to "choose life" (Deuteronomy 30:19).

"Unfortunately for about half my life we have far too often chosen the path of death and cursing rather than the path of life and blessing," Land said, warning of the danger of a quality of life ethic totally supplanting a sanctity of human life ethic.

"We need to combat the systems like any good doctor," Land said, "but we need to be treating the source of the disease as well."

The Bible teaches essentialism, that our Creator has conferred on every human being a right to life from conception to natural death, Land said.

This biblical perspective is increasingly being replaced by what ethicists call biographicalism, Land explained, which holds that individuals are defined by their biography. According to this view, he said, individuals forfeit their personhood and value as they lose quality of life, to the degree that they become less productive and less able to care for themselves.

"This storm has been gathering for a long time," Land said, suggesting a quality of life ethic is reflected in much of the machinations behind the proposals related to health care reform.

"Human life is sacred by God's involvement and declaration," Land said. "We are different in nature and design and kind from all the rest of creation. The differences are not differences of degree; they are differences of kind," he continued.

"We are not merely the most advanced life in the animal kingdom; we are the unique creation of God."

This reality should have an impact on all of human life, including ethical, medical, moral and legislative decisions, he insisted.

"We have a biblically appointed task to call Southern Baptists and all people of faith to be the watchmen on the wall in the face of this gathering storm," Land said, citing Ezekiel 3.

"Silence is complicity," he said. "We must speak the Word."

IMAGINATION VS. INSPIRATION

2009-09-14T07:57:00.000-07:00

From My Utmost “The simplicity that is in Christ.” II Corinthians 11:3

Simplicity is the secret of seeing things clearly. A saint does not think clearly for a long while, but a saint ought to see clearly without any difficulty. You cannot think a spiritual muddle clear, you have to obey it clear. In intellectual matters you can think things out, but in spiritual matters you will think yourself into cotton wool. If there is something upon which God has put His pressure, obey in that matter, bring your imagination into captivity to the obedience of Christ with regard to it and everything will become as clear as daylight. The reasoning capacity comes afterwards, but we never see along that line, we see like children; when we try to be wise we see nothing (Matthew 11:25).

The tiniest thing we allow in our lives that is not under the control of the Holy Spirit is quite sufficient to account for spiritual muddle, and all the thinking we like to spend on it will never make it clear. Spiritual muddle is only made plain by obedience. Immediately we obey, we discern. This is humiliating, because when we are muddled we know the reason is in the temper of our mind. When the natural power of vision is devoted to the Holy Spirit, it becomes the power of perceiving God’s will and the whole life is kept in simplicity.

sky's the limit

2009-09-11T21:15:00.001-07:00

Beautiful, amazing, surprising God.

Ephesians 3:14-21 For this reason I fall on my knees before the Father, (15) from whom every family in heaven and on earth receives its true name. (16) I ask God from the wealth of his glory to give you power through his Spirit to be strong in your inner selves, (17) and I pray that Christ will make his home in your hearts through faith. I pray that you may have your roots and foundation in love, (18) so that you, together with all God's people, may have the power to understand how broad and long, how high and deep, is Christ's love. (19) Yes, may you come to know his love---although it can never be fully known---and so be completely filled with the very nature of God. (20) To him who by means of his power working in us is able to do so much more than we can ever ask for, or even think of: (21) to God be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus for all time, forever and ever! Amen.

Another Baptist pastor's prayer for President Obama

2009-09-02T14:39:00.004-07:00

Heavenly Father,

May you grant your grace and mercy to our president, your wisdom and truth through those who counsel him, and the courage and resolution to guide this country in peace, goodness, and righteousness.

God, help our president to know you and may He seek your help and the instruction of your Eternal Word and the Living Savior Jesus Christ. Lord, help him to listen to the wisdom and grace of your truth, and bring Him into your paths.

Bless him as a father and husband, bless his wife and children. What burdens they face, grant them your grace and help.

God we recognize your sovereignty and guidance in our lives and in this world. You raise up and bring down nations and kingdoms. May your people experience your peace and freedom, but in whatever state may the Church share the gospel of Jesus with the lost world, with boldness, love and grace.

You are our hope Lord.

In Jesus Holy and Wonderful Name,

Amen

every member a missionary

2009-08-27T08:27:00.005-07:00

Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

That's the vision Jesus has for His church. We call it the Great Commission. In our day of supersized everything, including the words we overuse like "awesome" or "greatest", we lose sight of their meaning.

Jesus' vision is great. It is great in ways that nothing else is. It is global in expanse, eternal in result, and it is personal. The great commission is the "heartbeat of God" for this world, for people like you and me.

Jesus' great commission is to love our enemies. To overcome evil with God's truth and good.

Jesus' commission overcomes the social barriers. More than economics or family background, it determines where we live and how we live, and especially, for what do we live.

The needs have never been greater, and the opportunity, well the doors are open all over the world. May we catch the Jesus' vision. May Jesus' command to us, which we call the Great Commission's become the passion of our lives and the life of the church.

Anything less is a total miss. We cannot count our church or our life a success by any measure other than to love the Lord with our whole life, to love others as we love ourselves, and to obey Jesus' command and share the gospel with every person on this earth, in these last days.

Whispering a shout (healthcare from God's perspective)

2009-08-12T11:09:00.006-07:00

There's been a lot of shouting on television lately in town hall meetings across the country. Some of the things said are not so good, but the importance of the questions in this debate are worthy of debate and discussion.

In the 1990's I studied Francis Schaffer's video, "Whatever happened to the human race." It was a watershed moment for me, for God used this video to open my eyes to the direction our world was going.

The focus of the video is the importance and sanctity of human life, and how these are based on the Biblical worldview. It helped me understand the chilling prospects of a future in which modern man had almost "god like powers" but would use them for ungodly, inhumane ends.

Since then, there have been times when I spoke in prophetic terms about such challenges to truth and to the future of the human race, knowing that God is sovereign and would, in the end, bring a forceful stop to a world that had forgotten love and rejected truth.

I am greatly concerned with the current health care debate in our society. My primary reasons have little to with the brief language of the bill that relates to end of life counseling. But it has everything to do with the view from which our society now operates.

I feel a deep grief, not only for the present sins of our society against human life, but where our present course is leading. We live in a world where the human life is devalued, economics is the chief criteria of value, and unbridled personal autonomy is the new god of this world.

Because of world economics and the aging of the world, sheer economics is becoming the driving factor in matters of life and death. The brave new progress is a cruel, albeit, well dressed, well heeled society that is obsessively selfish and utterly unbiblical.

I share these quips and quotes for your consideration. They seem to whisper a shout about our current news and trends.

The Bible teaches that man is made in the image of God and therefore is unique. Remove that teaching, as humanism has done on both sides of the Iron Curtain, and there is no adequate basis for treating people well.
(Francis A. Schaeffer and C. Everette Koop, Whatever Happened to the Human Race?, Ch. 1)

...because the Christian consensus has been put aside, we are faced today with a flood of personal cruelty. As we have noted, the Christian consensus gave great freedoms without leading to chaos -- because society in general functioned within the values given in the Bible, especially the unique value of human life. Now that humanism has taken over, the former freedoms run riot, and individuals, acting on what they are taught, increasingly practice their cruelties without restraint. And why shouldn't they? If the modern humanistic view of man is correct and man is only a product of chance in a universe that has no ultimate values, why should an individual refrain from being cruel to another person, if that person seems to be standing in his or her way?
(Francis A. Schaeffer and C. Everette Koop, Whatever Happened to the Human Race?, Ch. 1)

Modern humanism has an inherent need to manipulate and tinker with the natural processes, including human nature [through genetics], because humanism:

1. Rejects the doctrine of Creation.
2. Therefore rejects the idea that there is anything stable or "given" about human nature.
3. Sees human nature as part of a long, unfolding process of development in which everything is changing.
4. Casts around for some solution to the problem of despair that this determinist-evolutionist vision induces.
5. Can only find a solution in the activity of the human will, which -- in opposition to its own system -- it hopes can transcend the inexorable flow of nature and act upon nature.
6. Therefore encourages manipulation of nature, including tinkering with people, as the only way of escaping from nature's bondage. But this manipulation cannot have any certain criteria to guide it because, with God abolished, the only remaining criterion is nature (which is precisely what humanist man wants to escape from) and nature is both noncruel and cruel.
(Francis A. Schaeffer and C. Everette Koop, Whatever Happened to the Human Race?, Ch. 1)

With nothing higher than human opinion upon which to base judgments and with ethics equaling no ethics, the justification for seeing crime and cruelty as disturbing is destroyed. The very word crime and even the word cruelty lose meaning. There is no final reason on which to forbid anything -- "If nothing is forbidden, then anything is possible."
(Francis A. Schaeffer and C. Everette Koop, Whatever Happened to the Human Race?, Ch. 1)

If man is not made in the image of God, nothing then stands in the way of inhumanity. There is no good reason why mankind should be perceived as special. Human life is cheapened. We can see this in many of the major issues being debated in our society today: abortion, infanticide, euthanasia, the increase of child abuse and violence of all kinds, pornography (and its particular kinds of violence as evidenced in sadomasochism), the routine torture of political prisoners in many parts of the world, the crime explosion, and the random violence which surrounds us.
(Francis A. Schaeffer and C. Everette Koop, Whatever Happened to the Human Race?, Ch. 1)

counting on your friends

2009-08-08T13:21:00.003-07:00

Colossians 3:9-14 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices (10) and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. (11) Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. (12) Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, (13) bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. (14) And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

A Christian friend is a great gift from God. I have come to realize they come in all sizes, shapes and colors. The heart of Christian friendship is not merely the absence of animosity or the normal meanness. Christian friendship is not benign neglect, it is the Lord's life shared together.

That is the richest life indeed. Start with such great things as compassion, humility and kindness, forgiveness and patience, and add to these God's powerlful love.

God's love compels us to act, not neglect. It doesn't create more time in our life, but it leads us to give of ourselves to our friends. God's love calls us higher, it leads us upward to Christlikeness.

This loving friendship is hard to find for it can only be found where Christ reigns in a life.

We all need Christian friendship, not only as a sheltering tree in a careless and shallow world full of struggle, but because we need to grow up in Christ. The great risk of Christian friendship is telling the truth in love. In a way, I hope that every Sunday I am friend to all the church.

I am called and gifted to build up the Body as my friends. I preach every Sunday in the spirit of such friendship. I hope it is received as such, not for my own sake, but that "Christ may be formed in you."

Colossians 1:28-29 We proclaim Him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. (29) I labor for this, striving with His strength that works powerfully in me.

Proverbs 27:6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.

Ephesians 4:25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.

Sunday night in Eutichian style

2009-08-03T18:00:00.003-07:00

Acts 20:7-9 On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight. (8) There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered. (9) And a young man named Eutychus, sitting at the window, sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked still longer. And being overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead.

Now at first glance, this might be a case against Sunday night services, and especially against long speeches or sermons. Be that as it may, there are times when people need to get together on Sunday nights.

If you haven't come to a Sunday night, you have missed some wonderful times with the Lord and His people. These past Sunday nights we have:

worshipped enthusiastically with young leaders
heard great preaching by young and older
listened to moving testimonies
thought about the world around us in new ways
and the Spirit has spoken life changing words to us (literally, I know some whose couse is now set in a new heading of the Spirit's showing)

This Sunday night I pray will be another great time. Ken Collins will share from his experiences in South Africa, talking about unity in one of the most famous places in the world for disunity and disharmony.

And you never know what God might do. Read on,
Acts 20:10-12 But Paul went down and bent over him, and taking him in his arms, said, "Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him." (11) And when Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten, he conversed with them a long while, until daybreak, and so departed. (12) And they took the youth away alive, and were not a little comforted.

Every member a missionary

2009-07-26T21:16:00.002-07:00

The Great Commission
Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him — but some of them still doubted!
Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28

Knocking on the doors of hearts takes personal commitment and love. God is the One who sends missionaries. God moved people providentially and personally to go and share the gospel.

In Acts, the persecution drove Christians away from Jerusalem, and the Spirit led others like Philip and Paul to go and witness to others.

God is still working. Persecutions have driven believers all over the world. Some have come as refugees, bringing with them a vital faith, humble heart, and the Spirit's power.

This Sunday, 2 of our dear friends will be set apart for the work that God has called them to do. Jim and Susan Oetter are faithful servants in our church, and now God is opening a new field for them.

In months they will be "going" to Mozambique. Come celebrate with us the wonderful call of God in the life of our church and their lives this Sunday night.

holiday

2009-07-18T10:54:00.007-07:00

In England, a vacation is called a "holiday".

I like that and think it goes together with vacation. As I child, my family went on a family vacation for a week each summer. Our favorite destination was in the beautiful, cool outdoors in the Colorado Rocky Mountains.

Looking back on my childhood, a few things stand out in my memory and make me think of my family. The family vacation and the Christmas holiday stand out foremost in my mind as time for happiness, being together, making memories with my family.

So I hope you and your family can go make some good memories together this summer. i have some favorite places to recommend if you like water, mountains, green trees and refreshingly cool weather.

Here a few pictures of my own family vacations for your enjoyment.

missions is not a trip

2009-07-07T08:34:00.003-07:00

And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How welcome are the feet of those who announce the gospel of good things! - Rom 10:15

I am praying for the Lord of harvest to involve more people in His work this year. God has been working in the fields of harvest, and is inviting our church to join Him in His work.

God is opening our eyes to the mission field which within walking distance of our church. Our church and neighborhood has become a crossroads for the nations, and there are many opportunities to minister to people from all walks of life and from all over the world right where we live and worship together.

A missionary once said, God needs to put an ocean between us and our neighbor so that we will go and tell them about Jesus. That is probably true, we often think of missions as a trip to go on, instead of simply serving and telling others about the Savior.

I hope that God will open the eyes and heart of our church even more this year to missions. I believe that every member is called to be a minister and a missionary so that we might witness to our neighbors and to those around the world as God has commanded us to do.

Exciting and great things are happening right now in our neighborhood. Refugeess from many countries are moving into Phoenix, and Royal Palms can be a missionary church by responding to these mission fields.

Missions is not a plane trip. It is loving others and sharing Jesus with them.

good tsunami

2009-06-17T08:14:00.009-07:00

Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: "'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'? Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him." - Matthew 21:42-44

Timing is everything.

In surfing, too early or too late don't work out. It leads to wipe out.

That is also true with God. God's love came in person. The Son of God is God's revelation of Himself.

The wave is a good metaphor. Really big waves are powerful and dangerous.

God is powerful and that makes Him dangerous, but He is very good.

Wipe out on a big wave and its disaster. Reject Christ, total loss.

Remember God loves you. Don't miss it.

Forgiveness

2009-06-13T13:26:00.005-07:00

Winter, spring, summer or fall
All you got to do is call
And I'll be there, yes I will.
You've got a friend.

1 John 4:7-8 Dear friends, we must love each other because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born from God and knows God. The person who doesn't love doesn't know God, because God is love.

Got to see some old friends yesterday. I went to see one of them for the last time, but it was not because we burned a bridge. He is going home soon. He has very little physical strength left.

God is like that. Just call, you've got a friend. I love Him for that. And I love my old friends for that too. Friendship is one of God's great gifts.

How do you keep old friends? Each one has to learn forgiveness. Forgiveness is a very, very powerful thing. With it, you can change the future and let go of the past, no matter what happened. God's gift to us is forgiveness, and through He makes a friend for life.

Forgiveness is the key to friendships that last forever. We are sinners, and no matter how hard we try not to, we sin and hurt other people, even our friends. We do it to God all the time. It would seem to be the end, but its not.

In comes forgiveness, and then, the love grows even stronger and longer than it was before. God forgave my sins in Jesus' name. What a friend we have in Jesus. There is a friend that sticks closer than even a brother.

Open yourself up to God and to others. God's grace is like a river of living water. Everything can change. Friendship can come. Give it a try. You think about that. Amen.

pastor-gardener

2009-06-03T08:38:00.007-07:00

I like the picture above, hoeing in a field that belonged to someone else. It is a parable of my role as a pastor. Below is a scripture passage from 1 Corinthians 3 about "pastoring", the insights of which are a model for my life and ministry as an under shepherder (pastor).

5 What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one.
6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.
7 So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.
8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.
10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it.
11 For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,
13 each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work.

1. First, I am reminded it is not about me. This truth puts down pastoral pride, but it also removes the burden of "trying to do what only God can do" and fits with point #2.

2. I am reminded I am a steward, not an owner. The field in the picture is a communal garden in Ukraine, and the church is God's field, where he called me to work. Others have worked and are working, but we are not owners. Our place will not remember us, but that is ok, because it is not about us. The Chief Pastor is the Lord Jesus, we are undershepherds and stewards.

3. I am reminded of the hard work in the field. The field is life. God's church is like a field, or like building a home. God builds new people. The corn plants in the picture are fairly young, but much work had already been done. And much work left remained.

4. Greater things are yet to come. The harvest is coming, the plants are growing and God is providing water and sunshine. The greatest thing about pastoring is knowing that greater is yet to come. Changed life. Fruitfulness. Heaven. Greater things are coming.

The fruit of this work is nothing less than the glory of God. Each one is being re-made into Jesus likeness, through the Spirit, the Word, and the ministry of the Body. The fruit in our lives is more precious than golden grain, and the results stretch throughout eternity.

5. The day of testing come. The true value of things is not our decision, but God's First things end up last in His kingdom. The temporary things are like wood or stubble. Temporary doesn't cut it.

What if someone works hard, but the results don't matter at all to God. God save from such an end. God will test the quality. Value has to do with qualities that matter to God. Much of what matters to us is superfluous at best.

The quality of the work is what matters. The end result and the kind of ministry done are one. God sees through the veneer. Quality means motives matter as much as deeds. Quality means love and truth are the keys, not professionalism or popularity.

Quality means grace and truth bring life transformation.

6. Lastly, the harvest is greater than we thought, God needs to call up more workers. Help wanted: laborers. Yes, numbers matter to God. God's harvest is souls, and many more laborers are needed.

Who is sufficient to do God's ministry? God alone is able, and He can use people who are usable. That is the work of prayer and truth. We are called to teach foolish truths. We are called to God's greateness and our diminishment, so he may increase. More love, more power, more of Jesus!

Unstoppable Force and Epaphras

2009-05-30T08:50:00.004-07:00

The gospel which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth; just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf, (Colossians 1:6-7)

Nothing can hold back the flood of God's glorious salvation. The gospel is changing the lives of all who believe, and it spreads in our day like a tsunami. To those who reject Christ, the gospel is an intruder, but to those who are being saved, it changes everything in life.

Nothing can stop the gospel, except one thing. God's saving plan involved Epaphras. Where would the gospel go if everyone lived the way I do. He is calling us to go and share the good news with everyone.

In this weekend of prayer for world evangelisation, my prayer is for more laborers for the fields are white unto harvest. My prayer is for my life to be fruitful in Him. As God trims back the fruitful branch that abides in Jesus, God may you trim in my life so that it will be more fruitful.

Charles enjoying a little hoeing on a communal farm in Ukraine, where an atheistic empire once forbade the gospel. That kingdom fell, God reigns!

Day of Prayer for World Evangelization

2009-05-29T08:12:00.002-07:00

Acts 1:7-8 He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by His own authority. (8) But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

This Sunday, May 31 marks the Day of Pentecost, when the first fruits of the harvest were given as an offering to God. In 33 A.D. when the disciples were together in the upper room, the Spirit of God descended upon those gathered there, and thus began the Body of Christ and the evangelization of the world.

This Sunday millions of believers will gather in unity to pray for fresh power and bold mission thrust, so that we might fulfill the Lord's Great Commission in our lifetime.

Six students from our church are in Mozambique to share the gospel and spread the Word of God. Please join together this Sunday with us, to pray for them as they serve with our missionaries there.

My best one

2009-05-16T14:01:00.002-07:00

In a couple of weeks, Christie and I will celebrate our 25th anniversary.

I have grown to love her more throughout these 25 years. Our life together has been filled with so much, everything working together for good, for love, for God's plan and purpose.

So many days, rarely apart, and each one with her love and companionship. I feel so blessed. Each day, each year it seems like I learn to love her more and better. Each day unique, but using each of them God has woven our lives together. She and I are one. Love is strong.

So I write this in honor of her and to celebrate and declare how grateful I am for my wife. I thank God for her.

Pentecost

2009-04-30T09:37:00.002-07:00

Recessions

2009-04-30T07:55:00.007-07:00

HEADLINE: Consumers give spark of new hope for econ revival
The Associated Press - ‎14 hours ago‎
WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumers are snapping back to life, kindling springtime hopes...

TRUTH: I know both how to have a little, and I know how to have a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content--whether well-fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:12-13

Contentment comes in 2 ways.

First, I know how because I have learned. Know how comes through experience. "I know how to have a little" is not platitudinal, it was reality. In some ways, most people can relate to this because we all go through times of need, even if, in fact, we still own several cars, a home, a retirement package, and plan to go on a vacation.

That is not Paul's meaning. The apostle had lived through difficult times, imprisonment, shipwreck, beatings, and even penniless.

We might prefer some sort of spiritual shortcut to knowing contentment even in lean times, but really there isn't one. Paul discovered there was a secret there. The secret of being content does mean "getting the knack for it".

This secret was revealed through experience, that there is grace for every need, and you don't know that grace until you need it. I should add, there is grace from God from and through poverty, that is known by having abundance and then having nothing.

You don't know what you got til its gone. Carly Simon's song comes to mind.

Yesterday evening in Bible study, we thought for a few moments about the "rich young man" whom Jesus commanded "go sell everything and give it all away, then come follow Me."

And the rich man walked away from Jesus, unwilling to do that. There was no shortcut from Jesus' plan for this man whom He loved, and Jesus didn't offer a plan B when the rich man decided to walk away. And then He said these words, Matthew 19:23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "I assure you: It will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven!

Jesus words are truth; and I know they apply to our personal life.

Maybe they apply to our current recession. I think about the times we live in, and what is on the minds of Americans. The answer is "the economy". Wealth. Security. Jobs.

But what America needs most is God's salvation to break forth in the lives of people. And maybe what American Christians need is to learn the secret of grace in times of poverty. Perhaps the economic downturn is God's hand, but regardless, He can work in all things for the good of His people.

God wants to train His people to know the grace of contentment, and we should be hopeful about that. We can discover the "secret" Paul wrote about. Our source of life and joy and strength and power is Jesus Christ Himself. The truth will become more than words, we will know it, because God has brought us through.

That's not a bad thing. You think about it.

SBC is making progress in ministry to homosexuals

2009-04-29T15:22:00.000-07:00

By Bob Stith

EDITOR'S NOTE: This monthly column about the issue of homosexuality by various authors is a partnership between Baptist Press and the SBC Task Force on Ministry to Homosexuals.

SOUTHLAKE, Texas (BP)--A recent article in USA Today spoke of the radical difference between younger Christians and the "old guard" regarding homosexuality. (An evangelical's plea: 'Love the sinner,' April 27.) While many of the points certainly merit attention, I am concerned that the unnecessary dichotomy will hinder the discussion. The author of the article spoke of being a Southern Baptist and as such had seen this disparity up close.

When the SBC met in New Orleans in 2001, I made a motion asking the convention to form a task force to "inform, educate and encourage our people to be proactive and redemptive in reaching out to those who struggle with unwanted same-sex attractions."

With dozens of resolutions and motions introduced each year, I truthfully was hoping only to introduce the subject. To my surprise Dr. Jimmy Draper immediately took action on the motion, expressed his belief that this was a very valid need, and promptly organized a Task Force on Ministry to Homosexuals.

That task force is comprised of several leaders of our convention, most of whom would be classified as the "old guard." Actually, I also fit that profile. But there are also representatives from most other demographics as well. Several have been involved in ministry in this area for many years. In 2007, LifeWay provided funding to establish a full-time office to help carry out the mandate.

Through the years I have received nothing but encouragement from SBC leaders. Dr. Richard Land, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, has been a strong supporter and encouragement to me personally. Dr. Frank Page, immediate past president of the SBC, has been a great asset on more than one occasion. He also has extended an invitation to speak at his church. Johnny Hunt, the current SBC president, has an incredible ministry to those struggling with same-sex attractions. Dr. Morris H. Chapman, president of the SBC Executive Committee, attended our first meeting and has had a representative at every meeting since.

The Task Force has always placed the emphasis on being compassionate and redemptive. This was expressed well by Dr. Barrett Duke of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission: "This strategy must include a genuine love for people trapped in the homosexual lifestyle that seeks first to minister and love, not to condemn. The church must find a way to reach homosexual men and women, help them to find their way out of the homosexual lifestyle, and include them as equal participants in the life of the church."

Other leaders have made similar statements. Dr. Draper said, "It is a huge challenge to help the church recognize how to show concern and compassion for homosexuals yet be careful not to compromise Scripture's teaching. I don't know any church that would say we know how to do that perfectly. We have to come to the place where we love them unconditionally without compromise and minister to them."

This is not to say that some evangelical leaders have not made unfortunate statements. Obviously, as Draper said, all of us can improve the way we address the issue.

However, I believe we are moving in the right direction and we can expedite that progress by working together. It is also imperative that we at least investigate what our convention is doing before making polarizing assessments.

I often have been frustrated that more of our churches, associations and state conventions aren't more proactive with this issue. I would love to have more opportunities to speak in those venues. I am heartbroken when I have to tell someone who calls looking for help that there is no ministry in their area. We can and must do better. And we must move more quickly.

But Southern Baptists are moving in the right direction and should be encouraged in that effort.

The USA Today column also indicated that part of the problem is that older Christians don't really have any homosexual friends or close acquaintances. A LifeWay Research poll showed that 66 percent of the general American public said they were personally acquainted with someone with same-sex attractions, while 78 percent of SBC pastors and 68 percent of other church leaders did.

A staff member from the North American Mission Board, who would be considered part of the "old guard," told me of building a relationship with two gay men who lived next door to him. He had visited in their home and had served them dinner in his home. Numerous other SBC leaders have told me similar stories. Unfortunately, in today's climate those instances aren't nearly as "exciting" as the misstatements that make headlines.

Inevitably when this discussion comes up, the question is asked, "Why are you so fixated on homosexuality? What about poverty, disease and other issues?" A reporter recently asked me that very question. I told the reporter that Southern Baptists are among the three largest disaster relief agencies in the U.S. and that after Katrina I saw several newscasts showing the familiar shirts of SBC relief workers in the background.

Again, another column -- or book -- could be written on all that Christians in general and Southern Baptists in particular have done to provide for the poor, the indigent, the orphaned and ill among us. Following several major disasters an atheist wrote a column commenting on that very thing. While he did not and could not share the beliefs of Christians, he expressed admiration and envy at their willingness to step up and serve in those situations.

I am grateful for a convention that listened to a small church pastor and joined in developing this office. I am thankful for all the support we have received. Way to go, Southern Baptists! But at the same time I would encourage you not to dismiss out of hand the challenges the USA Today article presented. We can and must do more.