The Promise Church

Summer Schedule!

2009-06-08T09:46:00.001-07:00

I'm very excited that this coming Sunday we are beginning a four part sermon series that we're calling "Mission-tudes": Attitudes for a Missional Church!

As we move through the series we'll be looking at the mindsets we take to being FULLY ENGAGED in the work of SERVING our community and discern the ways that God can use us as individuals to accomplish His larger kingdom goals. How many of us are aware that our own "personal" healing is directly connected to the way we become poured out for others!

Summer certainly "heats-up" for many of our families. Schedules change and become busier for some as they make room for vacation, summer sports, seeing loved ones, and sometimes just plain relaxing! We encourage everyone to stay connected this summer by worshipping with us on Sundays! Your presence alone is a HUGE encouragement to people. Not to mention the words of life that are spoken as we minister to each other on Sunday mornings. Sunday is my favorite day of the week because I get to be with all of you!

Our summer Small Group schedule will change just a bit to give people time for some of the other activities they will have. Read the panel on the left to see what small groups and activities will be offered over the summer. For those who like the Sunday schedule best, John Gilbert continues his Sunday School class just before worship in our children's area. Jo Chilcutt is leading an exercise class on Tuesdays and Thursdays that can help you get into that bathing suit! Check out some of the other groups as well and find one that works for you!

Finally, think of someone that you know who would be a GREAT FIT for our church family and begin praying over how you might invite that person to join us on Sunday mornings! We've been blessed with an incredible, loving, nurturing (and increasingly missional!!) family of faith! Let's expand God's influence into the lives of others by leading friends into an encounter with Jesus through worship at Promise Church.

See you Sunday!

Jay

One at a time...

2009-03-05T07:15:00.001-08:00

It is tempting in the current political and economic atmosphere to think in grand sweeping strokes. To get the economy "jump-started" our leaders have moved from greasing the wheels of "micro-economics" to large infusions of money in Keynesian "macro-economics." The idea is this. If you spend very large sums of money in certain sectors of the economy you will see a "trickle-down" effect as those sectors hire laborers, purchase goods, make investments, and so on. Those laborers then hired will use the money from their jobs to purchase goods, homes, cars, etc. which will all in turn begin moving the larger economic spin-wheel. If you spend the money in the "right" areas then that may serve as "investment" for all of the other areas (like manufacturing over financial services, green tech over carbon fuel tech). Well, that's the theory at least as it is cast in a grand vision of mobilizing the country back toward prosperity.

As I was praying this morning, I began with asking God to move in large and powerful ways - in our country, in our city, in our church. What came to me as I prayed were the faces of dozens of individuals each with their own circumstances and stories. I was moved to begin praying for each one of them even though I knew that would consume the hour we had set aside for our Morning Prayers.

This struck me as a prophetic picture of how the church functions so entirely different from human institutions. The church is concerned with individuals growing deeply in their relationship with Jesus and their "Abba, Father" relationship with God. Large and grandiose visions or large and grandiose churches aren't bad in and of themselves - but they are never a replacement for intimacy and connectedness and especially how the Spirit works healing, grace, and love inside of those intimate relationships made up of individual people.

Each of these individuals has a story and a history. They have hurts and joys. They have people they love. They have people they fear. They have hopes and sorrows; they have areas of trust and areas of mistrust. They all have mothers and fathers, some are mommies and daddies themselves. Most go every day to some kind of work and look to that work to provide for their needs.

It may be that as our attention is drawn in the political sphere and by the media to the larger equations, that the function of the church will be to remind us of God's love for the individual person and God's plan for each of us. In scripture and throughout history, God's BIG plans have always begun with a small group in an out of the way place - well away from the cities and people that represented power and influence.

What this means for you and me is that there is important work to do. While highly educated people figure out complex economic equations, you and I have a very important, very purposeful mission of love. And this mission isn't some grand evangelistic scheme. It is quite simply to love our NEIGHBOR as ourselves. It's to love them like Jesus loves them and to invite them to join the community that authentically celebrates and lives that love.

And this happens one person, one story, one decision, one life transformed at a time.

Blessings!

Pastor Jay

Worshp 3/1/09

2009-03-01T05:16:00.001-08:00

Church - Jackson police and authorities are recommending that no one travel this morning do to icy road conditions. We will not have worship this morning at Promise Church. We encourage everyone to enjoy the day with your family and spend some time in praise and worship at home. If you know of anyone who has been adversely affected by the weather conditions please let Susan or me know at 668.9840 so we can arrange assistance.

Blessings and enjoy our gift from God!

Jay

Thicker than Water...

2009-02-11T16:14:00.000-08:00

My mother, father, and I returned home to their house in New Orleans yesterday morning around 4 a.m. after a long drive to Houston for the funeral of a close family friend.

Usually I find myself on the officiating end of funerals. This time I was part of the congregation - listening, singing, and looking for a reminder of God's presence and hope through loss and heart-ache.

One has to be intentional to be able to see God when they're hurting. It doesn't come naturally to us. And that's where the support and encouragement of others becomes so vitally important. It's when we can't see and don't feel that others can do the seeing and feeling for us until our vision clears and our hearts cease to ache.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote in his famous book, Life Together, "The physical presence of other Christians is a source of incomparable joy and strength to the believer." He wrote these words as the German government of the thirties became increasingly antagonistic to any Christianity that resisted Nazi power. For Bonhoeffer, community wasn't optional, it was the very life-blood of the Christian experience.

Listen to what Bonhoeffer says as he looks for encouragement and support realizing that his own Christian witness may put him at odds with the culture of his day (and ultimately result in his execution in 1945). "God has willed that we should seek and find His living Word in the witness of a brother, in the mouth of man. Therefore, the Christian needs another Christian who speaks God's Word to him. He needs him again and again when he becomes uncertain and discouraged, for by himself he cannot help himself without belying the truth. He needs his brother man as a bearer and proclaimer of the divine word of salvation. He needs his brother solely because of Jesus Christ. The Christ in his own heart is weaker than the Christ in the word of his brother; his own heart is uncertain, his brother's is sure."

When our emotions become so overpowering against the backdrop of life's pain that we can't think or even pray clearly, it's our sisters and brothers in Christ who pray us through, perhaps even think us through.

My vision for our church is to be this kind of community. We are bound together not by history or tradition or doctrine or even always by "agreement" - we are bound together by Jesus himself who transcends (and infiltrates) all these things. Not a bad binding that. Truly the blood of Christ is thicker than water.

Snow Day!

2009-01-28T20:34:00.001-08:00

Yesterday's snow day was a welcome blessing. Susan, Neeley, and I had a chance to go outside and sled down our "hill" in our backyard. Afterward, Susan spent some time getting caught up on school work and I had a chance to do some studying that I'd been putting off and spent the rest of the time playing with Neeley. It was one of those random, unscheduled "free days" that the Lord occasionally drops your way to remind you that your scheduled life isn't as important and necessary as you might be tempted to think it is.

While a snow day is unscheduled, our Sunday morning time at church is something we can actually look forward to. One writer on the subject worship has called Sunday morning worship a "holy waste of time." She's using the phrase tongue-in-cheek of course. But the idea is that from the world's perspective there are a lot better things one might be doing than singing, praying, fellowshiping, learning, and encountering God.

From my perspective, there is nothing I'd rather be doing on Sunday morning (or Monday morning, Tuesday morning, Wednesday morning...) than standing in the presence of the Lord. It's in His presence that anything and everything else I might set my mind to do receives its meaning and purpose. Without that time with God, nothing (for me, at least) can really have much direction or place. It's behind God's leading that our lives receive any hint of significance.

If that's true - and it certainly is for me - I want to be intentional about the way I approach my day of Sabbath rest. There's preparation I can make spiritually. There's prayer I can offer so that my heart is ready to receive God's gifts as I worship Him. I can begin working on my "worship-attitude" early in the week so that on Sunday I'm ready, I'm expectant, I'm hopeful. If being in the presence of God means anything to me at all, then what would my week look like if it were completely oriented - all week long - to that time that I would be able to stand with hands lifted high in the presence of God and with God's people? If you aren't receiving anything in worship is it because God isn't pouring out or is it because a place at the table of your heart hasn't been prepared for Him?

Something to ponder. Something to pray about.

Blessings!

Pastor Jay

Chrysalis Weekend!

2009-01-15T13:25:00.001-08:00

A Chrysalis is the time in the early stage of a butterfly's development where they are cocooned as they form their wings for flight. It's a vulnerable time for the butterfly as it undergoes significant changes. It's a place that is completely nurturing and formative. Inside the cocoon, the butterfly has everything that it needs...but is NOT the final stage of the butterfly! The purpose of the nurturing, formative stage is so that the butterfly can fly!

This weekend, Dale and I will be at Camp Clark Williamson with close to fifty youth and adults for a weekend of re-connecting with God. The focus of the Chrysalis (and the Emmaus) weekend is developing a clear understanding of what it means to live in God's agape-style love. For many of the youth, it will be a time they will remember for the rest of their lives. Dale and I have seen young people visibly and tangibly moved by their encounter with God on the Chrysalis retreat.

Please pray with us over this weekend that the retreat be a powerful encounter with God! We covet your prayers and intercession for our leadership of the retreat, for the fertile soil of the heart into which good seed will be planted, and for the young men themselves to which we will be ministering - that they will receive EVERY good gift God has for them this weekend.

As I write this, it occurs to me how the process I've just described resembles so well what we've experienced at Promise Church! The Lord has given us an amazing season to get to know each other and create a safe and nurturing place for healing and community-formation to take place. He's cocooned us in some respects. But the sense that I and several of us are getting now is that the time has come for us to FLY!!!

That's exciting to me because it means that all that the Lord has been doing in the life of our church has been purposeful. It has been directed toward our RELEASE to minister in FREEDOM! As you pray for us this weekend at the retreat, include our church in your prayers, if you would. That we seize our divine opportunity to take flight and become the amazing church God has created us to be!

Blessings and favor in 2009!

Pastor Jay

THIS WEEK @ PROMISE CHURCH!

2008-12-18T20:08:00.000-08:00

I want to thank Lindsey Patterson for the wonderful worship we had this past Sunday! The Northside High School Vocal Ensemble did a fantastic job of providing our Carols for our Lessons and Carols service. Some have suggested we make this an annual tradition! It was that good!

We've had someone generously give the church some money to do some radio advertising this week, at the first of the year, and then again around Valentine's day. The ads can be heard on Rock 92.3 this week during drive time slots in the morning and the afternoon. I thought I've give you a preview of what the Christmas ad says...

This is Pastor Jay Hutchens from Promise Church. As the song goes, "Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year." I enjoy the time spent with good friends, the giving and receiving of gifts, and watching my children bound down the stairs on Christmas morning. All of these things add to the joy of the season. But that joy wouldn't be complete without the presence of Jesus Christ. You see, we can spend time with friends or give or receive gifts anytime, anywhere. But what makes it so special for me is knowing that in living the love of Jesus, I'm actually living for a much larger purpose in this world than simply myself. And it's that larger purpose that keeps me going even when life gets really tough. Do you have a larger purpose for your life? If not, we'd like to invite you to join us on a journey of discovery this holiday season at Promise Church. You can check us out on the web at www.promisechurch.info.

A number of people have mentioned to me how influential our radio spots were initially in their decision to come to Promise Church. We're blessed to be able to do this again for the next couple of months! It's exciting to be able to talk about Jesus on a primarily rock-n-roll station!

This coming Sunday is called "Christmas Sunday." What better way to approach Christmas Day than to begin the week in worship and celebrate what Jesus continues to do in our lives every day.

See you Sunday!!

Pastor Jay

This Week @ Promise Church 07.23.08

2008-07-23T15:44:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe but summer (at least the school being out part) is almost over! Susan and I will be in South Carolina next week visiting with her family before Will heads back to school the following week.

I'm excited about the upcoming Fall at Promise Church. This summer we've seen the increase in enthusiasm and attendance for our Thursday Night Intercession Service. I have people outside the church ask me all the time about our ministry on Thursday evenings! It's great to talk to people from all over West Tennessee who are all pursuing the presence of God and lifting up our city in prayer.

God has also been prompting my heart to begin ministering to the apartment complexes close to the church on Old Hickory and on North Parkway. Promise Church is perfectly situated to provide a sustaining and nurturing Spirit-filled family for people who are looking for deep, connecting relationships.

There are a lot of possibilities for reaching out to our city with the good news of Jesus. Let's "lock arms" and press forward with love, community, vision and mission! I perceive that God is getting ready to open the flood-gates of blessing as we are obedient to His call to faithfulness!

Blessings,

Pastor Jay

Special Note
Prayerfully consider your tithe or special gift for July. Promise Church's lease will increase by $1000 in August and we are slightly behind schedule on our July budget. Thanks for your continued prayers for our church family!

- Pastor Jay Hutchens

Your Faith Has Healed You!

2008-06-07T09:41:00.001-07:00

Mt 9:18 While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.” 19 Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples.

Mt 9:20 Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21 She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”

Mt 9:22 Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed from that moment.

Mt 9:23 When Jesus entered the synagogue leader’s house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes, 24 he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him. 25 After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. 26 News of this spread through all that region.

I often ask myself “How much do I really believe in what Jesus can accomplish?”

I had a conversation with someone at the gym a few months back who told me that she was having trouble getting past some difficult issues in her life. Her life had been on a collision course with alchohol addiction and in finding healing through AA meetings she was still experiencing some lingering bitterness over some of the things that had happened during and since her addiction.

During the conversation (I was on one exercise bicycle and she was on the other) I suggested that she ask Jesus to heal her heart of the pain she was going through. My thought at the time was that believing in God as one’s “higher power” is a good first start, but that like the woman who touched the hem of Jesus’s garment that there is power to be released when “press through the crowds” and go after Jesus with all of our heart.

Her reply has stuck with me and it has challenged me to think – and pray – about how much we can expect from Jesus today in our own lives. She said, “Jay, those are nice stories from the Bible, but I’m looking for real healing in my life today.”

Her words struck me to the core. Are the stories of healing just children’s stories to make us feel good and create in us a very general (and inchoate) hope of restoration and healing? Or is it possible that the work of Jesus never ended with his death nor with the death of the last apostle. Rather, are we right in believing that Jesus’ ministry to our bodies, souls, AND spirits continues to the present time?

I’ve been amazed by some of the stories coming out of Lakeland, Florida of the healing revival taking place under the ministry and leadership of Todd Bentley. In fact, one night Susan and I and some others put the revival (that is broadcast on God.tv) on the projection screen at church and simply watched in awe as people came forward to be healed of blindness, severe illness, deafness and other physical ailments. A tangible presence of God filled our worship center. I began to weep as I saw people press through crowds to be prayed over and touched and given encouragement and then healed.

There was a season of my life that I would have been the worst skeptic about this sort of thing. I simply had been taught some wrong things about God and at the time didn’t know better than to believe them. Our challenge today is to accept the grace of God to have our eyes and ears renewed so that we can see and hear the places where God is moving today. Deep down, we believe in the possibility of the miraculous – of the transformation of individuals, communities, and even nations! We believe in the possibility. Now is the time perhaps for us to believe in the actuality of God’s will and purposes being accomplished in this world that He has created. And as we see them – let’s celebrate them together.

Blessings,

Jay

This Week At Promise Church

2008-05-05T08:03:00.001-07:00

This page is best viewed using Internet Explorer

	SCRIPTURE
^{Eph 3:20} Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen

This Week at Promise Church!

"Pursuing the Presence of God"
May 5, 2008

Dear TPC,

There is no other way to describe worhip yesterday than "amazing!" In the process of giving birth to a "new thing" God is doing some incredible work in the lives of so many individuals (many from different churches!) as well as in our corporate body. I'm finding that my own categories that I have used to mentally grab hold of my experiences are being stretched and even replaced as I watch God move us to boldness and a profound experience of His presence (Matthew 9:16-17). We are pressing forward and saying "Yes, Lord!" to each invitation God makes to us to step into our destiny!

Much love,

Pastor Jay

Thought

"It's abnormal for a Christian not to have an appetite for the impossible. It has been written into our spiritual DNA to hunger for the impossibilities around us to bow at the name of Jesus."

- Bill Johnson, When Heaven Meets Earth (25)

THIS WEEK

TUE 5/6/08: Small Group at home of Jo Chilcutt. TIME: 9:30AM. Contact: Jacki Shuttleworth, 225-8106. STUDY: Life in the Spirit Video Series

TUE 5/6/08: Small Group at the home of John and Trish Lambert, 6pm. Contact: John Gilbert, 731.513.2810 STUDY: Hearing God's Voice Video Series

TUE 5/6/08: Small Group at home of Steve and Lindsey Patterson. TIME: 6pm. Contact: Susan Hutchens, 225-3425. STUDY: Life in the Spirit Video Series.

TUE 5/6/08: Small Group at home of Candace Clarke. TIME: 6pm. Contact: Candace Clarke, 431-5399.

WED 5/7/08: Small Group at the home of Charlotte Jenkins, 6pm. Contact: Charlotte Jenkins, 731.695.6213. STUDY: Hearing God's Voice Video Series

WED 5/7/08: Small Group at the Church led by Larry and Deanna Jackson, 6:30pm. Contact: Larry Jackson, 731.414.8550 STUDY: Learning to Love!

THU 5/8/08: INTERCESSION! Worship with Tony Woodall at the church beginning at 7pm.

FRI-SAT 5/9-10/08: Sabbath Rest for the Community.

SUN 5/11/08: Mother's Day Celebration and blessing of our mom's and women!

NEWS AND NOTES

INTERCESSION WORSHIP!
Promise Church will be hosting a city-wide Intercession Worship every Thursday at 7pm. During this time we will prayer for our pastors and churches, for our elected officials, for our schools and teachers, for our children and families, and worship together as we seek the presence of God!

SMALL GROUPS
One of the BEST ways that we get to meet new people at Promise Church is through our Small Groups that meet in people's homes during the week. We have groups meeting throughout the week all over Jackson which are studying different topics. It is perfectly okay to try a small group to see if you like it and to find one that's right for you. If you'd like more information on small groups, check the box on your contact card (to the right) that says "Small Groups" and one of the pastors of the church will call you!

Click for directions to Promise Church (from Google)
Google Directions to TPC

Forward email

This email was sent to info@promisechurch.info, by jay@promisechurch.info

Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy.

Email Marketing by

What Really Matters?

2008-04-04T09:13:00.001-07:00

1Pe 1:17 Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. 18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. 1Pe 1:22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

We could put our faith in many different things. We could put our faith in the Federal Reserve Board to correctly predict and manipulate the direction of the financial markets. We could put our faith and trust in our police and/or parents and/or educators to forestall the plans of third-graders planning to harm their teacher. We could even place our faith in our powerful military to protect us from the scourge of terrorism. And by placing our faith in these institutions, we might be proven right – maybe they can protect our economy, our children, or our country. But will that really insure my security? Are these institutions really the rock upon which I build my house and place the hopes of my life and my children’s life?

Peter in the above passage reminds us that there is no power that can provide that degree or quality of hope other than the power of God himself. People and institutions make big promises. But it’s the power of God that leads us into a “life-annointing” and “authority” and gives us courage and boldness.

It is not the “perishable” things that will prove themselves reliable in our lives nor prove themselves really all that powerful in the things that really matter. Life, real life, comes only from the “lamb who was slain.” God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong! (1 Cor 1:27) And so in God’s Kingdom, the life worth having is the life that is poured out in love for others. What we discover in that life is that all the things we hoped we would gain through our own agendas really come about when we surrender to God’s purposes! As Jesus says, “Seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you!” (Matthew 6:33)

This Week

2008-03-05T15:28:00.001-08:00

What an AWESOME worship we had this past weekend! The Christian Motorcyclists Association made an amazing presentation on their "Run for the Son" ministry and the church collected over $450 toward their ministry of reaching the motorcylce community with the message of Jesus's love. Nice work everyone!

This weekend we'll be looking at the story of Lazarus in John 11:1-44 and the way the God can make the impossible possible through faith! I hope you join us for exciting, spirit-filled worship and as always the wonderful fellowship we have each week at Promise Church.

Keep in mind also that Sunday night, March 16th we'll be hosting the "Room at the Inn" and are in need of two men to spend the night with our homeless guests as well as others who can help serve dinner and breakfast. If you're interested, let me know that you'd like to help (and how you'd like to help - stay overnight, or serve a meal) and I'll hook you up with the team captain.

Have a blessed week - and we'll see you Sunday!

Pastor Jay

Jn 11:25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

ASH WEDNESDAY: An Acceptable Sacrifice

2008-02-06T14:29:00.000-08:00

It’s always so easy to slip into a fixed pattern of doing things. It’s almost as if our minds look at times for ways to go on auto-pilot so that we don’t have to be burdened with thinking too much about all of the different options or opportunities in front of us. It’s easy to rush through the take out line at your favorite fast food restaurant when you know that meat and veggies cooked at home will be better for you. It’s easy when you’re feeling low to head to the store or get online and purchase that item that you know will make you feel better. It’s easy in an election season to not do any in-depth reading on the candidates or choose the one that just best fits your pre-existing beliefs – because after all – we have such little say in who will actually be elected. It’s easy to come home tired from work and turn the television on for the children while you rest on the couch.

Our bodies and minds are very naturally inclined to doing things the easy way – the way that to our thinking causes the least amount of pain or discomfort. If this weren’t true, then wouldn’t we all be in the gym every morning at 7am? If this weren’t true, then wouldn’t we all cook our meals at home and spend quality time with our families and friends? If this weren’t true, wouldn’t we find very meaningful times to spend in prayer, regularly seeking God’s wisdom on the important decisions – and even the not-so-important ones - of our lives?

What we know from simply observing our lives is that if left up to ourselves without any intentionality at all – it would seem very natural to choose the comfortable and easy path most of the time.

The Israelites in Isaiah’s time had gotten into very comfortable ways of living. It was easier for them to become like the nations around them – to simply live for the marketplace, to worship in the high places the gods they believed would make the land more fertile, to marry their children to the children of unbelievers to strengthen economic or political ties, to live in fear of the great military powers of their time like Egypt, or Babylonia, or Assyria – even though in their history they had witnessed the amazing power of their God, Yahweh. Their worship had even become rote. Rather than experience a life-giving relationship of faith with the God who had brought them through the Exodus, it had become easier for them to simply go through the motions of sacrifice – to play at religion rather than do the work of faith.

It’s in this context that God inspires Isaiah to cast a vision of something different. It’s not that God wanted the people of Israel to do without good things, to sacrifice abundance for holiness as if the two were diametrically opposed to each other. God, rather, as He had shown over and over in the history of the people of Israel, wanted his people to live within the larger vision of an amazing blessing.

What this blessing looked like might be unrecognizable to us today. Perhaps we, like the Israelites, have become too much like those who don’t confess God as sovereign. Or maybe, worse yet, we’ve recast the major teachings of our faith so that they reflect not the radical, compassionate, and community-oriented nature of Jesus, but rather we’ve cast them to mirror our consumer-minded, individualistic, social-climbing culture that we find ourselves living in, breathing in, being shaped by, and being accommodated to.

The stridency of Isaiah’s voice is so powerful because Isaiah knows that God’s people have been called to a much better life than what they’ve chosen to settle for. They have, in fact, chosen the easy way. God’s way may seem tough at first. But it is in the end the only life that really has any sustainability.

Jesus, perhaps seeing the look on the face of his disciples as he taught them about the way of God reassured them, “My yoke is easy, my burden is light.” Jesus knew something his disciples didn’t. That they were already on the road to pain. Oh the path of the world, the path of accomodation might seem easy. Tough choices, discipline, and deep holiness might be able to be put off for the time being. But that’s just for the time being. Real life, real joy, real love can only be experienced under God’s blessing and provision. In the end, it is God’s way that is light and easy. Any alternative path as both scriptures and our own experience attest is just simply death.

Ash Wednesday in the tradition of the church marks the beginning of what the church has called the season of Lent. By observing Lent we don’t transform into some ritualistic high church that substitutes going through the motions for real life giving faith. By observing Lent we are simply acknowledging that there are seasons of our life, even seasons of our community life, where we may as a community prepare ourselves to experience the power of the resurrection of Jesus.

That was all Isaiah was saying to the Israelites. Remember what God has done for you? Remember his power and glory as he freed you from being slaves – not just slaves to the Egyptians, which you were – but slaves to your own defeatism, your own despair, and the enslavement of your mind. You are free! Isaiah proclaims! Now live as people who are free.

Whenever the prophet speaks, we are reminded that we don’t really have to settle for less. We don’t have to take the easy route of “what’s comfortable” or “what will make me the most money” or “what will push me further or higher than everyone else.” We have the freedom NOT to be enslaved by these demonic powers.

Rather, as we approach our celebration of the resurrection of Jesus, we can be intentional about some things. We can do something we rarely do and be intentional about being clear about what exactly are the powers and demonic influences we are allowing to exercise influence in our life. We can name them. We can call them out and recognize their influence.

We can be intentional about breaking the power these things have over our lives. Traditionally, people have given something up for Lent as a way of recognizing their choice in the matter of rooting out negative behaviors and influences. This Lent, rather than give something up I personally plan to do something intentional about my health. You see, I recognize that how I take care of my body has immediate impact on my mood, my emotions, my energy levels, and indeed my spiritual life. If I’m feeling low in the spirit, it affects my ministry; it negatively influences my most intimate relationships. I hear God’s voice saying to me you can minister and love and parent with strength and authority and energy.

Tonight you have an opportunity to lay to rest, or to speak theologically, to put to death, things in your life that are keeping you back. What’s holding you down? What’s enslaving you? What’s pushing you to take the easy route and accommodate to culture? What’s robbing you of your joy? What is siphoning your life from you? Think of what these things are. Be intentional about taking the time to identify them. And tonight as we receive ashes and communion, declare these things dead to you. Leave them here in the dust.

Begin your 40 day journey with Jesus today, saying to him, I want to know the power of your love and resurrection. On Easter Sunday, I want nothing less than to experience what Jesus experienced the moment he was resurrected. I want nothing less than to live in the confidence and the boldness of a God who has defeated death itself.

That choice begins with a decision – the decision to receive Jesus’ vision for your life knowing that some things will change. But also having the confidence that you are safe in the arms of God and he desires good things for your life. He wants us to live inside His blessing. He wants us to say “yes” to his invitation of life.

Rallying Together!

2008-02-06T10:01:00.000-08:00

Last night many of us huddled with our families in the "safest" place we could find in our home while listening to the radio of the news of the storm's approach to Jackson.

Susan, Neeley, and I sat at the bottom of the stairs next to the garage and prayed for Jackson and the surrounding areas. Neeley then prayed her own prayer which was incomprehensible to us except for the "Amen" at the end. In many ways, our prayers were answered as what could have been disastrous in terms of loss of life caused mostly property damage. Property can be repaired. Our prayers go with the families of the two in Madison County and the eighteen in West Tennessee and Kentucky who lost their lives last night.

Susan and I spent much of last night on the phone checking in with members of our church. John and Trish Lambert were under a blanket in their bathroom when the tornado landed close to their home at the Walgreen's on North Highland and sent debris flying through the surrounding neighborhood. The large window at the front of their home looking out of their dining room was destroyed. John - a Jackson police officer - then went into work to help.

Calvin Leeds - a resident of Jackson Oaks - is safely at home with his sister. When the sirens went off, the residents of the Oaks were gathered together in the dining hall and lobby. The tornado tore off the roof of the assisted living wing (where Calvin lives). Calvin reported that there were no injuries and the group was taken to Liberty High School where they remained until 2am.

Perhaps the most encouraging call last night was to Bob Hilliard, a resident of Spring Creek, who watched the tornado approach and hit the ground. As it landed, he "rebuked it" and it lifted back off the ground again! Bob then set out to help many of his neighbors who had damage done to their homes making sure that they were okay.

The coming days we will hear more stories of loss as well as stories of courage. Promise Church has an opportunity as our city suffers to minister with grace and love. There will be calls for food, clothing, and money to help people who lost everything get back on their feet again. We will work closely with JAMA (Jackson Area Minister's Association) to determine what we can do together. As we learn of the needs, we will let you know how we can best respond as a church.

We love you all and are praying for each of you by name.

Jay and Susan Hutchens

Theotokos

2007-12-18T07:47:00.001-08:00

Imagine your emotions when an angel of God appears to you and tells you that the baby you will give birth to (even though you aren’t yet married) will be the son of God. Disbelief? Fear? Denial?

Luke’s gospel tells us that Mary was “troubled in her heart” at the appearance of the angel. Of course she was troubled. Who could possibly imagine what might lay in store for God’s son, for her son? One has to wonder if Mary knew that to bear the son of God was to give birth to one whom the powers of the world would have to reject. The claims that would be made about the man’s life would be too outrageous, too demanding, perhaps even too liberating. Or you have to wonder if the thought that went through her mind were as simple as “I can’t have a child – I’m unwed!” The burden she must have experienced would have been heavy beyond comprehension.

The angel, sensing her abject horror at the thought of being theotokos “mother of God”, tries to calm her down. “You are favored by God!” the angel says.

“Favored?” she thinks! Who needs this kind of favor.

“Your son will be called the most High, the Son of God! He will sit on an eternal throne!” the angel offers to Mary.

And then her deep-seated fear emerges. “How can this be when I’m not married?” - which in her culture might also have been said, “You know proper young Jewish women in our village don’t become pregnant without first being married! I’ll be ridiculed and the people who have known me my entire life will think I’m nothing but a tramp, that I’ve slept with my fiancée before we were properly married. Do you really believe they will buy the whole ‘Spirit of God descended upon you’ explanation?”

The angel persists. “He will be called the Son of God,” the angel says.

“Of course I am your humble and willing servant,” Mary replies. “I will do as asked.”

The scene doesn’t really match our idea of how Mary should have reacted to the news that God had chosen her for his purpose. Shouldn’t she have been elated at the prospect of carrying the Lord’s child in her womb! Shouldn’t she have been overjoyed that she would be the one to nurture Jesus to adulthood? Shouldn’t she have found strength from the knowledge that she would be forever remembered as the mother of God?

Would you?

God comes to us for his purposes and we think deep in our hearts, “Who needs this kind of favor? Can’t you just leave me alone and choose someone else and let me serve you in peace and in my own way?”

When God comes and greets us with a blessing and says “I have important work for you to do” how often do we jerk back in fear knowing that we are completely unworthy and unprepared to be used how God wants to use us? We are certain that we are not up to what it is God has set us apart to do. We are fearful that people will think that we are stupid and ridiculous for following that voice, that call that no one else has heard and no one else can really understand. They didn’t hear the voice. They didn’t hear the blessing. And yet, God asks. And God blesses. And God tells us that we are favored.

Be encouraged and do not fear, the angel says. God favors you for the purpose for which you have been called. In your own way you bear Jesus deep inside of you and God has called you to give birth to the Prince of Peace – to make him known powerfully to others by how you live your life - by the blessing that at first no one can see but will come to know and understand as the Spirit grants you amazing and abundant life.

Mary’s response to God is really the only response we have to offer. God’s purposes for creation are going to be fulfilled.

Lk 1:38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.”

Pictures!

2007-12-12T08:35:00.001-08:00

The Kitchen

Media Center

Sanctuary from Entrance

Projection Screen

MOVED!

2007-12-12T08:18:00.000-08:00

Well, we are finally in our new worship space at 180N Old Hickory Blvd! Our worship and fellowship this past Sunday was AWESOME! We had between 90 and 100 folks with us to celebrate our new location and our new direction as a church.

I want to encourage you to keep the momentum going and keep looking forward! Christmas is a great season to sink deeply into the movment of the Spirit and experience the presence of Jesus in your life. Move past the world's commercial presentation of Jesus and instead look to the brand new things that the Holy Spirit is seeking to do in YOUR life. What does it mean for Jesus to be alive in YOU and in our church?

This coming Sunday we'll be talking about PRAYING WITH EXPECTATION and how when we pray expecting God to answer our prayers incredible things begin to move and happen in our lives. Promise Church is a praying church. More and more we are looking to see answered prayer and with that we are seeing God's miraculous power breaking out in people's relationships, health, finances, and faith journeys! I want to see even more in the coming year!

So make a commitment now to

LET THE SPIRIT MOVE IN YOU in worship. See worship as a time to be ministered to by the Holy Spirit - touching places in your spirit that no counselor or self-help book could ever reach! It's in worship that we feel God's presence to do a new work in us. Our regular worship also encourages other people who want to know that God is real and moving in people's lives.
To be a regular TITHER. The act of tithing (giving 10% of our income to God) anchors us in God-directed living. It's saying that even though we live in a world where there are many things competing for our time and resources - we CHOOSE to put God FIRST! What a blessing it is when we put God above all else.

DISCOVER how you can use your God given gifts and talents to help others connect with Jesus and grow in their faith! At Promise Church we teach that God is in the process of gifting all of us to share and develop faith in others and that we live BEST when we live MISSIONALLY.

If you haven't seen the new church, here's some pictures! Of course, the BEST way to experience our new worship space is to come and be a part of the new thing God is doing at Promise Church! Some come, taste and see, that the Lord is good and is doing wonderful things in our church family!

This Week At Promise Church!

2007-11-27T08:42:00.000-08:00

I want to thank everyone for their patience as we've been working diligently to move into our new space at the Galleria Shopping Center. It's hard to believe that our two month construction project is nearing its end and that NEXT WEEK - Sunday, December 9th - we'll be worshipping in our new space.

We will meet briefly that Sunday Morning (12/9) at 10:45am to have a closing ceremony at our old location before we travel by caravan to our new home for Worship and Celebration! There will also be a potluck lunch immediately following our Celebration! Susan Hutchens is coordinating the details of our potluck - so if you know you can bring an item to share with your church family contact her at susan@promisechurch.info or call her on her phone at 225-3425.

I look forward to seeing you THIS coming Sunday for our last full worship service in our OLD worship center. This coming Sunday begins the season of Advent and throughout Advent and leading up to Christmas we'll be talking about the spiritual side of "Expectation." You won't want to miss it!

Much Love,

Pastor Jay

Promise Church Christmas Open House

Dot Carneal will be hosting a Christmas Open House for all Promise Church members this coming Sunday (12/2) immediately following church at her new home at 159 Silverdale Cove in Jackson. Heavy O'Douevres and Soft Drinks will be served. All are welcome! No reservation is necessary. Directions to her home will be available in Sunday Morning's Worship Bulletin.

A Pilgrim Journey

2007-11-17T07:32:00.000-08:00

Phil 4:4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I wonder if Jesus were to return today would he recognize his people as being a thankful people? This morning we've heard testimonies from members of our church who are thankful for the many ways God has moved in their lives. But what about the rest of us?

I want you to do a little imagination experiment with me. I want you to allow a picture to form in your mind just for a moment of what your life would look like if you were to recognize God - not you or someone else - but God as the sole provider of every good thing in your life?

Let me help you do this. What would it mean for you to say, "My job was given to me by God."
"My home and my family were gifts of God to me."
"My good health that I enjoy is God's way of being gracious to me."
"The food that I eat and the clothes that I wear are God's ways of reminding me that he fills me and covers me with his presence."
"My friends that I enjoy are God's means of letting me know that I am not alone."
"My spouse and my children are God's ways of saying to me that I'm now possess the maturity for the responsibility of nurturing another human life. It is God's wonderful expression to me that my life no longer has to revolve around ME."
"My church family is God's way of communicating to me my purpose in life and helping me to fulfill that purpose with the help of others."

You see, when we look at our lives from THIS perspective we cannot help but think to ourselves - "Thank you God for what I have."

I've been reading a book for some time on the history of those who came over on the Maylower by Nathanial Philbrick. It's a wonderfully readable book that describes the early days of the settlement at Plymouth and the amazing hardships faced by the pilgrims as they sought a new land to worship and be the church free of the persecution of King James of England (who authorized the King James Bible that many of us use!). When the pilgrims set sail for the new world in 1620 they had over a hundred human lives on the Mayflower willing to venture into a unknown place.

They arrived at their destination on November 9th - too late in the Fall to plant and harvest their own food - and so they had to rely on the generosity of the local Pokonoket Indians, their own hunting skills, and the grace of God to get them through the harsh New England Winter. Many died during that hard winter. When Spring came - only half of the original number of pilgrims had survived - around fifty.

Years later as their governor William Bradford reflected poetically on the difficulties they had experienced together and borrowing from a theme in Hebrews 13, he wrote:

Faint not, poor soul, in God still trust,
Fear not the things thou suffer must;
For, whom he loves he doth chastise,
And then all tears wipes from their eyes.

For Bradford, "every occurrence meant something." (Philbrick, 77) In the experience of the pilgrims, there was no place God was not - providing, forging, creating, and calling to holiness and faithfulness.

When God calls us to be his faithful people - he doesn't promise us comfort or security by the world's standards. Instead he calls us to a mission and a purpose. Being called out to reflect the character of God in the middle of a world in rebellion to God is going to be fraught with difficulty and a sense of separateness and at times even isolation.

I am confident that the Pilgrims who settled Plymouth were well aware of Deuternomy 31 and verse 6, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

And therein is our promise. On our journey - as fellow pilgrims in the faith - God is with us. He gives us courage and boldness. He directs our steps if we listen and are faithful. He will never leave us nor forsake us.

No matter how distant you may feel from God, know this. God is near to you. He has loved you from birth and has directed your steps. Even when we haven't always been faithful to him, HE has been faithful to us. He has faithfully called you to your divinely appointed purpose and is even now giving you everything you need to fulfill that call. He longs for you to say "yes" to him and live as His beloved child.

So what are you thankful for? Where do you see God active and alive in your life if only you will take a moment to be still and reflect on the course and direction of your life? How is God active today - and everyday - in your life providing goodness and blessing?

Take a moment right now and thank God for His awesome provision in your life. And let the peace of thanksgiving fill your hearts!

See you Sunday!

Pastor Jay

Kingdom Lives!

2007-11-12T11:31:00.000-08:00

I meet a lot of people who are interested in getting to know God more intimately and experience His presence in their lives in a more powerful way. They attend conferences, read books, view DVD’s all bent on how to sense God’s presence in a more deeply moving way.

There’s certainly nothing wrong with educating oneself to the workings of the Spirit. In fact, in the world we live in – it seems like there are forces that are constantly trying to get us to see the world through their sets of lens. During an election season, for instance, our lives become translated into policy initiates that are debated by candidates for office. During an economic downturn, our lives become statistics for determining whether or not to raise the prime lending rate. Advertisers want us to know ourselves as consumers of their products – seeing consumption as a means for fulfilling our hidden longings! With all of the messages we hear about who we are and what purpose we serve in this world, a Spiritual message is a welcome one!

But I’d like to suggest this. Those who responded to Jesus’s call weren’t looking to “go deeper in the Spirit.” Rather they saw themselves as integral parts of God’s emerging kingdom made known primarily through the person of Jesus Christ. As they sought to live "kingdom lives" God took them ever deeper in their awareness of what He was doing in the world and further gifted them spiritually to be a part of the work!

There’s a difference. You see it’s all too easy to see ourselves as “consumers” of religion. Like consumers of soft-drinks we often want to taste the new and improved version when it comes out to see if it’s to our liking! We want to shop around and find the soft drink that’s right for me. Isn’t it the case that this is done with religion as well? Find the church that is tailored made to our own doctrinal tastes and preferences and then we’ll be happy – at least for a time – until someone new comes and proclaims that they possess the NEW or “cutting-edge” religious experience or worship style!

As you can imagine, this sort of thing has nothing to do with the kingdom of God as Jesus preached about it. Jesus’s version of the kingdom wasn’t about tailor made experiences as it was about complete and absolute submission of one’s entire being to the will and purposes of God.

Jesus said, “Mt 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”

In other words, the kingdom of God isn’t intended to serve the purposes of people’s personal agendas for self help and “spiritual growth.” The “called out” live to serve within the boundaries of God’s kingdom and in fact have their total identity and “citizenship” defined by that kingdom.

I think one of the best places where we see the boundaries of God’s kingdom clearly idenitified is in the early chapters of Luke where Mary – the mother of Jesus- sings a song of joy and anticipation at the arrival of her child.

And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
to Abraham and his descendants forever,
even as he said to our fathers.” (Luke 1:46-55)

How this vision of the kingdom played itself out in the ministry of Jesus can be seen by Jesus’s sending of his apostles into every village preaching about the good news of God and the coming Kingdom.

Lk 9:1 When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 3 He told them: “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic. 4 Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. 5 If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave their town, as a testimony against them.” 6 So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere.

The mission we are on as believers is God’s mission to which we have all been called to be Christ’s emissaries. We have been given the authority of Jesus to proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God – indeed to live that kingdom – wherein happens healing and wholeness, life transformation, and outpourings of the miraculous Spirit! God gives us precisely what we need to fulfill the mission he is sending us on. No more, no less.

All of the glory belongs to God for the awesome inheritance we have been given. And so as I desire and long for a greater “experience of God” in my life I know that the place to begin my search is with answering God’s call to surrender my life to the purposes of kingdom life. As that happens, as Jesus says in Matthew 6:33, “all these things will be given to you.”

To the Heart: Fear! and Fear Not!

2007-11-11T13:53:00.000-08:00

If we were to identify one of the biggest obstacles to experiencing on a daily basis the presence of God in our lives – I would have to say that that obstacle is fear.

We fear losing our jobs or having our income reduced. We fear the price of gasoline going up. We fear being alone. We fear being too intimate with anyone. We fear for our children. We fear for our retirement. We fear for our health. We fear going to the gym. We fear not having any meaning in our life. We fear the meaning and purpose we hear from God.

In fact there are so many things we fear – or phobias – that we now have a name for each of our fears. Consider some of these and see if you can guess what they are:

Agrizoophobia The fear of wild animals
Anthopophobia Fear of people
Atychiphobia Fear of failure
Bromidrophobia Fear of body odor
Chorophobia Fear of dancing.
Gamophobia Fear of marriage.
Hypnophobia Fear of being hypnotized
Syngenesophobia Fear of relatives.
Phobophobia Fear of phobias!

(from The Complete List of Phobias
www.officediversions.com/discover/modules/news/article.php?storyid=398)

With all of this fear that we experience in life how is it that there is any room left for us to experience the kingdom of God?

Jesus wants for his disciples to live without fear – or as he says in our passage this morning from the Sermon on the Mount – without worry.

Indeed, Jesus looks to the sparrows of the air and the lilies of the field as an example of how to live day-to-day under the provision of God. The birds, he says, “do not sow nor reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.” The flowers of the field, he says, “do not labor or spin” and yet they are more beautiful than Solomon in all of his riches and wealth.

So is Jesus’s answer to our stress and worry for us to simply give everything over to God and not worry about anything?

Well, yes and no.

As I was studying this week preparing for my message this morning, one thing kept recurring in scripture over and over. It was so obvious that I couldn’t dismiss it as a scriptural anomaly. It was too big and too important.

This was what I found. We are to have fear in life. In fact, there’s a pretty big fear we’re to have. We are instructed in scripture to live under this fear and let this fear give our lives direction and purpose – even to the point of ordering our days and lives.

Dt 6:1 These are the commands, decrees and laws the LORD your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, 2 so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. 3 Hear, O Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, promised you.

So that’s it. That’s the fear we’re supposed to have as children of God. The Israelites as they were beginning to enter the Promised Land and into the inheritance that God had promised them hundreds of years before were told that as long as they feared God things would go well with them in their new land.

But that was the catch wasn’t it. Not long after they had conquered the land of Canaan and made it their own they were becoming like those who they’d conquered.

Look at what God says later in Deuteronomy warning the Israelites against this very thing.

Dt 28:64 Then the LORD will scatter you among all nations, from one end of the earth to the other. There you will worship other gods—gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known. 65 Among those nations you will find no repose, no resting place for the sole of your foot. There the LORD will give you an anxious mind, eyes weary with longing, and a despairing heart. 66 You will live in constant suspense, filled with dread both night and day, never sure of your life.

If I were an Israelite given this warning, I think I’d choose the Lord.

Note some of the things here that come when we don’t live in fear of God and instead give other things priority in our life. They will have no repose or rest. They will have an anxious mind. Their eyes will be weary with longing and their heart will despair. They will live in constant suspense and dread their days. They will have no confidence in the direction their life is taking.

Sound like anything you’ve experienced before?

Certainly, that’s a clue to the root behind why our lives seem so anxious and stressful at time. Could it be that our priorities are misplaced? That we’ve put all the wrong things before our love and obedience to God? That rather than fear God we fear the things of the world?

And let’s talk about what it means to fear God. It may seem unfashionable to talk about fearing God. That seems so Old Testament when the God we want to believe in and serve is the loving and merciful God of the New Testament who – we mistakenly believe – makes no demands on our life. That’s the God we think we prefer and we’ve been taught in our culture that exists. A God that demands obedience to his will and expects us to actually fear Him– well, that seems a little inconvenient to us right now. We’ll get back to you on that, God.

But if we take the time to actually read what the Bible speaks of the “fear of God” we see that it is described mostly in life-giving terms. To fear something that is rightly to be feared is to move in the direction of real life!

For instance, Ps 34:9 Fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing.

Ps 85:9 Surely his salvation is near those who fear him,
that his glory may dwell in our land.

Pr 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline

Pr 8:13 To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.

Pr 10:27 The fear of the LORD adds length to life, but the years of the wicked are cut short.

Pr 14:27 The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.

Pr 19:23 The fear of the LORD leads to life: Then one rests content, untouched by trouble.

Job 28:28, “Truly, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.”

So rather than “fear” fearing the Lord – if the outcome of fearing the Lord is LIFE then fearing the Lord is something we should seriously consider SO THAT we can live our lives WITHOUT fear! Does that make sense?

Fear, of course, can mean terror and dread at the idea of something. We can fear God’s wrath on our lives when we make choices that stand in rebellion to God’s way of love, life, and community. Often, the consequences of rebellion against God will seem like what we call “natural” consequences. If you don’t spend time with your spouse you’ll find yourselves having marital problems. If you aren’t intentional in the way you raise your children, then you’ll have children who lack respect for authority or lack a solid work ethic. If you aren’t honest and lack integrity then you’ll suffer the consequences of people not trusting you. God’s laws are like natural laws like gravity and the speed of light. Try to violate them and there will be unpleasant consequences.

Fearing God is supposed to keep us living within what we know to be God’s moral, ethical, and communal laws. Laws that aren’t so much laws in the legal sense as they are just good sense and describe simply the way people work and live together when they are living at their best.

So what does it mean to fear God?

First, it means to place God back in His rightful place as Lord and Master of your life. Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes in his book The Cost of Discipleship, “It is senseless to pretend we can make provision because we cannot alter the circumstances of this world. Since we cannot take care, since we are so completely powerless, we ought not to do it either. If we do, we are dethroning God and presuming to rule the world ourselves.” (Bonhoeffer, 179)

In other words, who’s Lord of your life? Is it God? Or is it you with all of your desires and wounded-ness and cravings?

If it is me – if I’m Lord of my life – then I will always be frustrated by my own inability to satisfy my desires for all the things I think I deserve from life. If it is me – if I’m the Lord of my life – then my life will always – without exception be structured around filling the needs I think I have or constantly striving to fill the emptiness that I experience in my life.

Only God can give me the things I truly need. And God will only give me the blessings He believes necessary for my life and my life’s mission. Indeed, nothing is wasted in God’s economy. And still, the voice we hear to become the Lord of our own lives so often sounds to us so very reasonable and logical.

Leanne Payne in her book The Healing Presence describes the voice we hear tempting us to become the Lord of our own lives. “The tempter of our souls now says to us: ‘I want you to see yourself walking alongside yourself; I want you to gain a sentimental view of yourself as noble, or great, or tragic. I want you to gain a dramatic view of yourself as the center of all things, and then pity yourself when you are not.’” (Payne, 72)

Fearing God means that we fear the consequences of NOT obeying God. Jesus says, Lk 12:4 “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.”

Many of us have already experienced the results of leading a life oriented away from God rather than oriented toward God. We’ve become in that time well acquainted with despair and depression. We’ve known all too well the emptiness of being our owns gods, of feeling addicted to being loved or feeling good or being satiated only to find that there is no end to that addiction. For many of us those experiences would be the closest thing here on earth that we would come to describe as “hell.”

And the mere memory of those times in our life is enough to make us RUN the other direction toward LIFE and obedience and Christ-like love. Who wants to experience that level of pain and frustration again when we know what will set us back on the right path of life!

Having tasted what it’s like to know God, there’s nothing that can compare to being filled with the Holy Spirit, having the confidence of God’s love, and knowing that God is the source of every blessing. With that knowledge of what’s real, there’s no desire to substitute it with anything else – anything “less than” – our desire is only for the REAL LIFE we have in God.

Joyce Meyer in her influential book Battlefield of the Mind says,

“It is clear that God’s children are not to be like the world! The world seeks after these things, but we are to seek the Lord. He has promised that if we will do that, He will add to us all these things he knows we need. We must learn to seek God’s face and not His hand! Our heavenly Father delights in giving His children good things, but only if we are not seeking after them.” (Meyer 123-124)

Fearing God also means living in awe of what God has done and is doing in history. It is living with the recognition that God chose a people to be his own to be a living witness to his love for creation – to serve him in righteousness – and to live in their inheritance. It is to know that even the called out of God sometimes disobey and have their blessing removed until that time they are ready again to live in that blessing. It is knowledge that God sent his son so that everyone may enter that blessing – that everyone might receive the call to holiness and righteousness and experience the good things God has made in this world. It is the recognition that God is at work even today in human history and is still the Lord of world events and of the salvation of all humanity through the church.

Fearing God means that we see our own part in that awesome plan. It means that we surrender ourselves to that plan willingly because we know deep down – in a way that only the Spirit can confirm in our hearts – that God is good, His plan is good, His blessings are good, His kingdom is good, His holiness and righteousness are good things. We are awed by the work of God as we put on “new eyes to see” what God is doing in the world.

Marc Jolley in the Eerdman’s Dictionary of the Bible observes, “To fear God, then, is to be completely devoted to his will and its rewards while knowing the awesome consequences of not fearing him.” (EDOB, 457 “Fear”)

This morning, the scripture we looked has Jesus telling his hearers not to be anxious for anything in their lives. Jesus’s way of saying Fear! and Fear Not! Is to say, “But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all the things that you worry about, all the things that cause you anxiety, all the things that keep you awake at night, all the things that are the true and good desires of your heart – fear God, seek his kingdom and these things will be given to you as well.” (Mt. 6:33)

What is left for you to surrender to God? What areas have you kept to yourself to remain under your control? This morning what areas are you ready to let God take over and say to him, You’re the Lord of my life – all of my life – and I give everything I am to you. I am ready to live in your blessing and to no longer fear anything that comes my way. Because today, I know that you are God. Not me, but you. And with you as Lord, I have nothing to fear. And with nothing to fear, I can live life with joy and purpose and boldness.

This morning you have an opportunity to make a decision. I don’t care how long you’ve been a Christian or how spiritual your walk with God has been this morning is an opportunity being given to you by God to hand over everything in your life to Him and claim HIM as Lord of your life!

Maybe you’d like to give your life to Jesus this very day. As we take communion together, I’d like to invite you to meet with one of our prayer partners up front here and tell them that you’d like to pray for God’s salvation this morning.

Let us pray.

Be a Mountain Mover!

2007-11-06T12:53:00.000-08:00

Phil 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I find it telling that Paul here connects having peace so closely with the act of rejoicing in the Lord. Note that he tells the Philippian church first to rejoice - to find joy and celebrate something that is happening in their midst. And not just to rejoice or find joy - but to rejoice in the Lord - in other words - find the joy in what God is doing in their community.

So often, we find ourselves despairing over something in our lives because we can't see a way out of difficult circumstances. We feel boxed-in thinking that what we're going through right now is what we must go through for the forseable future. And at the time, the thought of experiencing on-going pain and suffering is enough to bring on a dark cloud of negativity and hopelessness through which no light can seem to break through.

But Paul's antidote to that is an act of celebration. Rejoice, he says. Instead of focusing your attention on what you don't have or what is coming against you - focus instead on the good gifts that you have been given by God and how God is working presently in your life for good. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Ro 8:28) And "What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" (Ro 8:31-32)

If God has chosen us for his service then He is not going to abandon us to suffer alone. God stands beside us in facing life's troubles. He uses them to create in us an even larger capacity to love and serve and minister. In the power of his Holy Spirit, we can wake up each morning and instead of dwelling on the things we believe won't go our way, we can actively engage the day looking for the ways we cooperate with the Holy Spirit to make God's kingdom happen.

That, by itself, is a cause of rejoicing. Simply knowing that my life, my words, and my behaviors contribute in some small part to the overarching plan and purposes of God helps me to see past momentary difficulties. In fact, those difficulties become nothing more than opportunities for me to grow stronger in my faith and service to the Lord. When I face hard times, if I am oriented toward God with "eyes to see and ears to hear" then I won't be able to help increasing my dependence upon the strength and power of the Holy Spirit. Do that often enough, and you'll be moving mountains with the faith of a mustard seed! (Mt 17:20)

God is calling us in these times to grow into "mountain-movers" for the kingdom. When so much around us seems to run counter to the spirit of God's kingdom - the church is needed - everyone praying, loving, and serving together - to move huge mountains of poverty, despair, depression and darkness, violence, injustice, division, ignorance, and sin!

Are you a mountain-mover? Are you praying in the Spirit daily for bulwarks of God's kingdom to replace the high places - the mountains - of wordly value? Find an opportunity each day to rejoice in all of the ways you see God's kingdom overtaking the mountains. As Paul says, "Rejoice... and let the peace of Christ guard your hearts."

Pastor's Letter

2007-10-30T06:32:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to set your clocks BACK one hour before you go to bed this coming Saturday night! Enjoy your extra hour of sleep!

Also, we will NOT have Wednesday Night Prayer and Praise at Old Humbldt Road this coming Wednesday evening at 5pm. Because we are pushing hard to be in our new building, we will meet at our new location and continue hanging sheet rock AND have a time to pause and pray for each other. We made a LOT of progress last night. With most of the walls up, you get a really good picture of how the church is going to look! If you haven't seen it yet, come by and take a look!

We received $2000 toward our $10,000 "building campaign" this past Sunday. We want to thank those who helped us toward our goal. Last night I spoke with the sign company and was told that our new sign would cost $4000! That's $2500 more than our old sign cost! In our new location, the building restrictions require each letter to be lighted. So we ask that even if you can't give right now, to please pray for God's favor. We've NEVER lacked for anything at Promise Church. God has ALWAYS provided. I believe that's come because of the steadfast prayers of our church body! So keep praying for favor! We're believing in James 5:16! "Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results."

We also want to thank ALL of those who have contributed their labor to the building project. Many churches simply pay contractors to come in and do the work for them. I know it's been hard sometimes, but it has truly been a blessing to be a part of a team that has done the work. Not only have I learned how to hang sheet rock - a skill I'm still learning as you can see on my "practice wall" - but I've enjoyed the tremendous fellowship with church members who have given of their time and talents. Because of their efforts, the church has been "saved" literally thousands of dollars. More importantly than that though - when we worship, we will do so knowing that our labor over the past couple of months has been a holy offering to God!

We're still praying to be in by the middle of November. We will keep you posted on the EXACT Sunday we will begin worshipping in the new space. We have already planned an exciting Sunday of celebration so you will definitely want to be a part of our FIRST DAY in our new location!!!!

Remember God loves you and that you were created for GREATNESS in His kingdom!

See you Sunday!

Jay Hutchens
The Promise Church

Keep Awake!

2007-10-15T07:11:00.000-07:00

We hear a lot about the end-times. The popular series "Left Behind" has left a huge footprint on American culture by fictionalizing the theology of the rapture within the context of today's news and events. It has been so powerful, in fact, that it is hard to imagine any other scenario of the return of Jesus that doesn't involve planes dropping out of the sky as their pilots are taken up into heaven!

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this trend in thinking has been the attempt to discern whether or not today is the actual day Jesus will come again. Some recent attempts by noted television preachers to demonstrate links between the book of Revelation and geo-political events in the Middle East leave little doubt that they expect the immediate, imminent return of Jesus. "We are in the final countdown," one friend of mine has observed who follows these preachers regularly.

The early church expected the imminent return of Jesus. So much so, that in Mark, chapter 13 Jesus tells his listeners to "keep awake - or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly." And so two thousand years of faithful watching have gone by as believers have kept "awake" looking for the return of our Lord.

I must confess that in all of my Bible study and what seems at times voluminous reading I have no idea when Jesus is coming again. I don't feel bad about that. Jesus himself said, "But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come." (Mark 13:32-33). I figure that if Jesus wanted us to know, he would have told us.

Knowing when Jesus is coming really isn't the point, after all. The fact remains as Jesus described to his earliest disciples - he could come at any time so now is the time to be ready.

Liberal theologians have wrongly allegorized the return of Jesus as a kind of mythological time where one is confronted with an existential crisis of life through which they will either fall into the abyss of despair or - more hopefully - discover their true self. I can't imagine this is what Jesus had in mind as he taught hurting, broken people that the way to salvation was through the path of pain and brokenness (literally going through it by the grace of God to come out on the other side) but also living into lives of radical obedience and love. By faith in the power of the cross of Christ would one be saved. Salvation was, and is, the restoration of all fallen creation to its pre-fallen condition. Or if you prefer, to it's "post-fallen" or renewed condition. And the establishing of this new basileou, or kingdom, according to Jesus would be an event of cosmic proportion.

"But in those days, after that suffering,
The sun will be darkened,
And the moon will not give its light,
And the stars will be falling from heaven,
And the powers in the heavens will be shaken." (Mark 13:24-25)

In other words, "de-historicizing" Jesus's return into self-help therapy isn't the answer. When Jesus comes again, he will be coming to restore all things to himself, establish his reign, and make all things new. It won't just be my self-perception that is changed. It will be the whole created universe!

Our life as disciples following Jesus in obedience then is to make ourselves ready for that kingdom. There is much work to be done. Because, who knows? Jesus might come tonight - or tomorrow - or next week - or a hundred years from now. But when he does come I want to be as aligned in obedience as a faithful disciple as I can be. I want to be as true a reflection of his character that I can be. I want for Jesus to recognize in me when he returns the embodiment of all that he taught and lived for - and died for.

And so, today - even this very hour - I will "keep awake" because it could be this very day that my savior will return to restore creation to wholeness and I desire to be fully prepared to receive and experience that incredible blessing.

What we do know is that the visionary of Revelation expressed in light of all of the violence, power-struggle, natural tragedy, and sinful oppression of his day the simple cry to God, "Maranatha! Lord come quickly!" My challenge is to spiritually discern how that cry transforms my life into one of surrendered expectancy and preparation for that event. And so with the early church, I cry out - "Lord, come quickly!" And even though I don't know when he will return, I expect to see him soon. Do you?

Pressing On!

2007-10-09T05:30:00.000-07:00

The hardest part of a race is not the beginning or even the end. It’s those meters or miles in the middle where you’ve either spent that initial burst of energy you had to begin the race or where you haven’t yet reached that point where you are motivated by the finish line just ahead. The middle part of the race is just plain drudgery. One simply presses on knowing that if they do they will soon be buoyed by sight of the end.

I’ve had to keep myself motivated during these “middle weeks” as we’ve worked on our new worship space at Promise Church. We began with a burst of energy – literally – as Dale Dodd and I met at our new space several weeks ago and began tearing out sheet rock so that we could build a new wall. There has been a lull these past two weeks as we’ve waited for skilled workers to install electrical outlets, rework the ceiling and lighting, reposition the A/C ducts and put the finishing touches on the new walls that will mark off our office space, kitchen, and worship space. Ask any nine year old. It’s just hard to wait for the finished product.

The author of Hebrews knew well the difficulty of those “middle miles.” The Christian walk, like any project, is fun and exciting in the beginning and then focused and meaningful as we approach the end. But it’s those middle years of life and ministry, where we need to be encouraged to “press on.”

Heb 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

The cloud of witnesses, of course, refers to the great list in chapter 11 of Hebrews of the “pillars of the faith” like Abraham and Moses, Rahab and David and many others who like us believed in God and yet experienced days of longing and long-suffering looking forward to the time of the fulfillment of God’s promise. For many, that fulfillment didn’t come in their lifetime. Moses though he led the Israelites through forty years of wilderness wandering never himself saw the Promised Land. Abraham, though promised that his ancestors would number more than the stars in the sky, never himself saw the Great Kingdom of Israel in all of its glory under the reign of David. And David – who longed to build the temple of God – would have to see that project passed along and completed by his son, Solomon. God’s timing isn’t always our timing. And yet, the great people of God pressed on anyway.

Jesus (in the flesh) never saw the birth of the church. When he was crucified, his apostles – his closest friends and associates - scattered and even denied having known him. And yet, Jesus endured the cross knowing the future joy that awaited him when he “sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

There is joy even in those “middle miles” as we press on. Usually that is the time where God is preparing us for the finish. As Hebrews states, it is a time for laying aside the encumbrances and looking ahead. The wilderness wandering of the Israelites were a time of laying aside their spiritual dependence on something other than God and learning to depend on God alone. This is a season of growth, of being shaped, and of being prepared for the blessing. It can be a time also of learning to look to your Christian brothers and sisters for encouragement and help. Who knows? You may be the one giving the encouragement and help!

Don’t lose heart! If you feel like you are running the race and getting nowhere then have the confidence of knowing that God is using this time to prepare you for your blessing! There is work to be done in the meantime. People you know are looking to you to be an example of the “hope that is in you.” Whether you feel it or not, God is using you to bless the lives of others. Take heart, you are God’s chosen runner. The end of the race is nearer than we think and at the end is great celebration and rejoicing. In fact, the vision of that celebration can enliven us even today, as we quicken our step, share faith in boldness, and have the courage to minister in a world that desperately needs Jesus.

Let’s fix our eyes then on Jesus!