Unto Us: A King is Anointed

Special Advent sermon series at The River church: "Unto Us - Christ Has Come"

Series Text: Isaiah 9:1-7 (NKJV) 

 

November 27: Unto Us - A Light Has Shined (Salvation to all through Jesus)

December 4: Unto Us -A Child is Born (Incarnation of Jesus)

December 11: Unto Us - A Son is Given (Crucifixion of Jesus)

December 18: Unto Us - A King is Anointed (Resurrection of Jesus)
 

This week's focus text: Verse 7

 

Of the increase of His government and peace  

There will be no end, 

Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, 

To order it and establish it with judgment and justice 

From that time forward, even forever. 

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

So, I've been a little under the weather for the past few weeks, and yesterday I found out why... I have bronchitis... what fun. Anyway, I've asked my young Padawan Preacher, Cole, to speak for me this Sunday. (Hmmm, shoulda named him Luke.) Nevertheless, in my drug-induced state of thinking, I thought I'd take a shot at this Sunday's big idea at The River through the blog... and let Cole take it where he hears God telling him to lead us in the sermon.

So, Jesus is our king. What should that mean to us? Really?

In John 18, Pilate was about to turn Jesus over to be crucified. But before he did, he had an exchange of words with him... and for the life of him, Pilate couldn't figure out why the Jews hated Jesus so much. On the other hand, he didn't exactly fall on a sword to save him from crucifixion either. In vv. 33-37 it says:

Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” 

 

“Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”

“Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”

Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.” 

“You are a king, then!” said Pilate.

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

Eventually, Pilate handed Jesus over to be executed. Thus, opening the way for Jesus to move ever closer toward His true identity as King of glory. Yes, the man of Nazareth died that day. But the grave could not contain the Word of God forever. Death was but a mere step in the Son's preparation as our risen Lord... as our anointed King. Christmas and Easter are bookend events which help to reveal the Gift of God through Christ - that is, He brought justice and peace to this fallen world. One day soon, He will return to seal the deal.

I wonder... truly wonder if we have the capacity to grasp the significance of Jesus as our King. I mean, we live in America... land of the free and home of the brave, right? We can't fully understand the concept of living under a king's rule... how could we? We elect our leaders - they aren't forced upon us. We have a say in the matter. We have the right to vote... and the right to freely discuss... and even the right to ridicule our elected officials. We may not like our leaders... and we may hate their political ideals... Heck, how many emails ridiculing our President have people sent you over the past three to four years? But hey, we don't have to worry about being persecuted or imprisoned for our ideas and opinions about political issues... not even the mean-spirited ones. And if we complain hard enough, we might even get the bums voted out. That's the American way!

I love it... the democrats complain the right-wing wackos have it all wrong. Those fascists want to take our freedoms in the name of warfare! And of course... the republicans complain the left-wing liberals have it all wrong. Those socialists want to destroy our system of free enterprise by overtaxing productive citizens in the name of welfare! You have to admit, we do have our problems... deep, systemic problems.

But whichever way you lean in terms of earthly politics... please don't place your hopes on one political party or the other... or one particular person. Cause I got news for you. We may live in the best country on earth, with the best political structure ever devised in human history... but guess what?

He (or she) ain't gonna hold a candle to the LORD OF LORDS AND KING OF KINGS. "Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end..."

That's right... the One who was there when the earth was formed... the One who was there when the Red Sea parted... the One who produced the seed, and caused it to germinate into a plant that became a tree that was cut down and used to make a manger... the One who was born and lived among us... the One who died and bought our redemption (on another piece of wood). The One who ascended back to heaven to be at His Father's right hand. Yep... that guy. He's  our King... our Lord. When He returns, He's going do more than sit around in an oval office and fly in a really cool private jet. He's going to do more than host parties and sign bills into law. He won't be interested in giving interviews to the press or making speeches. He won't care about electoral votes or the democratic process.

Nope. He's going to busy Himself ruling the nations. He's going to bring His kingdom and His rule on this earth in completeness and finality. He is going to judge the wicked and the dead. He is going to destroy the devil and his powers of darkness once and for all. He is going to overcome the gates of hell. And He is going to invite His people... His disciples to join Him in this new world order.

Revelation 19:11-16 tells us this, (which ought to give us some measure of pause as we reflect on that little helpless babe in the manger this Christmas):

Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

Dang! Little baby Jesus... he's going to judge and make war? The meek and mild carpenter of Nazareth... his eyes are going to be like a flame of fire, and he's going to wear many crowns? The guy who walked the earth and taught about love is going to strike the nations? Tread the winepress of Almighty God? (I don't know what that means exactly... but it sounds frighteningly serious!)

How can that be? How can the Light of the world act so violently? How can the baby Jesus spill the blood of his enemies? How can the Son that was given... the forgiver of sins rule with a rod of iron? And how can we believe and know that the world will be better off when He takes the throne and establishes Himself as our King? How are we supposed to react to this kind of rule?

First of all, it's not a bad a thing to fear God.... that is, be utterly overwhelmed, even terrified by His pure holy nature. He is no politician. He is pure love... He is eternal, limitless and free. He alone is worthy to make judgment upon this world. And as our King, He will do that very thing. We will all stand before Him one day... yes, even the Christians... and give an account. Wow!

Secondly, though reverent fear may be a good and healthy response to the King of Kings - even those who love Him and serve Him and worship Him while living on this earth - we need to understand this: Our King is completely faithful and true. He is white-hot and pure, but He is most certainly NOT evil... in fact, He hates evil. When He arrives on His stead, He will forcefully rid this world of all traces of evil, destroying it once and for all. That should give His followers cause for profound and joyful celebration! He is no weak President... He is no elected official... He is no sound-byte generator... He is the LORD. And He means business!

Finally, all of these mysterious images that we have of the Triune God ought to come into focus as we contemplate our posture before Him. Kind and generous. Powerful and full of wrath. Meek and mild. Faithful and True. Risen Lamb and Great High Priest. Baby and King. Terrifying and merciful. None of this seems logical... but I ask you, what about our God and King can be confined to human systems of logic? I mean... c'mon, really!

Hmmmm... I don't know about you... but as for posture... I'm planning to be flat on my face on that frighteningly beautiful and glorious day when I meet my KING face-to-face. He will know everything I've ever said and done. He will know my thoughts and motivations. He will know whether or not I really love Him... whether I really gave my heart to Him. He will see me for who I really am... more so than I've ever been able to see and know about myself. Talk about humbling! He may lift me up and give me an embrace... but frankly, I'm gonna let Him decide that! My deepest hope for all of us is that our King would look into our fear-filled eyes and say, "Well done, good and faithful servant." Wow... now THAT seems like a leader who's worth following into eternity.

May the King of all Kings grant you Peace and Joy this Christmas season.

Unto Us: A Son is Given

Special Advent sermon series at The River church: "Unto Us - Christ Has Come"

Series Text: Isaiah 9:1-7 (NKJV)

November 27: Unto Us - A Light Has Shined (Salvation to all through Jesus)

December 4: Unto Us -A Child is Born (Incarnation of Jesus)

December 11: Unto Us - A Son is Given (Crucifixion of Jesus)

December 18: Unto Us - A King is Anointed (Resurrection of Jesus)

This week's focus text: Verse 

For unto us a Child is born, 

Unto us a Son is given; 

And the government will be upon His shoulder. 

And His name will be called 

Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, 

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Man, what a strange gift. God gave us His Son... wrapped in swaddling cloths.

Jesus, who is the Light of the World who came to bring God's salvation (Nov. 27)... who "moved into the neighborhood" and lived among us as one of us (Dec. 4)... who willingly endured torture and execution on our behalf. That's right, the One who created us is the One who taught us, and He is the One who paid the ultimate price for our redemption. How do you measure that kind of love?

Perhaps a better question... what do we do in response to that kind of love? What should we do? How should that Truth impact our heart and mind? What should it motivate us believe and do and become? What does it really mean that a son was given... given by God... given to the world?

We all know John 3:16, right? The all-too-often used phrase that has probably lost some of it's luster over the years, simply because it's become a popular drum-beat for overzealous football fans and parade goers with signs.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Here's my point: God invented Christmas by giving us the Gift that keeps on Giving, and giving, and giving. He gave us death (His) that leads to life (ours). The Son of God was born Jesus of Nazareth, and placed EVERYTHING on the table (or under the tree to keep the Christmas motif going). Quite frankly, I don't know if that verse has the power to save people by being printed on a sandwich board or t-shirt... but I do know it describes the profound Truth that begins at Christmas.

So what does it mean to accept this gift? To unwrap it? To take it out of the box and interact with it? To utilize it to its fullest potential? To live it and share it and invest ourselves in it? How do we show appreciation for this precious gift?

That's easy, really. Accept the gift by re-wrapping it and sharing it with others. Think of it as the world's biggest re-gifting program... or the world's largest White Elephant exchange! Give to God by giving your life back to Him... and to your neighbor.

He laid down everything for you. So lay down everything for Him by allowing Him to reign supreme in every facet of your being. Die to your flesh, so that He can breathe new life into you... life in the Spirit. Open your fists and let go of the junk you're carrying around... allow Him to raise you up out of the muck and mire... let Him resurrect you to kingdom life... abundant life... eternal life.

This Christmas, let's determine to celebrate Jesus' birthday by living out Galatians 2:20 in every way we know how...

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." 

After all, the story of God's Son doesn't end with his death, right? It ends with His eternal reign in the heavens. Actually it never ends whatsoever! The Son may have died, but death could not hold him. His real role is that of King of Kings. He has already begun what ultimately will come to fruition... and someday all the world will know that Jesus is Lord. In fact, He is our anointed King (Dec. 18). 

Amen. Come Lord Jesus.

Unto Us - A Child is Born

Special Advent sermon series at The River church: "Unto Us - Christ Has Come"

Series Text: Isaiah 9:1-7 (NKJV)

November 27: Unto Us - A Light Has Shined (Salvation to all through Jesus)

December 4: Unto Us -A Child is Born (Incarnation of Jesus)

December 11: Unto Us - A Son is Given (Crucifixion of Jesus)

December 18: Unto Us - A King is Anointed (Resurrection of Jesus)

This week's focus text: Verse 6

For unto us a Child is born, 

Unto us a Son is given; 

And the government will be upon His shoulder. 

And His name will be called 

Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, 

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Nothing generates more excitement within a family than when a child is born, right?

I remember when my daughter was born. We already had a son that was four years old, and we eagerly awaited to see whether he would have a new baby sister or brother to take home. (We're old fashioned, in that we never wanted to know the gender until they came... it spoils the surprise!)

Anyway, I frantically made my calls to everyone that, "It's a girl!". The excitement in my voice was bursting out of me... wow, I'm a daddy again! And now we've been given the perfect nuclear family... an eldest boy and baby girl... yahoo! It's a girl, it's a girl, it's a girl!!!

But you know what? It wouldn't have mattered a bit to us if our little girl turned out to be another little boy. Who cares? It's an oozy-woozie little baby in the house. The miracle of life... an increase in the family line... the excitement of watching her facial features (and determining who she looks like)... holding her tightly (yet understanding she is a fragile newborn)... changing her diapers (which God gracefully gets us used to doing before introducing the stink factor)... feeding and burping her... singing her lullabies to help her fall asleep... you know, all the stuff that comes with caring for this new person in the household! I loved every bit of it... even when the stink did come into play! You get to watch the slow, but steady process of an infant developing a personality. You watch for the first signs of a smile... then you anxiously await the day when she utters her first word... then you hold you breath the day she takes her first steps... my God, it is the most awesome thing in the world to watch a newborn become a toddler, then a preschooler, then a grade-schooler, then a middle-schooler, then... Well then she becomes a teenager and you start to feel very, very old and powerless.  :-) But she's still a joy, even when she gets emotional, or stubborn, or downright frustrating!

It's in our DNA (at least in a general sense) to extend the family line... to add to the population... you know... to procreate and add more people to this planet. In Genesis 1:28 God tells the humans, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Indeed... be fruitful and increase in number. He has given us this gift of life through our own lives... and the hope of our continued existence from generation to generation. That gift is what gives us hope... gives us purpose... gives us peace... gives us joy.

And what better manifestation of all those things than God Himself coming to our broken world to put the pieces back together? What could possibly be given to us that provides the glorious bundle of hope, and joy, and purpose, and peace than that of the Baby Jesus? Hmmm... how about the forgiveness he will bring in His 33rd year of life? How about the truth of God's Word that will shine in and around him?  How about the grace offered to guilty sinners? How about the transformation and renewal of all creation that will come through this fragile newborn from Nazareth? How about the teaching that will transform our whole understanding of what it means to be a neighbor?

What else does the Baby Jesus represent to humanity? What does he represent to you personally?

All babies signify joy and hope to a family hungry and thirst for new life, for innocence and human potential... for a new generation and and a new future. But let's face it, this baby was utterly and completely special. He is truly the Gift from God who is God who connects us to God and ensures our good standing with God. It may not be PC to say these days in good ole' America... but Jesus is what makes Christmas what it truly is. Duh, that's why it's called CHRIST-mas!

He is truly worthy of our praise and celebration. His earthly life, and death, and resurrection is what reconnects us to eternity itself... to our original glory a long time ago before we were forced to leave the Garden and aimlessly wander. Thank God He's given us the Way and the Truth and the Life. Thank God for Jesus!!!

Yes... thank you God, for the profoundly wonderful gift of a child born - unto us. May we live as if this gift meant everything to us... and may we freely share this gift with everyone we encounter.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Unto Us - A Light Has Shined

Special Advent sermon series at The River church: "Unto Us - Christ Has Come"

Series Text: Isaiah 9:1-7 (NKJV)

November 27: Unto Us - A Light Has Shined (Salvation to all through Jesus)

December 4: Unto Us -A Child is Born (Incarnation of Jesus)

December 11: Unto Us - A Son is Given (Crucifixion of Jesus)

December 18: Unto Us - A King is Anointed (Resurrection of Jesus)

This week's focus text: Verse 2

The people who walked in darkness 

Have seen a great light; 

Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, 

Upon them a light has shined.

It all started with a man named Jacob. No...

It all started with a man named Abram. No, wait...

It all started with a man named Adam. No. Dang, that's not it either...

It all started with God. Ah, yes... that's it! "In the Beginning God created the heavens and the earth... And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters" (Genesis 1:1-2). 

But wait. There was someone else present in creation too... right?

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it" (John 1:1-5).

Okay, now I get it... in the beginning was the Godhead, i.e., the Father, Son, and Spirit. All things were made by Him, through Him, and in Him.

And humanity was God's special creation... the crowning achievement, in that He (representing all humans) was made in God's own image. Man is uniquely creative. Of all creatures, only man contemplate the existence of God, ponders his place in the universe, and wonders about the afterlife. And only man worships deities. Indeed, man is special. But thanks to the sin of Adam (and Eve)... man is also cursed. As a result, he has been kicked out of the garden, left to wander and stumble in the darkness... hopelessly lost and confused.

But God had a plan to deal with the curse of humanity (and all of creation). Admittedly, it took awhile to unfold (and is still unfolding). But nevertheless, it is a beautiful and worthwhile story. In fact, it is the most powerful and true story ever told... anywhere.

After the fiasco with Adam - and a reshuffling of the deck with Noah - God raised up a man named Abram to be a mighty nation. He promised Abram (later changed to Abraham) that his descendants would be as numerous as sands on the seashore. And the nation that would be formed by God through Abraham would be a light to the Gentiles. This new nation would be blessed by God, and they would exist to be a blessing to the whole world. In other words, God would reveal Himself to every person on earth through His chosen people, letting His special creatures know He loves them and wants to forgive them of their sins and re-connect them to their original purpose and divine design. 

God wanted Abraham's descendants to share the good news of salvation to the other nations of the world. And sure enough... God blessed Abraham, making him the father of the great nation of Israel. Actually, it was Abraham's grandson, Jacob, who had twelve sons (through four different women), that became the infamous 12 tribes of Israel. And it wasn't until the time of King David many, many centuries later that the nation truly became great in size, strength, and international influence.

However, there was only one problem with God's plan to use Israel to be a light to the other nations (Gentiles). They didn't quite understand the fine print on God's covenant with their ancient patriarch, Abraham. You see, God wanted to bless Israel so that they would be a blessing to the other nations... but ultimately they decided they wanted to keep it for themselves. So they sort of conveniently forgot about the part about being a blessing. After all, they were God's "chosen people", so why waste the message of God's salvation on non-Israelites?

I know the Old Testament is more complicated than that, but hey, I'm giving the cliff notes here! Anyway... rather than sharing the goodness of God with foreigners, Israel hoarded the good news for just their own nation... and ended up worshiping all kinds of false gods along the way. Yahweh Himself actually lived among them and spoke through His prophets, but nevertheless, the Israelites missed the truth of His holy Word through their disobedience. (Hmmmm... good thing we're not like that today, huh?)

Anyway, here's the mysterious and surprising aspect to this story: None of this took God by surprise. Nothing about the roller-coaster, weak-willed faith of the Israelite people shocked the Lord of all creation. Disappointed? Perhaps... but not surprised whatsoever. He knew they would fail... and He knew that in the fullness of time, He would need to step in and do what we couldn't do for ourselves. How else could we know the depth of man's failure if not for Israel's example?

Anyway, God knew that eventually He would need to send His Son to be the sacrificial Lamb... to bring salvation to everyone... to reverse the curse of sin... to rescue the oppressed... to pardon the guilty... to purchase our freedom... to reveal the Truth of God's unending love... to be the Light of the World... to shine in the darkness so once and for all we could know the Way and the Truth to everlasting Life. 

God sent His precious Son to complete the plot line of the story that began o so many years before when everything went wrong with Adam in the Garden. That was a horrible day - when humanity was forced to leave the sanctuary of fellowship with God and trudge along in a dark and dangerous world. 

God knew His Son would be born Jesus of Nazareth before the foundation of the world... but perhaps He waited until we were ready to accept the fullness of Truth before executing His plan. Maybe He waited until we'd experienced a few centuries of failure in trying to save ourselves... and cried out for deliverance.

"But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons."   Galatians 4:4-5

I've heard it put this way before: God sent the Son of God to our world to become the Son of Man, so that sons of men could become sons of God.

Hmmmm... aren't you glad Jesus is the Light of the World?

Get Up and Walk!

Text for this week's sermon at The River: Acts 3:1-11

The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money. But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!”

Ellensburg is full of them. They are everywhere you look.

Seattle has them too... so does Kansas City, and New York, and Pittsburgh, and Seoul, and certainly in Shanghai.

Tragically, every city and town and village and neighborhood in the whole world has an overabundance of them. In fact, they are by far the majority in terms of world population.

What am I talking about? Spiritual cripples.

People who don't know the Truth of salvation through Jesus Christ.


Oh, they know about Jesus... at least in the Western hemisphere. They know the "fable" about the baby in the manger... the "fairy tale" about feeding 5,000 people and walking on water... the "myth" that he was crucified, then raised from the dead. They know the sound bytes... but they don't know the real Truth of God's amazing grace.

Ya, they've heard how they need to be "saved" and "born again" or risk going to hell. Many of them have read the Bible (or at least they've started Genesis a few times), and a good number of them have attended church at one time or another. They've been introduced to the religious aspects of Christianity.

  

But here's the sad truth. Though some may experience a little taste of real life here and there...  most people never encounter the fullness and brilliance of Jesus Christ the Author of Life.. and our divine healer.

Physically, they may be fine... at least most of people. But spiritually, they're stuck... immobile... thoroughly and completely handicapped. They have legs, but they simply don't work... they have no strength, and they don't function as they were designed to do. Sin has crippled all of us.


They need to be healed... and healing is available. But I'm convinced most people don't even know they're crippled.They're too busy trying to make it on their own to even think to ask for help. Too proud to acknowledge their need. Too busy trying to make a buck, like the beggar in this story. Too intelligent to believe Jesus is for real. Too enlightened to buy this religious garbage.

Christianity... i.e., faith in Jesus is just a crutch for weak-minded wussies... right?


And so they live their spiritual lives in a state of perpetual stasis... worshiping the creation (i.e., themselves) rather than the Creator, who longs to set them free, and give them the ability to walk and run and jump and dance.  He has the power to transform lives, but nevertheless, He won't heal anyone who lacks faith... anyone who refuses to ask for help. 

What a shame. We were designed for mobility and freedom... but so many people on this earth are content with living the life of a hopeless beggar. We were designed to live in fellowship with God, but instead, many scoff at the idea of "organized religion" and choose to remain spiritually motionless.

This past weekend, I got to see men of all shapes and sizes, all ages and stages, all degrees of religious backgrounds... get up and truly dance before God.

I've never encountered a more beautiful thing in my whole life. Grown men... strong men... proud men - becoming utterly and completely broken by their spiritual crippled-ness. Coming to terms with the ugliness inside their soul, and crying out to Jesus Christ for healing and transformation.


And heal them He did. Like watching popcorn pop... I watched in holy awe as one man after the other got up and confessed his sins... the heavy duty, ugly, acts and attitudes that completely controlled their lives... and as they offered their heart and soul up to God, He poured out His Spirit on everyone in attendance. You couldn't see Him, but trust me, everyone felt His holy presence. And we felt His forgiveness... and for about a four-hour period... every man in that place felt thoroughly and completely alive - thoroughly and completely healed... thoroughly and completely loved. I don't think any of us wanted the service to end.

It's as though we all heard the voice of God telling us, "In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!”

I want to experience that kind of reality more often. Oh God, I want to hear your voice more often... become immersed in that kind of healing more often.

I don't care if the world thinks we're damn fools... I don't care if they think Christians are stupid or weak or gullible. I don't care if they like me or hate me. I don't care if they confuse godly love with judgment and condemnation. I just want to see spiritually crippled people who recognize their great need to cry out to the Lord and become healed. I want to give hope to those who hunger for real life... eternal life. I want to be an agent of God's divine touch. I want to see God's powerful hand at work in my world... in my town... in my church... in my family... in myself.  Frankly, I want to be like Peter and John... brave enough and more than willing to boldly proclaim the healing power of Jesus Christ of Nazareth to anyone who will listen... regardless of what it may cost me. Ya, I just want to keep dancing till He returns.

What about you?

Devoted

This week's blog was written by Cole Harmon

Text: Acts 2:42-47 (ESV)

When people read Acts, something happens. It’s really hard not to be inspired by, and even jealous of the early Christians. Early on in the book the reader might think it must have been so easy to be them. Wouldn’t Christianity be so easy if we could just prove God’s existence with miracles and wonders without limit?  We might think to ourselves if God equips us like he equipped the apostles this whole thing would be a breeze! I want you to take a look at the circumstances facing the early church, and then your own.   

Daily they faced severe persecution. Getting beaten to a pulp, facing hunger, Death, stoning, demons, prison and a host of other obstacles were all in a days work for the Apostles. What is your worst fear? What is the worst possible thing that could happen if you took the gospel to the streets? People would look at you like you have tentacles coming out of your mouth sure, but would they hit you? Would they throw you in jail? Would they kill you?

My question is why aren’t we sharing the gospel with everyone we know? Is it just me, or is forgiveness and salvation from an eternity of death worth talking about? How about the fact that Jesus can heal us of any and all afflictions? How about becoming a child, friend and heir of the almighty infinite God of the universe?  How about an eternity in the uninhibited presence of an unfathomably loving and holy God? Does ANY of this seem important? Then why oh why do we leave it in the walls of the church? Why do we nod our heads, sing songs, confess our undying love and then go home where we barely manage to read his love letter to us? I think the problem we face is complicated. 

The key word in Acts 2:42 is DEVOTED. I may say I’m devoted, but if my life has little to no indication of this, am I devoted? What does it mean to be devoted? It means standing your ground when people mistreat you. It means suffering through people’s name calling, and their hatred because HE suffered first. It means reading our bibles. My goal here is not to tell everyone that they suck. I think we all completely understand how short we fall. Acts is an inspiration, but seeing those great men of faith compared to our faithlessness can be overwhelming and discouraging. I want to find the solution. HOW do we become devoted? How do we get sold out for Jesus? How to we get radical, earth shattering, mountain-moving faith? Devotion. How do we get devoted? Is it by trying our hardest, going all out, and doing as many good things as we can? Nope, because these things flow from true devotion. 

The secret to getting radically devoted is to fall in love with the resurrected Christ, by ENCOUNTERING him. He is so glorious that one glimpse is all you need to go from cowardly fisherman to fearless proclaimer. The love part will take care of itself. You do have a part though! The way to we experience him and get DEVOTED is by getting off our butts and seeking him as if it were our last hour EVERY hour. It’s not easy, but it’s simple. Seek him, and he will find you. It’s time to get devoted. There is a world out there that needs him, he will equip us for everything we’ll ever need if we SEEK him.

What's the Big Deal? Addendum

"Lean on me, when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long
'Til I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on"

- Bill Withers

I met with a good friend who goes to another church here in town recently. As he recounted a story about his pastor's lack of love, I became increasingly agitated. Why would a pastor act that way toward the people he or she cares for? But as my friend continued, I slowly came to the cold realization that I am equally guilty of the very same crimes.

See, my friend does a lot for the church he attends. In the past, he used to make incredible sacrifices for the sake of the body, and for his pastor. But then he got hurt, unable to help for several weeks. During his recovery, did his pastor give him encouragement? No. Did he let my friend how much he has appreciated his willingness to step in and get things done over the years? No, unfortunately not. In fact, he did just the opposite. He called my friend up a day after his surgery and asked him when he thinks he'll be able to get back to work at the church. No empathy. No concern. No compassion... he just wanted to know when he was getting his work-horse back on the job. Hey, glad you're better... 'cause I need you!

Somewhere along the way, this pastor looked right past the person -  a person with feelings, and pride, and wounds, and desires, and faith, and deep passion for God - and (at least for a moment) saw nothing more than a tool... a means to an end... a resource to keep his ministry going smoothly. And in the process, he may have chased my friend away for good. At the very least, he has weakened their fellowship in Christ.

Sad, huh?

And way too familiar. Now, I understand: men and women are called to serve for the sake of Christ in the church, not for the recognition of men (and women). Nevertheless, it seems like a nice gesture (heck it's a no-brainer) for a pastor to take a moment to recognize the hard work  folks have done for the benefit of the church... and perhaps even show them some heartfelt appreciation.

But pastors don't always seem to get it, do they? We're in the business of crisis management... the here and now. Forget about yesterday, we got holes to plug, and roles to fill, and work to do. I'd like to say interacting with, and witnessing to people living in darkness is always our highest priority... but I'm not so sure too many of us are as concerned about reaching the lost as we are about getting through the week without a major disaster in our worship service.


So on behalf of well-intentioned pastors everywhere... or at least the one sitting here and typing this blog...

THANK YOU to all who have offered a helping hand to God's Church. Thank you for the big projects... thank you for the mundane tasks... thank you for your willingness to give of yourself, even when your gift is under-appreciated, or criticized, or changed in midstream, or just plain forgotten in the grand scheme of things. We may not remember to say it very often... but trust me, we couldn't do it without you. So thank you. And please forgive us when we flake out, okay?

We are all too human. But, just like you, we're working on this love thing. Good thing we have each other to lean on and walk with, and root for. Good thing we have the ecclesia... the community of church. 

Otherwise, we would just be isolated and alone. That would be sad... and lonely.

Church: What's the Big Deal?

Text: John 17:20-26

So... what exactly is the Church? Have you ever thought about that?

I mean, church is a place you go, right? Or is it something you do? Or is it gathering on Sundays? Is it a building? What constitutes a real, live legitimate church? I can hear you now, "I don't know... it's... well, stuff." You know, familiar stuff like greeters, bulletins, posters, contact cards, pews, pastors, Bibles, prayers, sermons, classes, songs, guitars, PowerPoints, illustrations, fellowship, coffee, donuts, ... as well as baptisms, Communion, baby dedications, altar calls, mission trips... and of course the all-important Offering... (dramatic pause). Now THOSE are the things of church, right?

Well, ya... maybe. But let's strip everything away for a moment, and ask, a simple question: What are the essential things that form and foster authentic Christian community? Let me ask it another way, How does Jesus want us modern-day Christian disciples to live in community with one another, in a way that most powerfully reflects Him and His earthly ministry? Yet another way: How can we love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength... and love our neighbor as ourselves?

Good question(s). Got any answers?

Way too often, I can see that Sunday morning church at The River does not accomplish what we so hope for... work for... and pray for. It lacks the energy necessary to worship God in His temple. The Word falls flat on deaf ears. The sermon (try as I might) sucks. There is a failure of hospitality. There is a complete lack of fellowship. People seem to be going through the motions. Way too many mistakes are made. Sometimes it seems as though nothing goes right. Besides, especially in the case of a church-plant, we don't offer all the necessary spiritual services that other churches offer... nursery, children's ministries, Sunday school, youth group, etc.

So why bother? What's the point of going to church, especially if it doesn't always function smoothly? Why invest in something that sometimes comes across as sub-par? Why do we go to church Sunday after Sunday... especially if it seems to have no impact? What's the big deal anyway?

Recently, I was told by someone close to me that church doesn't really do anything for them anymore. Another person told me it's just not a high priority to them. They come when they can, but they're busy people... and they're not going to revolve their busy schedules around church attendance. Yet another person told me they're just no longer church-goers at this season in their life. Too busy.

Wow, those are hard things for a pastor to hear... especially by people to which they are (or at least once were) very close. But no one said pastoring was easy. Nevertheless, those comments have stirred my thinking all over again these past few days... is church really as important as we pastor-types like to claim it is? Or are we really just trying to line our pockets and create job security?

What are the benefits of church attendance... really? Why should it be of higher importance than say, family time, or natural worship experiences like time hiking in the mountains? Why should getting together with other Christians (and hopefully, non-Christians) to spend 1-2 hours in a worship service once a week be so necessary? Why not just do a Bible study/prayer time with your family? Why not just participate in a home group without all the drama, all the politics, and all the hoopla? Where does the Bible ever command us to go to church... as in a place with religious bells and whistles?

Actually, I can only think of one semi-explicit place church-attendance is ever mentioned in the Bible - Hebrews 10:25 - and even that could be interpreted to mean small groups over any forms of liturgical corporate assembly.

  

I've come to believe that church attendance is kind of like the Trinity. It may not be explicitly commanded in the Bible - and it may not be easy to fully comprehend - but once our eyes are opened to the concept, we can't help but see it is the Truth of God's Word. We can debate it its usefulness, argue its relevancy, criticize its shortcomings... but with one full contextual reading of the Scriptures (Old Testament and New), it becomes abundantly clear that we were wired for deep, penetrating and formational, Christ-centered community. We were designed to worship God together His temple... that is, in corporate settings. We are shaped into the image of Christ as we live in fellowship with people not just like us (and whom we often find irritating). We may not even be able to grasp what we "got out of it" from week to week, but when we discipline ourselves (and our family) to seek something bigger than ourselves... and worship someOne much greater than ourselves - over time, something good and wonderful and beautiful begins to occur. Toleration becomes acceptance. Acceptance becomes desire. Desire becomes worship. Worship becomes servanthood. Servanthood becomes authentic. Authentic becomes love. Love becomes holy. Holiness transforms and resurrects that which was in a zombie-like state of walking death.

Family is important. Small groups are important. But neither one functions in full blossom according to the Way of Christ in a vacuum, apart from the ecclesia... apart from the Church. It may be imperfect from week to week, but the Resurrection Sunday corporate gathering of the saints is the ordained community of Jesus Christ. If you don't believe me, read the book of Acts. Besides, you're not "getting anything out of church" then you're probably not investing anything into the church either. (I'm not talking about money... I'm talking about your heart). Let's face it, spiritual gifts were meant to be opened up and shared with others in the family of God. What do you do with yours?

I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.

It's taken me awhile to come back to this conclusion... but with the help of brothers and sisters in Christ (especially you, Craig)... I have rediscovered that the Church really is the beautiful Bride of Christ. She is in fact, gorgeous in spite of her many flaws. But rather than ragging on her and criticizing her every fault... I want to once again tell the world how beautiful she really is. If the disciples of Jesus all sought to love and appreciate her virtues more...  then perhaps the world would come to know that God really did send His son... because they can see that we truly love one another.

Golden Ticket to Heaven

Text for this Sunday's sermon/discussion at The River:  

John 14:1-7 (NLT)

So... we're allegedly working our way through the New Testament one book per week at a time... but I just can't get past the Gospel of John, my all-time favorite book! That's okay... I got permission from my congregation to wander down spiritual rabbit-trails as the Spirit leads.  :-)

_______________________________

Question: What does Jesus mean when he says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me"?

I mean, really. Let's think about that.

Does Jesus mean that everyone who utters his name and accepts him as Lord and Savior is heaven bound... no matter what? Is it our golden ticket?

What if that person quickly falls away from his or her faith? What if they never meant it in the first place? What if challenges rob them of their trust in God... or temptations distract them from desire for God? What if they make an emotional decision to follow Jesus (on the way to the Father), but later they change their mind about this whole "religion" thing? What if they proclaim Jesus as Lord, and systematically go to church, and pray, and give... but have no love for people? What if they can't forgive someone who's wounded them deeply? What if a person gets caught up in a system of rules and regulations and loses authentic faith in the midst of legalism? What if they physically show up to church and go through endless amounts of dead liturgy... but the dots from their head to their heart never truly get connected in a meaningful way? What if they love God and serve Him faithfully for many years, but watch their life fall apart piece by piece... and eventually just give up hope?

I ask again, what does Jesus mean by "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me"?

Is Jesus talking about heaven here? Is he talking about the afterlife? Is he informing Church-goers about the price of admission into the secret tent?

Is Jesus giving us a formula for entrance into the Pearly Gates? A magic phrase that gets us "in" while so many others in the world are left "out"? Let me ask it another way: Are we citizens of the Western (a.k.a, "Christian" world) just more blessed than those unfortunate to be born in India, or Pakistan, or Saudi Arabia, or any other non-Christian nation? What about those people born into godless homes... whose only understanding of God and Jesus comes from televangelists, or Hollywood movies like Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby?

"Dear tiny Jesus, with your golden, fleece diapers, 

with your tiny little fat balled up fist ... "

Anyway... Are all those Jesus-ignorant people going to hell? Even Gandhi? Even Bill Gates? Heck, even Will Ferrell? Not professed Christians (that I know of)... but evil? Worthy of eternal punishment? 

By the way, what does hell really look like? 

Hmmmm... now THAT is a good topic for another day!

Meanwhile, Jeffrey Dahmer and Ted Bundy both reportedly found Christ while serving time in prison.  They both committed atrocities against helpless victims, and they both died while behind bars. So, assuming they prayed the sinner's prayer... assuming they saw Jesus as the way and the truth and the life... are they in heaven? Does that seem fair? How in the world is St. Peter going to sort it all out when we're standing there to see if we "get in"?

So... is it what we say that gets us in? Or is it what we do? Or is it what we believe? Or is it where we were born? Or is it how much we give up? Or is it how much we love others? Or... are we all just subject to God's whims and predetermined plans? Are we merely cosmic playthings to a bored and/or callous and ultimately uncaring creator? Are we pawns in a otherworldly chess match? Does it even matter what we say or do or believe or choose or trust?

Is it even wise or reverent to ask these kinds of questions? Will he get mad?

What the heck are we supposed to do in response to Jesus' words?

What does he want from us anyway?

Believe it or not... I do have an opinion on the subject. An informed one? Yes. A thoughtful one? I believe so. But a safe one? Uh... no, not on your life. I'm not here to provide easy, pithy answers. I'm here to stimulate deeper thought and discussion about the profound love of God through Jesus Christ... as beautifully yet mysteriously revealed in the Word.

Let's discuss it on Sunday morning together, okay? Read John 13-16 to get some good context. And meanwhile, feel free to post your comments online regarding the Golden Ticket issue. I love a good debate.  :-)

As Living Stones

This week at The River we'll have a special guest-speaker. Marty Stewart will lead us in a discussion relating to 1 Peter 2:4-10.

^{1PE 2:4} And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God,

^{1PE 2:5} you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

^{1PE 2:6} For this is contained in Scripture:

“BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A CHOICE STONE, A PRECIOUS CORNER stone,

AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.”

^{1PE 2:7} This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve,

“THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED,

THIS BECAME THE VERY CORNER stone,”

^{1PE 2:8} and,

“A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE”;

for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed.

^{1PE 2:9} But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

^{1PE 2:10} for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.

 As we have considered the direction of our faith community in recent months, I have looked at the scriptures to find the greater purpose of God’s church.  I happened on the above and have listened to what it has to say about our response to God’s love.  

A couple of weeks ago Pastor Jeff made the Mathew reference that the essence of our calling is that we are called to “love God and love your neighbor as yourself.”   I want to focus on the love your neighbor part.  Some neighbors are difficult to love and Christ noted that your enemy is also your neighbor in the Sermon on the Mount, as Pastor Jeff impressed upon us on 9/11.

But how do we do that?  I think we have opportunity but either we don’t recognize it or fear overcomes us and we fail to show God’s love, expressed in Christ living in us, in our relationships with our fellow human beings. Sometimes it is the nature of the neighbor that we can not overcome.  Sometimes it is the heat of the moment that we express ourselves as purely human and fail to reflect the love of God.  Very often we feel ill-equipped to reach out in love and simply avoid the opportunity.  We are not always prepared.

As Peter says, we are being built up as spiritual sacrifices.   How?  I believe this should be a purpose of the church body and leadership to help equip us to boldly reach out in love to our neighbors, and, yes, our enemies and to “proclaim  the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

Of the adjectives that we have chosen to describe The River is missional.   I take missional to mean that we are outwardly focused.  Churches have long been marketing to attract membership and numbers and increasing programs to attract more individuals seeking community.  But we claim to be missional.  We are to reach out into the darkness and bring light, Christ’s light.  We are to recognize the oppressed and depressed, the hurting, those in crises, and those in pain that we encounter, and even seek them out, and offer Christ’s love through the Holy Spirit.  Our work is outside the church. 

The church, on the other hand, is for “equipping the saints,” both in spirit and talent.   It is where we get support and rejuvenation.  It is where we get refilled with God’s love and the Spirit.  It is where we are equipped and educated, armed for God’s battle over evil and darkness.  We are to be the light unto the world.

Nothing But the Truth

This Sunday, we're starting a new sermon series at The River:

 

What's the Big Idea?
Exploring the Wonder of the New Testament
Book 1: The Gospel of Matthew

So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets...

You see that phrase a lot when you read the Gospel of Matthew - or at least something very similar. Matthew's Gospel is the first book in the New Testament. Have you ever wondered why? I mean, was it because it was written first? Or maybe because it includes a lot of teaching, and therefore serves as a good introduction to the New Testament? Maybe... probably. However, there is an even better reason Matthew has always been presented as the first of the four gospels: It's obvious Jewish flavor serves as the perfect bridge between the old and new testaments, helping people understand Christ in light of the Jewish Scriptures.

Many Christians would like to take the Old Testament - with all it's scary stories and wrathful violence - and just pretend it doesn't exist. Like a creepy uncle or loud-mouthed cousin at a family reunion... some followers of Jesus would much rather ignore the Old Testament than deal with its foreign-ness and difficulties. Let's face it, God the Father doesn't always come across very Christian in the OT, does he?

But Matthew is a Jew from start to finish. And he writes his gospel with an agenda to convince the doubters of his day that Jesus of Nazareth is the real deal. His primary audience is fellow Jews who know their Old Testament better than we could possibly imagine. (They were taught to memorize large portions of the 'Scriptures' at a very young age.) As such, his agenda is twofold. First, preach the gospel (a.k.a., good news) of Jesus Christ passionately and (of course) more or less as events occurred in Matthew's memory. And yet... when a teacher is trying to convince his students to believe in a way that best conveys a point (i.e., a "big idea")... then the way the information is shaped, structured and presented is paramount. Does that make sense to you? For instance, most sermon stories, though fully rooted in truth, are often shared to make a specific (and hopefully interesting) point, rather than to just recall the cold hard "facts" exactly as they happened. I guess you could call it truthful creative license! :-)

Anyway, like his fellow Gospel-writers Mark, Luke and John... Matthew endeavors to tell the truth (and nothing but the truth)... however, he shapes the story in such a way as to fully convince his fellow Jews that Jesus of Nazareth is indeed the Christ (the Messiah), the Son of God. All that to say... Matthew intentionally highlights events in the life of Jesus that best reveal how they "fulfilled" the prophesies of the Old Testament. So the next time you read the Gospel of Matthew, pay attention to the phrase, "So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets" - and perhaps you'll get a better idea of why the Old Testament was so important to him.


I've had dozens of people tell me they don't read the Old Testament because they find it too troubling. My only response to that is that I don't believe a person can ever truly understand the importance of the mission of Jesus apart from reading and experiencing the good, the bad, and the ugly elements of the Jewish Scriptures. Believe it or not... God's grace precedes the life and ministry of Jesus. As Matthew continuously reminds us... the Son of God may be somewhat hidden in those 39 mysterious, troubling, often interesting (and sometimes boring) books... but nevertheless, he can be found in subtle and profound ways if we're willing to spend time and look for him there. Ultimately, I know it's worth the investment... and so did Matthew!

Suspended Animation

This Sunday at The River, we'll take some time to reflect on the events of September 11, 2001 from the perspective of Christian disciples. 

Matthew 5:43-45a says...

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven."

Ten years. Seems like yesterday, doesn't it?

Where were you when you heard a "small plane" had hit one of the WTC towers? How surreal did it seem when the second commercial jet hit the other tower? Then came the real shocker. To think of all the humanity that was wiped out in a brief few seconds as the first tower came crashing down. Under different circumstances, a thing of beauty and grace. But this event was accompanied by utter death and destruction... violence on a level most of us had ever before personally felt and experienced. All those people inside... dead in the blink of an eye. All those innocent lives. All those heroes. Then the other tower collapsed as well. And the reports of what happened at the Pentagon... and of course the infamous plane crash over Pennsylvania. My God, what had just happened to our safe, relatively peaceful world? How could this be happening to us... one nation under God?

That was the first time in my life I can remember everything stopping. Every person in America was glued to the news of this awful tragedy... this impossible, and disgusting act of war against freedom. No funny chatter on the FM stations... no political ranting on the AM stations... no reruns of Everybody Loves Raymond on the cable channels, or sports footage on ESPN. Nope. Every channel suspended regular programming for CNN news. For a moment in time, everything about typical American culture was on hold. No one cared about the stock market, or what Jennifer Lopez was wearing, or even the weather. Suddenly, our country became smaller, more intimate. Everyone was in shock. Everyone was confused. Everyone was glued to the television to continuously watch the footage of what happened that day... and listened as the newscasters tried to help us make some kind of sense of it all.

None of the nearly 3,000 victims got on a plane that morning - or went to work expecting to be part of a horrendous plot against America. No one had a clue that thousands of people would soon be hurled into a skyscraper... or buried underneath a massive pile of rubble that once was the World Trade Center. None of us had a clue of just how much would life change as a result of that memorable day in America's history. On the positive side, it drew us together as a nation. People in large cities and small towns across the nation mourned for strangers in Washington DC, Pennsylvania, and New York City. All of a sudden, we had something in common like never before (or at least not in our lifetime). On the negative side, our new reality was near strip-searches at the airport, "Terror Alert Orange," Homeland Security, and the image of that evil bastard, Osama bin Laden plastered across the screen of every television in the world... smirking at us infidels in the West.

Now, it's ten years later. Bin Laden is dead, but the war rages on. Many more lives have been lost. I think we should take a few minutes and talk about how 9/11 has changed us, shaped us, and informed our idea of what it means to follow Jesus in a world that is not safe. We have enemies... how does Jesus want us to treat them? How do we interpret patriotism in the light of this American tragedy? What sin must we fight against (as a persecuted country) that seeks to destroy our faith in God? How do we process the anger that accompanies injustice? What can we learn about ourselves in the midst of this awful, ongoing war against terrorism?

I'll come ready to lead a discussion. I hope you'll come ready to engage as a community of people who seek to wrestle with God for answers that satisfy a broken heart... and offer a glimpse of hope for the future.