Wishing You All A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Well folks, the time is upon us once again. Time to turn the calendar in anticipation of all that this New Year will bring.

The challenge that I shared with my PBC Family on Sunday, I would like to share with you: In this New Year I ask that you resolve to "Be still and know that He is God."

Our New Year celebrations tend to bring with them resolutions to do better in some area of life. Many resolve to lose weight, reduce debt, start something new, chase their dreams, etc. My challenge is quite different. To be still means to stop striving. It's a challenge to cease from the labor so that we may see what God can do. One of the greatest lessons that I have learned over the past year is the one of rest.

As a child of God I am learning to rest...
In His Unconditional Love
In His Abundant Grace
In His Unending Mercy
In His Heart for Me
In His Indescribable Goodness
All of these things (and many more) bring with them the wonderful opportunity to know the nature of God and to discover my identity in Him. While I am all for improving myself, I'm understanding the importance of being. Resting in Him allows me to be. Then all of my doing will come from that place.

In this New Year, I challenge you not to do more but to rest in Him more. As you learn to rest in Him then all of your doing will flow from your identity in Him. What you will discover is the wonderful truth that comes from security in Him. When you are secure in your relationship then you are free to be yourself. When you are secure in His love then you are free to love as He does. When you are secure in His grace then you will discover the ability to do all that this life opens up for you.

May 2014 bring with it the amazing revelation of who God is for you and of who you are in Him. Many blessings to you all.

See you next year!!!

Life = Time + Relationship

It's been several days since my last post and will probably be several days before my next one. Things have been a little busy around here but one thing is for sure...

Our family just came back from an early Christmas present. We traveled to Pittsburgh this weekend to enjoy a few days with family and friends, watched the Steelers beat the Bengals at Heinz Field, and returned on Monday to finish up everything for the holidays. One of the things that made this trip so unique was that it was a "first time" moment for all of us. We took it all in. We walked around the stadium, ate at Primanti Brothers & Jerome Bettis' Grille 36, enjoyed the game, and made a lot of memories.

After this weekend, I was reminded of a quote from "The Shack" when Papa told Mack that "life takes a bit of time and a lot of relationship." Think about those words for a moment. I think we can all agree that life takes a bit of time. How many of us are very different now than when we were 18 years old? At least...I hope we are different. Time does a lot of things for us. It allows us to grow and mature. It teaches us how to be patient, set goals, and also to enjoy every moment. Time is one of the most precious things we have. The second part of the statement made by Papa is one that we need to pay careful attention to as well. Life not only takes a little bit of time BUT it also takes a lot of relationship. Whether we talk about a relationship with God, with our spouses and/or children, or our relationships with families/friends; each of these relationships can shape who we are and what we become. The longer we live and the more relationships that we enjoy, the better life can become.

Thankfully, life doesn't require us to pack up in a vehicle to drive several hours down the road for us to get the most out of it. Life needs to be lived every day to the fullest, lived in such a way where we are all in. I think one of the greatest challenges we face is simply going through the motions. It happens all the time. We go through the motions at work, at home, and even at play. Our minds and hearts can be elsewhere. And in the midst of it all we miss out on the joy of right now.

I see people do this all the time in spiritual circles. They get so fixated on the future and believe that getting to heaven is the goal. My dear friends, Jesus is the reward, and you can enjoy Him every day. When He was upon the earth, He told us that He came to give life and to give it more abundantly. He isn't interested in you wasting your life, or missing out on the wonder of it all. No...He wants to give you more of it. Then that abundant life can be given by you every day, in every relationship, and in every situation.

What does this have to do with Christmas? Nothing really. I just start thinking this way around this time of year because I'm reminded of some very important moments in my life. December 18th marked 22 years as a follower of Jesus. That's right folks, 1991 was my first Christmas with my eyes opened to the reality of why Jesus came. This Christmas also reminds me that 19 years ago I asked a beautiful young lady to marry me - she said "Yes" - and my world has never been the same. So you see that this time of year holds a lot of sentimental value to me and it has nothing to do with presents under a tree or a guy in a red suit. This time of year reminds me that life takes a little bit of time and a lot of relationship.

I hope that you will allow this Christmas to take on a lot of new meaning for you as well. Appreciate the people around you. Love them fully. Be "in" every home, every event, and every conversation that you can be. You don't have to hold anything back because God has held nothing back from us. Take away the stress of trying to make everything perfect. Simply enjoy your family, love God, and appreciate the journey.

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.
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. ~ Isaiah 9:6-7

Merry Christmas Everyone!!! I hope to be back before New Years.

Perfected in Love...

1 John 4:18, "There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears has not reached perfection in love."

Last night, I shared with some folks during prayer time about our need to be secure in the love of God. This cannot be something that we simply assume or hope that we have, but we must know without a shadow of doubt that God has manifested His love toward us through the sending of His Son. The reason for this is quite simple: Perfect Love Drives Out Fear!!!

Most of us have seen fear in action. It produces what is commonly known as "flight or fight." The best video I have ever seen on this happened a couple of years ago when a young man decided to dress up as a scarecrow sitting on the porch while kids came to trick or treat at the house. He thought it would be a lot of fun to scare anyone who came onto the porch. This worked well with most of them and it accomplished exactly what he hoped - they ran for their lives. However, one young man came upon the porch and when the scarecrow tried to scare him, he punched him right in the face. Why? Fear. It causes us to do crazy things.

Look into your relationships. If there is any fear present then you will see people hold back, shut down, pull themselves away, or there will always be a fight. This is true in children, parents, friends, etc. Fear is not conducive to strong relationships. It will actually work against them. It eats away at any confidence, trust, or security. That's why when someone lies in a relationship or breaks trust it takes a long time to work through the issues. Fear is a powerful weapon for the enemy.

I want you to take that same mentality and apply it to your relationship with God. When you know you are loved (as Brennan Manning says) for who you are and not for who you are supposed to be, it will create incredible security. You will be free to be yourself. There's no need for masks, hypocrisy, or a cleaning up to make an appearance. You don't have to wring your hands wondering if God is going to have a bad day or be in a bad mood. You will stop living your life as though you could do anything to make yourself more lovable. I mean...really? God loved humanity at its worst. The Bible declares that even while we were yet sinners that Christ died for us. It doesn't get much worse than that. Jesus took the pain, endured the agony, and was nailed to a Cross while saying "Father, forgive them for they don't know what they do." That doesn't sound like anyone who has love issues.

However, we often do have love issues. We struggle to understand unconditional love. We struggle to see the good in ourselves and them project our image of ourselves on God and we think that He sees us in exactly the same way. My friends, if I could give you some encouragement today: STOP IT!!! The love that God has for us should drive out any and all fear. The problem is not with His love. The problem is with our lack of perfection in it.

We have to see ourselves as loved. We have to interact with God on the basis of His love and not our performance. We must be absolutely convinced of His love. When we are, then we can begin to live in an open relationship with Him. Then we will be free to love others with the same type of love that He has lavishly poured out on us. When people are perfected in the love of God it will create a new found freedom for life and relationships that we never thought possible. No longer will we cower in the shadow of an unloving father. No longer will we be driven by the pain of lost love, broken promises, and shattered dreams. We will enjoy being loved and we will gladly give love to those around us. Not only that, but we will learn how to love God completely as well.

People who live in fear only give a part of themselves. If we view God outside of the fact that He is unconditional love we will do the same. God wants all of you. Jesus came to make that relationship possible. See yourself as loved by your Heavenly Father. Anytime a question comes up about it, just take it to Him. Allow Him to perfect you in His love because there is nothing quite as glorious as a child who knows they are secure in the love of their parents. Enjoy the journey!!!

Fully Alive

“The glory of God is a human being fully alive; and to be alive consists in beholding God.” ~ Irenaeus

The Glory of God is a human being fully alive...
Think about that quote for a moment. I don't know that any of us fully appreciate what we have been created to become and what we were created to do. The simple fact that God has created each and every one of us should promote some self-worth in humanity. That we were created for a relationship with God should absolutely blow our minds. God didn't create mere servants or minions that would do His will. He created us out of a desire for fellowship, a fellowship that He already enjoyed as Father, Son, & Holy Spirit.

Is it any wonder that God went to such great lengths to ensure that humanity would be redeemed from the Fall? Is it any wonder that Jesus would come down into our darkness, take on our flesh, and give His life as a ransom? Who could conceive this kind of love other than Him who is LOVE?

The Scriptures tell us clearly that God determined to do this before the foundation of the world. In other words, before the earth was created and before man was ever formed from the dust, God decided to put us all into Christ. The early church honestly believed that even if Adam had not fallen that Jesus would have come to the earth simply because God's plan wasn't a response to the Fall but to the heart of God. Why? Because the glory of God is a human being fully alive.

That's right folks, God wants you to be fully alive. He wants you to enjoy life to the fullest. Jesus told His followers that He came that we may have life and that life more abundantly. He has given us the same quality of life that He possessed while on the earth. It is a life that knows how to live in relationship with the Father. It's a life filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. It's a life that is secure in the love of God and offers that same security to others. Can we fully comprehend how much glory God receives from us when we are fully alive? I'm not so sure we can.

How many "fully alive" believers have you met? I'm not questioning anyone's salvation but I do question the quality of life that many believers possess. The amount of guilt and shame that they live in. The lack of joy, comfort, and peace. The constant questioning about their own relationship with God. Do we really believe that Jesus simply saved us to go to heaven? Have we forgotten that abundant life was to be lived out on the earth, enjoyed fully, and shared with others? What is missing?

It is my belief that religion has done much damage to the thoughts of abundant life. We simply don't know how to experience it. We hear so many teachings about dying, sacrificing, and giving that we don't know much about living, enjoying, and receiving. I'm not suggesting that we toss these things out the window, I'm just concerned that we haven't given enough attention on what it means to enjoy life as a child of God. This is what we were created to enjoy. God gave us this earth. He placed us in it. As we live, we spread His glory throughout it. It's what we were made to do. Not as robots who have only one program to follow but as children of the living God who get to enjoy our relationship with our Heavenly Father.

Irenaeus goes on to say that to be alive consists in beholding God.
"Beholding" is such an interesting word because it means more than seeing. It also speaks of being able to discern through the senses. It is looking, seeing, understanding, and knowing. To be alive according to Irenaeus consists of seeing, discerning, looking at, understanding, and knowing God. Can you see how these two things go together? A human being fully alive is the glory of God and a human being that is fully alive is that way because they see, discern, understand, and know the Father. In other words, they are fully alive because they have come to the realization of who they were created to be and what they were created to do. Living fully alive is impossible outside of relationship with the Father - the Creator of all life.

In the journey of life, we cannot miss this. We must encounter the Father, the Son, & the Holy Spirit. We must experience the life that they have for us. As we do this, then we can behold Him in all things. Nature will begin to speak to us about the glory of God. We will see Him in the lives of others. We will hear Him in music, the arts, and all other created things. We will discover Him through the Scriptures, and enjoy Him in the fellowship of the church. We will recover the joy of walking with Him in the cool of the evening, hearing His voice in the day, seeing His handiwork, and making Him known throughout the earth. This has nothing to do with religion but has everything to do with encountering the living Word of God which is Jesus Himself. It is beholding HIM and only HIM that makes the difference.

"The glory of God is a human being fully alive." ENJOY THE JOURNEY!!!

A Journey of Rediscovery

Over the last several weeks, I have challenged myself in trying to find an understanding of the early church fathers. I thought it would be beneficial to see how they interpreted the coming of Jesus - His life, death, burial, resurrection, & ascension. In particular, I was looking for the men who were closely tied to the Apostles. What I've discovered so far has been wonderful.

A couple of names that I would like to mention are Irenaeus and Athanasius. These two men are given an incredible amount of credit to the development of theology in the early church. Their writings are remarkable. It's amazing to me how little I knew about what they had written or how they shaped the early church until I began looking. Much of what they said and did have been like breadcrumbs on the path to lead me on a journey of rediscovery.

According to Irenaeus, the high point in salvation history is the advent of Jesus. Irenaeus believed that Christ would always have been sent, even if humanity had never sinned; but the fact that they did sin determines his role as a savior. He sees Christ as the new Adam, who systematically undoes what Adam did: thus, where Adam was disobedient concerning God's edict concerning the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, Christ was obedient even to death on the wood of a tree. Irenaeus is the first to draw comparisons between Eve and Mary, contrasting the faithlessness of the former with the faithfulness of the latter. In addition to reversing the wrongs done by Adam, Irenaeus thinks of Christ as "recapitulating" or "summing up" human life. This means that Christ goes through every stage of human life, from infancy to old age, and simply by living it, sanctifies it with his divinity.

Athanasius put forward the belief that the Son of God, the eternal Word through whom God created the world, entered that world in human form to lead men back into the harmony from which they had earlier fallen away. He believed that the God of all creation was good and therefore the lover of humanity.

As I looked into some of the writings of the Patristic Fathers, I came across this from Irenaeus "Demontration of Apostloic Preaching." I want to share some of the points he makes in this writing:

- This then is the order of the rule of our faith, and the foundation of the building, and the stability of our conversation: God, the Father, not made, not material, invisible; one God, the creator of all things: this is the first point of our faith. The second point is: The Word of God, Son of God, Christ Jesus our Lord, who was manifested to the prophets according to the form of their prophesying and according to the method of the dispensation of the Father: through whom all things were made; who also at the end of the times, to complete and gather up all things, was made man among men, visible and tangible, in order to abolish death and show forth life and produce a community of union between God and man. And the third point is: The Holy Spirit, through whom the prophets prophesied, and the fathers learned the things of God, and the righteous were led forth into the way of righteousness; and who in the end of the times was poured out in a new way upon mankind in all the earth, renewing man unto God.

- So then He united man with God, and established a community of union between God and man; since we could not in any other way participate in incorruption, save by His coming among us. For so long as incorruption was invisible and unrevealed, it helped us not at all: therefore it became visible that in all respects we might participate in the reception of incorruption. And, because in the original formation of Adam all of us were tied and bound up with death through his disobedience, it was right that through the obedience of Him who was made man for us we should be released from death: and because death reigned over the flesh, it was right that through the flesh it should lose its force and let man go free from its oppression. So the Word was made flesh, that, through that very flesh which sin had ruled and dominated, it should lose its force and be no longer in us. And therefore our Lord took that same original formation as (His) entry into flesh, so that He might draw near and contend on behalf of the fathers, and conquer by Adam that which by Adam had stricken us down.

- Thus then He gloriously achieved our redemption, and fulfilled the promise of the fathers, and abolished the old disobedience. The Son of God became Son of David and Son of Abraham; perfecting and summing up this in Himself that He might make us to possess life. The Word of God was made flesh by the dispensation of the Virgin, to abolish death and make man live. For we were imprisoned by sin, being born in sinfulness and living under death.

- But God the Father was very merciful: He sent His creative Word, who in coming to deliver us came to the very place and spot in which we had lost life, and brake the bonds of our fetters. And His light appeared and made the darkness of the prison disappear, and hallowed our birth and destroyed death, loosing those same fetters in which we were enchained. And He manifested the resurrection, Himself becoming the first-begotten of the dead, and in Himself raising up man that was fallen, lifting him up far above the heaven to the right hand of the glory of the Father: even as God promised by the prophet, saying: And I will raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen; that is, the flesh that was from David. And this our Lord Jesus Christ truly fulfilled, when He gloriously achieved our redemption that He might truly raise us up, setting us free unto the Father.

The reason I share this today is because I am often asked about how I came to believe what I believe concerning the finished work of Christ. In other words, how I view the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Christ as it relates to what was accomplished for humanity. It's rediscoveries such as these that tell us quite clearly that the early church had a much more complete understanding of redemption, salvation, and adoption. They saw the new birth as something that was performed by Christ. They saw everything that was bound up in the First Adam set free in the Last Adam (Jesus). And what is truly amazing about this discovery for them is that they did it by looking into the Old Testament Scriptures, discussing these truths among themselves, and finding the truth about what God had predetermined to do before the foundation of the world.

Think about the fact that Irenaeus did not have the New Testament letters that we possess today. He had listened to Polycarp who was a disciple of John, but the fact that He came to these conclusions based upon the leadership of the Holy Spirit is remarkable. I'm not saying that he had everything right just like I don't believe any of us have full knowledge. Jesus is the only one who could claim to fully know the Father. The point is that we are all learning, all discovering and rediscovering, and we are all being conformed unto the image of the Son.

I'm not sure when the message changed. I cannot give you a specific point in history when this happened. I do have my own theories. I do believe that Augustine's belief about "dual nature" changed the way we viewed mankind and even salvation. After the reformation, John Calvin and his beliefs about "double predestination" also hurt the message because many began to believe in a God who had elected some to heaven and others to hell. What's amazing about the predestination conversation is that predestination is found in the New Testament but it is the predetermination of God to put us all in Christ so that He could adopt us as His own. We also find in the New Testament that God has completely reconciled Himself to mankind. Nothing can change or alter that. However, if you are never reconciled to God then you will never enjoy this quality of life.

I hope that what I have shared with you today is challenging and refreshing. I hope that you will begin to see what was accomplished in Christ was complete. I hope that your faith is renewed in a good and loving God who has done everything that needed to be done to bring mankind back to His original intention. And I hope that you will enjoy the journey!!!

Good Luck FC Pioneers!!!

We want to wish our very own Fort Chiswell Pioneers a safe & successful game this weekend.
FC is traveling to Essex High School to play the Trojans in the state semi-final game @ 1pm - Tappahannock, VA.

It has been our privilege to feed these boys before every game this season and to share with them spiritual truths for life and football. This is a special group of young men that has brought a great sense of pride to our community.

Godspeed Pioneers!!!

More Thoughts on the Father Heart of God

Luke 15:20, "And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him."

This one image created by Scripture has been reproduced in songs, paintings, and sculptures. What is it about this scene from one of Jesus' parables that so captures the attention of mankind? Could it be that we are so enamored by the love of this father? Could it be that in our heart of hearts we so desperately want this to be true of God? Could it be that we struggle to understand this type of compassion? Whatever the reason, I do believe that woven into the fabric of every human being is the need to feel this loved, this forgiven, and this accepted. The Good News according to Jesus - YOU ARE!!!

I often read this parable and wonder how I would have handled the return of my own son. Would I be as forgiving? Would I be so overwhelmed with emotion that I wouldn't even consider what he was saying? Would I be so ready to celebrate? This scene creates so many questions about myself, and what I would do, but thankfully it's not a parable about me. This is a parable about the heart of our Heavenly Father and how He treats every person that comes to Him. They are like a son who has been off in a far country, separated by their own choosing, alone and desolate, and desperately wanting to come back home. And God is the loving Father who looks out at the horizon waiting to see that lone figure traveling up the road. He desperately wants His son back.

This was a hard image for the religious leaders to accept. They were comfortable with their ideas of separation. They were completely content with the idea that God was so obsessed by the sins of humanity that He couldn't tolerate them. This mentality felt good to them. It felt right. And they had even created a God in their own image who felt the same way. However, Jesus presented a drastically different image of the Father. He presented an image of God who was comfortable with the humanity of humans. A God who wasn't obsessed with their failures, their sins, or their issues. Instead, a God whose heart was emphatically set on seeing them brought back into His arms.

The parable of the lost son is (in my opinion) the heartbeat of the Gospel. It adequately displays many of our issues while at the same time adequately portrays the nature of God. He's not a Father sitting on the porch with a shotgun. He's not a Father that just cannot wait to rip into this son of His who made all these mistakes. He's a Father who is completely comfortable with His place in the family. A Father who loves His child enough to divide up the inheritance and allow His child to make His own choices. And even when those choices lead to ruin He is compassionate enough to welcome us back.

It's no wonder that this story has inspired so many. It's no wonder that so many people hear this parable and are stirred in the core of their being. This is their Father. This is His heart. And they know without a shadow of a doubt that they are acceptable to Him not because of anything they have done but because of His great love.

Life is a journey and in this journey we all have choices to make. Sometimes the choices we make will lead us down a lonely path filled with ruin. Sometimes these choices will keep us close enough to God but still cause us to never see the Father's heart (you see that in the elder brother). Regardless of where we are in the journey, take comfort in knowing that God's heart is for you. You have a Heavenly Father who longs for nothing more than relationship with you. It's what you were created for and in Jesus He has made the dream of His heart a reality. It's my hope and prayer that every person on the journey will have their eyes opened to the reality of God's heart for them. It is my hope that they will have that moment in life as the younger son where they come to their senses. It is my prayer that they will acknowledge the Father's love for them. This is where life makes sense - at home with the Father.

Peering Into the Father Heart of God

Allow me to welcome you back to PBC Voice. I trust your Thanksgiving holiday was blessed. This past Sunday I shared with the PBC Family out of Luke 15 and talked about the Father Heart of God. One of the things that I love about this chapter is that everything that gets lost is found. Whether Jesus is talking about a lost sheep, a lost coin, or a lost son - they are all found. What an incredible picture of the Father's heart.

To understand the context of these parables, it's good for us to hear the murmuring of the religious leaders. When they would look at the crowd that gathered around Jesus, they would grumble among themselves “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” I don't know if there was anything more offensive to their religious way of thinking. Jesus being able to discern what was going on decided it would be a wonderful time to put the Father's heart on display.

The parable of the lost sheep - a Shepherd is willing to leave the 99 to look for the 1
The parable of the lost coin - a woman will stop everything to look for 1 lost coin even though she still had 9 in her possession
The parable of the lost son - a Father isn't content to have just 1 of his 2 sons home with him. His heart is always ready to receive the one that was lost
Those that the Pharisees regarded as "sinners" and therefore out of the realm of God's love, Jesus regards as those who should be in the fold, a part of the possession, and in the family. In each of the parables, neither item that was mentioned lost their value. The sheep was still a sheep (it didn't become a goat). A coin was still a coin (it didn't drop in value). The son was till a son (even if he couldn't see himself coming back as a son). All of these things were valuable & valued, just as every human being in this world is valuable & valued in the heart of God.

These parables also tell us that none of us are outside of the love of God. His heart is for them. The reason Jesus received "sinners" and ate with them was because they also had a place at the table. These were lost sheep that the Pharisees didn't go looking for. They were lost coins that the Pharisees didn't have the time of day to find. They were lost sons that the Pharisees were not willing to open their hearts toward. Aren't you glad that our Heavenly Father doesn't operate this way? Isn't good to know that Jesus is a Good Shepherd that looks for the lost sheep? Isn't it good to know that nine coins isn't good enough for God but that if there was just one lost He would go looking? Isn't it good to know that the Father is always looking out into the horizon for His child to find his way back into His embrace? This is the heart of God. Unfortunately, it wasn't the heart of the religious leaders of Jesus' day.

I've often wondered why religion has this way of creating outsiders? We still struggle with this mindset today in the church. We are quick to judge the lost, condemn the lost, and even reject the lost. However, if our heart was moved with the same compassion of Jesus then we would look for them, find them, and rejoice over the fact that they are now home.

One of the things that moved me about my time with the PBC Family this Sunday is that we had a man in our congregation (probably in his 50's) who came to me after the service to tell me that after all these years he finally gave his heart to the Lord. I was blown away. In fact, over the past month I have seen grown men (30, 40, & 50 years of age) confess Jesus as Lord of their lives. This is almost unheard of statistically in the churches across America. The only Person that gets credit for the change in their life is Jesus. The only message that gets credit for opening their hearts is the Gospel. The Good News that Jesus came looking, to seek and save that which was lost, and that God valued the human race - considering us as valuable. He placed so much value on us that He gave Jesus to bring us out of the darkness.

When Jesus spoke to Nicodemus He said, "I did not come into the world to condemn the world but that the world through me might be saved." Those are powerful words. More importantly, it allow us to peer into the Father heart of God. Sending Jesus wasn't about condemnation but salvation. The Gospel is not about alienation but has always been about adoption. May our hearts overflow with this understanding and may we rejoice with the angels of heaven over every person who has found their way back into the arms of our loving Father.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Psalm 107:1, "Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever." [NLT]

As we prepare for our Thanksgiving celebrations tomorrow, I am truly grateful for the family and friends that God has given. I am thankful for the simplicity of Christ, the goodness of God, and His unfailing love toward us. To quote Brennan Manning, "My deepest awareness of myself is that I am completely loved by Jesus Christ and I have done absolutely nothing to earn it or deserve it."

May your hearts be full this Thanksgiving.
May God's peace rest upon your homes.
May His love overwhelm you.

The Simplicity of Christ

Young's Literal Translation of 2 Corinthians 11:3 reads, "and I fear, lest, as the serpent did beguile Eve in his subtilty, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in the Christ." It's something that each of us should consider.

Paul's desire for the Corinthian church was that he would be able to present them as a "pure virgin to Christ." He did not want them to be tainted by the false prophets, apostles, or gospels that had begun circulating within the church. And to put it quite bluntly, the false prophets, apostles, and gospels had something in common: They all required more of the individual than Paul's gospel.

The revelation that Paul had received from the Lord is quite simple. It was steeped in faith righteousness. This message was very hard for the Judaizers of his day to swallow. Unwilling or unable to accept this notion stirred up a zeal within them to protect what they believed to be so holy and right in the earth. That is why we read Paul's letters and find him addressing such things as circumcision, feasts/festivals, and what people eat. These teachings had already started poisoning the minds of the churches that he had established.

The way Paul describes this situation in 2 Corinthians 11 provides us with some incredible insights for our own lives as well. Think with me about the simplicity of Christ. The simplicity of Christ in the Gospel message is that He came, died on the Cross for the sins of the world, was buried, rose again, and now offers His life to each and every one of us. It was His blood that was sufficient. It was His sacrifice that paved the way for each of us to return to the Father. It was His resurrection that loosed the hold of death on humanity. Jesus WAS/IS enough!!! The idea that anything other than confessing Jesus as Lord and belief in Him was necessary to obtain salvation was foreign to the mind of Paul. He clearly heard the Lord's heart as it relates to what God had accomplished through His Son. He conveyed that message quite clearly in this letter: "God was in Christ reconciling Himself to the world." This was the Good News that Paul preached - the simplicity of Christ.

Is that the Gospel that you have heard? Is it your understanding that Jesus' death was enough? Was Jesus punished adequately for the sin of humanity? Was the wrath of God upon sin poured out on Jesus? If the answer to these questions for you is "YES" then be grateful that you have been able to hear the TRUTH of the Good News.

Another interesting aspect of this verse lies in the word translated as "simplicity." It can also be translated as oneness. This makes sense as you think about how the serpent deceived Eve. He went after her oneness with the Father. He will do the same with us as well. When you begin to see yourself in Christ - believing that all that He accomplished through His death, burial, and resurrection is enough - then you will find a place of rest in your oneness with the Father. You will understand that His forgiveness is not based upon your performance but what Jesus did. You will rejoice over the fact that Jesus' death was sufficient and that His resurrection accomplished far more than you could ever understand. But be careful with how you handle this knowledge because the enemy of your soul will always look for ways to pull you away from it. He will always try to get you to see yourself as less than what God had intended for you to enjoy.

I pray that the church will return to the simplicity that is in Christ. Why is it that man seems to complicate things so much? Enjoy the simplicity of the Gospel. Rest in the simplicity of God's love for you. Enjoy the simplicity of Christ in your life, your family, and your relationships.

During this week of Thanksgiving - be amazed at the goodness of God in the Gospel. Celebrate with your families over the wonderful news of your redemption, forgiveness, and reconciliation to God in Christ. I will catch up with you next week. Be blessed and enjoy the love of God for you.

More Healthy Church Family Stuff

When I attended Bible College we had to read a book entitled "Healing the Dysfunctional Church Family" and it was quite the eye opener. The book provided some wonderful insight into what people carried into church life with them. This may be hard for the average attender to see during regular services, but many pastors understand the importance of healthy families within the church.

[I appreciate the incentive but I wonder if the person who created this sign really knows what they are asking for]

Healthy families are crucial to healthy church families. It's really hard for us to be the "one big happy family" that Peter spoke of when we haven't come into that reality in our own homes. Whether we choose to see this or not, healthy spousal and parental relationships will make a huge difference in how we relate to one another in the spiritual family. If honor, unconditional love, grace, and mercy haven't been handled properly in the home - they will not be evident in God's house.

I have told our PBC Family that their home is their church. We now know the role that Fathers have in representing the heart of God to their children and spouses. Siblings play an integral part in how we understand Jesus. Mothers teach us how to relate to the Holy Spirit. While this may not be true in every home, it's amazing what people reveal about their understanding of the Godhead that is directly tied to how they interact within their natural families.

Dads - learn how to carry the Father heart of God.
Your role in the family is crucial. God has allowed us to be the spiritual heads of our families. This doesn't mean we are control freaks who cannot handle disobedience or disrespect. I mean...look at how God handles ours. Instead, we must spend some time with our Heavenly Father so that we may display His heart. We are more than just Providers and Protectors. We are a lens through which our families experience God. When dads are always busy with other things, rough in their dealings with the family, or not present - our kids especially will have a mental image of God that says they cannot count on Him.

Moms - allow the Holy Spirit to nurture you so that you may nurture others.
The Holy Spirit is referred to as a Comforter which makes perfect sense. His presence guides us, speaks to us, teaches us, and brings us along in the journey. Is not this the role of the mother in any family? Where do the kids run to when they are hurt? Where do they look for reassurance? The way in which a mother handles this role can create a comfort level with the Holy Spirit unlike any other relationship. It can also cause great damage in how we relate to Him. If a mother is distracted, concerned only about herself, and disregards the needs of the family - it can carry over into what we believe about the Holy Spirit.

Siblings - you carry the heart of Jesus in a unique way - find the grace to make it a reality.
I once asked the Lord about a specific time in my life where I wanted to see Him at work. It was during the time when my mother left my father and I just needed some reassurance that God was with me. As I prayed about this, the Lord showed me that He was very present in my brother during that time of my life. I was overwhelmed to find Jesus in him and also sad that I didn't recognize it at the time. Healthy relationships among our children are important. It is through this natural part of the family that we learn how to interact with Jesus. It's one of the main reasons that I constantly teach my kids the words of Jesus. What He conveys, we as siblings get to carry.

Don't misunderstand me in all of this. We have found that even people with a dysfunctional family have somehow still received a proper view of the Godhead. Their understanding may be more tied to a grandparent, a cousin, or a close family friend but they got it and for that we are thankful. Even in the most dysfunctional families children can still receive a pretty good mental image of Father, Son, & Holy Spirit at least in some area. I'm just not a big fan of creating an environment for our families where they have to overcome so much to see God for who He really is.

Also, how we handle conflict in the home is crucial to how we handle conflict in the church. Our ability to forgive, extend grace, show mercy, and give love without condition in our homes will be the way we do these things in the church. It was the reason for the book that I read in college. To heal the dysfunctional church family means that we have to see healing in the dysfunctional families that come through the doors of our buildings. That is why it is so important to help build healthy family relationships.

Take some time to evaluate what can be different in the home. Ask the Lord to show you areas where you could carry His heart in a much better way. Consider ways that we can bring our kids into an encounter with the Lord through our lives. I promise you that if this is what you want, Papa will partner with you. He loves nothing more than to see a family that learns to carry His presence, His affection, His grace, and His mercy. It is my belief that this is where it all begins in the first place. We are our children's first encounter with the Creator. Let's make it a good one!!!

Leading or Fathering? ~ Mark Durniak

Mark Durniak is a friend of mine who pastors in Pennsylvania. He wrote a wonderful article for his church family that speaks to the need of spiritual fathers in the church versus leaders. I have personally witness Mark's role as a spiritual father in his church and it's quite refreshing. The image below comes from a book by Larry Kreider (which I have not read). I'm just grateful that this type of message is going out for the church. My hope is that you will be encouraged to ask where you are in the journey.

I and the Father are one. - Jesus, John 10:30

What does leadership look like in the church? We know what it actually looks like right now. Pastors, pastoral staff, boards, directors, deacons, five-fold ministry team, maybe home group leaders, etc…

The question still needs answered from the perspective of spirit, from that of heaven. Where is the spirit strength for generational transfer derived from? What is the vehicle of real power and influence for ongoing life in the church?

The truth is that position does not mandate influence. Someone who has a title denoting a leadership position cannot assume that people follow them. The abundant life meant for the church begins with Jesus and must flow with the least amount of hindrance.

The “title” or name Jesus gives His leader is key to understanding true church leadership. Jesus’ authority was His Father. Fathering, therefore, is the essence of leadership influence. Jesus emulated His leader when He said When you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father. We must assume that the “way” of Jesus was fathering.

Jesus was clear that we have but one Father. Even Jesus would not assume a role not meant for Him. That said, His “way”, His culture, was fathering. I am convinced that this culture is the purest form of leadership in Christianity.

Fathering means to lead in the way of the Father. Sons, children may see a person as a father but everything in a “Jesus father” points them to their true Father.

There is no owning of a son, no demand for respect or obedience from them because a father realizes that these are all sons of his Father. The only honor worthy of a father is that which is freely given to him. Jesus willingly submitted Himself. Required submission is not submission at all. It is slavery.

The fruit of fathers is sons. The primary characteristic of a son is the likeness of the father and the resulting maturity. A son is unique in his calling, but his nature and culture is of the father. A son’s identity is released by a father, not created by him. That privilege is solely the heavenly Father’s.

A positional leader, a professional minister, will not have this priority, to nurture and release the potency of others. They will see themselves as teachers, as counselors and as dispensers of gifting. If a person is helped, if they are more knowledgeable, they as a leader have succeeded. Such leaders find identity in their followers ongoing need of them. This creates permanent followers that help the leader achieve his goals.

When leadership is about the leader, there is little heart connection to those he leads. The result is easy disconnection. It’s why many great leaders leave churches for other ones. They see greater opportunity to release their gifting to a greater audience. This leaves his previous people confused as their connected heart has severed ties.

Such a culture is foreign to a father. The life of a son is a father’s world. To leave sons would literally kill him. Fathers don’t leave sons. Sons are sent out by fathers.

Fathers seek transformation. Their fulfillment comes when the son grows to no longer depend upon him. Instead, need transitions to partnership, to oneness. I and the Father are one. A beautiful interdependence exemplified in Jesus and His Father.

As sons mature, the joy of the father is to come alongside the son to influence his leadership and fathering. A son’s honor is desiring the father’s influence. Fathers are secure enough to do this because their pleasure is not the son’s need of him, but in his ongoing becoming.

Imagine a church lead in such a way. An ongoing cycle of fathers releasing sons to be fathers. Fathers influencing other fathers and sons in the nature and culture of our heavenly Father.

This is the surest way for the abundant life of Jesus to flow with the least amount of resistance. Fathers, who are sons, making way for more sons. Sons making way for THE FATHER. This being the greatest honor they could bestow upon their earthly fathers. This is the heart of Jesus in men.

Admittedly, this is an unusual culture compared to much of the modern-day church. But I see a generation of great ones. I see myriads of Christ-leaders, not Christ-followers. These are the sons, walking in the full nature of their Father, for which the earth is groaning.

You have not many fathers. This is not an accepted fact by Paul, but an indictment upon a failing leadership style. He was responding to the cry of orphaned children.

Stop following a leader. Become a son who becomes a father.

Church Family? (Recapturing the Vision)

The Living Bible paraphrases 1 Peter 3:8 in this way: "You should be like one big happy family, full of sympathy toward each other, loving one another with tender hearts and humble minds." I've always enjoyed this understanding because I believe it fully appreciates the culture that church should create.

When it comes to church life, culture is important. The culture we want to create will ensure the quality and quality of life that is produced. What we often discuss with our church family is that the nature of the church will determine the structure. If the church is simply an organization then it will be structured accordingly (typically from the top down). However, when we discover that the church is a living, breathing, organism then our structure will be radically different. Above any other description that we could give of the church, the one thing I see in Scripture is how they were a family.

Sure...there are other descriptions: Fellowship, Body, Flock. But I believe what we see in the book of Acts clearly represents the family or community understanding of the church. The way they interacted, shared life together, and built one another up in the faith is not representative of a club but that of genuine family. As a family we are governed by love, invested in honor, live in harmony, and led by fathers/mothers. We learn what it means to invest in one another. And...as a family, we relate to one another on a much deeper level.

Establishing a strong church family is a matter of the will. In other words, we must choose to do life this way. It's crazy to me that we even have to have this conversation but just look at how the church operates in our present culture. Many pastors are more like CEO's rather than fathers. The church is very structured rather than flowing with life. Relationships are superficial for the most part rather than being a primary focus. It is for this reason and this reason alone that I choose to view the church as a family of believers. I long to see the community that has been lost by our current structures. I realize that those words get used more often than not to describe churches but the reality is that people do get lost in the shuffle.

Establishing a strong church family is also a matter of the heart. This means that we learn how to open our lives to one another. This is quite difficult for some people. But when we learn to allow love to be the governing force in our lives, it will make heart to heart connections much easier. People need to know that church is a safe place. It's a family where we are allowed to be ourselves, share our concerns, receive/give love, and grow in relationships. You see, I can join about any civic club in the community but never have a heart connection with anyone. However, it is impossible to be the church without these connections. Jesus told His disciples that the world would know that they were His by the love they showed to one another. Love opens our lives, expresses genuine concern, and creates an environment where people can thrive.

One of the other aspects of church family that I appreciate is that it moves us away from the hierarchies that we often see. Instead, we choose to appeal to people as fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters. We recognize the commonality of life that we have in Jesus. We honor one another not because of a title but because of the person that God created them to be. In most leadership models we simply submit to authority because that is the way it is. In a family we submit to a father who has exposed his heart to us. The dynamic of this relationship is quite different. What it produces in the people is quite different as well. Fathers & Mothers raise up Sons & Daughters not just followers. These sons & daughters grow to maturity and carry the legacy of the family wherever they go. In this culture, we actually send out multiple sons and daughters which advances the kingdom much quicker and creates an environment that draws people to the ecclesia once again.

It is my prayer that the church regain this understanding of the church and recapture God's vision for His children. May the prayer of Jesus be fulfilled in our generation: "The glory that You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one even as We are one" [John 17:22].

Establishing Your Heart

"As He also says in Hosea:
'I will call them My people, who were not My people,
And her beloved, who was not My beloved.
And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them,
You are not My people,
There they shall be called sons of the living God.'" [Romans 9:25-26]

To borrow a phrase (yet again) from Henry Blackaby: "The names of God reveal the nature of God." And what do we know about God? We know that He does not operate outside of His nature. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He does not change. Why is this important as it relates to establishing your heart? It's important because if you question who God really is then you will always struggle to rest in Him. In the area of faith righteousness, you must firmly believe that God is who He says He is, has done what He has said He has done, and will be faithful to carry it out in your life.

One of the names of God that has been revealed to us is: Jehovah Tsidkenu - The Lord Our Righteousness. This is pivotal in understanding what faith righteousness is all about. It's all about God being whom He has always wanted to be in our lives. I believe that He has always wanted to be the righteousness that we live in. That our right standing with Him was never about carrying out a specific set of rules and standards but honestly living in relationship with Him. The Law in many ways revealed the heart of God but what the Jewish people did with His standards went way beyond His original intent. They actually created laws to keep you from breaking the Law. Therefore, righteousness was reduced to a standard or a way of life and was completely dependent upon what you did or how you performed. All the while, never realizing, that this is who God has wanted to be for His people.

The Lord is comfortable being your righteousness. He understands the weakness and frailty of man. He has longed to live in relationship with us since the days of creation. To see God outside of relationship is to limit Him to being a Divinity that is occupied with rules. Which I don't believe was ever the case. What God told Israel was that He had placed before them life and death/blessing and cursing. If they chose to walk in life, it would produce blessings. If they chose to walk in death, it would bring a curse. It happened exactly the way God said it would. Read their history. They always had a choice to walk in Him.

And on that note, I want to bring you to the place of establishing your heart in Him. You have a choice. What I am about to share with you will produce life and blessing in you over and over again. What you believe will determine how you behave. And what I'm after in your heart (and mine) is that we function from a proper perspective. What Jesus accomplished through His death, burial, and resurrection is far more reaching than we have understood. What He accomplished, He offers to us. What He gained is ours to enjoy. But if we continue to live in the place of questioning our righteousness then we will never be able to establish our hearts in the heart of God.

The most common practice of establishing our hearts in righteousness is taking "in Christ" verses of Scripture and saying them over and over again until your faith is moved to believe it. As simple as this may sound, it will take some time for you to believe it. Why? Because you have believed lies for so long. Rome wasn't built in a day and a healthy mindset isn't either. It will take some time, but I can guarantee you that it is well worth it. The more my heart has become convinced that what God says about me is true, the more I live from that place. Therefore, righteousness isn't something that I create but something that flows from the very core of who I am in Him. Does that make sense? Think about it this way: If you are a mother or a father but struggle to believe that about yourself you will always struggle as a parent. Once your heart is convinced of this fact, you can begin to father or mother your children. We typically see this happen negatively. Someone has a child but have convinced themselves they are not ready to be a parent. What comes out of their life? Everything else but being a parent. However, once we establish our hearts in that position of being a father/mother then what flows out of our life looks like parenting. This may seem like a poor example but the reality of being a parent came for me when I held my child in my arms for the first time. I looked into her eyes (16 years ago yesterday), my heart was moved, and I determined that I would be everything that little girl needed. When you look into the heart of God and allow your heart to be moved by what He says about you, then you can determine to live from that place. You will allow God to define you and the rest will take care of itself.

Sure...there will be times that you have to go back into that quiet place and re-establish yourself. It happens to the best of us. However, the more you do it - the more you convince your heart that you are truly in Him - the more your life will reflect that position. Sin no longer becomes the issue it once was because righteous people have died to sin. It's all about learning to see things from God's perspective. Sin becomes what God says it is. Holiness becomes what God meant for it to be. Everything about our lives will flow from His heart. We learn how to be and not just perform.

Imagine the joy of the Gentiles when they began to hear the words of Hosea being proclaimed over their lives. For centuries they were outside of the covenant of promise, outside of the blessings of Israel, and strangers to all that was God. But now they were His people and His beloved. I'm sure there were times when they had to stop and shake themselves. Could this be true? And all we have to do is read about the explosion of church growth that happened throughout the book of Acts to see how the Gentiles rose to the occasion and embrace this incredibly Good News. It wasn't easy. It wasn't without problems. However, when persecution came to the Jewish church, they were able to find community within the Gentile fellowships. This was a visible demonstration of what Paul celebrates in the letter to Ephesus, the mystery being displayed, that God would create "one new man" in Christ, Jew and Gentile together in Him. What a beautiful thing.

Take some time to discover the In Christ verses for yourself. Here's a website that can help:
http://www.ficm.org/index.php?command=textwhoamiinchrist
Get to work (lol). Get to the work of establishing your heart. Be moved in your faith. Be excited about all that God will do in and through your life in the process. Your life is getting ready to change!!!

An Unbelieving Believer?

Welcome back to PBC Voice!!! After taking a much needed break to collect my thoughts, I want to talk a little bit about a new format for the blog. In an attempt to help people grow in their understanding, I'm going to use the blog as a follow up to the messages I share with the PBC Family. I hope this time of reflection will be beneficial to your life. In the message from this past Sunday, I wanted to help people overcome what I believe to be the biggest stronghold of unbelief in the church. You may be shocked to discover that our churches are filled with unbelieving believers - at least in certain areas. The biggest area of unbelief? We struggle to believe that we are really in Christ.

"What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written,
'Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense;
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.'" Romans 9:30-33

One of the peculiar things that I have discovered in church life is that we often struggle with the same things that the children of Israel struggled with. I'm starting to understand why Paul said that what we see at work in the Jewish people of the Old Testament happened as an example for us and was written for our instruction. When it comes to the area of faith righteousness, I have seen the church often struggle with the very same things the Jews of Paul's day struggled to understand. That is...we are declared righteous through faith.

Most people in the church believe that faith is critical in salvation, but often turn to works as a means to being justified, holy, and/or righteous. What we have failed to understand, or believe, is that in Christ all of this is made available.

According to the Bible, in Christ we are:
Accepted
Loved
Holy
Righteous
Blameless
Justified
Sanctified
etc.
There is nothing that we can add to or take away from what Jesus accomplished through His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. Everything that we could ever hope to be is found in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21, "For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." This is the beauty of God's heart for us. Jesus bore what we could not bare, accomplished what we could not accomplish for ourselves, and has made this life available for everyone.

Romans 10:3 brings us to the heart of the matter: "For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." Please hear these words: "CHRIST IS THE END OF THE LAW FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS!!!" There is no law that can make you righteous. If there was, Paul declared that God would have given it. Instead, He offered us the life of His Son. It is in Him and Him alone. We believe it, receive it, and allow His life to flow through us.

The reason that I said this is the biggest stronghold of unbelief is quite simple: Look at how people live.
Are they really secure in their salvation?
How do they respond to the Father when they sin?
What is their sense of self-worth in Christ?
Are they experiencing the grace and love of God on a continual basis?
The list could go on and on but the reality is that there are a lot of unbelieving believers in the church. They struggle on a daily basis to really see themselves in Christ. This reality has produced a ton of churches that never rise to the occasion. They never move beyond the salvation experience because they continually see themsleves as lacking in some area. They don't really believe that they have everything they need for life and godliness through His divine power inside them. Just enough faith to get saved but not enough faith to experience the abundant life in Christ.

I have spent the majority of my life in churches that believe in eternal security (the belief that when a person is genuinely saved that they are secure in that salvation). However, it is in those same churches that I was continually told to question whether or not I was genuinely saved. Does this make sense? This message is usually the result of some frustrated pastor who questions the validity of people's faith because of what they aren't doing rather than what they are doing. That may sound crazy to you, but I've done this in the past myself. Rather than understanding that the reason many people don't do what we think they should might be based upon the fact that they don't feel secure in their faith, it's much easier to question whether or not they are truly saved. This creates double-minded people who are in the words of Scripture "unstable in all their ways." What if we took the time to help people become grounded in their identity? It is my firm belief that if I can help someone become secure in who they are in Christ, the rest will take care of itself. Rather than working for something, we work from something. Viewing ourselves as righteous in Christ will allow His righteousness to flow from our lives. The change is not what we are doing but the perception that we are working from.

I will have more to say about this over the next couple of days. My encouragement to you is that you would reinforce in your heart who you really are. You are not outside of the grace of God. You are not who you used to be. You are in Christ and He is in you. Live from that place and be amazed at the peace, love, security, and hope that you find there. Your life will never be the same.

Time To Collect My Thoughts

I hope you all are enjoying a wonderful week. I have decided to take a few days away from the blog to collect my thoughts rather than share them.

While I'm away from the blog, I pray that your heart will continue to be overwhelmed with the goodness of God. I look forward to being with you probably around the 12th of November. Feel free to look through the archives and see if there is anything that the Lord uses to encourage your life. Catch up with you soon.

Be Blessed!

Right Here, Right Now

For the better part of this day, I have had a song playing in my head by a group called Jesus Jones. Here are the lyrics:
"Right Here, Right Now
There is no other place I want to be
Right Here, Right Now
Watching the world wake up from history"

I couldn't help but think of Paul's words to the Philippian church: "I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith." (Philippians 1:23-25)

While Paul understood the reality and joy of heaven, he also understood his purpose in the earth. He had a longing to see people grow in their understanding of Christ, to see the joy of the Lord increase in their lives, and to see the church continue. It would be good for us to have this mindset and to follow after the words of Jim Elliot as well: "Wherever you are, be all there."

I have been around some believers (even young ones) that just couldn't wait to get the heck out of Dodge. It seemed as though all we talked about, sang about, or read about had to do with heaven or the rapture. What I didn't realize back then was that if we aren't careful that we could actually commit spiritual suicide. Rather than find our place in the earth, discover how God has gifted us to impact the area, and learn what it means to be a son of God in the earth, we will sit back and just wait for something better to happen.

The song that I posted above was written during a lot of changes in Europe. In particular, the fall of the Berlin Wall had so changed the landscape that it had given people incredible hope. We see things like this all the time. Events that happen that are so inspiring that you realize that you are a part of history.

What if our lives are to be more than just a mere drop in the bucket? What if there are things that God longs to do through our lives that could actually change the landscape? Do we simply want to be a part of history or would we rather be history makers? These are legitimate questions. Jesus took ordinary men, many of whom were rejected by society, and turned the world upside down. He didn't simply take them up to Heaven when He ascended. He left them in the Earth to make a difference. This can be our lives as well.

Each of us have the opportunity to partner with God to see His glory literally cover the Earth. We get to make Him know to those who do not know Him, and encourage the lives of those who do. We get to make a lasting imprint in the Earth. That's why you can never minimize your faith and your ability to change the culture. It's also the reason why you cannot sit around just wondering when you get to leave. We've all seen this happen in the natural. You go somewhere and are totally consumed with going home that you miss out on what is happening around you. A lot of Christians in that boat. Their minds are totally focused on leaving that they simply cannot enjoy today. Not only can they not enjoy today but they miss out on so many wonderful things that are happening right in front of them.

Ask the Lord to open your eyes to the good things that are happening in the Earth. And wherever you see Him at work, join Him there. You can enjoy a long and fruitful life in Him. There's no need to cut it short. Jesus promised abundant life, not just a rewarding death. Squeeze every ounce joy out of this life - enjoy it fully - cause you get to enjoy it for all of eternity.

Enjoy the journey!!!

Who/What Are We Following?

Ideology
1. The body of ideas reflecting the social needs and aspirations of an individual, group, class, or culture.
2. A set of doctrines or beliefs that form the basis of a political, economic, or other system.
Theology
1. The study of the nature of God and religious truth; rational inquiry into religious questions.
2. A system or school of opinions concerning God and religious questions.

Luke 9:49-50, "John answered and said, 'Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name; and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow along with us.' But Jesus said to him, 'Do not hinder him; for he who is not against you is for you.'"

After much thought and consideration, I am convinced that much of the disagreement/division in the church has more to do with ideology than theology. I have had several conversations with people where this has been the case. The problem is that we tend to become so tied to our ideology that it becomes a part of our theology. In other words, what we believe becomes our Bible and anything outside of our belief system is a cause for division.

Some people may not have a problem with this approach to life but I see it as an extremely narrow way of doing relationships. This approach can be especially true in denominational life. In America, especially, we have all of these Protestant churches running around with the belief that there way of thinking and believing is the only way. They have a specific set of doctrines and practices that we must line up with or we cannot dwell together in unity. It's not enough to agree 99% on the same core beliefs but there must be 100% agreement or else. It has gotten so bad in some areas that a person isn't even considered a brother/sister in Christ unless they are a part of a particular fellowship of believers. I have often wondered what would happen if you could get pastors together from all the different denominations, have them share from their core beliefs, find the places of agreement or disagreement, and whether or not they would consider these other pastors a part of the faith family. It's at least something to consider.

The point that I want to make in all of this is that we do have some common ground. I don't have to be a part of a particular assembly of people, nor do I have to prescribe to a particular set of beliefs. The commonality of all sons and daughters of God should be and always has been Jesus. He is our common denominator. He is the Author & Finisher of OUR faith. I'm not saying that we have to agree with everything that everyone is practicing in their faith but the time has come for us to stop demonizing every church or pastor that we do not agree with. There comes a time in each of our lives where we must believe what Jesus told His disciples: "Do not hinder him; for he who is not against you is for you."

Somewhere in this journey of life you will discover that there are genuine followers of Jesus that do not believe the same way that you do. You know this to be true because the evidence of His Spirit is so clear in their lives. The question you should not ask is whether or not you two agree on everything but can you agree on the one main thing...that Jesus is enough!

I'm fortunate in that denominational division has never really been an issue for me. I grew up in Baptist and Disciple of Christ churches. I was saved while being a part of an Independent Baptist Church, baptized as a part of a Southern Baptist Church, and worshiped frequently with members of the Church of God. I have friends who are pastors in almost every denomination and non-denomination. I have other friends who are of the same multi-denominational background. We all agree on the major points of faith. We understand that God sent Jesus in the world to be the atoning sacrifice for sin. We all agree that it is through faith in Him that we are saved. We believe that the power of the Holy Spirit is available to all who believe. We all believe in being a witness of Jesus to the earth. We also believe that there is no other name given under heaven whereby we must be saved. To put it another way, we all believe that Jesus is the main thing.

This approach to life and fellowship has allowed me to see relationships strengthened rather than weakened. I have been able to encounter the Lord through people of various backgrounds and they through me. There is genuine love, respect, and encouragement in our lives. Why? Because we don't believe that someone has to fall into our ideology to be considered a brother or sister in Christ. We don't have to listen to the same types of music, dress a certain way in church, read a particular version of the Bible, or practice our faith the exact same way. We don't even have to agree on how we split theological hairs but can appreciate the fact that we are walking in relationship with Jesus and one another.

This is how we experience the person of the Lord in our lives. We don't believe that Jesus is only blessing our denomination, or our practice of the faith. We have discovered Him everywhere - meeting people in their pursuit of Him. He's showing up in the lives of passionate worshipers. People are being saved, taught, and grown in their love of the Savior. Sure...it may look different than it does at your place but it does not negate the authenticity of their faith. It's no different than how you operate in your home. I don't know anyone in my current relationships that do not love their children. They want to give their child the best life possible. They want to see them grow up to be strong, respectable, and caring adults. These parents desperately want their children to grow up in the faith. However, the way they parent is not always in line with how I parent. They do things differently. They have some different core values in their home than I have in mine. The reality that I have to get a hold of is that they are legitimate parents to legitimate children. If this is true in our homes then why can it not be true in our churches? In fact, the only time this isn't true in parenting is when you have someone who is tied to a certain ideology when it comes to how we raise our kids (and I think most of us have experienced that in some form or another).

Why not begin to see our brothers and sisters for who they really are: Our Brothers and Sisters!!!
Let's appreciate the faith that they walk in.
Let's encourage them in their pursuit of the Lord.
Let's bless them, pray for them, love them, and even seek community with them.
We may never agree on everything but we can agree on Jesus being the main thing.

Who or What are we following is a legitimate question. May we be found following after Jesus. He is the main thing.

Removing the Dross & Challenging Mindsets

If you haven't heard me share this before then I think you will be in for a challenge. The reason that I'm sharing it today is because the Lord has reminded me of His activity in our lives. The Bible often presents Him as a refiner's fire. The question remains on how we will handle the dross.

The ideas that I'm getting ready to put forward have been some of the most challenging things I have experienced in my relationship with God. I'm sure that I have spoken about this subject on the blog and in sermons but it's good to be reminded. The thought of God as a refiner's fire can be difficult for some of us to understand. This is especially true if your belief about God is that He is always at odds with you. However, if you think of Him as a good Father then you will be able to experience this with a whole different attitude.

I'm not a silversmith but from what I have read is that metal is heated to the point that it melts down to a liquid. In this liquid form, dross comes to the surface and has to be removed. This is how we get silver to it's purest form. Once the dross is removed then the liquid can be poured into a mold. After it has cooled off and polished then you have something beautiful to behold. For the silversmith this process has nothing to do with his hatred of the raw material but actually a zeal for what it can become.

This is exactly how the Lord works in your life. When he applies the heat of His love toward you it causes the dross in your life to come to the surface. I have actually seen people experience the presence of the Lord and nasty things come out of them. Why? It's the refiner's fire. What we don't want to do is stop short of the process or get caught up looking at the dross. We actually need to allow Him to remove it from our lives so that we can be brought into our purest form.

Here's where the challenge comes in:
I have actually heard the Lord say this in my own life. I asked him one time why I responded in a certain way to a situation and He told me that He was actually drawing close to me. When He came near it caused this junk to come to the surface because He wanted to take it away. The challenge to your mindset will be whether or not you can believe that sin was actually just the wrong response to Him? That's right...I just said that!!! Can you believe that someone responded in anger simply because it came to the surface? Can you believe that someone responded in manipulation or control because it was time for it to be removed? Or what if someone actually turned to porn because they didn't realize that the Lord was drawing them into intimacy? The reality in all of these situations is that what caused all of this junk to rise to the surface was because of the nearness of His presence. I have had several conversations with strong believers who have experienced this very thing. What if the angry person chose to walk in love instead? What if the controlling person chose to walk in trust instead? What if the person who chose to watch porn chose intimacy with the Lord instead? If these people would have responded to the person of Jesus then He could remove the other issues from their life. These things that come up - when we allow the Lord to have His perfect work in us - can be removed and us molded into our perfect form.

I realize that this a challenging way to think. Especially if you think that God cannot be in the presence of sin. However, this is often when the Lord is the closest to us. This is possible because He dealt with sin at the cross. It's also possible because of His zeal to see us conformed into the image of His Son. He has an excitement over seeing us reach our potential. He knows what He has designed us for and He is committed to seeing it come into being. You are His work of art in the earth. Allow Him to draw near. Allow Him to remove any impurity in thoughts or actions. Allow Him to conform you into the image of Jesus.

Enjoy the process and enjoy the journey. His is for you!!!

Sowing In Relationships

"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life." [Galatians 6:7-8]

I shared this as a sermon on Sunday but wanted to refresh even my own thinking through a blog post.

So often we hear verse seven of Galatians six negatively. You will even hear these words coming through the mouths of people who may not understand the biblical implications: "Well...you reap what you sow!" How many times I have said it in my own life when people lose a job, destroy a relationship, etc. I'm actually asking the Lord to help me with this. The challenge is to see these words positively. To understand that we can sow GOOD seed. We can sow things that bring life rather than death. Not only is it a challenge to see these verses in a positive light, it's a challenge to live them out from time to time. However, the benefits are enormous.

What if...
We didn't allow negative words to dominate our conversation?
We didn't cultivate a negative mindset about someone?
We allowed encouragement to come out of our mouths?
We praised someone rather than cut them down?

These are just a few ways that we can learn to sow goodness into the life of someone else. Rather than just simply focusing on the negatives, we can actually see the opposite of them in the Spirit and call them out. For instance, if you know someone who is always critical we know that the Spirit of God wants to do the opposite. You can actually speak to that in a person's life and make a lasting impression. In light of this verse, if what we are sowing is seed, then we get to choose what seed is sown.


If we follow through the context of these verses, we will discover that Paul is actually talking about sowing in much broader terms. He talks about giving generously and then begins to discuss that same generosity as it relates to the people in our lives. When I realize that every morning I can choose to speak life into an individual or a circumstance, then eventually I will reap what that seed produces. The question is whether or not we will run out of patience in the process.

One of the members of PBC was actually talking about this in context of a relationship at work. There was a guy that he often saw in passing that just looked miserable. It didn't matter how many times he tried to be friendly to him, it wasn't making a difference. It became a major issue of prayer for him because he honestly felt like the guy needed some encouragement in his life. So he set out to make it a point to speak, be friendly, and trust God for the results. Over the course of a few weeks my friends patience was wearing thin. He had been greeting the guy in such a way that it couldn't be shrugged off but he just wouldn't do much more than grunt. It got to the point where he didn't even want to try anymore. This guy was apparently outside of the reach of God. Right? Well...one day my friend ran into the guy somewhere in the workplace. He had already decided he was done trying to reach out to him. However, the guy began speaking to him. It wasn't a monumental shift in the environment but he was able to see the hard exterior cracking. And to think that my friend had almost given up completely!

Never underestimate the power of goodness flowing from your life.
Don't underestimate the ability of God to demonstrate love through you.
Choose to impart life to someone today and wait for the harvest. It may not show up in the person that you are sharing with but you will reap a harvest if you do not faint.

Make this a part of your journey this week. Find someone to bless, love, and encourage. You will discover that every day can be an adventure and in the process you will be sowing life into them.

Living From Righteousness

"...not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith" [Philippians 3:9]

You know...I grow tired of the mentality that says if you focus too much on grace that you are giving people a license to sin. My friends, that couldn't be further from the truth. For the people who make such statements, they simply don't understand what grace is.

Allow me to define grace (again) so that we can have a clear understanding of it. Grace is the operating power of God at work in my life. According to Thayers Greek Definitions it is "the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues." In other words, grace has got you covered. It's not a license to do whatever you want but the ability to follow after your Heavenly Father.

I think the problem with our understanding comes from a legalistic mindset. Many, if not all, of the believers that I know grew up in the Bible Belt. Most of the churches that we have encountered don't understand the grace of God. Therefore, much of the preaching and teaching that goes on in these churches is all about how you need to serve God, stay away from sin, and do your dead level best to stay close to Him. While I don't have a problem talking to people about how they serve God, the danger of sin, and what it means to stay close to God; my approach is very different. What's different? The difference is grace. I want to make sure that people understand that all of these things are possible through the grace of God. It's the grace of God that keeps me. It's the grace of God that strengthens me. It's the grace of God that will empower me to do whatever is asked of me. Another difference is that I am going to talk to people about what it means to be a son/daughter of God rather than just a mere servant. You see, our Heavenly Father has given us everything we need for life and godliness. We just need to learn how to tap into it.

Paul spoke of this when he talked about the Jews. Listen to these words: "Brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. For not knowing about God's righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." [Romans 10:1-4] What we discover through the rest of Paul's writing is that the righteousness of God is only found in Jesus Christ. What they were trying to establish, God had already established. What they were trying to accomplish, God had already accomplished. One of the greatest days of my Christian life came when I learned what it meant to rest in Jesus. He is my righteousness.

There's an old hymn we used to sing that says "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness." In the past, I used to sing that song and the way my mind interpreted it was Jesus' blood and my righteousness. I don't know if anyone else had this same problem but I failed to understand the righteousness of Christ applied to my life. What the song is actually saying is that our hope is built on Jesus' blood AND Jesus' righteousness. The writer wasn't placing his hope in himself or his good deeds. He was banking it all on Jesus. Whenever I sing this song now, I'm overwhelmed by the goodness of God rather than my own inadequacies. Can you see the difference? It's the same difference that you will see in your own life when you learn to put your full trust and faith in the finished work of Christ. He has done it all. All the righteousness that you need is found in Him. Grace, as it relates to how you life your life, means that you live from His righteousness rather than trying to establish your own. Instead of working to establish it, you learn to establish your heart in Him. And establishing your heart in Him will make all the difference.

Someone who is established in the righteousness of Christ will not struggle in sin because that's not how righteous people live.
They won't struggle in their relationship with God because they know who they are in Him (the righteousness of God in Christ).
Instead, they will learn what it means to be free in Christ. Holiness will not be an issue because it will flow from their life. How they treat others, how they handle their families, and what you see out of their daily life will all come from the same source - God - and by His grace they will be able to stand. I'm not saying that these people will be perfect but I do believe it's a whole lot more possible than doing it on your own.

It saddens me to think that nearly 2,000 years have passed since the life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus and many in the church are still trying to work it out. Maybe that's not the right way to say that because I have read a lot of the early church fathers and they seem to have a better understanding of it then than we do now. I'm not sure what changed but I believe that there is a generation that is recapturing all that is possible in Him. I believe we are beginning to understand what the finished work of Christ is all about and starting to rest in Him. We are learning to live from righteousness rather than for it because we know that Jesus was/is "the end of the law FOR righteousness to everyone who believes." That's right...you get to faith it in rather than work it out.

Be blessed!!!