Ukraine - Here we Come

Leaving today for Ukraine.

Be Back on the 4th.

Please be in prayer.

The call? to GO

In His commission to the church, Jesus said "GO..." Have you went?

I truly believe that there is a great misconception within the body of Christ concerning missions. We tend to speak of callings when we ought to focus on obedience. Isaiah heard a call - "Whom shall I send..." But he also heard a plea - "Who will go..." Isaiah's response: "SEND ME!"

Jerry Ranking (To the Ends of the Earth) said, "God has brought us into a relationship with Him, but the only justification for our existence as the church, as the people of God, is to facilitate building the Kingdom of God through evangelism, discipleship, and missions." Dear friends, we will never accomplish these goals if all we do is sit around and wait for a calling.

Why does God have to call us when He has already told us?

The point is that there is a difference between being "called" to be a missionary and going on mission. Being an "in the field" missionary does require a calling. Trust me - if you are going to uproot your family and spend your life sharing the Gospel with those in need, you better be called. However, God can use each and every one of us who are willing to go into the mission field of the world to share Jesus. That is why we focus so much on short-term missions at PBC. Everyone (if you can get away from work) can take a week and share the Gospel with those who have never heard. The requirement isn't "calling"; the requirement is OBEDIENCE.

The only thing the disciples were told to wait upon was the coming of the Holy Spirit. Once He came, Jesus said that they would receive power and then they would be His witnesses. What are we waiting for? Have we not been empowered by the Holy Spirit? Have we not been commissioned? If the church is to ever fulfill Jesus' mandate it must come through volunteers who have a heart for the Kingdom of God.

The truth is that there aren't enough missionaries on the field to reach a lost and dying world. There are still people groups waiting to hear of the 1st coming of Jesus. Our churches must stop focusing so much on His second coming (waiting for it to happen) and get busy sharing about Jesus coming to die for the sins of humanity. Oswald J Smith said it best, "We focus so much on the 2nd coming; Half the world has never heard of the 1st."

Let's GO!

Ambassador in Chains?

Ephesians 6:19-20 - Paul encourages the believers to pray for him that when he shares the gospel he will do it with boldness. He goes on to say that he is an ambassador in chains for the sake of the gospel.

Can you imagine?

Not only is Paul telling you why he is in prison but he is also giving us insight into his new mission field. Now, as a prisoner, Paul is an ambassador!

Can we be His even if our situation isn't suitable? Would we, as Paul, ask for boldness to continue proclaiming the gospel message?

I just received a devotional book from Voice of the Martyrs. Here's a sample: "Most Christians would admit that suffering is not exactly what we have in mind when we say we want to be used by God. Sure we want to live out our faith - but not to the point of persecution. We resent being overlooked for promotions at work or excluded from social events. We feel slighted. Cheated. Ripped off. However, we must be willing to prayerfully seek God in the midst of our desperation..."

None of us pray for chains but the question is: Can we be an ambassador in chains?

Ukraine Preparation

This week I'm preparing to head off to Ukraine. The logo that I have posted is our Trailblazer Missions logo created by our Missions Pastor.

I will get some new blog posts in before I leave. However, today I'm going to ask you to pray for this trip.

We depart on Friday the 26th and will return on Saturday July 4th.

Pray that God will ready hearts to receive the Good News of Jesus Christ. Pray that He will watch over us in our travels and be with our families back home.

To God be the glory for what He is preparing for us already.

Vacation Bible School

Last night was our final night of VBS.

We had a great turnout from the church & community with 4 young people accepting Jesus as their Lord and Savior!

Praise God for His work among those who choose to believe.

Thank God for those who gave of their time to serve.

The Hope of Glory

Christ in me IS the hope of glory.

What an awesome truth!

John Phillips in his commentary on Colossians says, "Here we touch the very heart of the matter, the mystery of mysteries. The Lord Jesus not only incarnated Himself in human flesh, but He has chosen to take up residence in each of His own! Here is the very genius of Christianity - 'Christ in you!' Christianity is not a religion, it is not a code of laws or a set of creeds. It is Christ! A real living Person. One who came to this planet in space, who chose to live among us, who was willing to die for us, who is now ascended on high, and yet lives in us. He who once gave His life for us now abides in us to give His life to us. He who once died as me now lives in me. What an astounding truth!"

It is Christ IN me that makes the difference.

It is Christ IN me that gives the assurance of salvation.

It is Christ IN me that gives me peace in troubled times, strength in weakness, joy in difficulty, and gladness in sorrow.

To God be the glory - great things He has done!

Journey toward Irrelevance

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter continues his journey toward irrelevance today as he visits with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Could somebody please clue Carter (He really is NUTS) into the fact that Hamas is an enemy to Israel & the world. How can this guy (who claims to be a believer) give support to a terrorist organization, consistently support them over Israel, and have the audacity to ask the United States to remove them from the terrorist list?

The tell-tell sign that Carter doesn't "get it" was verified today as they rode by roadside bombs before speaking to the press.

There is no peace between these two groups because Hamas doesn't want peace. Every time there is a treaty Israel is pounded with rockets and suicide bombers. However, Carter continues to find himself on the wrong side of history.

There was a time that I held this man in high regard. But that was before he broke the code of silence that most former presidents adhere to once they leave office, and before he decided that he didn't want to be a Southern Baptist after they affirmed the woman's place in the home, and before he and Bill Clinton spoke of starting their own baptist convention, and the list goes on. Even though most people would love for him to keep his comments to himself - he continues to go out and open his mouth.

Why would anyone take a failed president's advice on world affairs or the economy? It seems to me that Carter has been trying to change his image every since he lost to Ronald Reagan.

Note to Jimmy Carter: Do yourself and the world a favor. Go back home, take care of your family, enjoy the rest of your life, and stop meddling with world affairs. While you are at it - stop hanging out with terrorists!!!
Sincerely,
A Friend to Israel

It's Friday...you can't make me.

I'm just going to be honest with you. I didn't feel like blogging today. My creativity for the week has run out.

However, I do want to leave you with a thought.

In the letter that James wrote to the church, he says, we do not have because we do not ask.

What have you been waiting for?

Have a great weekend.

In the Beginning...

We just had Steve Levinson at the church for a creation seminar weekend and found it so refreshing.

Most of you know that Intelligent Design has been under attack for many years. Our children are no longer taught the "Theory of Evolution" in school. Evolution is being taught as fact.

One thing that I took away from Steve's messages was the importance of understanding why the concept of Intelligent Design is under fire. If you remove God from the equation then you are left with a people that are able to invent their own concept of right & wrong. There is no "after-life" to concern yourself with and you can simply "eat, drink, and be happy." If you remove God out of the equation then you might as well rip out the book of Genesis from the Bible and place it over next to all the other fairy tale books.

The book of Genesis is so important as a foundational book in our faith. It is here that we get the foundation for marriage, the family, creation, sin, the Gospel, clothing, nations, etc. The sad part about this war that is being raged against the Word of God is that many "Christians" don't have answers for the arguments. We struggle to understand how fossils come into play, what to do with dinosaurs, how long has the earth been here, and the like. We think that evolutionists have all the answers when in fact all they have are arguments.

I encourage all of you to check out www.answersingenesis.org so you can begin to equip yourself. If you have a child in public school or one that is getting ready to go off to college - you will need these tools.

One other note: I'm glad that God doesn't ask us to check our brains in at the door when it comes to faith in Him. If we will but study His Word, we can come to understand the truth of Creation. It saddens me to think about how many Christians think that Intelligent Design and evolution go hand in hand, or that so many don't believe in a literal 6 day creation. Folks, we must have this truth ingrained in our minds and hearts. If we don't, we will never be able to stand for the truth of God's Word.

In the beginning God created...

'Nuff said!

Where Are We?

According to some recent polling data, 67% of Americans say that religion is losing its influence on American life. Does that statistic bother you? While I'm at it let me share this little nugget of information: North America is the only continent where Christianity is not growing. Surprised?

As a pastor I could list several contributing factors to these numbers but I will focus only on one. It's my belief that too many churches are more concerned with being showboats instead of lifeboats. We put way too much emphasis on how we look and sound rather than who we are reaching.

I read a book several years ago titled "Building An Evangelistic Church" by Paul Powell. Read with me some of the statements from the preface of his book:
"In God's work, there is no place for sitting down and going backward...David Livingston said, 'I'm ready to go anywhere so long as it's forward.'...Today, God's people need to be challenged to go forward. In spite of the enemies behind us and the obstacles before us...We simply cannot accomplish this with a maintenance mentality. The local church deserves our highest and best energies, for the church is the means through which God has chosen to do His work in the world. But how do we build a great evangelistic church? There are no easy answers, no quick fixes..."

I cannot agree more! Far too long the church as a whole has enjoyed the comfort of living in a nation where there is no persecution. This comfort has led us to think only of ourselves rather than those who are headed for a devil's hell. Let's face it: Too many churches care more about building, buses, and budgets to concern themselves with the eternal destination of the lost. We think that if they want Jesus that they will come to us! May God help us to change this mentality.

Vance Havner said, "The tragedy of our times is that the situation is desperate but the saints are not." Don't you think that if the saints were as desperate as the situation that something might happen? Believers we must make every person our mission. They need Jesus - they must be saved - we must share.

If there is one thing that I'm sure of it is this: Every human being can know Jesus. Romans 10:13, "Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." Does that mean your neighbor down the street, the person in the cubicle beside yours, the young lady behind the McDonald's counter, etc.? ABSOLUTELY! They just need somebody (anybody) to tell them what Jesus' death on the cross means for them.

Are we settling for less that what the Lord would settle for? Sadly, many churches are half empty yet fully satisfied. Powell goes on to say that, "Vacant pews do not recommend Him (Jesus) to an indifferent, preoccupied world. A full house, however, tells a different story. If God's people would show up, churches would fill up, and the world would sit up and take notice...Our mission is clear. We must go with the conviction that all things are ready; all people are welcome; and all excuses are empty."

What can you do to affect the lostness around you? Pray for opportunities to witness, Pray for the courage to witness, and Pray for clarity in witnessing. After you do that - WITNESS!!!

I remember a story about Frank Pollard who went to visit a woman's lost husband. At first the husband showed no interest in spiritual matters. But, as Frank continued to share the Gospel and read scripture, the man's demeanor changed. He eventually asked Frank, "Isn't there something in there about a book and a man's name being written in it?" Frank said, "Yes, there is." and quickly turned to Revelation 20:15 which says, "And whosever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." The man rose from his chair, leaned across the table, looked Frank in the eye, and said, "Preacher, I want my name in that book!"

I wonder how many people around us want their name in that book? Could you help? If we want to change the statistics we looked at early...if we want to see faith once again shape the American way of life...if we want to see genuine faith in Christ begin to spread in North America...WE MUST WITNESS to those around us.

YIKES!

We are currently doing a little renovation in the kitchen & guest bathroom. Have you ever noticed how hard it is to be comfortable in your own home when part of it is off limits? It's difficult for everyone > Jenn wants her house clean, the kids want to be able to get into the fridge without help, and me...I miss the coffee pot. However, just a couple more days and we can all get back to normal(?).

As I was thinking about it this morning, and how eager everyone is to have the house put back together, something crossed my mind: What if we were so eager to set our houses in order SPIRITUALLY speaking?

Here are some examples:
- It's just a quiet time. I'll get back into it...
- So I missed a few Sundays. We haven't quit the church...
- I know I need to pray more. I'm working on that...
- Normally I would give 10%, but things have been tough. I'll start giving...
- I know I need to forgive them but I'm just not ready. Maybe I will...

Regardless of the circumstances, more often than not, we procrastinate when it comes to spiritually matters. If it were our physical house that was out of order we would be pushing for things to happen as quickly as possible. But for some reason we don't carry this urgency over to our spiritual houses.

When are we going to start having family devotions?
When are we going to pray about this?
When are we going to get this right?

Last night, I was laying in bed thinking about all of these things. Why do we drag our feet? I believe it's because we walk by sight rather than by faith. We live on emotions rather than in obedience. We are too quick to sin so that grace may abound!

I'm a firm believer that the second coming of Jesus is close. Everything that we want to accomplish in Kingdom work should be accomplished A.S.A.P. There is no need to delay! Paul told the church to redeem the time! Let us not walk in darkness anymore. Let us put on the full armor of God and get in the fight. It's time to stop stumbling over all the junk that is in the way. Let's get the house in order so that we can have peace, intimate fellowship with God, strength within our family, and joy once again.

The work that we are having done at the house has a deadline. They told us when they would be finished. When we will get our house in order? It doesn't happen by accident!

What Does Jesus Look Like?

December of 2002, Popular Mechanics cover story was "The Real Face of Jesus." The premise of the article was to use forensic science and try to depict the most famous face in all the world.

Some of the statements made in the article were true: Most kids from the time they enter Sunday School have an etched picture of Jesus in their mind. They have seen pictures of a man who is taller than His disciples, has long flowing brown hair, and good looking. However, when we encounter Jesus during His arrest in the garden we know that Judas Iscariot had to point him out to the soldiers. Could it be that Jesus looked like all the other disciples? Could it be that Jesus looked like a Middle Eastern man? Of course He did.

My point in today's blog is not to focus on what Jesus looked like while He was here on earth. It may have a historical significance but has nothing to do with my salvation. My point is: What does Jesus look like today? Is he reflected in the things we do or the things we say? Is there an actual portrayal of Christ coming out of our churches, homes, relationships, or careers? In other words, does Jesus look like you or do you look like Jesus?

2 Corinthians 3:18, "...as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like Him and reflect His glory even more." NLT

The truth is that we shouldn't need forensic science to figure out what Jesus looked like. The world ought to be able to look into the lives of EVERY BELIEVER and say - Jesus looks like them.

As you go into the world today - make a decision to be a reflection of His glory.

I Just Showed Up for My Own Life

A couple of years ago I bought my wife a documentary about Sarah Groves. The DVD is called "I Just Showed Up for My Own Life" and it follows Sarah's journey in relief efforts for Katrina victims and to Rwanda where she visited the site of the horrible genocide a few years ago.

It's a truly amazing journey...one that is life changing. There are some great quotes that come out of Sarah's experience that I would love to share. In the DVD she talks about her need to keep her kids from seeing the evil that goes on in this world. However, after he journey she believes that all her kids have ever seen is her hugging the wall. She goes on to say that she doesn't want that anymore. She wants them to see her with her head back - running!

One other quote: "I want the wick to be gone. I want the wax to be gone. I want to have burned down to the ground when my story is over."

This last quote is typical for any and all who are willing to participate in missions. How can we ever go into areas that need spiritual, physical, emotional, or financial help and not come away with the understanding that there is more that we can give. We can give more of our time, our resources, OURSELVES to advance the kingdom of God. Do you want to have burned down?

A great song was also birthed out of the Rwanda experience called "I Saw What I Saw":

I saw what I saw and I can't forget it
I heard what I heard and I can't go back
I know what I know and I can't deny it

Something on the road, cut me to the soul

Your pain has changed me
your dream inspires
your face a memory
your hope a fire
your courage asks me what I'm afraid of
(what I am made of)
and what I know of love

we've done what we've done and we can't erase it
we are what we are and it's more than enough
we have what we have but it's no substitution

Something on the road, touched my very soul

I say what I say with no hesitation
I have what I have and I'm giving it up
I do what I do with deep conviction

Something on the road, changed my world

I hope that all of us can say "I have what I have and I'm giving it up!!!" I think it's time for every believer to show up for their own life...and then give it away.

The Rock of Offense

I just finished up an interesting conversation about sharing the Gospel. The individual that I was speaking with was bound and determined to say that you could share the Gospel in a way that it was non offensive.

I - of course - disagree.

Romans 9:33, "I lay in Zion a Stumbling Stone & Rock of Offense and whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame."

The premise of my side of the discussion is simple: We can do everything possible to learn the culture of a particular people group, we can learn the best methods in sharing the Gospel, we can smile, be polite - but we can in no way make share the Gospel without IT being offensive.

The verse mentioned above tells us plainly that Jesus is a stumbling block and a rock of offense. It's in Jesus that we realize we are sinners. It's in Jesus that we understand that we cannot be right with God on our own merit. It's in Jesus that we understand God's view of sin. Jesus Christ took God's wrath upon Himself to pay the penalty for our sin. Does that offend? The fact is: Yes!

Regardless of how you say it, people don't want to hear that they are a sinner. They don't want to hear that if they die without Christ that they will go to hell. They don't want to hear that in and of themselves they can never earn/merit salvation. We like to believe that we can fix things ourselves. We like to believe that heaven is only a few good works away. But the truth of the matter is unless we humble ourselves (as a child) and receive Jesus as Lord and Savior we will never be saved. The people of this world not only stumble over this message but they are offended.

Paul placed a great emphasis on reaching people where they lived and keeping his ministry blameless. However, there is no way you can convey the Gospel without someone being offended with the concept. How can we preach about the stumbling block and rock of offense (as God calls Christ) without ruffling a few feathers?

So what do we do? Just keep preaching the message! Find someone today that you can share this offensive message with. See if you can't get someones attention by sharing the Gospel. And if they get upset with you just remember that Jesus told His disciples that the world would reject them because it rejected Him.

Go ahead and throw the stumbling block of Christ in front of someone. Hopefully while they are on their knees they will humble themselves and accept Him. It may seem offensive but the Word also states that "whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame."

I Confess

According to a recent article the Vatican is lamenting that many faithful no longer confess their sins. Some of the priests even believe that people within the Catholic church confuse a psychologist's couch for a confessional booth.

The Vatican is set to release a handbook to "drum up enthusiasm" for the sacrament!

*Today's sign that the Apocalypse is upon us.

Should I be surprised? I guess if I had been raised Catholic I would feel a little different. Maybe if I would have grown up believing that confession was actually a "sacrament" - which it is not - I could understand the worry among Catholic priests. However, since I believe that I have direct access to God and can make my prayers known unto Him (even my confessions) it's not quite as shocking.

There is a concern over the spiritual apathy that we see among "church goers" in the world. Why aren't Catholics confessing? Is it due to a lack of understanding in their own faith, a decline in morality among the "faithful", or is it because they don't experience a change after they have confessed? It could be the "Hail Marys" and the community service that is getting to them. Or maybe it's due to the busyness of individual schedules. Can't we just Twitter our confessions?

Please understand that I'm not making light of the spiritual concern of Catholics. I have felt for a long time that confession in the Catholic church is a lost cause. If they would teach the people that they have direct access to God rather than assigning that role to a saint, priest, cardinal, and Mary - they might see a change. Or maybe if they could get all of the junk out of the priesthood they would have more people willing to come and tell all.

I'm so thankful that 1 John 1:9 teaches me that if I confess my sins, God is faithful and just to forgive my sins and cleanse my of all my unrighteousness. What if, in the Christian church, we decided to have confessional booths? I only know of one individual who would attend regularly (this person is a converted Catholic). Although I believe it's important for people to experience conviction and remorse, I don't believe that coming to a priest and asking them to forgive you is a means of reconciliation, salvation, or restoration. Only when we come before God can we experience His forgiveness, His mercy, and His peace.

In the end: I don't know of anyone who will be "enthusiastic" about confession.