” Christianity tells people to repent and promises them forgiveness. It therefore has nothing (as far as I know) to say to people who do know that they have anything to repent of and who do not feel that they need forgiveness. It is after you have realized that there is a real Moral Law, and a Power behind that law, and that you have broken that law and put yourself wrong with that Power – it is after all this, and not a moment sooner, that Christianity begins to talk.”
C.S. Lewis
5. Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6. And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7. So the LORD said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.”
Wow. I wonder, “What went so wrong so fast?” A few generations after Cain and Abel, mankind was living in such a way that was dishonoring and appalling to God. As God watched what was happening, as He read the thoughts of the mind and hearts of His creation, He was grieved. The actions of the people were such that they were using one another for personal pleasure and neglecting to love. Such were the days of Noah. The language of the Bible is very plain and pointed. Look again, read again slowly v.6, “And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart”. It is tragic to see how quickly an environment of peace, joy, and worship, with God saying that His creation was “very good”, to an environment of sin, pride, and pleasure, with God saying that He was sorry that He had made mankind.
We live in the “days of Noah”. The description God gave of the people in verse 5 of Noah’s day characterizes the hearts of people today. We live in an evil and fallen world. Mankind seems to lean and bend toward evil and resist anything holy and pure. This is the world in which we live. This is also the world that Jesus Christ stepped out of heaven and into. He came to redeem a people who were held captive by the power of sin. He came to restore a relationship that had been broken when man tried to go His own way without God. He came to save those who were lost and didn’t even seek after God. Speaking of Jesus, Paul wrote, “And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight”. (Colossians 1:21-22) We have had extended to us what we did not deserve and what didn’t even know we desired. Through Christ, we have the desire for love over hate, peace over strife, and holiness over evil.
“It is not uncommon for dedicated Christians to be conscientious about serving God and seeking His will. However, even our prayers often reflect an egotistical perspective as we pray, ‘Lord, what is Your will for my life?’ We should be praying, ‘Lord, what is Your will?’ – period! And once we come to understand God’s will, then we can begin to get an understanding about what His will for us personally will be. God’s will for each of His children is in the context of His mission, that universal plan and purpose to be known and worshipped among every people, tribe, language, and nation. For some it will be mean to go. For others it is to be senders, mobilizers, and supporters. For all, it is to witness to those from the nations that He is bringing into our cities and communities. But no one is exempt! To say, ‘I’ll serve God where I live and ignore the need of the nations to know Jesus,’ is a deceptive scheme of Satan to divert believers from God’s mission.”
Dr. Jerry Rankin, from his book Spiritual Warfare and Missions
There is a tendency for us to read the Bible and presume that the people of the Bible were flawless and obedient. We tend to say things like, “If I were like David I would have no problem serving God”. Or, “If I had the opportunity to have walked and talked with Jesus in person, I would be far more committed to Christ”. We do tend to think that God cleaned everyone up before he loved them or used them. This is not the case. Even those who walked and talked with Jesus did not always get it right. In his book, Cast of Characters; Common People in the Hands of an Uncommon God, Max Lucado walks the reader through scripture in order to show us that the people of the Bible were not “super-saints”. Instead, just common people. Through brief snap-shots of the lives of Joseph, Nicodemus, Abigail, David, the Samaritan woman, Esther, Lazarus, Peter, Paul, and others, Lucado plainly shows us the failures and flaws of these men and women.
Lucado, in typical Lucado fashion, does an excellent job allowing the reader to see themselves in the struggles and difficulties of the men and women of the Bible. For example, Jonah was called and sent to Nineveh to share a message of hope. Instead, he ran in an attempt to hide from God. At times we are guilty of running when we should be serving. David stood in front of the Philistine giant Goliath and refused to allow the size of the giant to shake his confidence in God. In the same way, we should stand up to and face head-on our giants; depression, guilt, financial strain, abuse, and addictions with a focus on God, not the giant. These men and women were just ordinary people who come into contact with an extraordinary God. This is good for us. The fact these men and were not perfect helps us to know that we don’t have to be “super-saints” for God to love us or use us.
I really enjoyed this book. This book served as a reminder that my hang-ups and hiccups are nothing new to God and are no problem for Him. Short chapters make this Cast of Characters and easy read. I found myself reading it in two days. This book would make a great small-group resource. At the conclusion of every chapter there are study questions related to that chapter. I recommend this book. It is one of those books that I will reread at least once.
Vacation Bible School has come to an end. The screams and shouts of kids running through the hall, Family Life Center, and the sanctuary are now a distant memory. Decorations have come down and the once vibrant and colorful rooms and hallways have returned to their natural look. It seems as though VBS never happened. It has been an exceptionally long week, longer than normal. I am a big fan of VBS and understand how important it is in the life of the church. Now than that VBS is over, I have a few observations I want to make from a pastor’s perspective.
1. Attendance: In the eyes of many, this is the criteria by which VBS is judged a success or a failure. I don’t believe in that line of thinking. Our average attendance for the week was 113. Our average attendance was up significantly over the past few years. I was encouraged that our kids were active in inviting their friends to attend VBS with them. Two of our classes doubled from one night to the next. We held Adult VBS the same time as the kid’s VBS. This was a huge success. I feel is it so important for our adults to be on the grounds while VBS is going. It enables them to see the church taking steps to connect and minister to those outside the walls. They have the opportunity as well to experience the controlled chaos that is VBS.
2. Workers: I am thankful to all who worked this week. As I mentioned earlier, it was a long week. It was also very hot. I am especially thankful to all of our teachers who worked full-time jobs, left work, and came straight to church for five straight days. I appreciate so much those who worked in Crafts and Music. Thank you for reinforcing the daily lessons through these avenues. I want to especially mention and thank those who worked in the kitchen all week. During our VBS, we skip the Snack Rotation. Instead, we choose to provide a meal every night. Our kitchen workers come out early, set everything up, served the kids, and stayed until all was cleaned up. Thank you.
3. Ministry: Anytime you have kids on campus you have an opportunity to be engaged in real, one-on-one, life-changing ministry. I have to believe that is what happened this week. VBS is intentionally evangelistic. We were diligent to make sure that we communicate the gospel message all week long, not just on the night of the “evangelistic” lesson. With that being said, we were privileged with four professions of faith in Christ. We are so grateful for these four. We are here to share a message and plant a seed, understanding that it is God that gives the increase. Real ministry takes place when you take time to listen to a child, talk to a child, and show love toward them in the name of Christ. This is what we did this week. If down the road a year or two, in God’s timing, a gospel presentation is given and others respond because of the message that was planted in their heart this week, then we were faithful to have done our part.
Overall, we had a great week and look forward to what comes out of the efforts of this week. I again want to thank every teacher, worker, and parent who allowed their child to be a part of our VBS. You are my heroes.
The days leading up to Vacation Bible School are always filled with activity. There are teachers decorating, lessons being finalized, and many “quick trips” to Wal-Mart for needed supplies. I always enjoy this week. I enjoy walking around and visiting with our teachers. I enjoy the plans that go into our largest outreach event of the year. This is a unique opportuity for me to spend some time with them in a different environment. I enjoy watching the sanctuary and other rooms being transformed from their typical look into theme-related masterpieces. Hard work is the descritpion for this week. This week of hard work prepares us for a week of hard work of a different sort. Our Vacation Bible School begins tonight. Tonight our students will saddle up and spend some time at Saddle Ridge Ranch Below are some pictures of the work that is in progress around our church as of today.
I believe that Christians carry burdens they were not meant to bear. Health problems, financial difficulty, excessive worry, relational matters, and poor time management create seemingly unbearable situations that Jesus has promised to give us rest and peace over. In his book Unburdened, Chris Tiergarten deals head-on with the burdens that many are carrying today. Each of us have responsibilities, people to answer to, tasks to finish, and deadlines to meet. That’s life. Tiegreen does not advocate just letting go and avoiding our responsibilities. Instead, he shares with the reader that the best way to deal with our burdens to learn to carry them differently by transferring their weight into the capable hands of God. Tiegreen does an excellent job in laying out the root of our burdens and the reasons why we are reluctant to let God carry them for us. I feel the chapter dealing with trust is the pivotal one of the book. Jesus has promised to help with the burden and difficulties of life. It is up to us to trust Him to do just that. This book is not a how-to manual. Rather, Unburdened is a case study of those throughout scripture who eased their burden by trusting God more. I recommend this book to anyone struggles under the weight of their responsibilities. A great resource.
I enjoy reading books dealing with military history. When I read the background for this book would be the D-Day invasion at Normandy, I was intrigued. Lead Like Ike: Ten Business Strategies from the CEO of D-Day by Geoff Loftus gives a detailed look at the leadership methods of Dwight D. Eisenhower. Eisenhower, or “Ike” was given the monumental task of coordinating and commanding the D-Day invasion at Normandy. Loftus sets up his book by giving the military operation of D-Day a company name, D-Day Inc. and treats Ike as the CEO of that company. Loftus then goes on to look at the D-Day invasion as a business project. He draws a parallel between the military world and the secular business world, showing that Eisenhower had a board of directors (the president and other Allied leaders), C-level staff (commanders and generals on the ground), affiliated organizations, and stakeholders (military personnel, US citizens, and the victims of Hitler’s crimes).
The strategies learned from Eisenhower’s methods of leadership are valuable and relevant. A few of the strategies that emerge are Determine Your Mission, Stay Focused, Motivate Your People, and Be Honest. The lessons themselves are generic, but adaptable beyond corporate America. As a pastor, the strategies that were utilized and found successful on the battlefield can be applied to leading people to be on mission for God. For anyone who is in a leadership position, this book will be beneficial to you. Lead Like Ike is not your typical “do-this” and “don’t-do-that” leadership type book. Rather, it is an honest look a leader who led people in a real-life situation and the principles and insight we gain have been tried and tested. I recommend this book to you.
“Here is the message – ‘repentance and forgiveness of sins to be preached in his name to all nations.’ When it becomes something other than forgiveness and repentance, then the gospel itself is lost in the process. When we forget that the job of the church is to proclaim the message of repentance and forgiveness, the future of any church is bleak. We need to be reminded every day through God’s Word, ‘As the Father has sent me, I am sending you… to every people group… with a message.’ The only question is – Will we be faithful to respond? We are sent as missionaries, the only question is – Are we good ones?”
Ed Stetzer, Breaking the Missional Code
22 And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23 For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, 24 saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ 25 Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me.
Acts 27 is an adventure story. This chapter of Acts relates to us the story of Paul’s final voyage to Rome aboard ship. The story is very detailed, giving the locations of cities, time frames, and weather conditions. As they sailed for Rome, the weather worsened and what turned out to be the wrong decision was made to continue sailing instead of harboring for the winter. After some time had went by and hope seemed to be gone, Paul stood up and made what I am sure was, to the ship’s company, an absurd statement. With the ship literally sinking around him, Paul said everyone would be spared.
How could he say something like that? Knowing the circumstances they were in, what gave him the confidence to tell everyone aboard they would be alright? How could he be so sure about this? The certainty by which Paul spoke was the direct result of the relationship that he enjoyed. Paul testified of this relationship in v.23 when he said, “For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve”. Paul was no stranger to seeing the Lord move and work. He had been the beneficiary the work himself. So his statement in v.25, “for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me” was natural to make and easy to believe.
What about each of who join Paul and say as he did in v.23, speaking of God, “to whom I belong and whom I serve”? What about each of us who struggle in areas of our lives? Is our natural reaction to believe and trust? When there is a financial need in our life, do we believe that it will be just as He has told us? When there is a relational or family issue in our life, do we believe that it will be just as He has told us? When we have a health issue in our life, do we believe that it will be just as He has told us? Take heart and believe.
The Road Less Traveled 