Baptism Sunday!

Today was a special day at Woodbury Community Church. Once a year we have an outdoor service at Carver Lake Beach in Woodbury. Today was that Sunday. It was awesome! It's so special to worship outdoors. We sang songs that we believe to be true about our God. We dove into the Word of God and looked at Mark 6:30-52, which talks about an incredible day that Jesus spent at the Lake. He fed 5,000 people, walked on water, you know - a typical day in the life of Jesus. And then, we baptized seven precious people.

Baptisms may be one of my favorite parts of being a member of the Body of Christ. It's beautiful to listen to people share about how they met Christ. It's awesome to hear people publicly confess their faith in Jesus Christ.

After the baptism, we ate. One of the fun parts of being part of a smaller church is the church potluck. It was great to talk to my brothers and sisters in Christ. It was sweet to meet new people. It was special to see God's church in action. John Kimball, one of our church members took about 40 pictures of the day. I've included a few with this post.

Is Our Gospel Too Small or Too Big?

The folks over at Preaching Today have started an audio podcast entitled the Preaching Today Talk. They are doing a great job interviewing pastors, theologians, and some of today's leading thinkers about a variety of topics. They have chosen a very important topic for the first series of talks. It's all about "Getting The Gospel Right."

In a day and age when I believe that we have made the Gospel something that it is not, I believe that this topic is of utmost importance. You can listen to D.A. Carson's take on the subject by clicking HERE. Once you do, you'll be shown how to download the podcast directly to iTunes. Scot McKnight has also contributed to this conversation. Enjoy, and may your mind be stimulated.

The 30-Day Leviticus Challenge

Park Street Church in Boston, Massachusetts is one of the nation's oldest churches. In an area of the country where most people have left the church, Park Street Church stands as an exception to the rule. The church's steeple prominently rises above Boston Common as a beacon in the city. Recently, Park Street's pastor encouraged his congregation to take the 30-Day Leviticus Challenge. The results are fascinating. You can read about this awesome experiement HERE. The article also has a link to Park Street's church blog. There is some great information located there. Check it out HERE.

Live from New York. . .

I am presently at the Annual Conference for the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference in Buffalo, New York. It's the denomination that Woodbury Community Church, the church that I'm privileged to serve as a senior pastor, is a part of. Many people simply know this denomination as the 4C's. I've got to tell you, I'm impressed. What a joy to be a part of a denomination that so boldly declares the inspiration and inerrant Word of God.

Yesterday, as part of our business session, I listened as a number of pastors shared why their churches had left their previous denomination to join the 4C's. I don't remember a time in my life where I remember holding back tears concerning denominational affiliation. These men talked about joining the 4C's because their prior denominations either refused to recognize the authority of Scripture or because of an embrace of the homosexual platform. These were churches that loved homosexual people but could not condone a homosexual lifestyle, in denominations that had long given up loving the homosexual enough to call them to a holy lifestyle. What a joy it was to watch their faces as they described the love and the acceptance that they had found in the 4C's. You can learn more about the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference HERE.

Nice Review of What's The Deal With. . .

Youthworker Journal has a review of my book What's The Deal With. . . in their latest issue. You can read it online HERE.

Kudos to the Evangelical Free Church of America

I was ordained as a pastor in the Evangelical Free Church of America in November of 2001. At the time of my ordination I had just left the EFCA church that I served as a youth pastor at for 5 1/2 years and began ministry in a church of a different denomination. I've kept my credentials with the EFCA. This past week the EFCA held their national conference. They did something that few denominations have had the courage to do. They revised their doctrinal statement. What was the major issue that the EFCA was hoping to address? Was this in response to liberalism creeping in the denomination? Was it due to gay clergy? Was it due to an embrace of open theism? No. The document, which had been first published in 1950 needed to be touched up. The denomination needed to take a look at contemporary issues in theology and reaffirm their doctrine for a new generation. I've phrased it poorly. This article does a great job truncating the issues. Check it out HERE.

Billy Graham Interviewed by Woody Allen

I'm doing some research today for my Sunday sermon. One of the stories that I'll tell in Sunday's sermon is about Billy Graham's encounter with gangster Mickey Cohen. Cohen was the most notorious gangster in Los Angeles in the 1940s. He eventually went to prison. Upon exiting prison in 1955 some extraordinary events took place in his life. Cohen was befriended by Bill Jones, a fomer criminal himself. Jones had come to Christ, and he told Cohen about Cohen's need for Jesus. Cohen prayed to receive Christ. He would eventually fly to New York to go to a Billy Graham crusade. While there, the gangster became uncomfortable as Graham talked about what it means to truly follow Jesus as Lord. Cohen was not willing to live a life of surrender. He did want to get his picture taken with the famous evangelist, Billy Graham. So, he stuck around for the entire message, and after the crusade had his picture taken with Billy. As soon as he flew back to Los Angeles he quit hanging out with the two Christian men (Bill Jones and Jim Vaus, a former gangster that had worked for Cohen) that convinced him to go to the Graham crusade in the first place. When Bill Jones confronted Cohen about his renewed contact with the mob, Cohen said, "You never told me that I had to give up my career. You never told me that I had to give up my friends. There are Christian movie stars, Christian athletes, Christian businessmen. So what's the matter with being a Christian gangster? If I have to give up all that - if that's Christianity - count me out."

I think there are a lot of people like Cohen in this world today. We're probably all guilty of it to some extent. We want all of the benefits of being a Christian, but don't want to pay the cost.

So, I was doing this research today when I ran across these two videos from youtube of Billy Graham being interviewed by Woody Allen years ago. These are fantastic! And, they illustrate just how difficult it is for some people to give up control of their own life and yield that control to God. Interesting that years later Woody Allen's arrogance would destroy his own family as he ran off with his own adopted daughter. I'm praying that some day Woody will come to faith. There really is truth in what Graham says in this interviews. (The interview is in two parts. It won't take more than 12 minutes to watch the entire thing.)

My New Book Now Available For Preorder

My next book, entitled When I. . ., is now available for preorder from Zondervan or Amazon. You can order it HERE or HERE . I'm really excited about this one. It's a finish-the-sentence book that will keep teenagers and adults talking for hours. The book will be available in Christian bookstores everywhere in January of 2009.

Never Forget! Fascinating Video from ESPN

Woodbury Community Church Sermon Podcast Now Available!

The weekly sermons at Woodbury Community Church are now available via podcast. To subscribe to the weekly podcast click HERE. You will need to have iTunes on your computer to subscribe. iTunes is free software that enables you to listen to music, watch video, etc. on your computer.

You can also subscribe to the weekly sermons via e-mail. To do this follow this LINK. I hope the sermons will be a blessing to you.

What Everyone Wants and Few Find

Sermon preached on Sunday, June 15, 2008 by Rev. Brian D. Schulenburg,
at Woodbury Community Church, Woodbury, MN

GALATIANS 5:22-23

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

JOHN 15:9-12

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”

JAMES 1:2-4

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

GOT FRUIT? – WEEK TWO

WHAT EVERYONE WANTS AND FEW FIND

Well, it’s Father’s Day. And, according to all of the advertisements that I have heard on my car stereo and my television, I am supposed to want the perfect gift this year. And, that perfect gift has been described to me as all of the following via commercials this week. I want a new cell phone, gift certificates to Auto Zone, Checker Auto Parts, Buffalo Wild Wings, Target, the Home Depot, Best Buy and Radio Shack. I also want a brand new digital TV, the bigger the better, and according to the ads I’m going to be just fine with my wife charging for that TV on a brand new credit card, because, after all, she’ll be getting the best deal, and that will mean that she’s really in love with me. The ads also say that I want the perfect Father’s Day lunch, which can only be had at certain restaurants. But, the ads have also told me that what Dads really want is a brand new grill so that they can cook lunch for the family, all by themselves. Dads, aren’t you glad that we at Woodbury Community Church have it figured out and that we got you what you really wanted? A David Olson CD! (We gave away David Olson's Beloved CD in this service. David is our Worship Leader.)

According to the National Retail Federation, families will spend $9.5 billion to honor their father’s this year. That is $7 billion less than they spend on Mom’s, but still a significant investment. I read an article in the Star Tribune yesterday that said that more than 40% of you will take Dad out for a meal, spending an average of $20. Others will choose clothing (37 percent), gift certificates and gift cards (33 percent), electronic items (19 percent) and sporting goods (13 percent).

While I’m sure that the gifts that I have heard about over the past few weeks would bring happiness to dads all over the world, I’m not sure that the happiness would last. In fact, if someone could give the gift of happiness and could guarantee that the happiness would never disappear, that person would be a very rich person. Because, according to Blaise Pascal, “Everyone, without exception, is searching for happiness.”

Given the choice of being at a wedding or a funeral, 100% of you, would choose the wedding. We like being happy.

Last week, we began our summer series, entitled, “Got fruit?” And, we talked about the fruit of the spirit that we know as love. If you recall, I said last week that love is the relentless pursuit of the lifting up of others. We talked about love, because it is first in the Apostle Paul’s list of nine Christian virtues that he called the fruit of the Spirit. In other words, these virtues are the direct result of the Spirit’s work in your life.

Turn with me to Galatians 5:22-23, and let’s read again this passage in which Paul lists the fruit of the Sprit.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

Today, we talk about something that is much deeper than happiness. It’s joy. And, in order to understand it, we need to practice what I like to call the indispensable principle. That is, before we go to the Word of God, we must first go to the God of the Word in a word of prayer. Why? Because, we cannot understand the deep things of God, apart from the Holy Spirit’s guidance.

Let’s pray.

Dear God,

You have called us to a journey this summer that involves taking a deep look at the fruit of Your Spirit. Today, we talk about something that everyone wants, but only a few find. Lord, God, help us to find the joy which you offer. Help us to live for You. May Your Spirit be our guide today.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

The word joy is found all over Scripture. We are told, according to God’s Word, that joy is one of the markers of a follower of Jesus Christ. But, sometimes it seems as if that joy is elusive.

To His disciples, in John 15: 9-12, Jesus said, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”

In Philippians 4:4 we read, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”

Jesus wants us to be people of joy. So, what is it? Joy, I mean. How does one define joy? I told you last week that joy is not the same thing as happiness.
Happiness comes from the Latin word hap which means chance. It’s the same place we get the word happenstance from. Happiness, therefore, is based upon our circumstances. Joy is not. The Philippians passage that I read you was written when the Apostle Paul was in prison. In a short book, written in the darkest of days, Paul uses the words joy and rejoice nineteen times! Joy is deeper than happiness. It does not depend upon our circumstances. Joy is truly a fruit of the Holy Spirit’s work in our life and can be with us no matter the situation.

I like to define joy this way: Joy is the result of living our life with God’s priorities. I’ll say it again – joy is the result of living our life with God’s priorities.

C.S. Lewis, the great author, theologian, and professor once wrote, “All that we call human history – money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery – [is] the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.”

Oh, that we could get what it is that Lewis is talking about there! How many times I have sat in my office counseling a man, woman, or child whose life is a mess because they have chased after everything but God! Want joy in your life? Chase after God! And, chase after God’s priorities.

There is a direct correlation between the love that we talked about last week, and the joy which we speak about this week. Back to John 15. Jesus said, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”

How do we remain in Christ’s love? Is Jesus saying that if we walk away from Him that He walks away from us? No. But, we are not abiding in his love when we walk away from him. He tells us that we remain in his love when we keep his commands. In other words, we’re not going to feel very loved when we are disobeying what God has called us to do. In 1 John 2:6, the apostle John, perhaps thinking back to Jesus’ words in John 15, wrote, “Whoever claims to live in Him must live as Jesus did.”

There is a beautiful and mysterious thing that happens when we live as Christ. We experience Christ’s joy in us. He wants us to follow Him so that his joy may be in us and our joy may be complete.

Last year, in a rather dry time in my own devotional life I made the conscious decision to meditate upon one verse from Psalm 119 each day for 176 days straight. My devotional life was never very consistent. When I did this, I made God the priority. My life began to change. It was during that process that we began talking with Woodbury Community Church. It was during those days that I experienced a joy in my Christian life that I had never known before. When we honor God, His joy is made complete in us.

I read one of Mother Theresa’s famous quotes this week. She said, “One filled with joy preaches without preaching.”

I love that. When we are walking with Christ, and His joy is dwelling in us, we are reflecting his priorities and our lives begin to radiate Him. We begin to change our world. And, we experience joy like never before.
I’ll never forget sitting in my office with a man who had decided to leave his wife. She had been faithful to him despite his numerous affairs throughout the years. The man had begun to believe the delusion that life without his wife and with other women would make his life better. He reasoned that he deserved to be happy. He just wasn’t happy in his relationship with her. No matter how I tried to reason with him, he was impervious to spiritual things. His heart had become so darkened that he could not even see the misery that he was in. There would be no joy found in walking away from his family. Fleeting happiness? Sure. But, joy? No.

Joy is the result of living our lives with God’s priorities.

Like Paul, the Apostle James wrote about joy sometimes coming in the valley of despair. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” So, again we see that joy isn’t determined by our circumstances. Joy is the result of living our lives with Gods’ priorities. And, it’s in those circumstances, that are difficult and which seem to offer little hope, where joy really does its work. Nehemiah, who God tasked with rebuilding the walls Jerusalem’s destroyed walls, said at the end of Nehemiah 8:10, “for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

I can think of few places where joy would have been as absent as that of a Nazi Concentration Camp. That is precisely the place where Corrie Ten Boom and her family found themselves during World War II. Their crime? Loving the Jewish people, and providing a safe haven for dozens of Jews. Corrie would go on to survive the Holocaust. Her family would not. She has long been one of my heroes. Corrie died in 1983, but people who knew her described her as a woman of incredible joy. I had occasion to hear Corrie speak a couple of times when I was growing up, and those are memories that I will never forget.

While in the Ravensbruck Concentration Camp, Corrie and her sister Betsy were together. Listen to the excerpt from a letter that Corrie wrote in 1974:

“My sister, Betsy, and I were in the Nazi concentration camp at Ravensbruck because we committed the crime of loving Jews. Seven hundred of us from Holland, France, Russia, Poland and Belgium were herded into a room built for two hundred. As far as I knew, Betsy and I were the only two representatives of Heaven in that room. We may have been the Lord's only representatives in that place of hatred, yet because of our presence there, things changed. Jesus said, ‘In the world you shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.’ We too, are to be overcomers bringing the light of Jesus into a world filled with darkness and hate. Sometimes I get frightened as I read the Bible, and as I look in this world and see all of the tribulation and persecution promised by the Bible coming true. Now I can tell you, though, if you too are afraid, that I have just read the last pages. I can now come to shouting ‘Hallelujah! Hallelujah!’ for I have found where it is written that Jesus said, ‘He that overcometh shall inherit all things: and I will be His God, and he shall be My son.’ This is the future and hope of this world. Not that the world will survive but that we shall be overcomers in the midst of a dying world. Betsy and I, in the concentration camp, prayed that God would heal Betsy who was so weak and sick. ‘Yes, the Lord will heal me,’ Betsy said with confidence. She died the next day and I could not understand it. They laid her thin body on the concrete floor along with all the other corpses of the women who died that day. It was hard for me to understand, to believe that God had a purpose for all that. Yet because of Betsy's death, today I am traveling all over the world telling people about Jesus.”

I believe that it was in the same year that Corrie wrote that letter that she had a remarkable experience. After speaking about God’s forgiveness and the love that God has for us, a man approached her. She knew this man’s face. Inside, all she could feel at the moment was hate for the man. He had been a guard from the concentration camp where Corrie and her sister Betsy had stayed during World War II. He told Corrie that he had been struck to the core by what she said and asked if she thought God could forgive him, and become his Savior. One author writes:

“In herself she could not offer that forgiveness. The Lord had put his finger on
something which was preventing her from becoming more 'Christ Like.' She
remembered the command of Christ to love your enemy and to forgive
seventy times seven the person who has wronged you. As Corrie Ten Boon
prayed that Jesus would give her the strength to forgive the man, she felt a
sensation begin in her heart and flow through her hand as it touched his. Then she heard herself saying, ‘In the name of Jesus Christ, I forgive you.’
The man fell at her feet and wept a prayer of thanks. Jesus Christ was
continuing to transform Corrie Ten Boom to be Christ Like through adversity
and through shining his light on those dark areas of her life which were not
pleasing to him.”


Corrie understood that joy didn’t come from circumstances. Her joy flowed out of a commitment to Jesus Christ. Her joy was a byproduct of the Holy Spirit’s work in her life. True joy is the result of living your life with God’s priorities. May you choose to live your life in such a way!

Amen.

You Were Made To Love!

I've decided to post my weekly sermons to this blog. I hope that they will be an encouragment to you.

Sermon preached on Sunday, June 8, 2008 by Rev. Brian D. Schulenburg,
at Woodbury Community Church, Woodbury, MN

GALATIANS 5:22-23

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

GOT FRUIT? – WEEK ONE

YOU WERE MADE TO LOVE!

Introduction – Last week you welcomed our family to Woodbury Community Church in such a special way. We felt so loved as you gave us a reception after church with all sorts of great food. You even served at least three different types of fruit juice. So, this morning, I thought I’d return the favor. I have with me a bunch of different types of fruit juice. Anybody thirsty? (I gave out bottles of apple, orange, grape and cranberry juice. After each bottle I asked what type of tree, bush or vine that the fruit juice came from. Then I gave out a bottle of fruit punch and asked what type of tree that came from. I then drew the parallel to the Fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22-23. I told the congregation that God expects us to be like a fruit tree that bears nine different types of fruit, not just one. We don’t get to pick and choose. I can’t say that I want patience without love, etc. I originally saw this idea used by Leith Anderson, pastor of Wooddale Church, Eden Prairie, MN in a staff chapel devotional.)

The fruit of the Spirit, which I speak about, is a very familiar concept to followers of Jesus Christ. Many of you memorized the verses that talk about the fruit of the Spirit when you were a child. They are found in the New Testament book of Galatians. Turn in your Bibles with me to Galatians chapter 5, as we read verses 22 and 23.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

Are you ready to dive in?

My prayer for the past month has been that God would use this summer series to challenge us, equip us and conform us more into the image of Jesus Christ. Join me in prayer.

Dear God,

Today we begin a new series. It would be easy for us to say, “It’s summer time. I’m ready for a break,” and to believe that we deserve a pass on attempting to grow closer to You. But, when we do that, we give Satan a foothold. It would be easy to say, “I know all about the fruit of the Spirit.” and to think that there is nothing new for us to learn on the subject. Help us to come expecting Your Sprit to teach us. Soften our hearts to those areas that You need to tweak in our lives. Encourage us when we encounter a virtue that we are displaying. May Your Spirit change us, and may our lives reflect Your desires.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

It was the Apostle Paul, who penned the words which make up our summer’s text. He wrote the words to the church at Galatia. He could have just as easily written them to any other church in the ancient near east world. And, he could have written the words to us. They are as applicable today as they have ever been.

Galatia was located in the central region of modern day Turkey. If you were to book a trip to Turkey today, you’d most likely board a plane from Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport and then fly to Chicago. From there you would board a plane headed for Paris, France. Then you would catch a flight to Istanbul, Turkey. From Istanbul you would drive across the country until came to the highlands of central Anatolia. You see, Galatia was not so much a city, as it was a region. The Galatian believers that Paul wrote to were those people who lived in the Galatia region. The capitol of modern day Turkey, Ankara, is located in this region. It was also the capitol of Galatia.

One of the things that I love about travel to other parts of the world is when you get to see the regions that are mentioned in the Bible. Last summer, I took an unexpected trip to Istanbul. My mother and father were on their first ever mission trip. Mom became ill in Istanbul, and over the course of a couple of days it became apparent that Mom would die at the American Hospital in Istanbul, Turkey. My father asked if I could fly out to be with him. I caught a plane in a matter of hours and for three weeks lived in Turkey. God was good. My mother, who was in a coma the first few days that I was in Turkey, was here last Sunday. As she recovered, I took a little time to explore the sites of Istanbul. While not in the location that Galatia was located, Istanbul still has incredible history located within the city. Mosques, some that used to be Christian churches, litter the landscape. Istanbul is called the City of Mosques because of the enormous amount of mosques located in the city. Within the city lies Haggia Sofia, the site of three of the seven church counsels that took place in the middle ages.

Why the history lesson? Because it’s important to understand the culture and the people to whom this book was written. The Galatians first received the Gospel from the Apostle Paul. It was on his first missionary journey. In fact, Paul visited the region of Galatia on all three of his missionary journeys. On his first journey, in Acts 14, we read that the crowds had to be restrained from sacrificing gifts to Paul and Barnabas as if they were gods, because of Paul’s, through the power of the Holy Spirit, healing of a lame man. The crowds assumed that Paul and Barnabas must be gods if they had the power to heal the lame. The story is seen in Acts 14:8-23. Verses 18-19 record the outcome of the story. Paul tried to persuade the crowd that it was not through his power but by God’s that the man was healed. Read with me Acts 14:18-19.

“Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them. Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead.”

In Acts 16:6 we read that Paul, on his second missionary journey, became sick when preaching in Galatia, and that the sickness required him to spend more time in the city. Therefore, in God’s sovereignty, Paul spent longer in Galatia than he had planned. Sometimes God’s plans are different than ours. He can even work in our sickness to accomplish His purposes. The Galatian church was important to God.

And, so these words, which Paul writes are important too. Want to know how a Christ-follower lives? He lives as one who is controlled by the Holy Spirit. And the Spirit produces fruit. Not just one type of fruit, but you are like a fruit tree that produces nine distinct virtues. Galatians 5:22-23 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

Before we dissect this passage, I want you to hear it in its broader context.

Galatians 5:13-26 – “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.”

Spiritual living is not natural. The result of living in the flesh is a life that gratifies the flesh. The sin nature and the life of the Spirit are in conflict with one another, according to Paul. There is freedom that comes from living the life that God has called us to live. Paul wants us to know that freedom, and it begins with love.

Did you catch what Paul said about love in 14? He said, “The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

So, the first fruit that Paul lists in this group of nine is love.

Love is a word that we hear thrown around all over the place today. In his video, “Flame,” pastor and teacher Rob Bell says, “What’s the deal with this word, ‘love?’ I mean I love my wife and I love tacos?” Bell goes on to talk about three different Hebrew words that were used for love (ahava, raya, and dod). Many of you have heard the three most common Greek words used for love (phileo, eros and agape). In English, we have one word that is used and confused in many different ways. Paul used the Greek word, agape, as he described the type of love that a follower of Jesus Christ was to display. Agape was the type of love that was always used to describe God’s love for us. It is a holy love. It is a love that always asks, “What can I do for the other, not what can they do for me.” When I was a youth pastor, and I taught series on relationships, I would talk about this as being a “for you” love and the Greek word eros being a “for me” love. Most love relationships are built upon a “What can this person do for me,” not “What can I do for this person” type of love. And therein lays the problem.

Two years ago, a young man and young woman in their early twenties stood before me in a church. The room was filled. Their parents, grandparents, friends, and relatives had gathered for their wedding day. They were committed to entering their relationship as husband and wife in a holy covenant that was to be held high and esteemed.

Listen to these words from their ceremony.

Caty and John, you are about to assume mutual relationships and responsibilities, and to pledge to each other your undying devotion and faithfulness. From this day forward you will no longer be two, but one flesh. Your paths will be parallel. Your responsibilities will increase but your joy will be multiplied if you are earnest in your relations with one another.

By coming into the presence of God you recognize that this commitment you make this day is not only a legal contract, the papers for which will be kept in secured files, but is also a bond of union made in heaven.

With this in mind, John will you receive Caty as your wife and bind yourself to her in the covenant of marriage? Will you promise to love and honor her in true devotion; to rejoice with her in times of sorrow; and be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?

If so, you will answer, “I will.”

Caty, will you receive John as your husband and bind yourself to him in the covenant of marriage? Will you promise to love and honor him in true devotion; to rejoice with him in times of sorrow; and be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?


If so, you will answer, “I will.”

Then we came to their wedding vows. I said, "John and Caty, if you desire to share your vows with one another, your guests, and your God, please join hands and repeat after me.

I guided John through his vows. . .

I John . . . take thee, Caty . . . to be my wedded wife . . . to have and to hold . . . from this day forward . . . for better for worse . . . for richer for poorer . . . in sickness and in health . . . to love and to cherish . . . till death to us part . . . according to God’s holy ordinance . . . and thereto I give thee my love.

Then Caty made very similar vows. And after they said those words, they gave each other rings. And then at the end of their wedding ceremony I pronounced Caty and John to be husband and wife. And finally I said, “Those whom God has joined together, let no man separate."

It was a beautiful ceremony.

I would later find out that within a month, the love that brought them together began to deteriorate. Today, the young couple, married for about two years, is in the process of getting a divorce. What happened to the love?

Could it be that we just don’t understand what God had in mind? Could it be that we’ve settled? Could it be that true love is really quite difficult to show?

Bill Hybels jokes about the way that love is defined in society today. The definitions of love, he says seem so superficial. He writes that the definitions of love “seem to change with the seasons.
• Love is a gentle smile
• Love is finding someone’s space that is similar to your own.
• Love is standing up in a church service and shaking hands with people.
• Love is feeling warm and sentimental towards other believers.
• Love is the feeling you get when you are near someone attractive.
This is all lightweight, hollow stuff. The Bible cuts through all of the haze and says that if you want one clear definition of what love is, treat every person as through they were more important than you.”
I like to define love this way. Love is the relentless pursuit of the lifting up of others.

In counseling sessions with the young couple, it has become clear that the love that they have displayed in their marriage is the Greek word eros, which never once appears in Scripture. It’s Satan’s counterfeit to God’s best. Eros is where we get our English word erotic. This couple is consumed with what will make each of them feel better. Their love is selfish. And, that is so common. How many times have we heard, “You’ve got be happy. Do what makes you happy.” If what makes us happy hurts our spouse, or those that God has put into our life, then we need to forego our happiness for the lifting up of the other. Because, love is the relentless pursuit of the lifting up of others.

In 1 John 4:7-16 we read about Christian love. This time, it’s the Apostle John writing. The beloved disciple of Christ, part of Christ’s inner circle wrote to the church, these words:

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.”

Jesus wants us to love like He loves, and enables us to do so because of the Sprit’s control in our lives. So, how does the Spirit control us? How do we become one who can produce this type of fruit? We daily yield ourselves to the Spirit’s control in our lives. It’s daily asking the Holy Spirit to control us. On my best days, I begin the day with a prayer that goes something like this:

“Lord God, I can live two ways today. I can live with me controlling my life, or you controlling my life. I choose you. God, take control of my actions, my thoughts, my words, and help me to see others with your eyes. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

When I consciously yield the control of my life to God, I demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit.
So, what does love look like? Remember, we said that love is the relentless pursuit of the lifting up of others.

Love is also a decision. The first time I heard that concept was when I was in college and dating my college sweetheart, Cyndi. I thought I understood love. And, Cyndi and I had it! I loved loved loved loved loved her! And, nobody could tell me any different. But, I had little understanding of love. As we’ve grown in our faith, and in our years of marriage, we’ve discovered that there are days when we don’t feel very in love. I thought that I fell in love with Cyndi, but I fell into attraction with her. Love is a daily decision to honor Cyndi and more important than me. It’s relentlessly pursuing the lifting up of her, and my kids, and those that God has placed into my life.

In Mark 10, James and John made an unusual request of Jesus. It revealed the depths of their heart. Listen as I read Mark 10:35-45,

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. "Teacher," they said, "we want you to do for us whatever we ask."
"What do you want me to do for you?" he asked.
They replied, "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory."
"You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said. "Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?"
"We can," they answered. Jesus said to them, "You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared."
When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

It’s God in the flesh, Jesus Christ, who shows love in this passage. Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Mark 10:45 has been called the key verse in the book of Mark. It is the purpose statement of Jesus’ life on earth. He came to serve. He lifted up others. Talk about the ultimate example of love being the relentless pursuit of the lifting up of others. Jesus’ death on the cross lifted us up from wrath to grace. May we lift others up!

Love is perhaps described in 1 Corinthians 13, more beautifully than anywhere else in the world. Some people think Shakespeare was the greatest at describing love. I don’t think that you can beat these words of 1 Corinthians 13:1-8a.

Listen to Paul’s words to the church at Corinth:

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.

Those are beautiful words. Those words can become discouraging when we think about how we love. Do you have the capacity to love with a love like that which Paul describes here? The answer is simple. No. You can’t love like this, without God’s Spirit working in and through you. Love never fails. We do. We fail to love when we try to love on our terms and not God’s. Make the decision to allow God’s Spirit to control you so that you can show His love to the world around you.

Bill Hybels tells the story of being wakened by his son Todd, at 1 A.M. He says,

“Todd, then five years old, [said], ‘Mom. Dad. I just had a nightmare.’ As soon as I awakened, my instinct was to lay very still and pretend I was asleep so Lynne would get up and deal with him. After he kept trying to get our attention, I poke her and said, ‘Lynne, Todd had a nightmare.’ I was hoping she would be so startled that her motherly instincts would take over. It worked like a charm. She jumped up and took care of him. But as I lay there, trying to doze off to sleep, I found myself thinking, ‘Oh no! This was a great opportunity to treat my wife as more important than myself, and all I could think of was me.’”

Hybels’ story could have just as easily been mine. I can’t even count the times that I have been selfish in my love for Cyndi and our kids. And, those are the people that I love the most. My selfishness has also been shown to others. I’ve entered friendships for what I thought I would get out of it, instead of trying to be a blessing to others. I’ve ignored those who most need to receive love, because it would be inconvenient for me. I’ve bristled at calls that require my time and love because it’s been inconvenient for me.

Life in the Spirit means that we relentlessly look for opportunities to lift others up.

So, what are some ways that you could do that this week?

How could you show others that they are more important than yourself?

Maybe it means –

• Offering to pay for the meal of the person behind you in line at the drive thru window.
• Offering to cut the elderly neighbor’s lawn.
• Offering to help the new family down the street move in. And then, inviting them over for dinner at your home.
• Choosing to love the democrat when you are a republican or the republican when you are a democrat.
• Providing one of the items that the Wessman’s, our missionaries coming back from Israel, need for the next year that they will be living in Minnesota.
• Purchasing an item for the Tiner care package.
• Offering a weekend at your cabin for a family that can’t afford a vacation.
• Surprising your spouse by doing the chores that they normally do.
• Putting a love note in your spouse’s purse or computer case.
• Telling your Mom or Dad something that you specifically appreciate about them.
• Giving up one of your favorite events so that you can take your child out to dinner.
• Calling a relative that you haven’t spoken to in a long time.
• Inviting a neighborhood child, grandchild, niece or nephew to Vacation Bible School this week at Woodbury Community Church.

Did you know that this week could be the week that changes the life of a child forever? Vacation Bible School is one of the most important outreach events that we offer every year. It’s a practical way to show love. Maybe you have a single parent in your neighborhood who is stressed to the max now that school is out. Offer to drive their kids to VBS. Give them a break from childcare cost for the week. Maybe God will use this week to draw that parent to Christ too.

Why do you suppose that Paul chose to call these virtues the fruit of the Spirit? I was at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts last weekend with my parents and sister. They had never visited the museum before. There is a painting there that my wife and I fell in love with on our first visit to the museum. It’s a painting of fruit. Maybe you’ve seen it. My wife loves it because she says, “The fruit looks so real. The grapes are translucent. You want to reach your hand into the painting and eat the fruit for yourself.”

And, that’s why Paul, writing through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit calls it the fruit of the spirit. Fruit is meant to be devoured. It is meant to be eaten. Our fruit is to be tasted by the world so that they can see just how good our God is.

As our ushers come forward, we are going to show a music video. It’s the song, Does Anybody Hear Her? by the group Casting Crowns. Maybe you’ve heard this song on KTIS or Christian radio. As you watch the video may it be a reminder of those in our paths who need to devour the fruit of love in our lives.

Let’s pray.

Dear God,

As we give to you, out of hearts of love, may Your glory be shown throughout our region. May You give us the eyes of Jesus so that we can see and love those in our paths whom You have brought our way.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

David Olson CD "Beloved" To Be Given Away At Woodbury Community Church for Father's Day

David Olson was recently hired as the Summer Worship Leader at Woodbury Community Church. He will be with us through September of 2008. Olson is an accomplished worship leader, singer and songwriter. Copies of Olson's first CD, Beloved will be given as gifts to fathers at Woodbury Community Church during this weekend's Fathers Day service. The service takes place at 9:30 am. You can find out more about David's music by clicking HERE.

Summer Sermon Series

I preached my first sermon at Woodbury Community Church last Sunday. It was so great to be able to teach again. It's been a while.

This summer's sermon series at Woodbury Community Church is called Got Fruit? It's an in depth look at the Fruit of the Spirit, which is found in Galatians 5:22-23.

Here is the schedule:


June 8 - You Were Made to Love

June 15 - What Everyone Wants and Few Find

June 22 - Keeping the Peace

June 29 - What's the Deal With Patience

July 6 - When Paying It Forward Changes Eternity

July 13 - For Goodness Sake

July 20 - The Incomparable Gift of Faithfulness - Guest Speaker David Olson

July 27 - Gentleness - The Most Misunderstood Virtue

August 3 - Outdoor Service at Carver Lake

August 10 - Guest Speaker - David Olson

August 17 - The Secret to Self Control


Services at Woodbury Community Church, 2975 Pioneer Drive in Woodbury, take place at 9:30 in the summer months and 9:00 and 10:30 during the school year. Hope to see at Woodbury Community Church sometime this summer!

Those Are Some Bright Lights!

Matthew 5:13-16 - "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men."

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

It was the summer of 1990. I had just finished my junior year of college and I would spend the summer months on five of the Hawaiian Islands on a mission trip for college students. Talk about suffering for Jesus! That summer was a life-giving summer for me. My call to ministry was affirmed in such vivid ways. I fell in love with ministry to students and began to understand the impact of evangelism in ways that I am still trying to comprehend eighteen years later. (We spent the majority of our time on the island of Molokai, and in that summer over 60 kids came to faith in Christ. The island's population was a little more than 5000 people. That means that over 1% of the island came to faith in Christ in an eight week period!)

Whenever I read these verses from the Sermon on the Mount, I think back to that summer. Why? Because, I gave my third sermon ever on this passage. We were in an old run down horse ranch. The locals used this ranch as a Christian camp. From that little camp in Molokai you could see the islands of Maui and Oahu in the distance. Save for the kitchen and bathrooms, there was no electricity at this camp. So, at night, the lights from the islands of Maui and Oahu shone brightly. As I spoke to the children at the camp, I told them about Christ's desire for us to live our lives as bright lights to the world. I told them that we represented God to the world, and that we needed to make God look good. Then I showed them the lights of Maui. There was no mistaking that there was a ton of activity on that nearby island. It could not be hidden. Our lives were not to be hidden either.

What does your life say to others about Christ? Do they see your life and witness your testimony in powerful ways, or is your life like the salt that loses it saltiness and is no longer good for anything? Live your life to glorify God today! When you do, you not only make God look good, you make Jesus glad.

Dear God,

Your teachings in Scripture are so clear. We are to live our lives to glorify You. We are to boldly declare Your name both in action and in words. Help us to live for You in such a way that people are drawn to the Savior. Thank You for being our Savior.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

VBS at Woodbury Community Church

I was at a meeting tonight at Woodbury Community Church, for our Vacation Bible School, which takes place June 9-13, 2008 from 9:00 AM - 11:30 AM. I can't wait for it to start! It's going to be an awesome week!

Vacatian Bible School is free and open to all students from Kindergarten-6th Grade. This year's theme is Beach Party! Every day includes a great Bible story, fantastic music, crafts, food, friends, and more. Best of all, it's all going to happen with an amazing beach theme. You don't want your kids to miss this week! If you have a child in Kingergarten-Sixth grade, and live near Woodbury, I'd encourage you to register your child. You can register, for free, by clicking HERE.

Standing For Christ When The Pressure Is On

Matthew 5:11-12 - "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Have you ever had a lie spread about you? Recently I was talking with a young woman who had a vicious rumor spread about her. The rumor was completely false. And, even though the rumor was something that would have been completely out of character for the young woman, she was completely distraught because some of her best friends had chosen to believe it.

That is an awful feeling. Sometimes I think that sort of thing happens to followers of Christ because Satan wants to discourage us from living godly lives. Our reputations are precious to us. And, most of us will go to great lengths to protect it. So, when Jesus tells us that we are blessed when people spread all kinds of evil against us because of Him, we may be tempted to pause and say, "Jesus, what are you talking about?! Being lied about is not a blessing."

But, Jesus would stand by His words. Christians, you will face persecution. If we stand for Christ, Satan stands against us. Did you catch that? Now, read it slowly and let the words sink in. If we stand for Christ, Satan stands against us. Expect the persecution. But, know that even if the world turns against us, Christ does not. He knows what it's like to be betrayed and denied by those He loved. He chooses to stand by His children when no one else will. And, be assured, He who knows the truth, will reward you in heaven. Your reward will be great.

My wife and daughter like to tease me because I tend to overemphasize the greatness of things that I try and enjoy. If I go to a new restaurant and like the food, it's The Greatest Restaurant I've ever eaten at! "We know," they'll say. And then they'll say, "You said the same thing about the last restaurant you ate at."

When Jesus says that your reward in heaven is great, He isn't exaggerating. We can face the persecution and stand in light of the fact that Christ is aware, and will reward. It will happen in His time. He's promised it, and he never breaks a promise!

Dear God,

We want to stand firm for You, no matter the cost. Help us to follow You unashamedly. You are our delight and we rejoice in You.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

Citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven

Matthew 5:10 - "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

In the spring of 1988 I had my eyes open to what it really means to be persecuted because of righteousness. Prior to that time I thought I had it all figured out. I'd grown up in a Christian home, accepted Christ when I was a young boy, and been teased about my Christian faith in many different arenas. But, I had known nothing of true persecution.

My freshman year in college I travelled with a group of college students to the country of Romania. Nicolae Ceauşescu was the leader of the country then. He ruled Romania with an iron fist from March 22, 1965 until December 22, 1989. As General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party, Ceauşescu outlawed Christianity. Those brave men and women who claimed Christ were often times imprisoned, beaten, ridiculted, mocked, put on a downward career path, and sometimes killed for their faith. Our group of students met with hundreds of Romanian Christians during that trip in 1988. We even visited the square where 21 months later Christian students would stand by each other in solidarity to protect a pastor, and start a revolution.

Persecution of Christians is rampant all over the world. Christ tells us in Scripture to pray for and take care of those who are persecuted for their faith. He also tells us to expect persecution. Walk with Christ, and you will face trials. And, in Matthew 5:10, Christ tells us that those who are persecuted for righteousness are blessed, because theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

This world we live in is passing away. Our lives are but a speck of dust. We appear for a while and then we vanish. Make the most of the years that God gives you to make and impact for Him while you are here. Don't live for the kingdoms of this world, but for the kingdom of heaven. Show the world what it means to be a citizen of Christ's kingdom. Live as one who has been touched by Him.

Dear God,

You have blessed us beyond measure. I can't even pretend to understand what it truly means to suffer for being a follower of Jesus Christ. Help me to always stand firm for You, no matter the cost. And, help me to remember to live as a citizen of the kingdom of heaven.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

Brokering Spiritual Peace

Matthew 5:9 - "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God."

Of all the verses that I heard growing up, none was repeated as often in my home as this one. "Blessed are the peacemakers," I'd hear my Mom call, as she tried, often times in vain, to stop another argument between her four sons. In our home it was often times my brother Randy who would jump in to fill the role of the peacemaker. As the middle child I was often times the instigator of whatever argument was taking place.

There is a beautiful promise that follows Christ's proclamation that the peacemakers will be blessed. That promise is that they will be called sons of God. Now that, my friends, is a pretty cool title. In fact, it goes beyond being cool to downright awesome. Do you get a sense of the gravity of this statement? Sons of God are peacemakers.

It was too recently in my life that I was anything but a peacemaker. I lost it with someone that I love very much. I used my words to wound them. And my character was anything but that which a child of God would and should display. It's amazing how easy it is for those of us who are children of the living God to degenerate into godless behavior. In Galatians 5:22-23 the Apostle Paul lists the Fruit of the Spirit. Among the fruit listed is self-control. Those who are peacemakers display this fruit. They have the Spirit given capacity to control their actions. In other words the live their life in such a way that God is actually in control. When we do, we are showing what it means to be a son or daughter of the Most High God. Pursue peace today!

Dear God,

It is all too easy to choose hurtful words, destructive actions or gossip ahead of peace. Help us not to be people who delight in evil, but people who rejoice in Your ways.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

Blessed Are The Pure In Heart

Matthew 5:8 - "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God."

During the Lenton Season of 2005, I had the opportunity to preach a series on The Beatitudes with Leith Anderson. One of the sermons that I preached was on today's verse. I've decided to repost that message here.

Sermon Preached at Wooddale Church, Eden Prairie, MN on Wednesday, March 16, 2005, by Rev. Brian D. Schulenburg

MATTHEW 5:8

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”

BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART

He came to me with tears in his eyes, and a heavy heart. It was obvious that the news he was going to share with me had given him quite a bit of heartbreak, and that he was a broken man. As he began telling me the intimate details of his private life the floodgates of emotion could be held in no longer. He wept as he spoke of his addiction to pornography and he was broken over the condition of his impure heart.

She was angry, and felt that she had every right to be. Her marriage wasn’t anything like she had dreamt it would be. The best adjective to describe the state of her marriage was the word loveless. She couldn’t remember the last time that her husband told her he loved her. An attractive new coworker readily showered her with praise. She felt her heart longing to spend more and more time with him. When attraction led to infidelity she too was struck to the core at the condition of her impure heart.

It had been a difficult financial year. Even though Bill and Joan each had full-time jobs, the bills outnumbered the income, and Bill was forced to find extra sources of income just to make ends meet. God blessed Bill with a great personality, expertise in his field, and a penchant for making friends. So consequently, offers for Bill to consult came in at a steady pace. Soon the income from Bill’s consulting business rivaled his income from his full-time employment. A number of Bill’s clients paid Bill “under the table” with cash. Bill remembers thinking, “It sure would be a lot simpler not to report this income to the IRS.” And then he too was struck to the core at the condition of his impure heart.

In His Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 5:8, Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God.” Perhaps you are here today and your thoughts are, “Oh great, if only the pure in heart will see God, I may as well give up now. Because, my heart is far from pure. If anything, my heart – the things that I desire, are too often impure.”

The good news today is that the Bible is full of stories of the impure whose hearts are made pure by the touch of God within them.

His name was Saul. He was a religious zealot who was concerned about a new religious sect that claimed that Jesus was the Messiah. Saul did everything he could to extinguish this threat to traditional Jewish teaching once and for all. The book of Acts records his story. It’s in chapter 7 of this book that we read of the first Christian martyr – Stephen. He was a preacher, who told all who would listen about God’s love. But Saul and Sanhedrin, the religious elite, didn’t approve of Stephen’s message. They murdered him, stoning him to death. Acts chapter 7 ends with these words, “And Saul was there, giving approval to his death.”

Two chapters of the Bible later we read of Saul’s amazing conversion. Listen as I read from Acts 9 . . .

“Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’ ‘Who are you, Lord?’ Saul asked. ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied. ‘Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.’ The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing.” (Acts 9:1-8a)

The same Saul who was breathing out murderous threats against God’s followers, was invited by God to join the Kingdom of the pure in heart. Why would God choose a murderer to be one of His children?

Her name isn’t recorded in Scripture. All we know is that she was an adulteress. The Gospel of John, Chapter 8 records her story. Pulled from the arms of her lover by yet another group of religious leaders, she was to be made an example of in a raucous spectacle of trial and stoning. The law stated that any adulterer could be put to death, and the religious leaders intended to see that the law was fulfilled to its letter. Just as it looks like it will be too late for this woman, Jesus begins to write something on the ground with one of his fingers. Some have speculated that he was writing the Ten Commandments, but the truth is we just don’t know what it was. But whatever it was, coupled with his words, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her,” caused every stone to drop. How beautiful that the only one without sin was the one who caused all the stones to drop. Listen to the apostle John’s description of the rest of the story, “At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’
'No one, sir,’ she said.
‘Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared. ‘Go now and leave your life of sin.’” (John 8:9-11)

Her heart was impure, but Jesus offered to make it pure.

Want more stories? Then read of the original sinners, Adam and Eve; the adulterers, David and Bathsheba; those who laughed at God, Abraham and Sarah, a prostitute named Rahab; and idolater named Ruth; a scoundrel named Jacob, a financial swindler named Matthew; a betrayer named Peter; a coward named Timothy; a quitter named Mark; a rejecter named Jonah and the list goes on. People whose hearts were anything but pure who are now seeing God.

What is the miracle of Matthew 5:8? The miracle is that anyone can have a heart that is pure. Blessed are the pure in heart. The same Saul of whom we read earlier had his name changed to Paul when he was met by God. But he received more than a name change. He was spiritually blind, when he encountered the living God he became physically blind, and when he gave God his life he received back his physical sight and was given spiritual sight. So much was he changed that he wrote over 2/3 of what we now call The New Testament. He was even more of a zealot after he met Christ, never ceasing to serve him with everything that he had. He never stopped being amazed that God would seek out someone with as impure a heart as his. In his letter to the followers of Jesus in Rome, Paul wrote,

“So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.” (Romans 7:21-25)

In a similar sentiment, written to a young man he mentored named Timothy, Paul wrote, “The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners–of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.” (1 Timothy 1:14-16) Paul understood. His heart was not pure because of anything he possessed within himself. His heart was pure because of the transforming work of God within him.

The Beatitudes begin by speaking of our spiritual poverty and that we can only enter the kingdom of heaven when we recognize that condition. It is this recognition that makes it possible for us to see our total inadequacy to do anything about our impure heart when left to ourselves. Jesus knew about our condition when he shared the truth of Matthew 5:8, and he knew that the way to accomplish Matthew 5:8 in our lives was for him to be our purifier.

In nine days we will commemorate the death of Jesus. This day is called Good Friday on the Christian calendar. Last year at this time Americans were flocking to see the film The Passion of the Christ. It was a fascinating time in our nation’s history. Opinions regarding the film were given on every television network in the land. You couldn’t turn on a talk radio station without hearing about the film. In the week after its release, I was listening to the local sports radio station and every single show referenced the film, and the way that the film moved those who watched it. The phrase I repeatedly heard in one way or another was, “I can’t get over how much Jesus suffered for the sins of the world.”

I don’t know about you, but as I look around at society today, I see people trying to fill their lives with any number of things – diversions, money, status, excitement, things. And, I can’t help but think that as a society we are thirsty for more. We are thirsty for God. A great Christian theologian once said, “Thirsty hearts are those who have been wakened by the touch of God within them.”

Are you thirsty for something deeper? In this Lenten season does your heart long to move past the state it’s in, and move to the things of God? Good. Because, that longing is evidence of the work of God within you. Do you want a pure heart this Easter? A pure heart is a forgiven heart. It begins with acknowledging that you need God. Paul, that apostle whose life was so transformed by God said, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) He also said that what we deserve for our sin is eternal separation from God, but that God’s gift to us is eternal life through Jesus Christ his son. Why do we celebrate Good Friday? Because, the best gift that was ever given to humanity was given on that day. Jesus paid the sacrifice for our sins. He died so that we could live. He knew that there was absolutely no way even the most perfect human being could have a pure heart, and thus see God, apart from His work within them. Paul described the miracle of how we see God in Romans 10:9 when he wrote, “if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

I am so glad that Jesus loves me. I am so glad that he can make an impure heart pure. I am so glad that even though the struggle with impurity continues until we one day get to heaven, that God gives us the strength to win battle after battle. Is my heart completely pure? Absolutely not. I feel like Paul who said, “I am the worst of sinners.” But I feel so blessed because of Jesus’ forgiveness, which in God’s eyes makes me able to say, “Blessed is Brian for he will see God.” Can you say that today? If not, why not let today be the day that you allow God to purify your heart? He will do that for you. It’s as simple as praying, “Dear God, I am guilty of sin. My heart is not completely pure, but I believe that because of your death and resurrection I can have a pure heart. Forgive me for all the wrong things I’ve done in my life. Take control of my life today as I confess you as Lord of my life. In Jesus name, Amen.”

Blessed are you – the pure in heart, for you will see God!

Dear God,

It is only because of you that we can be seen as pure in heart. Thank You for loving those who do not deserve Your love. You are good and we praise You for the way that you take us who are anything but pure and make us new.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

The Beauty of Mercy

Matthew 5:7 - "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy."

Have you ever been extended grace by another person? It's a wonderful feeling. It's also pretty humbling. Grace is getting what we don't deserve. It's what God gives to each of us when He offers us His salvation. It's also what God expects us to give to others. But, did you know that there is a promise that comes from God to those who show mercy? It's found in Matthew 5:7. Jesus is teaching the Sermon on the Mount. He is towards the beginning of the sermon when he begins to speak about the attitudes of the Kingdom of Heaven. We've already looked at several of these attitudes. Today's verse deals with the merciful. And, it may be the most easy to understand of all of the beatitudes. Jesus is calling us to show mercy, and promises that when we do we will be shown mercy.

I know that this principle rings true in my life. I love to show mercy to those that have exended grace towards me. It comes pretty easy. Today was my last day at Wooddale. After our Baccalaureate Service I cleaned out my office. My wife and I had planned to do this quietly, and without any help. I just didn't want to make a big deal out of it. As I was going to clear it out, a former student offered his assistance. I told him, "Okay, but please don't tell others that I'm clearing my office out. I want tonight to be about their graduation, not my leaving." He agreed.

I had no idea how long it would take to clear out my office, but with the help of this young man, it was cleared out in about 30 minutes. When both my vehicle and Cyndi's were full, he offered to put the remaining boxes in his car and to drive them to my home for me. When we arrived, he unpacked the vehicles with me. Let me tell you, that was a gift! It was mercy. I wasn't expecting help, and really didn't want any; but I needed it. And, guess what else? When he needs help, I'm going to want to give it to him. Why? Because, blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Dear God,

We thank You for your mercy. We thank You for reaching out to us when we were still sinners. We thank You for the Body of Christ. May we always display compassion and grace. We love you so much!

In Jesus' name,

Amen!

The Hot Seat

Matthew 5:6 - "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."

We call it The Hot Seat. It's a tradition that long precedes my time at Wooddale Church. Every year, we take a night to honor our graduating seniors. For the past couple of years that event has taken place at The Wilderness Resort in Wisconsin Dells. Each senior takes a turn to sit in a chair, and for about five minutes, those students are honored by their peers.

Last night's Hot Seat event was a beautiful display of love. I enjoyed listening as each one of our seniors were shown love. As the students sat on the seat, I took time to talk about each one of them. When I read today's verse, I was instantly transported back to last night's crowded hotel room. And, I thought about our Class of 2008. So many of the students that I work with fit the description of the people that Jesus is talking about in this verse. They are young men and women who hunger and thirst for righteousness. That is a rare thing in this world. I'm proud of our students, and pray that they will always be marked by a desire to live holy lives.

May you be marked as a person who hungers and thirsts for righteousness. Christ promises us that if we hunger and thirst after such things, we will be filled. Oh, the satisfaction that comes from pursuing the things of God!

Dear God,

We want to be people who hunger and thirst for You. May our lives be marked by our Maker. May we never lose sight of the rewards that come from following you.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

Got Meekness?

Matthew 5:5 - "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth."

Some time ago a couple of boys in our high school ministry asked if they could borrow a commentary of mine on the book of Genesis. I look at my shelf and found a classic by Arthur W. Pink. When I handed them the book, a business card slipped out of it. It was from my Grandfather, who had died a few years earlier. Grandpa gave me the book when he was still alive and had written on the card, "Brian, this is perhaps the best commentary ever written on the book of Genesis. Study it! -- Grandpa."

That was my Grandpa's way. He loved to give advice and challenge his grandchildren. I gave the book to the boys, with a promise that they would return it in a couple of weeks. I never saw the book again. But, I've not forgotten Grandpa's words. When I see something written by Pink, I pay attention to it.

While studying today's passage, I came across a quote from Dr. Pink. Writing about meekness, Pink wrote, "True meekness is ever manifested by a yieldedness to God’s will, yet it will not yield a principle of righteousness or compromise with evil. God-given meekness can also stand up for God-given rights; when God’s glory is impeached, we must have a zeal which is as hot as fire."

We live in a world where I believe the first word that comes to mind when you hear the work meek is weak. But, true meekness is anything but week. It is the evidence of the Holy Spirit's work in the life of the believer. It is living our lives with God at the center. It is allowing the One who is meek and lowly to control our actions.

When Jesus said that the meek would inherit the earth, those listening must have thought that he was crazy. They lived in a day and age where they were under the oppression of the Roman government. How could they inherit the earth when they not even given property rights? As usual, Jesus wasn't talking about inheriting the earth as one today might equate with Donald Trump or Bill Gates. Those who are meek are those who learn to be satisfied with what it is that God has blessed them with. They use their earthly blessings to advance the Kingdom of God. The meek follower of Christ will also be among those who some day will reign with Christ in his Millennial Kingdom. It is then that they will literally see this promise fulfilled.

As you live your life today, be like those in the Bible who demonstrated meekness. Abraham, years after he was told that he would be the father of a great nation, was shown land by God. His nephew Lot was shown the land as well. God gave them a choice. Abraham deferred to Lot. Lot chose what looked like the best land for himself. Abraham didn't complain. He willingly gave the land, even though he could have claimed rightful ownership to it based upon God's promise. Abraham trusted that God would come through on his promise. May we do the same.

Dear God,

You have told us to go against the conventional wisdom of this world and to be people who are meek. Help us to remain faithful to that which you have called us to be. May we be counted amongst those who will some day rule with you in Your Millennial Kingdom. May we exhibit Christ-like love to all those we come in contact with.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

Baccalaureate Service at Wooddale Church

This Sunday marks my last day at Wooddale Church. I'll be speaking at the Baccalaureate Service for our Senior Highers. The service begins at 5:00 PM and is open to the public. I'd encourage you to come out. Our senior class is a talented group of students. They will be leading the worship service. There will be special music, a student speaker, a chance for all of the seniors to talk about what their future plans are, and I'll be preaching a message entitled, What Now? The Senior dessert begins at 6:00 PM in the Wooddale Chapel. We've put together a great video presentation with 200 pictures of our students from throughout their high school years. I'll post that presentation on here on Sunday night.

My Son Just Led Me In Worship!

Our family just got back from Christopher's Junior High Spring Concert. It was an amazing evening. I'm so impressed with Calvin Christian School's bands and choirs. Chris is a part of the select ensembles for band and choir, the junior high choir, and the junior high band. I got shivers watching my son lead the audience in worship. It's the first time I've watched Chris lead a group in worship. He had a solo part in the song, My Savior Lives. I don't think I'll ever forget the night that my son led me in worship. I'm grateful to God for children who walk with Him!

My Office Is Packed

Here's what transition looks like in my office right now! It's so strange to see those bookshelves empty. A pastor without his books is like a carpenter without his tools. I can't wait to see them back on bookshelves.

Life Change

Matthew 5:4 - "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."

It's been almost a month since my last post. That's a bit out of character for me, I know. But, life is changing in the Schulenburg home. This past month has been difficult to say the least. On Sunday, my life at Wooddale Church ends. For the past seven years, this has been our home. There is something beautiful about being a member of the Body of Christ. There is a depth that comes from relationships with other Christians that is irreplaceable. And yet, we know that what lies ahead is so good too. We're excited about beginning a new chapter in our lives, and yet sad to see this one end.

That sadness has led to lot of tears in our home. The tears have not just come from transition. The tears have also come from one of the students in our youth ministry being involved in a serious car accident. He's recovering well in the ICU. But, it's hard to see him there. The tears came from watching a friend's marriage deteriorate. The tears have come from the stress of transition. For the first time in our lives we're having to find our own health insurance. We received our first rejection notice this week. Now I understand why so many people want reform in the health care industry. The tears have come from a pot of noodles left on a stove and forgotten about. Smoke filled our home, and now we are living with trying to get that smoke smell out. The tears have come from being pulled in so many different directions.

Okay, before you get the idea that all we do is cry, we don't. The tears are outweighed by the joys of life. It was on Matthew 5:4 that I left off this blog devotional. Jesus had begun teaching the Beatitudes. And the Beatitude that we read in Matthew 5:4 is, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."

Yesterday, feeling like we were at a breaking point, Cyndi and I held each other and did what we should have been doing all along. We cried out to God. We told Him that we trust Him. We asked Him to intercede. And, while we don't have health insurance (yet), and while the smell of smoke still lingers in our home, and while my friends are still struggling with their marriage and while my student still lies in that hospital bed, God did what he promised in Matthew 5:4. He comforted. He comforted as only God can. Throughout Scripture we read about a peace that is so extraordinary that it passes all understanding. I'm living with that peace today. I'm living with God's comfort. And, I'm grateful. I'm grateful that God has blessed me beyond measure. I'm grateful for His calling on our lives. I can't wait to get started in our new calling. I can't wait to see how God works in this time in our lives. I can't wait to see how God uses our children and my wife in the area that He has called us to. And, I can't wait to see God answer prayer the way that He chooses to.

Blessed are those who mourn (and that's all of us from time to time), for they will be comforted.

Dear God,

Thank You for loving us the way that You do. Sometimes Your love for us is shown in ways that we don't understand. And, when You show us that kind of love, something beautiful comes in the end. Thank You for the comfort that You ofter to the mourning. You are good, and Your love endures forever.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.