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.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
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!
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!
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
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.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
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.
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.
Monday, May 26, 2008
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.
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.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
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.
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.
Monday, May 19, 2008
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.
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.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
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!
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!
Saturday, May 17, 2008
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.
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.
Friday, May 16, 2008
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.
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.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
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.
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.
Friday, April 18, 2008
The Prince and the Pauper
Matthew 5:3 - "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
A few weeks ago I watched a modern remake of The Prince and the Pauper with my boys. I love the story of The Prince and the Pauper. A poor boy and a rich prince who look alike switch places. The boys learn lessons from living in each other's shoes. So, what if I told you that God likes to work with spiritaul paupers? Jesus called it being "poor in spirit."
What does it mean to be poor in spirit? It's a valid question. If you casually read Jesus' words in Matthew 5, and don't take the time to study what it is that Jesus is saying, it can become very frustrating. After all, who talks like this today?
When Jesus talks about the poor is spirit is is speaking of those who recognize their spiritual poverty apart from Christ. We need to live lives of complete surrender and complete dependence upon God. On our won, we are spiritual debtors in need of God's touch. Jesus came to pay our debt, and in doing so offered us life everlasting.
In the past couple of days we have seen a Jesus who called people to repentance, and called people to become fishers of men. Now as Jesus begins his great Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is calling his followers to live lives of surrender. Want to join in the great adventure of kingdom living? Then start with recognizing that you can't get into the kingdom based upon your merits and accomplishments. We need Christ! And, He wants us. So, spiritually bankrupt one, cheer up, blessed are the poor in spirit, for to you belongs the kingdom of heaven.
Dear God,
We are spiritually bankrupt apart from you. Thank you for taking debtors and making us princes and princesses in the kingdom of heaven. Help us to live our lives making deposits in the economy of the kingdom. We love You and want to make You known to the world around us. To God be the glory, great things You have done. Do great things in us and through us.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.
A few weeks ago I watched a modern remake of The Prince and the Pauper with my boys. I love the story of The Prince and the Pauper. A poor boy and a rich prince who look alike switch places. The boys learn lessons from living in each other's shoes. So, what if I told you that God likes to work with spiritaul paupers? Jesus called it being "poor in spirit."
What does it mean to be poor in spirit? It's a valid question. If you casually read Jesus' words in Matthew 5, and don't take the time to study what it is that Jesus is saying, it can become very frustrating. After all, who talks like this today?
When Jesus talks about the poor is spirit is is speaking of those who recognize their spiritual poverty apart from Christ. We need to live lives of complete surrender and complete dependence upon God. On our won, we are spiritual debtors in need of God's touch. Jesus came to pay our debt, and in doing so offered us life everlasting.
In the past couple of days we have seen a Jesus who called people to repentance, and called people to become fishers of men. Now as Jesus begins his great Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is calling his followers to live lives of surrender. Want to join in the great adventure of kingdom living? Then start with recognizing that you can't get into the kingdom based upon your merits and accomplishments. We need Christ! And, He wants us. So, spiritually bankrupt one, cheer up, blessed are the poor in spirit, for to you belongs the kingdom of heaven.
Dear God,
We are spiritually bankrupt apart from you. Thank you for taking debtors and making us princes and princesses in the kingdom of heaven. Help us to live our lives making deposits in the economy of the kingdom. We love You and want to make You known to the world around us. To God be the glory, great things You have done. Do great things in us and through us.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Let's Go Fishing!
Matthew 4:19 - "'Come, follow me,' Jesus said, 'and I will make you fishers of men.'"
My brother Randy loves to fish. In fact, of all of the men that I know in my life, Randy is the biggest fisherman of them all. When it is summer time, my brother will often times go fishing in the golf course ponds behind his home. He's been known to spend his birthdays taking trips from his home in Illinois to Tennessee to go fishing with his father-in-law and some close friends. The guy loves to fish.
So did Peter and Andrew. Peter, commonly believed to be the oldest of the disciples was a fisherman by trade. So was his younger brother Andrew. They were fishermen because they didn't make the cut to become a Rabbi. Every Jewish parent had a dream for their child. They wanted their child to become a Rabbi. The Jewish educational system consisted of three distinct levels of education. The first level was Beth-Safar. This was for children aged 5-10. In this level they would memorize the Torah, word for word. The education took place at the local tabernacle, synagogue or in the case of Jerusalem, the temple court. The second level of education was called Beth-Talmud. This was for children aged 10-14. During this stage of education they memorized the rest of the Old Testament. When a child reached age 14 he could apply for Beth-Midrash. If he passed the test, which only a small percentage (less than 5%) did, the student would reach the final level of education. If not, they were sent back to learn the trade of their father, with the encouragement to have lots of children and pray that one of them would become a Rabbi. The final level of education allowed the students to study the law and the prophets, and to begin to learn how to interpret the law and the prophets. There were so many interpretations of the law that a student would pick a Rabbi whom he respected and whom he believed to correctly interpret the law. When they followed the Rabbi, they took the Rabbi's "yoke" upon them. Which means that they agreed to take the Rabbi's interpretation of the law with them.
Peter and Andrew's fishing career paralleled their father's career, but it was not their first choice. They would have preferred to have taken the Rabbi course. When Jesus, the new Rabbi, asks them to follow Him, they are given a new lease on life. They leave their nets and follow Him. The Rabbi had chosen them! Jesus had chosen them! And, if you are a believer in Christ, then Jesus has chosen you too! He has chosen you for a task that is difficult, at times scary, at times feels thankless, and one that offers the greatest joy ever afforded to men and women. Jesus invites you to be a fisher of souls.
Jesus invitation to Peter and Andrew would leave them forever changed. Both men eventually became martyrs for Christ. Christian tradition says that both Peter and Andrew were crucified, like the Rabbi that they followed. Peter was crucified upside down because he did not consider himself worthy to die in the same way as Christ did. Andrew, Peter's constant companion in the Gospels had become a missionary in the Grecian colony of Achaia. He was fishing for souls when he was arrested and eventually crucified.
The martyrs of the first century helped spread the news of Christianity. It is good news. And yet today, so many of us cower at the telling of it. May the blood of the early martyrs and the call of God spur us on to share his word. Let's go fishing! Are you ready?
Dear God,
You have called us to spread Your Word. You choose to use weak vessels for the pronouncement of the greatest and the strongest message ever given to mankind. Help us to not cower in the face of opposition. Help us to live for Your glory and Your renown. We thank You for the example of the earliest followers of You. Help us to honor You like they did.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.
My brother Randy loves to fish. In fact, of all of the men that I know in my life, Randy is the biggest fisherman of them all. When it is summer time, my brother will often times go fishing in the golf course ponds behind his home. He's been known to spend his birthdays taking trips from his home in Illinois to Tennessee to go fishing with his father-in-law and some close friends. The guy loves to fish.
So did Peter and Andrew. Peter, commonly believed to be the oldest of the disciples was a fisherman by trade. So was his younger brother Andrew. They were fishermen because they didn't make the cut to become a Rabbi. Every Jewish parent had a dream for their child. They wanted their child to become a Rabbi. The Jewish educational system consisted of three distinct levels of education. The first level was Beth-Safar. This was for children aged 5-10. In this level they would memorize the Torah, word for word. The education took place at the local tabernacle, synagogue or in the case of Jerusalem, the temple court. The second level of education was called Beth-Talmud. This was for children aged 10-14. During this stage of education they memorized the rest of the Old Testament. When a child reached age 14 he could apply for Beth-Midrash. If he passed the test, which only a small percentage (less than 5%) did, the student would reach the final level of education. If not, they were sent back to learn the trade of their father, with the encouragement to have lots of children and pray that one of them would become a Rabbi. The final level of education allowed the students to study the law and the prophets, and to begin to learn how to interpret the law and the prophets. There were so many interpretations of the law that a student would pick a Rabbi whom he respected and whom he believed to correctly interpret the law. When they followed the Rabbi, they took the Rabbi's "yoke" upon them. Which means that they agreed to take the Rabbi's interpretation of the law with them.
Peter and Andrew's fishing career paralleled their father's career, but it was not their first choice. They would have preferred to have taken the Rabbi course. When Jesus, the new Rabbi, asks them to follow Him, they are given a new lease on life. They leave their nets and follow Him. The Rabbi had chosen them! Jesus had chosen them! And, if you are a believer in Christ, then Jesus has chosen you too! He has chosen you for a task that is difficult, at times scary, at times feels thankless, and one that offers the greatest joy ever afforded to men and women. Jesus invites you to be a fisher of souls.
Jesus invitation to Peter and Andrew would leave them forever changed. Both men eventually became martyrs for Christ. Christian tradition says that both Peter and Andrew were crucified, like the Rabbi that they followed. Peter was crucified upside down because he did not consider himself worthy to die in the same way as Christ did. Andrew, Peter's constant companion in the Gospels had become a missionary in the Grecian colony of Achaia. He was fishing for souls when he was arrested and eventually crucified.
The martyrs of the first century helped spread the news of Christianity. It is good news. And yet today, so many of us cower at the telling of it. May the blood of the early martyrs and the call of God spur us on to share his word. Let's go fishing! Are you ready?
Dear God,
You have called us to spread Your Word. You choose to use weak vessels for the pronouncement of the greatest and the strongest message ever given to mankind. Help us to not cower in the face of opposition. Help us to live for Your glory and Your renown. We thank You for the example of the earliest followers of You. Help us to honor You like they did.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Our Speaker This Sunday Is. . . God!
Matthew 4:17 - "From that time on Jesus began to preach, 'Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near.'"
It's been a while since I've taken the time to meditate upon a short passage of Scripture. These last several weeks have been crazy with a lot of life transition. As most of you know, I will begin a new phase of life on June 1, when I become the Senior Pastor of Woodbury Community Church. I can't tell you how excited I am to begin this new role. For the past several weeks my devotional time has consisted of taking turns reading the Bible with my two youngest sons (who are trying to read through the Bible in a year), reading sections of several books (I've become a fan of David Nasser's book A Call To Die, and occasionally reading the Bible on my own.
Today, I decided to try to get back in the habit of blogging on what God is teaching me as I read His word. It was a couple months back that I finished the Psalm 119 experiment, where I blogged on a verse a day for 176 days through Psalm 119. It changed me. My appreciation for the Word of God, and the law of God increased. I think it wore me out on blogging for a while though. I wrote at the time that I was going to try to blog through the words of Christ that are written in the Gospels. I was going to try to go through them from Matthew-John, which meant repeating many of the words and not necessarily blogging in chronological order. Instead, I'm just going to focus on the words of Christ as spoken in the book of Matthew.
So, I'm back. And, this is where I left off last month.
In Matthew 4:17 Jesus began to preach. Did you catch those words? If not let me type them real slow for you: Jesus began to preach!
What HUGE news!
I'm a preacher. As a preacher, I love listening to good preaching. I can sit in front of a television set fascinated by Billy Graham's preaching. I have a few preachers that I love to listen to on the Internet. I love when you can tell that the Holy Spirit takes over when a human being is preaching. There is something powerful about seeing God move through a man or woman to accomplish His purposes. But, this verse is talking about God preaching.
Picture it with me. . . Our speaker this Sunday is. . . God!
Now, that would be something. Which is why when Jesus, God in the flesh, preached, people responded. And I imagine they said things like:
"No one ever spoke the way this man does!" (See John 7:46) all of the time!
Wouldn't you love to have God as the preacher every week?
So, what did Jesus preach about? Matthew 4:17 tells us that the first big idea that Jesus communicated was to, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."
Those words follow an ancient prophecy from Isaiah 9:1-2.
"Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the way to the sea, along the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles—
the people living in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned."
Jesus was in Capernaum when he began to preach his message of repentance. Capermaum was located by Zebulun and Naphtali. Jesus' first sermon fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy. He came to be the light for people who were living in darkness.
Jesus Christ, and the sermons that he preached continue to offer light to the world today. Many of my friends who are opposed to Christianity say that they dislike all of the talk about repentance. They don't like the idea that Christians judge others.
I don't like judgmental Christians either! Christians aren't called to judge, nor are we called to be the judge. Jesus is. Jesus Christ, our God who taught as no other because of His authority, called people to repentance. We need to heed His message. We need to find out what it is that He wants us to repent from. We do know that when he called people to repent, He also called them to live in His Kingdom. The Kingdom of Heaven is better than anything that this world has to offer. Jesus says that that Kingdom is for today. As people who have been forgiven by Him, we who are Christ-followers have a mandate to live for Christ and to reflect His kingdom to the world around us. May it be so. And, when we are in sin, may we be quick to repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.
Dear God,
You have blessed us beyond measure. You taught and Your word continues to teach us today as no one or nothing else can. Help us to reflect You and Your kingdom as You would have it look to the world around us.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.
It's been a while since I've taken the time to meditate upon a short passage of Scripture. These last several weeks have been crazy with a lot of life transition. As most of you know, I will begin a new phase of life on June 1, when I become the Senior Pastor of Woodbury Community Church. I can't tell you how excited I am to begin this new role. For the past several weeks my devotional time has consisted of taking turns reading the Bible with my two youngest sons (who are trying to read through the Bible in a year), reading sections of several books (I've become a fan of David Nasser's book A Call To Die, and occasionally reading the Bible on my own.
Today, I decided to try to get back in the habit of blogging on what God is teaching me as I read His word. It was a couple months back that I finished the Psalm 119 experiment, where I blogged on a verse a day for 176 days through Psalm 119. It changed me. My appreciation for the Word of God, and the law of God increased. I think it wore me out on blogging for a while though. I wrote at the time that I was going to try to blog through the words of Christ that are written in the Gospels. I was going to try to go through them from Matthew-John, which meant repeating many of the words and not necessarily blogging in chronological order. Instead, I'm just going to focus on the words of Christ as spoken in the book of Matthew.
So, I'm back. And, this is where I left off last month.
In Matthew 4:17 Jesus began to preach. Did you catch those words? If not let me type them real slow for you: Jesus began to preach!
What HUGE news!
I'm a preacher. As a preacher, I love listening to good preaching. I can sit in front of a television set fascinated by Billy Graham's preaching. I have a few preachers that I love to listen to on the Internet. I love when you can tell that the Holy Spirit takes over when a human being is preaching. There is something powerful about seeing God move through a man or woman to accomplish His purposes. But, this verse is talking about God preaching.
Picture it with me. . . Our speaker this Sunday is. . . God!
Now, that would be something. Which is why when Jesus, God in the flesh, preached, people responded. And I imagine they said things like:
"No one ever spoke the way this man does!" (See John 7:46) all of the time!
Wouldn't you love to have God as the preacher every week?
So, what did Jesus preach about? Matthew 4:17 tells us that the first big idea that Jesus communicated was to, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."
Those words follow an ancient prophecy from Isaiah 9:1-2.
"Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the way to the sea, along the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles—
the people living in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned."
Jesus was in Capernaum when he began to preach his message of repentance. Capermaum was located by Zebulun and Naphtali. Jesus' first sermon fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy. He came to be the light for people who were living in darkness.
Jesus Christ, and the sermons that he preached continue to offer light to the world today. Many of my friends who are opposed to Christianity say that they dislike all of the talk about repentance. They don't like the idea that Christians judge others.
I don't like judgmental Christians either! Christians aren't called to judge, nor are we called to be the judge. Jesus is. Jesus Christ, our God who taught as no other because of His authority, called people to repentance. We need to heed His message. We need to find out what it is that He wants us to repent from. We do know that when he called people to repent, He also called them to live in His Kingdom. The Kingdom of Heaven is better than anything that this world has to offer. Jesus says that that Kingdom is for today. As people who have been forgiven by Him, we who are Christ-followers have a mandate to live for Christ and to reflect His kingdom to the world around us. May it be so. And, when we are in sin, may we be quick to repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.
Dear God,
You have blessed us beyond measure. You taught and Your word continues to teach us today as no one or nothing else can. Help us to reflect You and Your kingdom as You would have it look to the world around us.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.
Great Post on College Ministry and Churches in the Twin Cities
I came across a fascinating blog post yesterday as I was surfing the web. It's by a guy named Benson Hines. He's a seminary student at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he is working on his M.A. in Theology. While studying, he is conducting a fascinating experiment. He's traveling to churches all across the nation to see what they are doing to reach young adults with the Gospel.
This past Sunday, Benson visited the Twin Cities. He attended a number of churches including, The Rock, Bethlehem Baptist, Sanctuary Covenant, Solomon's Porch, Wooddale Church's Gathering Service, and Bethel University's Vespers Service. As I read his post, I have to admit that I got a bit tired! What a day. The churches that Hines visited are all churches that I am familiar with. I have the privilege of serving at Wooddale and have friends that either serve at or attend all of these other churches. It was great to read what a visitor thought about what he experienced.
If you are a student of churches or how churches are ministering to emerging generations you won't want to miss this post. It offers a lot of food for thought.
You can read Benson's blog HERE
This past Sunday, Benson visited the Twin Cities. He attended a number of churches including, The Rock, Bethlehem Baptist, Sanctuary Covenant, Solomon's Porch, Wooddale Church's Gathering Service, and Bethel University's Vespers Service. As I read his post, I have to admit that I got a bit tired! What a day. The churches that Hines visited are all churches that I am familiar with. I have the privilege of serving at Wooddale and have friends that either serve at or attend all of these other churches. It was great to read what a visitor thought about what he experienced.
If you are a student of churches or how churches are ministering to emerging generations you won't want to miss this post. It offers a lot of food for thought.
You can read Benson's blog HERE
Thursday, April 10, 2008
I Have A New Job!
Almost seven years ago, God gave our family one of the greatest gifts that we have ever received. He brought us to Wooddale Church. We came so that I could serve as Wooddale’s Senior High Pastor. Little did I know how much Wooddale would change me, and how much of a blessing that Wooddale would be to the Schulenburg family. We have been blessed beyond measure to be a part of such a loving and healthy church family. It is with mixed emotion that I write this blog post to inform you that I have accepted the position of Senior Pastor at Woodbury Community Church in Woodbury, Minnesota. May 31, 2008 will be my last day of employment at Wooddale Church.
As much as we hate to think about leaving Wooddale, we are excited about our future. We truly believe that God has called us to Woodbury Community Church. It's a great church with wonderful people who we have felt our hearts being drawn to. You can visit the church's web site HERE. We'd love to have you visit us some time. Our ministry at Woodbury Community begins on June 1. We value your prayers for this new phase in our lives.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Heat Retreat 2008 Promo Video
One of the highlights of our summer is always the Heat Retreat. This year's Heat Retreat takes place, August 1-3 at Lake Beauty Bible Camp. Incredible speakers, great music, wake boarding, water skiing, and more make this a weekend you won't want to miss. For more information give Wooddale Student Ministries a call at (952) 944-8360.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
He Is Risen!
I wrote this poem last Easter, and posted it on this blog. I thought I'd re-post it today.
He Is Risen!
Have you heard the news?
In the middle of life's chaos
In the wars and rumors of wars
In the hustle and bustle of life on the street
Christ, the Lord, is Risen Today!
Have you heard the news?
In the family crisis
and school crisis
In the workplace struggle
and neighborhood squabble
Christ, the Lord, is Risen Today!
Have you heard the news?
In the homeless' plight
and widow’s tears
In the aged's pain
and the young person's indifference
Christ, the Lord, is Risen Today!
Have you heard the news?
In Hollywood's self absorption
and Bollywood's worldly fortune
In palaces and shantytowns
and everywhere in between
Christ, the Lord, is Risen Today!
Have you heard the news?
In the secret places of your heart
and mine
In the public faces on you and me
Christ, the Lord, is Risen Today!
No scholar or skeptic
No pastor or priest
No celebrity or star
No scientist or Atheist
No billionaire or pauper
No discovery or philosophy
No greed or philanthropy
No government or institution
No TV special or blockbuster movie
No book or periodical
No diversion or distraction
No boy or girl
No man or woman
Can stop the news
Christ, the Lord, is Risen Today!
Christ, the Lord, is Risen Today!
He is Risen, Indeed!
He Is Risen!
Have you heard the news?
In the middle of life's chaos
In the wars and rumors of wars
In the hustle and bustle of life on the street
Christ, the Lord, is Risen Today!
Have you heard the news?
In the family crisis
and school crisis
In the workplace struggle
and neighborhood squabble
Christ, the Lord, is Risen Today!
Have you heard the news?
In the homeless' plight
and widow’s tears
In the aged's pain
and the young person's indifference
Christ, the Lord, is Risen Today!
Have you heard the news?
In Hollywood's self absorption
and Bollywood's worldly fortune
In palaces and shantytowns
and everywhere in between
Christ, the Lord, is Risen Today!
Have you heard the news?
In the secret places of your heart
and mine
In the public faces on you and me
Christ, the Lord, is Risen Today!
No scholar or skeptic
No pastor or priest
No celebrity or star
No scientist or Atheist
No billionaire or pauper
No discovery or philosophy
No greed or philanthropy
No government or institution
No TV special or blockbuster movie
No book or periodical
No diversion or distraction
No boy or girl
No man or woman
Can stop the news
Christ, the Lord, is Risen Today!
Christ, the Lord, is Risen Today!
He is Risen, Indeed!
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Greater Things Have Yet to Come!
I love the song, God of This City. It was originally written by the band, Bluetree. Bluetree is from Belfast, and when you consider the turmoil that Belfast has been under for years, this is a beautiful song. It's also a beautiful song in light of the resurrection. As you celebrate Easter, celebrate the God who makes the truth of this song possible.
Friday, March 21, 2008
The Wooddale Spirit Squad!
Two night's ago, my son, Chris was part of dance presentation, that frankly, blew everyone in attendance away! Here is the video:
2008 Mission Trip Promo Video
Check out this 30-second promotional video for our 2008 Operation Central America and Chicago Urban Mission Trips! I created it at www.animoto.com. It's a great web site that lets you upload pictures and pick music. It automatically generates the video and then lets you export it to Facebook, MySpace, Blogger, etc. This is a great resources for video announcements at church, your youth ministry, etc. Best of all, if you are just doing a 30-second promo video, the service is FREE! Don't you love free stuff?
Monday, March 17, 2008
Holy Week Awe
It's Holy Week.
This week we celebrate Jesus, His love, His sacrifice, His gift, His life. It's a week to look back on the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Many of you marked Palm Sunday, yesterday, by going to church. You either gave or listened to sermons on Christ. At Wooddale we heard about the cross.
Years ago, when I was a child, I asked Jesus Christ to be my Savior on Easter Sunday. So, this week is always special to me. It not only commemorates the week that Jesus gave His life for all; but for me, the week that I gave my life to Him. At a summer camp, several years after that, I listened as Greg Speck, a youth evangelist told a story that helped me understand God's love. I told the story often, until a few years ago someone told me that it never really happened. I was told that it was a made up story, used by evangelists to move a crowd towards a decision for Christ.
Just recently, I have been told that the story that you are about to view on YouTube, did indeed take place. The year was 1937. The father's name was John Griffith and his son's name was Greg. Watch. Be prepared to cry. And, thank God, once again, for His love for you:
"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16
This week we celebrate Jesus, His love, His sacrifice, His gift, His life. It's a week to look back on the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Many of you marked Palm Sunday, yesterday, by going to church. You either gave or listened to sermons on Christ. At Wooddale we heard about the cross.
Years ago, when I was a child, I asked Jesus Christ to be my Savior on Easter Sunday. So, this week is always special to me. It not only commemorates the week that Jesus gave His life for all; but for me, the week that I gave my life to Him. At a summer camp, several years after that, I listened as Greg Speck, a youth evangelist told a story that helped me understand God's love. I told the story often, until a few years ago someone told me that it never really happened. I was told that it was a made up story, used by evangelists to move a crowd towards a decision for Christ.
Just recently, I have been told that the story that you are about to view on YouTube, did indeed take place. The year was 1937. The father's name was John Griffith and his son's name was Greg. Watch. Be prepared to cry. And, thank God, once again, for His love for you:
"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16
Saturday, March 15, 2008
March Madness and Blake Hoffarber
Did you see the play last night?
The University of Minnesota, a heavy underdog against the University of Indiana, was done. I was listening to the game on my radio as I drove back from a church event. The last 30 seconds of the game must have taken up a good six minutes of my ride home. As I sat in the car I listened as announcers talked about how Minnesota had squandered a lead. The announcers couldn't believe the foolish errors that the Gophers had made. With 1.5 seconds left on the clock the announcers were talking about what could have been. And then said something like, "We'll see what Tubby (Smith, the coach of the Gophers) can draw up."
The coach drew a play up, but I'm sure that Tubby couldn't have imagined what would happen next.
Blake "The Minnesota Miracle" Hoffarber did it again. In 2005, while playing for Hopkins High School, Hoffarber helped his team win the State Championship game, by making a shot from the seat of his pants in the closing seconds of the first overtime. Maybe Tubby said something like, "Blake, you did it before. You can do it again. Son, you wanna make ESPN? You had the highlight of the year in 2005! You beat out all of those pro atheletes to get that award. Now, let's do it again! Make the shot! Get the ball to Blake, boys!"
It probably didn't go quite like that, but in case you missed it, here's what happened:
The University of Minnesota, a heavy underdog against the University of Indiana, was done. I was listening to the game on my radio as I drove back from a church event. The last 30 seconds of the game must have taken up a good six minutes of my ride home. As I sat in the car I listened as announcers talked about how Minnesota had squandered a lead. The announcers couldn't believe the foolish errors that the Gophers had made. With 1.5 seconds left on the clock the announcers were talking about what could have been. And then said something like, "We'll see what Tubby (Smith, the coach of the Gophers) can draw up."
The coach drew a play up, but I'm sure that Tubby couldn't have imagined what would happen next.
Blake "The Minnesota Miracle" Hoffarber did it again. In 2005, while playing for Hopkins High School, Hoffarber helped his team win the State Championship game, by making a shot from the seat of his pants in the closing seconds of the first overtime. Maybe Tubby said something like, "Blake, you did it before. You can do it again. Son, you wanna make ESPN? You had the highlight of the year in 2005! You beat out all of those pro atheletes to get that award. Now, let's do it again! Make the shot! Get the ball to Blake, boys!"
It probably didn't go quite like that, but in case you missed it, here's what happened:
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
I Went to the Dentist Today
I went to the dentist today and was fitted for my second crown in a month. While in the chair I was told that the tooth next to my tooth getting the crown would probably also need one. I was also told that I'd need to get a filling on another tooth. Ugh! I hate going to the dentist.
At staff break today I was talking about my dental woes, when another pastor told me about a video that he had seen on the news recently. It was of a politician passionately arguing his point and his teeth falling out. I'm not sure if this is the video, but when I saw this it made me laugh. I'm hoping this will never be me:
At staff break today I was talking about my dental woes, when another pastor told me about a video that he had seen on the news recently. It was of a politician passionately arguing his point and his teeth falling out. I'm not sure if this is the video, but when I saw this it made me laugh. I'm hoping this will never be me:
What Jesus' Desert Temptation Teaches Us
Matthew 4:8-11 - Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor."All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me." Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'" Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
It had been 40 intense days of testing. Jesus must have been starving. He had been without food for 40 days and nights. He was lonely. In the desert without any company but the devil. And, the devil was doing all that he could to tempt God.
In a last ditch attempt to distract Jesus, Satan offers Him the world. Upon showing Christ the kingdoms of the world and their splendor, Satan says, "All this I will give you, if you will bow down and worship me.'
Jesus responds with righteous indignation.
He begins by saying, "Away from me Satan!"
And, in the statement we learn something. Satan has to flee when Christ commands him to. There is no fight left in Satan after Christ defeats him again. Satan thought he had Jesus right where he wanted him. But, Jesus is God. He cannot be tempted. He cannot sin. He cannot fail a test. He is all powerful. And, Satan is not.
Jesus continues His rebuke of Satan by quoting Scripture. He said, "For it is written, 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only'" (Deuteronomy 6:13). And, Christ teaches us another lesson. (He's already taught it twice in the temptation account.) The lesson is that Satan and temptation are defeated with the Word of God. When the tempter comes if we are not equipped with the Word of God, we will fall. My college chancellor was fond of saying, "If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything." I would say that if we don't hold firm to the Word of God, we'll fall for anything.
The final thing I'd like you to notice from this passage is that spiritual warfare is draining. When Satan left, Jesus was attended to by angels. It's one of two places that you'll see that in the New Testament. You also see this happen when Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane. In the Garden, Jesus was under extreme duress. He was actually sweating drops of blood. Modern doctors have speculated that Jesus was probably suffering from a rare and deadly condition brought on by the stress, and that if the angels had not have come and ministered to Him in the Garden that Christ might have actually died there.
I wonder if He was under similar stress here. If, at the beginning of His ministry, he was also close to death. He was, after all, without food for 40 days. He did engage in spiritual battle with the devil. He was isolated. Just as God sent angels to minister to His Son, so God provides strength for us when we go through spiritual battle. In the midst of the storm, it can seem overwhelming. We may feel like we are going to be swallowed up. But, God will bring strength. He will help us through the battle. He will equip you for every good work.
May you be given strength as you walk through your daily life.
Dear God,
Thank You for the example that Jesus set for us here. Thank You that we do not have a Savior who is unfamiliar with temptation and trial. Thank You that You set the example for how to defeat our enemy in a spiritual battle. Help us to be people of prayer and Your Word.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.
It had been 40 intense days of testing. Jesus must have been starving. He had been without food for 40 days and nights. He was lonely. In the desert without any company but the devil. And, the devil was doing all that he could to tempt God.
In a last ditch attempt to distract Jesus, Satan offers Him the world. Upon showing Christ the kingdoms of the world and their splendor, Satan says, "All this I will give you, if you will bow down and worship me.'
Jesus responds with righteous indignation.
He begins by saying, "Away from me Satan!"
And, in the statement we learn something. Satan has to flee when Christ commands him to. There is no fight left in Satan after Christ defeats him again. Satan thought he had Jesus right where he wanted him. But, Jesus is God. He cannot be tempted. He cannot sin. He cannot fail a test. He is all powerful. And, Satan is not.
Jesus continues His rebuke of Satan by quoting Scripture. He said, "For it is written, 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only'" (Deuteronomy 6:13). And, Christ teaches us another lesson. (He's already taught it twice in the temptation account.) The lesson is that Satan and temptation are defeated with the Word of God. When the tempter comes if we are not equipped with the Word of God, we will fall. My college chancellor was fond of saying, "If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything." I would say that if we don't hold firm to the Word of God, we'll fall for anything.
The final thing I'd like you to notice from this passage is that spiritual warfare is draining. When Satan left, Jesus was attended to by angels. It's one of two places that you'll see that in the New Testament. You also see this happen when Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane. In the Garden, Jesus was under extreme duress. He was actually sweating drops of blood. Modern doctors have speculated that Jesus was probably suffering from a rare and deadly condition brought on by the stress, and that if the angels had not have come and ministered to Him in the Garden that Christ might have actually died there.
I wonder if He was under similar stress here. If, at the beginning of His ministry, he was also close to death. He was, after all, without food for 40 days. He did engage in spiritual battle with the devil. He was isolated. Just as God sent angels to minister to His Son, so God provides strength for us when we go through spiritual battle. In the midst of the storm, it can seem overwhelming. We may feel like we are going to be swallowed up. But, God will bring strength. He will help us through the battle. He will equip you for every good work.
May you be given strength as you walk through your daily life.
Dear God,
Thank You for the example that Jesus set for us here. Thank You that we do not have a Savior who is unfamiliar with temptation and trial. Thank You that You set the example for how to defeat our enemy in a spiritual battle. Help us to be people of prayer and Your Word.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.
Sunday, March 09, 2008
The State of Hockey
I live in Minnesota. We're known as The State of Hockey. This weekend's Minnesota State High School Association Boys Hockey Tournament (the state tourney) sold out the Excel Energy Center. That's the same facility that the Minnesota Wild sell out for every home game, and that the Republican National Convention will be at in a few months. Needless to say, Minnesotans are rabid about their hockey.
I was watching the Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Washington Capitals game for a few minutes in my office this afternoon when this ad came on. I'm not sure if it gets a lot of national airplay, but it certainly describes the fans in the state that I've come to love.
Check it out.
I was watching the Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Washington Capitals game for a few minutes in my office this afternoon when this ad came on. I'm not sure if it gets a lot of national airplay, but it certainly describes the fans in the state that I've come to love.
Check it out.
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Deception
Matthew 4:5-7 - Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: "'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"
Deception. That is his character. He has been called the great deceiver, the father of lies, the accuser of the brethren. He is Satan. And, he is real. A 2001 poll.
poll of Christians in the United States revealed incredible ignorance on the part of believers as to the existence of a literal devil. From their findings: "While most of the sample American queried by Barna still affirmed God as the all-powerful Creator, a mere 17 percent of the Catholics, 18 percent Methodists, 20 percent Episcopalians, 21 percent Lutherans, and 22 percent of the Presbyterians told Barna that they thought Satan was real."
It looks like the father of lies has pulled the wool over the eyes of the church. To deny the existence of Satan is to reject the teachings of the Bible, and the very words of Jesus Christ. That is treading on dangerous territory! It makes me wonder if the narrow road that Jesus talked about in Matthew 7:13-14 is being missed by the majority of those claiming to know Christ. Here are Jesus' words from Matthew 7:13-14 ""Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
When Satan attempted to tempt Jesus for a second time in the desert, Jesus responded to Satan's deception with the truth. He told Satan not to put the Lord your God to the test. Are we guilty of that? Do we put God to the test? Do we respond to His benevolent grace by accepting only some of what Christ taught and rejecting those doctrines which seem harsh, too far out there, would cramp our style, or don't sound politically correct? When we do that, we've fallen for Satan's lies. We reject The Truth - God, for the deceiver - Satan. Satan has been deceiving his followers for a long time. He deceived 1/3 of the angels of heaven, before the creation of man. He deceived the first man and woman; Adam and Eve. He has deceived every person who has ever lived on the face of the earth. Every time we choose to sin, we have fallen for Satan's lie that we know better than God.
It's time to follow Christ's example and speak truth to Satan. Don't know how to start? Pick up the Bible. It is the very breath of God. In it's pages you'll find truth. And, just like Jesus, you'll be able to combat Satan's lies, with God's everlasting truth.
Dear God,
Thank You for giving us Your Word. In it's pages are contained wisdom for living. We desire to know You more. We desire to live for You. We desire to honor You. We desire to know and live by Your truth. Help us to recognize the deception that comes our way. And, help us to love those who have continue to chase after the darkness so that they can see You through us.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.
Deception. That is his character. He has been called the great deceiver, the father of lies, the accuser of the brethren. He is Satan. And, he is real. A 2001 poll.
poll of Christians in the United States revealed incredible ignorance on the part of believers as to the existence of a literal devil. From their findings: "While most of the sample American queried by Barna still affirmed God as the all-powerful Creator, a mere 17 percent of the Catholics, 18 percent Methodists, 20 percent Episcopalians, 21 percent Lutherans, and 22 percent of the Presbyterians told Barna that they thought Satan was real."
It looks like the father of lies has pulled the wool over the eyes of the church. To deny the existence of Satan is to reject the teachings of the Bible, and the very words of Jesus Christ. That is treading on dangerous territory! It makes me wonder if the narrow road that Jesus talked about in Matthew 7:13-14 is being missed by the majority of those claiming to know Christ. Here are Jesus' words from Matthew 7:13-14 ""Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
When Satan attempted to tempt Jesus for a second time in the desert, Jesus responded to Satan's deception with the truth. He told Satan not to put the Lord your God to the test. Are we guilty of that? Do we put God to the test? Do we respond to His benevolent grace by accepting only some of what Christ taught and rejecting those doctrines which seem harsh, too far out there, would cramp our style, or don't sound politically correct? When we do that, we've fallen for Satan's lies. We reject The Truth - God, for the deceiver - Satan. Satan has been deceiving his followers for a long time. He deceived 1/3 of the angels of heaven, before the creation of man. He deceived the first man and woman; Adam and Eve. He has deceived every person who has ever lived on the face of the earth. Every time we choose to sin, we have fallen for Satan's lie that we know better than God.
It's time to follow Christ's example and speak truth to Satan. Don't know how to start? Pick up the Bible. It is the very breath of God. In it's pages you'll find truth. And, just like Jesus, you'll be able to combat Satan's lies, with God's everlasting truth.
Dear God,
Thank You for giving us Your Word. In it's pages are contained wisdom for living. We desire to know You more. We desire to live for You. We desire to honor You. We desire to know and live by Your truth. Help us to recognize the deception that comes our way. And, help us to love those who have continue to chase after the darkness so that they can see You through us.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Expelled
I can't wait to see this film. Check out this video. It's well worth your time. Props to Ben Stein for this bold stance.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
What Are You Living On?
Matthew 4:4 - Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"
I thought about calling today's devotional What Are You Living For, but decided that it would be more aptly named, What Are You Living On, because as Jesus' answered Satan, in Matthew 4:4, He addressed a timeless truth.
What is it that sustains you? Is it the bread that you eat? Sure, food is important, and if we don't eat, we die. But, Jesus rebukes Satan's first attempt at tempting Him by saying that man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
The theological imperative is that we cannot live apart from God's will. It is because of God that we have our breath. It is because of God that we have any food. It is because of God that we hope for today and strength for tomorrow. What are you living on? You are living on the words of God. The life giving, life transforming, life sustaining and precious words of God.
It's been awhile since I've written on here. I decided that it was important for me to take a little break from blogging. The last post indicate that I would be blogging on the words of Christ as found throughout the Bible. In these words I find something else interesting too. It's not so much the words as it is in who the words address. Jesus' audience in this verse is Satan. Satan's relationship with Christ goes way back. He was an angel that existed before the creation of man. Did you notice who heard the first words in the book of Matthew that Jesus spoke? Yes, it was John the Baptist, and those gathered at the Lake, but it was also God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. So, in these first two statements that Jesus makes in the New Testament you have present The Father, the Holy Spirit, Satan, Jesus' earthly cousin. In other words, those who knew Christ best, were there. Take away John, and you have those who existed before the creation of man. Take away John and Satan and you have the triune God; the eternally existent Trinity. And that Trinity sustains you. What are you living on? You are living on God. Now, glorify Him with your life.
Dear God,
Our lives are about You. We exist to glorify You. Help us to honor You with our lives. Thank You for allowing us to live another day. May our words bring glory to You.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.
I thought about calling today's devotional What Are You Living For, but decided that it would be more aptly named, What Are You Living On, because as Jesus' answered Satan, in Matthew 4:4, He addressed a timeless truth.
What is it that sustains you? Is it the bread that you eat? Sure, food is important, and if we don't eat, we die. But, Jesus rebukes Satan's first attempt at tempting Him by saying that man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
The theological imperative is that we cannot live apart from God's will. It is because of God that we have our breath. It is because of God that we have any food. It is because of God that we hope for today and strength for tomorrow. What are you living on? You are living on the words of God. The life giving, life transforming, life sustaining and precious words of God.
It's been awhile since I've written on here. I decided that it was important for me to take a little break from blogging. The last post indicate that I would be blogging on the words of Christ as found throughout the Bible. In these words I find something else interesting too. It's not so much the words as it is in who the words address. Jesus' audience in this verse is Satan. Satan's relationship with Christ goes way back. He was an angel that existed before the creation of man. Did you notice who heard the first words in the book of Matthew that Jesus spoke? Yes, it was John the Baptist, and those gathered at the Lake, but it was also God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. So, in these first two statements that Jesus makes in the New Testament you have present The Father, the Holy Spirit, Satan, Jesus' earthly cousin. In other words, those who knew Christ best, were there. Take away John, and you have those who existed before the creation of man. Take away John and Satan and you have the triune God; the eternally existent Trinity. And that Trinity sustains you. What are you living on? You are living on God. Now, glorify Him with your life.
Dear God,
Our lives are about You. We exist to glorify You. Help us to honor You with our lives. Thank You for allowing us to live another day. May our words bring glory to You.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Jesus' First Words in Matthew
Matthew 3:13-17 - "Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, 'I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?' Jesus replied, 'Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.' Then John consented.
As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.'"
Yesterday was the first day that I had not blogged in quite a while. It was kind of nice. My regular blog readers know that for a period of 176 days (I think it was more like 180 due to some time in Guatemala), I blogged through Psalm 119. Those 176 days were sweet times with the Lord. He taught me much about His law and His word. He put within me a desire to read His Word more than I ever have. As I thought what my days might look like after 176 days in one Psalm, I thought, "I'd like to read and blog on each of the recoreded Words that we have that Jesus spoke."
I've spent a good deal of time thinking about how to accomplish this task. In the end, I've decided to read the words of Christ from Matthew-Acts, and then take a look at the few other places we see the words of Jesus of Scripture (Revelation and the Old Testament Christophanies, for example).
Unlike my journey through Psalm 119, these devotional readings will not be commented on verse by verse. Rather, I will try to comment on them in the context of the teaching, many times paragraph by paragraph or story by story.
I'm excited about this next step in my devotional journey, and I'm happy to have so many of you that want to take this journey with me. I thought about trying to make this a chronilogical journey through the teachings of Christ, but there is much dispute about if this is even possible. Those who have tried to figure out the chronology of Jesus' words cannot agree as to when Jesus said all the things that He said. So, I am just going to do this in the order in which they appear in Scripture (saving the Old Testament accounts for last).
So, here we go!
The book of Matthew is a special book. The first Gospel in the New Testament, it was not the first Gospel written. That distincition belongs to the Gospel of Mark, which could also be called the Gospel of Peter, for it was written based upon the Apostle Peter's memories of his time with Christ. Matthew was written to a distinct group of people; the nation of Israel. And, as such, it begins with the genealogy of Jesus through the line of Joseph. Luke's Gospel records the genealogy of Jesus through the line of Mary.
It takes almost three entire chapters before we read the first words of Jesus spoken in this book. Jesus' words as a 12-year-old boy are recorded in Luke 2, so if we were doing a strictly chronilogical approach to this study, Matthew's words would not be the first words that we would choose.
So, what are the words that Matthew records? "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness."
Curious words! The setting? John the Baptist is baptizing in the Jordan River. Large crowds have been following John and listening to his preaching for some time now. John's call? To prepare the way for Jesus. Now, Jesus and John are face-to-face. Jesus had obviously made it known that He wanted to be baptized by John, and John feels unworthy to baptize Jesus, and even suggests that Jesus should baptize him. That's when Jesus responds with the first words of Christ that we see in the New Testament: "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness."
Jesus shows us with His first words that He was about doing that which was proper and right in the eyes of God, the Father. His life brought glory to the Father.
Steve Shepherd, in his message entitled, Why Jesus Came, wrote the following words about this passage:
Obviously, Jesus was not baptized for the same reason we might do it. At Pentecost, Peter told the multitude in Acts 2:38, “"Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Jesus had no sins for which to be forgiven.
I Pet. 2:22 “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.”
Why was Jesus baptized? Jesus answered this question for us.
Matt. 3:15 “Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented.”
Jesus wanted to do everything that was righteous or right in His Father’s eyes. God ordained or authorized John’s baptism so Jesus humbled Himself and submitted to John’s baptism.
Jesus' first recorded words have many implications for us.
1) We need to submit to the will of the Father.
2) Baptism is a good and proper thing for the follower of Chirst.
3) Pursuing the righteousness of God is not just and Old Testament thing. God wants us to continually pursue Him.
If Jesus was about pursuing the will of the Father, so should we. May we learn much from His words.
Dear God,
You amaze me! Sometimes I feel like John. I wonder why You needed to be baptized. You are perfect, without sin, and yet You wanted to be baptized. Help us to understand. Help us to learn. Help us to live, for Your glory!
In Jesus' name,
Amen.
As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.'"
Yesterday was the first day that I had not blogged in quite a while. It was kind of nice. My regular blog readers know that for a period of 176 days (I think it was more like 180 due to some time in Guatemala), I blogged through Psalm 119. Those 176 days were sweet times with the Lord. He taught me much about His law and His word. He put within me a desire to read His Word more than I ever have. As I thought what my days might look like after 176 days in one Psalm, I thought, "I'd like to read and blog on each of the recoreded Words that we have that Jesus spoke."
I've spent a good deal of time thinking about how to accomplish this task. In the end, I've decided to read the words of Christ from Matthew-Acts, and then take a look at the few other places we see the words of Jesus of Scripture (Revelation and the Old Testament Christophanies, for example).
Unlike my journey through Psalm 119, these devotional readings will not be commented on verse by verse. Rather, I will try to comment on them in the context of the teaching, many times paragraph by paragraph or story by story.
I'm excited about this next step in my devotional journey, and I'm happy to have so many of you that want to take this journey with me. I thought about trying to make this a chronilogical journey through the teachings of Christ, but there is much dispute about if this is even possible. Those who have tried to figure out the chronology of Jesus' words cannot agree as to when Jesus said all the things that He said. So, I am just going to do this in the order in which they appear in Scripture (saving the Old Testament accounts for last).
So, here we go!
The book of Matthew is a special book. The first Gospel in the New Testament, it was not the first Gospel written. That distincition belongs to the Gospel of Mark, which could also be called the Gospel of Peter, for it was written based upon the Apostle Peter's memories of his time with Christ. Matthew was written to a distinct group of people; the nation of Israel. And, as such, it begins with the genealogy of Jesus through the line of Joseph. Luke's Gospel records the genealogy of Jesus through the line of Mary.
It takes almost three entire chapters before we read the first words of Jesus spoken in this book. Jesus' words as a 12-year-old boy are recorded in Luke 2, so if we were doing a strictly chronilogical approach to this study, Matthew's words would not be the first words that we would choose.
So, what are the words that Matthew records? "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness."
Curious words! The setting? John the Baptist is baptizing in the Jordan River. Large crowds have been following John and listening to his preaching for some time now. John's call? To prepare the way for Jesus. Now, Jesus and John are face-to-face. Jesus had obviously made it known that He wanted to be baptized by John, and John feels unworthy to baptize Jesus, and even suggests that Jesus should baptize him. That's when Jesus responds with the first words of Christ that we see in the New Testament: "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness."
Jesus shows us with His first words that He was about doing that which was proper and right in the eyes of God, the Father. His life brought glory to the Father.
Steve Shepherd, in his message entitled, Why Jesus Came, wrote the following words about this passage:
Obviously, Jesus was not baptized for the same reason we might do it. At Pentecost, Peter told the multitude in Acts 2:38, “"Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Jesus had no sins for which to be forgiven.
I Pet. 2:22 “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.”
Why was Jesus baptized? Jesus answered this question for us.
Matt. 3:15 “Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented.”
Jesus wanted to do everything that was righteous or right in His Father’s eyes. God ordained or authorized John’s baptism so Jesus humbled Himself and submitted to John’s baptism.
Jesus' first recorded words have many implications for us.
1) We need to submit to the will of the Father.
2) Baptism is a good and proper thing for the follower of Chirst.
3) Pursuing the righteousness of God is not just and Old Testament thing. God wants us to continually pursue Him.
If Jesus was about pursuing the will of the Father, so should we. May we learn much from His words.
Dear God,
You amaze me! Sometimes I feel like John. I wonder why You needed to be baptized. You are perfect, without sin, and yet You wanted to be baptized. Help us to understand. Help us to learn. Help us to live, for Your glory!
In Jesus' name,
Amen.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Quality Posts
Richard Mouw, the President of Fuller Theological Seminary posts on the quality of preaching. It is worth a read. You can find Mouw's unique insight HERE.
Chris Brooks posts on the sad story of 90 Day Jane, a woman planning her own suicide in 90 days. You can read Chris' excellent insight HERE.
There are a couple of nice articles on my new book,
What's The Deal With. . . available HERE and HERE.
Jennifer Schulenburg, my much wiser and smarter younger sister shares her insight on ministry and the high calling of drawing people to the foot of the cross HERE.
Youthworkers can receive a free promo package for the new Naria film, Prince Caspian HERE.
Greg Stier posts on what is worth fighting over in his post, Fight Club For Christians located HERE.
A review of Frank Viola and Geoge Barna's new book, Pagan Christianity, may be found right HERE. The book is a disturbing one, and the review raises some great questions.
So, just what is it that makes a church healthy? Find out many different views HERE.
Oh, and just for fun -- I love baseball, and pitchers and catchers reported earlier this week (at least for my beloved Cubs). So, check out ESPN's Jayson Stark's summary of the offseason that was HERE.
Happy reading!
Chris Brooks posts on the sad story of 90 Day Jane, a woman planning her own suicide in 90 days. You can read Chris' excellent insight HERE.
There are a couple of nice articles on my new book,
What's The Deal With. . . available HERE and HERE.
Jennifer Schulenburg, my much wiser and smarter younger sister shares her insight on ministry and the high calling of drawing people to the foot of the cross HERE.
Youthworkers can receive a free promo package for the new Naria film, Prince Caspian HERE.
Greg Stier posts on what is worth fighting over in his post, Fight Club For Christians located HERE.
A review of Frank Viola and Geoge Barna's new book, Pagan Christianity, may be found right HERE. The book is a disturbing one, and the review raises some great questions.
So, just what is it that makes a church healthy? Find out many different views HERE.
Oh, and just for fun -- I love baseball, and pitchers and catchers reported earlier this week (at least for my beloved Cubs). So, check out ESPN's Jayson Stark's summary of the offseason that was HERE.
Happy reading!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Instructions for a Sheep
Psalm 119:176 - "I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commands."
It's amazing how easy it is for us to stray from that which we know is right. There is not a person who has ever lived, who has not strayed. The prophet Isaiah wrote, "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:6).
As David ends this incredible Psalm, and this 176 day experiment in spiritual renewal comes to an end, we are given hope. Hope that, like a shepherd, God will seek after his lost sheep. God will remember us, as we remember His commands. He loves us. And, like David has reminded us throughout this Psalm, God wants our love. He wants our worship. He wants us to follow His law. He is a jealous God, and his jealousy is a holy jealousy that does not want Satan to win.
So, we've done it. We've come through 176 days of Psalm 119. Have we learned the lessons of this Psalm? Are we willing to live for God? Are we willing to learn His desire for our lives and chase after it? Are we willing to have one pure and holy passion? I hope so. How awesome would it be to see a generation of people rise up and live the life that God has called them to live? How awesome would it be to be a part of the few, the called, the redeemed? Follow the call, and live!
Dear God,
Thank You for Your holy call on our lives to follow You. Help us to continue to walk in Your ways. Thank You for Your patience. Thank You that You choose to use us. You are good and Your love endures forever!
In Jesus' name,
Amen.
It's amazing how easy it is for us to stray from that which we know is right. There is not a person who has ever lived, who has not strayed. The prophet Isaiah wrote, "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:6).
As David ends this incredible Psalm, and this 176 day experiment in spiritual renewal comes to an end, we are given hope. Hope that, like a shepherd, God will seek after his lost sheep. God will remember us, as we remember His commands. He loves us. And, like David has reminded us throughout this Psalm, God wants our love. He wants our worship. He wants us to follow His law. He is a jealous God, and his jealousy is a holy jealousy that does not want Satan to win.
So, we've done it. We've come through 176 days of Psalm 119. Have we learned the lessons of this Psalm? Are we willing to live for God? Are we willing to learn His desire for our lives and chase after it? Are we willing to have one pure and holy passion? I hope so. How awesome would it be to see a generation of people rise up and live the life that God has called them to live? How awesome would it be to be a part of the few, the called, the redeemed? Follow the call, and live!
Dear God,
Thank You for Your holy call on our lives to follow You. Help us to continue to walk in Your ways. Thank You for Your patience. Thank You that You choose to use us. You are good and Your love endures forever!
In Jesus' name,
Amen.
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