In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD.  But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock.  The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor.  So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. Genesis 4:3–5

This is one of the more difficult stories in the Bible and has been the subject of much speculation.  Why does Yahweh God look with favor on Abel’s offering, but not on Cain’s?  We are told, in verse 2, that “Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil.”  It makes sense, then, that Abel would bring a sacrifice from his flocks and Cain would bring a sacrifice from the soil.  So, why is God unhappy with Cain’s offering?

Sometimes we ask questions which God’s Word is not interested in answering.  To us, the most significant question in this passage is “What was wrong with Cain’s offering?”  Now, if God had thought that the inadequate nature of Cain’s offering was important in this passage, He would have told us.  But He didn’t.  What this reveals is that, in spite of our insatiable curiosity with this question, it is not what God is concerned about.

Maybe part of the issue is that we can relate all too well with Cain.  We too wonder if the offerings we bring are pleasing to God.  We wonder if what we are doing for God is acceptable to Him.  In a results oriented world, it is easy to focus on the external.

The tendency to focus on what is not found in this passage points to one of the pitfalls we face in studying God’s Word.  It is so easy to project onto God’s Word our own concerns.  But maybe instead of obsessing over what is not there, we should focus on what is there.  Actually, the passage gives us some pretty strong indications that there is something more going on than the content of Cain’s offering.

First, did you notice how Cain responded to God’s disapproval?  “Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.”  A Godly man may have responded to God’s disfavor, “Lord, please teach me what I need to do to make this right!”  Instead, Cain’s response is one of anger.

Second, in verse 7, God reveals that this is a sin issue, when He asks “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?  But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”  We do not know exactly what it is that Cain has done wrong, but we do know that Cain is allowing desires that are not of God to control his heart and his actions.

Finally, we know that Cain’s response was to murder his brother.  As Jesus makes clear, in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:21-24), the key issue with murder goes beyond the act to the anger which causes it.  In other words, if we harbor anger in our hearts, even though we do not murder, we are still guilty of sin.

So, only by speculation could we divine whether there was a particular issue with the nature of Cain’s sacrifice.  But the passage itself reveals plenty that is askew with Cain including his angry reaction, his giving in to sin and his murderous response.  It would seem, then, that Cain’s heart was the issue.

How like me to focus on the act when the real issue surrounds the heart.  The truth is, I may behave in a “right” manner, but that does not mean that my heart is right.  Time and again, Scripture makes clear that God’s concern is with the heart:        “I the LORD search the heart…” (Jeremiah 17:10); “…He knows the secrets of the heart” (Psalm 44:21); “For the Word of God…judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

Though it may be more expedient to focus on what we say and do, God is more concerned with who we are.  So, let us not neglect to do and say that which brings glory to His name.  But let us also make sure that “the thoughts and attitudes of our hearts” are right before Him.  In this way, we will heed the wisdom of Proverbs 4:23, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”

In Christ, Pastor Dan

“You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”  Psalm 16:11

In my recent sermon on Proverbs 5, we discussed the Bait and Switch tactics inherent in sexual sins.  Though such sins seem attractive, they always result in more pain than pleasure.  Nonetheless, over and over again, we take the bait.

But the truth is that all sin is essentially Bait and Switch.  If you think about it, the serpent’s means of tempting Eve to eat the fruit, “You will be like God,” was nothing more than Bait and Switch.  Someone has said that there is a kernel of truth in every lie.  This was certainly true of the serpent’s words.  For in Genesis 3:22 we read, “And the LORD God said, ‘The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil.’”  In the sense of knowing good and evil, they did become more like God.  But what the serpent portrayed as positive, empowering and beneficial actually resulted in their expulsion from the Garden and from the intimate fellowship they had experienced with their Creator.

In reality, sin always has this very significant consequence—it alienates us from our God.  Even we who have received the “once for all” forgiveness (Heb. 10:10) purchased through Christ’s death on the cross, still alienate ourselves from our God when we choose sin over Him.

It seems a rather stark way to put it, but whenever we choose to embrace sin we are choosing to reject God.  To choose sin is to prefer unrighteous desires over our desire to be in fellowship with our Maker.  But no matter how attractive sin may seem, any pleasure it provides cannot begin to compare with the pleasure we rob ourselves of that is found in relationship with our God.  As the psalmist makes clear above, to choose God is to choose joy in his presence.  He is the source of eternal pleasures.

I don’t think Satan wants us to be aware of this.  I think he would prefer that we not think of God at all in the face of temptation.  It is no mere coincidence that we do not see God’s covenant name, Yahweh, used from the time the serpent begins to speak in Genesis 3 until after this first sin has been committed.  We see Yahweh’s name used just before the serpent’s speech and immediately following the sinful act, but it is as if neither the serpent nor Adam and Eve wanted to acknowledge the existence of Yahweh God in the midst of the temptation and sin.

Why?  Because to choose to embrace sin is, ultimately, to choose to reject God.  It is to embrace a temporary, shallow, and ultimately unfulfilling pleasure over and against the deepest and most meaningful source of pleasure.

Part of the problem is our difficulty in seeing where true pleasure is found.  The path that leads to God so often seems dull and difficult, while “things of this world” look so glossy and attractive.  But it is like choosing wax fruit over the real thing.  The real thing may not look as bright and shiny, but it is so much more nourishing.

Most of us know these things.  We know that God is far better than the short term pleasures sin affords.  So how do we short-circuit this tendency to choose sin over God?

Well, first, we need to see sin for what it really is—a rejection of God.  We need to understand that we are choosing sinful pleasures over the eternal pleasures and joy found in His presence.  To see sin this way is to put it in proper perspective.

Second, and most importantly, we must put God back into the equation in the midst of temptation.  Rather than battling in our minds with God as a by-stander, we should be bringing Him right into the middle of our temptation.  Instead of self-talk in the face of temptation, we need God-talk.  Prayer should be our first response to temptation.  It is communion with Him, above all else, which enables us to withstand temptation.  As we read in Galatians 5:16, “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”

And so, relationship with God is not only our greatest deterrent from sin, it is our most powerful weapon against sin.  May we grow in our relationship with Him so that, in the words of the old hymn, “the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”

In Christ,  Pastor Dan

The Scripture reading with which our church prayer meeting opened last night was Daniel 9.  We were invited to contemplate and model ourselves after this rich prayer of confession Daniel prays on behalf of the nation, Israel.  The prayer begins in verses 4-5:

I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed: “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands, we have sinned and done wrong.  We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws.”

It is difficult to imagine praying such a prayer in modern culture where most view the concept of sin as passé.  And yet, such a prayer is just as needful in our day as it was in Daniel’s day—if not more so.

But do you notice, in the verses above, Daniel’s repeated use of the word “we”?  Rather than a haughty prayer for “those sinners”, Daniel’s prayer humbly acknowledges his own sin.  This prayer is reminiscent of Isaiah, when he prayed, “Woe to me! . . . I am ruined!  For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty” (Isaiah 6:5).  If men of God, like Daniel and Isaiah, need to pray prayers of confession for their own sin, how much more do I?

It was this thought, at the beginning of our prayer meeting, that brought to mind lyrics from an old Steve Camp song, “And it pounds like thunder within my breast / All the anger of my humanness / And though I call You “Lord” I must confess / I’m a stranger to Your holiness.”  I can relate to these confessions of sin and the attendant yearning for holiness.

Ironically, this recognition of personal sin can sometimes become a scapegoat.  In the face of sin, I am tempted to say, “Oops, I did it again,” as if that excuses my sinful behavior.  However, Paul’s words in Romans 6:2, “We died to sin, how can we live in it any longer”, simply will not allow me to rationalize my sin in this way.  How, then, do we respond to continuing patterns of sinful behavior in our lives?  How do we deal with the inner conflict created by the reality of our own sin in view of the Biblical call to holiness?

I am appreciative of insight Gary Thomas provides in this regard in his book Thirsting for God.  He perceptively states, “Most of us want to be rid of longstanding sins in a day.”  In a fast food culture everyone is looking for a quick fix.  But Thomas reveals, “True holiness focuses on drawing near to God.  As the love of God fills our hearts, the desire for sin is cut off and withers.  But this is a process, not an overnight experience.”

Not only does Thomas point to the absence of quick fixes, he also reveals that the source of our victory is not found in will power or elbow grease, but in “drawing near to God.”  This harmonizes with Paul’s argument, in Romans 8, that the power behind victory over sin is the presence of God’s Spirit in our lives.  What we need, in this pursuit of holiness, is not more effort, but more of God.  As Thomas goes on to say:

When we yearn for our Creator “as the deer pants for the water” (Psalm 42:1), when we learn to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30), holiness will be the by-product of our passion.  We cease from sin not simply because we are disciplined, but because we have found something better.

Ultimately, holiness is not about focusing on getting rid of sin, but getting more of God.  It is about learning to walk, more and more, in daily relationship with our Maker.  Truly, such a walk requires discipline, but it is a discipline focused on relationship with God, not human effort.

Brothers and sisters, I pray that in those times when we feel like “strangers” to His holiness, we will not settle for cheap rationalizations or “I think I can” spirituality.  Instead, I pray we will be moved, all the more, to pursue the One who makes men Holy.

Your Fellow Sojourner, Pastor Dan

Recently I have been reading a new book from one of my favorite authors, Gary Thomas.  Actually, it is a new version of the book by which I was introduced to this author in seminary.  Not only was I greatly impacted by this first book, but Gary Thomas’ books have continued to have a positive impact on my life and ministry.  (A number of our members have benefited from his books on Sacred Parenting and Sacred Marriage.)

So, when I saw a revision of this first book, I wasted no time in picking up a copy.  The new title alone was enough to make me want to read it:  Thirsting for God:  Spiritual Refreshment for the Sacred Journey.  Having only just begun this book, I am already both encouraged and challenged.  As a pastor, I am privileged to be able to speak into the lives of our members as I preach God’s Word each Sunday.  However, I recognize that I too need others speaking into my life.  One of the greatest ways this happens is through books like Thirsting for God.

Of course, speaking God’s Word into each other’s lives is not something done only from a sanctuary platform or in a Christian book.  All who are indwelt by the living Christ have the blessed privilege of speaking God’s Word into the lives of others.  In fact, as Gary Thomas argues, such ministry, one to another, is part and parcel of being a follower of Christ.

Thomas makes his case by repeating a powerful question raised a half a century ago, “Are people around you being changed?”  As followers of Jesus Christ, if we are not impacting the people around us, then it should cause us to question our spiritual passion.  He goes on to say:

A person pursuing God, growing in God, and living in the power of the Spirit will see a supernatural influence of God’s power working through her or him.  Obviously, we’re not talking about everyone building a national ministry, and we’re certainly not referring to pastoring a megachurch or starting a television program.  Rather, we can ask ourselves whether God is using us in the course of our daily lives to minister to family members and other individuals.

Sometimes, we can become too self-absorbed in our spirituality.  We go to church to “be blessed.”  But maybe we should go, just as much, to be a blessing.  And such an attitude is not confined to the church—it should be expressed in our families, our workplaces, our world.

The point Thomas makes is that our focus in spirituality needs to go beyond ourselves.  There is so much more to the Christian life than the personal blessings we receive.  Spiritual maturity is about so much more than just getting into heaven.  As Thomas continues:

When our goals reach beyond making it into heaven and we focus instead on ministering and making an impact every day here on earth, maturity matters.  I can be immature and reach heaven.  I’m not sure, however, that I can remain immature and see hell break apart at my feet.  Perhaps occasionally, but not consistently, and not often.  If I am steeped in habitual sin, if I remain a spiritual adolescent, I cannot threaten hell, not while kissing its feet or lusting after its trinkets.

I don’t know about you, but these thoughts are convicting for me.  Sin and spiritual laziness not only harms me, but it detracts from my ability to impact my family, my friends, Christ’s church.

Instead of just making the cut for heaven, our goal should be to make an impact for heaven.  Instead of just avoiding hell, our goal should be to see hell break apart at our feet.  Why?  Because this is the model set for us by our Lord.  Is this not what Jesus called us to in the Sermon on the Mount when he said “You are the salt of the earth” and “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:13,14)?  Then, Jesus gave this simple challenge, “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

Believers, may we burn bright for Christ, so that we can grow stronger in our walk with Him and so that we can be an encouragement to others along the path.

In Christ, Pastor Dan

Since the beginning of Christmas week, I have been reading Charles Swindoll’s, The Church Awakening, which I will be discussing with fellow pastors the first week of the New Year.  I cannot say I have read a lot of Swindoll’s books—however, I have great respect for a pastor who has ministered with integrity for more than four decades.

Swindoll begins his book with an excerpt from the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.  On occasion, Leno interviews people on the street to show how comically ignorant we can be about things that all of us should know.  In this clip, Jay Leno’s topic is the Bible…

Leno asked one person, “Did Adam and Eve have children?”

A woman, after a few seconds of deep thought, said, “No, no, they never had any kids.”

“Name the two brothers, Cain and ____________.”

Absolute blank stare.  Had no idea.  They probably were thinking, Cain and Hurricane, or something like that.  No…she had no answer.

“Okay…what happened to Lot’s wife?”

Zero response.  And then one of the bystanders blurted out, “Who was Lot?”

Little hint:  “She turned into ____________.”

The person said, “An angel.”

Leno turned to someone else.  “Can you name one of the apostles?”

No reply.  He continued, “Okay, then, name the four Beatles.”

Immediate response:  “John, Paul, George and Ringo.”  The crowd cheered.

To say that we live in a Biblically illiterate culture is to put it mildly.  Now, Jay Leno does not necessarily pick the “brightest bulb in the box” for these interviews.  However, even among our brightest, this Biblical illiteracy is a genuine issue.  One simple example is found in the inability of college students to grasp classic literature because the Biblical allusions (which occur often in literature) are lost on them.

Of course, the issue here isn’t the importance of Bible trivia.  I don’t believe Peter will be standing at the pearly gates giving pop quizzes on the Bible to see if people make the cut for entrance into heaven.  However, the truth is, if people are ignorant of the Bible, they are very likely to be ignorant of the God of the Bible.  And even in a nation with a stronger Christian heritage than many, we increasingly find ourselves among folks whose beliefs are more a product of Hollywood values (if you will forgive the oxymoron) than Christian values.

But Swindoll’s book is not about our culture’s need for God’s Word, it is about the need for the people in the church to know God’s Word.  Hence the title—The Church Awakening.  If we would be ambassadors of Christ in this world, if we would be in a position to practice and share Christ’s teaching—then we must know it ourselves.

It is this reality that motivated our less usual approach to telling the Christmas story this year by starting in the book of Genesis and making our way through key Old Testament passages before we arrived at the birth story Christmas morning.  Part of the purpose in this journey was to give us a “big picture” view of the Grand Story God is telling.

As we enter the New Year, the new sermon series in the book of Proverbs should provide a good follow-up to our fall Bible series and our “big picture” approach to advent as we consider the importance of absorbing divine wisdom.  And what is the Bible if not the most significant repository of divine wisdom?

Then, toward the end of January, we will launch the Know Your Bible Seminars, moving from some of the most basic questions about the origin of God’s Word to some of the most profound demonstrations of the supernatural and life-changing nature of the Bible story.

However, church awakening and personal spiritual renewal are most dependent on the daily devotion each of us gives to time in the Word and prayer in the context of a life of love and obedience.  As we kick-off the New Year may the words of Micah 6:8 be our guide…

He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

In Christ, Pastor Dan

I feel it is incumbent upon me, as I write these words within a week of Thanksgiving, to wish you a Happy Valentine’s Day.  I know that some of you may think it rather early to be turning to Valentine’s Day—it is three months away.  However, in view of the fact that a certain number of retailers have moved up the kick-off of the Christmas shopping season to Thanksgiving night, I am thinking that if I don’t get an early start on Valentine’s Day, I might be considered slothful in my well-wishing.

It seems like only a few years ago—actually, it was only a few years ago—that post-Thanksgiving Christmas shopping started at 9am the Friday after Thanksgiving.  Then someone got it in their heads that they could create a greater rush of customers by starting the shopping season first thing in the morning on Black Friday—7am or, even earlier, 6am.  Some retailers who had not anticipated this turn of events soon enough decided that for the next year they would catch their competitors “unawares” by starting at 5am or, even earlier, 4am.  Of course, with such an early start, many customers realized that there wasn’t a good reason to go to bed at all, especially with the felt need to arrive early to get a good place in line.  With doors opening at 4am, getting through the doors at 4:05am would undoubtedly mean that the best bargains would already be gone.

Such thinking, however, paved the way for the next logical deduction:  if no one is going to bed anyway, why not open at midnight.  What a terrific idea.  But before the novelty of such an idea could wear off, some bright-eyed up-and-comer decided that to get a jump on the competition, the stores could actually open ON Thanksgiving Day night.  The obvious problem with opening at night, however, is that the effects of gorging ourselves on turkey and stuffing will mean that many of the best customers will be fighting overwhelming lethargy and heavy eye-lids.  So, some have decided to move the post-Thanksgiving Christmas shopping to the middle of Thanksgiving Day.

Honestly, in a consumerist culture, it is not too surprising that the holiday supposedly set apart to give thanks for all that we have should become supplanted by a seemingly more significant “holy” day set aside for buying all the things we do not have yet.  And we do all of this why?  Oh yeah, because Jesus is the reason for the season.  Really?

Forgive me if I am coming across as a little bit cynical this holiday season.  But it seems to me that our culture’s desire to use Thanksgiving Day to add one more shopping day before Christmas is a stark example of the words the Apostle Paul records in Romans 1:25, “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.”

Our exchanging Thanksgiving, a day set aside to thank our Creator, for yet one more shopping day, seems to me a powerful picture of exchanging the truth of God for a lie by worshipping and serving created things rather than the Creator!  We need Thanksgiving.  We need this one day a year set aside as a holy day to acknowledge that “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17).  And our need to give thanks to God is inestimably greater than our need to get a jump-start on the Christmas shopping season, even if the Black Friday deals seem too good to pass up.

I have an idea.  Rather than seeing Thanksgiving Day as the beginning of the Christmas shopping season, let’s view it as the perfect way to begin to prepare our hearts for the greatest reason to give thanks:  that God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son.  Let Thanksgiving be our reminder of what the advent season is all about, the celebration of the coming of the newborn King.  Let Thanksgiving be a reminder to us of what Christmas is really all about, the birth of our Savior!

O come let us adore Him,

O come let us adore Him,

O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!

In Christ, Pastor Dan

Some people think God does not like to be troubled with our constant asking.  The way to trouble God is not to come at all.

–Dwight L. Moody

I appreciate pastor of yesteryear Dwight Moody’s sentiments here.  Sometimes we can become self-conscious about our prayers.  We wonder whether we are asking too much of God or whether we are forming our prayers “the right way” or whether our concerns are worth bringing to God.  But these questions often miss the more significant truth—God desires our fellowship.

Prayer is to the Christian life what oxygen is to the body.  We can no more thrive spiritually without prayerful communion with God than we can survive physically without food or water or air.  However, the reality is, prayer can be a difficult discipline to make a regular part of our daily lives.  Certainly, some of the questions raised above can be stumbling blocks to time in God’s presence.  But equally significant are busyness and laziness, both of which distract us from carving out the time to be with God.  And that is really Moody’s point above—what troubles God is when we do not come at all.

So, how do we combat such stumbling blocks to time with God?  I can think of no better answer to that question than following our Lord’s example.  Time and again, in the New Testament, we see the picture of Christ, the Son, taking time out of His busy ministry to spend time with the Father.  Few passages put it more simply than Luke 5:16, “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”  Let’s consider three simple lessons Jesus’ example teaches us.

LESSON #1—If Jesus needs prayer, so do we!

You might think that the divine Son of God could get along well on His own.  And yet, Jesus feels the need to prioritize prayer.  And you get the sense that at the heart of His prayer life is the desire for communion with His Father.  When you love someone, it is natural to desire to be with them.  And this is what is modeled for us by our Lord.

Of course, we are not children of God in the same way that Jesus was God’s Son.  We do not share in the divinity of the Godhead.  And yet, when Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, it is significant that He invited them to address God as “our Father.”  God’s Word reveals that we have been adopted as children of God.  “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  And that is what we are!”  (1 John 3:1).  And just as an earthly father desires fellowship with his children, so to the heavenly Father desires fellowship with us.

LESSON #2—We need to withdraw often!

This may be the hardest word of all.  In reality, life is busy.  And what spare time we do have is often easily eaten up by TV, internet, and countless other diversions.  It is not that these things are necessarily bad if done in moderation.  However, what is unhealthy is allowing such things to cause us to shorten or postpone our time with our Father.  If we would follow Christ’s example, withdrawing often, discipline is required.  To prioritize time in God’s presence requires daily discipline, a decision of the will.

Disciplined, daily time in prayer can be difficult at times.  When life is especially busy or hectic, we may not feel like praying.  Eugene Peterson aptly remarks that feelings are often the “scourge of prayer.”  He says that, “To pray by feelings is to be at the mercy of glands and weather and indigestion.  And there is no mercy in any of them.”  The truth is, the days we feel the least moved to prayer are usually the times we need it the most.

LESSON #3—We need time in lonely places

I don’t know about you, but I am sometimes hard pressed to find lonely places.  Growing up in the country, on twenty acres, it was not hard for me to find a place where I could “holler” as loud as I wanted and no one would care.  For most of us, these days, finding lonely places requires a little more intentionality.  But whether it is the back yard, finding a quiet room or taking a walk, we need time to be alone with God.

Prayer is not always easy.  However, there are few things more important in the life of the Christian and, as Moody says, few things more important to our God.  May we take our cue from our Lord and make regular time set apart to be alone with God a daily priority in our lives.

In Him,

Pastor Dan

I wonder what most of us think of when we think about Heaven.  Do visions of Cherubim dance in our heads?  Maybe we see a picture of the pearly gates?  Or maybe, in the words of one author, we see it as “just a harp and crown trip.”

In truth, I am not sure any harps will be handed out—as fond as I am of stringed instruments.  And I am not even sure we will be wearing jewel-laden crowns.  Frankly, wearing a crown for eternity sounds like a headache.

So, what does Peter mean when he speaks of a crown of glory that will never fade away?  For that matter, what does Paul mean when he speaks of “a crown that will last forever,” “the victor’s crown,” and “the crown of righteousness” (1 Cor 9:25; 2 Tim 2:5, 4:8)?  Crown, at its core, has to do with exaltation (Eze 21:26).  And in terms of the Christian’s heavenly reward, crown is most often associated with being exalted by God.

This concept may be difficult for us to grasp.  For in the ultimate sense, God is the only one worthy of exaltation.  And yet, Scripture speaks of our exaltation.  As we read in 1 Peter 5:6, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”  And this idea did not originate with Peter.  Jesus declares, “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:11).

Jesus gets at the heart of the matter.  The problem is that our natural bent is to self-exaltation.  That is at the core of the sin nature.  Even in the Garden, was this not what motivated our parents to eat of the forbidden fruit?  How does the serpent tempt Eve?  “You will be like God” (Gen 3:5).  It is the thought reflected in atheist Ayn Rand’s book Anthem, “I am done with the monster of ‘We,’ the word of serfdom, of plunder, of misery, falsehood and shame.  And now I see the face of god, and I raise this god over the god who will grant them joy and peace and pride.  This god, this one word: ‘I.’”  We might not put it in such a crass way, but is this not the god of our age:  self-exaltation?  Even from infancy, we want to be first, we want to be preferred, we want to exalt ourselves.  And nothing changes through childhood, adolescence and adulthood.  As adults, we may learn to be a little more subtle in our self-exaltation.  But no matter how you repackage it, it is the same old thing.

But Jesus shows us a different way.  He doesn’t merely teach us a different way—He shows us a different way.  Jesus models the way of selflessness, self-sacrifice, and submission to the will of the Father (See Phil 2:5-11).  Why?  Why would the God of all creation humble Himself and become obedient to death—even death on a cross?!?

The answer is simple—Jesus sought his exaltation not from the world but from the Heavenly Father.  Jesus recognized worldly exaltation as fickle, shallow, superficial.  He died so that we might live in obedience to the will of the Father—He lived for future glory.

Oh how I need to learn from Jesus to keep my focus on future glory.  It is so much easier to seek my own exaltation through the enjoyment of things, through recognition from man, through self-centeredness.  But God’s Word keeps calling me back.  God’s Word keeps redirecting my focus.  God’s Word keeps reminding me that there is something so much greater than all of these things—His future glory.

And it is future glory that Peter so desperately wants believers to keep their focus on.  Peter, who learned firsthand of the calamities which result from taking our eyes off of Jesus, challenges us to keep our eyes on Jesus and the future glory we will experience in Him.  He wants us to be reminded of “the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Pet 1:5).  Especially in the face of trials he says, “But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed” (1 Peter 4:13).  And he concludes his book with this future-focused benediction, “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast” (1 Pet 5:10).

Believers, we are bombarded with countless reasons each and every day to take our eyes off of Jesus and His future glory.  We are surrounded by things of this world which seek to distract and detract from eternity.  But we have the powerful Word of God, the empowering Holy Spirit, and the life-giving Son calling and enabling us to live for God’s eternal kingdom.

Let us keep our eyes on the Chief Shepherd, keep our focus on His appearing and live our lives for the crown of glory that will never fade away.

Pastor Dan

Without a doubt, one of the most helpful inventions the automobile industry has given us is cruise control.  It not only makes long trips less laborious, it also helps to keep speed in check.

But cruise control can also have a negative effect by allowing us to become less engaged.  I remember hearing a story, some years ago, about a van full of migrant workers driving on a California interstate who wrecked when they left the wheel unattended thinking that cruise control would allow the van to drive itself.  I am hard pressed to believe the story is true.

However, it is reflective of a truism in the spiritual realm.  Sometimes we are tempted to put our spiritual growth on cruise control, opening the door for experiencing a spiritual wreck.  A person can lead what seems to be a thoroughly Christian life, without really being spiritually engaged.  It is possible to attend church each week, to go to Bible study, to participate in ministry, and even to prioritize daily devotions, without really engaging our minds with God.  You could call it Cruise Control Christianity.

I was personally convicted of this reality, in my own life, when I read Hebrews 12:1 recently.  I confess that I am occasionally tempted to just go through the motions.  Sometimes these temptations are the results of spiritual apathy—I just don’t “feel” like living for God.  Other times these temptations come about as a defense mechanism against other people—“fine, if you don’t like the way I do it, find someone else.”  And then there are times when I am tempted to go through the motions because I am too caught up in my own agenda, or sinful behaviors, or selfish desires.

Then I read Hebrews 12:1.  What a powerful verse.  What an inspiring verse.  What an antidote to the temptation to live life on cruise control.  First, it reminds us of the many believers who have gone before us who have provided examples of living life in faithfulness to God.  The Scriptures are filled with phenomenal examples of faith, from Joseph and Rahab in the Old Testament, to Paul and Peter in the New Testament.  We see in these examples not perfect people, but people who were seekers after God’s own heart.

After reminding us of our many great role models of faith, the verse challenges us to throw off those things which hinder us spiritually, especially the entanglements of sin.  How I have seen, in my own life, the way that sin and worldly things can bog me down in the race of life or even divert me onto destructive paths.  It makes me think of The Pilgrim’s Progress in which John Bunyan paints the Christian life as a journey.  There are so many distractions and temptations to knock us off the path.  By God’s Spirit and in obedience to God’s Word, we must get rid of such things.

And the verse concludes with a call to perseverance.  This is a tough one.  At times, life’s challenges can tempt us to just chuck it all.  Every night’s news seems to have a story about someone who has chucked it all in a very destructive way.  But for many of us, this temptation is much more subtle.  Certainly, it may express itself in quitting or blowing off things that are important.  Or, sometimes, it may mean keeping up appearances but without desire, passion, heart.

To persevere, however, especially in the context of the metaphor of running, is to refuse to simply go through the motions.  It is to be actively engaged, to move forward with purpose, to refuse to put our lives on cruise control.  In spiritual growth, it means that daily devotions (prayer and time in the Word) are not done so that we can check them off the list, but with a genuine desire to be transformed more into the image of Christ.  In personal ministry, it means that we do not serve Christ’s people or our neighbors out of a sense of obligation, but with a purposeful desire to further Christ’s kingdom and bring glory to Him.  Even in our down time, perseverance in the race means that we do not judge the use of our time solely by what pleases us, but that we run everything through the grid of that which is pleasing to our God (Rom. 14:17-19; Eph. 5:10-11).  Ultimately, a life that is not on cruise control is one that is lived intentionally for Christ and His Kingdom.  May we live our lives in this manner, to the glory of our God.

Pastor Dan

First, let me say this—I have read the book.  At first blush, you might think that this is prerequisite to blogging about a book.  Interestingly, though, the most controversial reactions to Bell’s book came from folks who had not even read it.  In part, it was this reality that motivated me, along with the pastors I join for a very informal “book club”, to actually read the book.

Second, for most believers, I do not believe the book is worth reading.  I say this not because of Bell’s theology, but because of the lack thereof.  Even a reviewer who tends to be sympathetic with people who push the theological envelope wrote, “Rob Bell’s book left too many questions unanswered about too many topics to carry the discussion forward”.³ Bell is intentionally vague and fuzzy in his assertions, which was his way of saying that evangelical Christians should be less dogmatic.  But his gross lack of theological precision, intentional or not, is too inconclusive to add anything to this debate.

Third, in spite of my disagreement with Bell’s fuzzy statements about heaven and hell, I do find myself sympathetic with his argument that evangelical Christians are often too dogmatic.  Case in point:  I attended a conference not too long ago where a Calvinist preacher clearly questioned the “save-ability” of Arminian Christians.  This sort of rhetoric does not belong in the church of Jesus Christ.  So, to some extent, I agree with Bell’s assertion that we need to back off of the inflammatory, pejorative language when referring to fellow believers with differing convictions on secondary issues.  As well, we need to give less weight to the dogma of our theological traditions and more weight to Scripture.

However, in spite of the fact that I get what Bell was trying to do in this book, I cannot endorse his faux-universalist publicity stunt, nor his willingness to make it seem as though God’s Word has nothing clear to say about hell.  Such theological vacillation can only result in misleading his readers.  One clear example of such misleading was revealed in an MSNBC interview he took part in.  The interviewer repeatedly stated his interpretation that Love Wins asserts a universalist position (that all people are eventually saved).  This in spite of the fact that Bell repeatedly denied that he is a universalist.  But to no avail.  Bell’s vague and fuzzy language was so effective that he had sold this journalist on his faux-universalism, in spite of Bell’s insistence otherwise.

This reveals a negative result of wielding a double-edged sword—it often cuts both ways.  Bell wants to entice an inclusivistic culture to embrace Christianity by acting as if we can fudge on the biblical reality of hell and the importance of faith in Christ before death.  But he also wants to retain, or at least put forward, fidelity to God’s Word.  The truth is, as the MSNBC reporter so curtly communicated, you cannot have it both ways.  Either you embrace Christ’s message, “I am the way and the truth and the life, no one comes to the father except through me” (John 14:6, NIV84), in stark opposition to our culture’s inclusivism, or you set aside God’s Word as archaic and embrace universalism.

Does it matter what we believe about Jesus?   I will leave you to draw your own conclusion as I end my blog with a few words from the authority on this subject, Jesus Christ.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”  John 3:16–18, NIV84

Pastor Dan

1 Regent College Professor Emeritus of Spiritual Theology
2 Pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church
3 Scot McKnight in Relevant Magazine

            Why can I not be content with the Sunday morning comics?  Doesn’t another great piece of wisdom literature reveal, “A happy heart makes the face cheerful” (Proverbs 15:13).  And I confess I am currently finding much enjoyment from Dorothy Sayers’ detective stories written in the early 1920s.  Comics and good fiction—this is the kind of reading which makes my heart happy.

            However, time and again, I find myself getting sucked into books which challenge, convict, and call me to be a more fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ.  I think of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s, The Cost of Discipleship; A.W. Tozer’s, The Pursuit of God; and Jerry Bridges’, The Pursuit of Holiness.  These are the kind of books that do exactly what any good prophetic preacher should do, “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.”  However, though I know they are good for me, sometimes such writings can be tough to swallow.  No matter how good my vegetables might be for me, somehow it is always the sweets and snacks that catch my eye (and my taste buds). 

            Of course, there is nothing wrong with sweets and snacks in moderation, but if our diet does not include a regular intake of healthier options our systems will not function well.  And the same is true with our “literary” consumption.  Magazines, comics and fiction are fine in moderation, but at the center of a healthy diet is the Word of God and books which help us to live it out. 

            I am thinking, today, of just such a book which I have only begun reading entitled Radical:  Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream by David Platt.  Books like this really should come with some sort of warning.  Warning:  Reading this book may result in conviction and severe discomfort!!!  Obviously, the title alone is enough to make a sane person break out in hives.  But consider what the author writes about our tendency to redefine Christianity:

And this is where we need to pause.  Because we are starting to redefine Christianity.  We are giving in to the dangerous temptation to take the Jesus of the Bible and twist him into a version of Jesus we are more comfortable with.
A nice, middle-class, American Jesus.  A Jesus who doesn’t mind materialism and who would never call us to give away everything we have.  A Jesus who would not expect us to forsake our closest relationships so that he receives all our affection.  A Jesus who is fine with nominal devotion that does not infringe on our comforts, because, after all, he loves us just the way we are.  A Jesus who wants us to be balanced, who wants us to avoid dangerous extremes, and who, for that matter, wants us to avoid danger altogether.  A Jesus who brings us comfort and prosperity as we live out our Christian spin on the American dream. 

Do you see what I mean by convicting? 

            However, as tough as books like this may be, as difficult as they may be to swallow, I know I need them.  I know I need men and women of God using the Word of God for “teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” in my life (2 Timothy 3:16).  Sure, it might be easier to only take in media which entertains or tells me what I want to hear.  But I am thankful for the Godly individuals who call me to something greater than myself, who call me to a more authentic relationship with my Creator, who call me to learn to love sacrificially.  And so, I guess I will keep reading those books, in spite of their tendency to convict, and be thankful that I have a God who is not finished with me yet.

                                                                                    Pastor Dan

Click to hear Pastor Dan’s recent sermon on Prophetic Preaching

            Now, in her defense, I am guessing that my remark came off a bit flippantly.  And in the big scheme of things, I know that God’s central concern at that moment was not about getting me to the next round.  And, when all is said and done, I came home with no awards. 

            However, it does raise a question—“Does God care about our joys and sorrows, our successes and failures, even if they are in areas that do not have ultimate significance?” 

            I have recently been reading Gary Thomas’ book Pure Pleasure.  And in the chapter I read this morning, “Enjoying the Earth without Loving the World” Thomas poses the same question I raise above.  And he quotes from a number of great passages which touch upon this topic, one of which is James 1:17, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” 

            Is it?  Is every good and perfect gift from above?  I believe it is.  In fact, God’s Word is filled with references to His innumerable gifts.  It is God’s nature to give (Matt 7:11).  As Christians, I believe we need a greater awareness of the Source of the gifts we enjoy every day.  God offers more than a get out of hell free card.  He invites us to enjoy Him in and through His creation.  Thomas writes:

God isn’t merely our Redeemer…he is also our Creator.  He made us, and he made this world.  So when we participate in this world as he made it, we celebrate him….  In fact, we insult him when we deny the glory of his creativity.  When we speak of God only as Savior, we use him as a rescuer—but he is much more than that!  He invites us to truly enjoy him and all that he has made, no longer using God merely to enjoy the world (as he sets us free from addictions, helps us to reclaim our finances, restores our health), but also using the world to enjoy God.

That is a different concept—using the world to enjoy God.  I sense that for many of us this happens somewhat naturally when it comes to His more spectacular gifts.  When we see the beauty of a sunset sky silhouetting the Olympics, it is actually difficult not to give glory to God. 

            But we do not have to wait for a spectacular sunset.  Truly, we can experience pure pleasure as we use the simple blessings of daily life to enjoy Him.  Again, it is seeing every good and perfect gift as coming from His hand and living in gratitude for these gifts. 

            Of course, the temptation we are susceptible to is allowing the enjoyment of things to cause us to forget the source of all good things.  Deuteronomy 8:11-14 warns the people of Israel, after entering the promised land, about the possibility of becoming proud and forgetting God “when you eat and are satisfied, when you build find houses and settle down.”  Instead, what they need to do is allow the enjoyment of the good things God provides to remind them of His provision.  As we read in Deuteronomy 8:7-9, “For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing.”  Truly, it is God who is the source of even our simplest blessings. 

            As we enter into Spring and this time of warmer weather, sunnier skies, and blooming flowers, may we learn, more and more, to enjoy the giver of every good gift.  May we be a people characterized by gratefulness and joy because we serve such a gracious Heavenly Father.  And may we be faithful to share these gifts and this joy with those around us. 

In Christ, Pastor Dan

            Jesus tells a parable which is recorded for us in the book of Luke that is all about a man who fancied himself as quite the success: 

The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, “What shall I do?  I have no place to store my crops.”  Then he said, “This is what I’ll do.  I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.  And I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.’”  Luke 12:16-19

This man was successful.  In today’s lingo, we might say that his business had a banner year.  So he took all the proceeds and sunk them into the acquisition of more wealth.  With what goal?  To “take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”  Why, isn’t that the American dream? 

            However, in Christ’s parable, the dream turns into a nightmare.  For when it came time to meet his maker, all of his wealth did him no good.  And, to the contrary, he was found to be a man who had invested much in the things of this world, but little in eternal things: 

But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?”  This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.  Luke 12:16-21

He was successful in the things that really didn’t matter.  Or to put it another way, he climbed to the top of the ladder of success, only to find it was leaning against the wrong wall.

            The temptation to succeed in the wrong things is all around us.  Certainly, we can all relate to the appeal of being able to say to ourselves, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years.”  According to American culture, having a healthy retirement that will enable us to experience a relaxed and pleasurable conclusion to our life on planet earth is one of the grandest hopes a person could have.  Is this not the very definition of success?

            Of course, the problem with this perspective is that it is focused only on life on planet earth.  The question is—Do we believe that there is more to life than this life?  Do we believe, as the Scriptures reveal, that life eternal makes our time on this earth seem like just one small pixel on the 70 inch flat screen of our lives?  Do we believe that God measures success not on how much pleasure we produce for ourselves, but on how faithfully we loved Him, how zealously we sought to bring the joy of the gospel to people in our sphere of influence and around the world, and how diligent we were to sow God’s Word into the lives of those we came into contact with on a daily basis?  In other words, were we light and salt on this earth?  Did we point people to Jesus in our words and deeds?  Did we bring glory to the name of God as we fulfilled the greatest command, “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength”?

            If you are like me, you need these reminders again and again and again.  Thankfully, God inspires men and women to repeat this message time and again through various mediums and in different places.  The book in which I found the quote with which I begin this article is actually a tremendous example of such a reminder, Francis Chan’s Crazy Love.  It is a book all about experiencing success in the things that count.  It is a relatively easy read, length-wise.  But it is anything but easy in terms of the message.  Don’t let the title fool you.  This book packs a punch.  Having said this, it is kind of like eating your greens—though it may not taste sweet going down, it provides lots of the nutrients we need to grow. 

            Of course, learning to enjoy God’s blessings while prioritizing God’s kingdom, is not easy to do.  Thankfully, we have the transformative Word of God and the indwelling Spirit of God continually working in us to shape us into the likeness of our Father God.  May we keep growing to reflect our God more and more in all that we are, say and do. 

                                                                                    In Christ, Pastor Dan

 Note:  Crazy Love is now available to borrow from the RBC library.

            It may come as a surprise to you that Sunday, February 13^th has been set aside as the National Day of Purity.  This little holiday is a very recent invention.

            However, I believe it is a great idea to recognize this day, especially in such close proximity to Valentine’s Day.  For we know that the best romance is romance done God’s way.  And God’s way is the way of sexual purity.  I want to take advantage of the opportunity to give some practical encouragement and helps on this timely topic. 

            There are many Scriptures which speak to the importance of purity, but one of the best and most concise is Hebrews 13:4, “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.” 

            In a world where things like co-habitation, adultery, homosexuality and the dating culture have blurred Biblical teachings on love and marriage, Hebrews 13:4 provides a very basic, powerful statement for God-honoring purity.  This verse covers purity within marriage, by speaking of judgment for the adulterer, and purity outside of marriage, by speaking of God’s judgment on the sexually immoral.  Basically, “sexually immoral” renders the Greek word “pornos” which covers any kind of sexual activity outside of the confines of marriage (including homosexuality, pre-marital sex and pornography). 

            What does it mean to keep the marriage bed pure?  Well, it begins with purity of the mind.  How are you doing when it comes to guarding that which you allow to enter your mind?  We are inundated with so much garbage through media these days.  And as they say, garbage in, garbage out.  But purity means being careful about what television or movies we consume.  Just because a new show looks really good does not mean that it is good for us.  It also means having safeguards when it comes to the web.  There are some basic rules that help to keep families safe on the web including…
#1  Use a web filter (e.g., Hedgebuilders and Bsecure)
#2  Keep your computer in a public area in your home, especially when it comes to kids 
#3  If you have ever struggled with pornography, find accountability partners 
I cannot emphasize the importance of accountability enough.  (See the resources listed at the end of this blog). 

            Keeping the marriage bed pure, however, goes beyond the mind to romance and marriage.  So much of our culture militates again purity previous to marriage, especially in the dating culture of our youth and single adults.  But we must not assume that just because our culture does it a certain way, it is the best way.  I firmly believe that God’s way is the best way, and that God’s way would discourage the dating scene so common even among young teens.  A great resource for youth or single adults to read in this regard is Josh Harris’ I Kissed Dating Goodbye.  Another one I recommend is Choosing God's Best: Wisdom for Lifelong Romance by Dr. Don Raunikar.  Personally, I am a strong believer in the value of courtship and emphasizing group dates.  We do well to avoid unhealthy amounts of intimate time together between those who are not ready for the marriage commitment, the place where romantic intimacy is meant to be enjoyed.

            Regardless, when it comes to romance and marriage, whether you are a parent, a youth or a single adult, do not assume that purity will happen automatically.  In our world today, purity requires intentionality and, sometimes, it means sacrificing personal wants and practicing self-control.  But, as I already mentioned, I firmly believe that this way is the best way because it is God’s way.  Your thoughts?

Resources:

Every Man’s Battle and Every Young Man’s Battle by Arterburn and Stoeker; Every Woman’s Battle and Every Young Woman’s Battle by Ethridge; I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Harris; Choosing God's Best: Wisdom for Lifelong Romance by Dr. Raunikar 

For parents:  Logged On and Tuned Out by Courtney; Against the Tide by LaHaye; Preparing Your Son for Every Man's Battle by Arterburn and Stoeker.

            When you think of the book of Daniel, what do you think of?  Daniel in the Lion’s Den!  Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego!  Or for those of you who, like me, have had young children who cherished Veggietales, maybe you think of Rack, Shack and Benny (and “The Bunny!”).

            The first half of Daniel is filled with these great, familiar stories with clear, powerful lessons.  However, if you haven’t read Daniel in a while, you might be surprised to learn that the second half of the book is filled with prophecies and visions that are not quite as straightforward producing differing opinions even among those who hold in common a high regard for Scripture as the Word of God. 

            For people who are really into eschatology (the study of the end times) Daniel provides for exciting reading.  But for those of us who are not quite as enamored by the endless debates, one might wonder whether all of Daniel is worth reading.  Can the average Christian get anything out of the second half of Daniel without turning to a commentary or Bible study notes? 

            I believe the answer is yes.  In fact, I believe that, sometimes, study notes and commentaries can lead us away from the most important truths God means for us to learn in His Word.  For example, the king referred to at the beginning of this article, who exalts himself over God in Daniel 11, can arouse many questions not answered directly by the text:  Who is this king?  When will (or did) he reign?  Is this the Antichrist?  These are not bad questions.  However, the message of this passage is understandable regardless of how you answer those questions—namely, what we read in the last verse of Daniel 11, “Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.”  In other words, this ungodly king, no matter how great he thinks he is, will not escape death.

            This passage reflects a truth communicated throughout the book of Daniel—that there will be times, on earth, when men will rule in opposition to God, when God’s people will be persecuted, and when things will look awfully bleak.  But in spite of all this, God is still on His throne and will eventually put everything right.  Even the most arrogant and powerful of rulers will eventually come to their end.

            What meaning does this have for you and me?  Tremendous meaning!  Certainly, it gives us hope in the face of life’s more significant trials, knowing that no matter what we face, God will eventually put everything right.  But I also believe that we need to apply this principle to the more mundane, daily concerns we face.  How easily I get caught up in the small things of life:  a rude driver, disrespect from a family member, a disagreement with a co-worker, or feeling slighted at church.  How much of my time is spent wrapped up in thinking on such things which consume much time, yet produce little fruit. 

            For example, after a recent haircut I presented a gift card with just enough left to pay for it.  The lady tried running the card, but could not do so due to the magnetic strip.  Then, she tried entering the number on the card by hand.  But after 3 or 4 tries, she gave up and told me that there must be nothing left on the card.  Now, I always keep receipts with gift cards so I know how much remains.  And I was fairly certain that this card still had money left on it.  After much frustration, I finally asked if there was someone else who could help.  Right away, another employee came up, entered the card’s number, and on his first try was able to bring up my correct card balance and finish the transaction. 

            In hindsight, I am glad I persisted and was able to use the card.  However, I wish I had not allowed myself to get so frustrated over it.  I wish my hope in God’s eternal kingdom would have translated into a calmer spirit in the face of such an insignificant concern. 

            Too often, I unthinkingly allow such small things to distract me from the more important things in life.  But as a follower of Christ, I must learn to number my “days aright” (Psalm 90:12).  I need God to continually expand my view of life according to His eternal kingdom so that I do not allow little frustrations to rob me of joy, peace or opportunities to reflect God’s grace.  As one author adeptly puts it, “Don’t sweat the small stuff.”  May we all increasingly embrace a greater awareness of the temporary nature of life on planet earth and the eternal nature of God’s kingdom and live each day accordingly.

                                                                        In Christ, Pastor Dan

            I am reminded of a small group study I led as an intern while attending seminary.  We used Henry Blackaby’s Experiencing God for our curriculum.  What a tremendous study this was.  And though the popularity of this study has faded as new curriculums have come along, the basic message still resonates quite powerfully, because it is based on Scripture.  In a nutshell, Blackaby’s message was that, as believers, we need to find out where God is working, then join Him.  Is this not the example Christ gave us in John 5:19?  “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.”  Our more natural tendency is to ask God to come alongside us and bless what we are doing.  But Blackaby argues that it should be the other way around.  We must seek to join God in what He is doing.  In other words, it is not about man’s plans, purposes and programs, but God’s plans, purposes and programs. 

            There are two significant implications of this principle that are even now being worked out in our body.  The first of these “outworkings” is found in our hiring for a new staff position, and the second in a ministry direction our leaders are considering.

            First, we have sensed God’s blessing on Joshua Williamson’s internship with our church.  This has been evident not only in our conversations as elders, but also in feedback we have received from various individuals in our body.  As a result, though this was not part of our original plan, we decided to create a 30 hour a week associate pastor position enabling the Williamsons to continue as part of our body.  This direction was only affirmed by the positive comments at our meeting Sunday, December 19^th, with the result that the elders decided to call Joshua to take this new position. 

            Starting January 1^st, Joshua will transition from pastoral intern to associate pastor.  Joshua will continue as he has been with a number of his current ministries:  Silver Eagles, Youth Discipleship/Leadership Development, Men’s Fellowship and Connect Sunday School.  However, he will increase his involvement in three areas:  Preaching (six times a year), Regular Pastoral Duties and Community Ministry (monthly instead of quarterly).  This last one, centered around community outreach, is an area that we have particularly seen God leading in our body and is a reflection of our desire to join Him in what He is doing in 2011. 

             The second area where we desire to join God in what we see Him doing has to do with an emphasis in our ministry.  During my sabbatical this summer I read a book entitled, The Trellis and the Vine.  The basic gist of this book is that, in the church, we need to focus less on the trellis, the framework and structures that help keep ministry going, and more on the vine, making and nurturing disciples of Christ.  In the church, it is very easy for trellis work (i.e., buildings, programs, committees) to overshadow the more important work of tending the vine. 

            Over the next month, our elders and pastors will be reading this book in preparation for our annual elder retreat the last weekend of January.  At this retreat, we will discuss what we have read and consider how we are doing, as a church, at tending the vine.  Overall, this annual retreat is our chance to stop and ask, specifically, what it is that God is doing and how He wants to use us in the coming year. 

            In view of this upcoming retreat, I want to invite you to consider praying for our elders/pastors on a daily basis during the month of January.  Specifically, would you pray for God’s leading as we read this book?  As well, would you pray that God would grant us wisdom to see where He is working in our body so that we might know how best to join Him in what He is doing in 2011?  Finally, would you pray that God would lead us as we seek to lead the members of Renton Bible Church to more faithfully accomplish His Kingdom purposes?

            In 2011, may we continue to grow in seeking God’s leading in our lives and in the life of our church and may we do our part in becoming and making more fully devoted disciples of Jesus Christ.

                                                                                In Christ, Pastor Dan

            I know, I know, snow definitely has it's down side.  For example, the many who were stuck in traffic countless hours on the commute home from work this week definitely have a strong case against snow! 

            It reminds me of a trip we had to take ten years ago in Minnesota.  Debb's parents had flown in to visit us from San Diego.  So, we had to make what is usually a three hour drive from Marshall, Minnesota to the big city, Minneapolis, to pick them up.  The report on the news had said, "blowing snow."  We had only just moved there, so we didn't think much of that forecast. 

            As we drove through town visibility was 100% and the roads were clear.  However, the moment we got outside of town, it was white out conditions.  It was as if someone flipped on a switch that unleashed a continual barrage of snow.  Or, should I say, it was as if someone turned the light switch off.  For, truly, we could not see more than ten feet in front of us.  It was like a blizzard.  Snow was blowing non-stop across the flat landscape.  We were driving 30 miles an hour for most of that trip.  Needless to say, it was a long, white-knuckle drive to the big city.

            So, I can certainly say that there are times when snow is less appreciated.  And, to be honest, as much as I loved the snow in Minnesota, I am not sure I would choose to live in a climate again where there is snow on the ground 5 months out of the year. 

            However, months on end with snow on the ground isn't an issue in the Pacific Northwest-snow usually only lasts a matter of days here.  And unless I have a special trip planned, driving is not much of an issue for me.  My commute to work is just a little over a mile and it is flat!  (This is why I am able to be writing this article at the office on the morning after our huge snow event.)

            The point is, on a personal level, I love snow.  More than anything, I love the beauty of a freshly falling snow.  I love to see big flakes gently floating down to the surface of the earth.  I love to see everything covered in white.  There is something magical about snow. 

            There is also something Biblical about snow.  Snow is not a topic that shows up often in Scripture, but in a few places where we do find snow, it is used to paint a very powerful picture.  I cannot help but think of Psalm 51.  You may recall that this is the Psalm David wrote after getting caught in his adultery with Bathsheba. 

            Nathan, the prophet, came to David and exposed his sin for what it was.  As a result, David writes Psalm 51:1-3, "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.  Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.  For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me."  And a few verses later David writes, "Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow" (Psalm 51:7).  There are a few things David makes clear here.  First, he acknowledges his sinfulness and need for cleansing.  Second, he wholeheartedly believes in God's ability to cleanse him of his sin.  He knows that if God washes him, he will be whiter than snow.  God's cleansing is all he needs. 

            As believers, we learn a few important lessons from David here.  First, we are reminded that sin is serious and needs to be dealt with.  The fact that we live in a culture which questions whether or not sin even exists makes the seriousness of sin more difficult to grasp.  But no matter what our culture says, sin is real.  And, as David points out in this Psalm, sin is serious because all sin is ultimately against our Creator. 

            Secondly, David points to the fact that the heinous nature of sin is only matched by the unconquerable power of grace.  God washes away sin utterly and completely.  It isn't merely that God has washed away our sin, past tense.  It is that God washes away our sin, present tense.  When we turn to Him in genuine repentance, there is a genuine washing that takes place.  We are not merely washed white as snow.  We are washed whiter than snow. 

            The devil is referred to as the "accuser of the brethren" (Revelation 12:10) for good reason.  He wants us to feel unforgiven and unworthy to come before our God.  But the Word makes absolutely clear that Christ's sacrifice for sin is absolute.  There is power in the blood.  For this reason, there is no sin stain that is beyond the cleansing power of Christ's redemption. 

            As we enter this season with snow, may we remember why it is that the Christ-child was born on Christmas Day.  May we be ever aware of the seriousness of sin, but equally aware of the power of Christ's sacrifice to cleanse us from it.  As we read in Isaiah 1:18:

"Come now, let us reason together," says the Lord. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool."

                                                                  In Christ, Pastor Dan

            Of course, Daniel understood this very well, in view of the fact that he was living in a foreign kingdom that was pagan to the core.  And yet, Daniel was able to live his faith authentically, even in the face of severe persecution.  Think Daniel in the lion's den-and all because he prayed to God.

            That event is in the first half of the book.  The second half of the book is largely filled with prophecy.  People are often scared by prophecy because they don't know what all of the strange imagery means.  Others may simply read the notes in a study Bible to get the "answers."  However, for our inductive Bible study, the rule is that we cannot read any study notes or commentaries until we have first read the passage (observation) and have written down our interpretation.  Actually, I prefer this method because I believe that much of prophecy is better read not by being able to attach historical meanings to the strange imagery, but by understanding the themes of the passage.

            Let me give a specific and very timely example.  In Daniel 7, Daniel describes a dream he has about four very strange beasts.  Consider the description of the third beast, "After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard.  And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird.  This beast had four heads, and it was given authority to rule" Daniel 7:6.  Talk about a strange image!  The passage leads us to believe that this beast represents a ruler / national power.  But who or what does it represent?  At this point, you might be tempted to read a commentary.

            However, if you read this verse in the context of the passage as a whole, you find that more important than trying to pinpoint the historical figures these beasts might represent, is understanding the basic message.  What is that message?  Simply, there will be a time when rulers who do not honor God will be in power.  In fact, they may even persecute God's people and attack the Christian faith.  However, God knows and He is still working out His great plan.  And in the end, we are promised that every power which stands in opposition to God will be destroyed and God's people will be rescued and blessed.  Consider what we read in the conclusion of Daniel 7, verse 27, "Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High.  His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him."  These promises are so unlike the reality we see around us.  Even in our supposedly Christian nation, more and more legislation is passed that stands in stark opposition to God's Word.  But isn't this just what we are promised in Daniel-times when world leaders will use their rule in opposition to God's will and God's people?  However, it is so good to be reminded of what the end of the story is-our triumph.  We will receive the Kingdom which will never be destroyed.

            May God help us to genuinely live in view of this reality.  May God help us to look to the everlasting Kingdom of the living God, not the temporary kingdoms of man.  May God help us not to despair in the face of temporary losses, but to glory in our Eternal Reward.  May God help us not to be filled with anger over injustices, but to hope in the day when He will make everything right and to share that hope with our world.  Amen!

                                                                        Pastor Dan

      You may recall that King David offered to build God a temple.  But God told David that it would be his son, Solomon, who would actually carry out this great feat.  From the description in 1 Kings, the dedication of the temple was an incredible event.  Israel was gathered together as the Ark of the Covenant was brought to this newly completed temple.  And amid this great celebration, King Solomon gave a prayer of dedication.

      It is King Solomon's prayer that was especially moving to me.  And I would like to share with you just a few verses from that prayer: 

May the Lord our God be with us as he was with our fathers; may he never leave us nor forsake us.  May he turn our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep the commands, decrees and regulations he gave our fathers. _{1 Kings 8:57-58}

The first part of this prayer is focused on God's faithfulness.  In essence, Solomon is reminding God's people of the promise He made to them in Deuteronomy 31:8, "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."  We so easily become discouraged in the face of trials.  But we have a God who is bigger than any trial we face.

      The larger issue is the one indicated in the second of these verses-our tendency to turn away from God.  I have often said, when we sin or choose to live our lives by our own wisdom and rule, it is not God who turns away from us, but we who turn away from Him.  How appropriate, then, that Solomon would pray that God would turn our hearts to Him.  Each and every one of us would do well to pray these verses at the beginning of each day.

      But what occurred to me as I read this prayer was just how especially applicable it is to Christ's church.  Specifically, I felt it a tremendously appropriate prayer for our church here toward the beginning of a new school year and season of ministry.

      Just as the people of Israel needed God to be present with them thousands of years ago, so to we need His presence to be with us today.  It makes me think of what Moses prayed after the golden calf incident, "Then Moses said to him, 'If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here'" (Exodus 33:15).  Sad to say, it is all too possible for a church to function, and even prosper, without the presence of God.  But we agree with Moses that if God is not with us, then no matter how successful we may seem, we are wasting our time. 

      And so, as a church, let us join Solomon in his prayer that God will keep turning our hearts toward His.  Let us pray that God will lead so that our teachings and our lifestyles may reflect what He has taught us in His Word.  Let us pray...

Lord, be near to your people at Renton Bible Church.  We need your presence.  This is your house of worship-may it be your dwelling place.  Please do not forsake us.  Never leave us to our own devices.  We need you.  And though our hearts are prone to wander, turn our hearts toward you.  Help us to keep the commands and teachings of your Word.  Help us to be authentic followers of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

At the beginning of this new season of ministry and as we continue throughout this year, may we be faithful to regularly dedicate ourselves and our church to God in prayer. 

In Him,

Pastor Dan

      The recent Missions Fest Seattle pastors' and wives banquet was just such an event.  Now, it just so happens, this year, that Debb and I were the only pastoral couple at our table.  Nonetheless, we did enjoy fellowship with missions-minded leaders from Antioch Bible Church and Northshore Baptist Church.  It is always beautiful to me how virtual strangers from diverse backgrounds can experience an instantaneous sense of "family" when they come together as brothers and sisters in Christ.  In a small way, that is what happened as we shared our lives with each other over dinner. 

      In an even larger way, however, I know that the Missions Fest event, itself, on Oct. 8^th and 9^th, will again remind me just how rich and diverse is the body of Christ.  I know I will once again be encouraged and challenged by the diversity of ministries and missions all over the world where God is using people like you and me to draw other people to Himself. 

      The truth is that we need events, like these, to help remind us that God's work is so much larger than my personal wants and needs.  For so much that fills my day to day will eventually fade away, but there is a Kingdom that the Bible says will never fade away.  In fact, Daniel 7:18 encourages us with these words, "But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever-yes, for ever and ever."  The "in-your-face" nature of our world often hinders us from seeing life from God's perspective.  But events like Missions Fest, not only because of the diversity of believers involved, but because of the nature of their Kingdom focus, help us to grasp a glimpse of God's greater work. 

      I think the same way about the upcoming Josh McDowell event, "A Skeptic's Quest."  This one is a little closer to home, in that it will be held at the Showare center in Kent.  Nonetheless, like Missions Fest Seattle, both the partnership of many different churches and the emphasis on sharing the Good News will remind me, yet again, of the greatness of God's Kingdom work in our world.

      Of course, not all such glimpses are entirely encouraging.  For I also think of my recent reading of September's "Church Around the World" bulletin insert.  It is difficult to hear about believers in North Korea being executed or placed in prison labor camps simply for being caught with a Bible.  It is hard to think of believers dying in Eritrean military prisons because of continuous torture and solitary confinement.  It is unthinkable to hear of Afghan parliament members calling for the execution of those who have embraced faith in Christ.  And yet, in spite of such painful realities, it is good for me to be aware of and pray for my brothers and sisters in Christ around the world who are facing very real persecution for their faith.

      From Missions Fest to Josh McDowell to the Church Around the World, we are given opportunities not only to remember the greatness of God's on-going Kingdom work on planet earth, but to participate in it!!!  May we pray, may we attend, and may we invite others for the sake of the eternal Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In Christ, Pastor Dan

      I have reflected on a handful of the 26 books I have read over the course of these eight blogs.  I thought it appropriate, however, to consider John Piper's Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ in this final blog, not only because many at Renton Bible were reading this book with me, but because this book's focus was at the heart of my sabbatical.       

      In the first chapter, entitled, "Seeing and Savoring the Glory of God:  The Ultimate Aim of Jesus Christ," Piper powerfully asserts that Christ's ultimate aim revolves around enabling us to embrace the reality of the glory of God.  He supports this thought with a quote from Christ's beautiful prayer on our behalf, "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world" John 17:24.  Piper asserts that at the heart of Christ's incarnation is His desire for you and me to embrace the glory of God as our life purpose.  Which leads me to the following great passage found in the first chapter:

The point is this:  We were made to know and treasure the glory of God above all things; and when we trade that treasure for images, everything is disordered.  The Sun of God's glory was made to shine at the center of the solar system of our soul.  And when it does, all the planets of our life are held in their proper orbit.  But when the sun is displaced, everything flies apart.  The healing of the soul begins by restoring the glory of God to its flaming, all-attracting place at the center.

Though I did not understand it at the beginning of this sabbatical, it is now plain to me that at the heart of God's purpose in this time of rest and reflection was that I might re-center "the glory of God to its flaming, all attracting place" in my life. 

      The truth is that so much of our world militates against keeping God's glory in the center.  We are so easily distracted by the busyness of this world.  However, in response to our need, the world tells us to go deeper inside of ourselves.  But as Piper goes on to say, the notion that the answers will be found "in self" is ludicrous:

We are all starved for the glory of God, not self.  No one goes to the Grand Canyon to increase self-esteem.  Why do we go?  Because there is greater healing for the soul in beholding splendor than there is in beholding self.  Indeed, what could be more ludicrous in a vast and glorious universe like this than a human being, on the speck called earth, standing in front of a mirror trying to find significance in his own self-image?  It is a great sadness that this is the gospel of the modern world.

For my sabbatical, it was not the Grand Canyon, but Yosemite Valley.  Nonetheless, the point is still the same.  Beholding the splendor of God's creation moves me not to contemplate self, but to embrace the greatness of the glory of the Creator.  And what people need today is not a greater focus on self, but a greater embrace of the glory of our God.  And, beyond the shadow of a doubt, it is this "greater embrace" which is one of the most powerful outcomes of this sabbatical.  I look forward to picking up this very theme as I return to the pulpit on Sunday, August 22^nd. 

      At the conclusion of this sabbatical I feel compelled to say thank you to Renton Bible Church for allowing me the privilege of this time for sabbath rest.  And I give thanks, most of all, to our God for leading me to this sabbatical and for using it for my renewal both as a disciple of Jesus Christ and as a minister of His Gospel. 

Gratefully, Pastor Dan

      Tonight I was perusing a photo album Debbie has created which includes a few pictures and captions from all of the camping trips our family has made dating back to the beginning of our time here in the state of Washington (2003).  As a father, seeing the faces of my children who are now twice the size they were when the book began evokes within me an overwhelming sentimentality.  It is amazing just how much seven years can change our children.  And it is equally amazing to think just how much change seven more years will bring.  Life is strange.

      I must confess, this sabbatical has produced a number of "life is strange" moments for me.  Just a few weeks ago I was worshipping in the church I grew up in-Canby Christian Church.  And just a few days ago, we took our kids and our nephew, Dawson, to a swimming hole in Canby, Oregon I used to enjoy as a kid.  Except for the nicely graveled parking lot that has replaced the makeshift parking on the side of the road, it is just about the same as when I was young.  But it is strange to think how much my life has changed since those summer days so long ago.

      Other "life is strange" moments which hit me on this trip include driving past the same spot just north of Roseburg, Oregon where my sister, my brother, and I survived an accident in which the car we were in rolled countless times.  Talk about divine protection.  Then there was driving through the little city of Cambria, California where Debb and I honeymooned almost 18 years ago.  One look at the wedding photo in my office reveals just how much I have changed.

      All of these "life is strange" moments have had an effect on me.  And the timing of these moments, during my sabbatical following more than seven years of ministry at Renton Bible Church, only serves to heighten the significance of these little moments.  Debb mentioned that, as of a few weeks ago, we have now lived in Renton longer than we have lived in any other place as a married couple. 

      Of course, the strangeness of life is not only a reality to be seen from our individual lives.  It is also a powerful reality when one looks at how different life has been over the course of history.  The most recent book I have been reading is entitled The History of Christian Thought.  It traces Christian history from one of the first disciples following the apostolic era, Justin Martyr, to today.  Talk about "life is strange."  How odd it is to imagine some of the different eras Christ's followers have been through-from persecution in early Rome, to the schism between Rome and Constantinople in the middle ages, to the powerful re-awakening of a Gospel-centered faith during the reformation. 

      However, no matter how different life may seem, whether looking over the centuries of world history, or simply looking over the years of my life, some things remain the same.  And one significant thing which remains unchanged is what life is all about:  loving and serving God, loving and serving those who are made in His image, and living a life that brings glory to His name and makes an eternal impact for His kingdom.  Though my sabbatical has meant many things to me, one of the most significant results has been a refocused sense of why I am here, personally, and why I am called to pastoral ministry.  This was made even more clear this past week as Debb and I were given time to contemplate such truths at Shepherd's Rest, a pastoral retreat home in Battle Ground, Washington.  What a gift this time was.  As I shared with the other pastoral couples, my prayer is now for God's leading in the conclusion of this sabbatical that I may know how best to share these life lessons with our body.  I look forward to seeing how God will lead in the conclusion of this sabbatical and as I begin to re-engage in ministry in just one week.  

In Him, Pastor Dan

      Regardless, even with one quarter of our sabbatical still to go, I can already say that God has used this time in my life in ways I could not have even imagined.  I really didn't comprehend how much and in what ways I needed this sabbatical.  Certainly, I felt it was a good thing, an important thing, in my life, for my family, and for our church.  But I really didn't see just how significant it would be.

      Below is my prayer journal entry from a few nights ago.  I share this entry with you, my personal prayer to God, so that you might catch a glimpse of just how much God has used this time of sabbatical in my life...

7-26-10

Train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

1 Timothy 4:7b-8

Dear God,

      How I need this teaching in my life.  How I need to be reminded time and again.  How I need your help to become the man you have called me to be.

      God, help me to train myself to be godly.  Help me to do my part in this.  I know that you are faithful to do your part.  I know that when I turn to you, you strengthen, lead, bless, work.  I know your Holy Spirit dwells within me.  "For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose" (Philippians 2:13).  O God, work in me.

      There is no doubt in my mind, O Lord, that this time of sabbatical has been of you.  You, O Lord, prepared this time for me.  And as unlikely as it may have been that a small church would be able to support such a time as this-you brought it about.  And as unlikely as it may have been that we would have an intern who could do a great job of filling in-you brought it about.  But, Father, you knew what I needed.  And you knew what my wife needed.  And you knew what my family needed.  And you are faithful.

      As I face just a few more weeks of sabbath rest and renewal, I pray that you will continue to work.  I pray that you will continue to work in me, in my family, in our church.  Amen.