Let This Mind Be In You

Some of the questions that I have heard being asked so much more often over the last few years are things like: What do you think he means by that? What do you think she is thinking? Without coming out and voicing it, we have been asking ourselves what kind of agenda people have for the things they say and do. I'm certainly not immune from this either, as I've been repeatedly questioned as to whether or not it is my place to voice my opinion over anything from the direction that our group is taking to the price of eggs. Truly, none of us are really excluded from this examination.

You see, an agenda is a sticky thing indeed. We question peoples intentions, and I won't say that we haven't had good reason, but it has started to get out of hand as of late. It's becoming harder and harder to accept anything at face value anymore, and that is a sad thing indeed. The reasons that having an agenda is detrimental is that if anyone has one, then it's theirs and you can be pretty sure that any personal agenda deviates in some way from God's agenda. How can we operate under the leading of the Lord when we continue to insist on leading ourselves? This my friends is a sure sign of one thing: Rebellion.

Much of our questioning each other boils down to trust. It has become increasingly difficult for us to trust each other as fully as we once did because we have become a people that are not as trustworthy as we have been in the past. The reason we wonder about each other's intentions is that there have been some who have given us ample reason to question and called them out on their words and actions.

I'm not the first to notice this or even comment on this condition, however I believe that I am among the first to suggest this particular solution for it though. I've heard some say that we need to start trusting each other again, and especially begin to trust and rely on our ministry again in the way that we once did. I disagree with this as the way to regain what we've lost. Instead, it is my opinion that we must become worthy of that trust and do whatever it takes to regain that trust. Trust and respect are earned, not given, and a broken trust takes longer to rebuild than it did to establish initially. Even if it is only a perceived infraction that causes a breakdown it trust, once a trust has been lost it can't simply be recovered with a directive to trust again.

Before we can become trustworthy again though, we must give up our own agendas and leave them firmly behind us, buried in a forgotten past. Instead of operating this way, we must become willing to be used by God. I'm reminded of the chorus that we sing at church, though it's been a while since I've heard it.

Jesus use me, Lord please don't refuse me,

Surely there's a work that I can do.

And even though it's humble, Lord help my will to crumble,

Though the cost be great, I'll work for you.

In order for us to be used, we must recognize what our place really is. Brothers and Sisters, we are merely here to be used for the work of the Lord in any way that He sees fit. Not all of us are pastors or apostles, but all of us have gifts and all of us can be useful. Some of us might sit quietly most of the time, waiting a time when He will have a role for us to fill, but if we are ready and willing to be used, when our time comes, He will use us.

I've written recently about what Jesus would have us do, but in this case I think it's just as appropriate to ask what Jesus would do in this situation. Paul tells us to have the same mindset as Jesus (Phil 2:5). Let's take a look at just how Jesus thought because there is one record of Jesus dealing with an issue similar to the one that we are dealing with (Heb 4:15). In the garden of Gethsemane, in prayer Jesus asked God to take this cup away from Him. He did not want to suffer the way that He knew He would, and yet, in the same sentence, without pause He added, "nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done" (Luke 22:42). Paul says that He took upon Him the form of a servant and that He humbled himself and became obedient (Phil 2:7, 8).

Can we not learn from this example? Christ Himself became humble below His true station and became obedient though His obedience conflicted with His desires as a man. If He could do this when He was everything, how can I not when I am nothing? Let us lay aside our agendas, our own will, and instead, in everything that we do, endeavor to be used by God, agents of His will.

Even though it's humble, Lord help my will to crumble, though the cost be great, I'll work for You. Let that be our anthem as we stride forward into a new realization of working within the order that God has laid out for us.

Emergency Post

I want to draw a theme for much of what I'm going to write from Prov. 16:25. There is so much depth to this scripture, and yet I don't believe that we delve into it as much as we should.

There is a way that seems right to a man. A cursory examination of this scripture might lead one to assume that it refers to a man who is out in sin, doing whatever he want to do, but I wonder if there isn't more for us in this scripture than that. With further study it becomes evident that this man is not just reveling in sin either because of ignorance of a better way or simply because of the self gratification of a hedonistic lifestyle. "Seems right" stands out to me, and denotes that this man is trying to do the right thing; his intentions are good. He wants to do the right thing and is doing his best to determine what that is.

The problem that is described in this scripture is that this man is relying on himself to determine what is right. This scripture is describing humanism in its basest form and the arrogance that goes along with it. It is dealing with that ever so natural and universal thought: "I'm right". It is dealing with the condition of leaving God out of our lives and not recognizing His authority over us and His plan for us.

If people lived in total isolation from everyone else, this would be a minor problem at worst. However, add just one other person to the mix and the result is something formidable indeed: an opposing view. I don't care what it is over, opposing views will eventually lead to only one thing: a confrontation. Put it another way, if you have two people, you are going to have differences of opinion, and those opinions will eventually lead to a disagreement. This my friends is something I like to call human nature.

The reason we don't see more fighting than we do is because in an effort to grow beyond our own capacities, we've learned to suppress this just a bit, and have instead chosen cooperation and mutual understanding. However, all too often beneath all of our high-minded ways still lies the thought, "but I'm still right."

The arrogance that accompanies the thought "I'm right" can be summed up with the counterpart of that thought, which is "I couldn't be wrong". Arrogance is at the heart of what this scripture is dealing with, and it is arrogance that I will address today in this post. If I were to take this scripture, and rephrase it, this is how I'd do it. "When you're sure your right, you can be sure you're wrong, dead wrong."

If you are at all informed about the workings of our group then my title is probably not a mystery to you, but for those of you who are not, allow me to inform you. An emergency ministers meeting has been called in one month in Little Rock and the purpose of this meeting is a dire one indeed. It is the intention of some to determine who can be a part of the Body of Christ. If this issue wasn't such a controversial and divisive one, the thought that some element in our ministry actually believes that they are qualified to make this decision would be almost laughable (1 Cor 12:18).

Just a quick side bar right here. I've heard from some that the people today do not want to submit to the authority that God has placed in the church and that is the root of all of the problems that we are experiencing. There is an element of truth in this statement, but to state that this is the whole story couldn't be more wrong. There is another variable that needs to be factored into this problem, namely ministers overstepping their authority (1 Pet 5:3). Some of what we are seeing is a rebellious factor, but if you ignore the impact that just a few ministers who have overestimated their authority can have on a group of people, you are being somewhat naive. I say that with no doubt in my heart there still remain among us those who want to submit to a proper God-given authority. Some of the hesitancy to do so however can be explained by the perception of problems at the leadership level in our group, either corporately or in some cases locally. When there is so much turmoil and confusion, how can you not expect people to be somewhat unsure as what to do or who to trust? But I digress.

At this meeting it is the intention of some to attempt to purify our group from some of it's more liberal elements and yet the simple fact of the matter remains that no person or group of persons has the authority to determine who is or is not a part of the Body of Jesus Christ. God has amalgamated our varied elements into one special whole and His body is not the work of any one man or group of men (1 Cor 12:24). We need to wake up to the fact that we are not called to complete uniformity but instead that there are meant to be differences among us. Is the purpose of this meeting not in direct opposition to 1 Cor 12:23? Instead of distancing or disfellowshipping or whatever you want to call it, we should be seeing to the care of one another, lest there be schism (1 Cor 12:25)?

Schism, that is not a nice word, and yet it is a very real possible outcome of this "Emergency Meeting". Let me be very direct with what I am about to say. No minister has the ability to remove another from the Body of Jesus Christ, however based upon their own actions they are completely capable of removing themselves. What can happen is for a minister to be so sure that they are right that they will stray out from under the covering of the Lord. There is a way that seems right unto a man. Might this not be what is really happening here? Self-righteousness and arrogance creating such a surety of action that on their own a minister or group of ministers will head off in their own direction, trying to pull as many as they can out from under the pillar of God, only to wander aimlessly in the wilderness? I wonder.

I wonder if in fifty years my decendents won't be able to look back at this time as the time when a significant portion of our group got out from under the covering of the Lord? What will our posterity say of us? Will they say that this people was a stiff-necked and rebellious people or will they be able to say that we narrowly averted a split at this time? Will they say of us that those among us who sought to sow discord among the brethren held more sway than those among us who sought the fullness of Christ through the unity of the faith (Prov 6:19, Eph 4:13)?

Don't be fooled, right now we are headed at high speed for a split in this group and if we don't alter our course by changing our attitudes, there will be schism. It completely mystifies me that the very same people who seemingly espouse a greater unity for our group also wish to divide it (James 3:11). I ask myself, how can this be and I'm am left with only one conclusion. Those people who wish to do this are operating outside of the order of the Lord.

How can we avoid this? Paul answered this very question in 1 Cor 12:31, in the last half of this final verse of this chapter. Paul states "And yet I show you a more excellent way". This one sentence should really be the first verse of 1 Cor 13 because it serves as an often ignored preamble to this chapter whose theme is love. Charity my friends is the answer to the problems that our group is experiencing and the only alternative to a very probably split. Unfortunately, it is charity that we are sorely lacking right now, and not just within the ministry, at every level. Charity will not fail us, and yet I despair that we will be able to see it (1 Cor 13:8).

I leave you with a question and my hope. What will our leadership choose? A way that seems right unto them, or a more excellent way? Although I pray for the latter, I cannot say that I expect it. However, I will continue to hold out hope that we will forsake our own ways and will instead humble ourselves, pray for forgiveness and seek the face of the Lord. This way my friends and no other way will we see healing in our group (2 Chr 7:14).

Extended Family Just Around The Corner

I recently came in contact with a pastor of a small church in Saint Claire Shores while trying to sell some stuff on Craigslist. We stood around talking for a while and he told me about the church that he pastors and we started feeling each other out regarding beliefs and such. I'm not sure why initial meetings like this always seem to start with quizzing each other on doctrinal stance, but this instance didn't deviate from the norm. Long story short, I told him that I'd be getting back in touch with him soon and that I'd be inviting him to one of our services that didn't interfere with his own. This was near the end of May.

Well, a few weeks ago, I called Bro. John up and invited him to service, and he came to our Sunday night service the first Sunday this June. It was a good service, and Bro. John spoke briefly, and I'm sure felt welcome. I would be totally remiss if I didn't mention the way this man can play the piano. It was wonderful. Several people mentioned to me that he seemed to fit in very well, and I agree, just like dealing with home people.

I went out for some coffee with Bro. John after the service and we sat down and had a good discussion for a couple hours. We talked about the futures of each of our churches and how we could positively effect our churches. He also told me his own testimony, which I hope he tells at my own church one day, so I won't repeat it here. It was an excellent night, and I gave him my promise that I would visit his church as soon as I had a chance.

This last Sunday I had an opening in my schedule and I visited his church right after our own morning service. I find it more than a little bit ironic just how simple it is to get from my own church to his. Turn left out of the church parking lot, head east about 10 miles, it's on the right. I arrived only ten minutes before the beginning of the service and as I arrived, Bro. John met me at the door and welcomed me in. I sat down and several of the folks in the church came over and introduced themselves and they all made me feel very welcome. I was very much impressed by the people there and their outgoing friendliness. The only person who was late I found out later was late because he was witnessing to people, trying to bring them along to church with him.

The service was very good. The people there were all involved with their worship and the Spirit of the Lord was evident in their midst. I have to admit, I've only heard maybe half of their songs before, but I sang along and so did everyone else. I was asked to say a few words and I spoke on Psalms 34:1-3 for maybe five minutes, partially because it is a passage that I have been trying to implement in my own life more, but because this church exemplified Psalms 34:3 so well.

Bro. John preached an excellent message out of the book of Ruth and drew some interesting points out of it that I'm not sure I've ever really thought about before. He also spoke about Jesus healing the daughter of the woman from Caanan, and his thoughts here were very good also. I particularly liked the references that he made to bread in both passages and overall the message was very encouraging.

After service, I stayed around just a bit and spoke with several people. They all invited me to come back soon and told me they were glad I had visited. Also, I spoke with Bro. John and his parents and it turns out that they had attended a wedding at one time at our old 8 mile church, and that Bro. John's sister is a graduate of TCA, which both myself and my wife are as well.

I don't know exactly what will come of the seeds that Bro. John and I have sown, but my hope is that a mutually beneficial relationship between our two churches is forthcoming. I'm looking forward to visiting his church again soon, and having him visit ours as well. As I said when I spoke at his church the other day, it's always a blessing to meet new brothers and sisters in the Lord, especially when they are practically in your back yard.

It Shall Quicken Your Mortal Bodies

I have to admit that in this post I'm speculating, but I think that there might just be something to this speculation. I'd be interested in your opinions and experiences as well and I encourage any of you who would like to share to do so in the comments.

The question that I'd like to address is "What kind of physiological effect does the Holy Spirit have on our energy level?" I want to take a closer look at Romans 8:11 and get a better understanding of what Paul was saying here. Does the Holy Spirit effect us physically?

I've always considered the effect that the Holy Spirit has on us more psychological and not physiological, but now I question that. Sure, our psychology can have an effect on our physiology, I don't deny that. When we are depressed, that is often accompanied by lethargy and the opposite is also true, but I there isn't more of a direct effect and less of a psychosomatic effect.

I notice that Paul often speaks of the physical effects of the Spirit. He referrs to our mortal bodies in Romans, and when he is speaking to the Philippians, he says that he can do all things through Christ and to me that denotes action, not just how we feel or what we say (Phil 4:13). He told the Corinthians that the kingdom of God is more than just words and he Paul told the Ephesians that God has set his power working in us (1 Cor 4:20, Eph 3:20).

Why is it necessary for us to divorce the spiritual from the physical anyway? This strikes me as resembling Platonism and not proper Christian teaching. To go to far with separating the spiritual from the physical can lead to a poor understanding of doctrine. God created us as an amalgamated being and not separate parts.

One final thought, we very often seek for physical healing but hardly ever for spiritual healing. Is healing the exception, the only area where God physically effects us or is there something to physical blessings in other areas too? What do you think? Is there something else that I need to consider?

The Five Phases of Forgiveness

Seeking forgiveness is an integral part of our lives. It is important not only to the person who was hurt, but also to the person who did the hurting. Obtaining forgiveness can be hard though, and yet it is the path that we need to take to undo the hurt that we have caused.

1. Recognition. In order to be forgiven, the first thing that we must do is recognize that we have sinned (Rom 3:23). It all begins with the ability to be completely honest with ourselves. Sure, we realize that we all have issues, things that we need to correct, however it must be more than just a platitude when we take introspection seriously and identify the sin that lies within us. Nosce te ipsum! Know thyself! The path to being forgiven begins with the recognition that we need to be forgiven (John 3:17). Only this way can we begin to mend what is broken within ourselves.

2. Confession. It is said that confession is good for the soul. In our first step we have in essence confessed our sins to ourselves, however there is more to be done. We need to approach the person whom we have injured and apologize to them. In this step we reveal the sin that we have committed, making it apparent. This tears down the edifices that we have built upon that sin such as excuses, justification and deceit. Only when the underlying sin is laid bare can it be addressed.

3. Excision. When we stand in need of forgiveness, it is because we have sinned against someone. We will never deserve to be forgiven if we do not correct our error. We have to address the root of our offense and correct it, or we have not stopped offending yet. Confession can play a part in excision too as confessing your sin to an authority figure or perhaps a good friend who will hold you accountable will help you stay away from the sin that you have committed. Sometimes this can simply mean avoiding the sin in the future (I Thess 5:22).

4. Consequences. Paul said "Whatever a man sows he shall also reap" (Gal 6:7). There will always be consequences for the sin we commit even after we have recognized, confessed and excised that sin. Yes the wage of sin has been paid for us, but this does not obviate the repercussions of the sin that we have committed. It is a hard thing, but we have to accept this burden. The only way to not garner these consequences is to not commit the sin in the first place.

5. Restoration. You can never go back, but you can move forward. Things can never be the way they were, but they can can be better than they are. It's hard to mend broken hearts and trusts, but what is the alternative? Only shattered hearts and broken promises. It takes much more time to rebuild trust than it does to build it in the first place. This is the part of the process where you make things right. Only here is there any redemption and peace.

So far I've addressed forgiveness solely from the side of the one who needs to forgive, but there is also a promise given for those who forgive. Jesus said that God's willingness to forgive you correlates to your willingness to forgive others (Matt 6:14,15). Forgive proactively, don't hold things against people and don't wait for them to come to you before you forgive them. Whenever you are praying, forgiving others needs to be a part of your prayer or you are missing out one aspect of touching God. (Mark 11:25).

Be a generous forgiver and quick to seek forgiveness.

By the way, I apologize for the alliterative title. I hope you can forgive me.

Another New Beatitude

Blessed is the man who actually says something when he speaks.

Flip A Coin

It seems to me that we've embraced a very narrow view of how things are supposed to be. If we maintain too selective a focus, we can miss out on truth. Enter a coin.

Flip a coin, heads or tails; it's a two sided decision maker, or is it? Is a coin as simple as yes or no, right or wrong, good or evil, or any other example of a dichotomy that exists? Often we complicate things for ourselves, however just as bad is when we oversimplify. Often the truth lies between extremes and is not just as simple as yes or no.

A coin does not have two sides, it has three. The technical names for these three sides are obverse, reverse and edge. Yes the edge of a coin is one of it's three sides. What is significant about that you might ask? Well the edge, much like the truth, is often overlooked, quietly escaping our notice.

For example, in our group there is a very conservative element. If I were to speak out about conservatism, I would be quickly identified as a liberal, which actually I have [1]. If I were then to point out any inconsistencies that exist among the most liberal of us, I would be labeled as conservative, and then as inconsistent myself because I was neither conservative or liberal. Labels like conservative or liberal are just generalities that lend themselves misinterpretation, and are not an adequate method to determine the truth.

An excellent example of this can be found in Joshua. When the Children of Israel were near Jericho, an armed man stood in the way, so Joshua asked him whose side he was on (Josh 5:13). The man didn't choose sides, but instead declared that he was come as the Captain of the Lord's army (Josh 5:14). Joshua could only see two possible positions for the man, either for him or against him. The Captain's stance represented neither of these two possibilities.

When we as a group are discussing something, whether it be standards or anything else, we tend to take sides and then begin defending our position. While this is normal human behavior, we make an enormous error when we do this. We assume that we are right and those who oppose us are wrong and we don't ever consider that we might be wrong ourselves. Furthermore, it never enters into our minds that both sides might be wrong. The logic behind the thought that if one side is wrong the other side must be right is not only flawed, but is responsible for so much misunderstanding between people that it is abhorrent.

I am going to show my point with an simple exposition of dress code. One "side" says that the way we dress it is our holiness and that a dress standard should be rigidly held to with no exception. Another "side" says that the way we dress is only external and that God is working on our hearts and that is all that really matters and a rigid dress standard is really unnecessary. The truth of the matter is is that BOTH of these sides have good things to say, but that BOTH are not the truth on dress.

Just so you understand me, I'm not suggesting compromise either. It is not my intention to declare the the truth of this group's dress standard issue lies somewhere between these extremes either. I will go on record that the truth lies outside of either of these views, and if we were to search for that truth, we would see much of the bickering and consternation that has been so prevalent of late disappear. We must learn to discard the "one of us have to be right" mentality and really search for the truth. You can't find the truth when you're defending your position.

Reference:

[1] http://paulbdyal.blogspot.com/2009/10/root-of-problem-is.html

New Tools Update

Just thought I'd showcase a few new Web tools that I think are pretty awesome. The first one is a website called LibriVox. While not actually a Bible webpage, LibriVox is a collection of audio recordings of books that are in the public domain. This includes all the books of the Bible as well as many other things. I've embedded the book of Lamentations as an example and just to show some of the other books, I've also embedded 1 Maccabees from the Apocrypha.

Lamentations


1 Maccabees


The second tool that I'm going to list is the Interwoven Gospels provided by Biblos.com. The Interwoven Gospels is a chronological presentation of all four of the Gospels. It weaves together, hence the name, passages from all four Gospels and lays them out in an outline that represents chronological order. While I don't think this is a substitute for the Gospels themselves, it can function as an excellent study aid when it comes to understanding the Gospels.

Just a brief word about Biblos.com. It has a host of different study aids and Bible translations available from it's website so I'm giving it a shout out as a good reference website too.

Finally the last site I want to mention is Net Hymnal. This site is an online database of the lyrics of many old hymns and is quickly searchable. The website interface is a little old school, but it gets the job done, and I find that when you are trying to wrap your head around a concept, or how to say something most likely some song writer has already found a way to say it in a way that sounds good to my ears.

Well, that's it for now.

WWJHMD

I remember in the 90's that the acronym WWJD became very popular. It stands for the question "what would Jesus do?" and is based loosely upon a concept from the book In His Steps by Charles M. Sheldon. In this book a congregation makes a vow to ask themselves what Jesus would do before they took any action. An entire fashion fad began when bracelets with the monogram WWJD began showing up on wrists everywhere. You don't hear about WWJD all that much anymore even though the principle behind it was excellent.

What would Jesus do? Do you ever ask yourself that question? Would you do the same things and make the same decisions that you do now if you asked yourself this question? The same effect can be produced if you imagine that Jesus is right there next to when you do something. This works exceptionally well when you realize that He is.

However excellent this principle is, there is another level to our Christian walk that can't be captured just by applying WWJD in you daily life. This is the reason for my post today. This other facet can be defined by the acronym WWJHMD which stands for what would Jesus have me do?

What's the difference you ask? In all actuality they are very similar concepts and they sound the same, but there is an element of leading that is missing in the concept WWJD. If all you ever do is ask yourself what would Jesus do if He was in the situation you are in right now, you ignore whether or not you should be in that situation at all in the first place. When you ask yourself what would Jesus have me do you open yourself up to being led by Christ. What will happen is that you will find yourself not only making good decisions, but also in the situations you should be in.

There's also one more little issue with WWJD; you're not Jesus. I don't discount that it is important to make inspired choices in your life, but at the same time you can't live a productive life solely trying to imitate Jesus because if you do, that's all you'll be, an imitation. Please don't misunderstand me, I think emulation of Jesus Christ is a very laudable goal, but the real life application of this is limited. He made choices that you and I are not capable of making. We are limited, He is not. Whether you apply your own limitations to Jesus, or His lack of limitations to yourself, it is a foolhardy thing to do. Instead, a mature Christian is able to recognize their own limitations and will not only be better for it, but also open to the leading of the Lord and His working in their life.

Paul himself asked the Lord "What wilt thou have me do?" (Acts 9:6). It would be better to emulate Paul than Jesus in this case and ask Jesus what He wants you to do. At least that would be comparing apples to apples as the old saying goes. Understand though, I'm not venerating Paul; I've no WWPD in mind. I do however respect the example that he set for us, although he had to come to the end of his rope to ask it.

There is a song that the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir sings that describes what is missing from WWJD and what is added to WWJHMD, so as a close I'll just include the lyrics for the chorus:

Lead me Lord, I will follow,
Lead me Lord, I will go.
You have called me, I will answer,
Lead me Lord, I will go.

Washed in the water

Cut Flowers and Fallen Leaves

We go to the florist and buy flowers to give to our sweethearts or maybe to our mothers on Mothers day. Flowers are purchased for weddings and funerals or just to keep around the house. No one can deny how beautiful they are or the joy that they give.

Autumn in my area is a wonderful sight to behold. The leaves turn deep reds, browns, oranges and yellows and if you'll travel just a bit further north, you'll see pinks, peaches, golds and purples too. However just a week later all of the color is gone. All that you are left with is the dessicated branches of the trees that will remain bare all winter.

No matter how beautiful the flowers you buy are, their beauty cannot last because the truth of the matter is that from the time they were cut, they were dying. The water that they are kept in and the food that they are fed is only a matter of life support to hold on to what was a living thing before you bought it, but really it never stood a chance.

The branch appears dead and for nearly half the year exhibits no growth at all. It is exposed to the elements and there is nothing about it to make it beautiful (Isa 53:2). However when the spring comes again it will make a glorious rebound, first budding then sprouting leaves that nourish the tree. What was dead is alive again.

Appearances can be deceiving. The flower looks so vibrant and alive while the branch looks so drab and dead. The branch however is full of potential and life while the flower is doomed to whither and rot. So are many things in our everyday lives.

The ways of the world are very attractive and they can be very pleasurable, but their end is only death (Prov 16:25). We as Christians are to involve ourselves with that which is pure and true (Phil. 4:8). God doesn't offer gratification or even justification, He offers redemption and sanctification instead.

Resist the intoxication of those things that just seem good but are not. Test what you are being offered and be sure whether or not there is any life in it. Many are those who will be taken in by something counterfeit and it is a sad thing indeed. Be ever vigilant when it comes to what is true, you do not want to be deceived (1 Pet. 5:8). Remember that He makes all things new (Rev 21:5). Only through Jesus is there any hope for life (John 20:31).

Third Verse - An Observation

Have you ever noticed something that may or may not just be coincidence? I have, and in this case it deals with music. What I've noticed is that many times the third verse of wonderful songs seem to stand out above the other verses, either artistically or spiritually and often both. I wanted to share some third verses with you as an example of what I'm speaking of, and in each case these verses have always been a special blessing to me.

The Love of God
Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above,
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

How Great Thou Art
And when I think that God, His Son not sparing,
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.

He Hideth My Soul
With numberless blessings each moment He crowns,
And filled with His fullness divine,
I sing in my rapture, oh, glory to God
For such a Redeemer as mine!

Wonderful Peace
I am resting tonight in this wonderful peace,
Resting sweetly in Jesus’ control;
For I’m kept from all danger by night and by day,
And His glory is flooding my soul!

It Is Well With My Soul
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

I'm sure that there are many other wonderful examples of this third verse phenomenon, and these five songs are just some of my personal favorites. Do I have some other deep message for this post? Not really, but if you are inspired to write something like these wonderful verses, I'd really encourage you to do it. Don't stifle what might be the working of God in you.

One Thing I Have Desired

Just read through Bro. Steve Lewis' blog: One Thing I Have Desired. I'm impressed by the humility and willingness to be led by God. I'd definitely suggest the read.

All Things

Our fellowship has known many troubling times through its existence and once again we are experiencing some turbulence. I can only speak for myself and from my own experience, but here at my vantage point I've experienced this shaking not only on the larger level that our group is experiencing, but also on a personal and local level.

The way we travel is a narrow one and at times it is difficult; it's supposed to be. (Matt 7:14 NKJV) If the way we were on was easy, that would only signify that we are traveling the wrong way. (Matt 7:13) There's nothing that says that because we are working under God's covering that makes us exempt from trouble or that we are due an easy life. If anything, we probably have a greater portion of trouble coming to us than some others might. (Luke 12:48) It is not out of character for God's people to suffer and we are called to maintain a proper attitude when we do suffer. (Acts 5:41) Our mindset should always be that we will press on, but when we do get overwhelmed, we will seek the Lord because we know that He will hear us. (Psalms 34:4) Run to the Lord, He will hide us and establish us. (Psalms 27:5)

I know that over the last year when things got hard, I learned to pray harder. When I felt lost, I learned to run to Him, and even though these times were fewer and farther between, when things were good, I learned be recognize God's hand and to be quick to declare that God is good. Now that I can see the beginning of the end of these troubles, at least on a local and personal level, I've still maintained a greater fervency in prayer, a greater sensitivity to the moving of the Lord and remained quicker to give God all the glory for what He has done. Also I've quit taking the good times for granted.

The shaking isn't over for our group yet, but I have something to say about what can come from it, and how we should endure it. In Psalms 40:1 David is reflecting on his trouble. When he says he waited patiently on the Lord, that means that he is confident that God will deliver him. This verse says that God inclined Himself to David, or in other words God looked down on David from on high and heard him. In the next verse David recounts how God delivered him. (Psalms 40:2) We sing a song "When He Reached Down His Hand for Me" and David is saying that God reached down His hand for him and took him out of his troubles and once again established his ways on the Rock. Psalms 116:8 repeats God's deliverance, not only from death but also from lack of assurance as well as the sorrow that goes with trouble. When God takes these things from us, He replaces them with something else: He replaces death with life, instability with a firm foundation and our sorrow with a new song, praise to our God. (Psalms 40:3)

So, in closing I say that we need to be confident that the Lord will strengthen us in our troubles and follow the example of the early church when they were suffering: CEASE NOT! (Psalms 27:14, Acts 5:42) Never forget that all these things that we are experiencing right now are our making, the process of a greater anointing. (Rom 8:28) I no longer question whether or not we will emerge from this shaking, instead I am assured that when we emerge, we will emerge better than we started.

I'm So Thankful

The Fellowship Meeting in Warren, MI, just wrapped up and I've got to say it was great. God met us over and over in a wonderful way. The music and the messages worked together to lift the name of Jesus higher and to bring glory and praise to Him.

I want to thank all of you who have prayed for this church and for this meeting, and to any of you who couldn't make it, I hope to see you at the next meeting, and sometime before that too.

Draw Nigh

What is the one thing that you could do (or in some cases quit doing) that would serve to bring you into a closer relationship with Jesus Christ right now? What are you holding back? What is that thing that you've kept hidden and haven't given over yet? We all have these things, myself included, and right now I'm asking you to be completely honest with yourself. What is that one part of your life that you know you need to give to Jesus today? You know what it is, we all do, and right now I'm asking you to lay it out in the open, if only to yourself. Please don't be tempted to make excuses or misdirect yourself. Instead, just honestly say to yourself, "Where I'm lacking is _____".

Next, decided that you are actually going to give whatever it is over to Christ. It's good to identify where you need more of Jesus, but you need to make a decision to do something about it. You've already been bluntly honest with yourself, so now is the time to decide that you are going to change.

When you've made the decision to change, just do it. Whatever it is that you need to do, just do it. If instead you need to let go of something, do that. What's going to happen is not only are you going to go through a period of improvement, but God is going to meet you where you are and lay His hand on you. Don't quit doing what it is you need to do; God honors commitment.

If we as Christians fail to do these steps in our lives, we doom ourselves to stagnation. It's better to give ourselves over by inches than not at all. This is your Christian walk, just don't stop walking!

When you've completed these three steps, start over. This is not a one time process. Never quit doing this, and don't try to do it by yourself. Rely on God to see you through, and you will draw nigh to Him (Heb 7:19, James 4:8).

Mirrors

"Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life" (John 8:12).

I want to share a wonderful thought with you today that I hope strengthens you and encourages you. Jesus Christ is the light of the world and we are His mirrors. We have been called to reflect the light of Jesus in the world.

Paul calls us children of light, telling us that we are now light in the Lord (Eph 5:8). As children of the light, we have a great task to complete, and that is to spread the light to all the world (Mark 16:15). We cannot do this by ourselves as we have no light of our own. Instead we must strive to live lives that reflect Jesus well to the world. As the song says, "Can the world see Jesus in me?"

One facet of reflecting Christ is orientation; you must be pointed the right way. In order to reflect Christ, you just can't be focused on anything else. We are not retroreflectors (prisms that reflects light regardless of angle) and in order to function properly, we must be pointed directly at Him. If you have your focus on the world, or yourself, how can you expect to reflect anything else. In order to properly reflect Christ, we must live a Christ-centered life.

Another facet of reflecting Christ is occultation. Relax, I'm not getting all pagan on you or anything, this word just means that something is hidden behind something else. My point is that even if your orientation is correct, sometimes you can let things get in between Jesus and yourself. This will block some if not all of the light you are trying to reflect like an eclipse, it just depends on how close you let the obstacle get to you. If there is anything between you and Christ, remove it or move yourself until that thing is no longer in the way.

One final facet of reflecting Christ is albedo. Albedo is a term that describes how reflective a surface is. When it comes to us reflecting Christ, we need to look at how clean our mirror is. In other words are we keeping our lives free from the stain of sin that will detract from how well we reflect the light of Jesus? We should endeavor to maintain a high polish on our lives as our actions can cast a pallor on us, and what we reflect can become diminished. The proper Christian mentality should always be to remove anything from our lives that hampers our light shining.

A little more on how well we reflect Jesus in our life, and that deals with purity. When precious metals like silver and gold are purified, the way that the refiners know that the molten metal has reached the desired level of purity, the surface begins to reflect like a mirror. Only in the heat of trials do we become refined, and still during those trials, He always has His eye on us (Job 23:10).

I've used astronomy terms in this post because I see a correlation to the heavenly bodies that orbit our sun and followers of Christ. Just as everything in the solar system reflects the light of the sun and shines against a curtain of darkness, so should the children of God reflect the light of the Son and shine within a world of darkness. Christianity isn't just about us and any personal growth that we've achieved through Him. We must emerge as witnesses to the wondrous glory of God. If the heavens declare the glory of God, how should our calling be anything less (Psa 19:1)?

So I have a message today for the Christians, those who choose to associate themselves and give themselves for Christ and His message. Our mentality must be the same as that song we learned to sing in Sunday School. Our attitude should always remain "This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine". Friends, shine on.

Work week at the Gospel of the Kingdom Camp Ground in Shepherdsville, KY

Once again it is time to pay my small contribution to the Lord, at the Gospel of the Kingdom Campground.  Workweek now happens once a year before the June camp meeting.  I always feel a little bit sentimental as I drive up the hill, thinking about all Gods people over the years that have helped and contributed monumental efforts to keep the doors open for all of us to gather in an open General-meeting environment.   God has been with our efforts to support the campground, but also he is “WELL PLEASED” with our ongoing and future efforts to make it a place of worship for all Gods people to meet.  I feel inspired to do some history about the campground and just a few of the folks that have labored to make it available for us to once again offer a sacrifice to our King on Shepherdsville hill.  I firmly encourage EVERYONE who participates in the services up there to help with the workweek efforts.  Even if you have never contributed time, money or labor to afford members of the body of Christ to continue meeting up there, I think it would be pleasing to the spirit of the Lord to not continue to dwell in your ceiled house while the house of the Lord lies waste.  Come up next week (May 3^rd thru 7^th) and help get the campground in working order.  If you can’t come send an ambassador in your stead and if that is not possible send an offering to help cover the meals and materials of those that are there.  I can’t  mention how much I appreciate all the people that fought so hard to keep this place available.  As I mentioned earlier in this post I am going to share some history about the campground and plan on making this available prior to the June camp meeting.  The song comes to mind “If You Want To Do A Great Work, Come And Go Along!”  Thank you Godfrey and Bro. Alfred Daves and ALL the other CHURCHES and PEOPLE that have sacrificed all those many decades that the bulk of our brethren did not support the campground or assist in maintaining it for use.

PS--Thank you once again to Bro. Dillon for allowing me to use his blog to share my thoughts.

Our God Whom We Serve

As many of you know I attend Great Lakes Christian Church in Warren, Michigan. This week I've decided to write just a little about my church in order to clear up some misinformation that has been making the rounds. I've heard several versions of what has gone on in Warren and there's always an element of inaccuracy in each one. While it is not my intention to detail the events of 2009, what I will say is that important facts have been omitted, skewing peoples perceptions of this church [1][2]. The rumors that have been circulating have led some to question the legitimacy and order of this church. Thus I feel to write about the current condition of GLCC in Warren in order to give a more perfect picture of how God is meeting us today.

There is no one in our church that wouldn't recognize that there was great turmoil last summer. It affected us all, from our eldest saints down to the little children just beginning to perceive what was going on around them. I myself at one time did not see how we would survive the shaking and trouble that our church was experiencing. To be completely honest it wasn't until some time had past that I was able to look back with enough clarity to be able to see that Jesus had His hand on us even in the midst of our problems.

I think a good example of how we felt can be found in Daniel 3:20 as I'm sure that many of us could relate to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego when they were tossed in the fiery furnace. During the entire summer we were feeling the heat and while I can't say that I had the faith of these men at the time, I've come to realize that just like them, we had a Fourth Man in the fire (Dan 3:25).

I can't say for certain that all of our shaking is over, there may still be some aftershocks coming our way, but we are moving forward. Some of us have been hurt and those wounds take time to heal, but they are healing. I'd say that right now we are in a stabilization mode and we are still discovering that although we have been shaken, our foundation has not been and that we can still hold onto the solid rock. I can also happily report that much like after a forest has been devastated by a fire there come signs of new life, I see signs of new life in our church and an renewed expectancy for more of the same to come.

Earlier this year I got up on a Sunday night and sang a song to the church. I told the people that I was singing it because I could say that it had once again become true of our church. That song was Sweet, Sweet Spirit and thank God that when I sang the line "There are sweet expressions on each face", it could not have been more accurate. You see, our Fourth Man in the fire has never left us and we have begun to trust in Him and rely on Him more fully than before.

Just this week I've heard three separate stories from different people telling that when they too felt the despair and anguish that we experienced last year crushing down on them, what got them through was that they still felt Jesus with them. I think that each of us on an individual level as well as a corporate level have begun to recognize the presence of our Fourth Man in the fire, and we are being renewed because of it.

My church is not the same church it was even just a few years ago, we've changed and we are still changing but that change is for the better. We're becoming stronger and more sure of the wonderful things God has in store for us. We're becoming a closer knit family and our sorrow is being turned into joy (John 16:20). It is my estimation that we are becoming a church whose testimony has become "Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us" (Dan 3:17). The next time that this church is shaken we will look back to the last year and know without a shadow of doubt that "Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us".

I want to encourage those of you who are reading this who do not attend GLCC in Warren to come and visit us and see for yourself that what I've said in this post is true. The perfect opportunity for this is nine days away at our Regional Fellowship meeting, however even if you cannot attend this meeting, I'd still encourage you to come and visit us if you can. Don't rely on either the rumor mill or me alone to determine the legitimacy of the church in Warren, come and see that sure enough there is a Fourth Man in the fire with us and that He is continuing to meet us on a daily basis. Find out that regardless what some might say, God is not through with His church in Warren (Phil 1:6).

References:

[1] http://paulbdyal.blogspot.com/2009/08/letter-with-comments.html
[2] http://paulbdyal.blogspot.com/2009/08/are-we-leaving-established-pattern.html
(Note: I am assuming that these posts refer to the church in Warren because of the detail and timing even though they do not name us directly)

Reva Mears Montage from 1995

A New Beatitude

Blessed are the forgetful, for when other people are angry, they won't remember what all the fuss is about.

I Had To Write This Post

I am going to tackle predestination in this post, not only to address what is an easily misunderstood doctrine but also to make one other point that should apply to all of our doctrinal teachings.

Predestination in a nutshell is the belief that God planned everything that will ever happen in His creation from the beginning until the end. An excellent example of predestination in action is Jesus foretelling the disciples of Judas' betrayal (John 13:21). Another well known example can be found when Jesus foretells Peter's denial of Him later in the same chapter (John 13:38). A strict application of predestination would state that these men were meant to do these things from the very foundation of the Earth.

The whole thought of predestination however seems to fly in the face of the concept of free will. I've heard from my earliest days in Sunday School that God created us with free will because He desired a people who would make the choice to worship Him because they wanted to. As far as I know choice has been a root of Christianity, and is taught as one of the primary elements of salvation. Do we not preach to those without Jesus that they need to choose to listen to His call and follow Him?

The debate that has centered around the doctrine of predestination for hundreds of years can be summed up in the following question: If every action that we take has already been planned out and God has predetermined what will happen throughout His creation, how can you say that we act as free agents capable of making decisions in our own lives?

It seems on the surface that predestination and free will are at least inconsistent if not in complete opposition to each other. I've even heard some detractors of the Bible bring up the subject of predestination as one of those contradictions or discrepancies that in their opinion disprove the Bible. Certainly it can seem that the idea of free will contradicts predestination, but in truth this is just not the case and is instead a problem with understanding.

The problem as I see it is actually a matter of pride. People assume that they can understand everything, but this is just not the case. The Lord's ways are above our ways and in some cases we are just not capable of understanding them (Isa 55:8-9). People often come into contact with this concept at great times of loss in their lives; an example of which would be the loss of a loved one. Most likely they will struggle to work out in their own mind why God would take this person away from them but will eventually console themselves with the thought that we cannot totally understand God's ways. We are able to accept on a base level when emotional trauma has stripped us of so much of our resistance, but when there is no emotional impact involved we struggle with it from an academic standpoint.

To imagine that we are capable of completely understanding how God set up creation is laughable (Rom 11:33-34). How can we really think that our understanding is actually on par with that of God (Prov 3:5,7)? This condition is prevalent enough however that we have developed a word to describe this way of thinking: hubris. There is also an aspect of this hubris where we impose the limits of our understanding on God as well. We are limited in not only our understanding, but also in our perception. Does our arrogance translates those limitations to God as well? Are we really so confident in ourselves that we think that our ability to understand somehow dictates God's ability to act? I think that unfortunately this is all too common a belief, and one God has addressed (Job 38:4, 40:2).

How can we know something that is unknowable? Paul seemed to think that this was possible (Eph 3:19). Is Paul speaking in riddles in this passage or is there something else happening here with this comprehension that Paul is speaking of (Eph 3:17-18)? Instead of a full understanding, Paul is referencing an appreciation of the fact that God is not only more capable than us, He is more capable than we can conceive (Eph 3:20). It is possible to know a thing and not completely understand all of it's design and harmonious inner workings. How much more the thoughts of God (1 Cor 2:11)? Put your trust in Him.

Personally speaking I do not find it in any way incongruous to believe that God is capable of predetermining His creation in such a way that it incorporates our free will. Ask yourself, is your God powerful enough to do such a thing even if you are not able to understand it? Ponder that question while we look at predestination at a personal level.

Let's assume for a minute that there is a real difference between free will and predestination for arguments sake. Unless you had explicit, detailed knowledge of the future, your ignorance of said future would render the difference between the two a moot point at least to you would it not? What is the real difference between complete free will, and unknowable determinism? Conceptually they are different, but in any real life application they are indistinct from each other.

This certainly hasn't stopped people from perverting predestination doctrine in an effort to absolve themselves from personal responsibility though. I've heard this abdication of responsibility from both sides of the argument. On one hand, I've heard people who will justify horrendous acts as being predetermined by God in such a way that it seems that they are almost blaming Him. Atrocities have happened and well-meaning but misguided individuals have either stated that these actions are the judgment of God or might point out that if it was not in God's plan, He would have stopped it. In essence, they are stating that God is responsible for actions perpetrated by people. On the flip side I've heard people ignore their own responsibilities to live productive lives for Christ, and instead using reliance on Christ as if it were some kind of a all-encompassing waiver. I saw an example of this in high school when one of my friends told me that she did not see any reason to try to tell anyone about Jesus because He was capable of adding to the church as He saw fit which was an obvious misuse of Acts 2:47 (BTW, I questioned her about this further and this is really how she had been taught at her church). In both cases, people were more than willing to abuse the doctrine of predestination to dump the responsibility of their actions, or lack thereof, squarely on God's shoulders, and in some cases the blame too. This is just despicable.

This brings me to my other point. Our doctrines as well as our actions should bring glory to God and not reproach. In my examples of how the doctrine of predestination can be misunderstood it is important to realize that these applications can be logically derived from how predestination is actually taught in many churches (it certainly was in the case of my friend). This being true, this understanding of predestination has in it an inherent application that brings reproach to God. If for no other reason this is enough in my estimation to bring this doctrine into question. Yes, I do understand that people can misunderstand any doctrine and any scripture can be misused, but in this case the applications can be inferred by how the doctrine is taught. This to me is indicative of a faulty doctrine.

Instead, how much better to believe that yes we are responsible for our actions because of free will and that the predestination in creation exists as a greater level than we do (not that it does not apply to us)? This brings glory to God in our recognition of just how great He really is and it keeps us aware of our role in His plan (Isa 64:8). Should this qualification not be one of the measurements by which we determine whether a doctrine is good or not? Should we not endeavor to glorify God in every aspect of our lives, especially our doctrine? I certainly think so.

You're Invited

I just wanted to remind anyone who reads this blog that Great Lakes Christian Church in Warren, MI, is having a Regional Fellowship Meeting on May 6-8. I am inviting you to attend our meeting, if you can and are not already attending the meeting in Beaverton, OR. Consider this my personal invitation to you to join us in fellowship and worship and if you are interested, you can click the links I've listed above. They will take you to a Facebook group and the church's website for more information, or you can contact me through the comments for this post.

I look forward to seeing you there. If you're looking for me btw, I'll be in the band during services, probably cutting up.

The Local Expression

I think this post will be my last follow up to A Remnant and Consider the Sources. I believe that this post wraps up the subject well, although I'm sure that there are aspects that I haven't yet discussed, but I'm not the only person speaking so I'll leave that to someone else.

How do you define our group of people? On the whole we call ourselves the Body of Christ. I've said that we use this term much in the way that denominational churches refers to the greater organization of which they are a part, and frankly many of us do. I've also said we are a special group, and I won't rehash this here, but this remains my opinion. But really, how would you define our group?

We are the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:27), however it seems that we don't really have much say so in the matter (1 Cor. 12:18). Does it surprise you to think that not only is God in control, but that He takes an active role in the development of the Body of Christ? How much more that it pleases Him to set the members in His order, by His design? Why then would we attempt to dictate what is and what is not the Body of Christ? This exclusivity that some espouse which dictates that this group of people whom Paul calls the Body of Christ must be derived solely from our rank and file is hogwash. I don't doubt that people in our group help comprise the Body of Christ, but to think that no one else who bears the name Christian could ever qualify for that distinction and that instead they partake in some lesser Christianity is nothing other than a superiority complex on our part. This my friends is not only prideful in the extreme, it is also ludicrous.

When did we start subdividing Christianity anyway? When did statements like "It's our group and not some other group that is special" or "This denomination has this doctrine here wrong and that's why the can't be used by God" become part of our lives? The truth is that we are all one body (1 Cor. 12:12-13). Additionally, this body that we are all a part of is not a homogeneous body (1 Cor. 12:14). Instead it is a varied body, and all parts of it are important and to say that one part is more important than another or that one part of it is not valuable is wrong (1 Cor. 12:20-21). Does this not apply to everyone, or did the translators miss an "if" and some kind of qualifier when they were translating verse 31?

Some of you might have problems with me using 1 Cor. 12 to address denominational divisions because Paul is obviously dealing with the church in Corinth and not the greater amalgamation of churches that comprised Christianity in the first century. Although I think that not only this chapter but also 1 Cor. 3:4-6,9,11 can apply, I agree that 1 Cor. 12 is not addressing large organizational divisions like those that are present in contemporary Christianity. I recognize that 1 Corinthians was addressed to a local church quite clearly and this is in fact one of the points I so very much want to bring out. Although Paul is addressing the Body of Christ in this chapter, he is doing so on a strictly local level. Strangely enough, all of Paul's epistles seem to be addressed either to a local church or an individual and not to the Body of Christ at large. Why do you think this is?

Let me pose a question. Is it the members that define the Body of Christ or the Body of Christ that define the members? I know that I am getting off into philosophy here, but the issue at hand is fundamental, and a greater understanding must be built upon a firm foundation in order for it to be correct. Let's look at the phrase "building blocks" and consider it's meaning. I think this is a good thought as Jesus is called the stone that has become the head of the corner and Paul refers to himself as a master builder(Luke 20:17, 1 Cor 3:10). How does the progression go? Do I first become a Christian and then a member of the Body of Christ, or do I first become a member of the Body of Christ and then a Christian?

The Body of Christ is made up of individual Christians who gather and worship together in their local assemblies on a regular basis. This is why Paul addressed his epistles to specific churches, and not to the larger organization. I won't deny that our group is a wonderful affiliation, but you must understand that it is made up of local assemblies which in turn are made up of individuals, not the other way around. I believe that "the Body" exists much more at the local level and not so much at a larger corporate level. To believe otherwise puts the Body of Christ back on some pseudo-denominational level.

This stuff is basic and simple, but how you understand the Body of Christ will color what you see happening in our group. You see, someone who sees the Body of Christ as an organizational entity will make sacrifices on an individual level in order to save the whole. Conversely a person who is a member of a functional church that is under the covering of God will see injustice that is happening at a group level and believe that it reflects directly on their local church because they are a part of that group. You must understand that both of these examples are only relevant if you see the Body of Christ as some kind of organization. If however you see the Body of Christ as something that transcends organizations of men, it doesn't matter anymore. You see, while the leadership of an organization might have the authority to remove a person from that organization or even choose to reorganize in whatever way they see fit, no man will ever have any authority when it comes to determining the makeup of the Body of Christ. That will always remain God's prerogative. Additionally, our local churches are not called to be representatives of a larger organization on this Earth, they are called to represent Christ. The only reflection that matters to the true Body of Christ is that of Christ Himself.

Isn't it time that we stopped looking at the Body of Christ as a pseudo-denomination or any affiliation of churches and instead recognize that it is made up of individuals whom God has chosen in order to bring Him glory? Isn't it time that we stopped feigning control over things that we have no right to? Isn't it time that we who adhere to a Christ centered order actually recognize the order that Christ created?

"Follow Me"

This subject has been on my heart for quite a while, but I've found it exceedingly difficult to put it to words. I've seen people struggling with this very issue over the last few months and as I've studied the ramifications of our actions more and more, it's left me disturbed.

You see what I'm writing today is basic, remedial Christianity. In the past I've tried to keep a merciful outlook on anyone who professes Christ (Luke 9:50), however there comes a time to speak out boldly for the cause of Christ (Matt 5:16), not in defense of Christianity but instead in condemnation of heresy.

The foundational moment of our Christian walk began the same way it began for those who came before us two thousand years ago (Matt 9:9, John 1:43). One day, we each heard the call "Follow Me" and it changed who we were. I'm not talking only about our salvation experience in this post though; I'm also referring to the primary instruction that we are given as Christians on how to be this new creature that we have become. This directive to follow Christ applied when we first started our journey and it still applies today. When we were saved, we were forgiven of sin and covered by the blood of Jesus; of that there can be no dispute. Still, it seems to me that how we actually comport ourselves makes a difference and is important.

We as Christians have been constantly besieged with definitions of what it is to be a Christian and instructions on how we must live our lives in order to be in God's will. However well intentioned these directions may be, they have at their heart a carnal element that will usurp the roll of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. As Christianity gets redefined along denominational lines, what has been said about Jesus becomes more important that what was said by Jesus, man's doctrines become more important than what is written in the Bible and dedication to the church becomes more important than faith in God. Herein lies a trap and it's name is religion. If we walk down this path we will find that we ourselves become the focus of our faith and not God. However if you discard the irrelevancies and background noise of the religion we call "Modern Christianity" and return to a personal salvation, what we are left is a very simple choice: Will you follow Jesus?

We are called to follow Him, and for some of us that's too simple of a commandment to accept. Albert Einstein once said "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex. It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." Have we become "intelligent fools" by taking the commandment "follow me" and making it bigger and more complex? Doesn't this definition describing exactly what the religious leaders in Israel had been doing for centuries by the time that Jesus arrived? Doesn't this definition describe exactly what religious leaders have been doing in more recent times as well?

I guess I can understand why people would struggle so much to understand everything about their faith; it is a very human tendency to want to analyze and categorize anything and everything and I can't see why this tendency wouldn't apply to faith as well. It seems logical to want to delve into the depths of everything and understand everything, but the truth is that this is not only not necessary, when it comes to following Jesus, it can also be detrimental if it leads us into a spirit of superiority (Prov 16:25). Having a perfect understanding just isn't a requirement of salvation (I Cor 13: 9-10). Still it seems that Christianity is not free from this natural tendency to understand and explain everything.

The real problem with advanced scholasticism when it comes to the faith is that if you are wrong on even a very small part of your doctrine, your error can skew everything else your faith is built on and who among us has perfect doctrine? A misunderstanding in one area will branch out into others and cause you be misled. This becomes extremely hazardous if you build your confidence on your understanding (Prov 3:5-6). This my friends is not how we are called to live our life even though it seems right to us. I'm reminded of the song "He Will Pilot Me", but isn't this reliance on our own understanding tantamount to saying, "Move over Jesus, I've got this"?

The very name Christian identifies us as followers of Christ or at least it should. It links us directly to Christ the same way that a surname links us to a family lineage. The scriptures talk of our adoption through Christ and how we have become sons and heirs of God (Gal 4:4-7). Christian is the only moniker I bear in regards to my faith; preference of any other descriptor in my opinion creates a subtle diminishing of what the title Christian implies.

Following Christ is our source of assurance, and our faith in this gives us hope for tomorrow. We are limited creatures who do not have the capacity to see into the future; we can only perceive our past. However we can trust in God when it comes to what our future holds. I'm reminded of financial investments that state "past performance is no guarantee of future results". In essence this says that you can't be assured of anything when getting involved with these products. When you get involved with Jesus however, the results are guaranteed and will not change (Heb 13:8, James 1:17).

It's one thing to say that you are a follower of Christ, but it is a very different thing to actually follow Him, and herein lies the choice. You see, Jesus called us to follow Him, but he gave us what amount to clear directions on how to do this if we are willing to actually see them (Matt 16:24). When Jesus said "let him deny himself", doesn't this imply that to follow Jesus means that you give up any agenda of your own and submit yourself to Christ's agenda for you? Jesus answered this in the preceding verse when He told Peter that he was focused on human interests instead of Godly things (Matt 16:23). I find it very instructive to delve into this a little deeper because what Peter wanted from Christ was for Him to set up an Earthly kingdom. This must be a common human fault because Paul also admonishes us to have our interests sorted out correctly (Col 3:1-2).

Unfortunately there are some that will not chose to follow Jesus. Some will come this way looking for what it offers them (Luke 9:57-58). Others will come, but make excuses that keep them from ever beginning their Christian walk (Luke 9:59-60). There will even be some that cannot stay dedicated to Christ (Luke 9:61-62). I am also reminded that not everyone will see Christianity to it's ultimate conclusion (Matt 20:16). It's a high calling indeed to be selected out as on of God's chosen ones, and it seems to me that if the called and yet not chosen are those who choose to not follow Jesus, then the chosen ones must be comprised of people who do choose to follow Him.

Perhaps it's harsh to call these people washouts, but the term fits. John records a mass of disciples that left Jesus because they had difficulty accepting the act of Communion (John 6:60-69). Interesting that we in our group also have some among us who have issues with this as well. Still, these men turned away from Jesus because they didn't believe. I want to reiterate this to make sure my point is coming across. These men's unbelief resulted in them not following Christ. If unbelief is endemic of turning away, then we see that belief is an integral component of following Him. Today, my prayer for all of us is that we have some of what the father of the son with the dumb spirit had when he asked Jesus to strengthen his belief (Mark 9:24).

Belief may seem like such a small thing and a simple directive to follow Jesus may seem almost wishy-washy, but I reckon that this seeming insignificance is our source of strength. I don't know why it is that it pleases God to use such weak vessels such as ourselves, but I know that He does. His strength can be our strength is we will rely upon Him (2 Cor 12:9,10). He will use us as He sees fit (Phil 2:13). And it's when we believe that all things become possible (Mark 9:23).

So as I come to the end, I have a question for you. Do you believe enough to let go of your own understanding? Do you believe enough to forgo your own abilities and strengths? Do you believe enough to set aside your own agenda and self-interests? Do you believe enough to dedicate your life to Him? Do you believe enough to follow Him?

Where He leads I'll follow,
Follow all the way,
Where He leads I'll follow,
Follow Jesus every day.

A Busy March

Well, March is over and the Regional Meeting in Warren, MI is now exactly five weeks away. I hope that April will turn out to be a quiet month for me, but I'm guessing instead that I will spend a considerable portion of my free time (what little there is of that) preparing for the meeting both at home and at church. BTW, I'm inviting you all to come and attend our meeting if you can. There's more information in the link above.

I intentionally packed March with postings because I might have a bit of a dry spell. I posted every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday in March which is a total of 13 posts (most posts yet in a month). I'm guessing, though I cannot be sure yet, that April and May will not be this busy. So I'm just posting this blurb to let you know. I'm still going to try to keep up every Tuesday and if I have something small, I'll throw it in on Sunday or Thursday. After that, we will see.

A Vessel

It is important to know our place in the Kingdom of God. I never want to take on a "do you know who I am" mentality, especially with it comes to the faith.

I am merely a vessel to by used at God's discretion. I'm no great thing, but I am God's thing.

Jesus use me, Lord please don't refuse me,
Surely there's a work that I can do.
Even though it's humble, help my will to crumble,
Though the price be great, I'll work for you.

You see, we're all vessels in God's Kingdom and those vessels are all different and God can choose to use us however He sees fit. (2 Tim 2:20-21). However, if we are to be honorable vessels, we need to be counted among those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart (2 Tim 2:22).

I don't know about you, but I want to be used and I want to be pure. Psalms 51:10 says "Create in me a clean heart" and that's what I want. I know the alternative, which is to be cast out of the presence of God (Psalms 51:11).

We don't sing this song as far as I know, but it is a good song that reflects submission to God.

Change my heart oh God, Make it ever true,
Change my heart oh God, May I be like You.
You are the Potter, I am the clay,
Mold me and make me, This is what I pray.

Regardless of anyone or anything else, Lord let me be useful to You.

A Gift

I can't remember exactly when it began, but it was sometime around the beginning of this year. Almost every day that I've woken up, I've done so with a song in my heart. The song isn't usually something that I've been thinking about, or even a song that is one of my favorites, but it seems that for the most part whatever song I do wake up with has a significance for the day. Even one night when I couldn't sleep and I woke up at 2:30 am, for about an hour I had so many songs about Jesus calming the stormy seas that it was the most enjoyable bit of insomnia that I can remember.

I'm thankful for this gift, and I just wanted to say so.

My Prayer Closet

I'm sitting here and considering the soft and quiet times that I spend with my Lord. Whether it's a hymn or a scripture that catches my attention or even just a quiet moment in my day, I often find myself taking even just a few minutes to commune with Jesus.

I simply have too busy of a life not to take every chance I get to say a quick prayer, or even just close my eyes for a moment and reflect on the goodness of God. I don't have an actual prayer closet, instead I take my prayer closet along with me wherever I go. Sometimes you can find my prayer closet in my car, sometimes it's in my cubical at work, there are even times that you can find my prayer closet riding along in a shopping cart.

I thought I was only going to copy one stanza of the following song into this post to wrap it up, but as I read each following verse, I found that I had to put the whole song here.

Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord;
Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word.
Make friends of God’s children, help those who are weak,
Forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek.

Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;
Spend much time in secret, with Jesus alone.
By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be;
Thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see.

Take time to be holy, let Him be thy Guide;
And run not before Him, whatever betide.
In joy or in sorrow, still follow the Lord,
And, looking to Jesus, still trust in His Word.

Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul,
Each thought and each motive beneath His control.
Thus led by His Spirit to fountains of love,
Thou soon shalt be fitted for service above.

My friend, take some time today to be alone with Jesus wherever you are.

A Remnant

In a way, this post is a follow-up to the post Consider the Sources. This subject has been on my heart for a long time, but more and more I'm noticing it on the hearts of others, so I am going to try to address some of the issues involved. To really delve into the full depths of this subject properly is probably beyond my abilities, nevertheless I will try.

It seems to me that our group is in the beginning phases of becoming a denomination. I've said before that we use the phrase "Body of Christ" in a way that is analogous to a denomination. Bro. Shaw at the meeting in DuQuoin, IL, said openly to the ministers there that he believed that our group was organizing, which he also stated he was against.

There seems to be a rash of people just waking up to the fact that our group is made up of men, organized by men and even founded by a man. We've had the better part of a century to realize this, but for some reason it seems that this realization is only culminating now. What's got me puzzled about this is why so few people have caught on to this earlier. Still the fact of the matter is that there are an increasing number of people whom I've heard from either directly or indirectly that have begun questioning our group. Moreover there are some that are looking for a better alternative to our group, or even more subtle, an eventual escape plan. I have something to say about this.

I caution anyone who is looking to leave one of our churches regardless if it is for another church in our group, another church in another group, or no church at all, be careful. Reacting to a situation is one of the ways that humans operate, but that operation is often on an instinctive level. When you touch something hot, you don't go through the mental exercise of equating the level of heat with possible burn injuries and the effects that they will have on your everyday activities and then decide to quit touching what is hot. No, you just jerk away. Instincts are good, but they are not foolproof however. In paramedic classes I learned that stab victims will instinctively try to remove the knife which often causes them to bleed out. While they are making the move that will end their life, they still feel like they are making the right decision. An instinctive reaction to a new found disillusionment of our group has the real potential of causing you more harm than good and I urge anyone to think any step that they are going to take through, considering all of the ramifications before they make any move and to not succumb to an instinctive mentality.

Still, even if you are not operating instinctively that doesn't mean that you will make a good decision. Remember you too are a man (or woman) and just because you make a decision, that does not make it right or the best decision for you. Often it seems to me that we tend to make things worse for ourselves, not better. In my opinion, people in general have an uncanny ability to make the worst possible decision for themselves. If we as a race were truly capable of making the best decisions for ourselves there would certainly be fewer unfaithful spouses, divorces, crime, bankruptcies, unwanted pregnancies, and a myriad of other things that have enormous detrimental impacts on our lives. The fact of the matter is that we never see the full picture and are not capable of making unerring decisions. We have to settle for "the best we can do", but still there is another consideration that I haven't addressed yet.

God. I don't know about you, but God placed me in the church that I am in. I've had several chances to leave, yet I know that Great Lakes Christian Church in Warren, MI, is where God put me and regardless of my own opinions and perceptions, that is where I am meant to stay and if I were to leave, I would be going against God. I know that the vast majority of us feel that we are where God put us, and do not feel the Lord moving us elsewhere. I can't express strongly enough that reacting instinctively to a revelation that our group has its problems or relying on ourselves for answers totally ignores the leading of God. Those who have just reacted and moved off may have ignored God to the point of moving out from under His covering. This is why I urge caution.

I've been directly asked on multiple occasions why I would stick with a group that isn't completely following God in the fullness that they ought and instead have made their faith about themselves. I admit that it's a valid question, but my best answer to it is another question. What other kind of group is there?

I had a brother say to me that he doubted that if Jesus himself were to come to a ministers meeting and speak that everyone there would accept what He had to say. He also seemed to have a problem with the fact that not only did I agree with him, but I told him that if this actually happened, it wouldn't be a factor to me as to whether I remained a part of this group or not. That really threw him for a loop, and maybe I wasn't being totally fair to him as it was early in the morning when I told him this and he hadn't finished his first cup of coffee quite yet, but I still stand by this. The leadership of our group is not the primary factor by which I determine whether or not to continue to be a part of this fellowship; No man is.

I hate to disappoint those who haven't come to this realization themselves yet but there is no perfect group that we can choose to associate with. To attempt to find one is an exercise in futility. Man's order is always out of order and when you are talking about a group that is made up of men and led by men, there will always be some of man's order in it, it can't be helped. All of those people who I've heard say "I'm here because I just can't find anything better" about our group don't understand that it wouldn't matter if they did find something better because finding it still wouldn't make God any better.

Let me reduce this down into its most concentrated form so you know exactly what it is I'm really saying. There were these twelve guys, you may have heard of them. Their names were Simon Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, the other James, Thaddeus, Simon and Judas Iscariot. These men actually had Jesus right there with them for over three years, teaching them and leading them. If I could offer you the chance to spend three years of your life to become a part of that group and to actually sit under Jesus during that time, wouldn't you do it? Seriously ask yourself would want to become the thirteenth disciple?

Before you make your decision though, let's examine the situation more closely. James and John, the sons of Zebedee were concerned about what was in it for them (Mark 10:35) and about what seats that they were to sit in (Mark 10:37). It seems to me the other ten might have been interested in playing politics too (Mark 10:41). Peter was an interesting fellow to be sure. When he walked on the water to Jesus which was proof that Jesus could and would sustain him, he still let his faith waiver (Matt 14:28-30). Judas betrayed Jesus for money (Matt 26:15). None of the disciples could manage to stay awake when Jesus asked them to pray with him (Luke 22:45). Peter physically attacked a man with a sword (John 18:12). They all scattered when Jesus was captured, and only two of them had enough courage to follow even at a distance (Luke 22:54, John 18:15). Peter denied even knowing Jesus three times (Luke 22:61), and Thomas didn't trust the other ten disciples enough to believe that Jesus has resurrected (John 20:25). These aren't the only examples of how flawed the disciples were, just some of the most well known. After this reminder, would you still trade three years of your life to join them and be counted as one of them?

I'm guessing that just maybe the last paragraph might have dissuaded a few people from wanting to associate themselves with the disciples. Consider this though. These men were hand picked by Jesus Christ himself so either Jesus was very bad when came to picking disciples or He operates on a different level than we do. Have you considered that if a group of men who were this closely associated with Jesus could be so messed up, finding a group of men that isn't messed up must be nigh impossible? So why are we spending time looking for something that doesn't exist? Let me tell you how I would answer the thirteenth disciple question. I'd jump at the opportunity to be one of them, not for the twelve men that I listed earlier, but for the chance to be with Jesus. Jesus is what's important my friends, don't ever loose sight of that.

I'm reminded of the pillars of smoke and fire in the wilderness. Let me posit a thought experiment. Let's say that the tribe of Reuben were given the chance to skip the forty years of wandering, would that tribe have come out better than the other eleven? Let's consider it from both sides. Let's say they stayed in Egypt for an extra thirty-nine years and change and left at the last minute to meet their brothers just as they crossed over into the land of milk and honey. Alternatively, let's say they took off and made it to the promised land, and when the rest of Israel caught up with them they could say "What took you so long" and they all laughed about it over kosher BBQ and big pitchers of sweet tea? In either case would the tribe of Reuben have been better off? I say no. I say that for Reuben to wander off on their own, even if they had been able to skip all of the hardship that the wilderness had to offer, would have been extremely detrimental if for no other reason that they would have taken themselves out from under the covering of God. I would also say that even though wandering through the wilderness was a punishment for Israel, the covering being manifest in their presence day and night was still a blessing. Even in reproach, God is good to His people. We can't afford to ignore that for all the turmoil and infighting that is going on in our group right now, God hasn't stopped being good to us.

Somehow however, this whole idea begs a question in my mind at least. Why would God even work through groups that are flawed? More fundamental, does He? I would go back to history for part of the answer. Historically, every group that God has ever put his covering on have managed to find their way out from under it. The nation of Israel used to exist under His covering, but eventually they were carried away and fell into apostasy. How long was the early church in existence before it became apostate, a century perhaps? That may have been how long it took for the results of apostasy to become evident, but I would suggest that the seeds were always there. What I take from history is that not only does God tolerate imperfect groups, He works through them.

God's working is not impacted by the imperfectness of the group that He is using. Put that another way, He does not require a perfect group in order to be able to operate (2 Cor 12:9). The imperfection of the group that God is working through does not in any way diminish His greatness. Friends, God is not limited by us. So when I am asked the question, "Why would you associate with an imperfect group?" my simple answer is "Because God works with and puts his covering on imperfect groups of people, they are called His children".

And yet there is still more to this subject. I was talking on the phone with my friend Steve Lewis, and he made a statement that was good, and since I'm using it, I wanted to attribute it to him. He said that he wouldn't let any man interfere with his relationship to God. He was speaking about other things, but the application to this issue is crystal clear to me. When it comes to my personal relationship with Christ, if I trust in Christ instead of a man or an organization, my faith is secure.

Let me put it this way, have you been or know anyone who has been shaken when someone prominent and respected falls away? Sure we all wonder how they let themselves slide, but if you are impacted personally to the point that your relationship with Christ is effected, then aren't you building your foundations on other than Him? Those of us who were blessed enough to attend more than a handful of Sunday school classes as a child have been exposed to the folly of this idea. I can remember singing about the wise man who built his house upon the rock and the foolish man who built his house upon the sand. You have to understand that if you build your Christianity on Christ, it will be secure because it's founded on the Rock. However anything built upon anything else is some different -ianity, built on a foundation that will, not can, fail. Storms are going to happen in each of our lives, so why would we knowingly build ourselves on a foundation that is vulnerable to storms when we could instead build on one that is impervious to storms? The question to ask yourself is if you have been "too" shaken by someone loosing out, has your faith become dependent on the wrong thing? If so, beware my friend, that faith will let you down.

The same thing goes for groups. Don't let your faith become structurally dependent on a group of people, you will be shaken. Don't let this group or any other group become your source of strength. This applies not only the group as a whole, but also to individual elements of the group (1 Cor 13:8). I don't care how good a group is, it simply can't take the place of Jesus in your life.

Up to this point I've addressed how we should handle ourselves in the situation that we are finding ourselves in. Still, I want to address our current situation for what it is, not in a hope to divert our course from becoming a denomination, but perhaps as a reminder of what we are based on in an effort to slow it down just a bit.

I want to take you back in time to one of our founding moments. William Sowders had a chance to organize with the Assemblies of God in 1914 and was actually planning to go to an organization convention when the Lord gave him a dream. In this dream he was in a hayloft and was looking down at all the animals wandering around in the muddy barn floor getting filthy. The impression that he got was that the men who were organizing in Hot Springs were the animals that were mired in filth of their own creating (not the best mental picture) and that he was to remain separate from that. This was a very good message for Bro. Sowders, but I notice one more subtle thing about the story. God was telling him to avoid organization, not how to create a perfect organization of men. There was no better organizational choice to be had in that hayloft, organization was merely to be avoided.

But avoiding organization is what we've done, isn't it? Well, we've talked about avoiding it enough that's for certain. I've spoken on this before in Order, Organized, Organization, so I won't rehash it again, but I do have a few questions to ask.

When we have a "head table" where a group of leading brethren sit, are they not the heads of our organization, at least in situ? How does this jive with Jesus being the head?

If we are starting to determine who can and cannot be a part of us, I ask you what exactly is it that we are deciding they can or cannot be a part of?

When someone lays down specific guidelines for our entire group and says "This is the way", as has been suggested that we do in our meetings, how is that inline with what Jesus said? (John 14:6)

The reason that we find ourselves where we are right now is because we have misunderstood a purpose that God has imposed on our lives. You see, we do have a commission, and that is to spread the Gospel. Mark 16:15 does not implore us to build a church organization that blankets the world. We are told to let our lights shine to a lost world, not to stay holy by shutting the world out.

We seem to have lost some of this vision. For all of our scriptural scholasticism, we've lost some of the remedial principles that define Christianity, at least as a group. I am not worried about this however because even when the dispensation during which God is using a group is over, there will remain a remnant who will keep the faith and not lose out, and sometimes that remnant, because it has had so much artifice stripped away from it, can be used by God in a greater measure than the group that it came out of if for nothing else than because of a greater willingness to be used. In every age God sustains a remnant that will stay true to Him and praise His name as it should be. One day God will call a remnant out of our group as well. Actually, we teach this, though perhaps not in exactly the fashion that I have laid out to get to this point.

I'm almost done, but before I close I want to circle around to address one final aspect of this question that needs to be addressed, and that is why I personally stay with this group. I've called this group a good group and a special group, and although that has been questioned, I stand by what I've said that this is a special group. I have a reason for believing this, and that is because I still see the covering of God on this group of people. I still see God moving in and out of our midst, and that is just not able to be said of every group of people that attaches to themselves the name of Christian. Understand though, it is for no other reason than that God's covering is on us that I call us special. It's nothing that we have done, nor is it a quality that is intrinsic to our people. It is a transitive quality that will only remain on us while we choose to remain under the covering of God. Even still, if we do eventually move out from under that covering, I believe that there will remain a remnant, and if that is where I am supposed to reside, so be it.

Finally, to those who just do not find any alternative and decide that they still must leave, I leave you with these words:

Put Jesus first, first in your life,
He is a true friend unto the end,
Just take Him with you wherever you go,
Put Jesus first in your life.