I guess our last post was a little ambiguous as to our nursery situation. I'm trying to think of a way to lead you all on so you think we're having a little Hilty, but it's not coming to me. No, there is no announcement to be made. The nursery in question is our church's nursery. Sorry to keep you all guessing...although that is kinda funny. When the day comes, there will be no guessing. And hopefully we'll be able to call all of you instead of just posting it online.
Anyway, thanks for wondering... If you read this between now and Sunday, pray for our services. I'm giving a salvation message, and I know there are unsaved people who will be attending. Thanks and God bless.
Saturday, October 28
Wednesday, October 25
Prayer Update
Thank you so much to everyone who has been praying for us! It has been an amazing few weeks as we've seen God work. Two weeks ago a woman walked into Parkway. She had moved up to Baraboo from Madison (45 minutes away) with her family. As they drove the moving van by the church, she felt like she should come in...for a reason she can't explain (psst...it was God!). She liked service, and we went to her house two weeks ago today to visit with her. Last Sunday she came back with her daughter and daughter-in-law, who brought her two young sons. And last Sunday night we had dinner with her and her husband. Josh has started tutoring her daughter in math. Her husband is a professional painter and has volunteered to paint our non-existent but soon to exist nursery for free. And, they are bringing used nursery items that their sons and daughters don't need anymore for their kids.
So I just have one thing to say: Praise God! Please continue to pray for this family, as they are not Christians. Some have church background and some do not. God is definitely at work, and we know your prayers are making a difference.
Other prayer requests include:
1. Finding a time for our leadership team to meet. Since we are under district supervision, we have no board. Just a leadership team. There are nine of us, and with conflicting work schedules, it has been hard to find a consistent meeting time.
2. Conflict. There has been minimal conflict so far with changes already happening. Please pray for understanding and a desire to reach out into the community, rather than a desire to be content with who we are.
3. Jamie's restlessness. Sometimes staying at home all day (especially with few friends and shopping malls) can get boring and repetitive. Pray she would feel like she has a purpose.
4. Church participation. Pray that our whole church would desire to get involved in what is happening. Right now we pray Tuesdays at 9:00 AM and 6:00 PM. One man comes in the morning and no one at night. We want people to want to pray and be involved.
5. Grace for each day. God has been SO faithful thus far, and we know He will always be. Pray for His grace for us and our congregation. In change, we've found, grace can be hard to come by.
Thanks for praying. We love and miss you all!
So I just have one thing to say: Praise God! Please continue to pray for this family, as they are not Christians. Some have church background and some do not. God is definitely at work, and we know your prayers are making a difference.
Other prayer requests include:
1. Finding a time for our leadership team to meet. Since we are under district supervision, we have no board. Just a leadership team. There are nine of us, and with conflicting work schedules, it has been hard to find a consistent meeting time.
2. Conflict. There has been minimal conflict so far with changes already happening. Please pray for understanding and a desire to reach out into the community, rather than a desire to be content with who we are.
3. Jamie's restlessness. Sometimes staying at home all day (especially with few friends and shopping malls) can get boring and repetitive. Pray she would feel like she has a purpose.
4. Church participation. Pray that our whole church would desire to get involved in what is happening. Right now we pray Tuesdays at 9:00 AM and 6:00 PM. One man comes in the morning and no one at night. We want people to want to pray and be involved.
5. Grace for each day. God has been SO faithful thus far, and we know He will always be. Pray for His grace for us and our congregation. In change, we've found, grace can be hard to come by.
Thanks for praying. We love and miss you all!
Sunday's Sermon: Get Out of the Lifeboat
Last Sunday I preached about a concept Donald Miller writes about in Searching For God Knows What. Its an issue our church struggles with, and though I'm not sure how many people caught on (I got more compliments about my tie than the sermon), it was a message that spoke to me. By the way, the book is excellent and I would highly recommend it. So, here's the sermon.
The Lifeboat
I just finished reading a book called Searching For God Knows What by Donald Miller. For those of you who don’t know who he is, Donald Miller is a contemporary Christian writer. He has a way of writing that just makes sense. He puts Biblical concepts onto paper and it makes you say, “Why didn’t I think of that?” I would highly recommend the book to anyone. One of the concepts he talks about is being in a lifeboat.
Sometimes as Christians we think of a lifeboat metaphor in terms of saving everyone who’s not a Christian, going out to the Titanic and picking up all the drowning people. That’s not what he’s talking about. To illustrate what the lifeboat is all about, I need some volunteers. (During service we had four people come up front and stand on a half-inflated swimming "couch.").
On a lifeboat, you want to save as many people as possible. But what if the boat gets too heavy and you have to throw someone off in order for it not to sink? Who gets thrown off? Who decides who gets thrown off? What happens in this situation is everyone tries to stay alive. They try to convince the other people they are worthy of staying on the lifeboat. But still, someone has to go. We’re getting pretty full up here, right? So, Mary says, “You can’t throw me off. I have children and grandchildren. My grandson just turned 4 last week. I’m a secretary at a school. I have to stay on this lifeboat.” And Linda says, “Me neither. I have a husband and daughter. I won’t even be able to say goodbye to them. Besides, I know how to get us to land. If you throw me off, you’ll all die anyway.” And Jamie says, “I’m too young to die. I’ve only been married for a couple years. And I sell Mary Kay. How will anyone get make-up if I’m dead?” And so the women conspire against poor Al, and he doesn’t get a say. So Al gets tossed overboard and drowns.
This is the lifeboat. Not a fun place to be is it. It’s a good thing we don’t normally have to be on these things, right? Not to sink your boat or anything, but this is life. This happens everyday to every one of us, even on Sunday morning at this church. You see, everyone wants to think of themselves as being in the group that doesn’t get kicked off. The popular group. The group everyone likes. And so, either consciously or subconsciously, we do our best to make everyone think we’re a great person.
And sometimes we trick ourselves into thinking we’re better than this person or that person. Why? Because there is a deep desire within us to be accepted, to feel important, to be looked up to, to be loved. And to counteract the fear of rejection or isolation being unloved, we put other people down. And this is just the surface issue. Because in a perfect world, there wouldn’t be a lifeboat. We wouldn’t have to worry about being the unloved one or the last one picked for a team.
At one point this world was perfect, and this wasn’t an issue. In the Garden of Eden, God created Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve were perfect. They walked and talked with God, and as their Creator, God gave them their sense of worth. They had nothing to fear. Adam never told Eve she was ugly, or she got on his nerves. And Eve never told Adam he watched too much TV and didn’t spend enough time with the kids. There was no fighting match to see who was better than whom.
Until sin entered the world, when they disobeyed God. All of a sudden, they were kicked out of the Garden, and God wasn’t as close as He used to be. The way things used to be was tarnished and trashed, and they were separated from God. Without God telling them how much He loved them, without them getting their worth from Him, they had to seek it from each other. And Adam couldn’t always give the love God did. Same with Eve. Sin equals separation from God equals searching for the love and acceptance of God in others which ultimately equals a letdown and a lifeboat.
That’s where we’re at today and that’s where the disciples were at when they walked with Jesus. Mark 9:33-37 gives an account of their lifeboat games. So if you have your Bibles—by the way if you have a Bible you brought to church, could you hold it in the air? If you have your Bibles, turn to Mark 9:33-37.
They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”
Disciples in the Lifeboat
In this passage, Jesus and the disciples are going to Capernaum. They are walking away from just having witnessed Jesus drive out a demon from a boy. They had tried to drive the demon out but couldn’t. And so in their state of failure, they walked. And soon arose an argument. In the Greek, the word for argued is what we get the word “dialogue” from. This word literally means “to balance accounts, to take full account of, to consider, to debate, or to argue.” In arguing about who was the greatest, they were being careful to give full account of why they should be at the top of the list. They compared themselves to each other, putting one another down and building themselves up. And they knew that what they were doing was wrong. Because when Jesus questioned them about it, they all got very quiet.
I remember a time when I was younger, probably seven or eight years old, when my brother and I thought it would be a great idea to take our bats and see who could make a crack in our mom’s windshield. So we got up on the hood of the car and started banging away. And I can’t remember who won, but we did make a good crack in it. Obviously mom found out about it. And so did dad. Boy did we ever get quiet. Which is pretty silly seeing as how we were the only ones who could have done it, and we couldn’t really hide what we had done.
Same thing happens here with the disciples. Jesus is no dummy. He knows what they were talking about and lets them know, “Whoever wants to be first must be the very last and must be servant of all.” You mean, I have to be thrown out of the lifeboat if I want to be the greatest? Yes.
You have to be tossed, and you have to want to be tossed. When Jesus tells them they must be a servant, he uses a word which means one who attends to the needs of others freely. He could have used another more common word, doulos, which refers to a slave. Jesus isn’t saying you have to be a servant who is forced to serve, as a slave would be. He’s saying you have to be a guy who desires to serve. This has to be in your blood, being last. So not only do you have to be tossed from the lifeboat, you have to want to be tossed.
And this is hard for us. No one wants to be last. Last is horrible. Last means you don’t make the cut, you don’t get the trophy, no one pats you on the back and compliments you on a job well done. We’d much rather be first. And so when we don’t like what someone has done, we tell others about it. We put the pastor down because we don’t like a decision he made. And we don’t tell him about it for fear we’ll end up at the end of the lifeboat.
Or we boast about how much money we have in the bank, or our intelligence, or any other talent we have. Anything we feel makes us more special than someone else, or anything that makes others love us. Then there are others who feel they’re always at the end of the lifeboat, and just wish that for once someone would consider them worthy of stay onboard. I know I’ve been on both sides of the coin. But perhaps it’s time we shut our mouths a bit and begin loving other people. Just think about it: If everyone is so busy focusing on how they look to other people, then no one is looking at you. They’re all looking inward. So, instead of worrying about it, let’s take time to encourage each other, to serve each other, and to get out of the lifeboat.
Call to Get Out of the Lifeboat
That’s what Jesus called the disciples to do. In verse 37 he said, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.” A child in Jesus’ day was at the low end of the social totem pole. Children were supposed to obey their parents and be sure to make their parents proud. They didn’t have many of the responsibilities an adult would, and just weren’t seen as very important. They are the ones who we would most likely toss from the lifeboat. So Jesus is saying we must welcome—receive with open arms—this child, Himself, and the One who sent Him—God the Father.
We must welcome God, for He is the only one who can love us and give us the sense of worth we are seeking. We won’t find it in other people, in their acceptance of us, or in putting them down. We’ll never be satisfied with ourselves until we welcome God and His love for us.
So today, it’s time to step out of the lifeboat. If we all step out of the lifeboat, then we don’t have to worry about being thrown overboard (take off swim trunks and throw away “lifeboat.”). God wants our relationships with Him and with each other to be pure. No more faking like we like each other just to feel good about each other. No more talking behind someone else’s back because you feel better about yourself. No more secretly evaluating people based on appearances or wealth or fame or Christian maturity. Jesus would say the greatest thing we can do to display that we love Him is to love others unconditionally.
Conclusion
I would guess I’m speaking to two types of people today. You’re either in the popular group pushing others out of the lifeboat, or you’re being pushed out wishing you weren’t. If you’re in the first group, and you want to change, here’s what you need to do. You need to tell God you’re sorry and repent. And from here on out, you need to commit to seeing other people as equals, as created by God and given worth by God. And you need to see yourself in that way too.
For those who are in the second group, and you want to change, you need to forgive those who have been doing this to you. Whether you’ve heard through the grapevine comments someone has made, or you’re jealous about another person, or something else, you need to forgive those people. And then you need to commit to loving them, even if they stay in the lifeboat.
I know that everyone is in one of these two groups…maybe even in both at the same time. That means we should all respond today. I would ask that everyone who desires to change pray quietly where they are at, out loud. As an act of commitment, pray for forgiveness and for a love for others. Then I’ll pray to close.
The Lifeboat
I just finished reading a book called Searching For God Knows What by Donald Miller. For those of you who don’t know who he is, Donald Miller is a contemporary Christian writer. He has a way of writing that just makes sense. He puts Biblical concepts onto paper and it makes you say, “Why didn’t I think of that?” I would highly recommend the book to anyone. One of the concepts he talks about is being in a lifeboat.
Sometimes as Christians we think of a lifeboat metaphor in terms of saving everyone who’s not a Christian, going out to the Titanic and picking up all the drowning people. That’s not what he’s talking about. To illustrate what the lifeboat is all about, I need some volunteers. (During service we had four people come up front and stand on a half-inflated swimming "couch.").
On a lifeboat, you want to save as many people as possible. But what if the boat gets too heavy and you have to throw someone off in order for it not to sink? Who gets thrown off? Who decides who gets thrown off? What happens in this situation is everyone tries to stay alive. They try to convince the other people they are worthy of staying on the lifeboat. But still, someone has to go. We’re getting pretty full up here, right? So, Mary says, “You can’t throw me off. I have children and grandchildren. My grandson just turned 4 last week. I’m a secretary at a school. I have to stay on this lifeboat.” And Linda says, “Me neither. I have a husband and daughter. I won’t even be able to say goodbye to them. Besides, I know how to get us to land. If you throw me off, you’ll all die anyway.” And Jamie says, “I’m too young to die. I’ve only been married for a couple years. And I sell Mary Kay. How will anyone get make-up if I’m dead?” And so the women conspire against poor Al, and he doesn’t get a say. So Al gets tossed overboard and drowns.
This is the lifeboat. Not a fun place to be is it. It’s a good thing we don’t normally have to be on these things, right? Not to sink your boat or anything, but this is life. This happens everyday to every one of us, even on Sunday morning at this church. You see, everyone wants to think of themselves as being in the group that doesn’t get kicked off. The popular group. The group everyone likes. And so, either consciously or subconsciously, we do our best to make everyone think we’re a great person.
And sometimes we trick ourselves into thinking we’re better than this person or that person. Why? Because there is a deep desire within us to be accepted, to feel important, to be looked up to, to be loved. And to counteract the fear of rejection or isolation being unloved, we put other people down. And this is just the surface issue. Because in a perfect world, there wouldn’t be a lifeboat. We wouldn’t have to worry about being the unloved one or the last one picked for a team.
At one point this world was perfect, and this wasn’t an issue. In the Garden of Eden, God created Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve were perfect. They walked and talked with God, and as their Creator, God gave them their sense of worth. They had nothing to fear. Adam never told Eve she was ugly, or she got on his nerves. And Eve never told Adam he watched too much TV and didn’t spend enough time with the kids. There was no fighting match to see who was better than whom.
Until sin entered the world, when they disobeyed God. All of a sudden, they were kicked out of the Garden, and God wasn’t as close as He used to be. The way things used to be was tarnished and trashed, and they were separated from God. Without God telling them how much He loved them, without them getting their worth from Him, they had to seek it from each other. And Adam couldn’t always give the love God did. Same with Eve. Sin equals separation from God equals searching for the love and acceptance of God in others which ultimately equals a letdown and a lifeboat.
That’s where we’re at today and that’s where the disciples were at when they walked with Jesus. Mark 9:33-37 gives an account of their lifeboat games. So if you have your Bibles—by the way if you have a Bible you brought to church, could you hold it in the air? If you have your Bibles, turn to Mark 9:33-37.
They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”
Disciples in the Lifeboat
In this passage, Jesus and the disciples are going to Capernaum. They are walking away from just having witnessed Jesus drive out a demon from a boy. They had tried to drive the demon out but couldn’t. And so in their state of failure, they walked. And soon arose an argument. In the Greek, the word for argued is what we get the word “dialogue” from. This word literally means “to balance accounts, to take full account of, to consider, to debate, or to argue.” In arguing about who was the greatest, they were being careful to give full account of why they should be at the top of the list. They compared themselves to each other, putting one another down and building themselves up. And they knew that what they were doing was wrong. Because when Jesus questioned them about it, they all got very quiet.
I remember a time when I was younger, probably seven or eight years old, when my brother and I thought it would be a great idea to take our bats and see who could make a crack in our mom’s windshield. So we got up on the hood of the car and started banging away. And I can’t remember who won, but we did make a good crack in it. Obviously mom found out about it. And so did dad. Boy did we ever get quiet. Which is pretty silly seeing as how we were the only ones who could have done it, and we couldn’t really hide what we had done.
Same thing happens here with the disciples. Jesus is no dummy. He knows what they were talking about and lets them know, “Whoever wants to be first must be the very last and must be servant of all.” You mean, I have to be thrown out of the lifeboat if I want to be the greatest? Yes.
You have to be tossed, and you have to want to be tossed. When Jesus tells them they must be a servant, he uses a word which means one who attends to the needs of others freely. He could have used another more common word, doulos, which refers to a slave. Jesus isn’t saying you have to be a servant who is forced to serve, as a slave would be. He’s saying you have to be a guy who desires to serve. This has to be in your blood, being last. So not only do you have to be tossed from the lifeboat, you have to want to be tossed.
And this is hard for us. No one wants to be last. Last is horrible. Last means you don’t make the cut, you don’t get the trophy, no one pats you on the back and compliments you on a job well done. We’d much rather be first. And so when we don’t like what someone has done, we tell others about it. We put the pastor down because we don’t like a decision he made. And we don’t tell him about it for fear we’ll end up at the end of the lifeboat.
Or we boast about how much money we have in the bank, or our intelligence, or any other talent we have. Anything we feel makes us more special than someone else, or anything that makes others love us. Then there are others who feel they’re always at the end of the lifeboat, and just wish that for once someone would consider them worthy of stay onboard. I know I’ve been on both sides of the coin. But perhaps it’s time we shut our mouths a bit and begin loving other people. Just think about it: If everyone is so busy focusing on how they look to other people, then no one is looking at you. They’re all looking inward. So, instead of worrying about it, let’s take time to encourage each other, to serve each other, and to get out of the lifeboat.
Call to Get Out of the Lifeboat
That’s what Jesus called the disciples to do. In verse 37 he said, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.” A child in Jesus’ day was at the low end of the social totem pole. Children were supposed to obey their parents and be sure to make their parents proud. They didn’t have many of the responsibilities an adult would, and just weren’t seen as very important. They are the ones who we would most likely toss from the lifeboat. So Jesus is saying we must welcome—receive with open arms—this child, Himself, and the One who sent Him—God the Father.
We must welcome God, for He is the only one who can love us and give us the sense of worth we are seeking. We won’t find it in other people, in their acceptance of us, or in putting them down. We’ll never be satisfied with ourselves until we welcome God and His love for us.
So today, it’s time to step out of the lifeboat. If we all step out of the lifeboat, then we don’t have to worry about being thrown overboard (take off swim trunks and throw away “lifeboat.”). God wants our relationships with Him and with each other to be pure. No more faking like we like each other just to feel good about each other. No more talking behind someone else’s back because you feel better about yourself. No more secretly evaluating people based on appearances or wealth or fame or Christian maturity. Jesus would say the greatest thing we can do to display that we love Him is to love others unconditionally.
Conclusion
I would guess I’m speaking to two types of people today. You’re either in the popular group pushing others out of the lifeboat, or you’re being pushed out wishing you weren’t. If you’re in the first group, and you want to change, here’s what you need to do. You need to tell God you’re sorry and repent. And from here on out, you need to commit to seeing other people as equals, as created by God and given worth by God. And you need to see yourself in that way too.
For those who are in the second group, and you want to change, you need to forgive those who have been doing this to you. Whether you’ve heard through the grapevine comments someone has made, or you’re jealous about another person, or something else, you need to forgive those people. And then you need to commit to loving them, even if they stay in the lifeboat.
I know that everyone is in one of these two groups…maybe even in both at the same time. That means we should all respond today. I would ask that everyone who desires to change pray quietly where they are at, out loud. As an act of commitment, pray for forgiveness and for a love for others. Then I’ll pray to close.
Monday, October 16
Sunday Sermon: God Can Forgive and Use You
A quick disclaimer: If you think this sermon ends abruptly, it does. Part 2 is next week.
Introduction of Israel: From Joshua to Gideon
Gideon was a judge over the nation of Israel, appointed by God to bring the nation back to Him. Israel had turned from the God who delivered them from Egypt. You see, after Moses died, he appointed Joshua as leader, and he brought Israel into the Promised Land. Joshua led the people into battle, most famously against Jericho. And the generation he was a part of served the LORD. In Joshua 24, he tells the people, “Fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”
Then the people answered him, “Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other gods! It was the LORD our God himself who brought us and our fathers up out of Egypt, from the land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. And the LORD drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the LORD, because he is our God.”
So, there was a period of success as Israel marched forward to drive out the nations living in the Promised Land. God was with them as they drove out the Canaanites. But they failed to drive out every nation. And so Israel was corrupted by their gods, and began to worship Baal. Baal literally means “owner, husband, or lord.” He was considered a weather god associated mainly with rain. The Canaanites were farmers, and so they worshiped Baal in order for him to provide the rain for their crops. They believed that every winter Baal would “hibernate” in the underworld, and in order to bring him back for springtime, they would make sacrifices—both animal and human—and engage in sexual orgies. Just as they were showing their fertility, they believed Baal would bring fertility to their crops. This is what a good portion of Israel got involved in, thus breaking the LORD’s command, “You shall not have any other gods before me.”
So God, in Judges 2:3 said, “Therefore I tell you that I will not drive them out before you; they will be thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you.” And in verse 15 it says, “Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the LORD was against them to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress.” So, Israel was in great distress, but it hadn’t come to its senses yet. God then raises up judges—those faithful to him who would bring the people back to Him. Yet the people did not turn back to God. Instead, they continued in their wicked ways. What did happen though, was that as long as a judge was alive, the LORD had compassion on them and saved them from their enemies. Yet when the judge died, the people threw themselves further into rebellion and idol worship. And this happens on and off for a period of a couple hundred years. Looks like a pretty grim situation doesn’t it?
Israel at the Hand of Midian
As we get closer to the time of Gideon, it says in Judges 5:31, “Then the land had peace forty years.” Forty years. That’s one generation of peace. A chance for those who worshiped Baal to die out, and for their sons and daughters to return to the LORD. In fact, peace signifies that the LORD’s hand wasn’t against Israel anymore. Somehow they had turned back to Him. Obviously it didn’t last though. The next verse tells us that, “Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites.” Midian was a nation south of Israel. And it was formed by the descendants of a man named Midian, who just so happens to be a son of Abraham. Genesis 25 tells us that after Abraham’s wife Sarah died, he took another wife, and she bore him many sons, one of whom was Midian. Abraham sent all these sons east and gave Isaac all of his inheritance.
Thus we have Midian, an affliction to Israel. Midian was so fierce, so oppressive, that the Bible tells us the Israelites ran and hid in caves. The Midianites killed their flocks and destroyed their crops. They were so numerous that one couldn’t count them, as a swarm of locusts. And finally, after seven whole years—SEVEN years—Israel cries out to God. You’ve got to be kidding me! That’s like a woman in labor, sitting on her couch in pain as the contractions keep getting worse and worse. And she waits and waits. She even tells her husband she’s okay. Then after seven years and a boy half her size living in her stomach, she goes to the doctor. What kind of joke is this? It’s not a joke. It’s a testimony to how deep in sin and apostasy Israel was. They had turned tail and ran from God so many times they forgot who He was. They forgot He was the only One who could save them from these nations. They loved the gods of Midian and of Canaan so much that the pain and fear became bearable.
It’s like asking the question, “Would you rather run 20 miles in 68 degree weather or 5 miles in 100 degree weather?” The correct answer to that question is "Neither!" And Israel has answered, we’ll take both. Both your gods and your pain.
After Israel cries out to God, he answers them in two ways. The first is through the prophet in Judges 6:7-10. He tells them that God had brought them out of Egypt and said He was their God; don’t worship the other gods. But they hadn’t listened to Him. The prophet says this and that appears to be all it is. This paragraph reminder of their sins was a type of “course correction.” They had to remember what God had done for them in the past, or what He planned to do for them through Gideon would be of no consequence. They had to remember they were in the wrong, they had sinned, or else they would not turn from their sin.
God Calls (Forgives, Is Patient With, Believes In) Gideon
God first sent the prophet, and then He called Gideon. Let’s begin reading in Judges 6:11-24. “The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, ‘The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.’ ‘But sir,’ Gideon replied, ‘if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said “Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?” But now the LORD has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian.’
The LORD turned to him and said, ‘Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?’
‘But Lord,’ Gideon asked, ‘how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh and I am the least in my family.’
The LORD answered, ‘I will be with you and you will strike down all the Midianites together.’
Gideon replied, ‘If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me. Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you.’
And the LORD said, ‘I will wait until you return.’
Gideon went in, prepared a young goat, and from an ephah of flour he made bread without yeast. Putting the meat in a basket and its broth in a pot, he brought them out and offered them to him under the oak.
The angel of God said to him, ‘Take the meat and the unleavened bread, place them on this rock, and pour out the broth. And Gideon did so. With the tip of the staff that was in his hand, the angel of the LORD touched the meat and the unleavened bread. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the LORD disappeared. When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the LORD, he exclaimed, ‘Ah, Sovereign LORD! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!’
But the LORD said to him, ‘Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.’
So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.”
God called Gideon in a such a way that blows my mind. Gideon is scared to death of Midian, secretly threshing wheat in order to not get caught. And when the angel of the LORD, later called Yahweh, appears to him, he speaks foolishly. He says that God cannot be with Israel because there are no wonders, no miracles he’s heard so much about. He’s standing at least somewhat close to his father’s altar to Baal and he has the gall to tell God it’s his fault. “It’s your fault we’re being attacked all the time and I have to hide in this winepress. If only you would show up and do a few miracles we’d be okay.” In reality, it was the sin that so easily entangled Israel, which blinded Gideon to the truth of sin and of God, that caused the current troubles. If it was easy for Gideon to lay the blame on God, how easy is it for us to do the same? Even when we’re standing neck deep in it? We think if only God would do this, or if only he would answer my prayer…when perhaps God is calling us to repent and turn to Him. Think about that one for a bit.
Gideon assumes it’s God’s fault, and then God tells him he should go and save Israel in the strength he has. Even in his sinful state, Gideon has some strength left which God plans to use. But Gideon baffles me again. He makes a silly excuse about being part of the weakest clan and least in his family. He’s saying to God, “No way. I’m of no use, no good, just a weak scared guy. Nice joke, God.” Remember last week when we talked about saying, “I just can’t do much.?” This is Gideon here. Gideon forgets, in a breath of time, that it is God who performed the wonders for Israel. All of a sudden he thinks God won’t be able to perform wonders but will expect him to save Israel by his own strength. Crazy guy. If God performed wonders to release Israel from Egypt, He surely can do it again.
The LORD answers saying he will be with Gideon, reaffirming what he first said in verse 12. Then he says Gideon will strike down all the Midianites, reaffirming what he said in verse 14. And finally Gideon catches on. Almost. He’s really set on this signs and wonders thing, so he asks God for a sign. So he prepares an offering of a goat and unleavened bread.
God commanded Israel to sacrifice one male goat during each major feast—Passover, the Feast of Weeks, during monthly offerings, on the day of atonement—as a sin offering to make atonement for sins. And unleavened bread was made to signify the separation of sin and Egypt, since there was no yeast (sin) in the bread. Gideon’s offering, therefore, was one of atonement for the sins he had committed by worshiping Baal. And his test of God in that offering was not just to see if it was truly God calling Him and speaking with Him. It was a test to see if God would forgive him. Gideon, like us, believed that his sin was too great for God to forgive, and that because God wouldn’t forgive him, He couldn’t possibly use him. Too often Satan lies to us, saying we’re too horrible to forgive, and that we can never be used by God because of how horrible we are. It’s all lies. It’s all lies. We see that the sacrifice was consumed on the rock as God signaled to Gideon, "Your sins are forgiven."
Gideon worries about dying because he’s seen the angel of the LORD. But God reassures Him this isn’t the case. He will not die, because the LORD is Peace. The LORD and Gideon made their peace that day. Next week we’ll return to Gideon to see how God used him. But today, there are those of us who feel like God cannot forgive us. We have turned to worship other gods and want so desperately to turn back to God, yet something is holding us back. It’s our fear of being rejected by God. Fear of not measuring up to God's standards (which forgiveness tosses out the door). There are no standards to be forgiven, except a contrite and repentant heart, and a commitment to serve the LORD.
Introduction of Israel: From Joshua to Gideon
Gideon was a judge over the nation of Israel, appointed by God to bring the nation back to Him. Israel had turned from the God who delivered them from Egypt. You see, after Moses died, he appointed Joshua as leader, and he brought Israel into the Promised Land. Joshua led the people into battle, most famously against Jericho. And the generation he was a part of served the LORD. In Joshua 24, he tells the people, “Fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”
Then the people answered him, “Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other gods! It was the LORD our God himself who brought us and our fathers up out of Egypt, from the land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. And the LORD drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the LORD, because he is our God.”
So, there was a period of success as Israel marched forward to drive out the nations living in the Promised Land. God was with them as they drove out the Canaanites. But they failed to drive out every nation. And so Israel was corrupted by their gods, and began to worship Baal. Baal literally means “owner, husband, or lord.” He was considered a weather god associated mainly with rain. The Canaanites were farmers, and so they worshiped Baal in order for him to provide the rain for their crops. They believed that every winter Baal would “hibernate” in the underworld, and in order to bring him back for springtime, they would make sacrifices—both animal and human—and engage in sexual orgies. Just as they were showing their fertility, they believed Baal would bring fertility to their crops. This is what a good portion of Israel got involved in, thus breaking the LORD’s command, “You shall not have any other gods before me.”
So God, in Judges 2:3 said, “Therefore I tell you that I will not drive them out before you; they will be thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you.” And in verse 15 it says, “Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the LORD was against them to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress.” So, Israel was in great distress, but it hadn’t come to its senses yet. God then raises up judges—those faithful to him who would bring the people back to Him. Yet the people did not turn back to God. Instead, they continued in their wicked ways. What did happen though, was that as long as a judge was alive, the LORD had compassion on them and saved them from their enemies. Yet when the judge died, the people threw themselves further into rebellion and idol worship. And this happens on and off for a period of a couple hundred years. Looks like a pretty grim situation doesn’t it?
Israel at the Hand of Midian
As we get closer to the time of Gideon, it says in Judges 5:31, “Then the land had peace forty years.” Forty years. That’s one generation of peace. A chance for those who worshiped Baal to die out, and for their sons and daughters to return to the LORD. In fact, peace signifies that the LORD’s hand wasn’t against Israel anymore. Somehow they had turned back to Him. Obviously it didn’t last though. The next verse tells us that, “Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites.” Midian was a nation south of Israel. And it was formed by the descendants of a man named Midian, who just so happens to be a son of Abraham. Genesis 25 tells us that after Abraham’s wife Sarah died, he took another wife, and she bore him many sons, one of whom was Midian. Abraham sent all these sons east and gave Isaac all of his inheritance.
Thus we have Midian, an affliction to Israel. Midian was so fierce, so oppressive, that the Bible tells us the Israelites ran and hid in caves. The Midianites killed their flocks and destroyed their crops. They were so numerous that one couldn’t count them, as a swarm of locusts. And finally, after seven whole years—SEVEN years—Israel cries out to God. You’ve got to be kidding me! That’s like a woman in labor, sitting on her couch in pain as the contractions keep getting worse and worse. And she waits and waits. She even tells her husband she’s okay. Then after seven years and a boy half her size living in her stomach, she goes to the doctor. What kind of joke is this? It’s not a joke. It’s a testimony to how deep in sin and apostasy Israel was. They had turned tail and ran from God so many times they forgot who He was. They forgot He was the only One who could save them from these nations. They loved the gods of Midian and of Canaan so much that the pain and fear became bearable.
It’s like asking the question, “Would you rather run 20 miles in 68 degree weather or 5 miles in 100 degree weather?” The correct answer to that question is "Neither!" And Israel has answered, we’ll take both. Both your gods and your pain.
After Israel cries out to God, he answers them in two ways. The first is through the prophet in Judges 6:7-10. He tells them that God had brought them out of Egypt and said He was their God; don’t worship the other gods. But they hadn’t listened to Him. The prophet says this and that appears to be all it is. This paragraph reminder of their sins was a type of “course correction.” They had to remember what God had done for them in the past, or what He planned to do for them through Gideon would be of no consequence. They had to remember they were in the wrong, they had sinned, or else they would not turn from their sin.
God Calls (Forgives, Is Patient With, Believes In) Gideon
God first sent the prophet, and then He called Gideon. Let’s begin reading in Judges 6:11-24. “The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, ‘The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.’ ‘But sir,’ Gideon replied, ‘if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said “Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?” But now the LORD has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian.’
The LORD turned to him and said, ‘Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?’
‘But Lord,’ Gideon asked, ‘how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh and I am the least in my family.’
The LORD answered, ‘I will be with you and you will strike down all the Midianites together.’
Gideon replied, ‘If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me. Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you.’
And the LORD said, ‘I will wait until you return.’
Gideon went in, prepared a young goat, and from an ephah of flour he made bread without yeast. Putting the meat in a basket and its broth in a pot, he brought them out and offered them to him under the oak.
The angel of God said to him, ‘Take the meat and the unleavened bread, place them on this rock, and pour out the broth. And Gideon did so. With the tip of the staff that was in his hand, the angel of the LORD touched the meat and the unleavened bread. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the LORD disappeared. When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the LORD, he exclaimed, ‘Ah, Sovereign LORD! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!’
But the LORD said to him, ‘Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.’
So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.”
God called Gideon in a such a way that blows my mind. Gideon is scared to death of Midian, secretly threshing wheat in order to not get caught. And when the angel of the LORD, later called Yahweh, appears to him, he speaks foolishly. He says that God cannot be with Israel because there are no wonders, no miracles he’s heard so much about. He’s standing at least somewhat close to his father’s altar to Baal and he has the gall to tell God it’s his fault. “It’s your fault we’re being attacked all the time and I have to hide in this winepress. If only you would show up and do a few miracles we’d be okay.” In reality, it was the sin that so easily entangled Israel, which blinded Gideon to the truth of sin and of God, that caused the current troubles. If it was easy for Gideon to lay the blame on God, how easy is it for us to do the same? Even when we’re standing neck deep in it? We think if only God would do this, or if only he would answer my prayer…when perhaps God is calling us to repent and turn to Him. Think about that one for a bit.
Gideon assumes it’s God’s fault, and then God tells him he should go and save Israel in the strength he has. Even in his sinful state, Gideon has some strength left which God plans to use. But Gideon baffles me again. He makes a silly excuse about being part of the weakest clan and least in his family. He’s saying to God, “No way. I’m of no use, no good, just a weak scared guy. Nice joke, God.” Remember last week when we talked about saying, “I just can’t do much.?” This is Gideon here. Gideon forgets, in a breath of time, that it is God who performed the wonders for Israel. All of a sudden he thinks God won’t be able to perform wonders but will expect him to save Israel by his own strength. Crazy guy. If God performed wonders to release Israel from Egypt, He surely can do it again.
The LORD answers saying he will be with Gideon, reaffirming what he first said in verse 12. Then he says Gideon will strike down all the Midianites, reaffirming what he said in verse 14. And finally Gideon catches on. Almost. He’s really set on this signs and wonders thing, so he asks God for a sign. So he prepares an offering of a goat and unleavened bread.
God commanded Israel to sacrifice one male goat during each major feast—Passover, the Feast of Weeks, during monthly offerings, on the day of atonement—as a sin offering to make atonement for sins. And unleavened bread was made to signify the separation of sin and Egypt, since there was no yeast (sin) in the bread. Gideon’s offering, therefore, was one of atonement for the sins he had committed by worshiping Baal. And his test of God in that offering was not just to see if it was truly God calling Him and speaking with Him. It was a test to see if God would forgive him. Gideon, like us, believed that his sin was too great for God to forgive, and that because God wouldn’t forgive him, He couldn’t possibly use him. Too often Satan lies to us, saying we’re too horrible to forgive, and that we can never be used by God because of how horrible we are. It’s all lies. It’s all lies. We see that the sacrifice was consumed on the rock as God signaled to Gideon, "Your sins are forgiven."
Gideon worries about dying because he’s seen the angel of the LORD. But God reassures Him this isn’t the case. He will not die, because the LORD is Peace. The LORD and Gideon made their peace that day. Next week we’ll return to Gideon to see how God used him. But today, there are those of us who feel like God cannot forgive us. We have turned to worship other gods and want so desperately to turn back to God, yet something is holding us back. It’s our fear of being rejected by God. Fear of not measuring up to God's standards (which forgiveness tosses out the door). There are no standards to be forgiven, except a contrite and repentant heart, and a commitment to serve the LORD.
Thursday, October 12
Messed Up Weather
Guess what happened yesterday and today? SNOW. It's invading already, and some trees still haven't changed colors yet. And you all thought Indiana weather was messed up. It's been great to see all the leaves change colors, especially near our state park.
But snow in October? Snow means warming our car up, scraping ice and shoveling snow, being scared about how many people in my congregation will slip and fall and break something. It also means Christmas is coming. I think I'll be excited for Christmas when it gets here, but now I'm worried. People expect big Christmas services, and at this point, we can't really offer much. I'm scared guests will walk into our church Christmas Eve and walk right back out. I'm scared that by Christmas people will be leaving the church in the midst of changes. Maybe I'm too pessimistic.
God, remind me and anyone else who needs it that You send the snow, and that Your presence as Immanuel is much more important than any Christmas service. Thank you.
But snow in October? Snow means warming our car up, scraping ice and shoveling snow, being scared about how many people in my congregation will slip and fall and break something. It also means Christmas is coming. I think I'll be excited for Christmas when it gets here, but now I'm worried. People expect big Christmas services, and at this point, we can't really offer much. I'm scared guests will walk into our church Christmas Eve and walk right back out. I'm scared that by Christmas people will be leaving the church in the midst of changes. Maybe I'm too pessimistic.
God, remind me and anyone else who needs it that You send the snow, and that Your presence as Immanuel is much more important than any Christmas service. Thank you.
Tuesday, October 10
New Church University
As many of you know, Jamie and I were in Indy last week (Oct. 2-5) for our first conference. It was good to see family and friends at Brookhaven and Indy. Family, we miss you all. Kevin and Sandra, thanks for the meal and time with friends. Let's get together quicker than two years next time. Jessie, Jewel, Haley, David, Ty, Janel, Janna, Pastor Bob and Veralyn, Pastor Matt and Laura, and Pastor Phil and Stephanie, it was good to be back at youth group once more.
What an amazing time! New Church Specialties is a church health focused organization "based" from the Church of the Nazarene. They train pastors and lay leaders in refocusing (moving from inward focused ministry to outward focused), restarting (shut down the church, change lots of things, re-open) or church planting. Our church is in need of a mix between refocusing and restarting (leaning toward restarting).
We were blown away at how comprehensive it was. Everything was grounded in Scripture and prayer. We heard spiels from a few guys for most of the time and also got to meet in small groups with other pastors from around the nation. Guys were there from Kansas, Texas, California, Indiana, Wisconsin... Overall, we are excited about what God has in store for us. We found this to be a time of learning and commitment. The process of restarting a church takes about 3-5 years. And at the end of that time, we should be ready to at least assist with a church plant. It's like God was emphasizing how big a work He is going to do at Parkway. Not only does He want to make us a healthy church, but also a multiplying church.
Now that we're back in Baraboo, it's time to convey what we've learned to our leadership team. For those of you who've committed to pray for us, please pray that we would have wisdom to know what to say and what to hold back. There's so much information that we could easily overwhelm and discourage our church. Pray also that we would be personally renewed by God's Spirit in these next weeks and months. If we are going to lead this process, we need to be renewed first. Also pray for our leadership team, that they would commit to the long process, and that the right people would be on it. We have asked a few new people to join the team after learning we had too few. And one man is hesitant to join because he's new to the church and isn't sure how a few people will react. Pray for God's will to be done in him and our church.
If any of you know churches or pastors looking to plant churches, please pass this website on to them: www.newchurchspecialties.org. Refocusing churches are those at the "plateau" stage, and I believe most churches would benefit from this training. So, as the guy from Reading Rainbow says, "Don't just take my word for it. Check it out yourself."
What an amazing time! New Church Specialties is a church health focused organization "based" from the Church of the Nazarene. They train pastors and lay leaders in refocusing (moving from inward focused ministry to outward focused), restarting (shut down the church, change lots of things, re-open) or church planting. Our church is in need of a mix between refocusing and restarting (leaning toward restarting).
We were blown away at how comprehensive it was. Everything was grounded in Scripture and prayer. We heard spiels from a few guys for most of the time and also got to meet in small groups with other pastors from around the nation. Guys were there from Kansas, Texas, California, Indiana, Wisconsin... Overall, we are excited about what God has in store for us. We found this to be a time of learning and commitment. The process of restarting a church takes about 3-5 years. And at the end of that time, we should be ready to at least assist with a church plant. It's like God was emphasizing how big a work He is going to do at Parkway. Not only does He want to make us a healthy church, but also a multiplying church.
Now that we're back in Baraboo, it's time to convey what we've learned to our leadership team. For those of you who've committed to pray for us, please pray that we would have wisdom to know what to say and what to hold back. There's so much information that we could easily overwhelm and discourage our church. Pray also that we would be personally renewed by God's Spirit in these next weeks and months. If we are going to lead this process, we need to be renewed first. Also pray for our leadership team, that they would commit to the long process, and that the right people would be on it. We have asked a few new people to join the team after learning we had too few. And one man is hesitant to join because he's new to the church and isn't sure how a few people will react. Pray for God's will to be done in him and our church.
If any of you know churches or pastors looking to plant churches, please pass this website on to them: www.newchurchspecialties.org. Refocusing churches are those at the "plateau" stage, and I believe most churches would benefit from this training. So, as the guy from Reading Rainbow says, "Don't just take my word for it. Check it out yourself."
Sunday's Sermons
Sorry we haven't blogged in a while. We've been going, going, going lately. If any of you want to read my last two Sundays' sermons (Oct. 1 and 8), just post your email and I'll email them to you. I figure posting two huge entries at the same time will be too overwhelming and the second one wouldn't get read by anyone... I'll be sure to get back to posting them again for next week.
Monday, September 25
Will You Be An Intercessor?
As most of you know, Jamie and I are coming to Indy next week as part of a New Church Specialties Conference. The purpose of it is to train pastors and lay leaders in the process of "resurrecting" a dying church. As part of this process, they ask that we secure a team of intercessors. This is where you come in. We will begin to post weekly prayer requests and updates so you know how to pray. We'd like you, if you're willing to commit to pray at least once a week, to comment to this post. For those of you who aren't familiar to posting on a blog, all it takes is clicking on "comments" at the end of this post. Then type your message. If you don't have a blog, you can post anonymously...just be sure to write your name in your comment.
If you know of others who aren't Internet savvy, you could always print off our blog posts and update them. Jamie and I are excited about what God is going to do. You can be excited too, because your prayers are the fuel for God's work. Like Mike Brown once said, "Prayer is like calling in the big guns and bombarding the devil." Thanks for praying!
If you know of others who aren't Internet savvy, you could always print off our blog posts and update them. Jamie and I are excited about what God is going to do. You can be excited too, because your prayers are the fuel for God's work. Like Mike Brown once said, "Prayer is like calling in the big guns and bombarding the devil." Thanks for praying!
Sunday, September 24
The Church: God's Instrument of Grace
Here's today's sermon. Be sure to see the post underneath this one.
Misguided Understandings About the Church
Today we’re going to talk about the church. The church and its purpose are often misunderstood by both outsiders and church members. Some of us find ourselves faithfully attending the same church yet forgetting why we’re there. We even serve in any way needed with good hearts and great intentions. We tithe our ten percent, sing, pray, and respect the pastor when he’s preaching, whether a good sermon or not. We don’t complain and are genuinely happy to be among our Christian friends on Sunday. And yet, we tend to forget why we do all those things.
Then there are those who know why we exist, but don’t know how to accomplish God’s purpose. They will try anything and everything to make church “appealing” to guests, but in the process forget what those guests truly need. They’ll do anything to get new people walking through the door, whether it’s great preaching, modern worship, dramas, kid’s ministry, or plasma screen TVs. And these people get so caught up in the newest craze that they forget God’s plans.
If you’ve read the gospels, you no doubt know how they portray the disciples to be a little slow. They don’t tend to understand Jesus’ parables or his mission. They don’t believe him and they bicker about being the best. I have a story about these guys (which, believe it or not, isn’t in the Bible). Don’t worry, I’m sure it’s accurate. Listen as we see how easy it is to forget what following Jesus is all about.
Pete: This meeting has been called at the request of Matt, John, Tom, and Little Jim. Bart, will you please open with prayer?
Bart: Almighty God, we ask Your blessing on all we do and say and earnestly pray that You will see our side as Your side. Amen.
Pete: Jesus, we have been following you around for some time, and we are getting concerned about the attendance figures. Tom, how many were on the hill yesterday?
Tom: Thirty-seven.
Pete: It’s getting to be ridiculous. You’re going to have to pep things up. We expect things to happen.
John: I’d like to suggest you pull off more miracles. That walking on water bit was the most exciting thing I have ever seen, but only a few of us saw it. If a thousand or so had a chance to witness it, we would have more than we could handle on the hill.
Little Jim: I agree. The healing miracles are terrific, but only a limited number really get to see what happened. Let’s have some more water to wine, more fish and chips (it never hurts to fill their stomachs), still more storms, give more signs. This is what the people need.
Pete: Right. And another thing, publicity is essential, and you tell half the people you cure to keep it quiet. Let the word get around.
Matt: I’m for miracles, but I want to hear a few stories I can understand. This “those who have ears to hear, let them hear” business just clouds the issue. You have to make it clear or most of us aren’t going to be able to take anything home.
John: I’d like to offer an order of service. First a story, then a big miracle followed by an offering, then maybe a saying or something, followed by a small miracle to bring them back next time. Oh yes, and a prayer if you’d like.
Tom: We have to do something.
Little Jim: That’s for sure. Attendance has been awful.
Judas: I’d like to say if we are going to continue meeting in this upper room, we ought to do something about the carpet…
So you see how easy it is to forget our purpose. I’ve been reading a book called Falling in Love With the Church by Larry McKain. In the book, he explains that we must know what the church is before we can even think about growing. I would think that most of us here would like to see Parkway grow. Maybe you don’t want to be as big as Walnut Hill, but you would like to see more here than those present today. Right?
So would I. But first you and I have to know what the church is. Open your Bibles to Acts 2:42, a famous passage describing the early church. This passage speaks about what was happening in the earliest days of Christianity, and that gives us somewhat of a picture of what the church is.
Our Actions Must Stem From Grace
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
You hear all that was happening—the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, communion, service, prayer—and it’s easy to miss why they were doing that. We must look behind all the goings-on to see what the church is. The Church is God’s primary instrument used to distribute His free grace to a dying world. You and I are a part of that dying world while at the same time a part of the Church. Though we’ve received God’s grace and are saved, it doesn’t mean we quit receiving His grace. Without the grace of God each moment of life, we would cease to exist.
Babette’s Feast
And this grace is like a story told by Philip Yancey in his book, What’s So Amazing About Grace. As the story goes, there is a sect of Christians in Germany committed to renouncing all worldly pleasures. They all dress in black, and eat boiled cod and gruel, tolerating life on earth until God takes them home. Their leader has two daughters: Martine and Philippa. They were both beautiful and attracted the attention of many men. But they rejected their suitors in order to take care of their aging father. Fifteen years passed and their father died. They tried to carry on his mission and lead the parishioners but with little success. One man held a grudge against another, rumors spread about an affair involving two of them, and two women hadn’t spoken to each other for a decade. But they kept on.
One night the two sisters heard a knock on the door. It was a ragged woman who handed them a note. It was signed by one of the men who had courted Philippa years ago. The note explained that her name was Babette, she had lost her family in the French civil war, had sought shelter by fleeing to Germany. And, she could cook. So they took her in, and in exchange for chores she was given room and board.
For the next 12 years Babette worked for the sisters. One day she received a letter from France. To her surprise, a friend had renewed her lottery number in the French lottery…she had won ten thousand francs! (which is like $30,000 today). The sisters were all but happy because they knew Babette would leave. Coincidentally, the letter came at the same time the sisters were planning a celebration of the hundredth anniversary of their father’s birth. Babette came to them with a request. “In twelve years I have asked nothing of you. But now I would like to prepare the meal for the anniversary…a real French meal.” The sisters weren’t so sure, but agreed to it.
Babette ordered all the food she would need to make the dinner: small birds, fresh vegetables, pheasants, ham, cow, huge tortoises, and other strange sea creatures. Everyone in the village was amazed and somewhat alarmed at the sight. It snowed the day of the dinner. Babette had scrounged enough china and had decorated the room with candles. The guests all ate without much talk, most of them somewhat disgusted at the taste of foreign food. But gradually the meal grew on them. They began to reminisce about the good old days when their leader was still alive. And finally they all left, leaving Babette in a mess of a kitchen filled with dirty dishes.
The two sisters approached Babette. “It was quite a nice dinner. We will all remember this evening when you’ve gone back to Paris.” Babette tells them she will not be going back. All her friends and relatives had been killed, and it would be too expensive to return. “But what about the ten thousand francs?” Then Babette tells them she spent every last franc on the feast they just ate.
And this is grace: it costs the giver everything, and the one who receives, nothing. Grace cost God His Son, and it cost us nothing. Now we as the church are called to give grace to those who haven’t received it yet. And it must cost us everything: our time, our energy, our Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, our money, our talents, everything. We must give everything we have in order to bestow grace on the world. Whether it’s saying hello to a neighbor or listening to a hurting friend, we must give grace. And, as a church, we must center all of our activities on this. Whether it’s fellowship together at Muriel’s for game night or singing praise to God on Sunday, we must distribute grace.
The Apostles’ Teaching
So now we must reevaluate what we’re doing. In the early church, the first thing it says they did was to devote themselves to the apostles’ teaching. The word “devoted” has a sense of “giving one’s attention to” and “being faithful in.” So the earliest believers…those who were converted from the speech Peter gave on the day of Pentecost, now give their full attention to the apostles’ teaching. And the apostles’ have a simple message. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians, “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures… (vv. 3-4).” The earliest Christians devoted themselves to this message. They lived and breathed Christ crucified. For it is in His death and resurrection that grace is made available to us. Without that, we would be condemned sinners deserving death. But Christ died, giving His all, while we receive the free gift of grace. And so, we must ask ourselves: Are we living as if we’ve been given grace? Are we thinking about, dreaming about, speaking about Christ crucified and risen? Or do we look at the cross behind me as if it were just decoration?
Fellowship
Acts tells us that the first Christians then devoted themselves to the fellowship. In other places in the Bible, fellowship is described as sharing or participating in something with others. It’s being known because of who you hang out with. Some of you have been going to this church for so long that it will be impossible to hear “Parkway Wesleyan” without thinking of you. And, you’ll notice that in verse 46 it says they met together every day. They loved each other so much, and knew the importance of gathering in Jesus name. God’s grace was displayed in their interaction, the way they loved each other and gave when one person had need. It’s no wonder verse 46 also says they ate together with glad and sincere hearts. They genuinely enjoyed being together. For us at Parkway, the way we interact can be full of grace or lacking grace. People who visit our church will be able to tell a lot about us by the way we act. Even in the way we joke with one another, the grace of Christ can shine through or be masked.
It reminds me of the story of three pastors going out to eat. Each of them ordered a bowl of soup and a salad. And just after the soup arrived, three flies came and landed, one in each bowl. So one pastor spooned the fly into his napkin, folded it up as discreetly as possible. The second pastor picked the fly out, put it on his finger and flicked it off. And the third pastor grabbed his fly by the wings, held it up to his face and screamed, “Spit it out! All of it! Spit it out!”
Now which one of these pastors, if observed by a non-Christian, would NOT look like a Christian? That’s right. And so our fellowship should reflect God’s grace.
Breaking of Bread
The third thing the early church devoted themselves to was breaking of bread, or the Lord’s Supper. They knew that it was more than remembering Jesus until He returned again. The Lord’s Supper signifies the death of our Lord and the forgiveness we receive in it. You cannot separate forgiveness from grace. Every time we take communion, Christ is there, imparting His grace to us. Without His grace, we would feel awful. To be reminded that Jesus had to die because of the sin’s I’ve committed is a horrible feeling, and if that’s all communion is about, then it makes no sense to eat it. But it’s not. Communion is all about grace, which Christ gives to us. You have to remember, some of these early Christians in Acts are probably some of the same people who yelled, “Crucify Him!” How do you think they felt the first time they ate the Lord’s Supper? They felt like they deserved death too, and would have always felt that way but for the grace of God.
Prayer
So they devoted themselves to breaking of bread, and then to prayer. In Acts, prayer always precedes a great work of God. The disciples were together praying and God sent the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Cornelius prays, and God sends Peter as a messenger to the Gentiles. The church prays for Peter while he is in prison, and God sends an angel to release Him. The early church understood that God moved when they prayed. God moved on their behalf and on behalf of those who didn’t know Him, so that they may know His grace in their lives.
Larry McKain also tells a story in his book about his grandfather, who was a farmer. His grandfather was not a Christian. He used Sundays to plow his fields and work around the farm. The pastor of the country church would ask him to come every now and then, and his response was always “no.” But that little church began praying for him by name. And one Sunday, for no apparent reason except God’s Spirit working on his heart, Larry’s grandfather ran inside his house, grabbed his wife and daughter, and took them to church. That Sunday their whole family got saved. And that little country church was where Larry’s mom raised him. He met his wife there. All because the church prayed for his grandfather.
Conclusion: God’s Instrument of Grace
So the early church was devoted to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer. The early church was devoted to being God’s instrument of grace. Like Babette and like Jesus, they gave everything they had. Is this how Parkway looks? Take a few moments and compare our church with the picture we have of grace. Then think to yourself, am I God’s instrument of grace? If not, how can I be?
Here are four practical ways to be God’s instrument of grace. If you listened well, you know them already.
Commit yourself to preaching Christ crucified. I know you’re not a preacher, but commit to it in your everyday interaction with people. Tell them about your Savior who died for you and them.
When we’re together, encourage one another. Tell someone how much you appreciate them.
When you take communion, know that you are forgiven. Your sins do not condemn you any longer.
Take time to pray for a non-Christian by name. Pray each day for them.
Misguided Understandings About the Church
Today we’re going to talk about the church. The church and its purpose are often misunderstood by both outsiders and church members. Some of us find ourselves faithfully attending the same church yet forgetting why we’re there. We even serve in any way needed with good hearts and great intentions. We tithe our ten percent, sing, pray, and respect the pastor when he’s preaching, whether a good sermon or not. We don’t complain and are genuinely happy to be among our Christian friends on Sunday. And yet, we tend to forget why we do all those things.
Then there are those who know why we exist, but don’t know how to accomplish God’s purpose. They will try anything and everything to make church “appealing” to guests, but in the process forget what those guests truly need. They’ll do anything to get new people walking through the door, whether it’s great preaching, modern worship, dramas, kid’s ministry, or plasma screen TVs. And these people get so caught up in the newest craze that they forget God’s plans.
If you’ve read the gospels, you no doubt know how they portray the disciples to be a little slow. They don’t tend to understand Jesus’ parables or his mission. They don’t believe him and they bicker about being the best. I have a story about these guys (which, believe it or not, isn’t in the Bible). Don’t worry, I’m sure it’s accurate. Listen as we see how easy it is to forget what following Jesus is all about.
Pete: This meeting has been called at the request of Matt, John, Tom, and Little Jim. Bart, will you please open with prayer?
Bart: Almighty God, we ask Your blessing on all we do and say and earnestly pray that You will see our side as Your side. Amen.
Pete: Jesus, we have been following you around for some time, and we are getting concerned about the attendance figures. Tom, how many were on the hill yesterday?
Tom: Thirty-seven.
Pete: It’s getting to be ridiculous. You’re going to have to pep things up. We expect things to happen.
John: I’d like to suggest you pull off more miracles. That walking on water bit was the most exciting thing I have ever seen, but only a few of us saw it. If a thousand or so had a chance to witness it, we would have more than we could handle on the hill.
Little Jim: I agree. The healing miracles are terrific, but only a limited number really get to see what happened. Let’s have some more water to wine, more fish and chips (it never hurts to fill their stomachs), still more storms, give more signs. This is what the people need.
Pete: Right. And another thing, publicity is essential, and you tell half the people you cure to keep it quiet. Let the word get around.
Matt: I’m for miracles, but I want to hear a few stories I can understand. This “those who have ears to hear, let them hear” business just clouds the issue. You have to make it clear or most of us aren’t going to be able to take anything home.
John: I’d like to offer an order of service. First a story, then a big miracle followed by an offering, then maybe a saying or something, followed by a small miracle to bring them back next time. Oh yes, and a prayer if you’d like.
Tom: We have to do something.
Little Jim: That’s for sure. Attendance has been awful.
Judas: I’d like to say if we are going to continue meeting in this upper room, we ought to do something about the carpet…
So you see how easy it is to forget our purpose. I’ve been reading a book called Falling in Love With the Church by Larry McKain. In the book, he explains that we must know what the church is before we can even think about growing. I would think that most of us here would like to see Parkway grow. Maybe you don’t want to be as big as Walnut Hill, but you would like to see more here than those present today. Right?
So would I. But first you and I have to know what the church is. Open your Bibles to Acts 2:42, a famous passage describing the early church. This passage speaks about what was happening in the earliest days of Christianity, and that gives us somewhat of a picture of what the church is.
Our Actions Must Stem From Grace
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
You hear all that was happening—the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, communion, service, prayer—and it’s easy to miss why they were doing that. We must look behind all the goings-on to see what the church is. The Church is God’s primary instrument used to distribute His free grace to a dying world. You and I are a part of that dying world while at the same time a part of the Church. Though we’ve received God’s grace and are saved, it doesn’t mean we quit receiving His grace. Without the grace of God each moment of life, we would cease to exist.
Babette’s Feast
And this grace is like a story told by Philip Yancey in his book, What’s So Amazing About Grace. As the story goes, there is a sect of Christians in Germany committed to renouncing all worldly pleasures. They all dress in black, and eat boiled cod and gruel, tolerating life on earth until God takes them home. Their leader has two daughters: Martine and Philippa. They were both beautiful and attracted the attention of many men. But they rejected their suitors in order to take care of their aging father. Fifteen years passed and their father died. They tried to carry on his mission and lead the parishioners but with little success. One man held a grudge against another, rumors spread about an affair involving two of them, and two women hadn’t spoken to each other for a decade. But they kept on.
One night the two sisters heard a knock on the door. It was a ragged woman who handed them a note. It was signed by one of the men who had courted Philippa years ago. The note explained that her name was Babette, she had lost her family in the French civil war, had sought shelter by fleeing to Germany. And, she could cook. So they took her in, and in exchange for chores she was given room and board.
For the next 12 years Babette worked for the sisters. One day she received a letter from France. To her surprise, a friend had renewed her lottery number in the French lottery…she had won ten thousand francs! (which is like $30,000 today). The sisters were all but happy because they knew Babette would leave. Coincidentally, the letter came at the same time the sisters were planning a celebration of the hundredth anniversary of their father’s birth. Babette came to them with a request. “In twelve years I have asked nothing of you. But now I would like to prepare the meal for the anniversary…a real French meal.” The sisters weren’t so sure, but agreed to it.
Babette ordered all the food she would need to make the dinner: small birds, fresh vegetables, pheasants, ham, cow, huge tortoises, and other strange sea creatures. Everyone in the village was amazed and somewhat alarmed at the sight. It snowed the day of the dinner. Babette had scrounged enough china and had decorated the room with candles. The guests all ate without much talk, most of them somewhat disgusted at the taste of foreign food. But gradually the meal grew on them. They began to reminisce about the good old days when their leader was still alive. And finally they all left, leaving Babette in a mess of a kitchen filled with dirty dishes.
The two sisters approached Babette. “It was quite a nice dinner. We will all remember this evening when you’ve gone back to Paris.” Babette tells them she will not be going back. All her friends and relatives had been killed, and it would be too expensive to return. “But what about the ten thousand francs?” Then Babette tells them she spent every last franc on the feast they just ate.
And this is grace: it costs the giver everything, and the one who receives, nothing. Grace cost God His Son, and it cost us nothing. Now we as the church are called to give grace to those who haven’t received it yet. And it must cost us everything: our time, our energy, our Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, our money, our talents, everything. We must give everything we have in order to bestow grace on the world. Whether it’s saying hello to a neighbor or listening to a hurting friend, we must give grace. And, as a church, we must center all of our activities on this. Whether it’s fellowship together at Muriel’s for game night or singing praise to God on Sunday, we must distribute grace.
The Apostles’ Teaching
So now we must reevaluate what we’re doing. In the early church, the first thing it says they did was to devote themselves to the apostles’ teaching. The word “devoted” has a sense of “giving one’s attention to” and “being faithful in.” So the earliest believers…those who were converted from the speech Peter gave on the day of Pentecost, now give their full attention to the apostles’ teaching. And the apostles’ have a simple message. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians, “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures… (vv. 3-4).” The earliest Christians devoted themselves to this message. They lived and breathed Christ crucified. For it is in His death and resurrection that grace is made available to us. Without that, we would be condemned sinners deserving death. But Christ died, giving His all, while we receive the free gift of grace. And so, we must ask ourselves: Are we living as if we’ve been given grace? Are we thinking about, dreaming about, speaking about Christ crucified and risen? Or do we look at the cross behind me as if it were just decoration?
Fellowship
Acts tells us that the first Christians then devoted themselves to the fellowship. In other places in the Bible, fellowship is described as sharing or participating in something with others. It’s being known because of who you hang out with. Some of you have been going to this church for so long that it will be impossible to hear “Parkway Wesleyan” without thinking of you. And, you’ll notice that in verse 46 it says they met together every day. They loved each other so much, and knew the importance of gathering in Jesus name. God’s grace was displayed in their interaction, the way they loved each other and gave when one person had need. It’s no wonder verse 46 also says they ate together with glad and sincere hearts. They genuinely enjoyed being together. For us at Parkway, the way we interact can be full of grace or lacking grace. People who visit our church will be able to tell a lot about us by the way we act. Even in the way we joke with one another, the grace of Christ can shine through or be masked.
It reminds me of the story of three pastors going out to eat. Each of them ordered a bowl of soup and a salad. And just after the soup arrived, three flies came and landed, one in each bowl. So one pastor spooned the fly into his napkin, folded it up as discreetly as possible. The second pastor picked the fly out, put it on his finger and flicked it off. And the third pastor grabbed his fly by the wings, held it up to his face and screamed, “Spit it out! All of it! Spit it out!”
Now which one of these pastors, if observed by a non-Christian, would NOT look like a Christian? That’s right. And so our fellowship should reflect God’s grace.
Breaking of Bread
The third thing the early church devoted themselves to was breaking of bread, or the Lord’s Supper. They knew that it was more than remembering Jesus until He returned again. The Lord’s Supper signifies the death of our Lord and the forgiveness we receive in it. You cannot separate forgiveness from grace. Every time we take communion, Christ is there, imparting His grace to us. Without His grace, we would feel awful. To be reminded that Jesus had to die because of the sin’s I’ve committed is a horrible feeling, and if that’s all communion is about, then it makes no sense to eat it. But it’s not. Communion is all about grace, which Christ gives to us. You have to remember, some of these early Christians in Acts are probably some of the same people who yelled, “Crucify Him!” How do you think they felt the first time they ate the Lord’s Supper? They felt like they deserved death too, and would have always felt that way but for the grace of God.
Prayer
So they devoted themselves to breaking of bread, and then to prayer. In Acts, prayer always precedes a great work of God. The disciples were together praying and God sent the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Cornelius prays, and God sends Peter as a messenger to the Gentiles. The church prays for Peter while he is in prison, and God sends an angel to release Him. The early church understood that God moved when they prayed. God moved on their behalf and on behalf of those who didn’t know Him, so that they may know His grace in their lives.
Larry McKain also tells a story in his book about his grandfather, who was a farmer. His grandfather was not a Christian. He used Sundays to plow his fields and work around the farm. The pastor of the country church would ask him to come every now and then, and his response was always “no.” But that little church began praying for him by name. And one Sunday, for no apparent reason except God’s Spirit working on his heart, Larry’s grandfather ran inside his house, grabbed his wife and daughter, and took them to church. That Sunday their whole family got saved. And that little country church was where Larry’s mom raised him. He met his wife there. All because the church prayed for his grandfather.
Conclusion: God’s Instrument of Grace
So the early church was devoted to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer. The early church was devoted to being God’s instrument of grace. Like Babette and like Jesus, they gave everything they had. Is this how Parkway looks? Take a few moments and compare our church with the picture we have of grace. Then think to yourself, am I God’s instrument of grace? If not, how can I be?
Here are four practical ways to be God’s instrument of grace. If you listened well, you know them already.
Commit yourself to preaching Christ crucified. I know you’re not a preacher, but commit to it in your everyday interaction with people. Tell them about your Savior who died for you and them.
When we’re together, encourage one another. Tell someone how much you appreciate them.
When you take communion, know that you are forgiven. Your sins do not condemn you any longer.
Take time to pray for a non-Christian by name. Pray each day for them.
Cleaning Day
Sounds like a boring post from the title doesn't it? Maybe it is. You decide. Saturday we spent most of the day cleaning out our church. You would not believe how many old things we found..stuff from the 1920s even! It kinda felt like TLC's Clean Sweep. We had a trash pile, a sell pile, and a keep pile. Maybe we should have called them first...
Our D.S. and his wife came to help us. I don't know how we would have done it without them. I know that people meant well in keeping anything and everything. And I know that most of them are too old to do anything about it. So a small (emphasis on small) part of me understands why all the clutter. Then the other part screams, "Trash!" We found old Sunday School material, bulletins, fake flowers and vases galore, stuffed animals, dishes that haven't been used in years, extra shingles from the last roofing project...not to mention spiders, spiderwebs, and dust.
At the end of the day we had filled 30 bags of trash along with plenty of other items too big for bags. And, at the end of the day we felt good. It's like cleaning out the church signifies the new changes to come. We feel like there's hope for the church now. And it's slowly becoming our church. So often we find ourselves imagining life at Brookhaven and forgetting we're here to stay. Our de-junking yesterday helped us feel like we are "home."
(Stephen Mowat, if you read this, we found old newspapers in pretty decent shape. One has an article about FDR being re-elected to his fourth term in office. Others have various articles about the happenings in WWII. I figure if you want them, we can bring them with us when we come to Marion next week. We should pass through either on Monday Oct 2nd or Thurs Oct 5th. We'll drop them off at Michelle's office and you can have them free.)
Odd way to end a post, with a note to a friend, but I don't have anything else to say.
Our D.S. and his wife came to help us. I don't know how we would have done it without them. I know that people meant well in keeping anything and everything. And I know that most of them are too old to do anything about it. So a small (emphasis on small) part of me understands why all the clutter. Then the other part screams, "Trash!" We found old Sunday School material, bulletins, fake flowers and vases galore, stuffed animals, dishes that haven't been used in years, extra shingles from the last roofing project...not to mention spiders, spiderwebs, and dust.
At the end of the day we had filled 30 bags of trash along with plenty of other items too big for bags. And, at the end of the day we felt good. It's like cleaning out the church signifies the new changes to come. We feel like there's hope for the church now. And it's slowly becoming our church. So often we find ourselves imagining life at Brookhaven and forgetting we're here to stay. Our de-junking yesterday helped us feel like we are "home."
(Stephen Mowat, if you read this, we found old newspapers in pretty decent shape. One has an article about FDR being re-elected to his fourth term in office. Others have various articles about the happenings in WWII. I figure if you want them, we can bring them with us when we come to Marion next week. We should pass through either on Monday Oct 2nd or Thurs Oct 5th. We'll drop them off at Michelle's office and you can have them free.)
Odd way to end a post, with a note to a friend, but I don't have anything else to say.
Monday, September 18
I've found a FRIEND!!!!!!!!
Praise God! He completely ordained this evening...I took a chance and went to a Home Interiors special guest preview night with this consultant I found over the Internet (this is NOT something I would have done in Marion!)...the party was an hour away in Richland Center, so we had a lot of talk time on the way there and back...and I felt sooo comfortable...really at ease talking about Josh and me, how God brought us to Baraboo, all about our new church and where it is now...and how it will hopefully change in the future...we were able to ask each other a ton of questions and really get to know each other beyond the surfacy topics, and found out that our interests are pretty similar. Anyway, she invited me to go walking tomorrow with a group of 5 ladies and then go out to lunch with them. And I am definitely going. It was so nice to be out of the house tonight and to really share with another girl close to my age...it also sounds like she will be coming to church this Sunday...God is at work and it amazes me! Thanks so much for praying for Josh and me and our mission here...we are getting adjusted slowly...and it is good that we are here.
Sunday Sermon: A Prayer for Despairing Disciples
This is the sermon from yesterday. We were officially installed as pastor and wife of the church yesterday. Our district superintendent, Dan Bickel and his wife Reenie came up for the service. We had a meal afterward with our new leadership team, which consists of a husband and wife (he's 43 and she's 31), and another woman (she's in her late 50s). Dan reinforced the idea of refocusing the church...everything is up for grabs, it's gonna be a long, hard process, and we must commit to doing things as God leads. I'm not sure if any of us realizes the depth of craziness we're getting ourselves into.
Jamie and I will be going to Indianapolis October 1-5 for a New Church University conference. It's run by people affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene, and from what I've seen so far they know what they're doing. The purpose of the conference is to understand exactly what will happen the next three years (okay, so not exactly...it's more like the "fog" that hits in a Dave Smith Greek class). Once we get back, we'll relay what we've learned to our leadership team and begin the refocusing process. More on all this in the future. For now, here's the sermon.
Introduction: Jesus is Leaving
It was night. You had gathered together for one last meal. But this wasn’t an ordinary meal. This meal was filled with apprehension, tension, dread, endless questions of the future. The Master had said you will leave me. All of you.
“Master, no we won’t. We will die with you.”
“No you won’t. Especially you Peter. You will leave me. You will leave me alone to die. You will deny me three times.”
And now Jesus said he was leaving too. “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You know the way to the place I am going.”
“But Jesus, how do we know the way? We don’t know where you’re going, so how can we know the way? What do you mean you’re leaving? Jesus, don’t leave.”
“In a little while you will see me no more, and then you will see me, because I am going to the Father. You will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. But your grief will turn to joy, and no one will take away your joy. Don’t worry friends. I will return. But now I must go to the Father.”
And then Jesus began to pray. “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him….
"I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction, so that Scripture would be fulfilled.
"I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them. I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.”
Then Jesus leaves, taking you across the Kidron Valley to an olive grove. Wait, what’s that you hear? Footsteps, loud footsteps. They’re coming this way. The Romans! And…is that..it is! It’s Judas!
“No! Judas don’t do this. You can’t take Jesus away. You won’t take Him!”
“Peter, put down your sword. I must drink the cup the Father has given me.” And then you run. You run faster than ever before, not worrying about the olive branches, not caring if any of your friends have been captured too. They’ve taken your Master away.
It would not have been the place to be that evening. To be associated with Jesus, known as one of the Twelve, would have been awful. In your heart you thought it was all a dream. There’s no way Jesus can leave us now. We’ve been together for three years. But in your mind, you knew he was right. This was the end. We’ll never see Him again. Back to fishing. Back to your home, where all your friends would be waiting, ready to mock you for following the crucified One. It was over.
Can you feel it? Can you feel the despair, the pain, the sadness of the disciples? For the disciples, Jesus’ prayer wasn’t an ordinary prayer either. It was one filled with truth they would cling to in His absence. They would need to know that even though He was gone, they would be okay. So turn to John 17, beginning with verse 6. There are three key themes spoken of throughout the prayer that are all things they needed to hear as a type of assurance that everything was going to be fine. The first is of God’s revelation.
God’s Revelation
Jesus revealed God to them in two ways. The first is shown in verse 6. Jesus says, “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world.” He literally said, “I have made your name known to those whom you gave me out of the world.” One’s name was equated with one’s character in Biblical times. So for Jesus to say He revealed the Father’s name, it meant that He showed the disciples the character of God. And when Jesus says that God had given Him His name, it meant that the name of Jesus was equal with that of God, and that Jesus and the Father have the same characteristics. Just as Jesus addressed His Father as holy, so He is holy. Just as Jesus’ name means “the LORD saves,” so we know God is our Savior. There is no separating Christ and the Father. They are one.
God’s name held power. It had the power to protect the disciples. Jesus was able to keep and guard the disciples while He was with them. As one of the disciples, you are comforted, because every time you pray in the name of Jesus, you know he hears you. Every time you call His name, you know He’s there. Every time you preach the name of Jesus, you know that it has the power to draw men to Him. Even when you are scared, when you are being killed for your faith in Christ, you know there is power in the name of Jesus. For us, the same truth applies today. There is still power in the name of Jesus, power to save, to keep us, and to make us one.
Jesus also reveals God in that He gave His disciples the words the Father gave Him. Through His teachings, the disciples received God. It says that they obeyed, or kept, that word given to them. What’s interesting about this is the tense of the verb “obeyed.” It would appear that it says the disciples kept God’s Word in the past and that’s it. But this verb is in the perfect tense, one that refers to an action having been completed in the past, but with effects felt in the present. Through their obedience to the Word and belief in Jesus, they were given eternal life. And this eternal life began the moment they believed and kept His word. It did not begin after they died, but sometime even before Jesus prayed that prayer. What a relief to know that even though Jesus had gone, they would one day be with Him. He had given them eternal life. We too can have eternal life, if only we would believe in Jesus and keep His words.
Truth About His Disciples
The second thing the disciples needed to hear was the truth about themselves. When Jesus left, you can bet Satan came in like a flood, trying to convince them that their doubt, their betrayal, meant Jesus could never accept them again. You can bet Satan made them feel like dirt. But they knew the truth about themselves.
First, they were “those who the Father had given to Jesus.” They could know for certain that God would not let them go. They would be protected from Satan’s attacks.
Second, they were hated by the world. Yeah, this doesn’t sound too encouraging. But Jesus had said in John 15:18-19, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” So this is a good thing! They were like Christ. They were not of the world just as much as He is not of the world. This is great! Have you ever thought that you and I are not of the world either? We’re not. Sure we live here and all, but we’re not really of this world. It’s like getting married. You say “I do” and you become one with your spouse. Sure, you’re still the same person. There’s plenty of time you’re not even together, but you’re one. Your voice won’t suddenly match your spouse’s, you won’t always like the same food, and you’ll still like watching football on Sundays while she takes a nap, but you’re still ONE—you have common goals, you share the checkbook, you have the same last name. We may live in this world, but we are not of it. The moment we receive Christ, we become His. Good to hear when you think all hope is lost and your Master is gone.
Christ’s Desire For Us
The third thing they needed to hear was what Christ prayed for them. Jesus prayed first that they would be one as Jesus and the Father are one. One in character, one in passion, one in purpose. By the power of God’s name, they would be one. They could no longer be known as Peter, James, John, Andrew, Matthew. They had to be known as His. They had to become so fully enveloped in Jesus’ name and mission that they would be one. The reason we are not one body of Christ today is not that we believe different things, or have differing opinions about how to worship. Those could be resolved. The reason we are not one today is that we have not all committed to be known as His. Some of us have, and some of us haven’t.
Second, Jesus prayed for them to NOT be taken from the world. If I were a disciple, I would have wanted to go to heaven when Jesus did. Take me home and we’ll continue like we have the past three years. That was the easy way out. All throughout John’s gospel, the world opposes Christ and His disciples. They are hated by it. The same world Jesus created hates Him. And so the disciples are called to stay in the world in order to…LOVE it. For God so loved the world that He gave His Son. And the Son so loved the world that He gave His followers. The disciples would need to hear this word because the world had taken their Master from them. It had crucified Him. How could they love it? And we need to hear this because we know the world does not know Christ. Things happen every day that we are opposed to: abortion, violence, theft, rape, murder. We hear people use our God’s name as a curse word. Yet we are called to love the world.
And third, Jesus prayed for them to be sanctified. “Sanctified” in this context means being set apart for service to God. The disciples were already separate from the world. They needed to be separated to God. They would be sanctified through God’s word. The Word of God sets Christianity apart from any other world religion. It comes from God and is truth. We cannot love a world which hates us, we cannot be one in purpose as Jesus and the Father are one, if we do not hold the Word of God as truth.
Conclusion: Remember...
So what does this all mean to us? We’ve heard a lot today. So if there’s anything I want you to remember, it’s the last point: the things Jesus prayed for us. That we would be one, that we would be in the world and love it, and that we would be set apart for service to God.
And one last thing. Remember that the soldiers took hold of Jesus. He carried His cross up Golgotha’s hill, and was crucified between two criminals. With His last breath he cried, “It is finished.” He was then buried, and three days later, when Mary Magdalene went to the tomb, Jesus appeared to her. He rose from the dead and is seated at the right hand of God the Father. And before He ascended into heaven, He said, “Surely I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
Jamie and I will be going to Indianapolis October 1-5 for a New Church University conference. It's run by people affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene, and from what I've seen so far they know what they're doing. The purpose of the conference is to understand exactly what will happen the next three years (okay, so not exactly...it's more like the "fog" that hits in a Dave Smith Greek class). Once we get back, we'll relay what we've learned to our leadership team and begin the refocusing process. More on all this in the future. For now, here's the sermon.
Introduction: Jesus is Leaving
It was night. You had gathered together for one last meal. But this wasn’t an ordinary meal. This meal was filled with apprehension, tension, dread, endless questions of the future. The Master had said you will leave me. All of you.
“Master, no we won’t. We will die with you.”
“No you won’t. Especially you Peter. You will leave me. You will leave me alone to die. You will deny me three times.”
And now Jesus said he was leaving too. “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You know the way to the place I am going.”
“But Jesus, how do we know the way? We don’t know where you’re going, so how can we know the way? What do you mean you’re leaving? Jesus, don’t leave.”
“In a little while you will see me no more, and then you will see me, because I am going to the Father. You will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. But your grief will turn to joy, and no one will take away your joy. Don’t worry friends. I will return. But now I must go to the Father.”
And then Jesus began to pray. “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him….
"I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction, so that Scripture would be fulfilled.
"I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them. I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.”
Then Jesus leaves, taking you across the Kidron Valley to an olive grove. Wait, what’s that you hear? Footsteps, loud footsteps. They’re coming this way. The Romans! And…is that..it is! It’s Judas!
“No! Judas don’t do this. You can’t take Jesus away. You won’t take Him!”
“Peter, put down your sword. I must drink the cup the Father has given me.” And then you run. You run faster than ever before, not worrying about the olive branches, not caring if any of your friends have been captured too. They’ve taken your Master away.
It would not have been the place to be that evening. To be associated with Jesus, known as one of the Twelve, would have been awful. In your heart you thought it was all a dream. There’s no way Jesus can leave us now. We’ve been together for three years. But in your mind, you knew he was right. This was the end. We’ll never see Him again. Back to fishing. Back to your home, where all your friends would be waiting, ready to mock you for following the crucified One. It was over.
Can you feel it? Can you feel the despair, the pain, the sadness of the disciples? For the disciples, Jesus’ prayer wasn’t an ordinary prayer either. It was one filled with truth they would cling to in His absence. They would need to know that even though He was gone, they would be okay. So turn to John 17, beginning with verse 6. There are three key themes spoken of throughout the prayer that are all things they needed to hear as a type of assurance that everything was going to be fine. The first is of God’s revelation.
God’s Revelation
Jesus revealed God to them in two ways. The first is shown in verse 6. Jesus says, “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world.” He literally said, “I have made your name known to those whom you gave me out of the world.” One’s name was equated with one’s character in Biblical times. So for Jesus to say He revealed the Father’s name, it meant that He showed the disciples the character of God. And when Jesus says that God had given Him His name, it meant that the name of Jesus was equal with that of God, and that Jesus and the Father have the same characteristics. Just as Jesus addressed His Father as holy, so He is holy. Just as Jesus’ name means “the LORD saves,” so we know God is our Savior. There is no separating Christ and the Father. They are one.
God’s name held power. It had the power to protect the disciples. Jesus was able to keep and guard the disciples while He was with them. As one of the disciples, you are comforted, because every time you pray in the name of Jesus, you know he hears you. Every time you call His name, you know He’s there. Every time you preach the name of Jesus, you know that it has the power to draw men to Him. Even when you are scared, when you are being killed for your faith in Christ, you know there is power in the name of Jesus. For us, the same truth applies today. There is still power in the name of Jesus, power to save, to keep us, and to make us one.
Jesus also reveals God in that He gave His disciples the words the Father gave Him. Through His teachings, the disciples received God. It says that they obeyed, or kept, that word given to them. What’s interesting about this is the tense of the verb “obeyed.” It would appear that it says the disciples kept God’s Word in the past and that’s it. But this verb is in the perfect tense, one that refers to an action having been completed in the past, but with effects felt in the present. Through their obedience to the Word and belief in Jesus, they were given eternal life. And this eternal life began the moment they believed and kept His word. It did not begin after they died, but sometime even before Jesus prayed that prayer. What a relief to know that even though Jesus had gone, they would one day be with Him. He had given them eternal life. We too can have eternal life, if only we would believe in Jesus and keep His words.
Truth About His Disciples
The second thing the disciples needed to hear was the truth about themselves. When Jesus left, you can bet Satan came in like a flood, trying to convince them that their doubt, their betrayal, meant Jesus could never accept them again. You can bet Satan made them feel like dirt. But they knew the truth about themselves.
First, they were “those who the Father had given to Jesus.” They could know for certain that God would not let them go. They would be protected from Satan’s attacks.
Second, they were hated by the world. Yeah, this doesn’t sound too encouraging. But Jesus had said in John 15:18-19, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” So this is a good thing! They were like Christ. They were not of the world just as much as He is not of the world. This is great! Have you ever thought that you and I are not of the world either? We’re not. Sure we live here and all, but we’re not really of this world. It’s like getting married. You say “I do” and you become one with your spouse. Sure, you’re still the same person. There’s plenty of time you’re not even together, but you’re one. Your voice won’t suddenly match your spouse’s, you won’t always like the same food, and you’ll still like watching football on Sundays while she takes a nap, but you’re still ONE—you have common goals, you share the checkbook, you have the same last name. We may live in this world, but we are not of it. The moment we receive Christ, we become His. Good to hear when you think all hope is lost and your Master is gone.
Christ’s Desire For Us
The third thing they needed to hear was what Christ prayed for them. Jesus prayed first that they would be one as Jesus and the Father are one. One in character, one in passion, one in purpose. By the power of God’s name, they would be one. They could no longer be known as Peter, James, John, Andrew, Matthew. They had to be known as His. They had to become so fully enveloped in Jesus’ name and mission that they would be one. The reason we are not one body of Christ today is not that we believe different things, or have differing opinions about how to worship. Those could be resolved. The reason we are not one today is that we have not all committed to be known as His. Some of us have, and some of us haven’t.
Second, Jesus prayed for them to NOT be taken from the world. If I were a disciple, I would have wanted to go to heaven when Jesus did. Take me home and we’ll continue like we have the past three years. That was the easy way out. All throughout John’s gospel, the world opposes Christ and His disciples. They are hated by it. The same world Jesus created hates Him. And so the disciples are called to stay in the world in order to…LOVE it. For God so loved the world that He gave His Son. And the Son so loved the world that He gave His followers. The disciples would need to hear this word because the world had taken their Master from them. It had crucified Him. How could they love it? And we need to hear this because we know the world does not know Christ. Things happen every day that we are opposed to: abortion, violence, theft, rape, murder. We hear people use our God’s name as a curse word. Yet we are called to love the world.
And third, Jesus prayed for them to be sanctified. “Sanctified” in this context means being set apart for service to God. The disciples were already separate from the world. They needed to be separated to God. They would be sanctified through God’s word. The Word of God sets Christianity apart from any other world religion. It comes from God and is truth. We cannot love a world which hates us, we cannot be one in purpose as Jesus and the Father are one, if we do not hold the Word of God as truth.
Conclusion: Remember...
So what does this all mean to us? We’ve heard a lot today. So if there’s anything I want you to remember, it’s the last point: the things Jesus prayed for us. That we would be one, that we would be in the world and love it, and that we would be set apart for service to God.
And one last thing. Remember that the soldiers took hold of Jesus. He carried His cross up Golgotha’s hill, and was crucified between two criminals. With His last breath he cried, “It is finished.” He was then buried, and three days later, when Mary Magdalene went to the tomb, Jesus appeared to her. He rose from the dead and is seated at the right hand of God the Father. And before He ascended into heaven, He said, “Surely I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
New Table!
Jamie and I bought our first new dining room table Saturday. We have a small 4-seater in our kitchen now that's cluttered with mail and bills (and a dozen red roses from Jamie's birthday :). So needless to say we don't eat at that table too often. Dinner is normally served at the couch, which isn't all that bad when it's just us, but now that we are pastors, people come over for dinner. It will be nice to feel like we can host others without worrying about seating. If I can figure out how to put the picture in, you'll be able to see it. We bought it at Slumberland Furniture for... a bit of cash. It's our "we sold our house in Marion, let's go spend the money" purchase.
Wednesday, September 13
Sunday's Sermon
This may or may not be the best idea, but I hope to post sermons from each week. Maybe Nate and Maria will find them helpful alongside CWC tapes. It's nice to only preach once a week. I'd rather start with once a week and move to twice or more than to jump right in at multiple sermons/week. This week's sermon was from Psalm 62. We talked about how solitude gives God control of our lives, and how it brings clarity to the tough situations we face (such as the BIG changes to come at Parkway). Feel free to let me know if posting the whole sermon is a good idea or not. I can always just give a brief overview. Anyway, here it is.
Introduction
As you know, tomorrow is the 5-year anniversary of the bombing of the twin towers. And as you know, our lives are very different because of what happened that day. Gas prices are much higher, our military is overseas fighting a war, and we worry daily about the threat of another attack. Our Department of Homeland Security warns us about “being prepared.” Do we have enough equipment and resources to warn people or protect them? Are there terrorists here now? And we worry and worry and do all we can to stop it from happening again. It may be overdone, but it’s called “preventative care.”
It’s the same thing as going to the dentist or eye doctor regularly for a check-up. Not only are they looking for what could be wrong with your teeth or eyes, they are there to take care of you so nothing bad happens down the road.
And it’s the same thing as spending regular time with God—both in church and out of church. And I believe that many of us do take regular time to be with God. We read our Bibles, we pray, we come to church. And if we all do that, you may wonder why you need to hear this sermon. You need to hear this sermon because, while you are great at reading Scripture and coming to the Bible study, I can almost guarantee you are not that great at solitude.
Solitude is getting away from the hectic or not-so-hectic lives we lead. It’s running away from everything, whether for a few minutes or a few hours. And in that time, we seek the presence of God. Solitude is a state of mind and heart. It is seeking to hear God. Solitude is part of this preventative care too. And yet we miss it.
I’m not saying that a few hours alone and quiet will prevent all the bad things from happening. That’s impossible. The preventative care I’m talking about is being prepared for the next day, and the next day, no matter what happens. You see, spending time alone with God is essential now because the future is not predictable. You and I have no clue as to what this afternoon holds. We could be taken to the hospital, or get in a car accident, or numerous other things. And we also don’t know what God has in store for the future. He could want to use us to reach out to a friend in need, or to share Him with a stranger, or to encourage a guest to Parkway. My question is: How will we be ready for the future, whether good or bad, unless we have spent time with God first? Look at Psalm 62 with me.
"My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. How long will you assault a man? Would all of you throw him down—this leaning wall, this tottering fence? They fully intend to topple him from his lofty place; they take delight in lies. With their mouths they bless, but in their hearts they curse.
Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.
Lowborn men are but a breath, the highborn are but a lie; if weighed on a balance, they are nothing; together they are only a breath. Do not trust in extortion or take pride in stolen goods; though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them.
One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving. Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done."
Overview of the Psalm
The psalmist who wrote Psalm 62 began by saying, “My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.” My soul finds rest literally means my soul is silent. He has come before God, surrendering control of the situation to Him. He is so confident that God is strong. There is no way he will be shaken. He is making God his foundation, thus, when the assailants come, he already knows God. Preventative care. His foundation is secure because he has been with God.
And now they come. It sounds like he is talking about another man, but from the rest of the chapter, we see knows the situation all too well for him to be speaking of someone else being attacked. He is speaking of himself as a weak man. The man is weak, like a leaning wall, and these men want to hit him when he’s down.
The words translated “throw him down” mean “murder, especially an enemy.” These men aren’t just lying and cursing, they are out for blood. And if you think about it, we have an enemy who does the same thing to us. He hits us when we’re down, piling one problem onto the next. He is a liar, but that is only a means to an end. His ultimate goal, like these assailants, is murder. And this is where time with God becomes so important. It is impossible to stand up to an enemy when you are weak, as in verse 3. But, your enemy stands no chance against you when your God is so strong.
The psalmist shows that one time with God will not suffice. To him, God is strength. And if God is strength, all the more reason to be with Him. Solitude with God will not make you a stronger person. It allows God to show His strength through you.
And this time he urges himself, “Find rest.” It is not as easy this time as it was the first, there is a real enemy. God is still strong to the psalmist. In fact, there is such a trust in God that he can tell the people, “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.” We’ll look at the rest of the passage later. But you see how this solitude thing works. Even before these assailants came, the psalmist was silent before God. And then after they came, he did the same thing. He almost makes it look easy. If only it came that naturally to us.
Reasons Why We Won’t Spend Time In Solitude
But it doesn’t. so let me give you some reasons why it doesn’t come naturally. First, because silence is awkward. (SILENCE FOR 30 SECONDS). You didn’t like that did you. We’re so used to noise. I like to have music on when I prepare for sermons, just for some background noise. It’s our culture influencing the way we live.
Second, because we’ve tried and failed. Solitude is not about listening to God or about telling God your feelings. It’s about feeling God. And we’ve tried so many other ways to feel God, whether through worship or reading our Bible. And each avenue is a dead end. We don’t feel God. There’s no vitality in our relationship. And so we give up and assume solitude is a hoax too.
And third, because we like control. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “One reason we can hardly bear to remain silent is that it makes us feel so helpless. We are so accustomed to relying upon words to manage and control others. If we are silent who will take control? God will take control: but we will never let Him take control until we trust Him.” When we can tell God how we feel, or explain something, we have a sense of control over it. But when we close our mouths, we feel helpless. And we’re afraid of being helpless.
Reasons Why We Must Spend Time in Solitude
First, because it brings clarity to our lives. The psalmist was a weak man. And after being quiet before God, he was able to see how weak his attackers were too. Verse 9 says, “Lowborn men are but a breath, the highborn are but a lie; if weighed on a balance they are nothing.” In reality, these assailants were nothing. The word “breath” is the same word translated “meaningless, meaningless” in Ecclesiastes. They were nothing, but it took time with God for him to realize that.
Second, because it brings clarity of who God is. All throughout the passage the psalmist declares God to be his rock, his salvation, his fortress, his hope. And at the end, he declares what he has heard from God: You O God are strong, and you O Lord are loving. When did God say this to him? In his times of solitude.
And third, because it gives control to God. If you look at it, we can’t control the future anyway. We can only control our time with God. For the psalmist, verses 3-4 were coming no matter what. I would say that if he had not been with God first, verses 5-12 would be different. Would he have hope for the future? Would he be able to tell others to trust in God? And would he realize how these men compare with Almighty God? No. He would not have been able to face this future event the way he did. And neither could we. And so, will we relinquish control? Will we give God the right to our lives and the right to our future? Will we give God control of our church and its future?
Conclusion: Practical Ways to Find Solitude
In closing, I realize it’s tough to be quiet. We hate it, and our culture screams anything but silence in our ears. We don’t practice it at church, and so many of us don’t know how to do it. So here are some practical ways for us to be quiet.
Take advantage of the little solitudes that fill our day. In the morning getting ready, or driving in our car, or walking in a state park. All these little times can be spent focusing on God.
You can also designate a place in your yard or house that is your quiet place. Discipline yourself so that your words are few. Know when to speak and when not to. Try going a day without speaking.
And finally, you could withdraw on a regular basis for three to four hours. Remember, solitude is meant to feel God. And so to get us started on this part of preventative care, let’s take five minutes to be quiet before God. After that I will pray.
Introduction
As you know, tomorrow is the 5-year anniversary of the bombing of the twin towers. And as you know, our lives are very different because of what happened that day. Gas prices are much higher, our military is overseas fighting a war, and we worry daily about the threat of another attack. Our Department of Homeland Security warns us about “being prepared.” Do we have enough equipment and resources to warn people or protect them? Are there terrorists here now? And we worry and worry and do all we can to stop it from happening again. It may be overdone, but it’s called “preventative care.”
It’s the same thing as going to the dentist or eye doctor regularly for a check-up. Not only are they looking for what could be wrong with your teeth or eyes, they are there to take care of you so nothing bad happens down the road.
And it’s the same thing as spending regular time with God—both in church and out of church. And I believe that many of us do take regular time to be with God. We read our Bibles, we pray, we come to church. And if we all do that, you may wonder why you need to hear this sermon. You need to hear this sermon because, while you are great at reading Scripture and coming to the Bible study, I can almost guarantee you are not that great at solitude.
Solitude is getting away from the hectic or not-so-hectic lives we lead. It’s running away from everything, whether for a few minutes or a few hours. And in that time, we seek the presence of God. Solitude is a state of mind and heart. It is seeking to hear God. Solitude is part of this preventative care too. And yet we miss it.
I’m not saying that a few hours alone and quiet will prevent all the bad things from happening. That’s impossible. The preventative care I’m talking about is being prepared for the next day, and the next day, no matter what happens. You see, spending time alone with God is essential now because the future is not predictable. You and I have no clue as to what this afternoon holds. We could be taken to the hospital, or get in a car accident, or numerous other things. And we also don’t know what God has in store for the future. He could want to use us to reach out to a friend in need, or to share Him with a stranger, or to encourage a guest to Parkway. My question is: How will we be ready for the future, whether good or bad, unless we have spent time with God first? Look at Psalm 62 with me.
"My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. How long will you assault a man? Would all of you throw him down—this leaning wall, this tottering fence? They fully intend to topple him from his lofty place; they take delight in lies. With their mouths they bless, but in their hearts they curse.
Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.
Lowborn men are but a breath, the highborn are but a lie; if weighed on a balance, they are nothing; together they are only a breath. Do not trust in extortion or take pride in stolen goods; though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them.
One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving. Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done."
Overview of the Psalm
The psalmist who wrote Psalm 62 began by saying, “My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.” My soul finds rest literally means my soul is silent. He has come before God, surrendering control of the situation to Him. He is so confident that God is strong. There is no way he will be shaken. He is making God his foundation, thus, when the assailants come, he already knows God. Preventative care. His foundation is secure because he has been with God.
And now they come. It sounds like he is talking about another man, but from the rest of the chapter, we see knows the situation all too well for him to be speaking of someone else being attacked. He is speaking of himself as a weak man. The man is weak, like a leaning wall, and these men want to hit him when he’s down.
The words translated “throw him down” mean “murder, especially an enemy.” These men aren’t just lying and cursing, they are out for blood. And if you think about it, we have an enemy who does the same thing to us. He hits us when we’re down, piling one problem onto the next. He is a liar, but that is only a means to an end. His ultimate goal, like these assailants, is murder. And this is where time with God becomes so important. It is impossible to stand up to an enemy when you are weak, as in verse 3. But, your enemy stands no chance against you when your God is so strong.
The psalmist shows that one time with God will not suffice. To him, God is strength. And if God is strength, all the more reason to be with Him. Solitude with God will not make you a stronger person. It allows God to show His strength through you.
And this time he urges himself, “Find rest.” It is not as easy this time as it was the first, there is a real enemy. God is still strong to the psalmist. In fact, there is such a trust in God that he can tell the people, “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.” We’ll look at the rest of the passage later. But you see how this solitude thing works. Even before these assailants came, the psalmist was silent before God. And then after they came, he did the same thing. He almost makes it look easy. If only it came that naturally to us.
Reasons Why We Won’t Spend Time In Solitude
But it doesn’t. so let me give you some reasons why it doesn’t come naturally. First, because silence is awkward. (SILENCE FOR 30 SECONDS). You didn’t like that did you. We’re so used to noise. I like to have music on when I prepare for sermons, just for some background noise. It’s our culture influencing the way we live.
Second, because we’ve tried and failed. Solitude is not about listening to God or about telling God your feelings. It’s about feeling God. And we’ve tried so many other ways to feel God, whether through worship or reading our Bible. And each avenue is a dead end. We don’t feel God. There’s no vitality in our relationship. And so we give up and assume solitude is a hoax too.
And third, because we like control. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “One reason we can hardly bear to remain silent is that it makes us feel so helpless. We are so accustomed to relying upon words to manage and control others. If we are silent who will take control? God will take control: but we will never let Him take control until we trust Him.” When we can tell God how we feel, or explain something, we have a sense of control over it. But when we close our mouths, we feel helpless. And we’re afraid of being helpless.
Reasons Why We Must Spend Time in Solitude
First, because it brings clarity to our lives. The psalmist was a weak man. And after being quiet before God, he was able to see how weak his attackers were too. Verse 9 says, “Lowborn men are but a breath, the highborn are but a lie; if weighed on a balance they are nothing.” In reality, these assailants were nothing. The word “breath” is the same word translated “meaningless, meaningless” in Ecclesiastes. They were nothing, but it took time with God for him to realize that.
Second, because it brings clarity of who God is. All throughout the passage the psalmist declares God to be his rock, his salvation, his fortress, his hope. And at the end, he declares what he has heard from God: You O God are strong, and you O Lord are loving. When did God say this to him? In his times of solitude.
And third, because it gives control to God. If you look at it, we can’t control the future anyway. We can only control our time with God. For the psalmist, verses 3-4 were coming no matter what. I would say that if he had not been with God first, verses 5-12 would be different. Would he have hope for the future? Would he be able to tell others to trust in God? And would he realize how these men compare with Almighty God? No. He would not have been able to face this future event the way he did. And neither could we. And so, will we relinquish control? Will we give God the right to our lives and the right to our future? Will we give God control of our church and its future?
Conclusion: Practical Ways to Find Solitude
In closing, I realize it’s tough to be quiet. We hate it, and our culture screams anything but silence in our ears. We don’t practice it at church, and so many of us don’t know how to do it. So here are some practical ways for us to be quiet.
Take advantage of the little solitudes that fill our day. In the morning getting ready, or driving in our car, or walking in a state park. All these little times can be spent focusing on God.
You can also designate a place in your yard or house that is your quiet place. Discipline yourself so that your words are few. Know when to speak and when not to. Try going a day without speaking.
And finally, you could withdraw on a regular basis for three to four hours. Remember, solitude is meant to feel God. And so to get us started on this part of preventative care, let’s take five minutes to be quiet before God. After that I will pray.
Sunday, September 10
A Rainy Birthday
It's my turn to write on this thing...Josh has been so good at updating you on our lives...and so I am just now learning the details of blogging...
This week has been BUSY. I thought that as a non-working wife (those are still foreign words to me!), I would have oodles of time on my hands...I'd even get bored sitting in my house staring out my picture window. But, that has not been the case, at least not in the last week. We've visited with church people every day this week...and in between that, I've made a gazillion Wal-Mart runs to pick up things for the house...I always intend to be quick and get right back home...but then I see a new store, and it draws me in, so that I am gone from the house for hours! That's probably not a shocker for most of you who know me though...shopping is my way of relaxing:). I found out that the Farm & Fleet store has lots more than just farm equipment...it's actually full of clothes, wall pictures, kitchen and dining items and a really cool craft table/armoire that I'd like for Christmas (hint hint!).
Today was our second Sunday at the church, as well as my 26th birthday (I don't look that old, do I!?). And it was an emotional roller coaster. The good news is that we had 6 kids in service today...and I spent all yesterday preparing a Sunday School lesson (for kids ages 2-10) and kids packets that went along with the Sunday school lesson and sermon passage for them to do during service because we don't have a children's church yet and as of last week we didn't have anything to offer kids at all. So, this 1st Sunday was a learning curve. The kids packets were a hit with the kids--however, I have learned that I can't use paper gift bags to hold the contents...because they are so LOUD. In a small church used to quiet listening, six children with paper bag kids packets are definitely a disruption...so I failed there. But it's hard to know how to minister to them (and we definitely WANT kids to be part of our church AND they are AMAZING kids), and lead worship (which I did for the 1st time today), and teach Sunday school, and meet the adults of the church all at the same time, and not feel completely overwhelmed when my idea doesn't quite hit the mark. Any suggestions? (Earlier today, if given a suggestion, I would have left crying, but I've adjusted now, and could use all the help I can get...and if you have a burning desire to move up to the Wisconsin Dells area and give me another hand, I'll put you up in my new blue guest room for free!!!).
The problem is...right now it's just Josh and me who are able and willing to help (especially with kids). Tons of great ideas abound, but there are not yet enough hands to do the work. And our church needs updated badly...a new crib, a chair for the nursery, new-kid-friendly paint downstairs, welcoming colors and decoration upstairs...an overhead projector light bulb, current kids curriculum for a variety of ages, volunteers to teach AND people to just come to Sunday School, and so forth.
Needless to say, Josh and I both cried today for quite awhile after church...it's hard to see your husband sobbing because he is homesick...and frustrated and overwhelmed. And Wisconsin wasn't pretty today...just rainy and dreary, so we weren't even tempted to keep living here. We both just wanted to pack up our little car and head home to Indiana.
But we are not quitting...we've unpacked too many boxes and have too much hope for the kids here and the church...and God wouldn't let us anyway...
I did get to talk to my family this afternoon (yea!), and Josh took me out for dinner (I got a huge dose of Packers football sitting in front of 5 large screen TVs at Damon's). And I now know that GB means Green Bay on the score board, and this is the first game they have not scored in for 4 years...so I am adjusting.
In all of this, I KNOW that God is still faithful, and He is still with us...and I am not supposed to be strong, but I am supposed to lean on Him, because He is always strong. (That was part of Josh's sermon today--I am so proud of him..that boy can preach, even with distractions!)
So to all of you reading this, know that we love and miss you...keep praying for us...we need that!...and know that we are not giving up. May God be praised!
This week has been BUSY. I thought that as a non-working wife (those are still foreign words to me!), I would have oodles of time on my hands...I'd even get bored sitting in my house staring out my picture window. But, that has not been the case, at least not in the last week. We've visited with church people every day this week...and in between that, I've made a gazillion Wal-Mart runs to pick up things for the house...I always intend to be quick and get right back home...but then I see a new store, and it draws me in, so that I am gone from the house for hours! That's probably not a shocker for most of you who know me though...shopping is my way of relaxing:). I found out that the Farm & Fleet store has lots more than just farm equipment...it's actually full of clothes, wall pictures, kitchen and dining items and a really cool craft table/armoire that I'd like for Christmas (hint hint!).
Today was our second Sunday at the church, as well as my 26th birthday (I don't look that old, do I!?). And it was an emotional roller coaster. The good news is that we had 6 kids in service today...and I spent all yesterday preparing a Sunday School lesson (for kids ages 2-10) and kids packets that went along with the Sunday school lesson and sermon passage for them to do during service because we don't have a children's church yet and as of last week we didn't have anything to offer kids at all. So, this 1st Sunday was a learning curve. The kids packets were a hit with the kids--however, I have learned that I can't use paper gift bags to hold the contents...because they are so LOUD. In a small church used to quiet listening, six children with paper bag kids packets are definitely a disruption...so I failed there. But it's hard to know how to minister to them (and we definitely WANT kids to be part of our church AND they are AMAZING kids), and lead worship (which I did for the 1st time today), and teach Sunday school, and meet the adults of the church all at the same time, and not feel completely overwhelmed when my idea doesn't quite hit the mark. Any suggestions? (Earlier today, if given a suggestion, I would have left crying, but I've adjusted now, and could use all the help I can get...and if you have a burning desire to move up to the Wisconsin Dells area and give me another hand, I'll put you up in my new blue guest room for free!!!).
The problem is...right now it's just Josh and me who are able and willing to help (especially with kids). Tons of great ideas abound, but there are not yet enough hands to do the work. And our church needs updated badly...a new crib, a chair for the nursery, new-kid-friendly paint downstairs, welcoming colors and decoration upstairs...an overhead projector light bulb, current kids curriculum for a variety of ages, volunteers to teach AND people to just come to Sunday School, and so forth.
Needless to say, Josh and I both cried today for quite awhile after church...it's hard to see your husband sobbing because he is homesick...and frustrated and overwhelmed. And Wisconsin wasn't pretty today...just rainy and dreary, so we weren't even tempted to keep living here. We both just wanted to pack up our little car and head home to Indiana.
But we are not quitting...we've unpacked too many boxes and have too much hope for the kids here and the church...and God wouldn't let us anyway...
I did get to talk to my family this afternoon (yea!), and Josh took me out for dinner (I got a huge dose of Packers football sitting in front of 5 large screen TVs at Damon's). And I now know that GB means Green Bay on the score board, and this is the first game they have not scored in for 4 years...so I am adjusting.
In all of this, I KNOW that God is still faithful, and He is still with us...and I am not supposed to be strong, but I am supposed to lean on Him, because He is always strong. (That was part of Josh's sermon today--I am so proud of him..that boy can preach, even with distractions!)
So to all of you reading this, know that we love and miss you...keep praying for us...we need that!...and know that we are not giving up. May God be praised!
Friday, September 8
We Made It!
We're here, safe and sound. I know it's been a while since our last post, so we apologize for all seven of you reading.
The first week and a half has been full of ups and downs, loneliness and meeting new people, phone calls home and dinner at parishoners' houses, a sense of God's peace and waves of overwhelming AAHH! The area is gorgeous with bluffs and trees everywhere. Devil's Lake State Park is amazing even though we were only there for 10 minutes. The Wisconsin Dells offer lots of water parks and shopping (Labor Day weekend=headache!). Just so you don't think we've been relaxing the whole time, read on.
I've been adjusting to life as "Pastor Josh." It's weird to hear that title. God has been here from day one, and I know He has because of, well, everything. He was with me on Sunday when I was sick. He helped me preach a message on trust. On Wednesday he was there at the Bible study (we're going through Matthew). A woman from the church came and was honest about struggles she'd been having. We were able to encourage her. And we've started to meet kids around our neighborhood, four of whom came to church last Sunday. One man owns a Christian bookstore in town and serves as a lay minister at the Presbyterian Church. He was there Sunday to encourage me and has sent people my way who are looking for a church home. And so in all this and more, I've seen God at work. He took me away from everything I know and trust so I could know and trust Him more. I couldn't ask for a better first week and a half.
On the other hand, I've learned some startling things about ministry at a dying/refocusing
church.
1. Everyone expects you to change things immediately. They expect to restart the Wed. morning Bible study (which we did), begin an evening service, start a ministry to people with addictions, and they want it done now. It's enough just to begin learning new names, procedures, streets, and prep for Sunday so far. Whew!
2. You get compared to the last pastor all the time. "Pastor did this and he was so sweet. I'm glad you're better than him at or maybe you should try this..." Talk about being in the spotlight. Everything you do needs commentary. And,
3. People talk about each other to you. I can't begin to count the number of times I've heard one church member give me a record of someone else's attendance or lack thereof, someone's beliefs, bad habits, sins, etc. It's crazy. Jamie and I are having "Meet the Pastor" times where we go to their houses for a few hours and talk. The majority of what we hear is about other people in the church. Even if it's not bad stuff, it still is frustrating to listen to.
Don't get me wrong...our church is a wonderful, caring church. Everyone genuinely loves each other. It's just a new way of life to adjust to. They are all past retirement and have known each other for decades. Perhaps they just feel like the new pastor needs to know everything all at once. I guess I'm just going through culture shock.
Jamie has had a good time unpacking and decorating the house. She will begin leading worship this Sunday (her birthday!). And she's going to start taking piano lessons from a worship leader in town. We're going to a pastor's house in Madison tonight for dinner and a scrapbooking party. I think I'll sit the party out and hang out with the pastor.
Hopefully Jamie will get to update the blog soon too. We'd love to get a post from you. Off to Madison,
Josh
The first week and a half has been full of ups and downs, loneliness and meeting new people, phone calls home and dinner at parishoners' houses, a sense of God's peace and waves of overwhelming AAHH! The area is gorgeous with bluffs and trees everywhere. Devil's Lake State Park is amazing even though we were only there for 10 minutes. The Wisconsin Dells offer lots of water parks and shopping (Labor Day weekend=headache!). Just so you don't think we've been relaxing the whole time, read on.
I've been adjusting to life as "Pastor Josh." It's weird to hear that title. God has been here from day one, and I know He has because of, well, everything. He was with me on Sunday when I was sick. He helped me preach a message on trust. On Wednesday he was there at the Bible study (we're going through Matthew). A woman from the church came and was honest about struggles she'd been having. We were able to encourage her. And we've started to meet kids around our neighborhood, four of whom came to church last Sunday. One man owns a Christian bookstore in town and serves as a lay minister at the Presbyterian Church. He was there Sunday to encourage me and has sent people my way who are looking for a church home. And so in all this and more, I've seen God at work. He took me away from everything I know and trust so I could know and trust Him more. I couldn't ask for a better first week and a half.
On the other hand, I've learned some startling things about ministry at a dying/refocusing
church.
1. Everyone expects you to change things immediately. They expect to restart the Wed. morning Bible study (which we did), begin an evening service, start a ministry to people with addictions, and they want it done now. It's enough just to begin learning new names, procedures, streets, and prep for Sunday so far. Whew!
2. You get compared to the last pastor all the time. "Pastor did this and he was so sweet. I'm glad you're better than him at or maybe you should try this..." Talk about being in the spotlight. Everything you do needs commentary. And,
3. People talk about each other to you. I can't begin to count the number of times I've heard one church member give me a record of someone else's attendance or lack thereof, someone's beliefs, bad habits, sins, etc. It's crazy. Jamie and I are having "Meet the Pastor" times where we go to their houses for a few hours and talk. The majority of what we hear is about other people in the church. Even if it's not bad stuff, it still is frustrating to listen to.
Don't get me wrong...our church is a wonderful, caring church. Everyone genuinely loves each other. It's just a new way of life to adjust to. They are all past retirement and have known each other for decades. Perhaps they just feel like the new pastor needs to know everything all at once. I guess I'm just going through culture shock.
Jamie has had a good time unpacking and decorating the house. She will begin leading worship this Sunday (her birthday!). And she's going to start taking piano lessons from a worship leader in town. We're going to a pastor's house in Madison tonight for dinner and a scrapbooking party. I think I'll sit the party out and hang out with the pastor.
Hopefully Jamie will get to update the blog soon too. We'd love to get a post from you. Off to Madison,
Josh
Saturday, August 26
All Packed Up
It's hard to believe all of our possessions are now sitting in a 26' Penske truck. Wow. We just said goodbye to Marion, IN today. The reality of moving still hasn't fully hit yet. It's almost like we're going on a big vacation (one in which we decided we couldn't part with all our belongings), and we'll go back in a few weeks.
But that's not true. We won't see our little brick house on Selby Street for a long time. And when we do it will be filled with foreign decorations and new people. If I had a concrete feeling in me today, I would share it. But right now I don't feel anything. Nothing. No emotion from leaving life behind and starting fresh. No emotion from leaving friends and family 7 hours away. The only thing I "feel" is the ache in my back from lifting boxes this morning. Woohoo.
Tomorrow we'll be with my family in Goshen and go to my brother's 21st birthday party. And Monday we'll leave from Warsaw at 8:00 AM. We should get to Baraboo by around 3:00. We'll unload and then eat dinner at the church. One of the lay leaders at the church, Irene Sainsbury, has arranged for a meal for us...a good sign that we'll love this church from the get-go :).
We'll see what life brings after that. For now, it's bedtime.
Josh
But that's not true. We won't see our little brick house on Selby Street for a long time. And when we do it will be filled with foreign decorations and new people. If I had a concrete feeling in me today, I would share it. But right now I don't feel anything. Nothing. No emotion from leaving life behind and starting fresh. No emotion from leaving friends and family 7 hours away. The only thing I "feel" is the ache in my back from lifting boxes this morning. Woohoo.
Tomorrow we'll be with my family in Goshen and go to my brother's 21st birthday party. And Monday we'll leave from Warsaw at 8:00 AM. We should get to Baraboo by around 3:00. We'll unload and then eat dinner at the church. One of the lay leaders at the church, Irene Sainsbury, has arranged for a meal for us...a good sign that we'll love this church from the get-go :).
We'll see what life brings after that. For now, it's bedtime.
Josh
Monday, August 21
Moving in Progress
I'm sick of cardboard boxes, scissors, tape, permanent markers, walking through a house full of accumulated random objects from the past 20-some-odd years, saying good-bye. This has been my life for the past few weeks. Though I'm excited to begin pastoring, this in-between stage needs to end. It's like the feeling you get midway through the first semester of your senior year of college: No more homework, let's just move on with life!
Just so you don't think life is THAT horrible, I do have some good news....God sold our house! Kinda nice, since we've been packing it up. Last month we spoke with Matt and Laura Aspinall, children's pastor at Brookhaven. They loved our house and all the decorations, but weren't sure that it was the right time to buy. So we assumed God had some other plan in mind. Then we had them over to our house at the beginning of the month for a party, and they said they'd look closer at getting a loan. Now, we have signed a purchase agreement and will be able to close later this week (BEFORE we move)! Praise God!
Keeping this all in perspective helps with the sickness of packing. At least we won't have to worry about the house after we move. We plan to arrive in Baraboo Aug. 28th, and my first Sunday is Sept. 3rd. Keep us in your prayers, and feel free to email us anytime.
Josh (and Jamie)
Just so you don't think life is THAT horrible, I do have some good news....God sold our house! Kinda nice, since we've been packing it up. Last month we spoke with Matt and Laura Aspinall, children's pastor at Brookhaven. They loved our house and all the decorations, but weren't sure that it was the right time to buy. So we assumed God had some other plan in mind. Then we had them over to our house at the beginning of the month for a party, and they said they'd look closer at getting a loan. Now, we have signed a purchase agreement and will be able to close later this week (BEFORE we move)! Praise God!
Keeping this all in perspective helps with the sickness of packing. At least we won't have to worry about the house after we move. We plan to arrive in Baraboo Aug. 28th, and my first Sunday is Sept. 3rd. Keep us in your prayers, and feel free to email us anytime.
Josh (and Jamie)
Friday, August 4
Parkway Wesleyan
So here's our church...Parkway Wesleyan. Max seating: 130. Office space: a bit. Sunday School rooms: 3. Kitchens: 1. Basketball hoops: 1. Black congregations meeting in our building on Sunday nights: 1. Pianos: 1. Overall theme: 1960s. Bright green pillows for sitting on: 1.
From what I've heard, small churches are great "first churches." And this one will be especially great. The community is ripe for the harvest, and the church is ripe for change. With God's timing and grace, we'll be reaching quite a few people for Christ and making disciples like crazy. The city has plenty of churches, though only a few of them are evangelical, conservative churches. Us, a Nazarene church of 50, and a Bible church of 125-150. Other than that the Lutheran churches, UMC, Congregational, and Catholic church are fairly liberal.
One of my goals is to meet with the pastors of any and all churches regardless of their doctrinal statements. Hopefully we'll all be able to have community-wide services here and there. I'll get a better picture of the community through the eyes of pastors who've been ministering there before me. And I'd really like to get involved with the black congregation meeting in our sanctuary. I know God allowed them to be there for a purpose...we'll see what that is soon.
Another goal is to meet needs of the city through kids programs, teaching parenting classes, cooking classes, basketball tournaments, daycares, etc. I hope to have one "big" event each month at the church or in the surrounding area. Hopefully some of the people who attend those events will come to the church on Sundays. Along with that, Jamie and I want to spend a few hours each day driving around Baraboo, getting to know area businesses and the people who frequent them. Just like a missionary bonds with his/her new community by jumping into it right away, so we will jump into Baraboo.
And my final and biggest goal is to bring our church to its knees in prayer. It will be easy to jump in and go it alone, working as hard as possible while forgetting to ask for God to be with us. We'll start with once or twice a week prayer meetings. And during Sunday morning services, prayer will take more of a central spot in worship. We'll pray as if it's not a transition from singing to the sermon. And then we'll see what God has in store!
Please pray for our church when you think about us. We'll do our best to keep you updated so you know how best to pray.
Blessings,
From what I've heard, small churches are great "first churches." And this one will be especially great. The community is ripe for the harvest, and the church is ripe for change. With God's timing and grace, we'll be reaching quite a few people for Christ and making disciples like crazy. The city has plenty of churches, though only a few of them are evangelical, conservative churches. Us, a Nazarene church of 50, and a Bible church of 125-150. Other than that the Lutheran churches, UMC, Congregational, and Catholic church are fairly liberal.
One of my goals is to meet with the pastors of any and all churches regardless of their doctrinal statements. Hopefully we'll all be able to have community-wide services here and there. I'll get a better picture of the community through the eyes of pastors who've been ministering there before me. And I'd really like to get involved with the black congregation meeting in our sanctuary. I know God allowed them to be there for a purpose...we'll see what that is soon.
Another goal is to meet needs of the city through kids programs, teaching parenting classes, cooking classes, basketball tournaments, daycares, etc. I hope to have one "big" event each month at the church or in the surrounding area. Hopefully some of the people who attend those events will come to the church on Sundays. Along with that, Jamie and I want to spend a few hours each day driving around Baraboo, getting to know area businesses and the people who frequent them. Just like a missionary bonds with his/her new community by jumping into it right away, so we will jump into Baraboo.
And my final and biggest goal is to bring our church to its knees in prayer. It will be easy to jump in and go it alone, working as hard as possible while forgetting to ask for God to be with us. We'll start with once or twice a week prayer meetings. And during Sunday morning services, prayer will take more of a central spot in worship. We'll pray as if it's not a transition from singing to the sermon. And then we'll see what God has in store!
Please pray for our church when you think about us. We'll do our best to keep you updated so you know how best to pray.
Blessings,
Wednesday, August 2
Moving to Wisconsin
Today is the first day of blogging, so this will probably be boring for most of you. Oh well. Jamie and I are looking forward to moving to Baraboo (when I first heard the name of the city I thought God would never be funny enough to have me live there...I was wrong). So much for living close to family, staying in our comfort zones and living in Marion. Part of me is sad to leave Brookhaven, IWU, and everything I've known for the past 4 years. And part of me knows that if I stayed I would regret it. God has something great in store for us, and because of that, I'm excited. Excited to be a pastor (though still not used to being known as one), excited to meet new people, excited to live near the Wisconsin Dells, excited to be used by God.
Jamie and I have been in contact with Dan and Reenie Bickel, the D.S. of the Wisconsin District of the Wesleyan Church. They have been amazing and we are blessed to know them and work with them. They are now in the process of fixing up the church parsonage so we can live in it! The church is made up of 30-40 people, almost all of whom are past retirement age. They are wonderful people who seem up for the changes ahead. Hopefully that won't change with the changes.
Once we get a digital camera there will be pics and this will look a bit better. For now enjoy the text.
Blessings,
Jamie and I have been in contact with Dan and Reenie Bickel, the D.S. of the Wisconsin District of the Wesleyan Church. They have been amazing and we are blessed to know them and work with them. They are now in the process of fixing up the church parsonage so we can live in it! The church is made up of 30-40 people, almost all of whom are past retirement age. They are wonderful people who seem up for the changes ahead. Hopefully that won't change with the changes.
Once we get a digital camera there will be pics and this will look a bit better. For now enjoy the text.
Blessings,
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