"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make straight your paths."
This passage really humbled me this morning as God has revealed more and more how self-sufficient I strive to be. It is so sad how sometimes when I am busiest and most in need of God's aid, I strive to be more independent and reliant on my own strength? Sometimes I feel like I will be crushed by the weight of all that needs to be done, and still I fail to pray and trust in His power. This passage was God's way of reminding me that this is His church. It is His ministry. And if I would but surrender to Him and allow Him to use me as His instrument, I would see how much better He can do it than I.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Truth Is What Matters
A while back, I had a fun little debate posted on my blog about whether Coke or Pepsi is superior. I remembered this earlier today and it got me thinking. People generally have a tendency to go with what feels good or seems right in their hearts. Decisions are not based on objective reasoning. Instead, you often hear encouragement to “go with your gut” or do “whatever seems best.” But how do you know your gut can be trusted? How do you know whether what seems best to you really is best? These strategies only prove themselves to be reliable if we actually possess the ability to make these determinations on our own. Certainly with some decisions the consequences are not all that significant (e.g. “Which flavor ice cream should I order?” Or “Should I go to the mall today?”). However, it is scary when people use this criteria as the basis behind life’s bigger choices.
The fact is, the Bible teaches that the heart is ultimately deceptive. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” Romans 1:21 speaks of sins effect on the mind, namely that sin causes futility in thinking and foolish darkened hearts. Although feelings and emotions can often be helpful, they can also be very misleading and so must not be the final determiner of truth. I don’t think any true believer would argue that truth is ultimately within them. Obviously, Christians fight for the objective truth of God’s Word from passages like John 17:17. However, many Christians violate their view of authority practically, and they manifest this through their reasoning in decision making. Instead of banking on objective, faithful, biblical principles, the thought that determines choices is, “What do I feel is best?”
Our circumstances and experiences obviously are going to influence how we feel. We like to talk about “getting up on the wrong side of the bed” or “just knowing that it is going to be a good day.” It is difficult to find joy when life is tough and it is easy to feel down when trouble comes our way. We must remember, though, that while circumstances are significant, they ultimately do not make us what we are. Our circumstances are not to govern our emotions. Instead, by the Spirit’s working in our lives, we are to exercise temperance and control our emotions and desires regardless of our circumstances. This is why Scripture calls us to rejoice in the Lord always (Phil. 4:4). This is why Paul and Silas could sing even while in prison (Acts 16:25). This is why even the thought of death cannot steal our joy (Phil. 1:21-23; 1 Cor. 15:55).
Truth matters. Without God’s truth anchoring our hearts, we are likely to follow the inclinations of our hearts. But our hearts are fickle, limited, and deceitful. How much better is it to base our decisions upon principles that have been established by God and have stood the test of time? It is foolishness to forsake God’s truth and exchange it for anything else. What does this have to do with Pepsi or Coke being best? It just means that whatever the decision, it ought to be made based on objective truths and not just on an emotional bias or appeal. All factors considered, Coke is the obvious choice.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
The Body of Christ
This past Sunday I had the opportunity to preach about the basis behind the unity of the church as it is stated in 1 Corinthians 12:12-13. Just as the body has many different types of parts, but they all come together to make one body, so it is with the church. The various members of the church with all their different spiritual gifts, abilities, and talents come to serve together as one symbiotic whole.
I particularly appreciated that Paul writes in vs. 12, "so it is with Christ." He does not say, "...so it is with the church," or even "...so it is with the body of Christ." He makes the point that the church is the physical representation of Christ on earth. When the members come together to serve in the church, they are fulfilling their role as part of Christ's body. In other words, to be committed to the church is to show one's commitment to Christ Himself.
Paul writes in vs. 13 that the church is made one by God's Spirit in whom we have been baptized by Christ (cf. Matt. 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33; Acts 2:33). By being baptized in the Spirit, we are made one body in Christ. It does not matter whether we are Jew or Gentile, slaves or free; if we are in Christ, we are one body. Paul is clear to indicate that all the believers at Corinth had received this baptism. It was not a second work of grace in their lives but came as a result of their salvation. When they were saved, they were baptized in the Spirit and made part of the body of Christ. This is a profound statement. In a real sense, church membership came as part of the package when they became Christian!
Not only have we been immersed in the Spirit, but Paul concludes that we have been made to drink of that Spirit as well. By this, Paul is referring to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Not only do we have the external support of the body of Christ having been baptized in the Spirit, but we also have the Spirit's internal influence as well! Certainly this is great cause for rejoicing for the believer. We who were completely void of the Spirit before coming to know Christ now have the Spirit's influence around us and within us. It bears witness to the fact that when God saves an individual, He does not withhold His blessing (cf. Luke 11:13).
The following passages in 1 Corinthians 12 go into the practical outworkings of this unity and are very applicable for the church, so I can't wait to get into those passages in the coming messages.
I particularly appreciated that Paul writes in vs. 12, "so it is with Christ." He does not say, "...so it is with the church," or even "...so it is with the body of Christ." He makes the point that the church is the physical representation of Christ on earth. When the members come together to serve in the church, they are fulfilling their role as part of Christ's body. In other words, to be committed to the church is to show one's commitment to Christ Himself.
Paul writes in vs. 13 that the church is made one by God's Spirit in whom we have been baptized by Christ (cf. Matt. 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33; Acts 2:33). By being baptized in the Spirit, we are made one body in Christ. It does not matter whether we are Jew or Gentile, slaves or free; if we are in Christ, we are one body. Paul is clear to indicate that all the believers at Corinth had received this baptism. It was not a second work of grace in their lives but came as a result of their salvation. When they were saved, they were baptized in the Spirit and made part of the body of Christ. This is a profound statement. In a real sense, church membership came as part of the package when they became Christian!
Not only have we been immersed in the Spirit, but Paul concludes that we have been made to drink of that Spirit as well. By this, Paul is referring to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Not only do we have the external support of the body of Christ having been baptized in the Spirit, but we also have the Spirit's internal influence as well! Certainly this is great cause for rejoicing for the believer. We who were completely void of the Spirit before coming to know Christ now have the Spirit's influence around us and within us. It bears witness to the fact that when God saves an individual, He does not withhold His blessing (cf. Luke 11:13).
The following passages in 1 Corinthians 12 go into the practical outworkings of this unity and are very applicable for the church, so I can't wait to get into those passages in the coming messages.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Mission to Tucuman 2009
God has blessed us tremendously with the opportunities to represent Him not only here in San Diego, but to other parts of the world, namely in Ostrava, Czech Republic and Tucuman, Argentina. Our family has been to Ostrava almost every year since 2000, not counting the year we didn't send a team in 2002 and the year Angela had Olivia (2005). So this year was quite different as we have always looked forward to spending time with our precious friends and partners in ministry, the Mellwigs and the rest of the church in Ostrava. In fact, this year was all the more difficult not to go since Meinolf, Martina, and Anika came to visit earlier this year and we were able to spend some quality time together. So it was with a measure of sadness and a sense of uncertainty in what to expect that our family planned to go to Tucuman with our team from Lighthouse.
By all accounts we have much to be thankful in the past four trips before this year. Though it has been at times challenging and even controversial due to some doctrinal and philosophical issues, this past March found Patrick and myself flying over to Tucuman to work out these issues with Pastor Jorge. Much to our joy, we were able to communicate and clarify these issues, especially since it related to the essence of the gospel and how to present it. So it was with much anticipationg that we looked forward to this summer's trip as I felt it was important to go as a family to both experience what was taking place in Tucuman as well as to give a strong show of support to Pastor Jorge and the church.
It was definitely different from our trips to the Czech Republic. For starters, it was winter down in Argentina and it had to be the coldest winter, even by their standards. The evenings would sometimes drop below freezing and we were not prepared with any winter clothing so it was pretty cold. But what warmed us was the welcoming spirit and the overwhelming love that the church showed. From the very beginning when we drove to the "salon" (the rented meeting room that was to be our headquarters for the trip), it was a constant reminder of how great the love we share in Christ can be. From the Argentine cheek kiss to the many conversations we were able to have (assisted by some wonderful translators), the whole week was a whirlwind of activity as we would breeze in and out of the salon, meeting with the church, going door to door in the barrios, to playing soccer and volleyball at the park. It obviously would be difficult to describe it all here but suffice it to say that the whole trip was really a blessing in so many ways.
There were some challenges along the way with Kara and Alyssa getting sick, digestive issues with various team members, the famous "black boogers" from all the stuff flying around in the air. The swine flu initially caused some difficulties for us because many things were being affected, including the ability to gather in large groups as well as some of our original translators being unable to participate due to restrictions. But God worked everything out marvelously to His glory.
It was also an opportunity for me to step back and allow others to step up and serve. Angela had been to Argentina 23 years ago when she was in college on a short term trip and returning with a husband and four daughters had to be a bit surreal. But it was great to see how she was able to minister to all the women of the church, constantly being asked to meet up with many of the ladies throughout the week. Even our daughters were able to participate, especially Jenna and Kara, going out door to door, sharing testimonies and getting to know the youth of the church. Alyssa made a number of friends as the girls from the church who were her age welcomed her and wanted to play with her immediately. Olivia was quite the popular figure as she was embraced (literally) by everyone.
The team did a great job as there were times that I was unable to fully participate due to being a bit sick myself as well as in watching the kids in the mornings. I would have to say that each member of the team did a great job in not only being cooperative but in being flexible with the many schedule changes, delays, postponements, and other adventures that we all faced.
The church in Tucuman did an incredible job in serving out team. There was a team that prepared meals for us each day, lunch and dinner. The meals were great, including the famous empanadas a number of times as well as other dishes that I had never seen. There was plenty of beef all throughout the trip. We were able to enjoy a couple of asado bbqs, courtesy of the master asado chef Marcello Espeche. It was a joy to see him growing and rejoicing in his restored marriage and ministry in the church.
I had the opportunity to preach many times, to share the gospel, and to encourage the members of the church. Looking back it seems like it went by so quickly but it really was a full trip. I can see how God was so faithful to provide for us in every way, from the prayer and financial support to orchestrating all the details in such a way that worked out best.
Please pray for the church in Tucuman. Pray for Pastor Jorge, Norma and Josue as they are in the position to provide leadership and support for the church. Pray for leadership to develop in the church as their church planting efforts are dependent on the nurturing of more leaders to help provide shepherding and teaching. Pray for the young people of the church to grow strong in the Lord and provide hope for their future. Pray for Carlos and Sylvia Espeche as they suffered a miscarriage a few months ago and have had difficulty in being able to conceive. Marcello (Carlos' father) was really broken over this and asked that we as a church family pray for them since he knows our prayers meant so much for him when he was struggling. Pray for little baby Mariono Gabriel who had surgery today for some medical conditions that have been difficult. Pray for the translators who have been facing much difficulties due to doctrinal differences and ministry philosophy differences in their churches. Pray also for our church to continue in reaching out to places such as Tucuman so that we can fulfill the Great Commission faithfully to God's glory.
Report night is coming in September....
By all accounts we have much to be thankful in the past four trips before this year. Though it has been at times challenging and even controversial due to some doctrinal and philosophical issues, this past March found Patrick and myself flying over to Tucuman to work out these issues with Pastor Jorge. Much to our joy, we were able to communicate and clarify these issues, especially since it related to the essence of the gospel and how to present it. So it was with much anticipationg that we looked forward to this summer's trip as I felt it was important to go as a family to both experience what was taking place in Tucuman as well as to give a strong show of support to Pastor Jorge and the church.
It was definitely different from our trips to the Czech Republic. For starters, it was winter down in Argentina and it had to be the coldest winter, even by their standards. The evenings would sometimes drop below freezing and we were not prepared with any winter clothing so it was pretty cold. But what warmed us was the welcoming spirit and the overwhelming love that the church showed. From the very beginning when we drove to the "salon" (the rented meeting room that was to be our headquarters for the trip), it was a constant reminder of how great the love we share in Christ can be. From the Argentine cheek kiss to the many conversations we were able to have (assisted by some wonderful translators), the whole week was a whirlwind of activity as we would breeze in and out of the salon, meeting with the church, going door to door in the barrios, to playing soccer and volleyball at the park. It obviously would be difficult to describe it all here but suffice it to say that the whole trip was really a blessing in so many ways.
There were some challenges along the way with Kara and Alyssa getting sick, digestive issues with various team members, the famous "black boogers" from all the stuff flying around in the air. The swine flu initially caused some difficulties for us because many things were being affected, including the ability to gather in large groups as well as some of our original translators being unable to participate due to restrictions. But God worked everything out marvelously to His glory.
It was also an opportunity for me to step back and allow others to step up and serve. Angela had been to Argentina 23 years ago when she was in college on a short term trip and returning with a husband and four daughters had to be a bit surreal. But it was great to see how she was able to minister to all the women of the church, constantly being asked to meet up with many of the ladies throughout the week. Even our daughters were able to participate, especially Jenna and Kara, going out door to door, sharing testimonies and getting to know the youth of the church. Alyssa made a number of friends as the girls from the church who were her age welcomed her and wanted to play with her immediately. Olivia was quite the popular figure as she was embraced (literally) by everyone.
The team did a great job as there were times that I was unable to fully participate due to being a bit sick myself as well as in watching the kids in the mornings. I would have to say that each member of the team did a great job in not only being cooperative but in being flexible with the many schedule changes, delays, postponements, and other adventures that we all faced.
The church in Tucuman did an incredible job in serving out team. There was a team that prepared meals for us each day, lunch and dinner. The meals were great, including the famous empanadas a number of times as well as other dishes that I had never seen. There was plenty of beef all throughout the trip. We were able to enjoy a couple of asado bbqs, courtesy of the master asado chef Marcello Espeche. It was a joy to see him growing and rejoicing in his restored marriage and ministry in the church.
I had the opportunity to preach many times, to share the gospel, and to encourage the members of the church. Looking back it seems like it went by so quickly but it really was a full trip. I can see how God was so faithful to provide for us in every way, from the prayer and financial support to orchestrating all the details in such a way that worked out best.
Please pray for the church in Tucuman. Pray for Pastor Jorge, Norma and Josue as they are in the position to provide leadership and support for the church. Pray for leadership to develop in the church as their church planting efforts are dependent on the nurturing of more leaders to help provide shepherding and teaching. Pray for the young people of the church to grow strong in the Lord and provide hope for their future. Pray for Carlos and Sylvia Espeche as they suffered a miscarriage a few months ago and have had difficulty in being able to conceive. Marcello (Carlos' father) was really broken over this and asked that we as a church family pray for them since he knows our prayers meant so much for him when he was struggling. Pray for little baby Mariono Gabriel who had surgery today for some medical conditions that have been difficult. Pray for the translators who have been facing much difficulties due to doctrinal differences and ministry philosophy differences in their churches. Pray also for our church to continue in reaching out to places such as Tucuman so that we can fulfill the Great Commission faithfully to God's glory.
Report night is coming in September....
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
The Good News of the Gospel
The good news of the gospel is good because it not only brings us to salvation in proclaiming the death of Christ on our behalf but it continues to be good in providing the basis for our obedience and following Christ, both individually and corporately as a church. The past few months have been humbling and encouraging, for I have found that the neglect of the gospel has lead many down the road to legalism and a pharisaical attitude, including myself. It is easy to use a performance mentality in gauging spirituality, both in my own life as well as in others. Yet the mindset that says we need to try and earn God's favor through our hard work and labor for the sake of the kingdom can lead to a works mentality that contradicts the foundation of living by grace through faith. We are not only saved by grace through faith in our justification, we are also continually to walk in grace through faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross. As Jerry Bridges notes, "Your worse days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace." This is indeed comforting news for those of us who are so performance oriented that we can go from one extreme to the other. We feel good about ourselves when we are doing well with all our spiritual disciplines and maintaining a high level of activity. We then feel bad about ourselves when we miss our quiet times and go through prolonged periods of spiritual lethargy. While Romans 6 reminds us not to abuse grace, we must remember to also consider that we forget about grace as we live out the Christian life.
The reminder to "preach the gospel to yourself" has been something that I have heard before, but it has not been so prominent as it has become now. The gospel must be central to my life's purpose and message. I am called to live in a manner worthy of the gospel and I am to partner with fellow believers for the sake of the gospel (Philippians 1:27). If this is so, then the gospel needs to be constantly on my mind from my waking moments to the time I go to bed.
It is no surprise to see the apostle Paul so focused on the cross of Christ. One of my favorite verses since high school has been 1 Corinthians 2:2 - "For I determined to know nothing among you except Christ and him crucified." This verse has been revived in my heart and I see how easy it is for me to then walk in the flesh when I forget to fix my eyes on Christ (Hebrews 12:2).
As we celebrate our 10th anniversary at Lighthouse, I would like to again reiterate what was preached this past Sunday. The mission of Lighthouse - to make disciples of Christ, is no less than a call to go and proclaim the gospel, making disciples who will then be baptized and taught to live in light of the gospel for the rest of their days. The vision of Lighthouse - to plant churches, gives us the goal of taking the gospel ministry, both for the purpose of evangelism and edification, to places where there is a need for the gospel to be made known. The passion of Lighthouse - to love God and people, can only be truly experienced when the gospel is driving our loving so that it really is the love of Christ that both motivates us and energizes us to love in the way God defines true love.
The gospel is precious - don't let it become something that you think is so basic that you are not in need of preaching it to yourselves daily. My prayer is that the gospel would become the beacon of your heart, your mind, your mouth, and the unifying factor in all your relationships so that Christ might receive all the glory.
The reminder to "preach the gospel to yourself" has been something that I have heard before, but it has not been so prominent as it has become now. The gospel must be central to my life's purpose and message. I am called to live in a manner worthy of the gospel and I am to partner with fellow believers for the sake of the gospel (Philippians 1:27). If this is so, then the gospel needs to be constantly on my mind from my waking moments to the time I go to bed.
It is no surprise to see the apostle Paul so focused on the cross of Christ. One of my favorite verses since high school has been 1 Corinthians 2:2 - "For I determined to know nothing among you except Christ and him crucified." This verse has been revived in my heart and I see how easy it is for me to then walk in the flesh when I forget to fix my eyes on Christ (Hebrews 12:2).
As we celebrate our 10th anniversary at Lighthouse, I would like to again reiterate what was preached this past Sunday. The mission of Lighthouse - to make disciples of Christ, is no less than a call to go and proclaim the gospel, making disciples who will then be baptized and taught to live in light of the gospel for the rest of their days. The vision of Lighthouse - to plant churches, gives us the goal of taking the gospel ministry, both for the purpose of evangelism and edification, to places where there is a need for the gospel to be made known. The passion of Lighthouse - to love God and people, can only be truly experienced when the gospel is driving our loving so that it really is the love of Christ that both motivates us and energizes us to love in the way God defines true love.
The gospel is precious - don't let it become something that you think is so basic that you are not in need of preaching it to yourselves daily. My prayer is that the gospel would become the beacon of your heart, your mind, your mouth, and the unifying factor in all your relationships so that Christ might receive all the glory.
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