Connecting Points

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Today’s Topic: Be Content

Today’s Text:  Luke 2:36-37 (ESV)
³⁶ And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, ³⁷ and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.

We are easily bored. We even have statements that validate our boredom. I have a friend who when asked how he is always responds with the statement, “You know…same old same old.”

We have a hard time with things staying status quo. Even though we find it hard to change, we demand it. We don’t like permanent routine. Some persevere longer than others when sameness reigns, but ultimately they surrender to the discontented spirit that lives in each of us that wants things new and better.

I speak as the king of discontent. I love new things. I love change. I love risk. I want more and better. I have never truly learned to be content. That’s why the story of Anna from the Christmas narrative in Luke 2 fascinates me.

Anna was an ordinary woman with a tragic life story. She had been married at a young age, probably around sixteen as was customary. After seven years of marriage her husband died and left her a widow. She was left with nothing. Jewish law forbids women from owning property. If her husband had any wealth it would have been given to the first-born son, but there is no indication that they had any children. She was alone with nowhere to turn.

She went to the temple in an act of humble submission to whatever God would provide for her, and a willingness to be content with it. The priests took her in and opened up one of the living quarters in the courtyard to her, where she lived for the next sixty-eight years. Every day and every night she did the very same thing – she prayed and fasted before the Lord.

There is no way of knowing how many people were touched by her faithful service in the temple and her patient endurance of a sub-par lifestyle when compared to others. Other widows, like Ruth of the Old Testament, were rescued from their predicament by a kinsman redeemer who brought them hope and security. But it was not so for Anna. No relative came forward to provide her a home and a family. She was alone.

But Anna never felt alone because she knew she wasn’t really alone. She had God, and He was sufficient. She was content with God’s presence and His provision for her life. Nothing ever changed. Nothing ever got better. She was never offered more. Day after day the status quo ruled, and yet the same old same old never really got old, because she lived her life with the assurance and hope of the coming Messiah who would redeem Jerusalem.

Then one day, in a powerful affirmation of her contentment, God arranged her life and His Son’s life to intersect. My imagination turns to the scene in heaven, where God points to what is taking place in the temple and enthusiastically exclaims to His angels, “Watch this!”

Anna is walking across the temple courtyard, worshipping the Lord and looking for an opportunity to minister to someone. She sees a commotion in the area where little Jewish boys are brought for their circumcision. A man who was not a priest is holding a baby and loudly proclaiming words of prophecy about the Messiah. She immediately walks over to investigate, and is instantly overwhelmed with the reality that she is looking at the Redeemer of Jerusalem.

God claps.

Heaven explodes with cheers of Hallelujah.

Anna gives thanks to God and begins a new phase of life in which she will proclaim redemption to anyone who wants to hear it.

God rewards contentment with His presence. I wonder if Anna felt it was worth the wait.

But I also wonder if our lack of contentment is keeping us from fully experiencing His presence.

Connecting Points

Friday, December 06, 2013

 Today’s Topic: Stay Inside the Lines

Today’s Text:  Luke 2:25 (ESV)
²⁵ Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

Yesterday was the first Thursday of the month. That’s significant because on that specific day there is an event I attend. It’s nothing fancy or elaborate, but it is important because it involves connecting with other men my age (sorry James Alan). We simply call it The Old Men’s Luncheon, and appropriately we meet at the Old Country Buffet.

When I arrived at the luncheon yesterday and pulled into the parking area that parallels Clairemont Avenue, I noticed something was wrong. All of the cars that were parked along the frontage road were angled the wrong way. Someone had pulled into the first parking space headed in the wrong direction. Every car after that had ignored the normal parking pattern and had followed the lead of the first car. So I had a choice between following the new pattern and parking correctly so that every car after me would also park correctly.

Now the problem really started when the ice and snow covered up all the parking space lines so they were not visible. When that first car pulled in, several possibilities came into play. Maybe they were new to town and had never parked there before so they had no point of reference when choosing how to position their vehicle. Maybe they did know the lines were there, but for convenience sake they simply pulled in, knowing that if questioned they could claim ignorance because the lines weren’t visible. But the motive of the first car’s driver is not my main focus. Rather, I want to address the heart of all subsequent drivers, including me, who followed the wrong pattern after it had been established.

The real issue is not this parking lot. Whether the cars angle one way or the other is not really significant. But the behavior of all the drivers illustrates a deep spiritual principle: the coldness of our hearts that covers the moral lines by which we are guided to make decisions.

We all have a moral code written into our minds. We have been taught where the lines are. Thou shalt not commit murder. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness (lie). Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt have no other gods before YHWH (Jehovah). There are a total of ten boundary lines on the parking lot of life. We can park ourselves anywhere inside those lines, but the Owner of the lot commands us not to cross the lines.

The reality is that our sinful human nature loves to cross lines. Even when the lines are visible we still cross them, somehow thinking that we are immune to the consequences. This is intentional rebellion.  But an even bigger issue is when we choose to cross lines that are not visible even though we know they are there. For a variety of reasons, the moral lines God painted have been covered up by man’s progressive thinking. As a result, we have started parking outside the lines because someone else did. As we observe how they parked, all of the following things flash through our mind:

• They parked wrong
• They are getting away with it – there’s no ticket on their windshield
• It sure makes sense to park that way
• It’s a lot more convenient to just follow the pattern
• It be a mess to park correctly now and mess up the next guy
• I will actually be helping others by parking the way everyone else does
• I wouldn’t want to park correctly and make the guy who parked wrong feel bad.

I know these thoughts, because I followed the pattern too. Again, I’m not really talking about the parking lot; I’m talking about everyday life choices to stay inside God’s lines or follow the pattern of the world.

The lines are almost invisible. The only way the world can still see them is by following the pattern of someone who knows they are there.

That’s me.

That’s you.

Connecting Points

Thursday, December 05, 2013

Today’s Topic: Devout

Today’s Text:  Luke 2:25-27 (ESV)
²⁵ Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. ²⁶ And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. ²⁷ And he came in the Spirit into the temple…

He was just a common citizen of his community. We know nothing noteworthy that he had ever done. He was not a sports hero nor was he an entertainer. He had not attained a position of prestige as a person of public prominence. We don’t know his family history or heritage. We don’t even know his profession, yet we know clearly what he professed. He is singled out from the ordinary as a man who was righteous and devout, and lived his life under the direction and influence of the Holy Spirit of God.

Simeon reminds us all that no one is obscure or insignificant to God.  God recognizes us, and rewards faithfulness with public and eternal acclaim. But we must not let the reward be our motivation or it will never come. Seeking personal gain is contradictory to righteous and devout living.

Simeon was living daily in the hope that each day would be THE day that the Lord would fulfill His promise to him. The word devout means to take well. In other words, it means to believe what has been promised and then live according to that promise. For Simeon it meant that every step of every day was directed by his belief that he was being led closer to the realization of what God had told him. Imagine waking every morning and having every thought, every idea, and every plan completely immersed in the hope of what God has promised. That was the devout life of Simeon. That is the life we all desire.

On this specific day, Simeon knew the Holy Spirit was directing him to go to the temple. He obeyed. He would have missed everything promised if he had not listened and obeyed. But he did listen, and he did obey, because he truly believed what God had said. And because he believed, he saw the Savior!

Simeon’s life is now eternally on display as an example of God’s recognition and reward of righteous people who live not for self but devoutly believe the Word of the Lord. In one step of obedience Simeon went from obscure to obvious; from insignificant to illustrious.

He saw the Savior.  He held the Savior in his arms. He spoke God’s truth about the Savior. He blessed the parents with preparatory prophecy about God’s purpose for the Savior’s pain and their own.  He played a pivotal role in the declaration of God’s redemptive plan for all people.

No one is obscure or insignificant to God. Take time today to be still and listen. Simeon’s God knows you. The Savior defines your worth. He is waiting for you to believe what He is saying to you. He is longing for you to act upon it so He can declare your significance publicly and rejoice over you with song!

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Tuesday, December 03, 2013

Today’s Topic: Start Connecting

Today’s Text:  Acts 2:44-47 (ESV)
⁴⁴ And all who believed were together and had all things in common. ⁴⁵ And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. ⁴⁶ And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

No, you are not imagining this. You are not dreaming. It is really happening. You have received a long overdue Connecting Points devotional from Pastor John. I will give you a moment to pick yourself up and recover.

Recently I received a request to start writing these devotionals again, and I made a commitment to do it consistently starting in January. But last night at the Elder meeting I was encouraged to begin now, and I was even given a topic with which to begin. So today I want to write a Connecting Point about Connecting.

If you ask the average person in our church they would say that we are a very friendly bunch. Most newcomers to our church agree. But it is becoming very evident that there is a difference between being friendly and being connected. There are days when I meet dozens of friendly people as I meander through life. There are friendly clerks at stores, friendly customers in lines, friendly drivers in cars around me, friendly waitresses at restaurants, and friendly passers-by on the street.

Yet in most people’s lives, very few connections are made with any of the friendly people we see.  We don’t ask for the waitress’s name, and even if they’re wearing a name badge we don’t try to learn it and use it as they serve us. We don’t talk to the people in the check-out line with us, and the only conversation we have with the cashier is when we disagree about the price of an item. Rather than lift a finger to wave at the driver of the car near us, we shake a finger in frustration at what they did to delay our progress. And other than the standard “How are you?” question we ask to appear friendly and connected, we never go any deeper, and we hope they don’t break protocol and answer with something other than “I’m fine.  How are you?”

We have deferred all personal connections to people to the most impersonal world of social media. We are losing our interpersonal relational skills. Asking for someone’s name scares us to death because it may lead to deeper conversation which will require time, transparency, and trust, all of which we keep locked up in a safe to prevent loss or pain.

Our church is growing – FAST. I met a family for the first time on Sunday who has been attending since September. I was embarrassed, until I realized that with the size of our congregation it is going to be impossible for me to meet everyone. But someone has to meet them. Someone has to connect with them, or they will leave and we will become an unfriendly church that cares only about staying small enough to never be stretched. I was so glad to hear that they were already connected to another family in our church and had a relationship with them.

I also saw another new couple in church on Sunday. They arrived early and I got to greet them. I had remembered them from their first visit to our church the previous week. We chatted for a moment, and they headed for the coffee fellowship. They got their food and coffee, and sat down at one of the tables. After about five minutes of observing multiple people walk past them without any form of greeting, I went over to talk to them some more. I was embarrassed again, not because I hadn’t done my part, but because others were so busy that they didn’t notice a new face and try to make a connection.

One of the marks of the early church was that they truly cared about one another, spent time with one another, and welcomed all those who were daily being added to their number as God brought them to salvation. One of the marks of a truly healthy church is that there is always room for more – not in the building, but in the believer’s lives.

So I want to challenge you to start connecting. When you see a face – any face – that you don’t recognize, simply walk up to them and ask, “Have we met?” Then make a connection. Move beyond friendly into the realm of fellowship. It will not only bless you as you see God stretch your boundaries and your limitations and fill you with His grace to do it, but it will bless those who are new as they see that there is a place for them to connect to God and grow in their faith.

As I drove into work today, my friend Pete was playing a new song on WHEM radio. I immediately called him and asked for the artist’s name and song title. I knew I had to have it – not only for me but for others. God has already used it in a meeting I had this morning with a young man who is struggling to overcome his past. I want to share it with you, and let the words speak truth into your life – the truth of the complete forgiveness of Jesus Christ that has provided God’s eternal qualification of our lives. I pray that you will discover victory today as you refresh your soul in the truth of your spiritual identity in Christ.

Unqualified  (Jeff Pardo, Andy Hunt, Perry LaHaie)

Those choices you made, they keep holding you back;

every big mistake, you can’t seem to get past

How could God use someone as broken as you;

you’re longing for hope, so hear what is true

There are no put together people, no perfect clean heart

No past without some pain and there’s no soul without a scar

But the precious blood of Jesus made you clean, gave you life now

Nothing can make you…Unqualified

So take a first step out of that prison cell;

and let go the chains all those burdens you’ve held

There’s a freedom waiting; there’s a hand you can take;

well rescue is here and it’s calling your name

There are no put together people…

There’s no guilt; there’s no shame;

Stronger than mercy; this is just the beginning of your story

There are no put together people; no perfect clean heart

But there’s purpose in your pain; there is healing for your scars

Cause the precious blood of Jesus made you clean, gave you life now

Nothing can make you…Unqualified

I received this from Daniel Henderson this morning, and wanted to share it with all of you.

“Honoring the Faithful”

Connecting Points

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Today’s Topic: Rejoice!!!

Today’s Text:  Luke 10:17-20 The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” ¹⁸And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. ¹⁹Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. ²⁰Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven”

Man’s joy does not come from results but from relationships. The greatest joy comes from the greatest relationship possible –personal friendship with Jesus Christ.

After doing miracles under the authority of and in the power of Jesus’ name, the disciples were reminded that the results they experienced were not the real reason for rejoicing, but rather that their names were written in heaven in the Lamb’s Book of Life. No matter what our circumstances, good or bad, there is reason to rejoice because we have been redeemed.

Let me remind you of the reasons we have to rejoice in our redemption.

Redemption is Eternal

• Hebrews 9:11-12, 15    ¹¹But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come,  then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation)   ¹²he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. ..    ¹⁵Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.  

Redemption delivers us from judgment

• Revelation 20:11-15  Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. ¹²And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. ¹³And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. ¹⁴Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. ¹⁵And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Redemption grants us access to the heavenly city

• Revelation 21:22-27(ESV) ²²And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.  ²³And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.  ²⁴By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it,  ²⁵and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there.  ²⁶They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations.  ²⁷But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Redemption Sets us free from sin

•  Galatians 3:10-13  ¹⁰For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written,  “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”   ¹¹Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for  “The righteous shall live by faith.”    ¹²But the law is not of faith, rather  “The one who does them shall live by them.”   ¹³Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written,  “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—  

Redemption  secures the Holy Spirit  

• Galatians 3:14   ¹⁴so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

Redemption protects us from false religion and deception

• Revelation 13:5-8 ⁵And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. ⁶It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. ⁷Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. Authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, ⁸and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that was slain. 

Redemption qualifies us as Sons and heirs

• Galatians 4:4-7  ⁴But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,   ⁵to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.   ⁶And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”   ⁷So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

Redemption changes our lives

• Titus 2:11-14  For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,   ¹²training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,   ¹³waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,   ¹⁴who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

NOW REJOICE!

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Today’s Topic: What is at the Center?

Today’s Text:  2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

I don’t do this often, but truth and busyness have come together this morning to make it possible and necessary. On Sunday one of my dear friends from years of church ministry went to be with Jesus. Then less than twenty-four hours later a more recent friend did the same. Two graduations resulting in two celebrations of eternal life this week. I needed the reminder I got this morning from Ron Hutchcraft that Truth is still the immovable center around which all life revolves.Here’s what he said:

When I visited the Gulf Coast of Florida, I got to see a couple of glorious earth turns. The sky was ablaze with color and the sun disappeared on the horizon. You say, “Excuse me, Ron, that’s a sunset.” Hey, wait a minute. Are you from the 14th century or something? The sun doesn’t set; it doesn’t move! The earth moves! As it makes its revolution, your point on earth turns away from the sun every 24 hours. So that would be an earth turn, right? And we say the sun sets. Well, the earth is turning and you can see how mankind got it wrong for so many centuries. I mean, it looks as if the sun is revolving around the earth. It revolutionized a lot of thinking when people finally understood what was revolving around what.

I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “Putting the Planets Where They Belong.”

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from 2 Timothy 3:16 . It says this: “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” Verse 17: “so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Now, what this is really saying is the Bible [can be compared to] the sun; God’s unchanging, unmoving truth. Everything else has to revolve around what God’s Word says. God’s Word on any subject is the final word.

If you read this passage, it’s written in the context of a time when Paul is predicting that moral values will be in total confusion, when wrong’s going to seem right, when what’s right will seem wrong. Doesn’t that sound familiar? It’s a time when imposters and false ideas will be deceiving many people. And so God’s instructions to Timothy are, “You continue in what you’ve learned and become convinced of what you’ve learned from infancy – the Holy Scriptures.”

In other words, you’ve got to stay where you are. Don’t let anything make you compromise on what God’s Word says. It’s unsettling to see that some research indicates that only about a fourth of America’s Christians are sure there’s absolute truth. We’re shaky on this authority issue; especially when it comes to areas that cramp our style or require us to change or go against what our group or our culture says is true today. We sometimes try to make our idea the sun, and then we try to make the Bible a planet that revolves around it. We put more weight on what is politically correct or culturally correct than what is biblically correct.

In academic circles, for example, there’s this subtle temptation to submit the Bible to whatever your discipline is; whether that’s the current trend in sociology, or literature, or the arts, or science. Well, you’ve got to submit your discipline to the Bible. God’s Word is the final word of origin of the universe and the origin of man. And any explanation that says God did anything other than instantly creating a fully developed adult is wrong. God’s Word is the final word on divorce, on re-marriage, on sexuality, whether it’s hetero or homosexuality. Or what it means to be a woman; what it means to be a man. It’s the final word on justice, on wealth, on sex, on the value of an unborn life.

No mental contortions can neutralize God’s authoritative Word on the subject. You do no one a favor by trying to make God’s Word more acceptable by diluting what it says. We stand on this book, and I hope every day as we’re together this book becomes more practical and more living in your life.

The planets in our world are in chaos as human wisdoms are confusing; they’re colliding. But God gave us this brilliant sun; one settled, unmoving, always true authority to keep the planets in the orbits they belong in – the Word of Almighty God, the Bible. People came out of the dark ages when they realized that the sun did not revolve around them.

We come out of the darkness when we realize and we never compromise the final centrality of the Bible in our personal universe, and when we put the planets of all those other ideas where they belong – in orbit around the sun of the Word of God.

May God’s Truth always be the center around which our lives revolve.

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Today’s Topic: Are We Living In Disobedience?

Today’s Text:  Acts 16:31-34 (ESV)   And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” ³² And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. ³³ And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. ³⁴ Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.

On Tuesday morning I had breakfast with a post-graduate student who is a devoted follower of Jesus Christ. Brought up in a works and sacraments based religious system, she had discovered the truth of faith in Jesus Christ as the only means of salvation from sin through a connection with fellow students involved in a faith-based campus ministry.

The reason we were meeting was to discuss baptism – true biblical baptism by immersion as a public testimony to one’s saving faith in Jesus Christ. As I listened intently to her testimony of faith, I interrupted her as I wiped tears of joy from my eyes. I asked her why she had not been baptized sooner. Her simple reply revealed something to me that I want to address today. She said, “Because it was never taught as a part of my discipleship training.”

As we talked more the joy of what God was doing in her life now overcame my initial reaction to what she said. But as the hours went by after the meeting, it began to weigh on my heart. Why would we in the so-called “modern” church age de-emphasize the fundamental command of Jesus for all disciples to be baptized? What do we believe He meant when He said, “Go into all the world and make disciples, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all things that I have commanded you?” How can we teach them to observe all the commands of Jesus when we ignore the first command of discipleship that He gave?

Throughout the New Testament, without any confusion of the truth of salvation by faith alone without any works of man or any sacrament of the church, people who were saved were baptized, and it happened as soon after their salvation as possible. Let’s be very clear – baptism does not and cannot save anyone from their sin, at any age. But let’s also be clear about this truth – baptism is a command of God to be celebrated and experienced as a part of the salvation experience, and disobedience limits the potential for the Holy Spirit to fill our lives, just as any disobedience to God will do.

I believe that the church has de-emphasized the importance of baptism as a result of cultural pressure to be more accepting of everyone’s personally selected belief system. Someone, in some religious system eons ago, decided that baptism wasn’t important, or that it was erroneously granted the status of being a means of receiving the grace of forgiveness. As well-intentioned people continued to live public lives of faith, personal experience was elevated to a place of priority over the command of Jesus. The church began to accept disobedience as “normal” because other areas of people’s lives didn’t appear to be all that bad of an attempt to be Godly. I’ve known dozens of people – maybe hundreds – who I will see in heaven who have never been baptized by immersion as a testimony of their personal faith in Jesus Christ . But the truth is that every one of those people, whether living in ignorance of the truth or not, has been living in disobedience. (Keep reading please before you get angry…)

Again, to clarify, I have been baptized and I live in disobedience at times as well. I do not always obey everything Jesus said. The point is not to condemn one area of disobedience as more significant than any other, but to be sensitive to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. When I sin through willful disobedience, I hear the Holy Spirit convicting me. I know I must repent and turn from that disobedience. Only then will the fullness of the Holy Spirit be restored to my life. Only in obedience can we have intimate fellowship with our one and only Holy Father in heaven.

The same is true about baptism. It is only in obedience and in accordance with God’s truth in Jesus Christ that we can have a complete and full relationship with God. Can we be saved without baptism? ABSOLUTELY. Can we be all that God intends us to be without obedience? ABSOLUTELY NOT!

On Sunday, September 29^th, right after church, no matter how cold it is, I will be baptizing this young woman in the Chippewa River. She is excited. I am thrilled. She is in obedience to Christ by being publicly baptized by immersion as a testimony of her saving faith in Jesus Christ. I am in obedience by baptizing her as a part of her discipleship. Maybe you want to join us and be obedient to Christ as well.

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Monday, September 09, 2013

Today’s Topic: Is It What We Really Want?

Today’s Text:  Revelation 22:7 (ESV)   “And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”               

Revelation 22:12 (ESV)
 “Behold, I am coming soon…”

Revelation 22:17 (ESV)
The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.

Revelation 22:20 (ESV)
 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

I hope it was just a fluke. I’m going to assume that it was because people were so deep in thought about what they were hearing that they just forgot to respond outwardly. If not, then we may have a problem.

Yesterday during the sermon there was a clear statement made about the joyous and glorious return of Jesus Christ to gather His true church to their eternal reward. Silence ensued.

Really? Silence from the very people  Jesus is coming to get? I was a little shocked. I think it showed. I said it again, and the response was enthusiastic, but it made me wonder how many times in my own life I need to be reminded to keep my eyes, my heart, and my desires on the return of Jesus Christ rather than on the things of this world.

Earlier in the service we had sung a couple of songs, one of which was the chorus of “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.” In that song we sang these words – Turn your eyes upon Jesus; look full in His wonderful face; and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.” I wondered what happened in the 15 minutes between singing that and hearing it preached.

I know that there are many – too many – days that I have my eyes, my heart, and my desires firmly fixed on the things of earth. It happens so much that I must ask myself the question “Is the return of Jesus what I really want?”

Let’s see –

• More sin versus no sin. That’s one for His return.
• More financial stress versus streets of crystal clear gold and a mansion made by the hands of God just for me. That’s two for Jesus.
• More emotional stress from loneliness, rejection, and the pursuit of self-worth versus seeing the face of Jesus while His arms of love wrap around me and the only tears ever will be tears of joy. So far the return of Jesus is pitching a shut-out.
• More issues with health versus an eternally perfect body. This is getting embarrassing. Earthly things are growing strangely dim.

I could go on, but we all get the point. The Spirit of God says “Come.” The Bride of Christ – His church – is supposed to say “Come.” Everyone who is longing for satisfaction in this life is to realize that earthly things cannot satisfy and invite Jesus to come. I am to consider the coming of Jesus to be more important to me that any other upcoming event in my life.

Is it what we really want? Well as for me, YES!!!

Pastor John