Connecting Points

Friday, August 17, 2012

Today’s Topic: Prepare for Revival                                                   

Today’s Text:  Psalm 93:1-5 (ESV)
¹ The LORD reigns; he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed; he has put on strength as his belt. Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved. ² Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting. ³ The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their roaring. ⁴ Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the LORD on high is mighty! ⁵ Your decrees are very trustworthy; holiness befits your house, O LORD, forevermore.

Last night the worship leader of our church came over for a quick visit. The combination of reasons that brought him to my house was used by the Holy Spirit to teach me an important lesson.

Earlier that day I had texted him to see if we could get together, and he told me he was tied up at a golf tournament all day. When he mentioned the name of the celebrity that was going to be there my mind immediately went to my brother and my best friend and I knew I had to do something. So I rushed out of the office and ran to a local sporting goods store to pick up a couple of small footballs and a Sharpie. From there I went to the golf course and met Matt who was just preparing to go out onto the course. I made it just in time. I gave him the footballs and the Sharpie and he said he would do his best.

Reason number one for Matt to be at my house – to deliver the two small Chicago Bears footballs autographed by Mike Ditka.

I was pumped. What a thrill it will be for me to give those footballs to my brother and best friend. That was cool!

As Matt came into the house and handed me the footballs, he had his phone in his hand and asked me if I would listen to a song with him. Matt’s been going through some tough stuff lately, and worship music has been the place where the Lord ministers to his heart and keeps him strong. He wanted to share a song and have us worship together right there in my living room. So we did. Here’s the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgL6_ylz8io

We cried as we hummed and harmonized. We talked about what Satan was trying to do to destroy the work of Jesus in our lives and in our church. We prayed. We worshipped.

Reason number two for Matt to be at my house – to keep all of life’s fun things in a proper perspective. They are NOT anywhere as important as our spiritual relationship with Jesus Christ and our constant worship of Him. He is amazing!

Then Matt shared an idea with me. He wants to have a night of worship at our church on September 8^th. That’s the night Travis and Paula Barton, missionaries to Mexico from our church, will be there for a pizza and fellowship supper. Travis is also a worship leader and has written some incredible songs. We will eat together, laugh together, hear stories from the mission field, and then close the night with an extended time of worship and prayer. In Matt’s own words he explains his vision for that evening – I want that Saturday night worship event to be so Christ focused that Satan will scram. Right now he is attacking us because we are doing great and mighty things for our Savior Jesus Christ. We are about to build a new building to reach more people for Christ. The following Sunday, September 9th we will be kicking off Sunday school and the events that surround the school year. All of our college students will be coming back and this night of worship would be an awesome night to have the people at Calvary adopt their new student. So many exciting things happening, and music…our worship will be in the middle of it all.

Reason number three for Matt to be at my house – to cast the vision for a united church in worship and ministry, equipped by the Holy Spirit to accomplish the commission given to us by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to go into all the world and make disciples by sharing the Gospel with them.

Now, go back and read Psalm 93. Five short yet powerful verses that describe the revival that is about to happen in our midst if God’s people will come together and seek His face with all their hearts, setting aside the fun things of life for the greater and grander glory of God. Here’s what it will look like:

• God reigning in majesty in every area or our lives
• God’s strength and power being displayed in all the circumstances of our lives
• His Kingdom, not the kingdom of man, will be revealed
• Opposition (the seas) is overcome by the might of the Lord on high.
• The Word of God (His statutes) is honored and valued above all other words of man.
• Holiness becomes the primary passion of our lives and will adorn the house of God

Get ready. Get committed. Get on your knees. Revival of God’s people is coming. He is amazing!

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Today’s Topic: Carry the Load                                                          

Today’s Text:  Philippians 4:13 (ESV)      I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Thanks to some faithful readers who sent me this story. It’s just what I needed today!

The Ant and the Contact Lens: a true story

Brenda was almost halfway to the top of the tremendous granite cliff. She was standing on a ledge where she was taking a breather during this, her first rock climb. As she rested there, the safety rope snapped against her eye and knocked out her contact lens. ‘Great’, she thought. ‘Here I am on a rock ledge, hundreds of feet from the bottom and hundreds of feet to the top of this cliff, and now my sight is blurry.’ She looked and looked, hoping that somehow it had landed on the ledge. But it just wasn’t there.

She felt the panic rising in her, so she began praying. She prayed for calm, and she prayed that she may find her contact lens.

When she got to the top, a friend examined her eye and her clothing for the lens, but it was not to be found. Although she was calm now that she was at the top, she was saddened because she could not clearly see across the range of mountains. She thought of the Bible verse ‘The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth.’

She thought, ‘Lord, You can see all these mountains. You know every stone and leaf, and You know exactly where my contact lens is. Please help me.’

Later, when they had hiked down the trail to the bottom of the cliff they met another party of climbers just starting up the face of the cliff. One of them shouted out, ‘Hey, you guys! Anybody lose a contact lens?’

Well, that would be startling enough, but you know why the climber saw it? An ant was moving slowly across a twig on the face of the rock, carrying it!

The story doesn’t end there. Brenda’s father is a cartoonist. When she told him the incredible story of the ant, the prayer, and the contact lens, he drew a cartoon of an ant lugging that contact lens with the caption, ‘Lord, I don’t know why You want me to carry this thing. I can’t eat it, and it’s awfully heavy. But if this is what You want me to do, I’ll carry it for You.’

As we consider the burdens that we are carrying right now, I think it would do all of us some good to say, ‘God, I don’t know why You want me to carry this load. I can see no good in it and it’s awfully heavy. But, if You want me to carry it, I will.’

Yes, I do love GOD. He is my source of existence and my Savior. He keeps me functioning each and every day. Without Him, I am nothing, but with Him….I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. (Phil. 4:13)

What a glorious day it was, and all the glory goes to Jesus Christ, the Sovereign Head of His church. After almost eleven years of watching our Lord accomplish His timeline and prepare His people at Calvary Baptist Church in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, groundbreaking ceremonies for a new ministry center were held on Sunday, August 12 at the conclusion of the morning worship service. Over 250 people gathered under the big tent on the 10-acre building site for two hours of worship music, ministry testimonies, prayer, and preaching. The challenge from God presented by Pastor John van Gorkom was taken from Genesis 11:1-9, where in the story of the Tower of Babel we discovered that the Lord requires right management, right motives, right materials, and the right mission.

Following the message, everyone gathered outside the tent with their shovels in hand. The Elders of Calvary began the groundbreaking ceremony with Scripture that God had given us during the previous eleven years of planning.

Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities. Isaiah 54:2-3 (NIV)

Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers righteousness on you. Hosea 10:12 (NIV)

Shower, O heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain down righteousness; let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit; let the earth cause them both to sprout; I the LORD have created it. Isaiah 45:8 (ESV)

For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. Isaiah 44:3 (ESV)

And I will make them and the places all around my hill a blessing, and I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing. Ezekiel 34:26 (ESV)

It was a great blessing to have representatives of two of our NCCBA churches (Chippewa Falls and Bloomer) present to represent our partnership in the Gospel with our sister churches. Also present was Gordon Ellison of World Venture to represent our worldwide mission.  Each brought greetings, along with representatives of a local mission supported by Calvary and a representative of Derrick Construction, our general contractor.

Pastor Dennis Pond then introduced our honorary groundbreakers, consisting of seven church members with over fifty years of ministry at Calvary who were not able to be present because of health reasons. The honorary groundbreakers also consisted of two charter members, Marlene Cripe and Wilma Hodges, several other long time ministry partners including Joyce Russell, John Schone, Bob Strait, Marilyn Thames, and Janet Faulcner. They were joined by former Pastor Ralph Miller and his wife Dorothy. These people represented the heritage of our church, and were given the honor of turning the first shovels of dirt. Our ministry guests turned the second shovel, and then all of the congregation joined in turning over dirt in what will eventually become the children’s ministry center of the facility.

The service was closed with everyone praising God with shouts of rejoicing and then singing what has become our theme song of our mission, “Mighty to Save.”

The timeline for construction is as follows:

• Hauling of fill to begin as soon as DNR issues permit, hopefully this week.
• Excavation for footings should begin mid to late September.
• Construction completed in late April

The building will be over 21,000 square feet.

Connecting Points

Friday, August 10, 2012

Today’s Topic: The Test

Today’s Text:  1 Peter 1:6-7 (NIV) ⁶ In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. ⁷ These have come so that your faith–of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire–may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

When it rains it pours – quite literally. For weeks and weeks we have gone without much rain, and then yesterday the sky let loose. It wasn’t predicted to be that much, and according to the official report at the airport it was only sixty-two hundredths of an inch, but it caused us some problems. Our big meeting tent up on our new property where we will hold church and our groundbreaking ceremony this Sunday collapsed, with people inside. Fortunately no one was hurt. The ground became saturated with heavy rain so fast that the tent stakes loosened enough for the wind, a constant issue on top of this hill, pulled the stakes right out of the ground. All of the thrift sale merchandise that was left at the end of yesterday’s sale is underneath. Today we have to try to re-stake and re-erect the tent so we can donate all the remaining items from the sale to the Hope Bargain Center. It will be a huge job, and any help, including prayer, will be greatly appreciated.

I find it very interesting that the rain yesterday symbolizes two types of rain mentioned in Scripture – the rain of blessing and the rain of judgment. When mankind had become so evil and obnoxiously opposed to God in the days of Noah, God sent the rain as judgment. In the days of Moses as the people of Israel prepared to enter the Promised Land, he declared, Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants. [Deuteronomy 32:2 (NIV)]

Look at how the rain is depicted in these passages:

• Hosea 10:12 (NIV)  Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers righteousness on you.
• Isaiah 45:8 (ESV)  Shower, O heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain down righteousness; let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit; let the earth cause them both to sprout; I the LORD have created it.
• Isaiah 44:3 (ESV)  For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.
• Ezekiel 34:26 (ESV)  And I will make them and the places all around my hill a blessing, and I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing.

For the past several months – eight to be exact – there has been a steady rain of the Holy Spirit upon our church. People have been turning to Jesus in repentance to receive the forgiveness of their sins through the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross. Disciples are being trained by faithful followers of Christ as they pass on what they have learned from the Lord to the new believers. Our Head Jesus Christ has given us clear directions for the future ministry growth of our church and its outreach into our local area and to the world beyond. If our eyes are fixed on Him, the finisher of our faith, we are filled with an inexpressible joy.

But with the rain of blessing has come the rain of trouble. It is the rain Jesus spoke of when he told the parable of the two houses – one built on sand and one built on rock. He declared that the storms will come. The wind will blow. The rains will wash over the land. And when they do, only the house built on the Rock will survive.

The rains of trial have been washing over our church. Health issues, accidents, deaths, broken marriages, financial hardships, and temptations to satisfy the flesh have all multiplied since the rains of blessing have begun. All of these trials and troubles are tests of the foundation of our faith. They force us to consider the ground upon which we stand. Is our faith in the temporary things of this world or is it in the person of Jesus Christ who has graciously granted us a permanent position in glory? Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade–kept in heaven for you,  who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.  In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. [1 Peter 1:3-6 (NIV)]

Yesterday, after the tent collapsed, one of the Deacons of our church who has worked so hard to keep the Thrift Sale and the tent running smoothly and prepare for this weekend, sent me a text message that simply read, “This is just another one of the Devil’s schemes to try to get people down and negative.”

I refuse to get down about the rain God is sending. Even the rains of trial are blessings, for they strengthen our faith and prove it to be genuine. Let the rejoicing begin. God is blessing us. Satan is trying to devour us. But one thing Satan cannot eat is the Bread of Life, so we who feed on Jesus are untouchable. We may be physically challenged and hurt, but our spirits are unquenchable, for we know the resurrection power of Jesus Christ.

Let it rain. It only softens the ground more so we can dig deeper foundations!

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Thursday, August 09, 2012

Today’s Topic: Let’s Build

Today’s Text:  1 Chronicles 22:19 (ESV)  Now set your mind and heart to seek the LORD your God. Arise and build the sanctuary of the LORD God…

I’m scared. It’s not an unfaithful fear, but a humbling fear. It’s a faith-building fear that comes from an honest perspective of the awesomeness of God and my human frailty. It’s a faith-strengthening fear generated by the relationship between the incredible mission God has assigned and the recognition of my weakness. It’s a fear I embrace.

I’m experiencing this fear this morning because my heart is fixed on the upcoming events of Sunday. This Sunday is going to be an historic day in the life of our church. God has ordained it. This Sunday we break ground on our undeveloped property and officially begin the construction process of the facility God is giving us as a tool to accomplish His Son’s mission for us. That mission is to go into all the world and make disciples of Jesus Christ the Lord.

The magnitude of this upcoming event is overwhelming me. Who am I that I should be the leader of this movement of God? Why would the people of God trust me at this time? I know my flaws, and so do they. I know my weaknesses, and so do they. I can recall more failures than they know. I’m weaker than they think. In my flesh I cannot be trusted.

HOWEVER, it is in my weakness that Jesus Christ is revealed as all-powerful. It is in my weakness that Jesus Christ is revealed as all-knowing. It is in my weakness that His eternal presence is experienced. For when we are humble, then God is exalted. The fear I am feeling is the beginning of such faith.

I have wasted so much time in my life trying to make myself strong, only to discover the extent of my weakness. I have endured so much self-caused pain because of the power I have granted to pride to dictate my decision to overcome my weakness with more self-effort. It is a vicious cycle of bondage that can only be broken at the point of weakness before pride kicks in again.

The fear I am experiencing is such a point of weakness, and I embrace it. Satan would like me to fear it from my flesh and allow my strength to attempt to conquer the day. The temptation to do more in my own strength to prepare is strong, but I am resolved to let go of the wheel and trust completely the power and purpose of Jesus Christ. It is His day, not mine. It is His vision, not mine. It will be His provision, not mine. It will be for His glory, not mine.

Today I choose the truth of Proverbs 3:5-6. I will trust in the Lord with all my heart, and not lean on my own understanding. I will acknowledge Him in all my ways, and He will direct my paths. Today and every day, I will set my mind and my heart on seeking the Lord my God. And on Sunday, we will arise together and begin to build the sanctuary of the Lord God.

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Monday, August 06, 2012

Today’s Topic: Let Go

Today’s Text:  Proverbs 1:32-33 (ESV) ³² For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them; ³³ but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.”

He woke up early in the morning with a question burning in his heart. Could I ever convince anyone that God is real? He thought back to the many experiences of his life, and was convinced that He had never heard God’s voice, and most certainly had never seen God’s face. Yet he believed.

As he got into his pickup that morning and drove away from the farm that was home to over a dozen horses, he began to talk out loud to his heavenly Father. He asked why God had never spoken audibly like he had read about in Scripture. He wondered what he would ever tell someone who wanted proof of the existence of God. He looked at the seat next to him currently occupied by a pack of necessities and accessories for his day and stated, “God, I know you are as real as this black bag, and that you occupy this seat with me. But I want to see you like I can see it.” As he related the story to me I thought to myself, “Be careful what you pray for.”

Later that night, after a hard day of work and an evening visit with a friend, he got back into the pickup and headed for home. He was in a hurry – too much of a hurry. Excessively exceeding the speed limit on a rural North Dakota road, he was within a half mile of home when he came over a small hill. As the truck leveled off at the bottom of the hill and the headlights raised to illuminate the path ahead he saw a frightening sight. There on the side of the road was one of his horses – the same horse that had been returned to him the night before after escaping through a hole in the fence that he had planned to fix early that morning.

Instantly his mind went into high gear. Isn’t the brain that God created for us amazing? The speeds at which it can process information is incredible, even though it’s not until well after the event that we realize how much information was processed. Options came to his mind. Decisions had to be made. I can maintain control and try to go around the horse, but he will likely be spooked and jump into me and end up coming through the windshield. Which way would he jump? Which side of the road do I choose? I’d better slow down.

He slammed on the brakes. As the information processed he chose an option that was in his own words totally stupid – he jerked the steering wheel hard to the left and sent the truck into a spin and headed for the ditch. Later he would make this statement – God’s grace covers stupid. That was lesson number one, but not the most important lesson of the night.

As the truck skidded sideways and backwards down the highway, he began thinking of more options. He knew from years of experience that the outcome of this decision was going to be tragic. He knew that as soon as the truck went off the road and down into the ditch that the wheels would catch in the dirt and the truck would flip and roll uncontrollably. At that moment a he says a peace came over him that he cannot explain and that he had never felt before. At the moment of impact with the ditch he knew from the depths of his heart and soul that he should let go of the steering wheel and sit back and relax. That’s exactly what he did – he totally let go.

As I stood where this happened, I saw the spot that the truck hit the ditch backwards and the back bumper dug into the ground and carved out a mini ravine.  That contact caused the truck to flip end to end and roll side to side. I stood on the glass-covered spot twenty feet away where the roof over the driver’s seat hit the ground and was crushed to within inches of the steering wheel. Anyone sitting in that position would have been killed. I walked up the hill where the truck had flipped again, clearing a barbed wire fence and rolled several more times up the hill.

Somewhere during the first flip, before the roof was crushed, the driver was extracted from the truck through the passenger door window and catapulted sixty feet through the air into the ditch, suffering multiple rib fractures, a punctured lung, hip and leg injuries which required surgery, and multiple bumps and bruises. When he regained consciousness, he tried to make a call to a friend for help. In a nightmarish moment his phone battery died. But the black bag in the truck contained an extra battery. It was his only hope for life.

As he pushed himself up to his feet he was amazed at the power of adrenaline. He felt no pain, and was able to walk slowly to the barbed wire fence. Have you ever tried to cross a barbed wire fence going uphill with a smashed knee? Somehow he was able to hoist each leg high enough to get over the fence and make his way up the hill to the truck. In the dark as he circled the truck he saw the shadowy image of the black bag in the pasture grass. After replacing the phone battery he made seven calls before he finally got someone to answer. By now he barely had any breath left as a result of the punctured lung and the pain was beginning to overpower the adrenaline. Weakly he asked for help and was barely able to say, “I’m south of the farm.”

As he shared the story with me and took me to the place where it all happened, he declared several eternal truths:

• I never fully experienced God because I had never totally let go.
• Our control of our lives limits God’s presence and power.
• God is revealed only in our weakness, not in our strength.
• God became as real as the black bag and my only hope for life is in Him. I may only see shadows of His presence, but He is there, and in Him is found the rescue for human sin and for human stupid.

Be careful what you pray for – but be assured of this – God hears you, and will reveal Himself to you according to the level of your surrender. Let go, and know God!

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Friday, August 03, 2012

Today’s Topic: Accept Correction

Today’s Text:  Proverbs 1:23 (ESV) If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you.

Within each of us is a terrifying enemy of God. Not terrifying to God, but to us. Unfortunately, we have embraced this enemy and signed what we think is a lasting peace treaty with it. In reality, this treaty is a lie, and sooner or later we all discover that the enemy has deceived us and brought us to destruction.

The enemy I refer to is Pride. God hates pride.

• Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not endure. Psalm 101:5
• The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate. Proverbs 8:13
• Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the LORD; be assured, he will not go unpunished. Proverbs 16:5

Pride manifests itself in a variety of ways in our lives. If time and space permitted I would tell you all the ways it comes gushing forth from me. I was made very aware of it on my recent trip to see friends as there were several instances where my desires and wishes tended to dominate the decisions that were being made. I was embarrassed and ashamed, and repented both to them and to the Lord.

But the single most prominent way that pride reveals itself as both the enemy of God and the enemy of my life is this – I reject correction. When confronted with a wrong and a challenge to change there is an immediate rise in my pride pressure, and just like an exaggerated rise in blood pressure, my heart is at risk when it happens.

Pride seeks to protect when in reality it is causing harm. We are deceived into believing that we are guarding our hearts – our value system and our image – when actually we are moving quickly towards the destruction of our spiritual hearts. Just as high blood pressure is an indicator of hardened or constricted arteries, so high pride pressure is an indicator of a hardened heart.

King Solomon makes it very clear that pride is conquered only when we respond humbly to the reproof of God when He lovingly disciplines us for our sin. How we respond to God’s correction reveals the nature and extent of pride in our hearts.

Those who embrace the perceived benefits of pride’s self-protective responses will find themselves alone, abandoned, and absorbed with awful consequences.  Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD,would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices. (Proverbs 1:29-31) But those who in humility seek the Lord and embrace His correction comes the abiding Presence of God in the Person of His Holy Spirit, and a constant understanding of God’s Word – His purpose for our lives and the power and provision to accomplish it.

What a contrast. The choice is ours. Pride resulting in only what we can do for ourselves, or correction resulting in what God can and will do in us. Today, and every day from here forward, while I know I am weak and pride is strong, I choose to read God’s Word not for knowledge, but for transformation, calling out for God’s reproof, correction, and training in righteousness. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. 2 Timothy 3:16

How about you? How do you respond when someone tries to correct you? What does that say about the enemy of God in you? What will you do about it?

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Thursday, August 02, 2012

Dear friends, my heart is very heavy. The burden is very great and difficult to bear. I cry in anguish for the hurting, helpless and hopeless people that seem to surround me. Discouragement seeks to rule my thoughts. Temptations to satisfy the longings of the flesh abound as the Enemy of my souls seeks to disqualify me from accomplishing God’s perfect purpose. The view of the finish line is being obscured by a cloud of conflict. Yet in all of this, I am not defeated. In fact, I can rejoice, and I will, for this is the testing of my faith that perfects me.

Not what you expected from your Pastor the first day after his return from a ten day vacation, is it? But I’ll venture a guess that the trials you are experiencing in your life right now are not what you expected from God either. They never are. In the flesh we have this entitlement mentality that expresses itself in a false belief that God owes us a storm-free existence with constant smooth sailing, favorable winds, and safe arrivals at our destinations. When storms do arise, we feel neglected, rejected, and abandoned by God, when in reality it is God doing His greatest work in our lives to produce the character of Jesus.

I know the reality of trials and tests. I am experiencing the overwhelming weight of life’s burdens. I live every day with the pain of other people’s problems. I know the fear that comes from feeling powerless to overthrow the influence of pride in my heart. I am tempted with the sin of self-sufficiency that is easily influenced by rising gas and grocery prices or lost income. I become disgruntled, discouraged, and disheartened when I choose – that’s right it’s my choice and I’m responsible – to be overwhelmed at the needs of the present rather than overjoyed at the grace of the Lord that is sufficient for every need.

I thank the Lord that He has filled my heart with faith in the midst of extremely dark times. He has given me three passages of Scripture to trust in completely because they are His promises to me – and to you as well.

• Deuteronomy 7:17-19 (ESV) ¹⁷ “If you say in your heart, ‘These nations (problems) are greater than I. How can I dispossess them?’ ¹⁸ you shall not be afraid of them but you shall remember what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt, ¹⁹ the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, the wonders, the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm, by which the LORD your God brought you out. So will the LORD your God do to all the peoples (problems) of whom you are afraid.
• James 1:2-4 (ESV)
  ² Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, ³ for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. ⁴ And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
• 1 Peter 1:3-9 (ESV)
  ³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, ⁷ so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ⁸ Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, ⁹ obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

This last passage is my favorite because it challenges my perspective. I can rejoice in the trial because I have been, once and for all eternity, born again into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and my life is being guarded by God’s power. God’s power! Not mine, but God’s! Trials are NEVER designed by God nor allowed by God for the purpose of hindering, minimizing, or destroying faith, but rather for the eternal and glorious purpose of strengthening faith in the power and love of God to save our souls.

So no matter what today brings, I say bring it on. God has designed it to test my faith because He wants it to be genuine. When I allow the trial to trap me in a worldly mindset, I am not living by faith. When I embrace the trial as a test that proves and improves me, then I am living by faith. When I live by faith, I can clearly see the finish line again. So whatever the issue, whatever the problem, whatever the pain – I know God is faithful so there is nothing to fear, for He is God of the storm.

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Friday, July 20, 2012

Today’s Topic: Treasure Hunters

Today’s Text:  Proverbs 2:1-11 (NLT)
¹ My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands. ² Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. ³ Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. ⁴ Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. ⁵ Then you will understand what it means to fear the LORD, and you will gain knowledge of God. ⁶ For the LORD grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. ⁷ He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity. ⁸ He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to him. ⁹ Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go. ¹⁰ For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy. ¹¹ Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe.

In 1974 I worked at a small town grocery store in North Dakota. My boss had just bought the store from the previous owner. Inside the store was a huge safe that we were told had not been opened for years. We were told we could have whatever we found if we could get it open. The day came when I was assigned the task of opening the safe.

I was captivated by the possibilities of what was inside. What kind of treasure would I find if I could somehow get it open? I didn’t want to destroy anything that was inside, so I planned carefully how I would break into this massive safe.

I started by trying to figure out the combination. I put my ear to the door and slowly turned the dial as I listened for clicks, just like I had seen in the movies. It didn’t work. I guess you really do need a stethoscope. Then I dried drilling holes near the dial in hopes that I could find the tumblers and align them so the lock would release. That didn’t work either. The only other option was demolition, so I headed home to get a sledgehammer and pry bar.

After several hours of work I succeeded in working my way under the corner seam to peel back a small section of the 1/8 inch thick metal casing of the safe, only to discover three inches of concrete. After a couple more hours of peeling back metal and chipping out concrete, I had to pry apart the metal protecting the inside of the safe.

Finally I was in. I had removed one side of this five-foot tall safe to discover what treasure was inside. At first it looked like our efforts were wasted, as all we found were old business records. But then, in one small drawer at the top of the safe, was a small black bag. Inside were two twenty-dollar gold pieces from the 1800’s. They were incredibly valuable. I’m sure my eyes popped out of my head when I saw them. I immediately gave them to my boss, and he said I could have them for all the work I did. I rushed home after work to find a safe place to keep them.

My first real treasure hunt had yielded a huge bounty. But it was short-lived. Several days later the previous owner of the store stopped in and asked if we had gotten the safe opened. I showed him the opened safe, and he immediately looked in the little drawer and asked if we had found two gold pieces. I said yes, and he asked for them back, denying that he had ever said we could have the contents of the safe if we got it opened.

I immediately went home and returned the treasure to the previous owner. No thanks. No reward. Just the satisfaction in my heart that I had done the right thing. Honestly, it took a while for the reward of righteousness to overcome the disappointment, but it eventually did. It’s hard to look for treasure and never find it, but it’s harder still to find it and then have it taken away.

But there is a treasure that will never be taken away. It is worth all the effort you put into finding it. It is the treasure of wisdom. Stop right now and go back and really read Proverbs 2:1-11. Come on – there’s treasure there.

To those who seek wisdom like treasure the Lord will grant it. It will become the permanent shield of those who walk with integrity. With God’s wisdom comes understanding of righteousness, justice, and fairness. Those who walk in God’s wisdom find the right way to go and will be kept safe. There is eternal joy for the one who seeks wisdom like a treasure.

We spend literally hours every day digging for treasures that will never satisfy – success, recognition, financial security, and recreation. We invest hours in fulfilling our own dreams and the dreams of our children. We believe we and our kids are entitled to experience all that this life has to offer. We even sacrifice our service to the Lord for the sake of fulfilling our earthly dreams. We have chosen where to look for treasure, and unfortunately what we will find is no treasure at all.

I can’t help but think of the words of Jesus who said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” He even told two stories about it.  “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

So here’s my challenge for you – let wisdom begin in your life by choosing to hunt for treasure in the right place. May today be the day you begin your treasure hunt for God’s wisdom. May there be nothing in the world that requires more of your time or energy than the pursuit of the heart of God.

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Today’s Topic: Let the Teaching Begin

Today’s Text:  Proverbs 1:10 (NIV)  My son, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them.

Do you remember the first conversation you ever had with your father? I don’t. Even if I eliminate the early years prior to the age of five, I still can’t remember a conversation of any real significance. I’m sure there were some because of the values and beliefs that are still foundational to my life, and for that I am so thankful: but I can’t remember them. I wonder if he can.

Communication with our children is critical. Unfortunately our conversations with them are usually quite shallow, and when we do try to teach them something it is done as an emotional response to an undesirable action on their part. Very seldom do parents have a plan for the training of their children that is consistently implemented.

There are two general patterns that parents adopt for the training of their children. The first and least desirable is what I call the “reactionary” method. Other terms I could coin would be the “off-the-cuff wisdom” method or the “this is really inconvenient for me right now” method.  In this format parents simply react to whatever the children do and hope they have the wisdom and skill to handle the consequences when it happens. There is no need for planning or preparation, and there is certainly no defined long-term purpose to what they are doing. Teaching of the child is confined to the limited time immediately surrounding each event that required parental intervention, and is usually done with emotional outbursts.

The second and preferred pattern is the “disciplinary” method. Parents using this method have established goals for the character development of their children, and have defined a specific plan of how to accomplish those goals. They know that a child’s life is a treasure that needs to be fully discovered but that without proper polishing the treasure could be lost forever. They recognize their highest priority is to “disciple” their children through teaching, correction, admonition, training, and application. They have developed a “scope and sequence” for each child, uniquely adapted to the individual needs and personalities of their children. There is a syllabus for every year of their lives based on their emotional, educational, and spiritual maturity. They don’t react to events that happen, but train their children to be prepared for when they do happen.

The disciplinary method is the Biblical pattern for parenting. In fact, it is God’s pattern as our Heavenly Father for all of us as His children. God’s scope and sequence had a beginning for us – the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 1:7). That  is the same place we are to begin in the training of our children.

It is extremely significant that with all the wisdom he was granted by God that Solomon chooses to begin the instruction of his son with these words – if sinners entice you, do not give in to them. He then goes on to explain the consequences of sin. Then, to balance that, he also teaches his son the value of wisdom and its benefits for life. Starting in verse ten, read the rest of chapter one right now. (see footnote below if you don’t have your Bible handy) Pay special attention to how Solomon prepares his son for the potential traps of sin and the consequences of that sin, and then to how he presents the positive alternative by following the path of God.

If the training of our children is not first and foremost founded on faith in Jesus Christ which includes the recognition and rejection of sin, then we have built for our children the wrong foundation. As parents we must have a plan with a purpose. Our teaching must be intentional and consistent. It will be the temptation right now to think that this is too hard and will be inconvenient. If so, then you have already made your choice of methods. But just look into the eyes of your child and see if that choice is really the product of the love that lies deep in your heart.

Pastor John

Proverbs 1:10-33 (NIV)
¹⁰ My son, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them. ¹¹ If they say, “Come along with us; let’s lie in wait for someone’s blood, let’s waylay some harmless soul; ¹² let’s swallow them alive, like the grave, and whole, like those who go down to the pit; ¹³ we will get all sorts of valuable things and fill our houses with plunder; ¹⁴ throw in your lot with us, and we will share a common purse”– ¹⁵ my son, do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths; ¹⁶ for their feet rush into sin, they are swift to shed blood. ¹⁷ How useless to spread a net in full view of all the birds! ¹⁸ These men lie in wait for their own blood; they waylay only themselves! ¹⁹ Such is the end of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the lives of those who get it. ²⁰ Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public squares; ²¹ at the head of the noisy streets she cries out, in the gateways of the city she makes her speech: ²² “How long will you simple ones love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge? ²³ If you had responded to my rebuke, I would have poured out my heart to you and made my thoughts known to you. ²⁴ But since you rejected me when I called and no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand, ²⁵ since you ignored all my advice and would not accept my rebuke,
²⁶ I in turn will laugh at your disaster; I will mock when calamity overtakes you– ²⁷ when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you. ²⁸ “Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me. ²⁹ Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD, ³⁰ since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke, ³¹ they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes. ³² For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; ³³ but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.”