Connecting Points

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Today’s Topic:  Raining Righteousness

Today’s Text:  Isaiah 45:8    “You heavens above, rain down righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness grow with it; I, the LORD, have created it.”

The next few days are going to be fantastic, at least from my perspective, which is right now being influenced by the weather.  For the past 36 hours it has been dreary. Dark clouds released a consistent rain which was much needed. Sometime today the sun is going to break through, and all creation will be drawn upwards to that which gives the light of life. The grass will grow, gardens will sprout, farm crops will flourish, and we will be invigorated by the beauty of God’s creation and the opportunity to enjoy it.

Often our lives are like a rainy day. Circumstances are cloudy. Our plans and pursuits are put on hold by pouring rain. Our emotions are saturated with negativity. We see only the inconvenience of the present and miss the blessing of seeing the abundance being produced.

God uses Isaiah to remind us of a simple truth – the rains that fall in the form of hardship and suffering are bringing God’s righteousness and salvation.

God reminds us that as the Creator of all things, He has eternally connected the physical and the spiritual. Every element of nature brings God spiritual glory. Jesus said that if we didn’t praise Him, even the rocks would cry out to the glory of God.

Every event of life has spiritual implications. The circumstances of our lives that we pray to end are the very events God planned to bring us the water of life. The clouds of despair that we believe stop us from seeing the sun are the very clouds that God is using to deliver His righteousness so we can see the Son. The cracks in the ground that shake the foundations of our lives are the evidence that God is preparing to grow something new and wonderful in us.

Life can be hard, especially if we believe that this life is all we get. But for those who see the spiritual in the physical – the supernatural in the natural – there can be joy even in the storms. The clouds that roll into our lives are to be embraced and enjoyed, because God is delivering righteousness in the rain. Open up wide and receive it, and let salvation spring up in your heart.

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Today’s Topic:  God Gets It Done

Today’s Text:  Isaiah 45:4  (NIV)   For the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen, I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me.

We all have different ideas of how things should get done. Not one of us has a corner on the solutions market. The process market is up for grabs as well. Our experience has taught us some lessons we can pass along, but anything we have learned from experience is confined to the scope of our experiences, and needless to say that scope is limited.

When committees, or what we call teams in our church, are formed to initiate programs they can be either productive or problematic, depending on the attitudes of those involved. It only takes one person in a meeting who believes that their solution is the only solution to cause a major problem. The assumption that their experience exceeds the experience of anyone else, and that their wisdom demands recognition puts them near the top of the arrogance scale.

One key element of truth that is ignored by such prideful people is that there is only One who has complete knowledge, experience, and wisdom – Almighty God. And whether we agree with His methods or not, He is in control and He is getting it done. (By “it” I mean His divine will and eternal purpose.)

Wisconsin has been a hotbed of political revolt since last November. It has impacted the church. In fact, tomorrow morning at our local evangelical ministerial association meeting we are going to be discussing the issue of resolving political conflicts that arose between people in our churches. There have been people leave their church over a political disagreement with someone else in the church. Friendships have been ended. Relationships have been damaged. It has been very heartbreaking to watch it happen.

Let’s put ourselves in Isaiah’s time for a moment. God is revealing to him and then through him to the nation of Israel that there is a time of political unrest coming. Babylon will invade and the people will be taken captive. I’m sure as they heard this news that their minds, like ours would, were spinning with possible solutions. They had been given the one and only solution from God – repent of your sin and submit to God’s control. They didn’t like the crimp that put in their lifestyle choices, so they rejected that possibility and turned to their human wisdom instead.

• Are there political alliances we can form that will protect us?
• Are there resources we can use to buy our way into peace?
• Are there other gods we can worship that will save us?

I wonder what Isaiah was thinking. His human mind had to be considering all sorts of options. Then God gives him His solution – He will anoint the ruler of Persia , Cyrus, who doesn’t acknowledge God as God, to bring restoration to the people.

WHAT!?!

God is going to use a pagan to accomplish His purpose? What a crazy idea. Why is He on this team anyway? We can come up with better solutions than that, can’t we?

Yes and no! Yes God will do it. No there are no better solutions than God’s.

Not only will God bring about the restoration of His people, but He will show the pagans that He is in control and that He alone is worthy of worship. (Read verses 5-6) God is getting it done.

So next time you are in the human mindset to demonstrate against the political powers that be, or proclaim your dislike for decisions that are being made, stop and evaluate your trust level in God and whether or not you really believe that He is getting it done according to His divine will and eternal purpose. It may not look like the way we would have done it, but we must humbly admit that our way has failed far more than it has succeeded, and God’s way NEVER has.

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Monday, June 13, 2011

Today’s Topic:  From Ruins to Restoration

Today’s Text:  Isaiah 44:24,  26    I am the LORD, who has made all things,  who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself…who says of Jerusalem, ‘It shall be inhabited,’ of the towns of Judah, ‘They shall be built,’ and of their ruins, ‘I will restore them,’

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is the story of Nehemiah as he leads the people of Jerusalem in the rebuilding of the city walls. In fact, that story is the basis of the two-year leadership development program we initiated at our church. It is a story of redemption – from ruins to restoration. It is the story of our lives.

Isaiah prophesied the literal restoration of Jerusalem  some two hundred years before it actually happened. He named Cyrus by name in verse 28 and again in chapter 45 about 150 years before he actually took office in Persia. Many scholars believe that  Cyrus actually read this prophecy when He was in office and was so moved by it that he chose to fulfill it. We know that it was God who moved Him.

When Isaiah wrote this, Jerusalem had not even fallen captive to Babylon yet, so the people must have thought Isaiah’s prophecy of their flourishing city standing in ruins to be absurd. But God was revealing His plan to Isaiah, and it has implications to our lives today.

First, the things you say to people today on behalf of the Lord are the very words that God will use later in their lives to restore them when they have made a mess of things. It took two hundred years for Isaiah’s words to come true, but at just the right time in God’s plan his words were used to move Cyrus to action. Your words today will either hurt or help others. May what we say be words God can use to move them to action according to His will.

Second, even though everything seems great with your life today, there may be a time coming when it’s not. It may be the consequence of your own choices or it may be the result of unforeseen circumstances, but either way a time is coming when you will consider your life to be in ruins. When that moment hits, and it will hit hard, remember the word of the Lord. Fill your mind with it right now so you are prepared. God said of your ruins, “I will restore them.”

Third, maybe everything is already in ruins. Trust the God who loves you and sent His son to die for you. He will restore you. Already there is a Cyrus in your life who is the agent of change. God has sent an Ezra and a Nehemiah to facilitate the rebuilding. God does not intend for you to fix your own life by yourself. He has sent you an incredible gift – people who love Him and serve Him – and they are there to help you rebuild and to experience God’s restoration. Let them help you.

God, we acknowledge that you are LORD, and have made all things. By your mighty power that brought everything out of nothing, you are also able to restore our ruins. Let the rebuilding begin. Amen.”

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Friday, June 10, 2011

Today’s Topic:  Lost Treasures

Today’s Text:  Isaiah 44:9    All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Those who would speak up for them are blind; they are ignorant, to their own shame.

Last night was fun. Early yesterday morning I got a text message from a friend in the church inviting me to go along on a trip to a Minnesota Twins game. I accepted. It was a great night of relaxation and fellowship. I am very thankful to the men who took me, and I don’t want anything I say from this point on to detract from that thankfulness I have.

I had not been to the new Target Field in Minneapolis yet. It is a great baseball stadium. It was designed well for viewing a game. Even the seats way up high are perfect. I know, because that’s where we sat – right behind home plate in the upper deck.

The technology is incredible. The big high definition screen behind the left field seats that is used as a scoreboard and video screen is over 58,000 square feet. That’s more than two times larger than the total square footage of my house. They recently installed a new smaller screen in right field and next to it is a one hundred foot tall tower. It is a media tower and displays information on all four sides. The cost was 8 million dollars. The total cost for the Target Field now exceeds 500 million dollars so we can watch baseball games.

As I sat there enjoying the game, I was talking to one of the men in our group. We were discussing the incredible amount of money that was spent on the stadium, not to mention what is spent on the players and the coaches and the staff and the stadium upkeep and the light bill and the list goes on and on. Then there’s all the money spent by the fans to pay for all the money spent on the team. Fifteen dollars for a cheeseburger and fries and soda. If they wanted one, and many people did, it was $7.25 for a bottle of beer. You had to pay $5.00 for a bag of peanuts. And it was another five bucks for an ice cream sandwich.

I told my friend that as much as I was a part of the system by being at the game, it is a shame that so much money is so freely spent for personal recreation and pleasure when we are having trouble raising less than ½ of a percent of that amount so we can continue to grow the Kingdom of God in a new facility.  Every week our general fund giving to pay the bills of God’s work in our church goes deeper in the red, yet it seems that our lifestyles have not taken a hit at all. Yet, as I told him, all that is being invested in the pleasures of the world will pass away, but only what is done for Christ will endure for all eternity. It seems we are worshiping the wrong things with our resources.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not against baseball. I proudly wore my Detroit Tigers hat to the Twins game last night. I’m not against wealth and the enjoyment of the things God has blessed us with in this world. But I do question my own priorities of wealth management sometimes. Maybe we all should. Why do we feel so entitled to advance our own economic status when the work of Jesus Christ is suffering? It is suffering you know. Our Deacons at our church are having a very difficult time paying the bills let alone authorizing the ministry expenses that the Elders want for continued growth and ministry. Something is wrong when the Lord’s people are getting richer but the Lord’s work is getting poorer.

Isaiah speaks the word of the Lord to us all in Isaiah 44:9-20 when He talks about idols and the things we treasure. Jesus said it this way – “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.   But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.   For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)

So where is your heart?

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Thursday, June 09, 2011

Today’s Topic:  He Knows Not

Today’s Text:  Isaiah 44:6, 8b    “This is what the LORD says—Israel’s King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God… Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.”

I remember as a teenager when my dad preached a sermon that fascinated me. It was entitled “Five Absolute Impossibilities with God.”  I still have the notes from that sermon in an old Bible.  Here they are:

1. It is impossible for God to bring anyone into His eternal family without them first being made new in Christ.
2. It is impossible for God to save anyone from their sin without the shedding of Christ’s blood and its application to man’s sin.
3. It is impossible for God to save anyone without repentance from sin and a confession of belief in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
4. It is impossible for God to save anyone after death.
5. It is impossible for God to save anyone who neglects the opportunity for salvation provided by the Holy Spirit.

If we think about it there are more examples of things that are impossible with God. Logic dictates that for every absolute God states there has to be an impossibility.

What made me think of that sermon this morning were the words of God in Isaiah 44:8 when He says, “No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.”  There is something God doesn’t know.

Okay, before you go off on a mental rampage that the pastor has broken from the truth, I admit  that’s not a completely accurate statement. You see, because God’s knowledge is infinite – He is omniscient, knowing all – He therefore can state that He has no knowledge of any other God that would be His equal. But this points out how easily we can be misled when we interpret Scripture.

We can also be misled in the application of truth. Please follow along as I delineate a progression of truth about which we may be in denial in our lives.

• The first commandment God gave to Moses in the covenant of the law was “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”
• When God created Adam and Eve He was there one and only source of value and worth. Their identity was completely God-defined.
• When Adam and Eve sinned, they chose to seek their identity from another source other than God. They questioned their worth and value, and sought to enhance it apart from God.
• Since that time man’s selfish pride has motivated the pursuit of self-worth and identity.
• When God gave Moses the law He dealt with the primary issue of man’s sin first – seeking value and identity from any other source other than God.
• Any person other than God, any pursuit, or any activity that we allow to define us and give us value and identity is another god that we have authorized to replace Almighty God.
• We are all guilty of daily idolatry.
• We are all in denial of that fact.

Please think about this – if we need people to affirm our worth; if we need intimate relationships (sex) with another person to give us a sense of value; if we need perfection in performance to prove our significance; then we are guilty of having other gods other than the One and Only God. He alone is the one who defines us and tells us our worth. And we are worth enough that He sent His one and only Son to die for us that we might be His children forever. Let us build our lives on that Rock, for there is no other rock.

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Wednesday, June 08, 2011

Today’s Topic:  He Knows

Today’s Text:  Isaiah 44:2-3   This is what the LORD says—he who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you: Do not be afraid, O Jacob, my servant, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.  For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.

In the midst of our greatest joys there can be heartbreak. That is how we tend to look at life. But what if we turned that around and so that our first thought was that in the midst of our greatest heartbreaks there can be joy?

I was overwhelmed with that thought yesterday as I read from Isaiah 44 and saw these words:

This is what the Lord says – He who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you…”

The God who made me will help me, so I do not need to be afraid.

When I am thirsty for relief from the anguish of my trials, God will pour water on me.

When my emotions are drying up because of the heartbreaks of life, God soften my heart again with streams of grace and mercy.

When I tend to worry about the outcome of my offspring, I hear the promise of God that He will pour out His Spirit upon them.

He knows what I need and when I need it. What an awesome God He is.

Now I must trust Him.

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Monday, June 06, 2011

Today’s Topic:  Reasons to Praise Him

Today’s Text:  Psalm 145:1   I will praise you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever.

What a week it was. I took some vacation last week to finish the kitchen remodeling project at our house. It’s still not done, but almost. Tomorrow my day off will be dedicated to its completion.

On Thursday Denise and I left for Chicago for the graduation of our niece. What a great time that was. We are so very proud of her accomplishments as she continues to amaze us with her abilities even though she is extremely visually impaired.  We got to see lots of family and friends and had some great spiritual conversations.

Right before we left my brother came to me with a Bible in his hands. It was my mom’s personal study Bible. It had been given to him as one of the personal items we divided up after mom died. He handed it to me and said that he would like me to have it and use it. I accepted and said that I would.

As I opened the Bible up this morning I was immediately taken to Psalm 145, where my mom had written some extensive notes on praise. There is an old outline of the chapter written in the margins of her Bible, and then there were notes on paper expanding on the outline. The notes in the Bible were old.  I can tell from the quality of the paper notes that they were made not long before her death, probably after she had been diagnosed with her terminal cancer. That’s what makes them so meaningful. The notes are entitled “Reasons to Praise.”

Imagine that – my mom’s focus during her dying days was on praising God. I think I’m gonna cry for a few minutes, so excuse me. They are tears of loss and they are tears of shame. I miss my mom, but I also am embarrassed that I don’t praise God more, especially when in my opinion things are going wrong. Most of us are the same in that regard. We have an opinion about the circumstances of our lives, and that’s all it is – an opinion. From God’s perspective there is nothing wrong, there is only the expression of His grace as He trains us to have more faith and to be more faithful.

So here’s the challenge. Read Psalm 145 today. I’ve even put a link to it so you don’t have to go hunt up your Bible. Use my mom’s outline as a tool to let the Lord teach you how and why to praise God. Then consider this – how bad do things have to get before we let go of our need to complain and start praising our God who is in control of all things and making them work out for His glory and our good?

Reasons for Praise (by Ruth A. van Gorkom)

1. God’s Greatness – vs. 1-3
2. God’s Majesty – vs. 4-6
3. God’s Mercy – vs. 7-9
4. God’s Kingdom – vs. 10-13
5. God’s Grace – vs. 14-16
6. God’s Holiness – vs. 17-20
7. God’s Name (His Character) – vs. 21

I will praise His holy name for ever and ever! Thanks for modeling that to me, Mom, even when in my opinion everything was wrong.

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Friday, May 27, 2011

Today’s Topic:  Embrace the New

Today’s Text:  Isaiah 43:22   “Yet you have not called upon me…”

God is doing new things.

That’s scary to most of us. We don’t like new things. We want the comfort of the familiar.

God is doing a new thing at our church. Last night I had a meeting with several people from our worship ministry. Our staff Worship Director is leaving for another completely different ministry opportunity. God is doing something new in her life as she moves by faith into an area of ministry she is totally unfamiliar with. She will be stretched. She will grow. She will be missed here. She will be a blessing there.

Meanwhile, we have to figure out how to organize our worship ministry over the summer and decide what we will do for leadership in the future. For three months we have been advertising for a part-time worship director but so far have received only one response. Three major Midwest Christian college placements services have produced almost no options.

Dead end, right?

Wrong!

The temptation would be to try and find a solution in our own strength. But last night at our meeting we began with prayer, calling on the name of the Lord for wisdom and direction. Not just an obligatory prayer, but a heart-felt one: sincere and humble as we confessed our need of Him. We called upon Him.

There are various responses we make when God starts to do something new around us or in us:

• We reject it. Maybe it’s too hard. Maybe it’s too uncomfortable. Maybe we don’t think we are ready.
• We embrace it, but for the wrong reason. We take advantage of the benefits of the change for personal gratification only. We rarely give thanks because selfish convinces us that we deserved it.
• We embrace it for the right reasons. We see the glory of God being revealed. We see the growth of our character through it so we become more like Jesus. We respond with gratitude to the One who would bless us so greatly with His goodness and grace. We come before Him and worship.

Every member of our worship ministry that attended the meeting last night stepped up to serve God in a fresh way. I was so blessed and encouraged. Is it going to look like it did for the past 6 months as Kristin led us? Probably not. Is it going to enrich our spirit of worship? That’s up to those who worship. They can embrace it as a new thing God is doing, or they can sit sad-faced and long for the good old days.

One of the most tragic statements in all of Scripture is the Word of the Lord from Isaiah 43:22. God has revealed new things to His people. He gave them a clear course to walk through the deserts of their lives, and provided fresh streams of refreshment for them in the wastelands of their experiences. The wild animals were blessed by the benefits and gave honor to God, and God fully expected that His people would give Him praise (verse 21). But they didn’t. They didn’t call on the God who gave it all to them. They gave God no thanks for the new things. They did what we do…they complained, and their complaining was seen by God as sin and it wearied Him (verse 24).

Embrace the new things God is doing. Be patient to see how His glory is revealed and how your growth is reinvigorated. Let’s reserve our judgments and complaints until we see the great things God does through these new things. Our pride in our way of doing it must be eliminated.  It must be replaced with praise that God has blessed us with a fresh anointing of His presence and power to accomplish His purpose.

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Today’s Topic:  Streams in the Wasteland

Today’s Text:  Isaiah 43:18-19  “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”

I am filled with rejoicing this morning. Last night I had the marvelous privilege under the direction of the Holy Spirit to meet with two people. One has known Jesus as Savior since childhood. The other thought he could get by on his good works and earn his way into heaven.

After ninety minutes of discussion, all three of us ended up on our knees before the Lord. The saved person realized how far she had drifted from living a life of love for Jesus, and recommitted her life to doing that and resting in His arms for all her needs. The unsaved man humbled himself before the Lord and surrendered his life. He accepted the forgiveness of Jesus and gave Him his life.

I am rejoicing this morning. The Lord has brought streams in the wasteland.

Pray for these two. They have a long and hard road ahead of them as they seek to trust the Lord and give up their self-produced comfort zones. But greater is He that is in them than he that is in the world. Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Today’s Topic:  Refreshing Relief

Today’s Text:  Isaiah 43:18-19  “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”

As a young boy I never got to drink soda pop. Then one day, when I was in sixth grade, I was at my grandpa’s house for a visit. I loved going there because of the creek and big trees behind the house where I could spend time alone in the woods. As I played there, I wandered along the creek and came to the house of a friend from the church. His dad owned some kind of a plumbing or electrical business, and outside was a pop machine – a coke machine to be specific.

My friend Tom asked me if I wanted one. I said yes, and he took two dimes out of his pocket and bought us each a six-and-a-half ounce real glass bottle of coke. It was cold, and the bottle began to sweat as the humidity in the air condensed on it. I took my first swig. Aaaaaah! How refreshing! To this day there is no better way to drink soda than from a cold bottle.

But there’s a life lesson in this as well. I’m not saying that the bottle of coke was transformational for me, but it does illustrate something that developed in my life as I grew up – I love new things. I love going new places, meeting new people, experiencing new things, and trying new methods. I love change. Sounds weird I know, but I love the risk and rewards of new things.

Last night my wife and I were discussing that. We were talking about our budget book, and why we used a four column ledger instead of a three column since we only need three columns. I told her that if we used a three column, then one column is always right next to the three rings of the binder and my hand has to take an awkward position to write because they are in the way. She laughed. She said things like that never bother her. She’s different than me, and that’s okay. In fact it’s pretty special. She’s content. I’m looking for improvement – sometimes to a fault.

I remember my dad telling me over and over again as a kid to be content. This idea of looking for new things and new ways was a problem for me. The Lord has helped me bring it under control through the fruit of the Holy Spirit, but I still like new things and new ways of doing things, and that’s okay. In fact, if we define contentment as never wanting anything new, we will miss some of the obvious things God is trying to do in and around us because He does new things.

In the beginning, God created new things. New living beings. New people. When Noah and his family got off the ark God told them they could eat meat. That was a new thing. Sometimes, as the nation of Israel was conquering the Promised Land, God told them to watch while He fought the battle, and other times He guided them as they fought. Sometimes they simply marched around a city and the walls fell down. New methods each time. Same God.

What have we been missing because we want things to stay the same? How many opportunities for walls to come tumbling down have been passed up in favor of traditional battle tactics? How many cold, sweating, refreshing bottles of coke remain unopened in favor of lukewarm Kool-Aid?

Come on. Open up to the new things God is doing. Your wasteland of tradition will soon turn into a beautiful garden watered by the new streams God put there just for you.

Pastor John

P.S.  Thanks Dad for letting me experience new things. I’m praying for you today as you walk along the new stream God has put in your life to help you through the wasteland of loss as you think about this day – the day you and mom were married 60 years ago.