Lover and a Fighter

“He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.”  (Isaiah 40:11)

“Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse!  The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.  His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself.  He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God.  And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses.  From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron.  He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.  On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, ‘King of kings and Lord of lords.’”  (Revelation 19:11-16)

When it comes to understanding godly masculinity, two extremes dominate modern (especially Western) culture.  One extreme prevails more in the world, the other in the church.  They might be fittingly labeled thus:  The Bully and The Sweetheart.

The Bully is king of his castle.  He will have his way.  He will be obeyed, and if not, there will be consequences.  He loves to display his glory, strength and power.  He may even resort to violence.  The Sweetheart, on the other hand, is exactly that—sweet.  He rarely makes waves or initiates conflict.  He is often quiet, meek, and tender as a lamb.  His mission in life is singular:  to be nice.

Neither extreme honors God.  Neither is biblical.  And Jesus comes to destroy them both.

Somewhere between these extremes is the God-man, Jesus Christ, not only our Savior and King but also our model for Christian masculinity; the One into whose image we are being conformed (Romans 8:29).  Jesus is tough and tender, fierce and friendly, a gatherer of lambs and a slaughterer of enemies, and he will not settle on his sons becoming anything less than a warrior and a priest—a lover and a fighter.

If you are a man, I want to invite you to Firewalk, a men’s weekend inspired by the book Wild at Heart by John Eldredge and led by men from Warrior Heart Ministries (Waco, TX). Firewalk is designed to purify and empower, to soften and embolden the hearts of men.  The Bullies will be tenderized; The Sweethearts, galvanized.  Do not miss this event.

Firewalk will be August 5th-7th at Camp Keswick (Monterey, MA). $100 covers food, lodging, and materials. (Make checks payable to NLCF, and be sure to note “Firewalk” in the memo line). Registration ends July 31st. For more info, contact:  Paul Joss 860.595.5131 or Brad Brinkley 903.814.0629

This one is for the little guy. This is for the disqualified ones, the barely hanging on, the ones who don’t belong, the struggling but still faithful.

This is for my church.

Every day, I read the blogs of about ten other pastors and church leaders in my desire to learn from others and improve my ability to do this thing we call ministry. These ten pastors are mostly higher profile guys, leading influential churches to dizzying heights of effectiveness in the kingdom of God. It’s hard not to be blown away by all that God is doing in their churches. Here’s a sampling of just four of yesterday’s posts:

“Biggest attendance yet at Elevation today…over 2400 people worshipping at one of our two campuses… 28 people gave their lives to Jesus… Also, 268 people showed up for our Newcomers Lunch…We had more people at our Newcomers Lunch today than we had in our Easter services last year. Praise God for continuing to do more in our midst than we could ever take credit for.” (Steven Furtick, Pastor of Elevation Church, Charlotte, NC)

“I told you last night about more than 200 that had publicly made a first-time decision to follow Christ. Today there were 400 more who joined them. That’s right… more than 600 adults decided to follow Christ this weekend in Granger, Indiana! What an amazing weekend!” (Tim Stevens, Executive Pastor, Granger Community Church, Granger, IN)

“Today is going to be a huge day for us here at The Orchard as we baptize over 100 people at our annual BBQ & Baptism!” (Scott Hodge, Lead Pastor, The Orchard Community, Aurora, IL)

“What were the results of today? We saw over 110 people receive Christ!!! THIS NEVER GETS OLD!!! YEAH GOD!!!” (Perry Noble, Senior Pastor, New Spring Church, Anderson, SC)

Now I’ve never written a reflection on the blog about our Sunday services like these pastors have, but if I had this past Monday, I might have written something like this:

“We had people who actually came back to church today!!! It’s amazing – they came once, and I’m not sure if they got lost on the way to check out another church, but somehow they wound up back at our front door! Yeah God!!!” (Eric Stillman, Pastor, NewLife Christian Fellowship)

It can be hard for me sometimes not to be wowed by the numbers from other churches… and even more by the fact that each number represents a person who is making a significant spiritual decision because of God’s ministry through one church. Their impact is part of what motivates me, knowing the potential to transform a community and world that exists in a church that is sold out to doing whatever God calls them to do.

But truth be told, there are far more churches out there like ours then there are like the aforementioned megachurches. Churches who may not remember the last time someone made a decision to follow Jesus, and are presently using their baptismal for storage. Churches that feel invisible in their community, and aren’t sure they are making any impact for the kingdom. Churches that have come close to shutting their doors and giving up, and have no guarantee that things will change by this time next year.

This is for those churches.

And the truth is that there are many other pastors out there like me. Pastors who can’t quite figure out how to balance family and work. Pastors who can see a fuzzy vision of the future in their head but can’t quite see past next Sunday’s sermon in order to pull that vision off. Pastors who have been told that they would never make it in ministry, and have plenty of days where they wonder if that might be true.

This is for those pastors.

One of my favorite Christian speakers and missionaries is a man named David Pierce , who travels around the world with his band, No Longer Music , bringing the message of Jesus to Satanist clubs, anarchy festivals, and anywhere you wouldn’t normally expect to find Christians. Pierce wrote an incredible book called Dancing with Skinheads and other Bible Study Topics, and one thing he wrote in there that I’ve never forgotten is this: “Do something small for God.” He said that so many people want to do something big for God, to do something that really changes the world. But often it’s the small, overlooked, seemingly insignificant things that are the biggest steps of obedience to God.

Sometimes as a small church, we can feel like we’re not making a difference because we aren’t doing anything particularly world-changing. But I’ve found that one of the best things about being a small church is that it’s easier to see the many ways in which people are doing awesome “small” things for God.

Like Jason, who began coming to church even though he was cynical about Christianity because it was important to his wife and it would help him know her better.

Like Gary, who greets every newcomer to our church like they are his long lost best friend.

Like Gloria, who rejoices at the opportunity to spend one-on-one time with a four year-old when that girl is the only one who shows up to Sunday School that Sunday

Like Matt, volunteering behind the scenes to maintain and improve an awesome website that has brought more people into our church than the rest of our church members combined.

Like Eve, Irene, and all the other prayer warriors who refuse to believe that God is finished with us.

This is for them.

The most fascinating name I’ve ever come across for a church is Scum of the Earth Church of Denver, Colorado, a stark contrast to your typical uplifting church name (like Blessed Victory & Hope Cathedral… or even NewLife for that matter). Their name comes from Paul’s words about his band of Christians in 1 Corinthians 4:11-13 – “To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world.” SOTE Church purposely chose their name in order to emphasize the fact they are no better than anyone else, and to proclaim that they would be a church for the outcasts, the rejects, the ones who might not fit in a traditional church.

There’s a lot of wisdom in that name, isn’t there?

So this one is for the downtrodden, the burnt out, the ones who are close to throwing in the towel. This is for the forgotten, the dismissed, and the perennially struggling. This is for the oddballs, the skeptics and cynics, and all who take one step forward and five steps back, but still recover to take another step forward. This is for the churches that refuse to give up on God and the pastors who won’t stop believing in the potential of their church. Because if I’ve learned one thing in life, it’s this: a pastor who has been beaten down and a church that has been left for dead may not add up to much in the eyes of the world, but in the eyes of God I believe it’s a recipe for one thing:

Revival.

“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him.  But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.  But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’  “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.  But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’” (Luke 15:28-32)

Most of you have probably read the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32).  This is one of my favorite parables of Jesus because it demonstrates so many of the characteristics of our Lord and Savior.  In case you need a refresher, the parable of the Prodigal Son is about a father and his two sons.  The younger son demands his share of his father’s estate and his father willingly divides the property between the two sons.  Despite the fact that it is incredibly disrespectful to ask for your inheritance before your father even passes away, the younger son further shows disrespect by leaving the house and “squander[ing] his wealth in wild living” (Luke 15:13).  It is not until he is out of money, starving, and in total despair that he realizes the life he could have back with his father on his property.  So he starts the journey back home and seeks repentance from his father.  And the father lovingly embraces him, welcomes him home, and throws a huge celebration for the return of his son. 

Many of us can personally relate to this story – maybe not literally, but spiritually speaking.  Many have gone astray and indulged the sinful nature, and as a result, disrespected the One who bore all of our sins to give us eternal life.  But after some time, or perhaps a long time, of living this sinful life, the filth of our sin becomes evident to us.  And something, or I should say, someone, makes us remember a glimpse of the life that we had, or are supposed to have, with the Father.  Then somehow we find the strength to run back to Jesus and humbly submit ourselves to Him, ask for forgiveness, and “receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).  I love this parable because it just shows God’s never failing love, His free gift of grace given to those that don’t deserve it.  His love, His mercy, His grace, His forgiveness, and His compassion are all on display here in this parable. 

But what about the other son?  Why did Jesus have this son in the story at all?  Do you remember who the audience that Jesus told this parable to?  “Now the tax collectors and “sinners” were all gathering around to hear him.  But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, ‘This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.’  Then Jesus told them this parable” (Luke 15:1-3).  This parable was told both to the “sinners” and the Pharisees who were present.  The sinners can easily relate to the younger son, but the Pharisees related more to the older son.  They prided themselves on obeying God and (supposedly) following the letter of the Law. 

So what is the deal with the older son?  I used to always disregard him in this parable, thinking that he was just an unimportant supporting character.  But Jesus didn’t waste His words.  Notice the older son’s reaction to finding out that his younger brother is getting a huge party thrown for him after he came back from squandering his father’s money and living a sinful life.  In Luke 15:28-30, Jesus says:

“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him.  But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.  But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ 

The older son’s anger and pride are evident.  He has a great sense of entitlement; that he deserves better treatment and a better lifestyle as a result of his obedience and his work. 

How often do we get angry or frustrated with God, claiming that we deserve more or are entitled to something better?  Entitlement can be a very dangerous thing.  It can easily be a breeding ground for the enemy to weave his vicious lies.  Perhaps it’s a lie about God not caring about you, or not loving you, or some other lie with the intent to distance you from the Lord.  In most cases, entitlement can lead to pride and a sense that your accomplishments are a result of your own strength.  And it is entitlement that causes us to think that our works warrant earthly rewards, that God owes us something for the works that we have done.  Now, maybe you haven’t thought about it that way, but that is essentially what entitlement is.  But we need to remember that all that we have is a gift that we received from God and we have no right to boast as though it is our own (1 Corinthians 4:7).  Instead, we need to act like the elders surrounding the throne in Revelation 4:10-11 which says:

“the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives forever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:

‘You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.’”

I am thankful that God does not give us what we actually deserve.  For what we deserve is not the glory and greatness and blessings that we think we are entitled to.  No, what we deserve is death resulting from our sin.  But thanks be to God who gave us what we didn’t deserve, the free gift of grace and eternal life to those who believe in Jesus (Romans 6:23).  God has already given us infinitely more than we could ever possibly deserve.  Who are we to demand more for the works and obedience that we can only accomplish through the strength and gifts that He gave us?

And I think that is what Jesus is trying to remind us (and at the time He was first telling the parable, the Pharisees) with the character of the older son.  He is warning us (and the Pharisees) from falling into a mindset that we deserve more than what we already have, or a better situation than what we are in, or a better life, etc.  Just because someone else seems to have a perfect life, doesn’t mean that you deserve it too.  Remember, success in God’s eyes does not mean you have it all together.  So neither should we measure success that way either.  Further, the father lovingly and compassionately responds to the older son’s outburst with “you are always with me, and everything I have is yours” (Luke 15:31).  And I think here Jesus is reminding us that He will always be with us and His love will never leave us.  Shouldn’t that promise be good enough for us? 

We don’t know if the older son ever went into the party.  His pride and sense of entitlement might have kept him out from ever enjoying the love and joy of that celebration.  The parable teaches us that our admittance into the “party” that our Father in Heaven is throwing is not based on how long we have obeyed or how many works we have done.  No, it is on truly admitting that you don’t deserve to be at the party.  You gain entry when you realize that you can’t do anything apart from the strength of Jesus.  You can join the joyous celebration when you accept that your actions don’t prove or entitle you to anything.  And when you do, the Father will be waiting with open arms.  May we remember both lessons of the parable of the Prodigal Son; that we are sinners in need of grace, and that that grace is more than we deserve and is more than sufficient for us.  May we have the courage and the humility to accept that what we have and the love and grace of Jesus is more than enough for us.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’” (Matthew 25:34-36)

On the second Sunday of this year, Peter Dewberry preached at NewLife Christian Fellowship, and I thought that as a follow-up, it would be useful to mention to the congregation that two members of NewLife are prison volunteers with Free Inside: Michael McCoy and me. Michael volunteers at Cybulski Prison in Enfield on Thursday evenings, and I volunteer at Gates Prison in Niantic on Thursday afternoons. Both of us can testify as to how much this has been a blessing to us, quite apart from how it might have benefited inmates.

My own experience over the last few months has been very encouraging. Some of you were praying for us at Gates, because the session that was completed in the summer of 2010 seemed such a disaster; all prison inmates ceased to attend before the end of the session. The three of us who were volunteers were obviously discouraged; however, from the outset of the next program that was completed at the end of 2010, attendance was good, and by the end we were averaging over twenty prison inmates each week, many of whom were very keen to be there. We thank God for all who attended, some of whom showed real promise in going on in the Christian life. We will be restarting at Gates at the end of January, with a study on the Sermon on the Mount. Please pray that many will want to attend, and for special grace and wisdom for those of us who are volunteers, for we found that many who came to the last session were Spanish speakers, some with very little English ability. We have Spanish handouts, but the equipment at this prison facility does not permit us to use a DVD with Spanish subtitles.

Free Inside has volunteer groups in seven Connecticut Prisons, with usually 7 to 10 programs running for most of the year, and therefore we have the potential to make contact with many prison inmates. Believers in Jesus are encouraged to visit those who are in prison, firstly to show our love for them; but also to rescue them from lives heading for disaster. Many prison inmates have a history of drug and alcohol abuse, many are from difficult neighborhoods, and others have fallen through the cracks in the legal system; but for all, irrespective of their background, they need to hear that there are those who care for them and most of all, they are of value to Jesus.

From the inception of Free Inside, NewLife Christian Fellowship has been a significant supporter of the Ministry. 2011 will be a challenging year; and we would be encouraged by your help in either keeping the ministry in your prayers, by becoming a volunteer, or by giving financially.

Financial needs: Our total budget is quite small, but over the last two years many faithful supporters have had to cut back, and the foundation that has assisted in the past is unlikely to do so again. This year we will not meet our financial needs without additional support. Please consider if you should become a regular contributor, or could make a onetime gift.

Volunteers: We have a constant need for volunteers, but all who volunteer will need patience and a commitment to the long term. Beyond the ministry’s own requirement for training and orientation, usually 6 to 7 hours on a Saturday, approval is required from the Department of Corrections. Prospective volunteers will work to a Department of Corrections timetable, and we have found that volunteers can wait for many months before they are called for an interview and orientation by the Department.

Prayer: Please keep us in your prayers, particularly Peter Dewberry, Michael McCoy and myself. Prison work can be frustrating, as we are understandably bound by the rules of the Department of Corrections and their need for security. We cannot let our frustrations get the better of us even if we have driven to a prison facility only to find that there is a lockdown that day, and no visitors will be allowed inside (this incidentally is part of the frustration that relatives of prison inmates also experience. In a sense when one family member is in prison, all are in prison).

If you are interested in participating in the ministry in any way, please contact me at AGLDEL@cox.net, or Peter Dewberry at FreeInside@cox.net. With regard to being a volunteer, if you give us your name, we can contact you when there will be an orientation session, which would enable you to learn more about what is involved, prior to an application to the Department of Corrections. Thank you for your interest.

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.  A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)

I’m a big fan of New Year’s, mainly because I fail every day to be the man that I so want to be.  I constantly need fresh starts, new beginnings, second and third (and one hundred and third) chances to get it right.  So here I am in January 2011, trying again to become more disciplined, more organized, more courageous in my life, and more like Jesus so that God would be honored and those around me would be blessed. 

But here’s the thing I have learned the hard way too many times: my chances of succeeding are reduced significantly if I try to tackle my challenges on my own.  On the other hand, if I walk in accountability with at least one other person, I find that even though I may still fall short, there is someone there to help me get back up and try again, and ultimately I will be more successful for having lived honestly before someone else and walked through the challenges of life with a friend.

With that in mind, I want to encourage you to examine your life to see whether or not you have accountability in place.  Do you have someone, or a group of someones, with whom you are honest and open about your struggles and goals?  If so, are you talking to them regularly, and being real with them?  Whatever it is you are striving towards, you don’t have to go it alone.

If you are not sure where to turn, let me encourage you to check out the men’s or women’s Fight Club at NewLife.  The men’s Fight Club is an accountability and support group that meets every Wednesday evening from 7-8:30 at NewLife.  Fight Club is a welcoming, non-judgmental group of guys, with a variety of challenges but one common goal – to help each other be the best men we can be.  The women’s Fight Club meets every first and third Thursday evening from 7-8:30 at NewLife, with the goal of encouraging and supporting women in whatever challenges they are facing. 
Listen to this testimony from Don Plante, one of our Fight Club regulars:

“I started attending Fight Club last summer. I did not know anybody in the group when I started, but I was immediately accepted, just the way I was, in my very broken and sinful condition.  At Fight Club, I am able to share my burdens with the other men. They listen to me and understand my problems. I know now that I am not alone. Being accountable to the other guys in the group is so helpful. I always know that someone will be asking me about my previous week and about my successes and failures. In no way do I ever feel judged or condemned. I especially like how the advice and feedback I receive is so grounded in God’s word. It is such a blessing to fellowship with other Christian men and to hear their testimonies. Fight Club has been an important part of my healing.”

My hope is that you all have friends that encourage and challenge you in that way, but if you do not, then what are you waiting for? For more information on the men’s or women’s Fight Club, contact me and I’ll get you in touch with the right people.

I began writing weekly posts for the NewLife blog way back in October 2006.  Shockingly, I have not yet run out of things to say.  The hope from the beginning was to use this space primarily to reflect Biblically on the world around us.  Most of my sermons on Sunday morning begin with a Biblical text, and then consist of me explaining what it meant in its original context and what it means for us today.  The Pulse, on the other hand, usually begins with an observation about the world around us – something in the news, something I’ve experienced – and then I process or evaluate that observation or reality in the light of the Word of God.  The hope is that by doing that, we would do what Paul wrote in Romans 12:2, which I included above – we would no longer conform to the pattern of this world, but would be transformed by the renewing of our mind.

As I look ahead to 2011, I would like to hear your opinion.  What would you like to see me evaluate and reflect on from a Biblical perspective in the coming year?  What are the questions you’ve been wrestling with, or the things you notice in our world that you would like to see me talk about?  How can I use this space in a way that would build you up in your faith?  Please take the time to let me know, whether by posting a comment on the blog, on Facebook, or by emailing or calling me. 

In the meantime, I encourage you to meditate on Romans 12:2 and take it to heart.  So many of us wonder what the will of God is for our life.  In this verse, Paul lays out clearly that the best way to know what God wants for your life is to resist becoming a slave to what the world tells you to think and do, but to instead allow God to transform your mind to be like His.  I don’t think that the Bible teaches that we primarily come to know God’s will by looking for signs, open and closed doors, or listening for nudges and promptings in our spirit.  Instead, we come to know His will as we spend more time with Him and become more like Him.  As we do that, we develop His heart and His mind, and find ourselves desiring the things that He desires.  I know that many of us would prefer to learn shortcuts and secrets towards knowing the will of God, but the reality is that the answer is as simple – and challenging – as becoming His disciple, learning to love and follow Him step by step.  My prayer for you is that you would allow Him to transform your mind more and more in 2011, so that you might live in His will.

One of my most treasured memories of Eve had to do with prayer, of course.  Eve used to come to our Thursday noon prayer meetings at the church office, and one day she came with a big notebook to show me.  In that notebook, she had collected hundreds of prayers, Scriptures, promises of God, and personal prayers.  Reading through this book was like looking into the portfolio of a renowned artist, or the compositions of a virtuoso musician.  Eve’s passionate heart, full of trust in her God, was displayed on every page.  As she showed me the book, she recommended that I add a “prayer focus for the week” to the weekly Pulse, and I did just that, often drawing on something from Eve’s prayer notebook in order to stir our church’s hearts towards greater faith and prayer. 

The verse I usually like to preach on when I lead a memorial service is Ecclesiastes 7:2 – “It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of every man.”  At every funeral, we are reminded of the finality of death, the importance of living every day to the fullest, and the need to make sure we are right with God.  We are also reminded of how uniquely special the life we have been given really is, and the opportunity we have to forever impact the lives of others.  One of my favorite quotes comes from the late Christian musician Rich Mullins.  Reflecting on death, he wrote, “I think we cry at funerals – even at funerals of people we don’t like – because we realize what a miracle a life is.  You realize, ‘This will never happen again.’  There will never be this exact combination of genes, there will never again be the things that have created this person to be what he is.  God has spoken uniquely here, and it’s gone.  It’s over.  And I think there is some regret, because we all realize, boy, we didn’t pay enough attention.”  God spoke uniquely when He created Eve, and blessed are those who took the time to pay attention to what He had to say through her.

Do you have any meaningful memories of Eve?  If so, please share a comment below.

“Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light. Because I have sinned against him, I will bear the LORD’s wrath, until he pleads my case and establishes my right. He will bring me out into the light; I will see his righteousness.”

This passage speaks powerfully to those times that we find ourselves having sinned against God and feeling like we are not worthy to be forgiven.  We feel like we need to wallow in our shame and guilt, and that our fellowship with God has been damaged.  But the truth is that God is always quick to forgive and restore, and Satan is the one who wants nothing more than to convince us that God doesn’t love us, can’t forgive us, and that we are unworthy to call ourselves a Christian.  This passage from Micah is a wonderful call to recommitment after we have fallen.  The enemy may laugh at us and call us all kinds of names, but we know that he is defeated, that the Lord has already pled our case and established our right if we belong to Jesus.  And so we can say with confidence, “Do not gloat over me, my enemy!  Though I have fallen, I will rise.”  And we can waste not one second more wallowing in guilt and shame, instead returning speedily to our merciful and loving God.

If you are a man, or if you know of any men, looking for brothers who will stand and encourage and fight for you as you strive to become the man God has called you to be, I would encourage you to come to NewLife on a Wednesday night from 7-8:30 for Fight Club.  If you have any questions, contact Anthony Varesio at 860-306-3920 or anthonyshope@yahoo.com, or Eric Stillman at 860-869-4580 or nlcfpastor@gmail.com.  For more info, visit http://www.glastonburyfightclub.com/.

This summer, beginning on June 13th, I’ll be preaching through different interactions with Jesus found in the gospel.  From Peter walking on water to the woman caught in adultery, from Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead to Jesus healing the blind and the lame, these stories serve as pictures of the God we serve, in all of His power and compassion.  If you are not currently following any Bible reading plan, I would encourage you to spend your summer reading through the Gospels, the stories of Jesus’ life, and let God open your eyes anew to who He is and how He deals with His people.

As I prepare for this summer, I would love to hear from you – what story or stories are most meaningful to you, and why?  What is it about Jesus that attracts, intrigues, or challenges you the most?  Let me share a three of my thoughts below:

(1) I have always been fascinated by the fact that Jesus was a sinless friend of sinners.  In John 8:46, Jesus asks the Pharisees, “Can any of you prove me guilty of sin?”, and in Hebrews 4:15, we are told that Jesus was tempted in every way we are, yet was without sin.  Yet somehow, despite His perfection, it is obvious on every page of the Gospels that the outcasts and sinners of society loved to be near Him, while the religious people wanted to kill Him.  This just blows my mind.  I think that many Christians believe that in order to relate more to those who seem far from God, they need to be relevant to them, that perhaps by behaving more like the people of the world, we can seem more “real” to them and therefore point them more easily to God.  But here is Jesus, without one sin, and those who feels rejected by the religious elite (and therefore by God) just want to be near Him.  If that is not the case in our lives (or in our church), we would be wise to ask how we are different than Jesus.

(2) It can also be shocking to see how directly Jesus communicates with people, especially when He is confronting them.  I think that Jesus often gets a reputation of a meek and mild teacher and healer, a wise sage who is just loving and nice to everyone.  But the Gospels reveal someone who did not hesitate to sharply confront people, even his own disciple Peter when he turns to him and says “Get behind me Satan!” in Matthew 16:23.  The target of most of his sharpest criticism is the religious elite, something that should make all of us who are part of the church stop and reflect on whether or not we are displaying Christ to the world. 

(3) I am also encouraged and challenged by Jesus’ range of emotion.  In the gospels, we see Jesus weeping at the tomb of Lazarus, displaying zealous anger as he overturns the tables of the money changers in the temple, anxiously sweating blood in the Garden of Gethsemane, and tenderly touching and healing a leper.  Jesus was no robot impassively walking through this world, but he fully experienced everything.

What about you?  If you have any thoughts to share, post a comment below.  And consider reading through the Gospels with fresh eyes this summer.

What do you think of topical sermons?

Over the past three and a half years at NewLife, I have tried different approaches to preaching.  For some series, I preach through a book of the Bible (e.g. Colossians) or the life of an important person (e.g. The Life of David).  For other series, I stay more topical (e.g. Death and the Life after that, Why Believe?).  My current sermon series, which I have called “Practical Christianity,” falls more on the topical side, in that each week deals with a specific topic (love life, parenting, work, money, etc.), but I am coming at it from the perspective of how to work out the implications of the gospel into each realm of your life (as Paul said in Philippians 2:12-13 – continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose).

I am interested in your answer to this question because there are some churches that preach almost entirely topical sermons.  In these kind of churches, for example, there will be a series on what the Bible has to say about money, followed by a series on parenting, followed by a series on conquering your fears, and then one on love, sex, and marriage.  On the other hand, there are other churches that preach entirely verse-by-verse, going through one book of the Bible after another until you understand what it means and how it applies to your life today. 

I see strengths and weaknesses in both approaches, but I am curious to hear what you think.  Consider the following questions:

1) Is one approach more “right” or “Biblical” than another?
2) Has one approach helped you more in your spiritual growth than the other?
3) What do you see as the strengths and weaknesses of preaching topically vs. preaching verse-by-verse?

If you’ve got an opinion, please share your comment below.

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” (Romans 10:13-14)

You see, the former slave had rarely handled money in his life, and so he had no comprehension of what $50,000 was.  He had no idea how much money was available to him, and so as a result he was asking for fifty cents when in reality he had enough money to comfortably live on for the rest of his life. 

He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

In his letter to the Ephesian church, Paul writes this incredible prayer:  “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.  I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe” (Ephesians 1:17-19).  Notice that one of the things Paul prays for is that we would wake up to the glorious inheritance we have in the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I’m not talking about money here, nor do I believe is Paul, who was not rich in the things of this world.  I am talking about all of the power and love and peace and joy that is available to us if we would only truly believe the gospel, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). 

This past Sunday, I began a new sermon series I am calling “Practical Christianity.”  My goal for you in this series is that you would, as Paul said in Philippians 2:12-13, “work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.”  We have been saved from sin and death and meaninglessness in life completely by the grace of God through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  We did nothing to earn that favor – it was a completely undeserved gift from God (Ephesians 2:8-9).  And now, as God is at work within us, we partner with him in working out that salvation into every aspect of our lives, applying the gospel of salvation by grace to our love life, our work life, our friendships, our church, our world, and every other corner of our life.  Over the next couple of months, I plan to focus on how to work out the gospel into all of those areas of our life.  Click here for a list of the upcoming sermons.

Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you.  I believe this has the power to be a life-changing series for you as you learn to look at your world through the lens of the gospel.  Many of us have been like that former slave, drawing on our limited resources to deal with the stresses, fears, and other challenges that we face in life, when all along we have the $50,000 gospel (so to speak) available to us that speaks directly to our deepest desires, fears, and anxieties surrounding our love life, work life, money issues, etc.  The gospel is not “five principles to a happy marriage” or “seven steps to reducing your debt,” and therefore neither will these sermons be that type of sermon.  No – the gospel is the answer to the deepest emptiness in our heart, the most heartfelt dreams we have, and the fears and anxieties that keep us from living life to the fullest. 

We have so little understanding of all that is available to us through the gospel, but I pray along with Paul that the eyes of our hearts might be opened, so that we might see it clearly and find life.

My baptism holds a special significance in my life.  I had been baptized as a child, but soon after becoming a believer in college, I began to see the significance of being baptized as a professing Christian.  I was part of a college ministry called InterVarsity, and every summer I went on a weeklong retreat called Chapter Camp.  At the camp after my sophomore year, I remember one of the speakers talking about how she had never understood the Christian emphasis on “sin,” that she had always considered herself a pretty good person.  Something in what she was saying struck a real chord with me, as I realized that I saw myself as a good person who Jesus had saved, but definitely not as someone who was a sinner in need of salvation.  Even my prayer of salvation at age 18 was “I know where I belong, God, and it’s with you.”  I know that this is when God saved me, as I can see the immediate changes He began to make in my life, but I can also see how there was no mention of my sin or my need for a Savior, because I did not truly understand that part of my relationship with God.  That summer, I began to realize that I did not really understand what it meant that I was a sinner, and so I asked God to show me the depth of my sin.

During my junior year, I met with my InterVarsity staff worker and told him what I was praying, and he recommended that I keep a journal.  That proved to be very helpful as I started to get more real with God, and ask Him to show me more of my heart.  Then, at Chapter Camp after my junior year, I decided to be baptized.  That evening, I remember being in a time of prayer with our group, and I remember formulating in my mind what I was going to pray.  I remember another member of the group praying essentially what I had wanted to pray, and I recall saying to myself, “that’s what I was going to pray.”  I felt a wave of jealousy:  I wanted the spotlight, and it had been taken from me.  And suddenly it was as if God had lifted the veil and allowed me to see into my own soul.  I saw how, even in the most sacred things, like prayer and worship, I was so filled with a desire for the attention and praise of others, so self-focused and eager to steal glory from God.  I can’t explain the feeling, but all I know is that I could not stop crying during that prayer meeting, as God revealed to me just a snapshot of the depth of my sin.  It was just like Isaiah said so many years ago: “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6).  Even my righteous acts were so stained with sin and self-centeredness.  I was beginning to understand at a heart level how I had done nothing to deserve the salvation I had in Jesus, how it truly was a free and undeserved grace.

I don’t know if my baptism had anything to do with God answering that year-long prayer, but the events of that evening made my baptism a special experience.  For some of you, it may seem odd to want to understand the depth of one’s sin, but I believe you truly can not be transformed by the love of God until you understand just what he saved you from.  I had always considered myself a pretty good person who God had saved, but it wasn’t until that summer that I began to really experience the love and gratitude that comes from the salvation I have in Jesus.  As Jesus put it after his feet had been anointed by the sinful woman at the house of Simon the Pharisee, “Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven — for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little” (Luke 7:47).  When you don’t see much for God to forgive, there is little love for God, but when you understand the depth of your sin, the result is not self-condemnation but greater love for God, greater joy at His salvation, and greater freedom in life, for you truly realize that your self-worth is not based at all on your performance, but on His undeserved love and salvation that has been given to you in Christ Jesus.

Beginning this month, I have challenged our church to make a greater effort to memorize Scripture, so that we might be people who are led and transformed by the truth of God’s Word.  This month’s verse is 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” which reminds us that the sins of past have been forgiven and that we now belong to Jesus and have His Holy Spirit giving us new spiritual life (among many other benefits of salvation).  However, as the above story reminds us, one of the greatest cautions with Scripture memory is the folly of taking verses out of context, so that they speak things which they were never intended to speak.  Certainly no one would read Matthew 27:5, “Then Judas went out and hanged himself,” and take that as a directive, but even the most mature Christians are guilty of doing similar things all the time with other verses.  It can be hard for even seasoned Christians to know sometimes whether the commands or promises of Scripture were meant for us, or only for the original readers. 

Consider two examples that attract a lot of attention in Christian circles.  The first comes from 2 Chronicles 7:14, which reads “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”  This verse is often used for large scale prayer and repentance gatherings:  it was the theme verse of the Promise Keepers million man gathering in Washington D.C., and has been used for the National Day of Prayer.  It is a stirring call to prayer and repentance, with the promise that God will then forgive sin and bring healing to the land.  But did God really intend for this promise to apply to 21st century America?  When you read the context of this verse, you find that God speaks this promise to Solomon after he finishes building the temple in Jerusalem.  In verse 13, God tells Solomon “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people” before giving the promise found in verse 14.  Now, I went to Washington D.C. for the Promise Keepers event, but I can’t say I remember any droughts, locusts, or plagues being the impetus for the call to repentance and prayer. 

Or, consider this example:  many Christians love Jeremiah 29:11, which reads “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”  Few Christians, however, can quote you the preceding verse, which reads “This is what the LORD says: ‘When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place.’”  , or verses 12-13, which read “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Once again, the context shows us that this promise was made to the people of Israel as they were in captivity, encouraging them that when their time of discipline was finished, and when they had again returned to seeking the Lord, then God would restore them to their homeland.  The verse is not just a blanket pronouncement that God has good plans in store for everyone, regardless of whether or not they seek the Lord.

Without getting into too much detail, since books have been written about the interpretation of Scripture, let me encourage you to do three things as you read and memorize Scripture:

(1) Read the verse in its context.  Be sure that it is truly saying what you think it is saying.  For example, one favorite verse of many people is Philippians 4:13, “I can do everything through him [Jesus] who gives me strength.”  Often this verse is used as a motivator for people to overcome fears and achieve great things (I’ve seen “Phil 4:13″ inscribed on the eye black of University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, for instance).  In the context, Paul is telling the Philippians that he has learned to be content in every situation, whether he has plenty or is in poverty, because he knows that God will give him the strength he needs in each situation.  Whenever you are memorizing Scripture, be sure that you understand the purpose for which it was written by reading it in its context.

(2) Consider the audience for whom it was intended.  Was the verse directed to all believers?  Or was it a promise given to a specific person or people in a specific situation?  In the case of the Chronicles passage from above, the promise was given to Solomon about the people of Israel.  In the case of the Jeremiah passage, it was given to the Israelite people in captivity in Babylon about their return to Israel.

(3) Look for timeless principles.  Even if the promise or command was given to a particular people in a particular situation, that does not mean it is not valuable to memorize or not applicable to today.  With the Chronicles passage, the principle of repentance for wrongdoing and seeking God’s face for forgiveness and blessing applies not only to the ancient Israelites, but certainly to Americans today.  While I would be reluctant to take that promise word for word, since the promise was dealing with drought, locusts, and plagues, the timeless principle is that there is healing that occurs when we repent of sin and turn to faith in God.  And with the Jeremiah passage, although it was spoken to the Israelites, we have a similar promise in Romans 8:28:  “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”  The timeless principle is that, even when we find ourselves in captivity, that God’s desire is to give us a future full of hope and blessing, if we would only turn to Him and seek Him.

In your desire to know God and His Word, be careful not to cherry-pick verses and, by doing so, develop a faith that is based on out-of-context verses that inspire or encourage you.  Learn what the verses really mean by reading them in context.

So… how’s your New Year’s Resolution going?  Still going strong?  If you’re anything like me, you know how difficult it can be to sustain any change, no matter how minor or important, for much longer than the time it takes to type this line.  On January 1st I find myself writing down all of the things that I want to do differently in 2010, on January 8th I’m still working on half of them, and by January 15th I’ve lost the list and can’t remember what it was I wanted to change in the first place!  Like most people, however, the more accountability I have, the more successful I will be.  If I try to go it alone, I am probably doomed, but if I go with others, I am more likely to make it. 

All of this is to first of all say a big CONGRATULATIONS! to all who began reading through the Bible in Two Years way back on January 1st, 2008, and made it to the end of the Bible last week!  Whether you chose to read just the New Testament, the Old Testament, or the entire Bible, great job to all who stuck with it, fell behind but caught back up, and didn’t give up along the way.  My journey was certainly challenging, but in the end I finished my readings on January 1st, 2010.  My goal, in order to raise the accountability factor, was to leave a comment every day on one of the passages on the Bible in Two Years webpage.  And I was successful at that for a long time – maybe fifteen months or so.  And then I began to fall behind… and then some more… and before I knew it I was over three months behind heading into December!  But I was able to catch up, and found that I really enjoyed reading some of the books all in one sitting as opposed to breaking them up over the course of a month. 

Now that we’re in 2010, we’re turning our focus as a church to a new discipline:  Scripture memorization.  Some of you love memorizing God’s Word; some of you struggle at it, but we all need to be challenged to hide His Word in our hearts for many reasons.  The first is that meditating on His word will transform our hearts and minds and make us more like Jesus.  The second reason is that it is His truth that sets us free from sin and slavery to the lies of the enemy, so that we truly know who we are in Christ.  The third is that His Word is the powerful sword of the Spirit with which we fight off Satan, our enemy, just as Jesus did when tempted in the wilderness in Luke 4.

Every month, I will give you a verse of the month and challenge you to memorize it and meditate on it, allowing it transform you by its power and truth.  I will also include three related verses for those who want more of a challenge, and a whole chapter for those really brave souls.  We will have memory aides for you available at church, and an insert in the bulletin with all of the verses printed out.  The last Sunday of every month in 2010, I will preach on the month’s memory verse, and there will be an opportunity for testimonies on what the particular verse means for you. 

The memory verse for January is 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 

The three related verses are:

Galatians 2:20 – I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Romans 8:1-2 – Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

Romans 12:2 – Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is– his good, pleasing and perfect will.
and chapter are included as an attachment to this email (or in the letter if you got this by mail).  The verses for this month highlight the transformation that occurs when we come to faith in Christ; our old self dies and we are given new spiritual life by God’s Holy Spirit, freeing us from the penalty and power of sin and giving us a desire for God, for His Word, and for fellowship with those who know Him.  As you meditate on these powerful verses, may you be set free from the lies of the enemy, and may your mind and heart be transformed by His transformative love for you!