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A Question Every Person Needs to Ask

February 29, 2012 By Leave a Comment

From Ray Ortlund, quoting J. Gresham Machen:

“Justification by faith is an answer to the greatest personal question ever asked by a human soul: ‘How shall I be right with God?  How do I stand in God’s sight?  With what favor does he look upon me?’  There are those, I admit, who never raise that question.  There are those who are concerned with the question of their standing before men but never with the question of their standing before God.  There are those who are interested in what ‘people say’ but not in the question of what God says.  Such men, however, are not those who move the world.  They are apt to go with the current.  They are apt to do as others do.  They are not the heroes who change the destinies of the race.  The beginning of true nobility comes when a man ceases to be interested in the judgment of men and becomes interested in the judgment of God.”

J. Gresham Machen, in God Transcendent (Edinburgh, 1982), pages 89-90.

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What Did Jesus Christ Look Like?

February 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment

From Chris Booth:

What did Jesus Christ look like?

Well, first of all, he was white, or black, had blue eyes, was skinny and had good hair. He walked around in awhite bathrobe with a blue prom sash over his shoulder and wore epic screen-printed tee-shirts and Birkenstock sandals and, evidently, glowed. He carried a lambaround and placed his hand on the tops of little children’s heads. I understand He also played baseballand football in the backyard with some of the kids in the ‘hood.

If I spend too much time thinking about the silliness of how Jesus has been depicted over the years, it actually trips me up. If I really pay attention to the way He has been represented by awful paintings, kitschy church stained glass, bad Sunday School flannel-graphs, Christian bookstore coffee mugs or even children’s story bible illustrations and the yearly Easter pageants, not to mention on South Park and the movies, I begin to wonder if it could all really be true. Frankly, with Jesuses like this, I don’t think I’d want it to be true.

Maybe that’s why the Amish forbid any images of Jesus.

Don’t get me wrong: doubts are as normal as can be, and any Christian who says he never doubts is either not being honest with you (or himself perhaps) or is not really thinking about it all very much. I mean, what Christianity asks us to believe is that God the Son, Jesus Christ, who was an invisible spirit, took on human form (they call it the Incarnation) and walked the earth for 33 years and then was unjustly murdered, buried, and three days later rose from the dead, returned to heaven for a time and is coming again one day to gather those sinners who have put their saving trust in His death in their place so that they may live with Him, never to be sick or sad, enjoying His Presence forever.

This is asking a lot. And we’ve piled onto that zillions of caricatures of Him that strain our ability to believe the story.

I was thinking about these things one day when it struck me like a lightning bolt out of a blue sky: yes, we do have these various and often ridiculous caricatures of Him….but if Jesus Christ really did walk the earth 2000 years ago, well, He had to look like something. I mean, if the Incarnation really happened, and God really took on humans skin and bones and blood and hair and everything, well, He obviously would have had some kind of looks. Facial features. Pores. Arm hair. Fingerprints.

This came as kind of a relief to me – to accept that He had looks. We’ve tried to represent Him, but every single man-made depiction cannot possibly be accurate, since there was no photography two thousand years ago. The only description the bible gives is that He wasn’t particularly remarkable looking:

“…he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, 
   and no beauty that we should desire him.” Isaiah 53:2.

It also kind of comes as a relief to not have a detailed description of His appearance. By not having a description of His looks, we are more able to consider His message without distraction. Because the big thing about Jesus isn’t his looks, it’s His message. The gospel message He brought, the story of freedom for captives of Sin, is so big that it defined history. I know they’re changing the way we talk about the division of history, and are now using B.C.E. (Before the Common Era) and C.E. (Common Era), but the historical fact is that B.C. (Before Christ) and A.D. (Anno Domini – the year of our Lord) were in place for fifteen hundred years. All of history hinges on this man who really did walk the earth and revealed what God is like to needy human beings.

Obviously, all of this depends on the story of Jesus as related in the bible. So it begs the question: is the bible a historically trustworthy document? It seems that everything hinges on the answer to that question. Here is a link to a good article about the historicity of the bible.

Anyway, for myself, I just don’t want to look at human depictions of Jesus anymore. The only portrait of Him I think I can trust is the character sketch that’s given in the bible. It’s the only thing that in my gut feels like it has the ring of truth. So maybe the Amish were on to something….

“And the Word [Jesus] became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14.

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Men’s Retreat: Information You Should Know

February 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment

From Rich Biggs:

Calling all SixTen Men from West Shore E-Free, our annual Men’s Retreat is March 2nd – March 4th 2012. We are looking forward to hosting E. Glenn Wagner for the weekend. You can sign up for the retreat on Sunday’s at Kiosk 2. If you have any question please see Rich Biggs.

Learn how to fight like the godly men you were called to be– for yourselves, your families, your churches and your communities.

E. Glenn Wagner is the founder and president of FutureLead, a catalytic ministry to mobilize, motivate and equip men to live and lead On-Mission for Christ.

Glenn has served four churches as a senior pastor and was a founding board member, Vice President and speaker for Promise Keepers during their years of growth and impact. He has trained and spoken to men around the world, developing explosive men’s ministries across cultures and denominations. He is a skilled and effective Men’s Ministry practitioner and pastor.

Whether speaking in a stadium of 70,000 men or in a coffee shop with a couple of guys, regardless of culture, race, age or denomination, Glenn connects. He is a highly sought after speaker and is also a best-selling author. Several of the books he has written are: God: an Honest Conversation for the Undecided, The Heart of a Godly Man and Fire in Your Bones.

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Take the 12-day Prayer Challenge

February 16, 2012 By 1 Comment

From Kim Winters:

“Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you” (1 Sam. 12:23)

It’s that time again! Time to do the 12 day prayer challenge – the perfect way to get your prayer life back into shape before the summer months!

How It Works
The challenge is simple – spend 30 minutes in prayer each day for 12 days, using this article as a guide. Keep track of your progress by checking off a box once you’ve prayed for 30 minutes. When 12 boxes are checked – you’ve completed the challenge!

When Do We Start?
You can begin the challenge right away – but the official 12 days of prayer (when you will receive an email reminder each day) is March 1 – 12. Try to have your last box checked no later than March 12, 2012. If you start early you give yourself a bit of cushion just in case you need to miss a day or two during the actual challenge. It is also a good idea to spend the time before March 1st getting acquainted with the instructions and descriptions of the prayer challenge.

SIGN UP! PRIZES!
To take the challenge, just begin! If you want to receive the email reminders each day (starting March 1st) email me and let me know you are taking the challenge. If you complete the challenge and check off at least 12 boxes before March 12, email me again and let me know you completed the challenge. You will be entered into a drawing to receive “Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life” by Don Whitney.

More Directions
The prayer exercise is broken down into 12 different parts, each part based on an element of prayer found in Scripture. You can do all 12 parts in one sitting, or six parts in the morning and six in the evening. Another option is to pray through as many parts as you can get through in thirty minutes. You can of course pray longer than 30 minutes, but the goal is to pray for 30 minutes minimum, each day for twelve days. My personal preference is to do a portion of all 12 parts in the morning, but you are welcome to work through the exercise in whatever way is most helpful to your love relationship with Jesus Christ.

Day #1 Your first day is the most challenging because you are still getting used to how this works. It will help to read through all the explanations for each of the prayer parts at least one time. Once you have done that, you should be able to start the next day with actual praying. You can even pray through the explanations as the Lord leads, as there are many thoughts there that will hopefully spark new conversations with Christ – but reading the explanations at least once before you begin the challenge is highly recommended. It will help you to look up as many of the Bible passages referenced as possible as well, (and as you read them you can pray through them also) so check off any passage you look up, and aim to look them all up before the challenge is over.

New To Prayer?
If you are new to praying, you should feel free to pray the written prayers you will find in this exercise – just remember to keep your heart engaged. Don’t pray anything you don’t mean to say. The only pre-requisite for prayer is that you are in a relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ. If you have trusted Christ as your Savior, prayer is just a talk with Someone Who loves you. As you add days, you will most likely begin to add your own words and branch off as the Spirit leads. If you hit a wall of any kind, please feel free to email me and I will send you a special email geared to help. One final note of encouragement: Take your time, don’t get frustrated, and give God time to work in your life through this prayer challenge.

Prayer Preparation The best way to do the challenge is to print it off and keep it in your Bible. Find a quiet place to pray (away from the computer!), turn off your phone, and if there is any time left over to prepare, you might find it helpful to read one Psalm out loud. Okay – now that our hearts are prepared – let’s begin!
First – write out a brief prayer to the Lord asking Him to help you complete this prayer challenge…

Okay- let’s start praying!

PART ONE: Desire

Suggested Reading: the prayer of the afflicted one in Psalm 102
I usually start my prayer time by asking the Lord to increase my desire for Him (based on Psalm 37:4). You may also want to ask him for an increased desire to pray, to read God’s Word, to know Him better, to love Him more, to obey Him, to become like Him, to practice the spiritual disciplines, to love others, to have a servant’s heart, etc., recognizing that the desire to pray (or any God-ward desire) is a gift from God Himself. There is nothing in our natural selves that wants God (Romans 3:11, Isaiah 53:6). Even our initial desire to seek Him began with God (John 6:44). It is always refreshing to remember this as we come to Him in prayer – thanking Him for any past desire for Him, and depending on Him for new desire day by day.

YOUR PRAYER MIGHT SOUND LIKE THIS… Dear Lord, thank you so much for giving me the desire to pray. Please help me to desire to pray more. Help me to want to read your Word more and to be interested in the things You care about. Please help me to want to know You better with my mind, love you better with my heart and follow You better with all of my strength. Help me to want to do those things that place me more fully in the streams of your grace – things like praying, reading Your Word, fasting, worship, giving, silence, journaling, memorization, meditation and being thankful. Help me to want to practice these things and to grow in this way. Give me a heart that loves like You do – a heart that loves others more than myself, and a heart that loves You most of all. Amen.

PART TWO: Attitude

Suggested Reading: Prayer of David, Psalm 141
Since my heart is deceptive and sick apart from Christ (Jeremiah 17:9) my attitude in prayer will at times be out of whack, especially if I have not been walking closely with Him. For that reason, it is a good idea to begin prayer by asking the Lord to search my heart (Psalm 139:23-24) and to check for wrong attitudes or motives (James 4:3). It may help to also ask Him for a proper balance between reverent fear (Ps. 19:9; 111:10; 115:13) and childlike dependence (Romans 8:15), to be thankful in prayer (1 Thess. 5:18), to be genuine, vulnerable and exposed to Him (Ps. 38:9; 62:8), to need Him (Ps. 55:22) and depend upon Him (Ps. 59:9; 131:2), to love Him (Ps. 68:19), to speak to Him in faith (Ps. 145:18), believing good things about Him (Is. 30:18), to delight in Him (Ps. 37:4), to be satisfied with Him (Ps. 17:15) and by Him (Ps. 90:14) and to not grow weary in prayer (Ps. 25:15; 26:1).

YOUR PRAYER MIGHT SOUND LIKE THIS… Dear Lord, search my heart and show me if I have any wrong attitudes or motives right now. (PAUSE in silence – looking to God). Please help me to have a right attitude and good motives whenever I pray. Please help me to treat You as holy, and also to treat You as my Father Whom I trust and love. Please grow that balance in my heart Lord. Keep me from interacting with You in ways that are faithless or dishonoring to You in any way. Help me to deepen in my ability to trust You as I speak to You, believing that You are good and that You intend good toward me. Help me to not become weary in prayer, but to enjoy my time alone with You. Help me to not be frustrated with You when you don’t answer my prayers the way I want You to. Build up the Truth in my heart that You are listening to me, that You do care about me and that You have something to say to me every day. Help me to enjoy abiding with You in prayer and use this time to increase my devotion to You. Amen.

PART THREE: Attributes

Suggested Reading: Psalm 66, 145 and Jeremiah 32:16-27
Since I want my focus in prayer to be more of Christ and less of me, I try to spend at least part of my prayer time focusing on Who God is. Sometimes I will just read in His Word until I come across something that tells me something about what God is like. I will stop there and spend time thanking Him for being this way, or I will discuss with Him why I am struggling with a certain way that He is. Below is a list of some of God’s known attributes to get you started. Pick one, then prayerfully search God’s Word for a passage that gives you more information on the attribute you picked. Read the passage aloud to the Lord and then talk with Him about what this attribute means to you.

Some of God’s Attributes to pray about… Solitariness, knowledge, power, strength, foreknowledge, supremacy, sovereignty, immutability, gentleness, holiness, faithfulness, goodness, patience, grace, mercy, love, wrath, independence, jealousy, forgiving, Prison-breaker, Lover of my soul, slow to anger, Creator, Pursuer, Shepherd, Counselor, King, Savior, the One Who hears, the One Who acts, the One with the Plan, the One Who saves, the One Who heals, the One Who searches, Prince of Peace, Alpha and Omega, and many, many more!  (for more on God’s attributes, click here to be directed to a page by Navigators on praying God’s attributes and names)

YOUR PRAYER MIGHT SOUND LIKE THIS (fill in the blank with the attribute you picked)
Dear Lord, thank you that you are _______________. I praise You because You are perfectly like this. This part of Who You are means so much to me for the following reasons: ________________________. As I look into your Word, I have found this verse that speaks about this attribute… (read verse aloud to the Lord.) This verse helps me to understand You more, and it makes me think of the following question or idea __________________________. Please help me to more deeply understand You Lord, even though I am slow and often dull. Help me to grasp how great You truly are. Thank you that You have clearly communicated so many important things about Yourself in Your Word. Help me to seek to know you better and understand you more for Who You truly are (Isaiah 43:10). As I think of this attribute today, help me to be more like you in this way (if possible). Like the moon reflects the Sun, I want to shine brightly for You in this dark world (John 1:5). Remind me of this part of your character all day long today Lord, and use it to draw me closer to Yourself. Amen.

PART FOUR: First Things First

See Habakkuk’s prayer in Habakkuk 3:17-19
Since I’m a selfish person by nature, prayer is the perfect time to put Jesus Christ and His Kingdom back on the throne, in the driver’s seat and in first place in my life! I often have to say to myself: “Kim – Get Over Yourself!” You may find it helpful to read aloud Matthew 6:33 and ask God to help you to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness today. Ask Him to show you what that looks like for you. Ask Him to help you to be looking forward to heaven today and to keep your mind fixed on Jesus all day long.

YOUR PRAYER MIGHT SOUND LIKE THIS… Dear Lord, help me to seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness all day long. Help me to truly put Your will before my own. Help me to be aware of what Your desire is for me in the small and large things that will come my way today. And help me to keep my eyes on heaven – to truly desire heaven and Jesus more than I desire the things of this world, things for me, myself and I. Free me from a world that revolves around me and what I want and need. Free me from my obsession with myself and help me to keep Jesus in the center of everything I do, say, think and am. Amen.

PART FIVE: Sharing Specific Needs

See Elijah’s prayer: 1 Kings 18:36-37
God commands His children to pray (Matt. 7:7). He has made it clear that some things don’t happen without prayer (Matt. 17:21), and that many times we don’t have things because we don’t pray (James 4:2). Jesus didn’t say “if you pray” but rather “when you pray” (Matt. 6:5), so we know He expects us to pray and bring our requests to Him on a daily basis. And yet even for all this, it is very difficult to regularly bring our requests to Him. Why? I think there are three main reasons…

#1 We forget that prayer is about our relationship with the Father, not just about getting certain requests answered.

It may help to remember that bringing requests to God is not primarily about getting those requests answered, but about growing our love relationship with Him (John 15). Even when the answer is no, sharing our requests with Him is an important part of growing inside that relationship.

#2 We wrongly conclude that since God is sovereign and all powerful, our prayers don’t really matter.

The Bible is full of examples of prayer changing things (see Acts 10, Joshua 10, Isaiah 38 and Job 42 for starters) and yet also clearly teaches that God is sovereign (Psalm 103:19, Is. 46:10,Eph. 1:11, Ps. 115:3). Believing both as we pray is not only in alignment with Scripture, it will help us keep prayer in the right place.

#3 We forget to be focusing on God’s glory. 

When prayer becomes all about us, we are either going to be very bored or very discouraged. Prayer with God’s glory in the center is not only a more exciting and fulfilling prayer experience, it increases our humility as we intentionally position ourselves as His servant seeking His glory (1 Peter 3:15).

Once you’ve considered if you are facing any of the above hindrances to bringing your requests to God, pray about any you need help with, and then share your requests with God in prayer remembering Matthew 11:28-30.

YOUR PRAYER MIGHT SOUND LIKE THIS… (Physical needs) Dear Lord, please supply all the things we need today (meals, drink, clothing, shelter, warmth, medicine, health, transportation, safety) and help us to be truly thankful when You do. Specifically I’m wanting to ask You for this particular need we have today: _________. When you do supply us with things, please help us to recognize that You are providing for us, and make us thankful in ways that honor You as our Provider.

(Spiritual needs) Father, please supply our spiritual needs today (faith, hope, love, trust, kindness, blessings, Your Presence, discernment, selflessness, wisdom, self-control, heavenly focus, trust in Christ, focus on Christ, freedom from sin, freedom to obey, patience, understanding, kindness, tenderness, forgiveness, peace, etc.) Specifically I want to ask you for this particular spiritual need I am aware of: ____________. When you do supply this need, please show us that You did and help us to thank You for it.

PART SIX: Confession of Sin and Repentance

Suggested Reading: Ezra and David’s prayers: Ezra 9:5-15 and Psalm 51
As we think about Who God is, we begin to also realize the ways we fall short of His glory. But praise God – His mercies are new every morning (Lam. 3:21-23)! So we are taught to confess our sin on a daily basis (Matt. 6:9-12), repent (turn away) from our sin that we have confessed (1 Peter 3:11) and believe in God’s total forgiveness (1 John 1:9; Ps. 32:5b). Indeed, when we fail to confess our sins in this way, we are risking physical and spiritual disaster (Ps. 32:3, Ps. 66:18). Therefore we should do our best to name our sins and confess and forsake them whenever we are aware of them (1 Cor. 11:31). You may also want to pray for help in having a right understanding of sin, and for the ability to see sin as first and foremost rebellion against God (Ps. 51:4). Pray also for eyes to see how wonderful forgiveness is (how He washes you – Ps. 51:7, takes your sin far away – Ps. 103:12, seals it in a bag – Job 14:17, buries it – Ps. 32:1, treads it underfoot and casts it away – Micah 7:19, wipes it out – Is. 43:25 and puts it in a place where He chooses to not remember it – Is. 38:17 and Heb. 10:17). Thank Him for the awesome gift of forgiveness, and ask for help to cherish that gift all day long today.

YOUR PRAYER MIGHT SOUND LIKE THIS… Forgive me of my sins Lord. Specifically, please forgive me for ____________. Please help me to hate sin the way You do. Help me to see it as rebellion against You. Help me to see my sin in light of what Christ has done for me, and help my heart to break over my unloving ways toward You and toward others. Please lead me away from temptation today Father. Keep me from toying with things that I know lead to rebellion against You. Increase my fear over these things, and especially help me to fear getting involved with anything that might damage my intimacy with You. Thank you for forgiving me Lord. Increase my faith in your forgiveness and heal me from the lie of trying to pay for my sins by making myself feel guilty. Show me how to walk rightly in this costly forgiveness that was made possible only by the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Help me to grasp forgiveness in such a way that I am inspired to obey You today out of the overflow of my thankfulness for what Christ has done for me. Thank you for choosing to forget my past failures and for not looking at me through my sin. Help me to do the same for others in my life as I seek to imitate You Lord. Thank you for forgiving me. I love you Lord. Amen.

PART SEVEN: Forgiveness

Suggested Reading: Matthew 18:15-35, Lev. 19:17-18
As we begin to grasp what forgiveness means in our own lives, we realize that we too must forgive like we have been forgiven. I find it helpful to remember that forgiveness is a decision, and it is also a process. We decide to forgive, and we also choose to stick with that decision day by day, out of our thankfulness to God. It may also help to recall that forgiveness and reconciliation are two totally different things. We are commanded to forgive, but reconciliation is not always possible, even where forgiveness has already occurred. Only Christ can accomplish true forgiveness in our lives, and it is only His forgiveness through us that keeps us from the bitterness, anger, rage and self obsession that always springs from a heart that refuses to forgive on God’s terms. Spend time now seeking Him for strength to forgive in ways that are pleasing to Him and helpful to you.

YOUR PRAYER MIGHT SOUND LIKE THIS… Dear Lord, is there anyone I have not forgiven? Search my heart Lord. Show me anyone or anything I have chosen to not forgive. (PAUSE in silence – looking to God). I give you that hurt right now Lord, because I don’t want it to be in my heart anymore. I don’t want it to work a work of evil in my life – causing me and those I love more pain and hurt. Forgive me for allowing that wrong to stay in my heart, festering like that Lord. Please remove that from my heart and carry that for me Lord – it is too heavy for me to bear any longer. And now show me how to be wise with this person or situation. If the person or people who hurt me do not believe they have, show me what to do about this. Please help me to place this wrong done to me entirely in Your hands. Help me to be ready to extend forgiveness as soon as they ask for it, and help me to be like You in that I never stop hoping for repentance where it is needed. Do you want me to lovingly confront this person or situation Lord (Luke 17:3)? Help me to be brave and give me the right heart attitude, the right opportunity, and the right way to go about it if so. Help me to do all things out of my love for You and my desire to please You. Help me to hope for reconciliation, even though it may not be possible. Give me wisdom Lord (James 1:5)! Help me to do the most loving thing and the most wise thing according to Your Word (Gal. 6:1). If I’m wrong about this person or situation, please show me my error Lord. Help me to look to my own sins before looking for the sins of others (Matt. 7:1-5), but please don’t allow my weakness or past failures to keep me from doing the right thing. If I need the input of a more mature believer, please show me who to talk to and how and when to bring it up. I am willing and wanting to forgive Lord, please help me to do so. Amen.

PART EIGHT: Trusting His Hand 

See the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13
Because God’s ways are so different from mine (Isaiah 55:8-9), I often have to pray for help in desiring His will more than I desire my own. You may also want to ask for help to trust Him, even when you don’t understand what He is doing. Ask Him to help you to believe He means to work all these things for good in your life (Romans 8:28). Talk to Him about ways you are having trouble believing this and ask for help with your unbelief. Ask for help to not be anxious (Phil. 4:6), especially as you walk with Him through those times when you do not understand His ways.

YOUR PRAYER MIGHT SOUND LIKE THIS… Dear Lord, help me to want Your will more than I want my own will. Increase my trust in You, so that I can desire what You desire for me and follow you in the day to day workings of my life. Sometimes it’s hard for me to trust You because I don’t always understand what You are doing or why You are leading in a certain direction. I especially am confused about ______________________. Help me to know that no matter what You decide to do, it will be meant for good toward me by You. I give You this thing now Lord, and I want to leave this thing with You so that I don’t worry about it all day long, and so that I can follow You through it, no matter what. Please help me now Lord to truly hand it over to You and to trust You with it. Please set a guard over my mind so that I can know Your peace, even when I don’t understand Your plan. I surrender my will to Your control Lord. Do with my life what seems best to You. I give you my circumstances, my finances, my future, my relationships, my job, my hopes, my dreams and my reputation. Speak to me clearly today Lord, through your Word, your people or directly to me in prayer if there is anything you want me to do in response to Your will for me. Give me eyes to see and ears to hear You as You lead me. Give me strength and wisdom to follow You Lord. Amen.

PART NINE: Scripture Memory

Suggested Reading: Mary’s Prayer: Luke 1:46-55
Memorizing Scripture is such a struggle for most of us, and yet is essential to obeying the Lord (Psalm 119:11). Take some time to share the verse you want to memorize with the Lord and ask for help to continue to memorize His Word in honor of Him.

YOUR PRAYER MIGHT SOUND LIKE THIS… Dear Lord, help me to memorize _______________________. Cause my mind to think of this verse often throughout the day today. Help me to be disciplined in actually trying to commit this verse to memory. Please cause Your Holy Spirit to use this verse in my life in ways that I can testify to. Help me to memorize this and many other verses so that I can call to mind Your Words all day long and thereby be helped in my pursuit of You. Amen.

PART TEN: Protection from evil

Suggested Reading: Ephesians 6:10-18 and Psalm 140
We live in a dark world (Eph. 6:12) and we need God’s protection and guidance in the midst of it (Romans 13:12). Take some time now to speak to the Lord about your need for His protection from evil.

YOUR PRAYER MIGHT SOUND LIKE THIS… Dear Father, please keep evil far from me and protect me from it Lord. Help me to have nothing to do with it. Help me to not look at it, laugh at it, linger around it, take it lightly or allow it into my home, heart or church. Help me to take a strong stand against those things that I KNOW are evil, hurtful and destructive. Help me to believe hell is real, and that real people go into it every day, never to leave again. Help me to avoid doing or saying anything today that might push a person further away from You. Forgive me for not loving my enemies, praying for those who persecute me, trying to snatch some from the fire, even if I get burned (Jude). Help me to love you so much, that it breaks my heart to participate in any form of evil (1 Thess. 5:22). Help me to hate sin, even if it means I miss out, fall behind or am left out of things I’d like to be included in. Help me to see that feeling sorry for myself can lead me into evil. Help me to refuse to listen to the lies of the enemy, and help me not to repeat any lies I have listened to in the past. Please set your angels to guard me today Lord, and to guard and protect all of my loved ones. Please be our Defender (Psalm 5:11), our Brush Breaker (Micah 2:13), our Dread Champion (Jeremiah 20:11), our Shepherd (Psalm 23) and our King (Psalm 44:4). Please go before me (Deut. 31:8), behind me (Isaiah 52:12), beside me (Psalm 23:4) and help me to know that you will never leave me (Hebrews 13:5) nor fail me (Deut. 31:6). Give me the ability to live this day like I believe these things about You Lord. Amen.

PART ELEVEN: Thanksgiving

Suggested Reading: Hannah’s prayer: 1 Samuel 2
Isn’t it amazing how unthankful we can be – even in the land of plenty? When our family went to Disney World just a couple years ago, it astonished us to find so many people who were definitely NOT having a magical day. It might help you to take the thankfulness quiz to find out where you are in terms of thankfulness. Being thankful is not automatic – it is a work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Take time now to be thankful in prayer, but also to seek the Lord to grow in your thankfulness to Him.

YOUR PRAYER MIGHT SOUND LIKE THIS… Dear Father, please show me new things to be thankful for (PAUSE in silence – looking to God). There are so many things to thank you for! Please forgive me for all the times You have provided for me and I have not thanked You or acknowledged things as coming from You. Thank you for your mercy toward me at times like that Lord, and your grace to continue to provide and care for me, despite my thanklessness. You are great and greatly to be praised! Thank you Lord. Thank you for giving me this prayer time and for causing me to get this far in the exercise. I also want to thank you for the following things you brought to my mind as I paused to consider all that you have done for me _________________. Please grow me in thankfulness Lord and help me to overflow with thanksgiving to You on a daily basis. Amen

PART TWELVE: PRAISE

To end your time of prayer, spend time praising Him. You can read a Psalm of praise to Him, or you could write a letter or a poem or sing your own song of praise to God.

“Be exalted above the heavens, O God; Let Your glory be above all the earth.” (Ps. 57:11)

Amen.
Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible®,Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973,1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission.”

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Jefferson Bethke: 19 Million YouTube Views Later

February 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment

From Justin Taylor:

Jeff Bethke has a long blog post reflecting on his viral video, that in one month took him from being almost completely unknown to being viewed 19 million times on YouTube, interviewed by Charlie Rose, critiqued by David Brooks in the NYT, featured onNightline, etc.

Here are a couple of excerpts.

On artists and local-church accountability:

Too many times artists play the “lone ranger” by submitting to no one except for themselves. I hope the people reading this and writing about me understand that with me this is not the case. I am fully submitted and under the leadership of elders at my local church, who I have given full authority in my life to pull the plug on certain poems, lines, and actions. Furthermore I have made a commitment from here on out to submit my lyrics for future poems to my church elders. On top of that I also have older godly men and women outside of my local church who do the same thing but maybe come from a different theological stream. I have spent countless hours these last couple weeks meeting, praying, and gleaning from these leaders in my life. I’ve asked them questions such as “do you think I was wrong?” or “where can I grow?” So I hope whoever reads this understands and trusts the leaders God has put in my life to do their scriptural mandate of protecting and shepherding over my heart because they will give an account (Hebrews 13:17-18).

About the pain of critique and slander:

About the actual critique though, I’ll be honest, there were times after it came out that I just started to crumble. The pain of critiques was too painful. . . . [T]he last couple weeks have been some of the most difficult in my life. Have they been rewarding? Sure. Have they been exciting? Sure. Have I seen God pour out His grace? Definitely! But the tone, words, and down right vitriol from fellow brothers and sisters in the faith have crushed me. I’m a 22 year old dude who has only been out of college 6 months, and who has only been walking with Jesus for a few years. I am beyond thankful to the older godly men who chose to pick up the phone and find ways to contact me privately, before discussing me publicly. I personally had to stop reading and trying to follow the blogs because Jesus showed me pretty quickly it wasn’t healthy for my heart (whether praise or critique). The ones I did come across stung. Some hardly even dealt with my content, but wrote more about my character, my salvation (or lack thereof), my looks, my poetry, etc. Part of me was extremely hurt, while part of me started to really wonder how blog posts fit into Jesus words in Matthew 12:36. Today, we understand that God will hold us accountable for what we speak, but we neglect that judgment a lot of times when behind a computer screen in a room by ourselves. Part of me trembles when I think about the day I stand before the King of Kings and He asks me to give an account for every careless word I’ve ever spoke, facebooked, or tweeted.

And his conclusion:

Lastly, I am thankful for grace. I am thankful that the Cross of Jesus met me where I am. I’m thankful that I don’t have to perform for Him, but rather He has performed for me. That’s the grace that drew me in the first place, and its that grace I cling to daily. How could I not after all He has done for me? He is worthy of all my worship. He is worthy of all glory. I pray to God that through all of this I would grow and pursue Him more deeply, cherish Him more fervently, and love Him more fiercely. This has been a once in a lifetime opportunity and my hope is to steward it well, remaining faithful, and pointing to Him!

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SixTen Retreat This Weekend!

February 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment

(Please note:  because we are having our retreat, we will not be meeting for class in the Blue Room at church this Sunday.  Please plan to join us next Sunday (2/19) as Pastor Nate resumes his teaching schedule).

This February 10-12 our SixTen fellowship group of young adults will be gathering at the Bongiorno Conference Center in Carlisle for a time of fellowship, reflection and worship.  This is our first ever young adults retreat!  We are excited to spend some extended time together, and also to hear from our special speaker Stephen Gregory, Pastor of Worship at West Shore.  We are also looking forward to hearing from several others during our Saturday workshops, covering topics such as worry, rest, hospitality, evangelism, God’s will and ecology.  We hope you will be there, but if not, we would appreciate your prayers for our time.  If you want to attend Saturday only – there may still be room for you to attend.  Cost is $50 for Saturday only which includes 3 meals and all of our Saturday activities and workshops.  Email Kim today if you are interested in attending Saturday only – you can bring  your payment with you that morning.

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Why do Christians Need to Know That “the Wages of Sin is Death”?

February 5, 2012 By Leave a Comment

In his epistle to the Romans, the Apostle Paul takes 16 chapters to lay out his case for justification and how fallen human beings can be in a right standing with God. He does this systematically by laying out our hopeless state in Romans 1 and 2. Whether Jew or Greek, all are under the curse of God because none has lived as he ought; all have turned aside and have not given thanks for what God has done. Together, the human population has become spiritually worthless because all have chosen to serve the creation rather than the Creator.

Paul hits a climax in chapter 3 when he expounds on justification. Although we have been disobedient, God has willed from eternity past that his Son should be the reckoning agent for all who trust in him. God was pleased to crush his Son, Jesus Christ, so that his wrath would not rest on his people (i.e. all who would believe in him) but would rest on his only Son. On the cross, Jesus was cursed by God because he took on our sin, and in exchange, we were given his righteousness. In this “great exchange” does our justification lie. As Christians, we can live lives that are pleasing to God; not due to our own works, but because of the faith that was bestowed upon us. In this faith and through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are able to be sanctified – which ultimately leads to eternal life.

All of this is embodied in the story God has written for us in Romans, and permeates through the Bible as a whole. But why is this grace so good? Why do we desire to praise God for all he has done? Why is this Lord of hosts worthy of our praise?

There are several answers to these questions, but for purposes of this post I’d like to answer it this way: Romans 6:23. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

We are bad. Even after we trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior we continue to be bad. We offend God, and dishonor his name when we sin and are not obedient to his law and Word. This verse teaches that apart from the gift of Christ, death is something we would actually earn, like a laborer earns his daily wage. Except, the wage of offending a holy God is eternal death. One notion put out by several scholars is that we come into this life with a certain “goodness” or merit that we can offer society. This type of theology asserts that we can please God “just as we are.” Nowhere in the Scriptures is this type of theology supported. Consistently and thoroughly, Paul outlines that no one does any good apart from Christ.

Note that Romans was not written to non-believers, but Christians. In Romans 1:7, Paul addresses the letter “to all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints.” The truth about death and how it relates to the wages of sin is not some idea reserved for unbelievers, but a reminder for Christians as well. Here are some wise words from pastor Tullian Tchividjian on this subject:

“Paul’s testimony demonstrates that even after God saves us, there is no part of us that becomes sin free–we remain sinful and imperfect in all of our capacities, in the ‘totality’ of our being. Even after God saves us, our thoughts, words, motives, deeds, and affections need the constant cleansing of Christ’s blood and the forgiveness that comes our way for free. This is what J.C. Ryle was getting at when he wrote, ‘Even the best things we do have something in them to be pardoned.’

While it is gloriously true for the Christian that there is nowhere Christ has not arrived by his Spirit, it is equally true that there is no part of any Christian in this life that is free of sin. Because of the totality of sins effect, therefore, we never outgrow our need for Christ’s finished work on our behalf–we never graduate beyond our desperate need for Christ’s righteousness and his strong and perfect blood-soaked plea ‘before the throne of God above.’”

Hear his words: we can never outgrow our need for Christ’s finished work on our behalf. Yes, we are bondage-free, Spirit-driven, grace-filled Christians. But we still sin. In order for us to cling to the cross, we need to remember our hopeless state without the cross. The second half of Romans 6:23 states that the “free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The free gift will never be sweet unless we remember the cold stone we were to receive in its stead. In other words, as Christians we not only need to believe what we are saved to, but what we are saved from. This is imperative, and in the end, the truth and beauty of the Gospel are at stake.

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