Thoughts from Pastor Bubba Stahl

Get Over It

2012-02-20T17:07:00.001-08:00

If you don’t get over it, you never will; Duh. One of the things we get hung up over is being upset over someone or something. There are several tried and failed ways of getting over it and there is one way the Bible reveals.

One of the tried and failed ways sounds like this, “…stuff it down… suck it up… get busy…it will soon take care of itself… it’s not that big a deal in the big scheme of things…just ignore it…” The reason this has failed is seen in a fact that builders of large projects know very well; if you fudge an inch here, it will be six feet off down there, and will become 20 feet off before the project is complete. Life is a bigger project than any building on earth. Holding on to being upset will only get worse and worse and worse. You can’t manage “upset.” It will grow on you.

Another tried and failed way is to blame other people. A problem comes up and we think all we need to do is to find who is to blame, knowing it is never you. Remember the guy in John 5:1-17 laying beside the pool of Bethesda for 38 years? Jesus asked him if he wanted to be made whole. What did he say? “No one will help me…someone always beats me into the water.” He blamed others for the condition he was in. Adam did the same thing in the garden, “…the woman that You gave me, she made me eat.” Please.

When you constantly blame others you make yourself the judge in order to avoid giving an account for your actions. You refuse an inalienable responsibility; you must give account to God. He created us with a response-ability. Blaming others is the first and most basic sin and character flaw.

Then there is the old, hash-it-over-with-others-you-and-I-are-friends-I’m-giving-it-to-you, method. This is also called the shared offense syndrome. When you hash over your upsets with friends, what you are really doing is trying to get support for your ill feelings and your right that “they” (those who are to blame) are wrong. You try to justify your actions which have been directed by hurt feelings. Feelings are very real and can be very wrong and misleading. When you share your offense with others, it grows larger in them and spreads.

There are others, but what is the one way to get over being upset that the Bible reveals? One simple word, repent. Simple, but not easy. Repent means you make a course change because you have gotten off course. One of the first things you learn in driver education is that you cannot keep your hands still on the steering wheel. You must always be making slight corrections because the car will drift. If you don’t correct it immediately, and carefully, the drift will put you in the ditch or into the path of an oncoming vehicle, a head-on path. After you learn how to do this you don’t even notice it much, but you are constantly making slight course corrections. This is what it means to repent.

Repentance is constantly making corrections because you have your eyes on the road (the Way, the Truth, the Life), and your mind on the destination (Colossians 3:1-4). In the Bible everything leads to repentance; God’s kindness to you leads to repentance (Romans 2:4), godly sorrow leads to repentance (2 Corinthians 7:10), miracles are for the purpose of pointing you to repent (Matthew 11:20ff), instead of saying “Wow, did you see that,” we are to say, “Woe is me for I am undone…” Current events are to lead us to repent (Luke 13:1-9). Good, bad, or boring, like driving, we are to be constantly making corrections. Repent. This will get you over it.

I'm Looking Forward to All of This Being Behind Me...

2012-01-30T15:13:00.000-08:00

Have you ever heard someone say that? What’s crazy is that it is already behind you!

There are several ways people look back. Some look back with a longing to go back. Back to “the good old days.” They usually say something like, “…it was so much better back when you-know-who wasn’t around…” or “...back before you-know-what happened…” or “...back when things were different…” Of course, things are different every day.

Others will look back with regret. This sounds something like, “…if only he would not have…” or “if only they would have…” or “…if only it would have been different…”

Still others will look back for fear of looking forward. This sounds like, “….but we have never done anything like that before…”

The Bible teaches us that there is only one way to look back; with gratitude. We can always look back and say, “Thank You, God! You are so good and have been so good to me!” Looking back with gratitude recognizes that the blessings that God gave you in the past are still with you today because they are eternal, like God. God and His blessings are related that way. Nothing that changes can change that. The only way to lose the blessings of the past is to lose your grateful heart for them today.

With all of the things that are changing in your life, know this; Being thankful is the only way to keep your eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ. Being thankful is the only way to mature in Christ-likeness. The only way to look forward is to be able to look back with a thankful heart.

Being thankful does not ignore the problems and difficulties of the past. Being thankful enables you to see that you were not alone during those problems and trials; God was with you and got you through it, victoriously and He is still with you today.

Try this; “I’m looking forward because I know that God has taken all of this that is behind me and has formed Christ in me with it. Thank You, God. You are awesome, amazing, and all-together GOOD!!!”

The Prosperity Gospel is Bankrupt and Needs a Bailout

2012-01-14T14:11:00.000-08:00

Have you ever heard of the “prosperity gospel?” What is that? It refers to the all-American message of success and accumulation, and it is bankrupt and needs a Biblical bailout! Praise God!!!

In our culture, success is usually measured by a lot of education, as in at least a college degree, if not post graduate degree; a good paying job, with benefits; a mortgage; good looks (usually meaning you have a membership at a health club regardless of whether you are healthy or not); two cars, some degree of recognition in the community (not with the police); and of course, storage space, for all of the stuff you don’t need but still hold on to just in case you might need it (we get attached to our things). In our culture “success” means that you do not struggle much; you have plenty of leisure time; things happen easy without delay or much effort. This is the American gospel of the abundant life, the prosperity gospel…and it has just about gone belly-up-bankrupt.

The Bible uses words like prosperous and abundance in a different way. Psalm 1 describes the blessed man as one who is prosperous, “…whatever he does, prospers.” The Hebrew word for “prosperous” is saleah (pronounced say-lee-ah). It has the basic meaning of being victorious over an enemy. It is built on a root word that means to break through, as in breaking through an enemy’s defenses. This has nothing to do with the accumulation of things. It has much to do with trusting in the strength and provision of the Lord God Almighty for victory over the world, the flesh, and the devil! God says, “…no weapon formed against you shall prosper.” Isaiah 54:17

This is the kind of blessing we need in America, a blessing of victory over sin and the sinful lifestyles that have destroyed the foundations upon which our nation was built. But the blessing of prosperity, of victory over the enemy, does not come without repentance from the way of the ungodly, from associations with the wicked, and from a disrespect of authority that is so prevalent in our country. The break through that is needed will not happen until we meditate on God’s Word and sink the roots of our faith deep into Christ, receive the Holy Spirit as our life and daily nourishment, and present ourselves daily at the cross where the death sentence of the flesh can be carried out.

Another interesting use of this word, saleah, prosper, in the Old Testament is when David was anointed as king, when he was just a boy, by Samuel; 1 Samuel 16:13. It says that at that moment the Holy Spirit rushed upon David. He prospered David.

May the Holy Spirit prosper you in 2012!

Knock Off Everything That is Not a Horse

2012-01-06T07:13:00.000-08:00

Michelangelo was one of the world's greatest artists and sculturers. He kept students around him constantatly who wanted to learn his talent. The story is told of how one day he stood with a student staring at a block of marble. The student said, "Master, what do you see?" Michelangelo said, "I see a magnificent horse. Can you see it?" The student just stared, wanting to, but not seeing what the artist could see. Finally, the student asked, "So how do we begin?" Michelangelo said, "We knock off everthing that is not a horse!"

This is exactly what God is doing in your life everyday, knocking off everything that is not Christ! But He will not do it without you. Everything good in your life, everything difficult in your life, everything triumphant in your life, everything tragic in your life, everything is a tool in the hand of God to form Christ in you, with you, through you, as you, in the world around you, for His own glory.

This is something to know, as James 1:2 instructs us. We do not rejoice in trials, we rejoice knowing something in the trials. What do we know? We know that the trial is in the hand of God. He is in control of it and He knows what He is doing with it in our lives. Not only do we rest in knowing that God has this thing under His control, we also know that God is using it to chip away everything of Adam in our lives. In Christ, we are in the creation, the new humanity, Jesus Christ. As we received our sin from Adam, in Christ, we receive our righteousness, God's righteousness, by faith in Jesus Christ. We are born from above and receive new life, a new spirit, from God. Jesus made this possible on the cross as evidenced by the empty tomb. But even in Christ, we still have much of Adam on us that needs to be chipped away. Some would call it the rough edges. The Bible calls it the flesh. It is death and it has no part in the new creation.

So how can I join up with what God is doing in my life today? Present yourself to the Lord everyday through prayerfulBiblestudy. The computer does not recognize this word, but it is one word in the Spirit, prayerfulBiblestudy. You cannot separte these. If you do, you will come up short of presenting your whole self, body, soul, and spirit, to God. Follow the lead of the Holy Spirit in your life as He convicts you, strengthens you, teaches you, and assures you. He will give you wisdom by His power at work in you, knocking off everything that is not Christ. It may be painful, but He is also the Comforter. Blessed be His Holy Name!

A Christmas Revival

2011-12-20T09:02:00.001-08:00

What would a Christmas revival look like? It would definitely be a gift from God. Only God can revive and bring back to life what has died. There would be an atmosphere of joy, joy for the world, Jesus Christ the Lord is here. Jesus and revival are inseparable. With the One you get the other. And peace. Peace is a presence, the presence of God, who is pleased to give revival. Praising and thanksgiving to God for the gift of revival would flavor everything.

Would all our problems go away? No, but there would be something greater than our problems, the hope and assurance that God is with us and that nothing is greater than Him. We would be able to see clearly the difference between what is temporary and what is eternal. We would know that God is working all things together, good and bad, in our lives for His glory, the eternal likeness of Jesus Christ in us! The glory of God from His own work in us would shine brighter and brighter.

Would everyone be in the revival? Probably not. When Jesus was born, many missed it, like Herod and the religious leaders. But not the wise men, the shepherds, Simeon, and Anna. They were never the same again. You know you have been in a revival when you are never the same again, which is why those of us who have been in one can’t rest until it comes again.

Some of us have dreamed lately of a Christmas revival. Dreams were part of the first one. Let’s pray for a Christmas revival. The word “Christmas” means “more of Christ,” and that’s revival!

David and Samson

2011-12-05T15:12:00.001-08:00

You may not have connected David and Samson before. Samson was born in Zorah, which is about 5 miles west of Bethlehem, David’s hometown (Judges 13-16). David fought Goliath in the valley of Elah between Azekah and Socoh, which is about five miles south of Zorah. Samson roamed this area, having several skirmishes with the Philistines and David fought the Philistine armies in this same area of Israel.

But David and Samson were very different. Samson was very strong and yet very weak. Before he was born the angel told his mother that he would be a Nazirite his whole life. This meant that he was not to drink any wine or strong drink, not cut his hair, nor go near anything dead (Numbers 6). But Samson was always hanging around Philistine parties (I’m sure they had stuff stronger than sparkling grape juice), he would eat honey out of the carcass of a lion, he killed people with dead donkey bones; but he did have long hair! His strength was a blessing from the Lord but was strictly physical. He was weak morally and spiritually.

David, on the other hand, was small and seemed weak, and yet was very strong. As a boy, he went up against Goliath and took on the whole army of the Philistines, with nothing but the Name of the LORD of hosts, which was enough. In his weakness he was strong in the LORD. Samson, strong and yet weak; David, weak and yet strong.

I look at our nation and I see a Samson, strong and yet very weak. I look at the little nation of Israel and I see a David, small and yet very strong. Our nation started out small and weak and yet strong in the Lord, but has become strong in itself and weak in the Lord. We must not wait until the end, like Samson, to cry out to God.

Today is the day of salvation for our nation. We must repent of our moral and spiritual failures and depend upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Let’s not trust in our blessings, let’s trust in the One who has graciously blessed us. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. God has blessed America. It is past time for America to bless God, again, like we started out; in our weakness our strength was in the Lord!

How to be a Sweet Fighter

2011-11-28T14:12:00.000-08:00

Sweet and fighter usually do not go together. We think of “sweet” as something soft and smooth and “fighter” as something rough and tough. And yet this is the essence of the meaning of the word that Paul uses in 2 Timothy 4:7 to describe the fight that he has fought. He said it was a sweet fight that he fought. In most translations the word is translated as “good,” and yet in other places in the Bible it is translated as “beautiful, admirable, and/or precious.”

What kind of fight is fought by a sweet fighter?

The Bible teaches us that we are engaged in a spiritual fight when we begin to follow Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. It says that we do not fight against flesh and blood, but “…against principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12). Some call this fight spiritual warfare. The key to spiritual fighting is found in the word that Paul uses in the Timothy passage; “good.”

This is the word that the Bible uses to describe God. God is good. And His Word is sweet, beautiful, precious, and good because He is. Fighting the good fight means that you fight according to the word and ways of God. How did Jesus defeat sin? By His righteous Life. How did He overcome hatred? With love. What did Jesus do when He came face-to-face with the envy, jealousy, and greed of the Pharisees? He stayed faithful to His Father and the mission He was on.

There was no meanness in the way Jesus fought, but there is power! Spiritual warfare is fought with the fruit of the Spirit. That is why Paul could call it the “good” fight that he fought. He was a beautiful fighter, a precious fighter, a sweet fighter because he fought from and with the victorious Life of Jesus Christ living in him, with him, through him, as him.

The word “good” in the Greek is a word describing something that is seen as good. You see, according to the meaning of this word, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And the Beholder in this case is God! He sees the fight that we are in and it is sweet in His eyes because He sees Himself in us as we fight with His weapons. He loves it because He won!

What about you? How do you fight? Let’s fight as sweet fighters, as beautiful fighters, as precious in the sight of our Lord. And in the end we will be able to say with Paul, “the sweet fight, I fought.”

Be a sweet fighter, go out there and giv’em Heaven!

A Tattooed Mind

2011-11-17T14:41:00.000-08:00

Webster’s dictionary defines a tattoo as an indelible mark or figure fixed upon the body by insertion of pigment under the skin or by production of scars. Tattoos are permanent. And they advertize with a constant message. Depending upon where they are put on the body, they can be covered up, but they cannot be removed.

Did you know that you can tattoo your mind with God’s Word? There is no greater discipline to change your mind than putting God’s Word to memory and meditating on it throughout the day. And just like a tattoo on your body, the tattoo on your mind will also be permanent and speak a constant message to you. It will shape the way you think and speak. Others will hear it just like others notice a tattoo on a person’s body.

But you can also cover it up with worry, fear, busy-ness, lust, pride, anger, and wandering boredom. It is a choice every day, just like getting dressed every day; you decide whether you are going to cover it up or not.

Try this: Take one verse a day, write it on a card, and memorize it for that day (Psalm 119 is a huge reservoir of verses). Meditate on it by exploring its meaning with prayer. Think about any songs or hymns you know that are based upon it. Turn it into a prayer for that day. Share it with someone else during the day. Let it be the last thing you think about as you go to sleep and the first thing you think about before your feet hit the floor in the morning.

Warning: You cannot stay the way you are if you practice this. Your mind will change. God will tattoo your mind and it will forever be there, not just in this life, but in the next one, too. Don’t try this if you are satisfied with your own thoughts. Don’t go near it. Don’t even experiment with it. It is addicting.

And I invite you to try it. You will never be the same again!

What are you full of?

2011-10-31T13:53:00.000-07:00

Whatever you are full of is what comes out when you are bumped, just like a full glass of water. Some are full of un-forgiveness because they have been bumped so much. Others are full of anger because at one time they were full of pain. They held on to it and it fermented into anger. Still others are full of worry because a bad experience was kept, nurtured, and grew into a tangled vine that has choked so just about everything into a worst-case-scenario.

Your eye will look for what your heart is full of. Your ear will pick up and tune into whatever is reverberating in your heart. If you are interested in (desiring) red pickup trucks, you will see them everywhere. If not, you won’t notice them even if they are right in front of you.

The Bible tells us to “…be filled with the Spirit…” and Jesus said, “…if anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink…out of his heart will flow rivers of living water…He said this about the Spirit, whom those who believe in Him would receive.” (John 7:37-39). You can be full of the Life of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit of God, living in you, with you, through you, as you, in the world around you.

Guess what comes out when you get bumped…Jesus; when you get falsely accused…Jesus; when you receive compliments…Jesus; when you are interrupted…Jesus; when you have to stop suddenly or start suddenly…Jesus; when everything is in a tail-spin…Jesus, Jesus, Jesus Christ!

When you squeeze a lemon, you get lemon juice. When you squeeze a Christian, you get…, well it all depends; it depends on what they are full of; could be sour or could be sweet.

Being filled with the Holy Spirit does not mean you get more of God, it means that He gets more of you. Don’t think of being filled with the Spirit as an empty glass being filled with a big pitcher of water; think of it as a fountain springing up from within you and flowing out to flood a desert; a river of Life from a Spring Whose source is God with you.

People who are filled with the Holy Spirit do not even know they are, but people around them sure do; there is a particular love, joy, peace, patience, kindness…about them and around them that calls attention to Jesus Christ.

Receive Jesus Christ today; in the Bible, in prayer, in serving, in everything you do, look for Him, listen to Him, live from Him and the world will experience Him, in you. You will get bumped, squeezed, tempted, knocked down, cursed, taken advantage of, stolen from, congratulated, blessed, and tested; if you are full of heaven, you will giv’em heaven! So be filled with the Spirit and then giv’em Heaven!

Hearing With Eyes and Seeing With Ears

2011-10-25T14:23:00.000-07:00

We have ears and eyes that can both see and hear, just like God. The Lord created us in His image. He can see and hear with His ears and He can hear and see with His eyes. How can that be?

Think how we do. Have you ever heard of “body language?” You can hear what a person is saying even when they are not saying anything. Have you ever heard someone say, “Do you see what I mean?”

When Jesus was teaching on prayer in Matthew 6:5-18, He said that when we pray, God sees us. “But when you pray…pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” He did not say that He hears you; He sees you. Imagine that. What do you think God is looking for when you pray? What does He hear when He sees you?

Next time you read your Bible, go to Genesis 4:1-7, the story of Cain and Abel and how God “…had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard.” The word translated regard is the Hebrew word, sa-ah, and means “to see.” God saw Abel’s sacrifice but He would not look on Cain’s. When God spoke to Cain about this in verse six, He told Cain that his countenance had fallen. Cain’s face was saying something to God and God’s face was not towards his sacrifice.

Hebrews 11:4 tells us that Abel’s sacrifice was given with faith and that he was commended by God as righteous; Cain’s was not. The word “commended” is the Greek word martyreo, and means to bear witness about something you have seen and experienced personally. God bore witness that Abel was righteous because He saw something in Abel’s life and sacrifice; He saw faith. This is what God is looking for when we offer up to Him a prayer, or praise, or offering.

Can you see it? Do you hear it?

“Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17.

Learning to Pray by Listening to God Talk

2011-10-18T13:57:00.000-07:00

The best way to learn a language is to listen to it. Children understand what is being said long before they start forming words that make sense. Prayer is like that. Luke tells us that a disciple was listening to Jesus pray and then asked Him, “Lord, teach us to pray…” (Luke 11:1). And Jesus gave him a model prayer to begin shaping his prayers.

Listening takes concentration, something many do not engage in when they are reading the Bible. The Bible is God’s word to us and for us. As you read the Bible, hear God speaking His word to you, and for you to pray back to Him. This is how a child learns to talk; by listening and saying back what he/she has just heard.

Try this: Each day, corresponding to the day of the month, read one of the Psalms, and pray it back to God. For example, if today is the 19^th, start with Psalm 19. Read, listen, and pray a different Psalm each day. If the month has 31 days, repeat it the next day to stay with the right date and Psalm. The last number will always match. In five months you will have prayed through the Psalms and can start over.

Psalm 119 is long, 176 verses long. But it is divided up into 22, eight-verse sections. The whole Psalm is a prayer. Along with the Psalm that you are praying for the day, take one of the sections from 119 and make it your prayer for that day. On day 23, either go back to the first section, or work your way back. In a month you will have prayed through this powerful prayer. After 12 times (1 year) through this Psalm your prayers will begin to sound different; you will begin to learn to pray by saying God’s word back to Him.

During this “listening and praying back what you hear” prayer time each day, the Lord will highlight a verse for you either from 119 or from your Psalm for the day. Write this one down on an index card and memorize it throughout the day for a continuous prayer experience.

This daily exercise will begin to shape your prayer life and words you speak to God in prayer. You will be learning to pray by listening. God’s word will reveal God’s will and before you know it, you will begin asking God for what He wants rather than trying to convince Him of what you want. When this happens, His will is done on earth as it is in heaven; by the spoken word! AMEN, AMEN.

AMEN and AMEN

2011-10-13T08:52:00.000-07:00

AMEN is a Hebrew word meaning, “This is true.” It is transliterated in several languages similar to the word Hallelujah, which is also a Hebrew word (Praise the LORD). We say AMEN, usually after something is said that we agree with during a conversation, or during a sermon. But Jesus would say it before He said something.

For example in John 3:3; “AMEN, AMEN, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” And in John 5:19, “AMEN, AMEN, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of His own accord, but only what He sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.” In some Bibles this AMEN is translated Truly, Truly or Verily, Verily. But why does Jesus say it first rather than at the end like we do, and why does He AMEN Himself?

Jesus said it first because before He said it, He heard it from the Father! He would hear the Father say it, then He would AMEN the Father, then He would say it. Jesus spoke what He heard the Father say, every time.

Have you ever had that experience? Ever said something that was so good you wanted to AMEN yourself because you knew you had not thought of it before and that it was not from you? Jesus said that this would happen to His followers; a word would be given to them in the hour they would need it (Matthew 10:20, Mark 13:11, Luke 12:11-12, 21:13-15).

Stay attentive to the Spirit of Christ who lives in you. He has things He wants the people around you to hear from Him and He knows that they will listen to you.

Indonesia Journal; Sunday and Monday

2011-09-26T04:32:00.000-07:00

25 September; Happy Sunday! 3 PM (internet has been down; it is Monday AM here)

What a Happy Sunday this has been! The Faith Baptist Church of Manado began 49 years ago. Today they celebrated their 49^th birthday, and man, do they know how to celebrate! This is the first Baptist church in Manado. It began by a group of young couples from the Dutch Reform Church, a very large and old denomination on this island. They had been attending the Baptist seminary on the island of Java. After their studies they discussed with their church leaders in the Dutch Reform Church some new ministries and mission ideas they wanted to begin. Their church did not want to make any changes so they met together and prayed for what God would have them to do.

After several weeks of prayer, they decided to start a Baptist church, the first one on the island of Sulewesi, in the city of Manado. Today there are over 350 churches in this fellowship which all started from this church, 49 years ago. About six of the charter members were present today and they had the greatest joy of anyone present.

The Faith Baptist Church has five “daughter” churches on the island and neighboring islands. These are mission churches that will become self supporting within a year or so, according to the pastor. The students were in charge of the music today and they led in what we know as a “contemporary” worship experience. And we also had a children’s choir, the church choir, a men’s choir (I got all of this on a camcorder; wait until you hear this men’s choir; unbelievable), and several solos and instrumental solos. I preached on prayer from Colossians 1:9-10 and how this church was birthed in a prayer meeting, has continued by the faithful prayers of the members, and will into the future on the foundation of prayer; prayer that is shaped and led by God’s Word. I told them that our church in Kingsland had just celebrated our 50^th and that we were now prayer partners with them since we share so much in common. They want a team of us to come back next year.

There was one group of men present from the island of Papua. They looked like Africans and they told me that all of the Papuans resemble Africans, but they are Indonesian. They were from a church that was started by the Faith Baptist Church many years ago. Back then, the island of Papua was very primitive. In some parts it still is. You have probably heard of Papua New Guinea. This is the same island and chain of islands.

I could really feel the presence of the Holy Spirit in their worship service. It was enthusiastic and exciting with the students leading it. There is a growing revival taking place among the young people on this island. I was looking around and the older people were right with the students as they sang and danced. Most of the songs were their contemporary songs but others I recognized as some that we sing. One in particular they really like; Lord You are good and Your mercy endures forever…we worship You, Hallelujah, Hallelujah; we worship You for who You are…You are good, all the time, all the time, You are good And they love singing The Banner of the Cross. I am requesting these two songs on Sunday, October 2, one for the early and the other for the late.

Then they had baby dedication. Three couples came up with their babies and family members and church members surrounded them and sang a beautiful prayer song over these babies, similar to the way the pastors did to the graduates on Friday. We came up for the offering (they come up and pass the plates), and then lit the birthday cake candles and went outside for a huge feast. Then, pictures. To say that they like to take pictures is an understatement. We took a lot of pictures. More pictures than at a wedding. Then they called everyone back into the sanctuary to present me with a gift and one for Beth. They wanted me to open mine but would not let me open Beth’s. They want me to take pictures of her opening her present and send it to them. I promised I would. They said they wanted us to bring a team back for their 50^th which they said is a big celebration. I can only imagine.

I have been in several church services in different countries over the past 30 years that during the service and afterwards I thought, “This is what heaven is like; thank You, Lord; this must be what heaven is like.” I was saying that today, over and over. Thank you for your prayers. One more entry; tomorrow morning just before I leave this place. Salamat Hari Minggu; Happy Happy Sunday!

26 September; Monday

Some of my thoughts as I get ready to go to the airport:

· As our friend, Pastor Ron Keener, likes to say, “God is always working upstream.” In January of this year, Beth began encouraging me to write some discipleship materials. I decided to begin by asking the Sunday morning Pastor’s Class to help me. I would write a section and we would study it together. They would give me suggestions and I would edit the material. About the same time I was invited to a meeting in Dallas to discuss mission work and the state convention. At that meeting I met Dr. Kim Hall, the pastor of Hunters Glen Baptist Church in Plano. He works with New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in several places in the world where rural pastors are taking classes to complete a Pastoral Ministry Certificate. He asked me if I would be interested in teaching some pastors in Indonesia in September. I was approved by the seminary as an adjunct professor and asked to prepare about 24 hours of material to cover a New Testament Survey class. By May of this year I had completed 14 weeks of discipleship materials with the Pastor’s class and had begun to compile my notes for the NT survey class. The Wednesday evening Bible study class helped me with this study. As the time got closer to leave for Indonesia, I decided to take along about 20 copies of Book 1 (first seven weeks of discipleship material) with a master copy just in case the pastors would be interested in it. When I arrived in Indonesia the dean of the seminary asked if I could teach something other than NT survey. He said that he was planning to teach NT survey next semester and wanted to draw in some of the local pastors to the seminary for on-going training. He gave me the choice of teaching Mark, Luke, Hebrews, or the parables of Jesus. I had survey materials on the three books but I also had a complete study guide on the parables, the miracles, and a word study in Hebrew and Greek on wisdom in Book 2 of the discipleship material. I told him I would like to teach on the parables. He was elated because the seminary had not offered a study on the parables in several years. Here is the point: Proverbs says, the horse is made ready for battle but the victory belongs to the LORD. I was all ready to teach NT survey but God had worked through Beth and the Pastor’s class to prepare the material that I would end up teaching this week; the parables of Jesus and wisdom. God knows who my NT survey class notes will be for; but it is already prepared. Thank you, Beth. Thank you, Pastor’s class. Thank you, God, for working upstream in our lives! Something else; I told the pastors and students that I had brought a seven-week Bible study guide for new believers to work through with a mentor. They told me that this was a big need among their churches. I gave them the copies and the master and left money to have it translated and copied with Salt Block Ministry funds. Before the week was out they had already made several more copies in English and the dean said it is written in simple enough English to use in their English as second language studies.

· There are huge differences in the world among people and no matter how different the culture, there are some things that people everywhere share in common. Children act the same in every culture. People’s eyes look the same with joy, sadness, boredom, and excitement in every culture. The gospel of Jesus Christ gives deep, abiding joy no matter what the culture. People need the Lord and when the gospel is preached they respond and are given the same Spirit in every culture. The differences in cultures are huge but not as huge as the fellowship in the Holy Spirit. This morning I was right at home in a church on the other side of the world from mine; I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit and was able to worship together with them even though I didn’t know the words or the music; I knew the Spirit among them. I have had the same experience in Uganda, Kenya, Bangladesh, China, Mexico, and the Philippines. Those cultures are as different as night and day with history, food, language, customs, and appearances, and yet Jesus Christ in us is the same. And people are hungry for the Bible in every culture. Being able to purchase and hand out Bibles for people hungry for God’s Word is overwhelming. They desire to have and study God’s Word. As I have taught in different places, the interest, the questions, the hunger is the same. Having God’s Spirit gives you a hunger for God’s Word. And faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ. Spiritual growth and a growing desire for God’s Word go hand-in-hand in every culture. Insights from the Lord in His Word are cross-cultural. The errors in mission work have come as missionaries have taught their own culture rather than insights in the Word from the Spirit.

· God has given the United States a responsibility of leadership in the world; a voice that is respected, that gives direction, that is desired. The problem is that our voice has changed and there is confusion in the world as the result. We have lost our moral compass but still have our place of leadership (only God knows for how much longer). The world has followed our economic disaster of spending what we do not have. The Bible is clear on tithing and saving and living a simple and sharing lifestyle. The world is reeling by following our lead in irresponsible stewardship. We began seeking after and trusting in the blessings and misplaced our “In God We Trust” motto. Our sexual immorality shocks “developing nations.” What is now accepted in the US is a million miles from the standard of the Bible. The problem is that the styles and trends are set by the US and Europe and are followed by the rest of the world. Western (US and Europe) influence in other countries is best described as sensual and inappropriate. What once caused embarrassment in our country still does in other countries among the Christians in those countries. The point is: We in the US must repent and pray for a spirit of repentance to shake out of our moral stupor and back to our spiritual senses before it is too late. We must return to what the Bible teaches about lifestyle, about disciplines, about morality that pleases the Father. We must pray that God re-sensitizes our embarrassment nerve and re-learn what is appropriate and inappropriate in God’s eyes regardless of the trends and styles.

· There is a revival going on among young people all over the world. It is encouraging to see the spiritual interest and hunger in people under the age of 30. Sound doctrine (Person and Work of Christ) is attractive to this crowd. They desire to know God personally not know about Him religiously. They are responding to Truth, because Truth is a Person, Jesus Christ. And pastors hunger for teaching from other pastors concerning spiritual truth and discipline.

· Cell phones, like Coca-Cola, have taken over the world! Everyone has a cell phone. And everyone is on the move and in a hurry to get there.

· One of the quickest ways to make friends in another country is to learn their greetings.

And prayer joins us together in what God has called us to do together. When you prayed about the excessive sweating I was experiencing, I got relief the next day! I still was sweating but not near like I was the first few days. It was a problem and was draining me by the end of the day. As you prayed I was strengthened. I was still sweating but it was not draining me, it was not a problem. And I have been healthy all week without any problems. God has shown me on this trip insights into His Word that I have never seen before. Thank you for your prayers. “…I thank God for you, praying for you…for your prayers for me and our fellowship the gospel…” Philippians 1:3-6.

I will see you on Sunday; I have more to share about this experience that I have not shared this week in this blog. Pray for empty seats on the plane!

Indonesia Journal; Saturday

2011-09-24T02:29:00.000-07:00

24 Sept. Saturday; 4:15 PM

This has been a day of relaxing and learning for me. Pastor Ferry, the president of the seminary, and Pastor Dickie, the elder pastor of this group, picked me up about 8:30 this morning. We drove up to the mountain lake that Ferry took me to last Saturday. Pastor Dickie is from this area. This mountain lake is high above Manado and is surrounded by five volcanoes.

I learned that the whole area is an old volcano and the lake was formed after the volcano stopped. The five small ones that surround it only “smoke.” The hot springs resort is a nice place with little cabins, a restaurant, a large meeting room, a few air conditioned rooms, several steam/hot springs rooms, and a large hot springs swimming pool. The hot springs rooms have a white tiled bath about the size of a king size bed and about four feet deep. The bath fills the room except for a small changing area just as you go in the door. The water comes straight out of hot springs beside the resort and is pumped into the resort by a six-inch pipe. The bath is filled and it is hot. There is another spout of warm water that you can cool it with. It is mineral water. After about 45 minutes you are ready to get out. But it is relaxing. Then we went to the pool which is not as hot and is even more relaxing. I enjoy the water anyway and this was very nice. The cost was about $5 for the three of us.

We ate lunch at the resort in a nice outside table by the lake. Since it is so high it is cooler than Manado. They brought out rice, two nice-sized grilled fish (head and all), some greens that have green-bean sized stalks that are very tasty, and another bowl of “meat.” I learned the first day to ask what kind of meat if it is meat other than fish. The Indonesians like all kinds of meats; snake, bat, mouse, rat, cat, dog, and you must ask because it all looks like chicken; it does not all taste like chicken, except the cat (they said), but then got into a discussion about how cat is really sweeter than chicken but not as sweet as crocodile. They were being serious and ended the discussion by informing me, “but some think it does taste like chicken.” I tried to tell them about that saying in the US but it got lost in the translation. By the way, the bowl of meat was chicken, and it was good.

I also learned something about one of the questions from yesterday from one of the pastors. I did not think much about the question but found out today that it was a serious question that they were very interested in. Their questions all begin with a long explanation of the question, then the question. The explanation was the setting for the feeding of the 5,000 (Matt. 14, Mk. 6, Luke 9, John 6). After everyone was fed the Bible says that there were 12 baskets of left overs. The question was this, “who got the baskets of left overs?” After the pastor asked, they all looked at me while my translator went through the explanation and question.

I said that the Bible does not say but maybe the little boy who offered his lunch of five loaves and two fish that started the feast (John gives that detail). I also said that someone may have not wanted the food left in the basket but the basket itself because of how much came out of it (a very “American” answer which I tried to explain that I was only kidding; lesson to remember, jokes don’t translate too well). My answer did not seem to satisfy them. I learned today what was behind the question.

In Indonesia they have a very important hospitality custom; prepare more food for guests than is necessary. The more that is left over honors the guest more. They find support for this from Proverbs that says don’t eat everything that is brought before you. They said in Indonesia it is a great honor to the guest for there to be much left over after the meal for it is then offered to the guest for his journey. This helped me because all week as we have gone out for the evening meal they have “over ordered” the food with a lot left over, then insisted that I take the left overs back to the hotel. Each time I would say that there was no place for me to store it and that I was so full anyway and I insisted that they divide it up and take it home to their families (each evening a small group of pastors would go with us to eat). They would receive the food with many “terimah kasi” which means “thank you.”

Now, back to the question. There has been in the past among Indonesian pastors much discussion over what the Bible does not say about this event; who took the left overs home? The basis of the question rests on the fact that on the surface it would seem that the Lord Jesus would be the one to honor, but He is seen by some as the host, not the quest. Others have argued over this question that since Jesus was from heaven He was a guest on earth. Then others come back with the fact of what Colossians states, that all things were created by Him and for Him, and so He is the owner, not the guest. They were hoping I would clear this discussion up once and for all. I failed; but what an interesting question. After learning all of this today, I am sticking with my original answer; I bet Jesus gave the left overs to the little boy to honor him for his sacrifice.

Tomorrow I am preaching in Edwin’s church, the dean of the seminary. And tomorrow evening I will pack and get ready for the long trip home. Tomorrow will probably be my last “Indonesia Journal” entry with a summary of thoughts and impressions I have had. Terimah Kasi for your prayers. For me, in about 12 hours it will be Selamat Hari Winggu (“Happy Sunday!”) They love Sunday here.

Indonesia Journal; Friday, Graduation Day

2011-09-23T02:25:00.000-07:00

23 September; Friday; 4:30 PM

Hard to describe the day; it was amazing. A spiritual high. When they told me that graduation was a big deal, their word for big deal was different than what I thought. Graduation is a big, big deal. Pastor Ferry picked me up about 8. We got to the school and people were already starting to arrive for the 9 AM service. The men were all in black and dark blue suits and the women were in formal dresses, like prom dresses. This was a big deal. I was way underdressed in my sport coat and wrangler slacks. I was wearing a tie but I was the only one not in a suit. The graduates and faculty were all getting into their full academic regalia.

There were 8 graduates. Some were receiving their bachelors degree and others the masters degree and others the pastoral certificate. Pastor Dickie, one of the elder pastors and teacher at the seminary, said that one man had been working on his degree for 14 years and was graduating today. For the others it has been a four-year journey.

Men from the government arrived, from their department of Christian education. Families and church families were all gathering in the school’s newly renovated chapel. It is a building with open windows, concrete floor, tin roof, chairs and wooden benches. By 9 the seminary teachers and I, along with the graduates were ready for the procession into the chapel. And it was hot today. We marched in behind the national flag and the school flag and took our seats on the stage. The graduates came in behind us, with the keyboard playing “And Can it Be,” an old Methodist hymn that has recently made it into the Baptist hymnal. It is a wonderful hymn on the love of God and the cross of Jesus Christ.

Introductions were made and the service began. The message was one of the first things on the program. I preached from 1 Timothy 4:16, a word for the graduates to pay close attention to their own spiritual growth and their doctrine, and to stay with it, with the promise of a great and joyous reward. Then a history of the school and its mission and vision from the president, Pastor Ferry. They introduced each graduate and we sang several songs. By about 10:30 I was sweating so much I thought, why go to the hot springs tomorrow, I feel like I am already there. It was hot, but no one seemed to mind. I noticed that they don’t sweat much. Everything was done very meticulously and intentional and with great awe and respect. This was a big deal.

They handed out the diplomas and Bibles (thank you FBC Kingsland) and the student who was recognized as Magna Cum Laude gave a speech. Then one of the men from the government spoke, then came the highlight of the service. Pastor Dickie went down and called the graduates to come and kneel while the faculty along with several pastors from the congregation encircled them. They surrounded them with prayer, singing a beautiful prayer, very softly over them. Then the pastors all extended their hands over the graduates and Pastor Dickie led in prayer. They pray a long time as I have already mentioned. This was a long prayer and I could tell by the “AMEN”s and the tears it was a meaningful one as well.

After the prayer everyone took their seats and one of the faculty gave a blessing. Then they arranged the graduates in the middle and the faculty on either side of them for pictures. I stepped away but they insisted that I get in the pictures. Then we spread out along the front and one by one, from the congregation the people came by and shook everyone’s hand. This took a while, then more pictures and then we all went next door to Pastor Ferry’s church, the Hope Baptist Church where I preached last Sunday and had a huge meal together.

After the fellowship the pastors and their wives gathered back in the chapel for a Q&A time with me. The questions these pastors asked were so insightful and challenging. I have done this in Uganda, in China, and in Bangladesh. It never ceases to amaze me the similar questions, struggles, and joys that pastors have no matter what country and culture they serve in. And they all have questions about America. One pastor asked what kind of spiritual impact 9/11/01 has had on the US. Another said that he had heard that in some of the states they were recognizing homosexual marriages and wondered if it was true. Another asked how the economy had effected the giving of the church members and how the church was responding to the world recession. Another wanted to know what the role of the pastor’s wife was in the US churches. Another asked what I thought about a pastor who was not making enough money in his small church and if he would be compromising if he took a second job. There is not enough space to share with you how I shared with them but it was a wonderful time together. And they also asked if I knew Governor Rick Perry.

I asked them about their missions program because I had heard that the church in Indonesia was becoming very missionary. They shared their vision for church planting and reaching every tribe on every island in Indonesia. There are thousands of islands in Indonesia, spread across thousands of miles of ocean. Pastor Ferry’s church has a preaching point with a young pastor on one of those islands that is a 24-hour ferry boat ride away. They said that it is called a preaching point until it has 30 families, then it becomes a church. The mother church supports the pastor until then, after 30 families, the church takes care of the pastor. We handed out Bibles to the pastors (thank you Burnet/Llano Baptist Association) and took more pictures. After these questions and answers we promised to pray for each other and to join together in praying for revival.

The pastors and students in my class then went to the classroom and took their final exam. Pastor Ferry is going to pick me up in the morning for a day at the hot springs “up on the mountain.” I found out today that “the mountain” is right beside one of their active volcanoes. They said not to worry, it’s just a small volcano. It has been an amazing day. Thank you for your prayers, and “thank you, God, for Your amazing love in Jesus Christ and for His Beautiful Bride, the Church.”

Indonesia Journal; Thursday

2011-09-22T01:41:00.000-07:00

22 Sept. Thursday; 5 PM

Back in the room after a full day of teaching. We finished the parables this afternoon. Tomorrow morning is a graduation service and tomorrow afternoon is the test for this class. The students that took this class for credit must pass the test and turn in the assignments from the class. There are eight students graduating. The whole school is involved. It is a big deal. They have asked me to preach the sermon tomorrow. I plan to share a message from 1 Timothy 4:16.

This school is called (in English) The Higher Education Theological Institute of Indonesia. It began in 1971 by a pastor, in his church, on this island. Back then it was called the Baptist Theological Seminary. Before 1971 there was one Baptist seminary in Jakarta on the island of Java. There are five big islands in Indonesia and thousands of small ones. Sulewesi is the name of this island. The pastors from this island had to travel by boat to Java to go to seminary. It is a five-day journey by boat. The pastor that started this school graduated from the Java seminary in 1968 and began this school in his church 1971 on Sulewesi Island.

Later that year the churches on Sulewesia Island and the surrounding islands formed their own fellowship of churches. There are now over 300 churches in that fellowship. Within a few years the school had outgrown the church and land was purchased in Manado and buildings were built. Once I figure out how to get the pictures from the camera to the computer and on to facebook, you will be able to see the present buildings and classrooms. This may have to wait until I can ask someone born after 1977. Those people know how to do stuff like that.

After the school moved to its present location they changed the name in order to take “Baptist” out of the name. There were so many other pastors from other denominations who wanted to attend but could not because of the name. So, they changed the name and enrollment went up. In my class this week there have been four different denominations represented; some are students and others are pastors that have already graduated but wanted to take the class on the parables of Jesus.

The founding pastor of the school is still a pastor and is the president of their convention of churches. He has attended my class each day, taking notes and asking questions right along with the other pastors and students. Pastor Ferry, my host, is now the president of the seminary (his picture will be on my facebook page as soon as…you know). Everyone on staff at the seminary is Indonesian. It is and has been an indigenous seminary from the very beginning. They offer the Pastoral Ministry Certificate, a Bachelor of Theology, and a Masters of Theology. They are working with the government right now to get approval for a doctoral program. Pastor Ferry is about to complete his PhD.

Tomorrow afternoon while the students are taking their exam they have invited pastors from around the area to meet with me in a kind of round table Q&A time. I am looking forward to that. Then on Saturday, pastor Ferry said that he wants to take me up on the mountain to a hot springs area. He said it is very relaxing. I am looking forward to that, too. On Sunday I am preaching in another church in Manado and then heading home on Monday. Tomorrow we will give out the Bibles. Everyone is very excited about that. Some of their Bibles are worn out and some do not even have one. I have noticed that they do not write in their Bibles. Thank you for your prayers.

Indonesia Journal; Wednesday

2011-09-21T02:20:00.001-07:00

21 September, Wednesday; 5 PM

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your prayers! Today I didn’t sweat through my clothes! I got just as excited but I just didn’t sweat near as much as I have been sweating. Thank you for praying. I asked the pastors if it was not as hot today, but they said no, it stays this hot all the time. I just didn’t sweat as much. It made the day much easier.

We began at 8 AM with our song and began looking at the parables of grace from the time of the feeding of the 5,000 to Palm Sunday and the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Most of these parables come from Luke’s gospel. He emphasizes in his gospel the teaching of the grace of God. But Matthew has a few of these grace parables too. The hour before lunch we were looking at Matthew 20:1-16, the parable of the laborers and how the last shall be first and the first shall be last. Jesus said that the owner of a vineyard hired laborers at the beginning of the day and agreed with them for 1 denarius for the day’s wage. Then he hired more at 9, then more at noon, others at 3, and finally with one hour left in the day, hired more. Then he started paying the last first and paid them a full day’s wage, as he did the others; 1 denarius for each of the laborers. The last ones, who were the first ones hired protested, expecting to receive more since they worked all day while the last ones hired received the same amount for only one hour of work. The owner scolded the first ones hired reminding them that he paid them what they had agreed upon and asked why they were upset with his generosity. Then the startling statement, “Take what belongs to you and go.”

We talked about why this was right in God’s eyes and did not seem right in man’s eyes and how grace does not seem to be fair and yet it is more fair and right than we can imagine. We discussed how this can get applied in a business. Jesus is not rewarding laziness nor is He condemning hard work. But there will always be some that are paid more than others and some who will work harder than others. But the point of the parables of grace focus upon the King and His graciousness.

We retold the story for it to have a different ending with the same message, the message of grace. We acted it out with the first ones hired being at the end of the paying line and wondering what the owner way up to by paying in that order, last first, first last. The last in line were amazed at the generosity of the owner and were happy that the last ones hired were blessed with a full day’s wage. Then the last ones received their payment, but said with joy, “Master, you are amazing. All day long we have been with you, watching you work with us, going out to hire others to come and help us, going after others as the day went on to ease our burdens as we grew weary. We knew you to be a kind and generous man and now you have blessed us by allowing us to see your graciousness in giving those hired last so much. But they missed out on something we have enjoyed…being with you for a whole day. Being with you all this time has been our bonus, something they missed out on.”

We all agreed that this was the way the story could have ended. Then something amazing and very funny happened. On Monday I handed out 20 copies of my discipleship materials, Book One, a seven week Bible study guide. Those of you who are in the Pastor’s Class on Sunday morning remember Book One. There were not enough copies so I gave the master copy to the dean and told him to make some more copies at a store. These pastors have been sitting under my teaching Monday, Tuesday, and half a day today, a total of 16 hours so far. During the break at 11 AM several new pastors arrived. At noon when we were ready to break for lunch the dean came in with the new copies of Book One. We called the students up who had not received one on Monday, and still had several copies and started handing them out to the students who just arrived. One of the pastors who had been in class from the beginning said something, which the others quickly responded to, then the whole place burst into laughter. You probably already know what was said, but they could hardly wait to interpret for me. They said that the one pastor asked, “Is he going to give those new guys a book? They just got here.” To which the others responded, “Have you been asleep for the past hour? We just learned about the danger of begrudging generosity.” Then the first pastor said with laughing embarrassment, “I repent of my sin, don’t take my book away!” We all agreed that this is why the crowds grew with parables of the Kingdom and then started dwindling when Jesus told the parables of grace; some don’t like God’s grace; it doesn’t seem right, but God is always right.

We (the pastors and I) are having a good time together, learning together from the parables of Jesus. Tomorrow, the parables of judgment from the last week of Jesus’ life before His resurrection. See if you can identify them. These parables did more than thin out the crowds, it drove them away and led to the most horrendous act of all; betrayal, false accusations, and crucifixion. I pray you will have a good Wednesday; I sure have.

Indonesia Journal; Tuesday

2011-09-20T03:11:00.000-07:00

20 Sept. Tuesday 5 PM

Today has been a long and good day. Pastor Ferry picked me up at 7:30 AM this morning and class began at 8 sharp. There are a few more pastors present today and some of the staff from the administration building are also in attendance. We begin each class session with a song and a prayer. The students that are taking the course for credit have assignments each day. One of the assignments from Monday was to memorize Hebrews 5:14 and a verse from Psalm 119. We studied the Hebrew word Bayin which means “understanding, insight, perception.” Psalm 119:27, 34, 73, 104, and 130 all have the word Bayin in it. They were to choose one of those verses and memorize it along with Hebrews 5:14. After our opening song and prayer this morning it was time for the test; reciting two verses of Scripture by heart. One by one they stood and quoted these verses.

I taught them on Monday to write down the verse on a card or piece of paper, which they did. Just before they would get up for their turn, they would check one more time. The rest of the students would give them such a hard time with this. They all had more fun and laughed so much during this testing time and they helped each other. They also graded each other. After each one was finished the rest of the class would yell out a grade; “85…76…60…0…98…” laughing each time. I had not planned on this being something that ended up being so much fun.

They also had the assignment of identifying all of the parables of Jesus in Matthew, Mark, and Luke from the baptism of Jesus to the feeding of the 5,000. These are all parables of the Kingdom, the origin, the nature, the outcome of the Kingdom. This was also the most popular time of the ministry of Jesus. The crowds grew and grew during this period of His ministry. They found all ten parables and we discussed each one and identified the truth of what each parable teaches about the Kingdom of God.

We followed the same schedule as yesterday, teaching for an hour, ten minutes of questions, a 5-10 break, then teaching, questions, break. At noon we stopped for lunch, and began again at 1 PM sharp. We covered all ten parables as well as some of the ways of God and the difference between doing the will of God and God doing His will in you, with you, through you, as you, in the world around you. They really got into that teaching. It came out of the 9^th parable from Matthew 13:47-50, how the Kingdom is like a net that gathers in all kinds of fish and in the end they are separated, good from bad. The point was that there are many people in the Kingdom but the Kingdom is not in them, and this will not be uncovered until the end.

We went to Matthew 7:21-23 where Jesus said “Not everyone who says Lord, Lord, will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven…Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name…I will declare to them, Depart from Me you workers of iniquity, I never knew you.” We identified those activities as good deeds but done in their own power and for their own glory (they bragged about them, desiring some recognition or glory for doing them). I told them the worse kind of flesh is good flesh, educated flesh, polite flesh… but it still just flesh. They got it. God does His own will in our lives by His own Word in our lives, and His Word bears fruit, fruit that remains, a great harvest. I asked them this question: What is the fruit of the Word in our lives? It is the Word! When the translator said it, one of the pastors in the back stood up and shouted “Hallelujah, Hallelujah!” It was a great moment for me to see the revealed truth of the Word connect with someone so immediately and so joyously.

The only problem I am having, (not really a problem) is the heat and the humidity. I actually don’t mind the heat or the humidity but I am not accustom to working in it like I used to when I worked in it for a living (prior to August 7, 1982). They have a fan for me, which helps a lot. And I am drinking lots of water.

Their assignment for tomorrow; find and identify the parables of Jesus from the feeding of the 5,000 to the triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. What do these parables teach? This is when the crowds started to thin out. Since it has started getting dark here but morning in Texas I will say Salamat pagi (good morning) and Puji Tuhan, Praise the Lord! Hope you have a good day today, I have already.

Indonesia Journal; Monday

2011-09-19T04:30:00.000-07:00

19 Sept. Monday 6 PM

The Manado Quality Hotel includes a full breakfast buffet with the room rate ($50/night). This buffet is like a Sunday brunch at a nice country club (Tapatio Springs, Fair Oaks Ranch, the Dominion, Corpus Christi Country Club). You can get a variety of omelets, salads, vegetables, four or five different kinds of meats (fried, grilled, stewed), fresh fruits, rice, potatoes, beans, breads, soups, and desserts. Then there is a section called “traditional Indonesian treats.” In other words, this breakfast buffet has just about everything you can image and some things you can’t imagine. The chiefs will even fry you two eggs, over-medium, with wheat toast and strawberry jelly. The coffee (kopi) is some of the best I have ever had. They begin serving at 6 AM. It gets daylight around 5:15 and it gets dark about 5:15. At 6 AM there are already shadows; it is full light. So, this is how my day begins, early. And it ends early (it is already completely dark outside at 6:10 PM).

We arrived at the seminary at 8:45 and started teaching about 9:30. We were suppose to begin at 9 but they told me they follow “rubber” time in Indonesia. This means “flexible,” or in other words, they don’t start until everyone gets there. The students were there but the pastors were slow arriving. Many of them had to come from far away. Many did not get there until after lunch. We heard that some will not be able to get there until tomorrow. I taught for an hour, fielded questions for 10 minutes, then took a 10 minute break. We followed that schedule until after 12 when we broke for lunch. The pastors and students are very attentive and are quick to ask questions. They laugh easily and have been taught the Word. Many can understand English although they cannot speak it very well. I had two different interpreters, one for the morning and one for the afternoon. We started up after lunch about 1:30.

The seminary buildings also serve as offices for the Indonesia Baptist Convention. This is a fellowship of about 350 churches across Indonesia. I met the president and some of the officers of the convention this morning. They told me that the president of the Asia Baptist Convention was coming today and wanted me to meet him. They said that he would be staying in Manado today and tomorrow on his way to a Baptist congress that is being held on Wednesday on another island. About 3 PM, pastor Ferry got a call telling him to bring me to the lunch they were having for this president of the Asian Baptist Convention. The pastors and students excused me and pastor Ferry and I went about five blocks away to a very nice house where the Indonesian Baptist Convention officers and several other people were waiting for this Asian convention president.

When he drove up they gave him the VIP treatment. They penned some nice flowers on his lapel, welcomed him with a glass of juice; really rolled out the red carpet. When he came into the room he immediately came over to me and asked where I was from and what I was doing in Indonesia. I told him I was from Kingsland in the heart of the hill country of Texas and that I was teaching pastors in the seminary. He asked if that was near Austin. He said he had been to Texas a number of times, to Houston and Dallas, but had never been to the hill country of central Texas. I asked him where he was from and he said from Nagaland in northeastern India. I told him that I had been to Bangladesh, just below Nagaland and that I hoped to visit Nagaland because I had heard about the strong Baptist influence there. He said that he represented 1.4 million Baptist in that region of India and gave me his card. He was introduced to the other people in the room and they began to eat. Pastor Ferry and I excused ourselves to go back to the seminary where the pastors and students were waiting. This took about 45 minutes out of our teaching time. When we got back to the seminary, I told the pastors that we got back as quick as we could. I told them that after the introductions I asked to be excused because there was a whole room full of VIPs waiting for me at the seminary, Very Important Pastors. The pastors all liked that.

We covered just about all of the material that I had planned for today by about 4:30 and it started to rain really hard. On our way back to the hotel we got into some deep water. It was at the bottom of one of the inclines and the runoff had not had time to runoff. Pastor Ferry said, “Don’t worry pastor Charles, it is only a small flood.” It may have been his accent, but it really struck me as funny.

It is very humid and hot. I am sweating a lot, but I then always do as many of you know. Today I sweat through everything twice. Beth packed me some gator-aid mix and I am drinking a lot of water. Pray for the remaining pastors to arrive safely and for everyone’s health. I’m just about back to a full sleep cycle and I can feel your prayers. God gave me insights today from His Word as I taught that overwhelmed me; things I had never thought of before about the parables of Jesus. Thank you for your prayers. The pastors and students are benefitting from them.

Indonesia Journal; Sunday

2011-09-18T15:15:00.000-07:00

18 September, Sunday 9 PM:

The hotel I am staying in is called the Manado Quality Hotel. It is owned by Chinese. As you walk in the main entrance you walk past two lions, typical of all Chinese buildings. When I was in China I learned about these lions. They represent the philosophy of Communist China. The one on the right has his right paw on a ball that is slightly flattened. This represents balance and control as in someone who push down on a ball without rolling off of it. The lion on the left has his left paw on top of a small lion that is on its back. This represents domination of all of the other governments; control and domination. This is the opposite of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He sets us free from the dominion and control of the world, the flesh, and the devil. The Holy Spirit lives in us, with us, through us, as us, in the world around us inviting us to join Him in lifting up the Lord Jesus Christ.

The people who work in the hotel are Indonesian and are very friendly and nice. They know that I am a pastor and most of them have shared with me that they are Christian. I have learned the greetings, “Good morning, how are you, please, thank you…” As I greeted the hotel workers in the lobby they came back with a new greeting. I asked what it meant and they said, “Happy Sunday!” They said that Sunday is special day on this island and that it has its own greeting, “Happy Sunday!”

Pastor Ferry picked me up at 9 AM and we drove to his church, the Hope Baptist Church. It is a concrete structure on a steep incline. Everything on this island is on a steep incline. I noticed the first day that there were no bicycles but thousands of motorcycles. The CMA would have a field day here although these motorcycles are the small economy size. The Hope Baptist Church has about 100 members in attendance which are mostly young people in their 20s. the building is all concrete with a flat roof, a half wall with open windows (no windows), and four doors. Down the middle isle are concrete columns. One is right in front of the pulpit and has a small fan mounted at the top pointed down, right on the preacher. That was nice.

Before the service started it started to rain, a soft, slow, constant rain. I prayed for it to spread to Texas. It rained like that the whole service. We started the service with a prayer chorus and prayed silently for about 10 minutes which is a long time to pray silently. Then the pastor led in a long prayer. We sang a few hymns, no instruments, and had another prayer. We read out loud Psalm 40, the men would read one verse together, then the women would read the next; responsive reading. We prayed again, and sang another hymn. They had three offering boxes on the table in front of the column in front of the pulpit, all three labeled. During the offering hymn people came up and put their offerings in one or more of the boxes. Pastor Ferry explained to me that there is a tithe offering, a “social” offering for ministries, and one for the operations of the church. Then they came around with an offering bag, which is divided up among all three.

Then they had “prayer time.” We had already spent about 20 minutes in prayer and by the time the prayer time was over we had spent about 30 minutes in prayer together. I preached from Judges 14 on Samson and how the gifts of God are given with instructions from God and about the Nazarite vow and how God’s Word addresses our spirit, mind, and body. With the interpretation is lasted about 45 minutes. Pastor Ferry said this is the length of most of his sermons. The invitation time was another prayer time. We sang, dismissed in a long prayer, and stood around and visited for about 40 minutes. Then we all went out (about half of the congregation) to a Chinese restaurant for lunch. Got back to the hotel about 3 and worked on the materials for the study on the parables and Pastor Ferry picked me up about 6:30 for the evening service.

The evening service is not at the church, it is at a member’s home. About half of us were inside and half outside in folding chairs from the church. There were two men with guitars inside and we sang songs (not hymns) and prayed for about 40 minutes. Their singing in the evening is different than the morning. They clapped, sang in harmony, had prayer songs, all with the two guitars which were out of tune. You couldn’t hear them much for the loud singing. It reminded me of the church services in Mexico and along the border. The Indonesia language also sounds similar to Spanish. I felt like I was back in El Indio in the mission. We had a ladies choir, then a men’s choir, then prayer time. Pastor Ferry preached in the door way from 1 Chronicles 6:4-8. I had never heard a sermon on that passage before. Since he did not interpret it, I don’t know what it was about. The only part in English was the Scripture reference. I asked him later what his message was about and he said it was about how God knows our name and has purpose for everything He does in our lives. If you have time look that Scripture up and see what he means. Pastor Ferry preaches through books several verses at a time. At the end of the service they brought in food, all kinds of food and a whole ice chest full of rice. It reminded me of the hospitality of the Ugandan churches with several different kinds of food. Pastor Ferry was kind to point out which ones were “hot” for me to avoid. He also told me not to worry that they had not prepared snake for that night. He said the story goes that if Adam and Eve would have been Indonesian, the Garden of Eden story would have had a different outcome; they would have eaten the snake! He also said that many on his island don’t like snake but since the others do, there aren’t that many.

Got back to the hotel about 8:30. The internet is not working at the hotel and my computer is not charging like it is suppose to. Will try to post this in the morning. Thank you for your prayers. Happy Sunday!

Indonesia Journal

2011-09-17T03:49:00.000-07:00

17 Sept. Saturday, 6 PM:

Pastor Ferry picked me up around 9:30 this morning and we just got back from a tour of the island. Before he came this morning I got a good language lesson from some of the hotel people. I learned all of the basic words, I call them the foundation words; good morning, please, thank you, good, praise the Lord, coffee, water, and bread. You can almost be fluent with those. When we left Manado this morning we drove up a narrow hairpin road for about an hour; straight up a mountain road to the “flower city” which is beside an active volcano. It was amazing to me how high we went and how all along the way there were houses built on these steep mountain sides. These mountains are covered with thick timber, bamboo, palms, and jungle thickets, with beautiful boganvilla, high biscus, and colorful floral plants. In the flower city there were flower shops everywhere. The volcano had a column of smoke coming out of the side. Pastor Ferry said it is like that year round. His church has a mission in the city. I met Pastor Tgenge and his wife Nopha. Pastor Tgenge graduated from the seminary about two years ago and his wife is attending now. They will both be in the classes on Monday. The house church they started has about 10-15 and growing. This is one of three missions Pastor Ferry’s church sponsors. One is on an island towards the Philippines, a 24-hour ferry ride away.

From the flower city we continued to go up on hairpen turns until we reached a huge lake, larger than Lake Bucchanan, called Tondano Lake area. It is surrounded by five volcanos, all active. The lake is surrounded by huge rice fields. We ate lunch in a little “fish café,” fish, rice, fried corn, greens, and pancakes called “10,000 fish patties.” Ferry said each one has 10,000 tiny fish in it. It tasted fishy. Then we visited an important site called Love Mountain. The government has a park there dedicated to the five religions on the island, Catholic, Protestant, Islam, Hindu, and Buddhist. It is an ancient site of reconciliation with old rock carvings and hot springs steaming out of the mountain side. There are small churches and other prayer sites. Ferry said that long ago there were seven tribes on the island. They met there and divided up the island for each tribe to live there in peace. The government made a park there to encourage the five religions to respect each other and live in peace. There is a huge monument there with a dove and the globe on top. From there we traveled down, down, down, back to Manado. We also saw the third largest statue of Jesus in the world. It is one of the things Manado is known for.

I also learned that the pastors and students have requested that I teach on the parables of Jesus rather than NT survey. All of the pastors who are arriving have already had NT survey and the dean of the seminary said that he can teach NT survey to the students next semester if I was willing to teach on the parables. He said it had been a long time since they had offered a class on the parables. One of the things I stress in mission trip training is to be prepared to change your plans. I have also been working on some discipleship training materials for the past several months and part of it has been on the parables (book 2 week 1 for those who are in my Sunday morning pastor’s class), so I said “Yes, no problem.” I will preach tomorrow morning and then spend the afternoon getting the material on the parables ready. Class begins Monday morning, 9-12, then 1-4 in the afternoon. Tuesday – Thursday, 8-12, and 1-3 in the afternoon. On Friday I will preach the graduation message…unless there is a change of plans. Looking forward to the Lord’s Day and the week ahead.

Indonesia Journal

2011-09-16T15:25:00.000-07:00

Indonesia Mission Trip Journal

September 14-27, 2011

15 Sept. Thursday; 3:39 PM; Moscow

Just left Moscow. Arrived at 1:30 PM, which was 4:30 AM our time. It is now 6:40 AM in Kingsland, nine hours difference. Moscow airport reminded me of a third-world airport. Most of the people reminded me of spy characters from a James Bond movie. Some were reading The Help. They did not accept US dollars in the airport stores. I was hoping they would so I could get some Rupels in change. Had good flight from Houston to Moscow. Had three seats to myself and was able to get some sleep. It was a 10 hour flight. A bit bumpy, up and down and side to side. Beth would not have liked it. For me it was not too bad and it smoothed out after a few hours. Seeing all of the different people in the airport reminded me of Revelation 7 where it describes people from every nation, tribe, and tongue, standing before the throne with palm branches, singing, “Salvation belongs to our God…” The only difference is that the people here do not have joy on their faces like the ones we will one day see in heaven. Everyone here in the Moscow airport has a “down” look. I have been quiet and see it as a kind of fast in preparation for a week of talking next week.

16 Sept. Friday; 7:15 AM; Singapore.

This is the nicest airport I have ever been in. Had a good flight from Moscow to Singapore. Same seat, 54, third from the back row. Didn’t have three seats this time. Did have the one next to me which made it nice. Slept some. Thought about taking a picture of the bathroom here. Cleanest, nicest one I have ever seen. I have never thought about taking a picture of a bathroom before and did not want to start, but it was clean. Drank some coffee and water just to go back in before I left. Will board in about an hour. Free internet. Landed in Mandao about 1:30 PM. It was a 3 hour flight. I’m tired of flying. A man named Ferry met me at the airport. He is a pastor. He and David, a young pastor, took me to the seminary and I met the president and then on to the hotel. They said that the students were in hopes that I would teach another subject. I shared that I have notes on prayer, missions, spiritual formation, spiritual senses, and/or a book from the Old or New Testament. I will find out tomorrow. Ferry is suppose to take me around Manado on Saturday and I will preach in his church on Sunday. Praying to recover from jet lag. Got settled and went to bed early. It is very humid. Duh.

Disasters and the End of the Age

2011-09-08T15:24:00.000-07:00

There are two conversations going on during these days of earthquakes, hurricanes, wild fires, droughts, and floods. One is that we are under the disciplining hand of God. The other is that we are in the lasts days and the birth pangs have begun.

In Luke 13:1-5, Jesus was asked about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. It seems that some rebellious Galileans had a worship service rally that got out of hand and the Romans came in and put an end to it and some of the Galileans died in the riot. But the local debate was over whether they were being punished by God for their actions and sin.

Then Jesus brought up another current event disaster, the collapse of the tower of Siloam. Apparently, there were some men of Jerusalem working on this Roman construction project when it suddenly fell on them, killing eighteen. Actually, Josephus, the Jewish historian of the time, recorded both of these events.

Jesus asked the question of both events, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered in this way...do you think that they (the eighteen) were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? I tell you, no, but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."

Then in Mark 13:7 as Jesus taught the disciples about the horrible events surrounding the end of the age, said this, "...do not be alarmed..." Jesus taught and encouraged His followers to never be afraid of "wars and rumors of wars" but to always know that He lives in us, with us, as us, to the watching world around us! No matter what is shaking, quaking, and breaking, Jesus Christ is with us and the world can know Him by watching and listening to us.

So how do we respond to the current events of our day? No matter what is happening around you, you can always repent of sin that is in you. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the lies you have believed. Ask God to reveal the barrier of intimacy with Him in your life. He is waiting for you to see His view of these things. As He reveals them, reckon (an accounting term for "record it") it as dead and be dead to it and alive to Christ who lives in you. As you see, hear, and experience these current disasters, pray for courage to help others through intercessory prayer and mission work. Repent of any judgmental attitude you may have toward anyone.

And as we get closer and closer to the end of the age, don't be alarmed or afraid. This is the day for being a witness for Christ. He has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, power, and a saved mind! Let's reach out by going out and taking Jesus to those who are afraid. Let's make disciples for Christ by loving others and teaching them the ways of God. Let's be on offense, not defense. The devil is the one on defense. But Jesus said that his gates will not stop us from going in and robbing him of souls.

Today is the day for intimate prayer, intercessory prayer, for being a witness and making disciples, and for missions like never before. Repent and go out and tell somebody about Jesus!

Rocks That Cry Out

2011-08-30T08:59:00.000-07:00

The book of Joshua is the account of the people of God taking possession of their promised inheritance, the promised land of Israel. Joshua, God's appointed leader after the death of Moses, led the nation in one battle after another in driving out the inhabitants of the land who had not accepted God's will in giving the land to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their offspring. This book is an encouragement and instructive to us who have also received an inheritance in Jesus Christ. Like Old Testament Israel, we too must fight one battle after another, driving out the world, the flesh, and the devil in our lives, our families, and land. One of the important themes in Joshua are the string of rocks that speak, traced all through the book. These piles of rocks are said to be witnesses for us.

There are nine piles of rocks that speak in the book of Joshua; two in chapter 4, one in chapter 6, one in chapter 7, two in chapter 8, one in chapter 10, one in chapter 22, and one in chapter 24. Each pile of rocks says something to remind, encourage, warn, and instruct Israel concerning what God had said, what God did, and promised to His people. We also have these reminders, encouragement, and warnings from God in our battles with the world , the flesh, and the devil, in taking possession of the promises of God in Jesus Christ. But first, look up each of these and answer these questions;
1. What events do the rocks remind Israel of?
2. What did God do at the place of the pile of rocks?
3. What lessons were learned from the event and the word of God at the place where the rocks are located?
4. Do I have something similar in my journey with the Lord that He said, did, or taught me?
The rocks are found in 4:4-10, 21; 6:20; 7:24-26; 8:28-29, 8:30-35; 10:16-19, 24-27; 22:10, 21-29, 34; 24:22-28. Note, Shechem was in the valley in between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim and was the first altar that Abram made when he came into the promised land (Genesis 12:6).

Give some time to identifying the "piles of rocks" that speak to you of God's faithfulness, discipline, and victory in your life and journey with Him. Then plan a pilgrimage and visit those places with the answer to the questions above for each place. These "rocks" could be houses you have lived in, towns, Scriptures, people, a ring, church buildings, or any number of things. One thing they have in common; God and His faithfulness to His Word and power in your life.

Jesus had those places in His life. In Luke 19:28-40 Jesus told the Pharisee, "...I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out." The whole city of Jerusalem was one of the piles of rocks in His life. And in John 10:40-42 Jesus went on a short pilgrimage before the last week of His earthly life. As you read the gospels see if you can identify the "rocks" that spoke to Jesus.

"Want to go with me?...Yes!

2011-08-22T15:38:00.000-07:00

Our five-year-old grandson was staying with us for a few days. I came home from church after dark and realized I needed to go back for something. I came in the door, greeted with a big hug by Charlie, and simply asked him this question; "You want to go with me?" In a spit second he said, "Yes!" And back out the door we went, got in the car and car seat, and away we went.

I thought about his immediate response in contrast to the hesitation we sometime give God with His Word to us. We want more information, like, "Where are we going...how long will we be gone...why are we going...do I need to change clothes...do I need to take a toothbrush, bedroll, pajamas...how much will this cost..." on and on our questions go. Would that we would be as eager to just go with God in order to just be with Him and with full assurance that where ever it is that He is going it will be just where we want to be because it will be with Him.

When we got to the church, it was all locked up and dark. We went inside, holding hands, walking down a long, dark hall toward my office. Charlie never missed as step, but he did say, "This is kind of scary." I told him it was but he was not to worry, I was with him and would not let anything get him. It would have to get me first and nothing was going to get me because God was with us and it would have to get Him first, and He is bigger and stronger than anything; He created everything and He didn't create anything bigger than Himself.

Charlie was open and honest with me that night, "This is kind of scary," which is what prayer is. Talk to God about the things that are "kind of scary," with full assurance that even though it is scary, God is in control and knows what He is doing. But sometimes instead of talking to God and listening to Him, we pull back, turn loose of His hand and want to go back.

When we came into my office, Charlie made a beeline to my saddle (my old office from cowboy days), climbed up on it and was as happy as can be until I said, "Let's go." I had hardly finished the word, "go" and he was on the floor, with my hand in his, and out to the car we went. I had to smile as we left, thinking, as much fun as it is for a boy to play on a real saddle, he sure wasn't going to hang around in there if I was leaving. Why are we hesitant to go on with God, even though we may be having fun where we are, why stay when God says, "Let's go."

What kind of invitation is God giving you right now? Know this, whatever the invitation is, it is an invitation to join Him in what He wants to do, with you. And know that what He wants to do with you is to work in you His perfect plan according to the counsel of His own will. You can trust Him. Don't worry about where, how long, what else you will need or how much it will cost, or why...God will take care of you...go with God, you can trust Him. He loves you.

Joy to the World...in August

2011-08-16T07:18:00.000-07:00

Joy to the world...in August? Yes, even in August. Actually the famous Christmas carol is about the coming of Christ into men's hearts. The first line of the song refers to the earth receiving her King. The "earth" is the good soil in Jesus' parable of the seed and the soils (Matthew 13:18-23, Mark 4:13-20, Luke 8:11-15). The second line supports this..."Let every heart prepare Him room..."

The question is this; So why do spend so much time, effort, and money trying to get people to come to church rather than taking Jesus out to them? I guess the idea is that if they come to church they will find Jesus in the same way the shepherds and wise men came to the barn and found Him. The problem with that is that very few actually did that. I think one of the problems we have is that we have gotten into the habit of introducing people to the wife rather than the Husband; the bride rather than the Bridegroom; the church rather than the Lord Jesus Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords.

The first command God gave to man was in Genesis, "...Be fruitful and multiply..." And man has been very obedient to that command. The last command that the Lord gave to us is, "...And make disciples of all people groups..." The followers of Christ have not been as obedient to the last command as everyone else has to the first.

Sometimes we make the excuse of ignorance; "I don't know what to say to someone who is lost..." Or we will blame the lack of resources; "Our church can't afford the bells and whistles that attract lost people," or we blame our schedules, "I have a regular job, a family to support...I can't be running off to China or Africa...I don't have the gift of evangelism," (actually, the gift of evangelism is given to a person who then equips the saints to evangelize, Ephesians 4:11-12).

But if you have the Holy Spirit of God living in you by faith in Jesus Christ, you have everything you need to share Christ with others. Jesus said that He would give you words to say "...at that time..." (Matthew 10:19, Mark 13:11, Luke 21:13-15). And if it is a "word" that you are to share, what does that cost? In the Great Commission, Matthew 28:16-20, Jesus said "As you go, make disciples..." The command is not go, the command is make disciples! This means that wherever you go, as you go, make friends with people, share your joy, your hope, your faith, your Lord with them, knowing that Christ Jesus Himself is with you, for you to share Him with others.

Try this; keep a list of two or three people who need the Lord and pray for them every day. As you go about your daily routine, look for and pray for opportunities to engage someone in a conversation. This is how you make friends. Ask questions and listen (this is what Jesus did, Luke 2:46); ask about their family, friends, their food, their festivals, their future. Be upfront and unashamed from the start to let them know about yourself; your faith, your family and church family friends, your future. Before long they will have a prayer request, probably about their family or future. Blessing them with prayer and loving interest will go a long way to giving you the opportunity to have a spiritual conversation about the need they have and how Jesus Christ can meet their need by being their Savior and Lord. Before long, they will be following you to church, but they will be more interested in you and the Lord Jesus you have been sharing rather than your other friends and church.

If we would just focus on what the Lord told us to do, make disciples, rather than going to church, starting new ones (most of our church planting is actually church "service" planting, centering upon style and music), and being passive with or guilt ridden over believing the lie that we can't do this, then I believe we would be seeing and singing Joy to the world, the Lord has come... more. We don't know the condition of the soil but we do know the power of the Seed...we can't make the seed grow, but it will never grow until it gets scattered! Let's scatter more seed!

Transitioning from an Orphan to an Heir of a Great Estate

2011-08-10T08:33:00.000-07:00

Change is not easy. Imagine changing from an orphan to an heir of a great empire. The story is told of a man who owned a vast empire with thousands of acres of land, livestock, cultivated fields, and who lived in a beautiful ranch house. But he had lost his family in a terrible accident.

He told his butler his plan to adopt an heir. He made arrangements with an orphanage and traveled with excitement to the location for his appointment. As he walked into the room full of orphan boys, almost immediately, his eye latched on to one. The director explained all of the legal paperwork and process and presented a list of candidates. The man described the boy he had seen but the director explained that this boy had just been rescued from "under the bridge....he has lived on the street most of his life...he has issues..." The man was insistent and after a long process the day arrived when he was taken to the ranch house.

The boy was all eyes with every day an new experience. After several months, the butler met with the owner with an uneasy situation. The owner could tell that his trusted butler was nervous. He told him he was to speak freely and frankly. The butler said, "Its our new guest..." The man interrupted the butler and said, "You mean my son." "Yes, its your son. He is stealing things around the house and stashing them under his bed; even food."

The man began looking for his adopted son while he pondered his strange behavior. When he found him he said to him, "Son, look around at all that you see. It is all mine and yours." The man took him in to the kitchen and said, "See all this food; it is all mine and yours." He then took him into his study and the two sat together by the man's desk. He said, "I will teach you everything about my business and one day this desk and all of the responsibility of it will be yours. You are no longer an orphan. You are my son. You no longer have to steal. You own it all, with me."

When a person receives Jesus Christ a change is made; we are no longer an orphan, but now..."...you are all children of God through faith in Jesus Christ..." Galatians 3:26. This is just the beginning. We must learn a new culture; the culture of sin is unacceptable in the family of God. New manners and behavior must be learned, practiced, repeated over and over under the leadership of the Holy Spirit. As His Word becomes more and more of who you are, your life reflects more and more of His goodness and grace and the family business, the Kingdom of God, is carried out on earth as it is in Heaven.

Change is not easy. But it is imperative for a child of the King. God will not make those changes without you. Join Him today in the changes He has scheduled to make with you.

The Three Sins

2011-08-02T09:21:00.000-07:00

St. Ignatius of Loyola was born in 1491 and died in 1556. As he was recovering from injuries from the Battle of Pamplona (1521) he had a conversion experience and became a theologian and founder of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits). In his book Spiritual Exercises he wrote of the three sins; the sin of the fallen angels, the sin of Adam and Eve, and the sin of those who are in hell.

The sin of the fallen angels is best described as the sin of willful rebellion (Isaiah 14:12-14). It is a sin of the desire to exalt self, the sin of pride.

The sin of Adam and Eve is best described as the sin of deception by the lie of Satan, believing the lie rather than the truth of the Word of God (Genesis 3). It is a sin of the desire to fulfill desires apart from following the directions of God's Word. It is the sin of lust.

The sin of those who are in hell is best described as the sin of passive neglect of the things of God. This is seen in Scripture in Luke 12:13-21. Jesus told the parable about the rich fool whose land produced a large harvest. He said to himself, "...what shall I do for I have nowhere to store my crops...I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones...I have stored up for myself ample goods for many years." But Jesus said that God required his soul that night. The rich fool had lived a life of passive neglect toward God. It is the sin of rejection, passively neglecting the things of God.

These three sins can take root in the mind of the believer. One of the most serious problems among the people of God is an unredeemed mind. Our minds need to be saved. When the Holy Spirit gave us the command to put on the full amour of God in Ephesians 6, He said our minds needed the "...helmet of Salvation..." (6:17). He coupled it with the "...sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God..."

Romans 6 and Ephesians 4:17-24 gives us clear instructions of how our minds can continually be renewed and saved. But the first step in this renewal is to become active with God in the process. God the Holy Spirit is the only one who can save your mind. He does it the same way He saved your soul, at the cross of Jesus Christ through faith in blood, His Life given for you. But He will not do it without you! You must cooperate with Him since He now lives in you.

God will not work with a passive mind; but Satan will.

As you meditate today on the three sins in your life and repent, know that God forgives, cleanses, and makes new what you place before His piercing Word to kill and to raise up with Christ.

Correcting the Compliment; Luke 11:27-28

2011-03-21T13:23:00.001-07:00

The lady in Luke 11:27-28 was deeply moved by the teaching of Jesus on His identity and the power of God to liberate, restore, and fill with His holy presence. Her compliment to Him was actually a compliment to His mother, Mary. She assumed that Mary had taught Jesus this wonderful truth about His identity and God’s Word.

Jesus corrected her by stating that this teaching was not of the earth from human instruction; it was from God. God-revealed truth, when given and received through faith (heard and done) is the most powerful, creative, life-changing thing that can happen in a person’s life.

Jesus was not putting the lady down or criticizing her for her compliment, but He did correct her. We should receive the correction of Jesus rather than feel condemned by His correction. Condemnation is something that will happen in the end when there is no more opportunity to repent. Correction happens now, to lead us to repentance. In Christ we are no longer condemned (Romans 8:1), but we are corrected (Hebrews 12:4-17).

Luke 11:14-28, Part 2

2011-03-21T12:51:00.000-07:00

What do these three images from Luke 11:14-28 have in common; a divided kingdom, a burglary, and clean, but empty house? What was Jesus teaching us with these word pictures?

All three of these word pictures describe the strategy of Satan. He seeks to divide, he seeks to steal, kill, and destroy, and he will fill a vacuum. Jesus was being accused of working by the power of the devil, but the work of the devil is to divide the people of God, to steal from the people of God, and to creep into and fill any space he can in our lives.

The devil knows the downfall that occurs where there is division. It is God’s people who do not know how serious divisiveness is. Proverbs 6:16-19 tells us that sowing discord among brothers is one of the things the Lord hates. He hates it because it destroys unity.

Jesus would overpower a demon when He would cast it out. He would rob the demon of what the demon had stole from the person; their health, their mind, their relationships.

And the image of the clean but empty house is a warning that a person needs more than just help, they need to be occupied by the Strong Man, Jesus Christ.

The central teaching of Jesus in this section of Luke is that God’s Word, when revealed to a person, is powerful to liberate, to take back what the enemy has stolen, and to fill with holy power the life that receives that Word. Head knowledge of the things of God will not cut it. But receiving the revealed truth from God, through faith, will.

Thoughts on Luke 11:14-28

2011-03-17T12:41:00.000-07:00

“…a house divided against itself falls.” Luke 11:17. Jesus is giving an answer to those who were accusing Him of using Satan’s power to cast out demons 11:15). He is also answering those who were testing Him, demanding from Him more signs “…from heaven.” (11:16). One group aligning Him with the devil by what He was doing and the other group demanding more proof (signs) that He was from heaven. Here is the question:

How does His answer in 11:17 correct both groups?

The fact that Jesus is teaching both groups is amazing to start with. He desires for all to come into God’s Kingdom whether they are a Pharisee, a publican, or someone in between. The invitation is for everyone, this is grace; but the condition remains singular; through faith in Christ.

The Pharisees were seeking to discredit Jesus because the crowds were flocking to Him and not to them. They were jealous and envious of Jesus. They could not deny the power He demonstrated in overcoming the demons and casting them out, and of healing people who suffered from various diseases. So they sought to justify their own position of not following Jesus from their sin of jealousy and envy. Jesus points out the flaw in their reasoning with the obvious question; How could the devil advance his own kingdom of darkness, destruction, and deception by defeating himself and overpowering his own agents? No way. His kingdom would collapse with that kind of disunity and confusion.

The second group has the same problem but from a different perspective. The second group wants to recognize that Jesus is who He claims to be, but needs more proof…they demand a sign from heaven. In their demand, Jesus hears again the old temptation of doubting God’s word and way and formulating another way to accomplish the same result, getting people to follow. Adam and Eve fell for this, but Jesus did not. He resisted this temptation in the wilderness, “turn these stones into bread… jump off the Temple, His angels will catch you…”

If Jesus would have responded to the crowd, rather than listening to His Father, He would not have been able to do anything. In John 5:19 Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.” Following the demands of the crowd rather than His Father would have divided His Kingdom for God’s way into the Kingdom is through faith, not signs or proof.

Mark 9-16

2011-02-15T09:04:00.000-08:00

Notice as you read this section the number of times Jesus teaches. Mark's gospel is the action gospel and yet, it seems, the number one action of Jesus is seeing Him teach. Jesus reveals God by His words. Hold that thought for a moment.

In chapter 9 Jesus is transformed before Peter, James, and John and then tells them not to tell anyone what they have seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. They had not yet accepted that Jesus would die, much less rise from the dead. So what was Jesus teaching them? Jesus was teaching them not to trust what they see, but to trust what He says which will then give meaning to what they see. If Jesus says, "Wait until this... before you start talking about that..." then He is teaching us about how we will understand "this." Later in the chapter (9:31-37) Jesus is teaching them this same lesson again.

Work through this section and note the teachings of Jesus concerning Himself. What is the number one thing we need to know and learn? Our number one need is to know Him and to learn of Him. Back to that thought; Knowing God is the result of hearing, seeing, and obeying Jesus.

For a blog on prayer go to www.saltblock.org.

Meditation on Mark 7:1-13

2011-02-07T15:59:00.000-08:00

Mark 7:1 begins with a wonderful statement, "Now when the Pharisees gathered to Him with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, they saw..." Here we have a group of the religious leaders gathering around Jesus, and others that had traveled a great distance to see something of Jesus. But the next statement tells all, "...they saw that some of His disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed."

When they gathered around around Jesus instead of seeing Him all they could see were the unwashed hands of His disciples. Their rules and traditions had blocked their view of Jesus. The Lord goes on to describe how they had honored God with their lips but their hearts were far from Him. And how they had emptied the Word of God of power by their traditions. The same thing can happen to us today if we elevate our traditions and begin interpreting God's Word by our traditions rather than interpreting our traditions by God's Word.

Traditions are the applications of God's Word. They become sacred when a generation fails to apply God's Word and instead simply apply the last generation's application of God's Word. The Bible speaks to every generation and to every culture, if we have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying.

As we seek the Lord, and gather around Him, let's make sure there are no barriers and let's focus upon what God is saying from His Word to us. The power of God's Word will then be unleashed within our lives and will change, transform, direct, encourage, and redeem.

Mark 1-8

2011-01-31T14:17:00.001-08:00

Tradition tells us that John Mark (Acts 12:12, 13:13, 15:36-41, 2 Timothy 4:11) wrote the Gospel according to Mark. We also have received from the early church fathers the tradition that Mark’s gospel was based upon the preaching and teaching of Simon Peter from Rome. The way Mark writes sounds like the way Peter talked; bottom line. Mark is the shortest gospel account of the life of Jesus and some believe it was the first gospel account. Much of Matthew and Luke are also in Mark although Matthew and Luke expand on what they share with Mark. For example, Mark tells us that Jesus was tempted in the wilderness for forty days where Matthew and Luke tell us how Jesus was tempted and how He handled the temptations.

A word that Mark uses repeatedly is “immediately.” This word is used 41 times in Mark. It is a word of action. As you read Mark 1-8 notice what action precedes this word and what action follows this word. Also notice who is doing the action and the response or reaction to that action. As you do you will see an emphasis upon obedience that stands out as one of the important teachings of the gospel.

This teaching on obedience is clearly seen in the first chapter after a long and full day in the life of Jesus (1:16-34). This long passage records the event of a 24-hour period of teaching, preaching, and healing in the life of Jesus. Following this long day Jesus is found alone with God the Father early in the morning with a word from God to go to the towns and villages to continue sharing and demonstrating the present reality of the Kingdom of God. Jesus is obedient to the Father even though everyone in Capernaum is searching for Him, desiring more from Him.

As Jesus leaves Capernaum He heals a leper and “sternly charged him and sent him…” to say nothing to anyone but to go to the priest as Moses prescribed for a pronouncement of being cleansed and healed of leprosy. But the healed man disobeyed and went out and proclaimed it widely that Jesus had healed him. The result was that Jesus was not able to go into the villages and towns but rather had to stay out in remote places. This story is telling. It speaks to us of the importance of immediate obedience. Delayed obedience is disobedience. Jesus wanted to reach the priest. There was a whole chapter in Leviticus (13-14) giving clear instructions for what a priest was to do when a leper was healed. This had not happened but on only a few occasions. All of the activity was to be done at the Temple. This “healed-leper ritual” was a big deal and would have been a clear revelation to many in Jerusalem, especially to the priests, of the divine power at work in and through Jesus. But the man did not go to the priest, instead he “went out and proclaimed it widely…” (1:40-45). The teaching is clear; our disobedience can hinder the obedience of others.

This section of Mark also shows us the progression of the opposition to Jesus. It began in chapter two with the healing of the paralytic who was let down through the roof. When Jesus spoke to the man He said, “Son, your sins are forgive.” (2:5). The scribes began questioning in their hearts wondering how Jesus could say such a blasphemous thing. Jesus perceived in His spirit their thoughts and corrected them by showing them that God’s power was at work in and through Him.

Then the scribes and the Pharisees questioned the disciples of Jesus because He was eating with tax collectors and sinners (2:16-17). Jesus heard them and answered by letting them know that He came for those who were unrighteous, not for those who are already righteous. The opposition grew more personal and intense until they conspire to have Jesus killed (3:6).

As you read this section notice how this opposition increases to the point of accusing Jesus of being possessed by the devil (3:22-30) and notice how Jesus is not distracted by their accusations but stays focused and obedient to the Father. Again, we see an important point on the teaching of obedience from this section; there will be opposition to your obedience.

This section of Mark ends with Jesus telling His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem to be rejected, beaten, killed, and raised again on the third day. His disciples reject this with Simon Peter as their spokesman (8:27-38). Jesus rebukes them and turns to the crowd with another clear teaching on obedience; there is suffering in obedience.

As you read chapters 1-8 this week, be sure not to miss the repeated teaching on obedience. At the end of the week record your conclusions on what the gospel of Mark teaches on obedience.

Genesis 34-50

2011-01-26T13:27:00.000-08:00

The majority of this section of Genesis records for us the events of how Jacob and his family left the promised land and arrived in Egypt. The main character in this section is Joseph, the first child of Rachel, Jacob’s second wife.

Jacob chose Rachel to be his wife in chapter 29. Laban, Rachel’s father told Jacob that if he worked for him for seven years he could have Rachel as his wife. The words in verse 20 are telling, “So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her.” This speaks of the difference that love makes. Those who talk about how hard it is to be a Christian, or how hard it is to serve God, or how hard it is to study the Bible, don’t need try harder, nor do they need more instruction, more time, more resources, they simply need to love God. We do not have a sin problem, we have a love problem. If we would grow in our love for God, we would not sin so much.

But Laban tricked Jacob and on his wedding night he gave Jacob Leah, his eldest daughter, rather than her sister Rachel. Jacob did not know it until the next morning, by then he was already married to Leah. Laban agreed to give him Rachel if he would work another seven years. He did, but there were problems with these two sisters and their one husband. Those problems showed up in their children. This is often the case. Children learn by observation more than any other thing. What the sons of Jacob learned from their father and mothers was fear and jealousy, because these were dominant characteristics in the lives of the adults in this “blended” family. Joseph suffered the most from this family sin.

By the time we get to chapter 37 we see the ten sons of Jacob grown and jealous over their brother Joseph, who is 17 when chapter 37 opens. Joseph is gifted by God and favored by Jacob his father. The other brothers hate him because he is so loved. God loved Joseph and gave him the ability to serve faithfully and to see into the future through dreams. Jacob loved Joseph and gave him a beautiful coat. This would not be the first coat to get him into trouble.

Joseph’s brothers threw him into a pit and were ready to kill him but he is saved by Rueben, the oldest brother, and sold into slavery by Judah, the fourth son of Leah and Jacob. Joseph’s brothers took his coat and smeared goat’s blood on it and took it to their father with the story that a wild animal had killed his son. An Ishmaelite caravan bought Joseph and sold him to Potiphar, an official of the Pharaoh of Egypt. Over and over it states that “God was with Joseph.” As a result of the gifts and love of God, everything that Joseph did was successful and prospered. Potiphar put Joseph over his whole household because Joseph was a faithful servant and conducted himself wisely.

But, as is often the case, success led to trouble. Potiphar’s wife took notice of Joseph and started flirting with him, tempting him to take notice of her and sleep with her. Joseph refused time and time again (39:1-10). Joseph would not go along with the temptation and Potiphar’s wife would not take “no” for an answer. She finally trapped Joseph in the house, demanding that he be with her. His response is instructive for all of us who are tempted, “…how can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” (39:9). Joseph knew that God was with him, especially when he was tempted. If we would just remember that God is with us and for us and has gifted us with His own Spirit, we would be led away from temptation and through it with victory over it.

Joseph triumphed over the temptation by breaking loose from Potiphar’s wife and running away. But Potiphar’s wife held on to his cloak, then accused him of attacking her. His cloak was her evidence. Both times Joseph’s coat was used as evidence to lie about him. Both times Joseph suffered as a result of those lies. And again, Joseph is faced with another temptation; what to do when others falsely accuse you and seek to destroy you. God was with him and took care of him, in prison.

In prison Joseph proved himself just as he had at Potiphar’s house. Before long, the jailer had entrusted him with managing the jail. Joseph exercised the giftedness of God in the lives of the other prisoners. Joseph helped the Pharaoh’s butler and asked for his help once he got out, but to no avail; he was again overlooked by man, but favored by God. But God was with Joseph. In His own timing, God promoted Joseph.

The Pharaoh had a disturbing dream in chapter 41 and called for Joseph to come out of prison to interpret it. The Pharaoh told Joseph he heard that he could interpret dreams and Joseph makes one of his classic statements, “It is not in me, God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.” (41:16). Joseph was exercising the gifts of God but he did not own them, he was a faithful manager of them. Joseph knew that what he had was entrusted to him and that it was not his own; it all belonged to God.

The Pharaoh made Joseph the manager of Egypt as a result. He stayed focused upon the challenge that Pharaoh had entrusted him with instead of focusing on getting revenge on Potiphar and his wife, and on the butler for overlooking him and leaving him in prison for another two years. Unforgiveness and revenge blurs our vision and dulls the giftedness of God in us. Joseph shows us how important it is to exercise the gifts of God and to stay focused upon the task at hand rather than looking back with regret and revenge.

The Pharaoh’s dream had to do with seven plentiful years of harvest followed by seven lean years of famine. In the second year of the famine, Jacob sent his sons to buy grain in Egypt. The reputation of the wisdom God gave to Joseph had spread all over the world in nine short years. The world was starting to come to Egypt to buy grain.

Joseph’s brothers did not recognize him, but Joseph recognized them. He wanted to see if they had changed. Judah had changed. He was willing to put himself into bondage and slavery for his brother, Benjamin, Joseph’s younger brother (44:33). Judah had changed in just 22 years from being hateful to being loving, from a proud and greedy man to a humble and honest servant. God will change your life. Joseph saw the change and revealed to his brothers his true identity. He brought his family to Egypt and gave them the best land, the land of Goshen. Jacob died 17 years later a blessed and happy man. All of his sons carried his body back to the cave of Machpelah, in the promised land, to the place where Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, and Leah were buried. There they buried Jacob.

When they returned to Egypt Joseph’s brothers revealed something they had been hiding for 17 years, unbelief and fear. They were afraid that now that their father was gone, Joseph would have them destroyed. They did not believe that Joseph had really forgiven them and they lived in fear of this lie for 17 years. Joseph reassured them with another classic statement in 50:20, “…you meant it evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” The lesson is clear. We do not have to live in fear if we trust what God has said concerning our relationship with Him. He has forgiven you of all of your sins in His Son, Jesus Christ. Trust Him today and be free from the fear of judgment and death.

Genesis 12-22

2011-01-18T09:55:00.000-08:00

Genesis 12-22 tells the story of Abraham, the man of faith. One of the first things you notice about Abraham’s life is that it is tested every step of the way. This lets us know that if we are to have a life of faith, we will be tested. Faith only grows when it is tested and challenged. We would rather have our faith grow by simply receiving more faith. The life of Abraham, the man of faith, lets us know that the life of faith is a life of testing. It is also a life with God.

Abraham is called by God into this life of faith in chapter 12. The callings of God are invitations; invitations to trust Him. Abraham was invited to leave his father’s country, his father’s house, and to go to a country that God would show him (12:1). Basically, the invitation was to walk away from his father’s inheritance and accept the invitation that God would become his Father. God didn’t tell him where this land was, who else was in this land, what was in this land, or what he would do once he arrived in this promised land. But God did say that Abraham would be blessed if he was willing to trust God and receive His offer, God would take care of him. And he did, and He did.

This gives us an insight into the nature of the test, no matter when, who, where, or how; the test of faith is a crisis of belief. Are you willing to trust God in what He has said. The test is a response-ability that we are given by God. There is a gap in between stimulus and response where we make a choice as to how we will respond. Animals have this response already programmed by God. It is called instinct. In that way their response is actually a reaction to the stimulus. It is always the same reaction. But we are created differently. We are given the opportunity to choose and respond. Our response is based upon trust. The question we are faced with is who or what do I trust.

Abraham lived a life of trusting God and what He said to him. Genesis 15:5-6 tells us that God told Abraham that he and Sarah would have a baby. When Abraham trusted God in that word, God imparted to him a right relationship, and declared Abraham righteous in His eyes.

Notice as you read this section of Genesis how Abraham was tested each time God spoke to him. He could not respond with reason, most of what God said did not make much sense. He couldn’t have responded with counsel from others. Most of the time others did not agree with what God had said. Abraham had to decide whether he could trust what God said.

Also notice that the life of faith, the life of testing, gets harder, not easier. Every step Abraham took was a challenge. What Abraham learned along the way with God was that God could be trusted to provide strength or whatever else was needed; if he would just trust God. This is what life with God is all about.

What has God said to you? Do you trust Him? God invites us to walk away from something when He invites us to something that He wants to do in our life. Are you willing to trust God to provide for you what you need to walk with Him? The Bible assures us over and over again that God can be trusted and that He will provide all that we need, and more, if we will just trust Him.

For Bubba's blog on prayer go to http://www.saltblock.org/.

Bubba Stahl

Genesis 1-11

2011-01-04T08:31:00.000-08:00

We ended the year 2010 by beginning a new book in our reading through the Bible; the book of beginnings, Genesis. Genesis is about creation; the creation of the universe, the world, our life with God, our life without God, the problems in our world, and God's one solution; a new creation. As you read and reflect upon this section and the ones in weeks to come, ask these questions; "What is God creating in this section? How is it related to the new creation in Christ?"

Genesis 1:1-31 is the account of the creation of the universe, the world, the plants, animals, and mankind. The recurring phrase in this chapter is "And God said...and God called...and God saw that it was good..." God acts by speaking. This reveals to us His authority as God. What ever God does, He first speaks, then it happens. One of the ways of God is; First God says it, then He does it. This is important to know if you are interested in knowing what God is doing in your life or in the world around you. The question to ask is not "God, what are You doing?" The question to ask is "God, what are You saying?" First God says it, then He does it. If you know what He is saying to you, you will know what He is about to do in your life. "And God said..." is one of the most revealing statements in the Bible in knowing God.

The question is sometimes asked, "How do we put together the fact that God created male and female in chapter 1 and then chapter 2 describes God forming Adam from the dust of the ground and then forming Eve from Adam's rib? There are several different interpretations. I have settled on one that relies upon another way of God; God gives through one to many. God created males and females in His image in chapter 1. They were given responsibilities and blessings from God. But in chapter 2 God made one man with something the others did not have; He gave him His Spirit. "Then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature." Genesis 2:7. This particular (singular article "the") man, Adam, God gave something the others did not have, a personal relationship with God by His Spirit breathed into Adam's life. Adam had a "living life." I believe that Adam had the added responsibility of sharing the with-God life with the men and women that God created by the way he would care for the garden. Adam was also given the unique responsibility of naming all of the animals and the birds. This gave him the authority to also speak and govern, like God. Adam tended the garden without sweating. He simply spoke what he would hear God say (authority) and it would happen, just like God.

In chapter 3 we see how it all changed, sin entered the world through unbelief. God gave Adam and Eve a perfect place to live in a perfect relationship with Himself. The serpent entered into the garden and Satan spoke through the serpent to Eve requiring an answer from her concerning what God had said, "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?'" "What is going on here?" is a question that Adam should have spoken up and said at this point. We do not answer to the animals and birds, they answer to us. We ask the questions and they are to respond, not the other way around. But Adam was silent. Eve tries to answer with what God has said, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, You shall not of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die." Then came the lie. "You will not really die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." Much can be said about this. Satan did not tempt Adam and Eve (all of the "you" in this section are plural yous; in Texas we say "yall") to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He tempted them with the lie that they would not die and then tempted them with the lie that they did not need to receive the knowledge of good and evil from God, they could get it on their own. This temptation would then lead them to no longer trust God and what He said. Temptation is always a lie that leads us away from what God has said. This is why it is so important not only to know what God has said, but to speak what God has said, especially when we are being tempted toward something other than what God has said. This is the way Jesus answered the tempter in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). In answering the tempter with God's word, we invoke the authority of God over the tempter! It is the way of escape that God has provide for us (1 Corinthians 10:13), His Word!

Another point is important in light of this; sin is first of all unbelief. The fruit of unbelief is disobedience, sins. But make sure you keep this clear, the doctrine of sin is unbelief, not disobedience. Why the difference? In studying world religions I discovered that they all have something in common; their doctrine of sin. They all identify sin as disobedience to a deity or deities. They also all have in common the doctrine of righteousness being obedience. This is not hard to figure out. But in Christianity, which is not a religion, but rather a relationship, the doctrine of sin begins with unbelief and the doctrine of righteousness begins with faith. Disobedience is the fruit of sin, unbelief (with serious consequences), and obedience is the fruit of faith (with indescribable rewards).

Chapter 4 tells the horrible story of how this unbelief is passed on the sons Adam and Eve and how one overcame it (Abel) and how the other did not (Cain). Cain killed his brother Abel because he rejected God's correction in how to worship, with faith. God condemned Cain to a life of wandering, but Cain rejected this word by settling down and building a city. Chapter 4 describes the offspring of Cain as being people of great "doing." Adam and Eve have another son named Seth. Seth's descendants don't "do" much, except have offspring and call upon the name of the LORD. One of them, Enoch, walked with God. This is the only thing we see them "doing." Of course, having offspring is doing something. What is the point? Relationships seem to be the only thing they "worked" while Cain's descendants built cities, invented musical instruments, killed people, developed livestock management (a funny way of farming and eating grass), and inventing instruments of bronze and iron (for farming or for fighting?). What a difference there is between the descendants of Cain and of Seth. The lesson is clear that "doing" apart from "being" is to be avoided, and that "being" in accomplished and developed in a relationship. Trust is essential in a relationship. When there is unbelief, the relationship is broken.

Chapters 6-10 describe the world-wide flood that changed the appearance of the earth. Noah, his wife, their sons, and their wives were the only people that were saved, along with birds and animals that God called into the ark. It is important to note that it was not Noah's ark as we sometimes mistakenly call it; it was God's ark that He entrusted to Noah. Noah built it with the specific instructions from God, but throughout the whole story it is simply called "the ark." We are quick to put the apostrophe "s" with our name and call it ours, when in fact all that we have is a gift from God. We don't own it, we are entrusted with it and will give an account one day for everything that God has given to us, beginning with His Son, Jesus Christ, the ark of salvation, not from the water judgment of God but from the fiery wrath of God. Only in Christ are we saved.

We close this section of reading with the story of what happened after the flood and how Noah's three sons repopulated the earth. We are also told of how these descendants of Noah immediately began to fall back into a life of unbelief and disobedience. Instead of spreading out and multiplying over all the earth, like God said (9:7), they decided to gather together and build something. Does this sound like the Cain's descendants? It does. They built a city and began the first skyscraper project, the tower of Babel. Their purpose echoes the first temptation of "on our own." Then they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth." Genesis 11:4. God stopped them in their plans by confusing their speech and they could not understand each other. We are back to the idea of speaking and things happening. They were using their words to be in direct disobedience to God because they did not believe His words. This is an authority issue. They did not recognize God's authority in their lives and so they started speaking and doing their own plans and will rather than God's. God confused, garbled their words (babbled their words) so they could not continue to create their unbelief into more and more sin. The sinful, unbelieving world has continued seeking to understand and communicate with one another apart from communication with God ever since. On our own we have managed to build and produce death, famine, sickness, war, division, unending arguments and problems, all because we have not, will not, listen to God and trust Him. Chapter 12 begins with another word from God, an invitation to Abram.

Matthew 22-28

2010-12-20T14:07:00.000-08:00

We have just finished reading Matthew 22-28. In this section we have the last block of teaching that Matthew builds his gospel around. If you remember, Matthew records five "sermons" that Jesus preached that were used as teaching materials for the early church. These five teaching blocks were for new believers as they began following Christ. They are the Sermon on the Mount (5-7), Instructions for Missionaries (10), the Nature of the Kingdom (13), Greatness in the Kingdom (18), and the End of the Age (24-25).

Actually, chapters 24-25 answers three questions the disciples posed; "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?" Jesus had just told them that the Temple would one day be destroyed so that one stone would not be left upon another (24:1-2). Jesus answers their three questions in a different order than they asked. In 24:4-14, He answers their third question, in 24:15-20, He answers their first question. And in 24:21-44, He answers their second question. Jesus tells three parables, 24:45-51, 25:1-13, and 25:14-30 to emphasize to us the importance of being prepared and faithful to receive from the Lord and to be obedient to the Lord with what He has entrusted to us.

This last block of teaching ends with a picture of the Judgement Day when Jesus Christ returns in glory with all of the angels to separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. We are not as familiar with this process as they were. Sheep are separated from goats by a word, the voice of the Shepherd. Sheep respond to His word; goats do not. They only eat. They are led by their appetites. Then Jesus says that both groups, sheep and goats, will be surprised by the Lord when He tells them that they fed, clothed, and visited Him when He was in need (sheep) and that they did not feed, clothe, or visit Him when He was in need (goats). They both ask the same question, "When did we see You hungry and feed You...?" (sheep), "When did we see You hungry and not feed You...?" It seems as though the goats had done some culling with their benevolence whereas the sheep had shared indiscriminately. We think of the inn keeper in Luke's gospel who did not know it was the Christ who was about to be born, or he would have made room for Him (Luke 2:7).

The teaching is clear on how to prepare for the return of the Lord; receive from God and share with others from the abundance that God gives. Do not judge others as to whether they are "worthy" or not; appearances can be deceiving; just share and see how closely the Lord is to those in need. Jesus assures us that when we do, ministry becomes an act of worship.

There is another important teaching in this section; in chapters 22-23 we see Jesus being questioned by the religious authorities. In Exodus 12:1-7 we see the instructions that God gave the people concerning the Passover lamb. It was to be selected on the tenth of the month and sacrificed on the fourteenth of the month. For four days it was to be examined. If it had any blemishes it was not to be used. During those four days in Jerusalem, Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, was being examined. He was found to be without blemish.

The questioning began in 21:16 when Jesus came into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Children were crying out, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" The chief priest and scribes were indignant and asked, "Do you hear what these are saying?" It seems strange to us that anyone would ask Jesus if He could "hear." Jesus could perceive men's thoughts. Jesus answered their question with a question. This is a known technique of a master teacher to help the students learn. It is better if a student discover an answer rather than be given one. Jesus is seeking to teach as He is being questioned. In each of the next three questions (21:23, 22:17, 22:24) Jesus answers their question with questions of His own. He is not distracted by their attempts to catch Him in His words. Jesus stayed focused and obedient to the Father; preach and teach the Kingdom and demonstrate the powerful reality of it.

The last question (22:36) is the exception. Jesus does not answer with a question. He simply quotes Scripture to answer. This reminds us of when Jesus was being tempted; He would answer the temptations with Scripture (4:1-11). The question He was asked was, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" There was a huge dispute and disagreement over that question among rabbis. Jesus simply quotes from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18. Jesus was asked four questions and He asked eight questions. This lets us know that He is the one we must answer to, not the other way around.

Chapters 26-28 are chapters we must take our shoes off when reading; it is holy ground. This is the section of the Last Supper, the garden of Gethsemane, the betrayal, arrest and trial, torture, crucifixion and death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the sin of the whole world. We can say this about that; Jesus Christ gave His life for us in order to give His life to us so that He could live His life in us, as us, before the watching world, for the glory of our heavenly Father. This event changes everything, forever.

Matthew 11-21

2010-12-13T14:43:00.000-08:00

We have just finished reading Matthew 11-21. In this section of Matthew we see the mounting complaints, criticisms, and opposition toward Jesus. We see this opposition coming from all quarters and we see how Jesus handled it; by continuing to teach, preach, and heal. Jesus was not swayed nor distracted by the opposition. His heart was steadfast and steady in following His Father's will. He would use this criticism as an opportunity to teach.

Look at how the opposition grew from thinking to the accusation of Jesus being in league with the devil. Compare 8:33-34, 9:3-6, 10-11, 14, 32-34, 12:1-2, 9-14, 24, 38, 46-50, 13:53-58, 15:1-2, 16:1, 22-23, 17:24-27, 19:3, 21:14-16, 45-46. Notice what Jesus teaches during these occasions of opposition and criticism. Here is the question: What do you do when you are criticized and opposed? Do you try to defend yourself? Do you consider your actions in light of God's will? Do you seek to learn from the stress of it? Do you seek to teach others from the situation? Jesus shows us how to handle opposition.

This sections also gives us a clear teaching on the purpose of miracles. In 11:20 we learn that the purpose of miracles is to lead us to repent. Look also at 12:38-42, 43-45, 16:1-4. In each of these passages repentance is the key. Why would we repent in the sight of a miracle? Most of us would respond with "Wow; did you see that?" But Jesus teaches us that we should respond with, "Woe is me, I am undone; a man of unclean lips..." Repentance. Jesus is teaching us that the only way for a miracle to happen is if God is present and active. Only God can do miracles. Miracles are the work of His hand. And turning (repentance) to Him in every occasion is always the right thing to do, it is always the right response.

There are different kinds of miracles in this section. There are restorative miracles, like when Jesus would restore a person's eyesight or speech (12:22). There are nature miracles where Jesus changes things into a different nature, like when He and Peter walked on the water (14:22-33). There are creative miracles, like when Jesus healed the man with the withered hand. He created muscle and tendons that were not there before. The question we must ask as we see this is: What kind of repentance do these miracles lead me to? In the presence of creative miracles my repentant response should be; "Lord, create in me a clean heart." In the presence of a restoring miracle; "Lord, restore unto me the joy of your salvation." The the light of a nature miracle; "Oh God, change me; I'm so easily swayed and tossed about by every wind and wave of temptation; Change me into a solid witness for you; transform my mind; my will; my emotions." The last miracle in Matthew done by Jesus is found at the end of this reading section for the week, 21:18-22. It is the strangest miracle that Jesus performed in that it was the only destructive miracle He ever performed. Notice the teaching Jesus gave as the result of it. How would you respond with repentance as a result of that miracle and teaching?

In this section we also see two of the five blocks of teachings from Jesus; chapter 13 on the nature of the Kingdom and chapter 18 on the nature of the Kingdom in me; or greatness in the Kingdom. In 13:24, 31, 33, 44, 45, and 47, it says "the Kingdom of heaven is like..." and then lists six very different things. Each of these things reveals something about the nature of the Kingdom. Jesus is teaching us that the Kingdom is like things that are in our lives, things that we can understand. He is letting us know that if we are interested in the Kingdom we can learn about it. But in chapter 18 Jesus teaches us that there comes a point when we must decide whether we want to know about the Kingdom or do we want to enter it. In chapter 18 we learn of greatness in the Kingdom, or how great it is in us when we enter into it. Jesus says three things about the greatness of the Kingdom; humility is great in the Kingdom, our witness and the rejection of sin is great in the Kingdom, and forgiveness is great in the Kingdom. Forgiveness gets most of the print in this block of teaching. When Jesus tells the parable of the wealthy king who entrusted 10,000 talents to a servant (a talent was one lifetime's wages for a common laborer; @ $7 an hour/48 hrs/week/ 51 wks./year X 10,000 it equals $2.9 billion), then asked for his account, the king learned he had lost it all. This is a very wealthy king. This is a very irresponsible servant. The servant begs for forgiveness and receives it. This king is so wealthy, the loss of $2.9 billion doesn't set him back. But when this servant goes out and finds a fellow servant that owes him 100 denarii (a denarius was one day's wage), or about $5,600, and the fellow servant begs for forgiveness but does not receive it from the irresponsible servant. The other servants report the injustice to the king. The parable ends with one of the most startling statements made by Jesus in 18:35, to emphasize that forgiveness received and given is a big deal in the Kingdom.

One of the most misunderstood statements of Jesus is found in this section of teachings, 18:18. This is when Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." The context is forgiveness and reconciliation with a brother. What Jesus is teaching is that binding and loosing has to do with relationships. We are to be bound together as brothers and sisters in the Kingdom and are to loose forgiveness with each other here on earth because this is what is bound and loosed in heaven. This is an application to the prayer Jesus taught in 6:10, "...Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven..."

The point is that if we desire to enter the Kingdom, we must realize the greatness of it and be willing for great humility, great rejection of sin in our lives, and great forgiveness to be received and given. We must be ready to receive great change in the way things have been in our lives. What about you? Do you desire a change in your life or do you want to continue simply being you? If you are satisfied in being you, don't follow Christ. But if you desire a Life that fully pleases God, follow Christ and receive His. Christianity is about the Life of Jesus being lived in you, through you, as you before the watching world, for His glory.

Next week we finish Matthew's gospel with the section of chapter 21-28.

Matthew 1-10

2010-12-06T13:21:00.000-08:00

We are reading through the Bible in two years with a reading schedule that calls for about 10-12 chapters a week. This allows time for study and meditation. I hope to use this blog each week to review each week's readings.

This past week we read Matthew 1-10. There are four major sections in this reading; the birth of Christ (chapter 1-2), the beginning of His ministry of teaching and healing (chapters 3-4, 8-9), the sermon on the mount (5-7), and the instructions to His missionary disciples (10).

One of the things we notice in the birth story of Jesus are the Magi. These Gentile astronomers from the East traveling to Jerusalem in search of the newborn "King of the Jews," seem out of place in Matthew's gospel. Matthew reveals Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah of Old Testament prophesies. Over and over he states, "...this was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet..." Twenty times in this week's reading we have Old Testament quotes. But Matthew has another emphasis; Jesus is also the Savior of the Gentiles. Notice in chapter 1:1-17, the genealogy of Jesus, there are three Gentile women listed; Tamar, the Canaanite wife of Judah, Rahab, the Canaanite prostitute who married Salmon (Boaz' father), and Ruth, the Moabite wife of Boaz. Matthew shows us Jesus ministry to Gentiles. In 4:25 the crowds that were being healed are described by being from Galilee and the Decapolis (ten Greek cities), and from Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordon (Gentile territory). Jesus is the King of the Jews, but from the very beginning, God had included Gentiles in His Kingdom. The Gentiles seemed more eager to enter than the religious Jews.

The Sermon on the Mount (5-7) is the first of five blocks of teachings that Matthew presents to his readers. These teachings sections (5-7, 10, 13, 18, 24-25) were used in the early church as a catechism for new believers. The first of these, called the Sermon on the Mount describes the life of Jesus. It is as if the first lesson for those who had begun following Christ was this question, "Are you sure you want this kind of life?" We find twelve characteristics of the life of Jesus in these chapters. These characteristics exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. The righteous life of Christ is the only life that glorifies the Father. This kind of life is a light that shines from being face to face with the Father; it is the righteousness of God in Christ. The characteristics of reconciliation, pure passions, faithfulness, truthfulness, godly responses, prayerfulness, a disciplined life, being eternally-minded, trusting the Father fully, and a Spirit-guided life of service for others are all explained by Jesus. This is His life. This is what we will become more and more like as we follow Christ. His life is what you receive when you follow and trust Christ as your Lord and Savior.

In chapter nine opposition is introduced (9:11) by Pharisees who criticize Jesus for keeping company with tax collectors and sinner, and eating with them. Jesus responds to His critics with teaching. He is not distracted from His ministry but rather uses the distractions to clarify His ministry. This is a lesson for us. We will see much more opposition in next week's reading (chapters 11-21).

The teachings from chapter ten give instructions to the missionaries of the Kingdom. Jesus instructs His missionaries on the fact that He is their authority and power for the task. Jesus gives them a clear "people group" to minister to. He instructs them to preach and teach the Kingdom and to demonstrate the power of the King in the lives of the oppressed. He tells them to stay with those who are receptive and to include others in the task by receiving from them support for the mission. He warns them of the opposition and of the choice that friends and family must make when other relationships threaten the advance of the Kingdom. The Lord assures His missionaries that they will be successful and that they will be persecuted and suffer. He encourages them not to fear man, but to fear God. Most of all, Jesus lets His missionaries know that He is with them. When someone receives them, Jesus said they "...receive Me."

Some questions from this section:

How can the emotion of anger be channeled away from the destruction that leads to murder into something that glorifies God? See Mark 3:5 for a time when it says that Jesus was angry.
How can the eyes become pure and never worry about being torn out for sinning?
What kind of fruit should we look for in teachers? It must be more than their words and actions according to Jesus (7:21-23).

Next week; Matthew 11-21

An Appetite For God's Word; Psalm 107:17-22

2010-11-22T14:41:00.000-08:00

The third group of people that Psalm 107 describes are those who have lost their appetite, their desire for God's Word; they have become "...fools through their sinful ways...they loathed any kind of food..." When the Old Testament uses the word fool it is describing an unbeliever, one who does not believe in God (Psalm 14:1), much less that He speaks to us. This passage in Psalm 107:17-22 tells us that there can be times in the life of a believer when we drift away from God and live a sinful lifestyle, as if there were no God. Their life has no evidence of the influence and strength of God's Word. In verse 18 it says that they almost died. Maybe you have been there.

But in verse 19 the light comes on, "...Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble and he delivered them from their distress." This reminds me of the story Jesus told about the prodical son, who came to himself and resolved to return to his father. God delivered them by sending out His word which healed them and delivered them from destruction. This group is encouraged to offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and to tell of his deeds in songs of joy.

God's Word feeds us by giving us the strength to walk in His ways. One of the things our groups notice on mission trips to Uganda is the way the Ugandans pray before they eat; "Lord, give us strength from the food..." They eat for strength. We eat for taste. God's Word is sometimes sweet, but it can also be bland, hot, and even bitter; but it will give us strength if we will receive it by faith. And faith grows as we eat God's word (Romans 10:17).

Be sure that you keep your appetite for God's Word. If you feel you have lost it, cry out to Him for it.

Next week; the fourth group; the fearful.

Psalm 107:10-16; Crying Out to God in Chains

2010-11-15T16:20:00.000-08:00

The second group that Psalm 107 describes crying out to the LORD are those who are in prison; the chains of sinful bondage. These are not people who have been captured, they have willingly rebelled against God's word (107:11) and are in the bondage of sinful addictions. There is nothing they can do to escape. "Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress." 107:13.

This group are like so many who have been deceived into thinking that God's word does not apply to them, to their situation, or that there is always a better way than God's way. The result of believing that lie ends them up in bondage, in prison, in the chains of sin. But when they cry out to God, He hears and brings them out into the light, breaking their chains, opening prison doors, setting the captives free! Hallelujah! They are instructed to give thanks to the LORD for His steadfast (relationship) love.

God's word is a lamp unto our feet and a light for our path. We will never be led into sin when we follow God's word. His word reveals His ways. His word teaches His ways. His word gives us faith (Romans 10:17). The question is this, Are we willing to receive His word? Do we sit still long enough to hear His word to us each day? When you cry out to the Lord in bondage, listen by looking for the light of His word. He will lead you out.

Next week; God heals those who have lost their appitite for His word; Psalm 107:17-22

Psalm 107:2-9; God Has Redeemed Us From...

2010-11-08T15:15:00.000-08:00

Psalm 107 is a psalm of praise to God for His saving power in our lives. We are invited to give Him praise for redeeming us out of trouble. Then the psalmist lists four kinds of trouble we tend to get into.

The first kind of trouble is found in verses 4-9; "Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in..." This is called simply being lost in the worse place imaginable, the desert, where there is constant danger, no cover, no water, no place to hide, no place to run, nothing to eat, no life. "Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble and He delivered them from their distress." 107:6 (this sentence is repeated three more times in the psalm, verses 13, 19, 28). Because of God's steadfast love (relationship love), "He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in...He satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul He fills with good things." 107:7-9.

Everyone has experienced this kind of lostness because of sin in our lives; in sin we are lost in the worse place imaginable; the wilderness of "on our own." But when we cry out to God and call out His Name, Lord Jesus Christ, He saves us by putting us in the "straight way," Jesus Christ. He leads us to a city, His Kingdom, and He feeds us His word and satisfies our soul with His Spirit. Let the redeemed of the LORD say, Praise the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Next week; Being delivered from the prison of disobedience; 107:10-16.

Psalm 107:1; Giving Thanks Because God is Good

2010-11-01T14:01:00.000-07:00

Psalm 107 begins with an invitation, "Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!" The word give thanks is one word in Hebrew; yada. It is sometimes translated "praise" and is the root from which the name Judah is built. It is also the word for "hand." In the Old Testament, they didn't say "thank you" they gave thanks! Hands are involved by extending them with something that is in them, like a gift.

We do this when we write a thank you note, or when we give someone a gift out of appreciation for something they did for us. In the Bible it is one of the ways to praise God...to give Him gifts with words of recognition, joyful gratitude, exuberant praise for loving us the way that He does. He loves us with His redeeming love, steadfast love.

The word, steadfast love, is the Hebrew word, hesed, and refers to God's covenant-making love. It is a love that chooses, takes initiative, saves, redeems, delivers, and endures forever...it is eternal, like God. We are loved by God with this amazing love and we praise God for loving us the way that He does.

The word, good, is the Hebrew word, towb. It means "good, best, beautiful, pleasing, excellent, supreme." It describes God's creation because God saw Himself in His creation. God alone is good, because God alone is God. There is nothing greater than towb. God's goodness toward us is experienced in His love for us. There is nothing greater in our lives than God and His steadfast love for us in Jesus Christ.

Next week; What does God's love do in our lives?

Unanswered Prayer Requests; Denied or Postponed

2010-10-18T15:23:00.000-07:00

Moses had two denied prayer requests; The first is found in Exodus 33:18, “Please show me Your glory.” And the second is found in Deuteronomy 3:23-28 when Moses asked the LORD to allow him to go into the promised land. Both of these requests were denied; but with a provision.

In Exodus God allowed Moses to see the after-glow of His glory, His back. And in the second case, God told Moses he was not allowed to set foot in the promised land but he would be allowed to see it from a distance, from Mt. Pisgah.

Sometimes God does not give us what we ask for because He loves us and He knows the thing would harm us. But other requests are denied because of timing; in other words, they are not denied but postponed for a later date. In either case, we must trust God with the answers to our requests. He knows what we need and we know that He loves us more than we can image.

Both of these requests of Moses were answered in Luke 9:28-36, on the Mount of Transfiguration. Moses got to see the fullness of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ while standing in the promised land. God answered his request beyond what he could have imagined when he originally asked.
What are you asking God for? Does it seem as though He has denied your request? Don’t be discouraged. God loves you and will answer with you in mind because He loves you. When the answer comes it will be beyond your request… more than you can imagine beyond your request! Ephesians 3:20-21.
Bubba Stahl

Goodness and Mercy are Following Me

2010-10-11T14:16:00.000-07:00

Psalm 23 concludes with the familiar words, “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” When we follow the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, there will be times when He leads us to look back, and to look ahead. In 28 years of pastoral ministry I have found that most people struggle with these two “areas,” their past and their future.

Some look back with regret, others look back longing to go back (”remember Lot’s wife” Luke 17:32), still others cannot get over the pain from an event in their past. But Jesus leads us to look back and see the fruit of His Spirit that has been planted all along the way, His activity in our past which is both good and merciful.

As for the future, so many look ahead with fear, with doubt, with worry, with dreams of their own apart from God’s plan for their life. But Jesus leads us to see that what we have to look forward to is more of the same (verses 1-5) of His provision, His guidance, His abundance, His healing,…His love. He wants us to see the Father’s House, our home, is where we are headed with Him. And He will lead us there…He came from there…He alone knows the way…He is the way.
Bubba Stahl

Desert Hospitality; Psalm 23:5

2010-10-05T15:05:00.000-07:00

In Psalm 23 we see a picture of our lives on this earth, nomadic, and the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, who leads us through with an abundance. In verse 5 there is an emphasis upon the gracious hospitality of the Shepherd.

Shepherds lived their lives in the open field. Their homes were tents. They were Bedouins. For travelers crossing the desert the shepherds were like a moving oasis. Hospitality in the Bible is huge because this world is not what God created it to be. It has been infected with sin and death. There are dangers at every turn. We are travelers and in need of a gracious host for our journey. Verse 5 describes the most gracious Shepherd host there is, the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ.

He prepares a table of much needed nourishment, with howling wolves just outside. This is a picture of the Bible and the strength that God’s Word gives us on our journey. He welcomes us into His dwelling with the luxuries of fragrant oil for our head, hands, and feet. This is a picture of the Holy Spirit and His ministry in our lives of lingering wisdom, holy power and skill for our hands, and clear direction for our feet. He fills your cup with a generous overflow of the most precious and scarce commodity in the desert, water. This is a picture of God’s abundance of all we need, more than we need, in this pilgrimage we are on.

Where are you right now in your journey? Is the Lord your gracious host? Are you with Him? We often pray, “Lord, be with me,” but maybe we should ask, “Am I with Him?” Let Christ take care of you today.
Bubba Stahl

Through the Valley

2010-09-28T15:41:00.000-07:00

There is a change that happens in Psalm 23 beginning with verse four. King David has been talking about his Shepherd in the first three verses and the wonderful blessings of contentment, peace, and guidance. But now he begins talking to his Shepherd beginning in verse four, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”

The blessing of God’s presence is your life is the greatest blessing of all. He is greater than anything else in life; greater than His blessings and greater than any enemy or threat, even death. King David knew all to well that in this life there is the constant threat of enemies that seek to do one thing; to kill, steal, and to destroy. It is the same today.

But with God there is no reason to fear the threats of the enemy. Jesus Christ has defeated the enemies of the world, the flesh, and the devil. The “rod and staff” of Christ are His sinless life and death for us and His resurrected Life in us. This is our strength (“comfort”) as we go through the seasons of trial and temptation.

Try this: Take the time to get still and quiet with the Lord, asking Him to help you remember times in your past when you were being led by the Lord through a valley. What was the rod and staff in each of those valleys? Was it an encouraging word from a brother or sister in the Lord? Was it a song? Was it a verse of Scripture? Was it a card or a phone call? Do you know someone that you could send a rod and staff to today?

He Restores My Soul

2010-09-22T12:49:00.000-07:00

Psalm 23:3 is sometimes divided up into two different thoughts; “He (the Lord) restores by soul; He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” This is not two different thoughts, but rather one. The Lord restores my soul by leading me in paths of righteousness. The word “restore” is a Hebrew word that means to bring back from wandering. It is used mostly in the Old Testament as the word “repent.”

This reveals one of the amazing ways of God; He gives us the gift of repentance (restoring my soul) by showing us the path of righteousness. In other words, God does not clobber us over the head with how wrong we are. He keeps revealing to us how right we can be if we will just trust Him and recieve the gift of being restored by Him, the gift of repentance, trusting His invitation to go a different way.

The invitation to His way, the path of righteousness, is presented to us with the outcome; it will glorify His name. This is one of the wonderful gifts of God. It is also one that we need on a regular basis; being restored.
Are you willing to pray like this? “Lord Jesus, I am so prone to wandering off; off on my own plans, off into blaming others, off into constantly blaming myself, off into areas that You have said are off limits because of the destruction that is waiting there; show me the way that You are leading me; reveal to me the wonderful path where You are glorified. I want to walk that way…” More next week.

Green Pastures and Quiet Waters

2010-09-14T05:14:00.000-07:00

Psalm 23 describes for us the gift of abundant life that Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, offers to us if we are willing to follow Him in it. The Lord Jesus wants to share with us the Life that He has and enjoys.
He gives contentment and peace in the midst of frenzied and confused world.

The image of a sheep laying down in green pastures describes a sheep that is content even though it is surrounded by plenty (verse 2). One of the problems we have in our culture is what I like to call the “cafeteria syndrome.” We see so much good stuff we think we need it all. This is one of the reasons the storage room business is booming. We lack contentment.

Quiet waters describes rest and peace and refreshment; the opposite of “the news.” The offer to follow Jesus Christ and to lay down in green pastures beside quiet waters is to discover what God intended our lives to have when He created us; Life with Him. This does not mean that we ignore problems. Even the Garden of Eden had snakes! It does mean that we can choose the offer from our Good Shepherd of something greater than our problems and greater than our blessings; His presence.

Think of the most contented and peaceful moment you have ever enjoyed in your life. That experience was given to you by the Lord to encourage you to know what life with Him is like; not a life absent of worry or trouble, but a life that has contentment and peace that is more powerful than any worry or trouble!

God’s promise to us is that He will be with us in trouble. His presence with you is greater than any other good thing (blessings) and greater than any threat (peace). Call upon the Lord, seek after Him, desire the Life that He desires and has promised to give you; today!
Bubba Stahl

Psalm 23

2010-09-09T15:09:00.000-07:00

During this time of recovery from malaria, the Lord has spoken to me in fresh ways from Psalm 23. The writer begins with a declaration of identification; he identifies himself as a satisfied follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd.
We know from the title that King David wrote these words. Here is a king who has a King; a king who was a shepherd who is now following his Shepherd. As a young shepherd, David knew why shepherds were needed and what they did. Without a shepherd the sheep would wander off and become prey to wolves and other predators. The worst thing going for sheep is that they are so tasty. They need someone to lead them, protect them, feed them, and be with them constantly. We, too, need a Shepherd who loves us, Someone we can trust to care for every need we have, past, present, and future, Someone who is with us and for us. That Person is Jesus Christ.

Next week; verses 2-6 reveals the fullness of the care that Christ gives as our present and constant Shepherd.
Bubba Stahl