tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47725800066447182692024-02-08T07:24:08.293-08:00TheologeekThis is my avenue to share what I'm learning about God, geek out about theology, and hopefully share some of God's love.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08727471704146714133noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4772580006644718269.post-14730383309438272932014-02-18T23:33:00.000-08:002014-03-04T23:34:25.530-08:00Whose Image?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />I live in Seattle. Prior to moving here, I had never lived in a city (or even a state) with a professional sports team. So it was weird to come here and know that when people asked you “Did you see the game last night?” There is only one game that they could be referring to. Basically everyone here is a Seahawks fan, and they like to show it. Now for those of you reading this in Montana, and are fans of the Grizzlies or the Bobcats, let me assure you that the level of crazed pandemonium that erupts in a city like Seattle when their team makes it to the Superbowl puts the best Cat/Griz weekend to shame. I can easily say that over half of the people you encounter will either have a Russell Wilson jersey, a Seahawks sticker on their car, or a flag flying on their house.<br /><br />This kind of fandom can have positive and negative effects. On the positive side, tons of local business owners are donating to charity in honor of the Seahawks, people are generally more friendly in the city if they find out you’re a Hawks fan, and it’s just plain fun to be able to share this event with friends and neighbors. Negatively, you get stories like the local middle school principal who sent a teenager home from school because she wore a 49er’s jersey on “Blue Friday,” or the numerous drunken brawls that have broken out in local bars and restaurants. <br /><br />From a missiological standpoint, this is fascinating to watch. All of these fans have become image bearers of the Seattle Seahawks. You see, we were all created to be image bearers of God (<a href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Genesis%201.26-27">Genesis 1:26-27</a>). In old days, a king or ruler would place his image on all of his possessions. Think of the statues of the Pharaohs in ancient Egypt, or a family crest from an English lord. This image was a means to identify certain people, cities, or objects as belonging to the king. In modern America, even though we don’t serve under an earthly king, we still use these images to identify ourselves. Think of flying a flag in the yard to identify yourself as an American, or in this example, wearing a Seahawks jersey to identify yourself as a Seattle fan. Many of us have forgotten though, that our original created state was to image the almighty God. This creates not just an image issue, but an identity issue. We identify ourselves with so many things, but so often don’t identify ourselves with God.<br /><br />In the book Disciple by Bill Clem, he describes what being an image bearer means practically in your life. He uses the analogy of a mirror, that we are designed to reflect God’s glory like a mirror reflects an image. When we reflect God’s image back to Him, that’s worship. Prayer, singing praises, honoring Him, and learning more about Him, these are all ways that we worship God by reflecting His image. When we reflect God’s image to those closest to us, that is when you have community: meeting together as a church, praying with each other, encouraging one another, living a Godly life together with your family and your church family. That is how image bearers of God live in community.Finally, when we reflect God’s image to everyone we meet, to the whole world, that’s mission:living your life above the reproach of sin, sharing the Gospel with people you meet, traveling across the globe to show people what God is like through the image of Him that you bear. That is how God’s mission is accomplished in the world. <br /><br />God desires to see the world filled with His image-bearers (<a href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Matthew%2028.19-20">Matthew 28:19-20</a>). If we find our identity in Christ, then our desires should mirror His. It’s not necessarily wrong to get excited about a football team, a movie, a TV show, or even a church. These things can even be God-given entry points to begin a conversation with others around you. But too often, we identify ourselves with these earthly things and not with Christ, distorting the image of God so that people around us see more about us and our interests than our Savior. How many of you know people, who are Christians, who talk more about their church than the Lord who established it? Or maybe you know the guy who comes to church and claims to love Jesus, but doesn’t show up for 16 weeks in the fall because it’s football or hunting season?<br /><br />I want to leave you with the encouragement of Paul from the book of Colossians. “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory….you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” (<a href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Colossians%203.1-4">Colossians 3:1-4</a>, <a href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Colossians%203.9-10">9-10</a>)<br /><br />(Source: <a href="http://sovereignhopechurch.com/whose-image">sovereignhopechurch.com</a>)</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08727471704146714133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4772580006644718269.post-50201743627374163212013-11-21T23:29:00.000-08:002014-03-04T23:32:18.589-08:00Service Is A Gift<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><br />“The kid’s ministry is looking for some more volunteers.<br /><br />“Sign up to help serve at this event.”<br /><br />We’ve all heard these announcements on Sunday. Every church with more than two people needs someone to serve the others. Service is an inherent component of our Christian life. In Matthew 22, Jesus summarized all of the Old Testament law and the commandments with a simple command to love God and to love your neighbor as you do yourself. Serving is one of the primary methods of loving someone.When we serve, we love God by showing humility and obedience to what He has called us to do. Likewise, when we serve, we love others by sacrificing something for them and putting their needs above our own. But perhaps some of you, like me, from time to time feel burdened by the overwhelming needs of the people we serve. Or you don’t feel as though you have anything to offer. Or simply that you’re just too busy or stretched too thin to serve.<br /><br />I want us to reorient our thinking of service when it comes to volunteering in the church, or even in our own personal lives and the people we can serve on a daily basis. Rather than looking at service as an obligation, an expectation, or a burden, can we instead see service as a gift? In 2 Corinthians 9, Paul is commending a local church for their generosity and willingness to give towards the needs of others. Read verses 11 and 12 with an emphasis on service as a gift, "You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.” Generosity can be shown through monetary gifts, but just as much, to be generous in serving others will enrich your life and result in glory and thanksgiving to God. Later in the same chapter, Paul says “Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!” (<a href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/2%20Cor.%209.15">2 Cor. 9:15</a>). Our generosity comes not from an abundance of goodness and wealth of our own, but because we have received a so much greater gift from God through Jesus Christ. The gift of a regenerated heart, freedom from sin and death, and eternal life with Him forever is a far greater gift than any of us can ever give to anyone. Out of the abundance of joy that this gift of new life brings, we then have something to give to others through our generosity and service. <br /><br />So any service that we offer to God and others needs to come out of a grateful heart and a God given desire to see others come to know Jesus and receive the same gift. The function of service in the church is to provide for the physical needs of others so that they can open their heart to hear the truth of the gospel. Jesus himself spent most of His earthly ministry serving the needs of others. The feeding of the five thousand, washing the disciples’ feet, all acts of service that then allowed the recipients to be in a position that is receptive to hearing the gospel. In the New Testament church, we see people being chosen out of the congregation to serve the rest by essentially being waiters and dishwashers. After these first deacons were installed, it says “the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem” (<a href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Acts%206.7">Acts 6:7</a>) So by the willingness of a few faithful servants to humble themselves and give the gift of their service to others, the mission of God was furthered and the church continued to grow. I pray that our hearts can echo their generosity and desire to see new people meet Jesus. We would see incredible things happen in our churches.<br /><br />Serving in the kid’s ministry is a gift to the parents in the church who would otherwise be distracted and not really hear the sermon because they need to take care of their children. It is also a gift to the children who get to spend time with other adults who love Jesus and are willing to teach them the gospel. When you serve on the media team, you give a gift of your talents to present the gospel message in a way that is engaging and incredibly high quality. At the Info Booth, your gift is to the new comers, to those who want to get connected to the community of the church. You can bless the church with your gift of music and leading people in worship of God. Even those who silently serve with no spotlight or recognition, they give a great gift in keeping the church clean, supporting the staff in their daily tasks, preparing food and drinks, and handing out bulletins at the front door. <br /><br />We all need to ask God to renew our hearts and minds when it comes to our view of service.We need to read His word to understand the full breadth of what it means to serve and be served. Some of you serve too much, out of a selfish desire to impress others or to somehow earn God’s favor. Some of you don’t serve very much at all, maybe because of selfishness or a feeling that you don’t have anything to give. I pray that God would allow you to view your service as an expression of His goodness to you. Your pastors don’t want you volunteering in the kid’s ministry under some sense of obligation. They do not want you to help at the bookstore because you want to check a box to make yourself feel better. That is not a gift to the church. <br /><br />Jesus wants to see His people cheerfully giving of their time, talents, and treasures because of their inexpressible gratitude for what they have been given, so that others may also receive the gift of faith. Wouldn’t it be amazing if an entire body of believers gave in service to the church so that everyone who walked through the door felt like an honored guest and we didn’t need to have constant pleas for more help in this or that ministry? Wouldn’t it be amazing to see God pour a flood of newcomers and new believers into the church because of the great reputation of love and service and generosity they receive there? That would be an amazing gift indeed.<br /><br />(Source: <a href="http://sovereignhopechurch.com/service-is-a-gift">sovereignhopechurch.com</a>)</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08727471704146714133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4772580006644718269.post-15236898803450712392013-09-04T21:27:00.000-07:002014-03-04T22:49:11.797-08:00Where Have You Been Sent?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you’ve been going to Sovereign Hope for any amount of time, I sincerely hope and pray that you are a part of a Community Group. I was blessed to be able to see this ministry begin in 2009. They serve an important function in the ministry of the church. Primarily, community groups exist to contribute to the church in three main factors: pastoral care, mission, and Bible study.<br /><br />I want to focus on that concept of mission as it applies to community. What does it mean to be on mission as a community? When was the last time that your group considered what its mission is?<br /><br />I would submit that part of being on mission is about living your life with the understanding that you are sent. Go with me on this. God is a sender by nature (<a href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Genesis%2012.1-3">Genesis 12:1-3</a>, <a href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Isaiah%206.8">Isaiah 6:8</a>). This sending God sent His Son into the fallen world to reconcile that world to Himself (<a href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/John3.16">John3:16</a>). God thensends the church, both the corporate church and the individual members of the church (<a href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Acts%201.8">Acts 1:8</a>). The sending God sends the Spirit - the third person of the Trinity - to empower and enable us for His mission (<a href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/John%2014.26">John 14:26</a>). We the church are to be His missionaries in the world and to the world (<a href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Ephesians%203.6-11">Ephesians 3:6-11</a>). So if being on mission as a community means understanding that we are sent, allow me to describe a few ways in which a community group can be sent.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. MISSIONAL COMMUNITY GROUPS ARE SENT TO PEOPLE.<br />There are people in your life, and the lives of the other members of your community group, who are in desperate need of a Savior. Odds are that somebody in your group right now is there because of their relationship with another member of the group who invited them. The people in your group, even if they’ve been a Christian for a while, have or are going to experience trial and hardship, and God is going to use your group as a means to pour out His blessing on that person. In community, we work the Gospel out and apply it to our everyday lives. It is a safe environment in which you can speak the truth of the Gospel to each other and correct one another lovingly. This prepares you then to share the Gospel with your non believing friends, neighbors, and coworkers. One of the primary means of evangelism in the church is that the people of God would go out into the world and make disciples by speaking the truth of the gospel (<a href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Matthew%2028.19-20">Matthew 28:19-20</a>). Let us never cease in inviting others to partake in the joy that we have found.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. MISSIONAL COMMUNITY GROUPS ARE SENT TO A NEIGHBORHOOD.<br />If you took a map of Missoula and put pins in it where all of the Sovereign Hope community groups are, you would see that God has sent these groups intentionally to affect the area around them. He has sent groups to be on mission in places like the South Hills, in East Missoula, on campus, and even in the surrounding cities like Lolo and Frenchtown. Rather than annoying the neighbors by being the house that has all the cars parked around it every week, how much better would it be if the neighborhood knew that it was better off because a group of Christians lives there? I know that this might be a new or daunting idea, because in America our culture has moved from the front porch to the back yard with a giant fence around it. It starts very simply though, by just talking to your neighbors. Recently, my wife Stacy and I have been blessed by having a front porch to sit on in our apartment community. It’s amazing how many more people we meet and get to talk with just by doing what we would be doing inside, outside. We get to say hello, introduce ourselves to people we don’t know, and reconnect on an almost daily basis with the people we do know.<br /><br />The point is not to be super intense and rush to the point where I ask everyone on my block if they know Jesus and want to dedicate their life to him. I just want to get to know my neighbors, which in turn will lead to larger areas of involvement and mission. This can take on many forms: being involved in neighborhood watch, patronizing the businesses in your neighborhood and getting to know the staff there, going to the park near your house rather than the nicer one across town, bringing housewarming baskets to people who move in nearby. All of these are tangible ways that your group can be on mission in the neighborhood it was sent to.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. MISSIONAL COMMUNITY GROUPS ARE SENT TO A CITY.<br />Part of Sovereign Hope’s mission statement is to engage the city with the treasure of Jesus. None of you live in Missoula by accident. God has sovereignly ordained each and every person in this church to be there at this time and in this place. As a community group, how can you serve the city as a whole? Individually, your member’s can and maybe should be involved in local government and organizations, school boards and clubs. As a group, Sovereign Hope has many opportunities to serve the city such as Family Promise and the City Forum. I believe that the city of Missoula will be forever changed because of the ministry of Sovereign Hope Church.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. MISSIONAL COMMUNITY GROUPS ARE SENT TO THE WORLD.<br />The second half of Sovereign Hope’s mission statement is for the nations. As Americans, we have been sent by God into this country to bless and serve the rest of the world. How can your community group be on mission for the nations? Maybe it means that you come together once a year to help with Operation Christmas Child, or partner together to sponsor a child through World Vision. Perhaps it means that you know and support missionaries in other countries with prayer and with finances. Or even just imagine that your group became so passionate about the mission of God, that you decided to go together to share the gospel in a foreign country or state.<br /><br />Here is my encouragement for you: We serve a God who is all powerful, all knowing, all holy, and yet full of mercy and grace. This God has graciously invited us to join Him on His mission and has sent His Holy Spirit to empower us where we fail. Just like a father teaches his kids a skill or trade or takes them to work with him, our Father invites us to partake in the work that He is doing. So spend some time as a group to pray about where God is inviting you to be on mission in the place where He has sent you.<br /><br />(Source: <a href="http://sovereignhopechurch.com/where-have-you-been-sent">sovereignhopechurch.com</a>)</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08727471704146714133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4772580006644718269.post-52005989589324977582013-01-12T10:50:00.001-08:002013-01-12T10:50:43.629-08:00Theology in Miscarriage
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By: Stacy Potter</div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One in five pregnancies ends in miscarriage. My own ended only ten days after we learned of it. It is a terrible and deeply personal tragedy experienced by many women and their families. In the days following it, I found myself pondering questions of God and salvation that I had never faced before. Not all my questions were answered, but I have gained a deeper understanding of my Lord through this loss.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>It's not a "beat the clock" situation</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sometimes, I have a sense that we have to hurry up and get people saved before they die. The Bible says that God chose us, predestined us, for salvation, before He even made the earth (Eph. 1:4-5), before he made us. It says that even the faith that we have is a grace and gift to us (Eph. 2:8). He does absolutely all of the salvation work. I am not aware of a verse explicitly saying that babies who die go to heaven, but remembering that <i>He chose us </i>refocuses me on trusting God with my baby. I'm not saved by anything I've done, and neither are the unborn. I can follow the examples of Abraham and Hannah, who completely trusted God with their children. Alive or dead, no one will love my kids better than God.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>It is right to grieve the loss</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am frustrated with current cultural views of miscarriage. Doctors use terms like "spontaneous abortion" which sounds horrific, and "miscarriage" which implies that I somehow mishandled my baby. Referring to an embryo or fetus as "tissue" or "the products of conception" fails to recognize the personhood of that baby. All humans are made in God's image, made to reflect Him and His character and glory. That four week old embryo has dignity, value, and worth <i>because it reflects God </i>(Gen. 2:26-27). Our grandmothers held fast to a twelve-week rule, waiting until three months into the pregnancy to announce it. If a miscarriage happened before that, they would keep it to themselves and cope in silence and isolation. That isn't how God created us, to grieve alone, and frankly, our culture needs to see that we love and value our children, and that they are more than tissue (Ps. 139:13-16). Mourners can discern how many people they tell and how much, because unlike other deaths, it happens in such a personal and private way. But it's my hope that women not suffer silently. Job, a wealthy, dignified, widely respected man, was not silent when his children died, rather, he made a very public show of genuine grief, and that was not sin (Job 1:20-21).</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>He's not the bad guy</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I felt angry with God afterward, for a while. I knew that God brings glory out of the most tragic situations, but I got to thinking that I should know how He would bring about that glory (Rom. 8:28). I wanted to know specifically what kind of glory would warrant all my suffering. But trusting God isn't about the how. It's about the Who. Who is the object of your faith? When Jesus talks to Mary and Martha about the death of their brother Lazarus, they both had the same objection, the same accusation. "You could have stopped this. Where were you?" Jesus doesn't ask a lot of the questions that I would expect Him to ask as he comes to comfort and mourn with them. He doesn't promise to raise their brother, or apologize for letting him die, or promise to replace him by giving them husbands. He asks, "Who am I? Am I the Lord, the life, the resurrection? Did I not tell you that I would bring glory from this death?" He doesn't offer to bring casseroles, He challenges the very core of their faith: "Who am I to you?" We die because of our sin nature. Jesus is the life, not the death. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>A perfect Father understands imperfect mothers</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lots of women feel guilty. They wonder if they are responsible, because they ate sushi, or drank wine and coffee, worked out to hard, stressed out too much, or resented being pregnant. Most of the time, miscarriages happen because of a genetic problem. But if the mother did endanger her unborn baby, there is love, grace, and forgiveness. We wouldn't be perfect mothers whether or not our children lived. It is good to make every effort not to endanger the lives of others (Deut. 22:8), and there is a loving Father who perfectly loves us even when we are imperfect mothers, so we don't have to worry or wonder (1 Jn. 4:18).</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><span class="s1">He has been there, too</span> </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lastly, we know that our grief is perfectly understood by our Father. He too watched as His child suffered, bled and died and was hidden away in a dark tomb. Jesus suffered so that our feeble, broken bodies might one day be glorified and able to live and enjoy Him forever. Let us not point our finger at God and accuse, "Why me?" but look to Jesus on the cross, point and ask, "Why Him?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Because you are greatly loved by a greatly glorious God, child. <b><i>You are greatly loved.</i></b> (Eph. 3:14-19)</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08727471704146714133noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4772580006644718269.post-81730133562513237902012-10-18T22:24:00.001-07:002012-10-18T22:28:37.688-07:00Promises Fulfilled<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"<i>For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.</i>"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As part of my studies for Re:Train, I get to pick a book of the Bible to study for the rest of the year for Hermeneutics, Preaching, and Biblical Theology. I picked the book of Joshua because I've always liked the epic stories of the war and conquest in it. What I didn't expect was the major theme of the book, which is God fulfilling his promise, or covenant, to the people of Israel. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A little historical background; to that point in history, God had made several covenants, starting with Abraham and continuing with his descendants. A covenant is defined as "an agreement that brings about a relationship of commitment between God and his people." In the book of Genesis, God promises to Abraham that He would bless him, make his descendants into a great people, and that they would receive all the land of Canaan to inhabit and build a kingdom (Gen. 12:1-3, 17:1-4 ESV). With Moses at the burning bush, God made another covenant with Israel, to deliver them from Egypt and to bring them up to the promised land of Canaan (Exodus 3:7-9). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fast forward to the book of Joshua, and we see a beautiful, epic narrative wherein God fulfills those covenants. He chooses Joshua as the leader and commander of Israel's armies to replace Moses who had died (Joshua 1). Joshua leads an army in conquest over the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, and so many other kingdoms and nations who resided in the promised land. God alone grants them victory over great odds. The Lord causes miracles such as the stopping of the waters of the Jordan (Joshua 3, echoing the parting of the Red Sea in the Exodus), destroying the walls of Jericho (Joshua 5), and making the sun stand still as the armies battled (Joshua 10). And even once He accomplishes this great victory, God is still faithful and fulfills even the seemingly smallest of promises. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Take Caleb for instance, who was introduced back in Exodus. He was one of the spies who ventured into the promised land to determine if they could invade and conquer. When all the other spies exaggerated the truth to save their own skin and misadvised the people, Caleb was obedient and faithful to God and reported the truth. For this God promised him that he would live to enter the promised land and his descendants would dwell there (Numbers 14:24). A full 45 years later, God fulfills this promise through Joshua who gives Caleb a whole territory for him and his family (Joshua 14:6-15). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All of this promise fulfillment culminates in Joshua 21:43-45:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"<i>Thus the LORD gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there. And the LORD gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the LORD had given all their enemies into their hands. Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass</i>."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is so encouraging for me to read, just as it would have been for the people of Israel who read this book for generations after. To know that God is not only faithful in keeping his promises, but powerful, wise, loving, and all knowing. That is so useful to us in our daily struggles. I know that personally, the last few months have been a trial. There have been times where all Stacy and I have to rest in is our knowledge that God has promised that he would provide for us in this endeavor, and I know that God can and does fulfill His promises. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Because what you may not realize is that we are still living under God's covenant. Just as the Israelites lived under the Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants, we live under a New Covenant. This new covenant is instituted by Jesus, who by His cross and resurrection assumes the role of royal high priest and fulfills all the promises God made in the previous covenants. The conditions are that we believe in Jesus, be baptized, participate in remembrance of Him through communion, and live by all that He taught (Matthew 26:28). By this covenant, God establishes His family in it's final form as a universal worldwide kingdom, which Jesus calls His Church (Matthew 16:18-19).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is the hope that even the people of Israel were looking towards. Moses was not their savior, Joshua was not their savior, the promised land was not heaven. They had faith in God and his unfolding plan that would come to fruition in the person and work of Jesus. Living on this side of the cross, we know Jesus, and anxiously await the fullness of the new covenant when He returns.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That hope is what makes living the Christian life possible. It's what fuels me to follow Him even through difficult or painful circumstances. The knowledge of God's faithfulness is the fuel that the Holy Spirit will spark into a flame of saving faith in Jesus.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08727471704146714133noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4772580006644718269.post-25677033583816920822012-10-13T22:13:00.000-07:002012-10-18T22:28:47.592-07:00How We Moved to Seattle...<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Kids, back in 2012, God led your mother and I to move us all to Seattle...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now, I know what you're thinking, why would we do that? Dad had a good job, we were going to a great church, and we had a ton of friends (including two little girls named Ruth for you Boaz, sorry about that...) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, we had to go where God was taking us. After I got accepted to school at Re:Train, we had to make a decision. God promised to us that he would provide for us, though He didn't neccessarily give us all the details, He asked us to step out in faith.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So I started to look for a job. At the same time, the company I was working for started to have a lot of trouble. We prayed a lot for them because a lot of people lost their jobs. By God's grace, there was an opportunity for me to work for a great company called Apple (the ones who make your iPhone 14). It took a LONG time, and a LOT of interviews, delays, and hold ups, but that was just God working on our faith and showing us how much we need to trust Him in all things. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">God blessed us so much through our friends and family in Montana. They supported us in paying for tuition at my school, they helped us to pack and move out of our apartment, and they prayed so hard for us as we went on our way. We still love them all and visit them whenever we can and thank God for every single one of them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once we got here, things didn't necessarily get easier overnight. The apartment we were in was really small. Boaz, you had a really hard time adjusting because nothing was familiar so you clung to us a lot. I had to wait a lot longer than I thought to start my job, so we weren't able yet to go and do a lot of the fun things that we wanted to do in our new city. But God was very faithful, He always came through just when He knew that we needed His help the most. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My school went very well, I learned SO much. I had great teachers, read some amazing books, and studied with some awesome men. It was a lot of work because I hadn't been to school in a long time, but God gave me strength and helped me to study hard and grow in my knowledge and worship of Him. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The best part of our new home was the great church that we joined, Mars Hill. The pastor was so thoughtful, he Facebook stalked us before we arrived so that on our first day there, he greeted us at the door by name. We felt really loved right away and got into community groups so that we could make new friends and worship Jesus. We even got to meet Pastor Mark in our first week here and he prayed for you Boaz. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All in all kids, it was a period of lives that we will never forget. We missed our friends and family dearly. We couldn't wait to go back and visit them. We grew closer as a family than we'd ever been before. Your mom and I had to preach the gospel to each other regularly to remind ourselves of God's promises and faithfulness. Boaz, you grew up a lot, learned so many new things, and got to experience more cultures and people than I ever did as a little boy. We're so grateful for that time and love that we serve a God who is worth the sacrifice and good enough to make it into a blessing.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08727471704146714133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4772580006644718269.post-16316257701708175002012-05-26T21:59:00.001-07:002012-10-18T22:28:57.365-07:00The Consequences of Connection<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There is an incredibly interesting conversation going on right now over at one of my favorite tech news sites, <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2012/5/8/3007525/paul-miller-offline" target="_blank">The Verge</a>. In a nutshell, one of their head writers, a Christian man named Paul Miller, has decided to abandon all internet use for an entire year. He is not browsing the web, checking Facebook or Twitter, streaming music or videos, or playing online games. His reasoning is this, the internet has been a part of his entire life since he was a child and it's become a primary driving force of his life. As he says in his introductory blog post...<br />
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<i>"I feel like I've only examined the internet up close. It's been personal and pervasive in my life for over a decade, and I spend on average 12+ hours a day directly at an internet-connected terminal (laptop, iPad, Xbox), not to mention all the ambient internet my smartphone keeps me aware of. Now I want to see the internet at a distance. By separating myself from the constant connectivity, I can see which aspects are truly valuable, which are distractions for me, and which parts are corrupting my very soul. What I worry is that I'm so "adept" at the internet that I've found ways to fill every crevice of my life with it, and I'm pretty sure the internet has invaded some places where it doesn't belong.<br /><br />In my wild fantasies, leaving the internet will make me better with my time, vastly more creative, a better friend, a better son and brother... a better Paul. In reality, I'll still be the same person, just with a huge professional and personal handicap. The things I'll miss most, like playing StarCraft with my friend from high school who lives in another state, or sharing Rdio and long read links with a co-worker at the next desk over, I hope to replace with more direct interactions, and more "meaningful" activities - whatever that means. The worst case scenario is that a year from now I'll be found wandering in the woods somewhere, muttering URLs to myself."</i><br />
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The resulting discussion on the Verge and other ancillary websites ranges from praise to ridicule, but the main theme that is being explored is this, <b>"What is the value of the internet?"</b><br />
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Personally, I relate very much with Paul in that the internet has been a part of my life for a majority of my life. At last count, I personally own 14 different internet connected devices (well higher than the national average). I work in the technology field and can honestly say that for the last 5 years or so, my job has been either entirely dependent or at least heavily reliant on the internet. The internet has brought me great entertainment, knowledge, and communication with friends and family. It has also brought pain, waste, and all sorts of sin.<br />
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As a Christian, I've almost constantly had to keep reevaluating how this tool affects my life and my faith. I'm not going to get into a debate on whether the internet is inherently good or evil. I think that the Bible is pretty clear that there is nothing under the sun which God is not in total control of. Also, the Bible is clear on the fact that sin has invaded every part of this world. What I'm more interested in is a discussion on how, as a Christian, one should approach life with the Internet.<br />
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A couple of Scripture passages to consider:<br />
<b>1 John 2:15-16</b><br />
<i>Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.</i><br />
<b>Philippians 4:8</b><br />
<i>Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.</i><br />
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You only have to spend about five minutes on the internet to realize that there is just about everything available on there. Things of the world? Check. Desires of the flesh and eyes? Big check. Pride? Have you ever seen someone's online resume?<br />
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So here's the question that I found myself asking when reading about Paul's experiment. Is my relationship with Jesus better or worse because of the internet? At the end of the day, I think that this is really what's at the heart of the matter. Sure, the net can be beneficial and efficient for your job, it can help you stay in touch with people better than you maybe would on your own, but is it worth it if it means that your relationship with Jesus is hindered?<br />
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At first blush, you may think "Sure, the internet helps my relationship with Jesus. After all, I can read the Bible online or listen to a sermon podcast." I agree. Words can not describe how much I appreciate the time that I've spent listening to sermons from good preachers across the world that before I simply would never have encountered. But you also have to remember that those tools are only as useful as you use them. If I'm not committed to reading my Bible daily, it's not going to matter than I can do it on my phone or iPad, I wouldn't be reading the hard copy either. The same goes for sermon podcasts. It's far too easy to put a sermon on your iPod and feel good about yourself, but still only listen to music. Trust me, Bieber doesn't bring redemption. Or if you do listen, perhaps it's so that you have something on in the background while doing laundry or working. I'm not saying that this is wrong, but I do know that the preached word of God was not intended to be white noise. It is planned and prayed over long before it's ever spoken by the pastor so that it will have an affect on you. It is designed to lead you to a response in worship. Be careful in putting that in the background of your thoughts.<br />
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There is much good that can come when you approach the internet with a desire to bring glory to God. By God's grace, this blog, my Facebook page, and the sermons online that I've preached at SHEC have allowed me to have conversations about Jesus with friends, family, and even people I don't know. And absolutely there are incredible resources out there through which to learn about, share about, and grow deeper with God. Everyday people are getting educated through classes and lectures and blogs on how to be a better disciple.<br />
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Some others of you may have a less optimistic view, "No way does the internet help my relationship with Jesus. There's so much distraction, and negativity, and trash." I also agree. Author Tedd Tripp recently said in an <a href="http://www.shec.net/theforum/item/595-tedd-tripp-greatest-threat-to-the-christian-family.html" target="_blank">interview</a> that he thinks the number one danger to the American family right now is internet pornography. Russell Moore at Desiring God just wrote a very good <a href="http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/fake-love-fake-war-why-so-many-men-are-addicted-to-internet-porn-and-video-games" target="_blank">article</a> about video games and porn and their affect on men and boys today. Being a man raised in the internet age, I can attest to almost every point that they make here. And it's not just porn that we should watch out for. How many of you have spent time at your job playing Farmville? Or maybe it's the gossip and slander that goes on in forums and comments of so many websites. Many pastors even feel as though they can't post a simple status to Facebook because of the string of negativity and attack that comes with it.<br />
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We are sinful selfish people, and the internet provides the platform for many of us to indulge those tendencies. It's easy to sit at home and broadcast your thoughts because you'll never have to face those whom you attack or offend. (I say this fully aware of the fact that I am in fact sitting at home broadcasting my thoughts. Again, it's about your purpose, not your methods.) The truth of the matter is, no matter what we do, and no matter how someone may try to control the internet, it is full of people and therefore, full of sin. So maybe we should just avoid the internet like <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2012/5/22/3035274/against-the-future-inside-the-jewish-anti-internet-rally/in/2771566" target="_blank">these folks</a>. (BTW-This article is long, but incredibly interesting. I highly recommend it.)<br />
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So as I'm sitting here, writing on my laptop, cross-referencing articles on my iPad, watching Twitter on my phone, streaming music on Spotify (David Crowder's last album if you're interested), and downloading an episode of Community for Stacy and I to watch, I'm wondering how I'm bringing glory to God or enhancing my relationship with Jesus. Is it about spending more time on Christian pages than secular ones? Is it about making sure that you follow more Christians on Twitter than non-Christians? Is it really about what I'm doing at all?<br />
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<b>1 Corinthians 10:31</b><br />
<i>So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.</i><br />
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Am I doing everything to the glory of God? Is my ultimate goal in plugging in my wifi router to increase the fame of Jesus? Do I look to my Facebook friends for my identity? Am I growing in the knowledge and understanding of Jesus, or am I growing in my knowledge of funny memes?<br />
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These are questions that I think everyone should consider. I can't tell you in three easy steps how to approach the internet without sinning in the process. Some people should probably limit what they do on the internet based on their past and their personality. Some people are blessed to be able to partake in the world without becoming of the world. Personally, I find the internet to be a gift from God that blesses me and my family. I also have to constantly remind myself of my goal for it, or it easy to get caught up in useless and even sinful endeavors.<br />
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<i>"When I discovered YouTube, I didn't work for five days. I did nothing." - Michael Scott</i></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08727471704146714133noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4772580006644718269.post-64008244368707827282012-04-15T13:12:00.000-07:002012-10-18T22:29:06.688-07:00Adoption<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is Nicholas Andrew Gabriel Harvey. He was born in September of 2003. My ex-girlfriend and I knew when we found out the she was pregnant that we were not capable of taking care of him. I was 18 and headed off to college. She was 17 and still finishing high school. We weren't in love (not really), we weren't going to get married, we were two selfish teenagers who sinned a lot.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So we met the Harvey's, a beautiful little family who had been unable to have children on their own. From the moment that we met them, they exuded warmth and love. Not only did they love Nick and were excited for his arrival, but they also showed us love, and our families. We soon decided that they were going to be the family that adopted our son.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Adoption is such a wonderful concept. It paints a picture of God's redemption in a way that shows so much of His love. Our sin causes us to be spiritual orphans, in desperate need of someone who can take care of us. Then God, in his love for us, not only takes us in as a part of his family, but restores us to a higher place than we ever could be on our own. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At that point in my life, I was unable to raise a child in any manner that would have been good for him. His life would have been incredibly hard as we had no jobs, money, or skills. And at that point in my life, I was so sinful and selfish that I probably would have resented him and his mother, probably leading to poor decisions or even abandoning them. You see, I could not provide for him in tangible ways, and I was not equipped to provide for him in emotional ways either. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So the Harvey's took him in as their own. They are his parents. They love him exceedingly well and provide for him. He has a blessed life under the protection and in the presence of a loving family. In the same way, when we are adopted in to God's family, he provides for all our needs and blesses our lives. <span style="line-height: 18px;">Through adoption, we relate to God the Father as our Father-Savior, to Jesus as our brother and co-heir and fellow sufferer, and to the Spirit as our leader and pledge (or "down payment") of our inheritance in Christ.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">This is seen all throughout the Bible. In Ephesians 1:4-6 it says </span><span style="line-height: 18px;"><i>"In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved."</i> Even in the Old Testament, the people of Israel saw the connection to God as their true Father. William Brown writes this in the Dictionary of Biblical Theology <i>"</i></span><i>God declares that he is the Father of the nation Israel, whom he loves as his child (</i><i><a class="bibly_reference" href="http://bib.ly/Isa1.2.ESV" rel="Isaiah 1:2" style="line-height: 22px; text-decoration: none;" title="Read Isaiah 1:2">Isa 1:2</a><span style="line-height: 22px;">; </span><a class="bibly_reference" href="http://bib.ly/Ho11.1.ESV" rel="Hosea 11:1" style="line-height: 22px; text-decoration: none;" title="Read Hosea 11:1">Hosea 11:1</a><span style="line-height: 22px;">). He tells Pharaoh, 'Israel is my firstborn son' (</span><a class="bibly_reference" href="http://bib.ly/Ex4.22.ESV" rel="Exodus 4:22" style="line-height: 22px; text-decoration: none;" title="Read Exodus 4:22">Exod 4:22</a><span style="line-height: 22px;">). More specifically, he says to David (and the Messiah), "You are my son; today I have become your Father" (</span><a class="bibly_reference" href="http://bib.ly/Ps2.7.ESV" rel="Psalm 2:7" style="line-height: 22px; text-decoration: none;" title="Read Psalm 2:7">Psalm 2:7</a><span style="line-height: 22px;">); and of David's descendant, "I will be his father, and he will be my son" (</span><a class="bibly_reference" href="http://bib.ly/2Sa7.14.ESV" rel="2 Samuel 7:14" style="line-height: 22px; text-decoration: none;" title="Read 2 Samuel 7:14">2 Sa 7:14</a><span style="line-height: 22px;">). Although not precisely adoption passages, the instances of declared sonship in the Old Testament provide a theological foundation for Israel's designation as the children of God."</span></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">The God of the Universe offers to be our eternal father. This is a great gift and an amazing example of grace. We don't deserve it, it's not like he's standing at the window of the hospital nursery picking out the best and the brightest. Just like the Harvey's, He has loved us since before we were born. He's got a plan and the ability to offer us a life that we never could have had. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">My sin led to a young girl of 17 getting pregnant. But God's grace led to a happy, healthy young boy with a great family who loves to draw and play soccer and watch Star Wars. Thank you Father for adopting us into your holy family.</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08727471704146714133noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4772580006644718269.post-51601024619195125422012-01-28T18:08:00.000-08:002012-10-18T22:29:19.974-07:00Christianity: The Brand<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Having worked in marketing and sales for most of my life, one thing that I've always encountered is the concept of the brand. Brands are powerful, they hold influence and passion in our lives. Think of the brands that affect you the most. Are you a Coke drinker? Do you only drive Chevy's? Will you never buy a Window's computer again? (Guilty…) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What breeds this streak in us that is so loyal to a certain group, product, or lifestyle? It is because we have an inherent sense that we were designed to be worshippers who are totally devoted to God. Sadly, our sin nature has corrupted us so that we choose to devote ourselves to anything and everything but God. So we find these little false gods or idols that often come in the form of a brand. Don't believe me? Look at the behavior of anyone you know is totally sold out to a certain sports team or political party, and then compare their behavior to that of someone in a cult. Do you know anyone who has a shrine in their home that might look a little something like this?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, as CS Lewis said, "Idols always break the hearts of their worshippers." So eventually we become very fickle in our devotion, really only loving something until it lets us down somehow. Why else would people feel the need to buy a new car every couple of years even though their old one still runs great? How else could two people who were once passionately in love suddenly decide that they can no longer stand each other. The divorce statistics in this country alone should prove that we as a people have no idea what true devotion looks like.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="s1">The worst offense though is not that we are a fickle people easily swayed by brands and marketing. The real problem is that we have done this to our relationship with God. Consider for a minute </span>that Christianity as a lifestyle and a religious preference is not synonymous with Christianity as a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Some people are converted to Christianity in the same way that some of you are converted to a brand or team. But just as being a fan of the Dallas Cowboys does not mean that you are going to suit up and play on Sunday, being converted to the brand of Christianity does not mean that you are on mission for God. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So here's the scenario, Jack is in his 20's, fresh out of college and struggling to find a job, money, happiness, etc. He happens upon a church one Sunday. Everybody seems super nice and really happy. They are all dressed nicely. They look fairly successful, he sees a bunch of Prius' in the parking lot. He hears a message that tells him that God loves him and he can find real happiness, all he has to do is be a Christian. Jack says "Of course, that seems like quite a deal, sign me up!" </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So Jack says a little prayer that the pastor dictates for him. He goes home and starts to live a little differently. He stops going to the bar every night, throws out all his inappropriate movies and music, and even stops swearing. He even gets a bible that speaks plain English and he starts to read some Proverbs. He prays, goes to church every week, sings the songs, and even drops some cash in the bucket on his way out.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After that, things start looking up for Jack. A businessman in the church helps him get a job, he buys a few sets of those nice clothes, and even picks up a new car. He meets a pretty girl named Jill who seems very interested in him. They date for a while and eventually get married. This Christianity thing is really working out for Jack!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fast forward a few years, Jack and Jill now have a little baby girl, a nice house, and a Prius. But then, Jack gets laid off. He and Jill are always fighting and now she's even going to have to go back to work. And to cap it all off, the Prius breaks down. Suddenly Jack is forced to evaluate his life and figure out where his hope is. Unfortunately, his hope for the last few years has been in a lifestyle and not in Jesus, and now this lifestyle has let him down. He's no longer sold on this brand.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 Corinthians 10: 31 says "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." And similarly in Colossians 3:17 "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." God has called us to a greater level of devotion than we have ever experienced. He wants more than just our external actions, he requires our hearts. Jack's problem was not that God had let him down, but that he had never had trust and faith in God. He had never given all of his thoughts, cares, and burdens to Jesus. Christianity, for him, was a lifestyle choice that brought some tangible benefits, much the same as a low-fat diet or a financial investment plan. None of those things hold any real truth, hope, or promise of eternal salvation, so they can be tossed aside the moment you start gaining weight or losing money again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now obviously a lot of the responsibility here lies with Jack. He is called to perseverance the same as we all are*. But imagine for a moment if the situation had gone just a little differently.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jack is back in his 20's, looking for a church on one random Sunday. He passes the church with the lot full of Prius' and goes to the church next door. When he arrives, he sees people who seem to be very happy, but on the surface, there is nothing that sets them apart. He sees families worshipping together, he sees some people who look like they've been through a lot in life, he even sees some pretty young girls, but they are more interested in Jesus than they are in the guys in the church. The message is like nothing he has ever heard. The pastor tells him that if he loves his life he will lose it, but if he commits himself with all his heart, soul, strength, and mind to Jesus that he will achieve eternal life. Jack starts to realize that he is a self-centered sinner, and eventually he starts to pray on his own, read his whole Bible, and commune directly with God. He realizes that he has a true relationship with and faith in Jesus.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Maybe he does meet a nice girl who loves Jesus. Maybe they get married and have a nice house, with kids and a Prius. Maybe his life is everything that he always wanted it to be before. But it might not be, he will still face trials of every kind. He will still have to deal with loss and disappointment. But he knows that his only hope and security lies with the Creator of the Universe, and so when trials come he is strengthened in his faith and pursuit of Jesus. He knows true devotion because he saw it exemplified in the lives of the people around him. The gospel was presented to him in a light that didn't try to skip over the hard parts, but emphasized a total surrender and worship of Jesus. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you wouldn't call yourself a Christian, then you are Jack in this story, and you need to know that no matter what you see or hear about Christianity - IT IS NOT JUST A BRAND. It is not just a team or a lifestyle that will bring you only good and nothing bad. Christianity is all about Jesus. He is the only reason that you or I are even alive. He has already sacrificed more than you will ever have. And because of that, he is worth devoting yourself to. You need to search your heart and ask yourself if you haven't just been hopping from brand to brand all your life wondering where to find satisfaction and happiness. Jesus is the answer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now if you do call yourself a Christian, then you are the church in this story. How are you presenting the gospel to Jack? Are you trying to market and advertise the gospel to make it is appealing as possible? Are you watering down the stuff that you think is hard because you really want Jack to be in your church? If so, you are doing a disservice to Jack and you are dishonoring God. Jack needs to hear the whole truth of the Gospel. If your life is hard, he needs to know that. He needs to see how Christians walk through trials and pain if he is ever going to do it well himself. You need to get out of the way and point him always and only to the Bible and the truth of God's word. It's not your job to make Jesus attractive, it's your job to worship him well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">*Note-I'll have a blog posted soon regarding the subject of perseverance.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08727471704146714133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4772580006644718269.post-50640508415527053672011-12-12T20:11:00.000-08:002012-10-18T22:29:33.806-07:00Corporate Obedience<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So I wrote <a href="http://jessepotter.blogspot.com/2011/10/obedience-daily-living-of-gods-word.html" target="_blank">earlier</a> about the concept of obedience, or the daily living of the Word of God. I looked at some of the motivation and reasoning for what obedience is and why you would want to be obedient to God. Now I'd like to look at two aspects of obedience and some practical examples of how to practice it in your life. This comes out of what Jesus said in <a href="http://esv.to/Mt22.36-40" target="_blank">Matthew 22:36-40</a>. In this passage, you see that there is an individual and a corporate component to our obedience.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(Most of this content is taken from a short sermon series that I preached for SHEC's youth group, the Uprising Generation. You can find the full video sermon <a href="http://www.shec.net/media/library/itemlist/category/71-other-upgen.html" target="_blank">here</a>.)</span><br />
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I’m going to come at this a little backwards. Because I want to start by looking at our corporate responsibility to obedience - to live as loving neighbors with those around us. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are two main ways that we can do this, the first is living in a Christ-centered community, the second is by living with them through accountability and repentance.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Christ Centered Community</b></span><br />
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<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We see over and over again in the Bible that God is calling us to live together as his people. From the very beginning when God said that it is not good for man to be alone, to his calling of Abraham to create a whole nation of people serving God, then when Jesus came, he established the church. The church is God’s ultimate plan for how he wants us to live as his people on Earth. He loves the church, he prayed for the church, the church is his perfect vision of how we should live on Earth together. Not that the church is perfect, because it’s populated by imperfect sinners, but that it is the vehicle that God uses and will use to spread his name across the world.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In the book of Acts, we see a picture of this sort of life-building church family. In Acts 2:44-47 it says <i>“And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”</i></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So we are called to live and serve together in community. This should take place firstly in your church. You should be a member of your church. Too many people these days float around to a few different churches, seeking one out because of the music style, then going to another because of the preaching, then sometimes a different one because it's where your friends go. This is not what God has called us to though. We need to love all churches and promote unity between them, but you are called to find a single church that is your home. Then you should commit to that church, become a full-time member, and then give back to it through your tithes, volunteering, and prayer.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="s1">Most churches these days also have some sort of small group program. At SHEC, they're called Community Groups. These can be some of the most meaningful, rewarding relationships that you will ever have in your life. The people in your small group study God's word with you, live life together with you, and hopefully, hold you accountable to your Christian walk. Which leads me into my next point. I</span>n order to live amongst your brothers and sisters in righteousness, it’s going to require something of you. You and those around you will need to be obedient to God’s commands by living in accountability and repentance with each other.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We are sinners at our core, we always have been and always will be. There is no hope that we could live together in the sort of community described in the book of Acts without sinning against one another. So how do we deal with each other on a day to day basis?</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Accountability is the process of holding each other to the standards that Jesus has set for our lives. As I mentioned before, we are not always the best judges of our own actions because of our short-sightedness. We need those around us to call us out on our sin. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That’s what we have preaching for, pastors and teachers are there speak to you each week and call you to repentance. But it’s most importantly something that needs to happen continually throughout all of our days amongst those who are closest to us. You need to have friends that you can trust who have the ability to speak into your life and hold you to your Christian walk. They need to be able to tell you plainly and honestly when you are sinning, and as well they need to lead you back to God and the Bible.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And then, when you feel the Holy Spirit’s conviction through the accountability and honesty of your brothers and sisters, you need to respond to that call with repentance. You need to confess to God, and in most cases, you need to confess to the person you sinned against. Then you accept Jesus work that he has already done on the cross in payment for your sins, and you beg him to give you the strength to not do that sin again. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And then you go to the person that you have sinned against and humbly ask them to forgive you. Sometimes there will be strife and lasting consequences, but when you live in a Christ-centered community and embrace a lifestyle of accountability and repentance, you can start to see miraculous things happen. Relationships can be restored and redeemed when we live together as a family in faith, love, and obedience.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="s1">When we do this, you will see yourself loving other people as Jesus commanded. You will see the great things that the book of Acts describes for the early church. </span>Do you see what it says there at the end of that passage in Acts? It says that the Lord added daily to the number of people being saved. That’s incredible, that’s obedience and love being played out in order that more and more and more people would come to know Jesus and his power.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So we see what the potential is for a harmonious, effective, unified church. But what does that require? Well in order for you to pursue accountability and repentance, in order for a group of people to be a Christ-centered community, it requires each person to be individually obedient to the first part of our section in Matthew 22. It requires each person to pursue a deep, personal relationship with God. I'll take a look at that in my next post.</span></span></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08727471704146714133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4772580006644718269.post-14529302256078712522011-11-27T10:32:00.001-08:002011-12-01T17:37:36.610-08:00Complementarianism (or "Why I'm Not A Chauvinist Pig")<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tXSPx2MDB4U/Ttgq4lI-piI/AAAAAAAABAY/6KY2OzGryzQ/s1600/family.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tXSPx2MDB4U/Ttgq4lI-piI/AAAAAAAABAY/6KY2OzGryzQ/s400/family.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let me paint you a little picture of our family. Stacy and I are married (almost four years), and we have our one year old son, Boaz. I work a full-time job, and Stacy gets to stay home. She takes care of raising our son and keeping up our house. I make a majority of the money that we use to live our lives. Together, we both volunteer at our church, lead a community group, and enjoy our circle of friends.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My main responsibilities in the family are to provide spiritual leadership and teaching, earn a steady income, and protect my family. Stacy's main responsibilities are to maintain our home, care for our son, and spend the money I make wisely. This is a pretty decent example of a complementarian relationship.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Complementarianism</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Complementarianism</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"> is the theological view that although men and women are created equal in their being and personhood, they are created to complement each other via different roles and responsibilities as manifested in marriage, family life, religious leadership, and elsewhere. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">The biblical basis for complementarianism comes from passages such as <a href="http://esv.to/Ep5.22-33" target="_blank">Ephesians 5:21-33</a>, <a href="http://esv.to/1Tm5.8" target="_blank">1 Timothy 5:8</a>, and <a href="http://esv.to/Tt2.3-5" target="_blank">Titus 2:3-5</a> among others. Those who hold this viewpoint tend to agree on some key points such as male eldership, the importance of submission in marriage as an example of Jesus and the church, and a generally patriarchal view of the family (the man leads, teaches, and provides for the family) as found in scripture.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">While I find this to be the most biblical viewpoint on gender roles, there is another widely held view called egalitarianism. This view focuses on equality between men and women, but there are no gender based guidelines on what functions or roles each can serve. They feel that women could and should be called as pastors and elders and that women have just as much responsibility for working and earning money. Most evangelical Christian leaders do not endorse this viewpoint. I personally find it to be very narrow-minded and focuses too much on the wrongs that are committed by men, rather than on the true purpose of what God is doing. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Clearly, in either view, people are still sinful. And I'm fully aware that many men have abused their position of authority that complementarian marriages gives them. They will continue to do that. I can not say that I have lived as a perfect example of righteous complementarianism. But I do know turning away from a biblical viewpoint because it has not been lived well by others is just as dangerous of a sin.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">So in our family, I'm in charge. In our church, men are in charge. This is the way that God set things up and to say that it's wrong is to say that God is wrong. God is never wrong and when we live the way that he wants us to live, we see that it's actually the best possible scenario.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><b>Home Life</b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Complementarianism does not mean that women can not work. Proverbs 31 makes it clear that a righteous woman will do everything that she can to serve her God and her family. But it does relieve women from the burden and responsibility of working to provide.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">I then have the ability to work hard without having to schedule our lives around two work schedules. I can study and pursue my career and ministry. Together we can volunteer in our church, lead a community group, and counsel with others. I can counsel men, and she can counsel women. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Stacy has the ability to stay home and raise our son in the way that we want him to be raised. Sure, she can do things to earn money (and she does), and she is fully capable. She has a college education (is smarter than me in many areas) and quite skilled even in manual labor. She can hold her own with a road construction crew. But once she stopped working a full time job, she realized the skillsets that she didn't even know she had. She is an amazing cook, a skilled parent and teacher, and a savvy shopper. She really is amazing, and my leadership of her is in no way because she is inferior, but more because we are both inferior to God, and so we want to live as he has commanded us.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">So I wanted Stacy to share her thoughts on this subject as well. And she was gracious enough to put this together...</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">"</span>I’m not a fan of the word “egalitarian.” It implies to me that the other main view doesn’t see husbands and wives as equals. Complementarianism is the belief that the Bible teaches that husbands and wives are equal in value and dignity as image bearers of God and are co-heirs with Christ in His kingdom, also sharing the responsibility of stewarding His creation. </i></span><br />
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<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>But men and women are different. Any five year old knows that. (remember Kindergarten Cop?) </i></span></span></div>
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<li class="li1"><span class="s1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Females are equipped to carry, bear, and nourish their offspring and males aren’t. That’s just a fact for all mammals. Now, that’s not to say that dads or single fathers can’t take care of their kids. (Obviously for a complementarian marriage, there must be two people.)</i></span></span></li>
<li class="li1"><span class="s1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Women generally can multitask more efficiently than men, and maintaining a household requires a lot of multitasking. Running laundry, running the dishwasher, cooking dinner, and giving a kid a bath simultaneously is not something that should be looked down on. It’s a skill. <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100719083042.htm"><span class="s2">http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100719083042.htm</span></a></i></span></span></li>
<li class="li1"><span class="s1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Statistically, men tend to earn a higher wage. I’m not saying it’s fair, it’s just a statistic. <a href="http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/censusandstatistics/a/paygapgrows.htm"><span class="s2">http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/censusandstatistics/a/paygapgrows.htm</span></a> </i></span></span></li>
<li class="li1"><span class="s1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>If you look at it from a purely logical standpoint, I’d rather Jesse work and make that 25% more because we are a team and we share everything.</i></span></span></li>
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<i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From a practical, day-to-day perspective, I love the interdependency that complementarianism creates. If we each had our own job, our own car, our own paycheck and bank account, it would be very easy to live parallel lives meeting only at dinner and on weekends. I pack Jesse’s lunch, run his laundry, make his dinner, gas up the cars, raise his child, and do all the grocery shopping and cooking for our family. Jesse works his cute little butt off making money so that I can do all those things. He depends on me and I depend on him, and when both of us are working hard at what God has given us to do, it works!</i><br />
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<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>The biggest advantage I see to this lifestyle is that I am the one raising and influencing our child the most, not a daycare worker. I know that for some people, like single parents, that might be very difficult to do, but I think that if it’s possible, it’s worth it. I am good at teaching, and I think that no one else will be able to teach our son exactly what I want him taught (and not what I don’t!), love him as well, understand him as well, or give themselves up for him like I will. I know I feel toward him unlike any other child. I wouldn’t let any other kid stick their fingers in my mouth just to make him laugh, but he is mine. Worth it. </i></span></span><br />
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<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>It’s not difficult to live on one income if you seek wisdom on how to steward God’s money and the money your husband worked so hard to make. I watch the ads to find sales, clip coupons, use elbow grease instead of expensive cleaners, and make more meals from scratch than I would if I were a working mother. Money, and not time, is my most valuable currency, as opposed to a culture where “time-savers” are worth paying extra money for. </i></span></span><br />
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<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Jesse depends on me to run the household, and I depend on him to earn money. He works hard and I try to steward it well. Eph. 5:22-24 compares marriage to Jesus loving the church. I see this model worked out in a complementarian marriage, with Jesse giving himself up and providing for us and me respectfully and gratefully stewarding those resources well.</i></span></span><br />
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<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Complementarian marriage functions because of cooperation, mutual respect and love, and having each other’s back. My husband is a godly man who loves me and encourages my love for my son, the desire to learn how to cook, and my not wanting to go out in the cold every morning."</i></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08727471704146714133noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4772580006644718269.post-23381644535694818122011-11-14T15:42:00.001-08:002012-10-18T22:29:47.037-07:00Worship Through Music<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I love music. All of it. I'm amazed by the idea that from our earliest days on Earth, we have found ways to put random sounds together into what becomes a beautiful melody. It's such a clear example of the fact that God created us and created the universe with order and purpose. Because in a random universe, the combination of plucking a cord attached to a piece of wood and hitting a dried animal skin with a stick would never form the amazing sounds that we hear with a simple guitar and drum.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Many people get very confused when it comes to worshipping through music. Almost every church in America and around the world today incorporates music into their weekly service time. One of the first things that people do when searching for a church is to find out what style of music they play. Some churches hold the view that certain instruments are unholy, or that some styles should not be allowed. Also some churches have no discernment or talent when it comes to music and thus can hinder people's worship of God.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The reason that we create music is because God instilled in our hearts the need to express ourselves in worship of him. All music is worship music. At it's root, any song, tune, or lyric was not put together without a purpose. For those who know Jesus, we use music to worship God; to pray, thank, connect with, and praise him. For those who don't know Jesus, they use music to worship their idols of love, relationships, sex, money, drugs, whatever. But no matter what, the talent, skill, and creativity to create that music is a gift from God. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Bible is filled with verses on singing and praising God, but my personal favorite is Psalm 33:1-3. <i>"Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous! </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-style: italic;">Praise befits the upright. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-style: italic;">Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre; </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-style: italic;">make melody to him with the harp of ten strings! </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-style: italic;">Sing to him a new song; </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts." </i>This verse gives us a few guidelines for how to approach music when played for the worship of God.</span><br />
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<b style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">1. It Should Be Joyful</b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Whether your church is a traditional organ and choir style, or if you're a rock and roll band for Jesus, any time that we lift up our voices to God, it should be full of joy. Some people love the old hymns for their deep lyrics and Biblical truths, but would rather it not be played on an organ like we're at a funeral. So one thing that I love is when a musician will take an old hymn and rework it with modern style. Here are a few awesome examples of this:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://pagecxvi.com/" target="_blank">Page CXVI</a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Passion-Ancient-Modern-Worship-Band/dp/B0001BS3KW" target="_blank">Passion</a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://youtu.be/E40c2la5DSQ" target="_blank">Leon Young</a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When we realize that the true point of singing in church is to thank and praise God for what he has done for us, the style that it's done in is pretty secondary. The truth of the gospel is that Christ died for our sins. That's why we sing!</span><br />
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<b style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">2. It Should Be Good</b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you're going to invite people to come to your church and tell them that not only can their life be changed by Jesus, but that they can enter into a fellowship community with this church and commit to being a part of it, then you sure as heck had better not throw a couple of unpracticed kids up on stage with instruments and tell them to lead us in worship. The people who play on stage at your church are representing Jesus. They need to prepare for that responsibility and be skilled enough to not be an embarrassment. </span><br />
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<b style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">3. It's All About Jesus</b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Look at the first line of the verse above </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous!</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">" Not only is that telling us where our joy comes from, but it also says that this praise is to be sung by the righteous. Now we know that none of us is righteous of our own work but, as it says in 2 Corinthians 5:21, we inherit the righteousness of God through the work of Jesus. The only reason that we are able to have joy about which to sing is because of Jesus. That's why the best worship music will always have Jesus at it's core and keep coming back to him.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So this week, our church is preparing a celebration. It's called <a href="http://www.shec.net/connect/events/item/511-onenight.html" target="_blank">ONEnight</a>, and it's a time where our whole church body will gather together, share a meal, and worship God through amazing musical performance. This is biblical. This is an image of the celebration that we will have when Jesus returns. I love the imagery of Revelation 19 where it says:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>"Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Hallelujah!</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>For the Lord our God</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>the Almighty reigns.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Let us rejoice and exult</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>and give him the glory,</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>for the marriage of the Lamb has come,</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>and his Bride has made herself ready;</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>it was granted her to clothe herself</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>with fine linen, bright and pure”—</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The reason I like this passage so much is because it's more than a pretty thought, it's a command. Not just to sing and shout, but to play instruments, to be skillful, and to be loud. If we are called to love God with all of our heart, soul, strength, and mind, how can we offer anything but our best when it comes to musical worship.<a href="http://www.shec.net/connect/events/item/511-onenight.html" target="_blank">http://www.shec.net/connect/events/item/511-onenight.html</a></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08727471704146714133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4772580006644718269.post-2538353714026271422011-10-31T17:29:00.000-07:002011-10-31T17:31:22.675-07:00Reformation Day<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Some of you will think that October 31st is a completely Godless day where children will get fatter, young people will make bad decisions, and Satan and his demons can take a day off because humans are doing all the work for them. Well, unfortunately, you wouldn't be completely wrong. However, October 31st (or Reformation Day) can be a great day of celebration for Christians.<br /><br />It was on October 31st, 1517 that a priest in Germany named Martin Luther posted a series of 95 Theses on the door of his local church. At that time, the Roman Catholic church was a powerful, controlling entity that had spread across all of Europe. Led by the office of the pope in Rome, the church had influence in government, business, law, as well as individuals personal life.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, the original doctrine of the church that was established by the apostles after Jesus death had been altered, watered down, and in some cases altered completely. They had devolved to a point where people could buy forgiveness for their sins by giving more money to the church. Justification before God was confused by the concept that we had to earn our forgiveness and do enough good works to counteract all of our sins. Martin Luther was willing though to challenge some of these views and in response was excommunicated and branded a heretic.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />This led to a period of time known as the Protestant Reformation. Most of our modern church denominations came out of this division with the Catholic church. To this day, Protestant Christians can mostly be lumped into a similar group with small variances in theology. At it's core though, the main principles that these Reformers stood upon came down to what are known as the five "solas".</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">These are doctrinal statements that distinguish Protestants and Catholics, and are still dearly held by those who follow Reformed theology. 'Sola' is the Latin word for alone, or singularly. So we see the five 'solas' as:<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>Sola Fide (Faith Alone)</b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Justification is by grace alone through faith alone because of Christ alone. In justification, Christ’s righteousness is given to us as the only possible satisfaction of God’s perfect justice. Our justification does not rest on any anything that we have done or earned. No amount of work or effort on our part can bring us into a right standing with God, it's only by accepting his work that he has done. This is so crucial to our faith that this doctrine is considered a salvation issue and those who disagree with it do not have a true understanding of Christianity.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone)</b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The inerrant Scripture (the Bible) is the sole source of written revelation from God. The Bible alone teaches all that is necessary for our salvation from sin and is the standard by which all Christian behavior must be measured. The Bible alone gives us everything we need to become, live as, and grow as a Christian, and it is the authority. Personal revelation, church decrees, or books written by other men are not legitimate if they disagree with what is written in the Bible.<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>Solus Christus (Christ Alone)</b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our salvation is accomplished by the work of Jesus Christ alone. His sinless life and substitutionary atonement alone are sufficient for our justification and reconciliation to the Father. The Gospel is only truly being preached if it puts all of the value in Christ and calls the sinner to have absolute faith in him.<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>Sola Gratia (Grace Alone)</b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In salvation we are rescued from God’s wrath by his grace alone. It is the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit that brings us to Christ by releasing us from our bondage to sin and raising us from spiritual death to spiritual life. Salvation is in no sense a human work. Human methods, techniques or strategies by themselves cannot accomplish this transformation. We can't produce faith on our own, it is a gift of the Holy Spirit.<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>Soli deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone)</b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So because salvation is of God and has been accomplished by God, it is for God’s glory and we must glorify him always. We must live our entire lives before the face of God, under the authority of God and for his glory alone. We can not properly glorify God if our worship is confused with entertainment, if we neglect either Law or Gospel in our preaching, or if self-improvement, self-esteem or self-fulfillment are allowed to become alternatives to the gospel.<br /><br />So for those of you who are altogether opposed to the traditions and holiday of Halloween, here is something to celebrate. That God led the spirits of men like Luther and Calvin to challenge the false doctrines of their day. And through that, we have a better understanding of what true theology is and should be.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08727471704146714133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4772580006644718269.post-29754071539795555992011-10-28T18:35:00.000-07:002011-10-28T18:37:00.228-07:00A Call To Courage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So I was blessed and honored to have the opportunity to speak at the Uprising Generation, SHEC's youth group, on Wednesday Oct. 26th. I spoke on the subject of fear and some methods to combat fear with courage based out of the first chapter of Joshua.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The link to the sermon video is <a href="http://www.shec.net/media/library/item/512-a-call-to-courage.html">here</a>. At SHEC's website you can also download the manuscript, but below I've pasted a resource that I handed out to the folks in attendance. Just a list of some bible verses that address fear, how to gain courage through Christ, and great assurances of God's promises to us. As God instructs Joshua, one of the ways to be strong and courageous is to read and meditate on God's word. So I hope that these verses can encourage you in that way.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.shec.net/media/library/item/512-a-call-to-courage.html">A CALL TO COURAGE</a></span><br />
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<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(Deuteronomy 31:6 ESV)</span></span><br />
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<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(Joshua 1:5-9 ESV)</span></span><br />
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<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then David said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the LORD God, even my God, is with you. He will not leave you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(1 Chronicles 28:20 ESV)</span></span><br />
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<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(Psalm 27:1 ESV)</span></span><br />
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<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.”</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(Isaiah 41:13 ESV)</span></span><br />
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<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(Matthew 10:26 ESV)</span></span><br />
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<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(Romans 8:15 ESV)</span></span><br />
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<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(1 Corinthians 16:13 ESV)</span></span><br />
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<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(2 Timothy 1:7 ESV)</span></span><br />
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<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(Hebrews 13:5-6 ESV)</span></span><br />
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<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(1 John 4:18 ESV)</span></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08727471704146714133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4772580006644718269.post-9862478431348222462011-10-23T11:26:00.000-07:002012-10-18T22:30:07.657-07:00Obedience - Daily Living of God's Word<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(Most of this content is taken from a short sermon series that I preached for SHEC's youth group, the Uprising Generation. You can find the full video sermon </span><a href="http://www.shec.net/media/library/itemlist/category/71-other-upgen.html" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">here</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">.)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Obedience Defined</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Most of us probably have a certain idea when we here the word 'obedience'. We get a negative feeling in our heads and it reminds us of a dog being forced into obedience of it's master or children being forced into obedience of a parent or authority figure. When really, God's call for us to be obedient is a much more joy filled act that enriches our daily lives rather than diminishing them.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Bible dictionary defines obedience as “the art or practice of obeying with respect, in agreement and submissive compliance”. Often, people may feel that obedience has a negative meaning - that being obedient means you have to give up your independence or rights to freely do what you want to do. To some extent that might be true depending on the circumstances, but in it’s purest form, being obedient is the truest form of respect. When children are obedient to their parents, they are showing that they respect and honor their parents and trust what is being asked of them needs to be done.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="s1">More so even with God, when we obey God, it’s because we trust and respect him and because the things he asks us to do really and truly are what’s best for us. Look at 1 Samuel 15:22: </span><i>“Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.”</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So God clearly gives great concern to what we do and why. More than any other thing that he asks of us, he wants us to follow him. Which should naturally be our attitude anyways when we have faith. In John 14:15, Jesus says <i>"If you love me, you will keep my commandments." </i>Now notice here that he doesn't say "You <b>should</b> keep my commandments" or "It <b>would be better</b> if you did keep my commandments", but he says "You <b><u>will</u></b> keep my commandments". If we truly love Jesus, the overflow of our hearts will be obedience and trust in him that his will is the best for our life.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Why?</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And that is really the point of it all, God's will is the best possible plan for our life. Obedience to God serves two purposes: to glorify him and to improve our lives on Earth. How awesome is that? Our obedience to a greater being than us actually is for our benefit as well as his. This is not some earthly dictator who has slaves and minions solely to do what he wants so that his life will be easier, but this is a benevolent father who is looking out for what's best for his children.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="s1">So when you look at the situation from a bird’s eye view, obedience to God is not a negative thing at all. You know why? Because he actually knows what is best for you. He can see the outcome of all of your decisions, and will prevent you making the stupid ones and help you to make the good ones. God is on your side and has plans for you to prosper and not to harm you. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="s1">So when it seems like living the Christian life is going to mean giving up something that you think you enjoy. Take a look again, I guarantee you that that enjoyment is either fleeting or downright false. Because true happiness comes from a Christ-filled life. It comes from the Creator God, and not from some created thing. God alone is the best judge for what is good for your life. You are not a good judge, you are a biased judge because you only think for yourself and you’ve got tunnel vision, where you can only see what’s right in front of you. God can see everything.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>How?</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm going to take a look at some very practical ways in which we can practice obedience in our daily lives in two separate posts. But as a preface to those, we need to look at what God actually asks us of for obedience. With just a cursory reading of the Bible, it can be a bit daunting. Especially when you read books like Leviticus, which seems like just a crazy long list of rules for how to live. The ancient Jewish officials got so crazy obsessed with rules and became so intent on not breaking the rules that they invented new rules to put on top of God’s rules in the hopes that God would like them better. Then, because they were thought to be “holier” than everyone else, they enforced these stupid rules on all of the people. This is not what God's obedience looks like.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The law was given to Israel in the Old Testament as an example to them that total perfection and sinlessness was impossible for humans. Only Jesus could accomplish that when he came to Earth as the fulfillment of the Old Testament law. While he was on Earth, he was approached by one of those Pharisees and was asked basically "Which rule is the best?". We see this in Matthew 22:36-38, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."”</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So right there Jesus did away with all the fear and self-righteousness that came with these crazy long lists of rules and boiled it down to what really matters, your heart. This section breaks it down to two simple categories. Individual Obedience, which is about your personal relationship and obedience to God. And Corporate Obedience, which is about how we relate to those around us (our neighbors).</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So as you begin to approach obedience in your life, this verse and principle can be a baseline. Are my actions increasing my love or relationship with Jesus? Are my actions showing love or building relationship with those around me? If you'd like some practical applications of this, you can check out my posts here.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08727471704146714133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4772580006644718269.post-17151630895585221272011-09-18T20:40:00.000-07:002011-09-26T16:01:56.353-07:00Sin & Sanctification<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Sin.</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's amazing how the shortest words are often the ones that have the most impact in our lives (love, death, joy, etc...), while the really long words are often kinda stupid (like '<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">monosaccharides' which is just a fancy name for sugar...).</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">I've been hit by multiple sources lately on just how crucial a true understanding of sin is. It would seem to me that without understanding how we sin, what affect it has on us, and what is necessary to overcome sin, we can never really appreciate what it means to be a Christian. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-size: large; line-height: 19px;"><b>So what is sin? </b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">In <i>Systematic Theology</i>, Wayne Grudem defines sin as "any failure to conform to the moral law of God in act, attitude, or nature." That leads me to believe that sinning is not just when I do something which is wrong, but when I think or feel something that is wrong. In the Bible, the Ten Commandments talk about actions and feelings. It says that you should not steal, but it also addresses the root of that sin, which is coveting. Jesus also addresses our attitudes during His time on Earth. In Matthew 5 (the Sermon on the Mount), He says that anyone who murders is held to judgment, but also that anyone who holds anger in his heart is equally held to judgment. There is no distinction between big sins or little sins in the eyes of God.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">The Bible also talks about how we cannot avoid sinning. Romans 5:12 says "Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned." It is in our nature to sin, because we are descendants of Adam. We are born with sin. Trust me, my son Boaz is a sinner. People like to excuse sin in babies because "They don't know any better", but that argument holds no water because we, as adults, do know better and we still sin. It's not like if he knew the consequences of his actions, they would be any different.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Finally, the Bible addresses the fact that we have no ability to do what is right on our own. Paul says in Romans 7:18, "For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out." In Isaiah 64:6, it says "</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">We have all become like one who is unclean, </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment." So compared to the holiness of God, even the 'good' things that we do are inherently sinful. Think about it, and be completely honest, is there one thing that you've done in your life that you can say with 100% confidence wasn't influenced by some sort of pride or selfishness, or a desire to get something else in return?</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">Pastor Mark Driscoll describes two types of sin, commission and omission. Sins of commission are things we do that we should not do. Sins of omission are things we should do that we do not do. There are also sins of the heart, where even though you may not take any action whatsoever, the attitudes and emotions of your heart are sinful. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">Finally, the Bible makes it clear that any sin, even one, even a seemingly insignificant one, makes us guilty before God and is deserving of punishment. James 2:10 says "For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it." God gave the law, which is a huge, detailed description of everything that the Israelites could not do, in order that they might realize that keeping the law is impossible on their own. Also in Romans 6:23, it describes what sin deserves, "For the wages of sin is death." So no matter what good we do in this life, no matter if we do far more righteous deeds than sinful ones, we still are held guilty by our sin and deserve to be destroyed.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>But...</b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">This understanding of sin and it's true nature and effect on our lives only serves to show just how awesome God is that He has taken care of this problem for us. God is holy, perfect, and totally just. So if we are to stand with Him in heaven we must also have that holiness ourselves, we can't be in the presence of God if we are guilty. But if we are as messed up as the Bible says we are, how can that ever happen? Someone would have to take the blame for those sins and be punished in our place. But it couldn't just be anyone, if another person sacrificed themselves and took the punishment I deserve, that wouldn't help me, because that person also had sins of their own and deserved their own punishment. The sacrifice would have to be perfect, it would have to be God Himself.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">2 Corinthians 5:21 - "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">For the Christian, we understand this already, but just take a moment to ponder how amazing it is that God would be willing to die so that you can be saved. Never let that feeling of gratitude go. It should motivate us to worship Him with everything we have for the rest of our lives. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Not only does God save us and justify us so that we can live eternally with Him and be considered holy in His eyes, but then He enables us to break free from some of these sins while still on Earth. This is called sanctification.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-size: large; line-height: 19px;"><b>Sanctification</b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Sanctification begins once you believe in Jesus and accept Him into your life. It is the "progressive work of God and man that makes us more and more free from sin and like Christ in our actual lives. [<i>Systematic Theology</i>, Wayne Grudem]" God will help you to stop doing some of the wrong things you are doing, and start doing what you always should have been doing. These are the works that we are called to in James where he says that "faith without works is dead". Because if you have experienced the love and spirit of God, you will be motivated to live better and avoid sin. Your actions have nothing to do with whether or not God will save you, but by becoming more sanctified, you can live the better life that God has set you apart for.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">In Romans, this process is described as 'killing' your sin (Romans 6:11-12, 8:13). This implies that sanctification will sometimes be painful. There are sins in our lives that we are so engrossed in, that to stop doing it is quite literally the same process as an addict giving up their vice. And like an addict, you don't even realize how harmful and destructive that sin is until it's out of your system. Sins like this are pride, greed and the love of money, gluttony, laziness, not to mention the actual addictions to substances or sex.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Sanctification begins at the point of conversion, continues throughout the Christian's life, and is only finished upon death and your entrance into heaven. No man or woman can ever claim to be fully sanctified or free from all sin. And this sanctification only really works when you trust in the victory of Jesus and live in that freedom. If you still put blame and guilt upon yourself for these sins, you are denying that Jesus' sacrifice was enough for you. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">It doesn't take much to see that your life will be categorically better when you are freed from the sins of your past. Yes, you will always have to deal with the earthly consequences of your actions, but even when you face trials and hardship, you will find peace and joy. You may be tempted, but God will always show you the way out. He will not push you harder than you can take. Living free from sin is part of God's plan for us to prosper. As Pastor John Luhmann often states, "The best possible life you can have is following Jesus."</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">So I hope that this little study is beneficial to you in some way. It certainly has been for me, because sometimes you just need to state what you believe. You man know it in your head and feel it in your heart, but there's something about writing it down or speaking it aloud. It really helps to build up your faith and understanding. </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08727471704146714133noreply@blogger.com13204 Stephens Ave, Missoula, Mt 59801, USA46.841121 -114.012739624.605767 -154.4424271 69.076475 -73.5830521tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4772580006644718269.post-40126366490642040462011-09-06T10:43:00.000-07:002011-09-26T16:03:35.199-07:00God Is Sufficient<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><b>I had the awesome opportunity to share this weekend at SHEC about my recent trip to my hometown of Roundup, MT. As it turns out, writing a 5 minute talk can be almost as hard as writing a full message, so below is kind of the Special Edition Extended Cut (just call me George Lucas)...</b></i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"So for those of you who don't know me, my name is Jesse Potter, and I was born and raised in Roundup, MT before I moved to Missoula and became a Christian at the age of 21. I was honored and blessed to help lead a group of 13 teenagers from SHEC to my hometown of Roundup this summer.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">Why a Rural Mission?</span></b><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Most of you probably heard that we were going to go to Roundup and thought "Why would we want to send our kids out to West Dakota (Eastern Montana)?" But the truth is that God doesn't just call us to strange, faraway lands. He calls us to reach out to our neighbors.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Most
missions trips look like this, we’d
spend a year getting a bunch of kids to raise a ton of money so that they can
spend two weeks in Africa or South America or something. We'd teach them a new language, get them all up to date on their shots, and prepare them for life in another world. Now,<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 9px;"> </span>God
says that is very important as well, which is why we sent a group to Guatemala,
but it’s not our only calling. We need to reach out to the people (our neighbors) who it would
be so easy to ignore. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Roundup, on the other hand, is only a couple hours away, but is not so very different than Missoula. It is very
small, the population of Roundup is 1800 registered voters, but only about 500 of them live within the city limits. So there are a lot of ranchers, farmers, etc. Roundup is economically and spiritually depressed, the average yearly income for a person in Roundup is only $18,400 per year, as opposed to the average for Montana which is $42,600 per year. There are high rates of depression, divorce, suicide,
alcoholism, and drug use. Suffice it to say, Roundup needs Jesus.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For these kids who went, the only difference between them and the kids we were
talking to is that they live in different towns. They have the same thoughts,
feelings, and preferences. They watch the same movies, listen to the same music, and have the same fears about life. It took a lot more for the kids from SHEC to open up and share the gospel, because the people we were talking to were just like us.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So
we didn’t want to just show up in a foreign land and start carpet-bombing them
with the gospel and then leave, knowing that we’ll never see them again. We probably would see them again, in fact,
some of the team ran into a girl from Roundup at the swimming pool here in
Missoula, just two weeks ago. So we had the opportunity to establish a real,
long-term relationship, and every single one of those kids wants to go back.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So because of God's awesome knowledge and providence, He led SHEC towards a rural setting for this mission's trip. They chose Roundup, not knowing at all the devastation that would come months later, but right in God's timing.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>On a Personal Level...</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A lot of people have asked, “What was it like going back?” And it's strange, because I was actually very emotionally impacted by what happened in Roundup. I woke up one morning to see the pictures on Facebook of all of the places I knew as a kid, completely swallowed up by water. Most of the news pictures were taken from my backyard (because we lived up on a hill, so our old house was fine, in case you were worried). I immediately felt like I needed to do something, to rush out and make a difference. But then God blew me away, because I realized that He's already got everything in motion. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Honestly, after this trip I have more respect for my hometown than I ever did before. Growing
up, I blamed a lot of my unhappiness on external things, like the fact that I
was raised Mormon, or the fact that I lived in podunk Roundup, MT. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The
truth is though, I was the problem in my life. I lived in Roundup as a messed up
sinner who needed Jesus. It had nothing to do with how I was raised or where I lived. On
this trip, God really broke my heart for the town of Roundup and the people
there who do love Jesus and serve Him faithfully. I met people who love Jesus and love the city they are in and want to serve faithfully there. If I had been around these people when I was there, my life would have been a completely different story. I was often moved to tears by what I saw and the conversations I got to have with old friends and many more new ones.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>God's Hand in Everything...</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Your first reaction when you hear about this on
the news and see the pictures is that you want to do something. You get a little bit of a hero complex and we
saw this in the kids. When we first arrived, they wanted to go out and like build a dam, get a giant
vacuum and suck all of the water out of the entire valley, rescue babies from
homes that are floating away, that kind of thing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So I loved that instead of jumping right into action with our mud-boots on, we spent the first two days just getting to know the people. We held community barbecues to feed the town and those who had lost everything. We worked in the local teen center to provide lunch for kids and hang out with them all day. We got to sort clothes for the homeless and build a community garden so that the church there could feed people all year round.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And we did work too, those kids worked like crazy. We pulled mud out of basements bucket by bucket, we ripped out carpet, sheet rock, and garbage, we completely cleared out the local restaurant so that they could begin the process of rebuilding. I was amazed and so proud of the teens as they stepped completely outside of themselves and worked with a smile on their face and joy in their hearts.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But the truth is, that we were really just along for the ride
that God had for us. I really feel that
in so many ways, this trip was perfect. Now that’s not to say that we were
perfect, that we planned or did everything perfectly, or even that we shared the gospel perfectly. But for a trip that was so drenched in God’s spirit,
influenced by His will, and clearly orchestrated by God, there’s no way it
can not be perfect. From the early
planning that put this trip into motion even before the flood, to the
conversations that were had, to the seemingly random people we met that ended
up being huge ministry opportunities.
God was in control of every single aspect of this trip and it’s only
because of His grace that we were even able to be a part of it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was struck while there by the verse in 2 Corinthians 3:4-6,
where it says:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming
from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient
to be ministers of a new covenant."</span></i></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You see, God is sufficient for everything, God has every thing
from the rains, and the floods, to the hearts of the people under His perfect
control. He is good and all knowing, to
provide the best for his people, no matter what trials come their way. So we didn't need to bring anything else, not food, not money, not clothes or blankets, those things are all great, but the only thing we need to bring is Jesus. He takes care of the rest.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">God is
sufficient for Roundup, MT, God is sufficient for SHEC, God is sufficient for
these kids, who have no other reason to spend the first week of their summer vacation in a tiny burg in the middle of the plains. The only thing that can motivate that in teenagers especially is a total heart change by God, and
it is only by His divine grace and wisdom that we can live the life that He has set forth for us."</span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08727471704146714133noreply@blogger.com0Southgate Mall Access Rd, Missoula, Mt 59801, USA46.8454974 -114.027415124.6101434 -154.45710259999998 69.0808514 -73.5977276tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4772580006644718269.post-58238004362441036692011-08-24T18:57:00.000-07:002011-09-26T12:52:57.541-07:00Defined by Sin<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Something struck me during last Sunday's sermon at SHEC from Tyler Velin (which you should definitely watch <a href="http://shec.net/component/k2/item/453-part-32-a-necessity-of-the-cross.html">here</a> if you haven't seen it.)</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All too often in our lives, we define ourselves, or give ourselves a title, based on sin. For example, how many "alcoholics" do you know, or "gamblers", "penny-pinchers", or "shopaholics"? This is how many of us relate to one another, by declaring our loudest, most obvious sin, and planting it as a banner over who we are. Now, maybe for the non-Christian, this title, or definition, is somewhat accurate. After all, the Bible calls people "drunkards", "sloths", and "pagans". But how often do Christians continue to categorize and define themselves by their sin, rather than their perfect Savior?</span><br />
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</span><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Sinners are defined by sin...saved sinners are defined by their Savior." - Tyler Velin</span></i><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Bible makes this clear in Romans 6:6 where it says "<i>We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin."</i><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><i><br />
</i></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now what this does not mean is that we simply cease to sin when we become a Christian. You're going to sin until the day you die. That's just the way it is. But as an unsaved nonbeliever, you have no ability to avoid sin and do what is right. Even the "good" things that you do are tainted by the curse. Once you become a believer though, God through the Holy Spirit begins the work of sanctification in you, thereby enabling you to turn away from sin. </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is the better life on Earth that Jesus has for you, that you are no longer confined by the sins that previously defined you. You can now proudly and boldly proclaim that Jesus is your definition. He is the reason you are alive, the motivation for what you do, and the source of everything you have.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Before Jesus saved me, I would've defined myself like this...</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"My name is Jesse, I drink a lot and don't take very many things seriously. I'm overweight, lazy, a college dropout, broke, and I've been to jail. I rely on having lots of friends to make me feel good about myself."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is what that definition would look like now...</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"My name is Jesse and I'm a child of God. I've been saved from death and hell by Jesus. He is perfect and holy and loving enough to come to Earth from his rightful throne in Heaven in order that He would die in my place for my sins. Then He came back to life, enabling me to live for Him and serve His kingdom forever."</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Only a miracle of God could accomplish something like this. I don't have the ability to rewrite my entire life in the way that Jesus has. I simply couldn't do it on my own. The sins of my past no longer matter to who I am as a person and as a citizen of God's kingdom.</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08727471704146714133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4772580006644718269.post-73668807816717002372011-06-01T19:01:00.000-07:002011-09-26T12:53:37.161-07:00Why...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've tried the whole blog thing before, didn't really take. I guess I kinda feel like nobody really cares to hear my point of view on things that probably don't interest them. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But I know that God is pushing me to speak more boldly for Him, and recently I've been very actively pursuing knowledge and training in scripture. So that I can be equipped and prepared to speak about Him, no matter if it's publicly preaching, leading our Community Group in biblical discussion each week, or just a conversation with a stranger or a coworker who doesn't know Jesus. And I hope that you find the topic of Jesus interesting, because He is the most important thing in your life.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is why I've decided to write this blog. I think it'll help me become a better speaker and teacher, I think it'll give me an avenue on which to share what I'm learning, and I hope that it'll be beneficial to those who read it (if anyone does).</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's what you need to know:</span></u><br />
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</span><br />
<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1) I'm a Christ follower</span></i></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">-That means that my whole life is devoted to worship and service of the one, true, and living God. He sent His Son Jesus to die in our place for our sins. Jesus has saved me from death, Hell, and destruction; and has enabled me to live a better life. So I'm going to spend the rest of my time on Earth seeking Him and His glory.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2) I have an amazing wife and a wonderful little baby boy. </span></i></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">- You'll hear about them a lot. Stacy and I have been married for just over 3 years now, and she really is a blessing from God. She challenges me where I need to be challenged, and covers me where I am weak. Our son, Boaz Driscoll Potter, is less than a year old, but is already a theology professor as he has taught me so much about God and His love.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3) I'm really into Reformed Theology</span></i></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">- What does that even mean? It means that I believe the Bible and use it as the only real truth in this world. And when you read the Bible and follow what it says without trying to manipulate it, you find that some controversial issues are actually quite clear.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So I'm a Calvinist, I love to read books by guys like Charles Spurgeon, Jonathon Edwards, Martin Luther (old, dead guys). And some living guys like John Piper, Mark Driscoll, Tim Keller, and C.J. Mahaney. I take this stuff seriously because not only is it incredibly interesting to study and learn about God, but it's incredibly important to have a right understanding of who we are compared to God and how we are to follow Him.</span><br />
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<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4) I'm kind of a geek...ok, REALLY a geek....but a redeemed geek</span></i></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> - I love technology more Kip from Napoleon Dynamite. I love superheroes, video games, science fiction, I was in Speech and Drama in high school, and I can quote more movies and TV shows than anybody should be able to. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But thankfully, God has redeemed my love of culture, media, and geeky things. I know that nothing of this world matters compared to the glory of God. And He's even enabled me to be just as geeky and passionate about theology. So I can enjoy and relate to a lot of things in culture, and use culture to relate to people who need to meet Jesus, and still operate as a Christian. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So I hope that you enjoy this, possibly get something out of it, but above all I hope that God is glorified in everything that we do. Please feel free to leave comments and feedback, nothing better than engaging in Christ centered discussion!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">-Jesse</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08727471704146714133noreply@blogger.com0