Born of the Word

Thanks for Praying

2012-01-21T11:16:00.000-06:00

Thank you so much for holding me up in prayer this week as I worked on my book, Preach the Word: Why I'm Passionate about Expository Preaching. One of my fellow pastors and I were at Trout Lake Camp in central Minnesota along with 25 or so other pastors. It was a wonderful time of refreshing and fellowship, and it was very productive as well. To help you understand how much the Lord enabled me to get done, I wrote the equivalent of about seven sermons in three days. That's a lot, and I couldn't have done that without the enabling power of the Holy Spirit which is due, in part, to your prayers, so again thank you!

I hope to complete the book in the next 6-8 weeks, send it to the publisher, and then have it in hand sometime in April. We'll see how it goes, but that's the plan right now. I pray that God will glorify his great name and fulfill every purpose for which he led me to write.

With deep thankfulness for you in Christ,
Charlie

On Retreat this Week

2012-01-16T12:24:00.000-06:00

Every year at this time our denomination offers pastors the privilege of going to one of their camps (Trout Lake Camp near Pine River, Minnesota) for four days of retreat, study, prayer or whatever. So my fellow Pastor, Kevin Feder, and I are heading up there today. In addition to spending some extended time with the Lord, he is going to spend his time praying and planning for year and I'm going to spend my time working on my book, Preach the Word: Why I'm Passionate about Expository Preaching.

I've been working on this book for ten years now and I'm very close to having it done. The hope is to have it to the publisher by late February/early March and hopefully on the shelf, so to speak, by Easter. But we'll see, the quality of the work is more important to me than the date of release.

Please pray for both of us as we put our hands to the plow of the Lord's calling upon our lives. I feel a particular burden to stay near to Jesus and write only what he instructs me to write, and this comes by fasting, prayer, and otherwise seeking the Lord in community. So again, please pray and I will certainly return the favor!

Thanks in advance for your partnership, may the Lord be near you as you fix your eyes on him!

How to Die the Right Way

2012-01-06T19:11:00.000-06:00

I just read an article on MSN.Money called "How to Die the Right Way." You can read it here. It does contain some good advice and I did benefit from reading it, but I think I have a better and much simpler approach to life's inescapable end. It only takes four words to articulate: believe in Jesus Christ.

"It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). The judgment will be eternal joy for those who believe in Jesus Christ, by grace through faith, for, "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him" (John 3:36). Compared to this, wills and life insurance and all such things are small potatoes. I do think we ought to see to the temporal things, but first and foremost we ought to see the eternal things.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Last Words

2012-01-06T13:07:00.000-06:00

I watched another excellent documentary today entitled Hanged on a Twisted Cross: The Life, Convictions and Martyrdom of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. When I was in college, I wrote a 50 page thesis on the life, work and implications of Bonhoeffer and I must admit that I've always bristled a bit at calling him a martyr as he was executed for actual crimes committed against the state. He was, in my view, right to commit those crimes and I can only hope that I would be so resolved if I were in his position. But it does seem to me that his death is distinct from that of a brother or sister who is killed merely for proclaiming the name of Christ.

But, at the end of the day, this is a very minor debate. Bonhoeffer was a true man of God and I admire him very much. He thought rigorously, he believed deeply, and he lived boldly. He died on April 9, 1945 at the young age of 39, sadly only days before Hitler himself committed suicide and the war came to an end. It is reported by those who were with him just prior to his death that his final words were these: "This is the end - for me the beginning of life."

I'm sure, given some things he said in his now famous Letters from Prison, that Bonhoeffer felt fleshly fear about the process of dying. Others thought him so brave, even some of his German prison guards (one of whom tried to help him escape), but he himself struggled with whether or not this was true. Surely such a fate would try any of us to the core. However, I'm also sure that he meant the words he spoke at last. I'm sure he knew Jesus well and had an assurance that he was about to see with his eyes the one who had saved him by faith. And I'm sure that he will live in loving embrace with Jesus forever--indeed, April 9, 1945 was the beginning of an eternity separate from sin and full of glorious and ever-increasing affections for Jesus.

Father, thank you for the deep work you did in and through Dietrich Bonhoeffer. May we likewise surrender ourselves fully to your will and ways in our lives by the power and mercy of Jesus, amen.

Babylon: Past, Present & Future--Good Documentary

2012-01-05T14:45:00.000-06:00

Since I'm stuck in bed, I decided to watch a few things I've stored up in my queue on Netflix. One of those things was the documentary, Babylon: Past, Present, and Future. To be honest, I almost turned it off in the first five minutes because the music and narrating are so hokey, but I decided to hang in there and I'm really glad I did. It contains a lot of helpful info about the city and its meaning throughout the Bible, and also a very balanced view of how we should interpret its meaning, especially in the book of Revelation. So, if you have Netflix and a little time, I'd recommend it!

The Grace of God in the Stomach Flu

2012-01-04T11:03:00.001-06:00

"Be filled with the Spirit...giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 5:18, 20).

Over the last few weeks, my wife and daughter have had bouts with the stomach flu and last night it paid a little visit to me. I'll spare you the details but it wasn't fun, well, except for the fact that I lost some quick weight!

Because of this I wasn't able to sleep most of the night but then caught a nap between 7:30 and 9:30 a.m. As I was coming out of my slumber, the question came to mind, "Charlie, are you grateful to God for this ailment?" Immediately, in my half-conscious state, I answered, "Yes, I am," and then began to think of reasons why this is so. By the time I was fully awake my heart was alive with the worship of God and I just had to pull myself up and blog about the things that came to mind. With that, here are a few reasons why I'm thankful for the grace of God in the stomach flu:

1. I'm thankful that God has not allowed me to suffer as my sins deserve. We tend to think that health is a right but it's not. Health is the manifest mercy of God toward sinners. I have enjoyed relatively good health almost all my days so I can not complain or impugn God because I have to suffer a little inconvenience from time to time. He knows the darkness of my sin, both before and after I came to know Jesus, and yet he has showered me with mercy instead of judgment. This little bout of sickness has reminded me of all the health I've enjoyed, and often taken for granted, and I'm very thankful to God for it.

2. I'm thankful to God for his abundant provision in my life: a nice bed, warm blankets, a house, private bathrooms, private bedroom, medicine, Powerade to replace lost electrolytes, wisdom to know what's happening and take appropriate counter measures, and so on. Yes, this is inconvenient. I'll have to cancel a couple of important meetings and I hate standing people up, but make no mistake about it, my life is covered with the mercy of God even though I'm currently down for the count.

3. I'm thankful to God for the people closest to me who love me when I'm down, mainly, my beautiful ladies, Kim and Rachel. Rachel doesn't know that I'm sick yet, but she's always so compassionate and helpful when things like this come along. She's still getting over a very bad bout with this herself so it'll be interesting to see how we hobble through this day together!

But as for Kim--Lord God, bless her heart--she spent the night more concerned about me than the fact that she had to be to work at 7 a.m. and teach a foreign language to teenagers! I literally had to persuade her to go back to bed. Wow, what inspiring self-forgetfulness, what love, what Christ-likeness. I love her so much, and I'm eternally grateful to God for her. I want to be more like her.

4. I'm thankful to God for the people of Glory of Christ Fellowship whom I have the privilege of serving as one of their pastors. My heart ached this morning as I thought of the fact that this slight sickness will keep me from expressing my love and concern for people in way I had planned today and tomorrow. And I am still sad about that, but in the midst of feeling this sadness I praised God because I saw that he's given me the loving heart of a shepherd toward His people. As I lay here, I'm chomping at the bit to be back in the swing of things and do all I can to help the people I love see the love that is there.

5. I'm thankful to God that I have affections for him. I don't take this for granted, and I don't take the glory for it either. My heart is hard and prone to stray every moment of every day, but the grace of God poured out through Jesus Christ bought a redemption for me on the cross that has guaranteed my love for him. So the love I felt in my heart for Jesus this morning was a literal manifestation of the value of the cross, for as Jesus bled and died he purchased my pardon, my redemption, my reconciliation with God, and my growth in him until the day of his second coming. As the old hymn writer so eloquently put it,

Jesus paid it all,
All to him I owe,
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

This is why I have affection for God. It's a sign of Jesus' gracious work in me and so to him be all the glory!

This entry may seem a bit much for a simple stomach flu. It's not like I have cancer or a missing limb or blindness. And yet, as we learn to see the grace of God in little things, we increase the chances that we'll see the grace of God in big things as well. Thus, may the Lord use our trials, big and small, to strengthen our faith and prepare us for that day when the grace of God in Jesus Christ will be brought to us and poured upon us forever! (1 Peter 1:3-12).

Thank you, Father, for your grace poured out this day!

Chuck Smith, Founder of Calvary Chapel, Has Lung Cnacer

2012-01-02T14:43:00.000-06:00

This afternoon I learned that the founder and long-time leader of the Calvary Chapel movement, Chuck Smith, has been diagnosed with lung cancer and will undergo treatment this month. You can read about Chuck's condition here and I pray that you will. He needs the body to rise up and pray for him at this time.

Although I've never met Chuck, he's had some influence in my life and ministry. First, one of my sisters believed in Jesus in the early 1970s through one of his outreaches, and although she never really came out of the world and followed Jesus with all of her heart, I found out years later that she prayed over me every day in those years (she's 15 years older than me). It would be decades before I myself would understand who Jesus was and accept him into my life as well, but surely the Lord stored up those early prayers and "heard them" when the time was right.

Second, years later, when I had entered into full time ministry and was preaching week in and week out, I came across some material Chuck had written about the place the Word of God ought to have in the life of the church. In fact, I just came across that material the other day and reminisced how the Lord had used it in my life. To make a long story short, I read Chuck's philosophy of preaching when I was struggling to decide which way I ought to go with my own preaching life. And suffice it to say that he convinced me to trust the Lord and his Word and simply present the whole counsel of God, in a systematic fashion, in the prominent worship services of the church. For this I am forever grateful to Chuck, and more so the Lord's work in and through him.

Father, you've been so faithful to Chuck Smith over the years, and you've caused the Calvary Chapel movement to be so fruitful. You have glorified your own great name through them and for this we praise you with all of our heart. And now in Chuck's time of need, we lift him up before you and pray that you would bring healing to his body and peace to his spirit. Also, be with the many thousands who attend Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa. Teach them to put their hope and confidence in you alone for indeed, all flesh is like the grass. "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God will stand forever" (Isaiah 40:8).

In the mighty and merciful name of Jesus Christ I pray, amen.

Wonder Changes People

2012-01-02T11:02:00.000-06:00

This clip from John Piper is only about 3 minutes long and well worth your time. It may in fact change the way you approach life and Bible reading and listening to sermons. May the Lord use this brief word in your life, as he did in mine this morning.

Wonder Changes People | Fighter Verses

Tora! Tora! Tora!--Great Pearl Harbor Movie

2012-01-01T12:51:00.001-06:00

I first saw this movie some years ago and was very impressed by it. Then recently I noticed that Tora! Tora! Tora! is available on Netflix and jumped at the chance to watch it again. The title is taken from the Japanese code which meant that the surprise attack on Peal Harbor was successful. It means "tiger, tiger, tiger."

The reason I love the movie so much is that is was well researched according to the information that was available at the time, and it provides both the Japanese and American perspectives. It takes you into the war rooms of both countries and shows the complexities and divisions that were present on both sides. It displays very well the fog of war.

It's 2:28 long so you'll need some time, but if you like this sort of thing it's well worth it. My step-dad fought in the South Pacific during WWII, including Iwo Jima, and that's partly why movies like this touch me. It feels personal. That infamous day, December 7, 1941, in many ways shaped my step-dad's life and to some extent mine. And more importantly, it shaped the history of the world and the America we live in today.

So again, it's a good watch if you have the time.

Great Start to the New Year

2012-01-01T11:06:00.002-06:00

Last night our church gathered at the home of one of our members to eat and play games and welcome in the new year with a brief message from the Bible and communion. John Anderson, the man of the house, brought the message from Matthew 24-25 and his main point--because it was Jesus' main point--was to be ready for the second coming of Jesus. Although the Lord has longed delayed his appearance, at least from our point of view, he will indeed return like a thief in the night and we need to be prepared.

This message was particularly touching to me because I spent all week preparing a message from 1 Peter 1:13-25 for our church service last night. One of the things Peter instructs us to do there is to "set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (v 13). In other words, he wants us to die to all earthly dreams and fix our eyes on the day when Jesus returns, a day that will not only define human history but all eternity as well. Then, having fixed our eyes on that day, he urges us to pursue the holiness of God rather than the passions of this world. He wants us to be ready for the day when Jesus comes.

Peter is calling on us to take action in these verses, that's for sure. But this call to action flows from his understanding of what God has done for us in Christ. According to vv 3-12, God himself caused us to be born again to a living hope in Christ that can never perish or spoil or fade because it's being kept for us in heaven by the God who saved us. He's storing up an inheritance of grace for everyone who has believed, and until the day we receive it he's guarding us as well. That is to say, God is responsible for our salvation, he's responsible for our destiny, and he's responsible for ensuring that we will come into the fullness of that destiny. God, by his astonishing grace in Christ, has done it all for us and all we have to do is receive.

On this basis, Peter issues his call to action. So today, the first day of 2012, let us receive the astonishing grace of God in Christ and put the Lord first in everything we do. Let us love him with all of our heart and soul and mind and strength, and let us love one another as an overflow and expression of his love. And as we give ourselves fully to the person and purposes of our Father, may he glorify his name in us and through us, and may he fill us with joy inexpressible!

Fanny Crosby: She Fixed her Eyes on Christ

2011-12-30T22:22:00.001-06:00

Tonight I watched a documentary about Fanny Crosby--if you have Netflix, you can search for her name and you'll find it. I was so touched to hear that the Lord allowed her develop the gift of poetry early in her life, but that she did not start writing hymns until much later. By his grace and power and inspiration, it is estimated that she wrote more than 10,000 hymns and what's so amazing about this is the few years in which she did so. There were some days on which she wrote 3-5 hymns! All in all, she averaged about 200 per year, which is truly astonishing.

Perhaps just as touching to me was the fact that she gave away nearly all of the money she earned over the years from publishing royalties. For example, one of the hymnals which was almost completely comprised of her music sold over 15 million copies world wide. Think about that. It was the 1800s, there were far less people on the planet, there was no internet, no television, no radio--no mass media except for print media. And yet, 15 million copies sold. Her royalties on this resource alone would have been astronomical.

She died with $2,000 to her name which means that she gave away millions in her lifetime because she believed that the wealth she earned did not belong to her. Her eyes, blind though they may have been, were firmly fixed on Christ.

Praise God for Fanny Crosby! And I mean it just that way. Fanny's abilities and productivity and prosperity and generosity and popularity and longevity are gifts from God to the church for the manifestation of the Spirit and the common good (1 Corinthians 12:7), and therefore he alone deserves all the glory. But may we pay close attention, not only to the gifts, but to the character he developed and displayed in this woman, and may we emulate what we see.

On her original grave stone was this very simple epithet: "She hath done what she could." I don't think that means, "Well, she gave it all she had but it wasn't much!" Rather, I think that means that she made the most of the gifts God gave to her. May we likewise fan our gifts into full flame for the glory of God and the edification of the church!

Thank you, Father, for your precious daughter, Fanny.

Where does Worldliness Reside?

2011-12-29T08:49:00.000-06:00

Over the last few days I've been reading a book that was edited by C. J. Mahaney entitled Worldliness: Resisting the Seduction of a Fallen World (Crossway, Wheaton: 2008). C. J. wrote the opening chapter on the nature, root, and defeat of worldliness, and I've found it to be very helpful and edifying.

He defines worldliness as "loving the values and pursuits of the world that stand opposed to God. More specifically, it is to gratify and exalt oneself to the exclusion of God" (27, emphasis original). From here he goes on to discuss the root of worldliness and points out that some Christians define worldliness as existing outside of us which leads them to construct lists of rules or conservative standards by which to live. But the problem with such lists is that they miss the point. They sometimes rightly identify fruits of worldliness but they fail to get to the root of the problem.

Other Christians, reacting against rule making, throw caution to the wind and, under the guise of freedom in Christ, make room for things that bend our affections away from the glory of him who saved us out of the world.

The common mistake of both of these approaches, Mahaney argues, is that they look outside of the person and focus on behavior rather than looking inside of the person and focusing on motives. "[The Apostle] John--inspired by the Holy Spirit--takes the debate to a whole other level.

"He takes it inside.

"For that's where worldliness is. It exists in our hearts. Worldliness does not consist in outward behavior, though our actions can certainly be an evidence of worldliness within. But the real location of worldliness is internal. It resides in our hearts" (29).

What, then, is the antidote to worldliness? Training our minds and affections to fix themselves on Christ. Meditating on the cross and the glory of what he displayed and accomplished there. Filling our lives with the bright sunshine of the Almighty until the moonlight of the world fades away.

This brings to mind Paul's well-known counsel: "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" (Philippians 4:8). Amen, Lord, help us to be doers of this Word today.

A. W. Tozer on the "New Cross"

2011-12-28T17:29:00.004-06:00

“If I see aright, the cross of popular evangelicalism is not the cross of the New Testament. It is, rather, a new bright ornament upon the bosom of a self-assured and carnal Christianity. The old cross slew men; the new cross entertains them. The old cross condemned; the new cross amuses. The old cross destroyed confidence in the flesh; the new cross encourages it…The new cross does not slay the sinner, it redirects him. It gears him into a cleaner and jollier way of living and saves his self-respect. The old cross is a symbol of death. God salvages the individual by liquidating him and then raising him again to newness of life. God offers life, but not an improved old life. The life He offers is life out of death. It stands always on the far side of the cross”

Gems from Tozer (Christian Publications, Camp Hill: PA, 1979), 41, 44.

Is Your Heart Diamond-Hard or Clay-Soft?

2011-12-28T10:37:00.003-06:00

This week, duringone of my morning quiet times, I read these soul-piercing words in Zechariah7:11-14.”But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder andstopped their ears that they might not hear. They made their heartsdiamond-hard lest they should hear the law and the words that the LORD ofhosts had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great angercame from the LORD of hosts. ‘As I called, and they would not hear, sothey called, and I would not hear,’ says the LORD of hosts, and I scatteredthem with a whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known” (emphasismine).

Hmm. That phrase“diamond-hard” really struck me. It refers to a heart that has persistentlyresisted the Word of the Lord and has, in this way, grown harder from onedegree to another until it is virtually impenetrable. And though God isimmensely merciful and patient and kind, he will eventually hand us over to ourstubborn ways if we will not repent and humble ourselves before him.

In Israel’s case,this meant that they were driven from the prosperous land which God had giventhem as a gift and they suffered greatly in the process. Even then the mercifulheart of God shone through because his intent in casting them into exile was tohumble them that he might bless them again—which he did. But we should not missthe point that diamond-hard hearts led to soul-penetrating blows from theAlmighty.

Paul said that the storiesand prophecies of the Old Testament were written for our sake so that throughthe encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope (Romans 15:4). Thus, the design ofZechariah 7:11-14 is to warn us away from allowing diamond-hard hearts todevelop within us, and to shepherd us toward the humility that eagerly receivesand submits to the Word of the Lord, even when it’s hard to hear. But thequestion this leaves in my mind is this: how can we keep our hearts soft beforethe Lord?

The answer ismultifaceted, of course, but I do believe that the foundation of it isfostering a love for the Word of God out of love for the God of the Word. Inother words, the only medicine that will soften our hard hearts is the bright,brilliant, warm, transforming love of the Father who sent his only begotten Sonthat we might not perish but have everlasting life. And the capsule thatcontains this love is the words of God as found in the Bible.

So, my dear readers, I lovingly urge you to join me in giving ourselves to the Word of Godand the God of the Word this year. Hear it, read it, memorize it, study it, meditate upon it,apply it to life, and teach it to others. As we do, may the Lord make ourhearts as soft as clay in his loving hands.

Our Salvation Exalts the Glory of God over the Worth of Human Beings

2011-12-28T10:08:00.002-06:00

I suppose it's natural for Christians to think, "God went to such great lengths to save us in Jesus Christ, we must be worth a whole lot to him." And certainly God has assigned a measure of worth to all things including human beings. Certainly he would not humble himself and take on flesh and live a righteous life in the midst of an evil world and willingly subject himself to death by crucifixion and cause himself to be raised from the dead for beings he thought to be worthless.

However, when the Bible prophesies about our salvation or tells the story of our salvation or reflects on the salvation Christ has purchased with his blood, it does not focus on our worth but God's glory. Ponder, for example, Zechariah 9:16-17 and ask the Lord to help you orient your mind and heart around his glory rather than your worth. Paradoxically, our joy increases--greatly increases--when we take our eyes off of ourselves and fix them on the Author and Perfector of our faith.

"On that day the Lord God will save them,
as the flock of his people;
for like the jewels of a crown
they shall shine on his land.
FOR how great is HIS goodness,
and how great HIS beauty.
Grain shall make the young men flourish,
and new wine the young women.

The Fate of those Who Love the World

2011-12-27T14:42:00.001-06:00

This morning in my personal time with God I read Revelation 18 and rejoiced at the certain demise, and destruction, of the world as we know it. The day will come when the riches and pleasures of this world, which seem so strong now, will fall to pieces in a single hour. And in that day, God will speak these soul-shattering words to all who have loved the world and the things in the world:

"The fruit for which your soul longed has gone from you, and all your delicacies and your splendors are lost to you, never to be found again!" (Revelation 18:14)

This doesn't mean that we cannot enjoy things like food and drink and sex and leisure, but it does mean that we must enjoy them in the way God designed. To snub our nose at God and rebel against his designs, to give ourselves to the pleasures of this life in ways that he forbids, is to love the world and the things in the world, and to set ourselves up for a fall--a very great fall that will mean the eternal death of pleasure for those who have rebelled against God.

For instance, sex is God's idea, by which I mean both the mechanics of it and the intense pleasure in it. God purposely designed sex as he did for some very good reasons and because of these reasons he commands that it be restricted to the context of marriage. But this "restriction" is in fact the path to great sexual pleasure because in honoring God's design we gain access to God's joy--a joy which both lasts and increases in intensity.

On the other hand, when we think we know better than God and dishonor his design and indulge in sexual pleasures outside the confines of marriage, we eventually lose what we think we've gained and a whole lot more. Hugh Hefner and all who have followed him over the last 50 years are going to be shocked--eternally shocked--when the Lord speaks the words of Revelation 18:14 to them and they realize the error of their ways and the high price that has to be paid.

So, I want to close this entry with the words of the Apostle John and King David. May the Lord give us ears to hear and hearts to desire and pursue true and lasting joy in Him.

"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" (1 John 2:4).

"You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore" (Psalm 16:11).

An Evangelistic Dream: Road Rage, Texting, & the Gospel

2011-12-27T09:12:00.001-06:00

Oh how I love having dreams in which I clearly share the gospel with others! Whenever I have dreams like this, I wake up with such joy in Christ and a desire to share him in waking life. So here's the dream.

I'm pulling into a parking space and just as the car comes to a complete stop, I notice a man walking toward me from my right to my left. I can tell he's upset. As I open the door, he begins yelling at me because he thinks I cut him off while I was driving through the parking lot. I don't remember doing this and try to explain that but he's very upset and doesn't want to hear it.

I can tell that my explanations aren't going to help so I stand up but ensure that the car door is firmly between us for, on the one hand, I'm confused rather than angry and I don't want to fight and, on the other hand, I care about the man. I can see the hurt in his eyes. I know that his anger toward me is not about me.

Without really thinking about it, I say to him, "Okay, I'll let you say whatever you want to say and I'll listen, but then can I tell you about Jesus?" He reluctantly says yes and next thing I know I'm walking with him and another man to a room, it seems like it's a motel room but I can't really tell. Dreams!

Once we're there, the other man begins lighting into me about texting while driving. He's convinced that that's why I cut his friend off. I tell him that I'll answer his concerns if he'll allow me to say a few things about Jesus, and he too agrees. So I ask him to look me right in the eyes and I calmly but firmly say that I never, ever text while driving. I may talk on the phone while driving, or look to see who e-mailed or texted me while at a stoplight, but I never text while driving (this, by the way, is true in real life). His friend checks my phone to see if what I'm saying is true and discovers that it is.

This humbles the both of them and so I begin telling them about Jesus by sharing my personal story of conversion. The second man, the one who questioned me about texting, rolls his eyes and looks down while I speak but they both listen and with that the dream ends, or at least my memory of it.

So what do I take from this dream? Well, it is just a dream so I won't make too much of it, in fact, not long after I'm done writing this post I'll probably forget it all together. But for now, here are a couple of thoughts.

First, our minds tend to generate dreams that are related to the things we ponder in waking life, so this is probably a good sign that I'm thinking about the right things during the day. Of course, there is SO much room for improvement and growth in my life, and I'm not trying to toot my own horn here. I'm just rejoicing in the fact that for some reason my mind is thinking about the things of God when it's in its nightly coma.

This brings Philippians 4:8 to mind: "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." If we'll learn to live by this verse, our dreams will be saturated with the glory of God in one way or another.

Second, this dream has reminded me that I don't need to look for ideal opportunities to share the gospel with someone. If I have a heart to overflow with the love of Christ, almost any situation becomes an opportunity to do just that.

So, Beloved, let's not wait around for the perfect set up today. Let's be loving and bold and humble and determined to share the love of Christ. Let's pray and ask the Holy Spirit to give us eyes to see the hurt in people's hearts, and then reach out and touch that hurt with the love of the God who is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

Thanks, Father, for this dream. I pray now that you will use it in real life and cause me, and others, to surrender our hearts and habits to you this day.

Kris Lundgaard: The Enemy Within

2011-12-26T13:14:00.002-06:00

As part of my personal pursuit of God, I try to read a section or chapter of a devotional type book during my morning quiet times. The Bible, of course, always comes first and if I'm too long in the Word I don't get to my current book, but I do try--everyday. And so over the last few months I've been reading Kris Lundgaard's book The Enemy Within: Straight Talk About the Power and Defeat of Sin (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Publishing, 1998).

All I will say is this: you should read this book. It's packed with truth and it imminently readable. Kris took much of the content of the book from his reading of the Puritan John Owen, and he freely acknowledges the same. In fact, he says early in the book that if Owen was still alive he'd certainly sue him for plagiarism! But that's okay, truth is about truth, not the one who articulated that truth. And so I praise God that this modern man took the powerful, but antiquated, writings of a true man of God and made them palatable for our time.

You can learn more about Kris Lundgaard here and you can purchase a copy of the book here. Please do! And may the Lord bless you as you prayerfully consider the wisdom he has to offer.

Al Mohler on the Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ

2011-12-25T20:41:00.000-06:00

I just read an excellent blog entry by Al Mohler, President of Southern Seminary in Louisville, KY, on the subject of the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. Having just preached on this last night, and having come to the same conclusions as him, it was a real delight to read what he wrote.

You can read the entry here, and I hope that you will. May the Lord ignite worship in our hearts as we grow in the grace and knowledge of him.

R. C. Sproul's Message at the Funeral of His Daughter-in-Law

2011-12-23T23:12:00.001-06:00

"After a long battle with cancer, the wife of R. C. Sproul, Jr. and mother of eight children, died on Sunday morning, December 18, in Sanford, Florida. Denise was the daughter in law of the well- known writer, teacher, and pastor R. C. Sproul, founder of Ligonier Ministries" (from www.theaquilareport.com).

R. C. Sproul, Sr. delivered the message at her funeral this past Wednesday which you can read or listen to here. This message is a soul-stirring example of what it looks like to grieve with hope in Christ. May the Lord be near to the Sproul family and somehow use Denise's death to glorify his great name.

Athanasius on the Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ

2011-12-23T21:32:00.001-06:00

“But now [Jesus] entered the worldin a new way, stooping to our level in His love and Self-revealing to us. Hesaw the reasonable race, the race of men that, like Himself, expressed theFather’s Mind, wasting out of existence, and death reigning over all incorruption. He saw that corruption held us all thecloser, because it was the penalty for the Transgression; He saw, too, howunthinkable it would be for the law to be repealed before it was fulfilled. Hesaw how unseemly it was that the very things of which He Himself was theArtificer should be disappearing. He saw how the surpassing wickedness of menwas mounting up against them; He saw also their universal liability to death.

“All this He sawand, pitying our race, moved with compassion for our limitation, unable toendure that death should have the mastery, rather than that His creaturesshould perish and the work of His Father for us men come to nought, He took toHimself a body, a human body even as our own. Nor did He will merely to becomeembodied or merely to appear; had that been so, He could have revealed Hisdivine majesty in some other and better way.

“No, He took ourbody, and not only so, but He took it directly from a spotless, stainlessvirgin, without the agency of human father—a pure body, untainted byintercourse with man. He, the Mighty One, the Artificer of all, Himselfprepared this body in the virgin as a temple for Himself, and took it for Hisvery own, as the instrument through which He was known and in which He dwelt.Thus, taking a body like our own, because all our bodies were liable to thecorruption of death, He surrendered His body to death instead of all, andoffered it to the Father.

“This He did out ofsheer love for us, so that in His death all might die, and the law of deaththereby be abolished because, having fulfilled in His body that for which itwas appointed, it was thereafter voided of its power for men. This He did thatHe might turn again to incorruption men who had turned back to corruption, andmake them alive through death by the appropriation of His body and by the graceof His resurrection. Thus He would make death to disappear from them as utterlyas straw from fire.”

From Athanasius, On the Incarnation, chapter 2.

John Piper Interviews Rick Warren on Doctrine

2011-12-23T13:20:00.000-06:00

I finally had a chance to sit down and listen to Pastor John's interview of Rick Warren. I was very moved by it. Rick Warren had a profound effect on my life fifteen years ago--I'll blog about that some other time--but then I became very disaffected of the seeker church movement and therefore did not see or hear or read any of Rick's material for a number of years. I actually had the privilege of meeting him in 1997 and having spent that brief time with him, I knew that he was a genuine man of God even though I strongly disagreed with some of his emphases in teaching and ministry.

John Piper has influenced my life in ministry more than any other. He is a father in ministry to me and I love him very much. I remember having lunch with him at the Old Country Buffet just north of Minneapolis in 2004 or 2005 and telling him a bit about my journey in ministry. Somewhere along the way Rick Warren's name came up and I shared my critique of several aspects of his ministry but then insisted that he's a genuine man of God. From that day forward, I began to long and pray that Pastors John and Rick would meet and get to know one another, and I can't tell you how joyous it makes me to see that that prayer was finally answered. I'm certainly not implying that my prayers had much of anything to do with their meeting, I'm just saying that this has been a longing of my heart for some time and I praise God for the fact that it actually came to pass.

I pray that as their relationship grows, Pastor John will influence Pastor Rick in some particular ways, and through him the hundreds of thousands of pastors who look to him, and I pray that Pastor Rick would influence Pastor John in some particular ways.

This interview is long, about 1.5 hours. But it will be worth your time. Why watch a stupid movie you'll forget later anyway when you could invest that same amount of time in something that will build up your heart and mind in Christ?

I'd love to hear your reactions to the interview, here's the link: John Piper Interviews Rick Warren on Doctrine.

So Proud of our Rachel

2011-12-16T23:10:00.002-06:00

Kim and I are so proud of our baby--well, she's a big baby now! Earlier today we received the letter of notification that Rachel has been accepted at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. For the time being she's in the Liberal Arts program but will soon explore more specific possibilities.

Many of you have already been where I'm at but this is my first, and last, time and I'm SO proud! And more so, I'm thankful to the Lord Jesus who's been so gracious to us over the years and provided for us in many ways and endowed our child with a passion for learning and an ability to do so. May she heed the wisdom of 1 Corinthians 10:31 and put her hand to the plow of developing her mind for the glory of God and the good of others.

So, glory to God and...YEAH!

The Coming Catholic TV Ad Blitz

2011-12-15T14:16:00.001-06:00

Did you know that the Catholic Church has planned a massive $3.5 million TV ad campaign designed to persuade ex-Catholics to return to the Roman Catholic Church? The campaign is entitled "Catholics Come Home" and is scheduled to take place between December 16 - January 8. This morning I read a very helpful article about this by Chris Castaldo which you can read here.

Please join me in praying that the Lord will somehow use this campaign for the glory of his name and the salvation of those who are persuaded to seek out the truth about Jesus for themselves.

Oh the Beauty of the Mercy of God

2011-12-14T22:38:00.000-06:00

Here's a devotional I wrote for our church this week.

When I came to knowJesus Christ in October of 1986, the mercy of God was very precious to me. Ihad lived a rough life and certainly did not deserve the kindness God hadpoured upon me, but now that I’ve been walking with the Lord for twenty fiveyears, I must say that his mercy has become all the more precious.

Why is this so?Simply because over the years I’ve had the privilege of seeing more shades ofit, depths of it, and expressions of it in the Word of God, the history of thechurch, and my own life. The mercy of God has been made manifest in so manyways in my life, and in the world around me, that I feel breath-taken by thevalue and beauty of the God whose heart is filled with it.

And surely God isso infinitely saturated with mercy that he ceaselessly overflows with the same,both to the righteous and the unrighteous, the evil and the good (Matthew5:45). In fact, mercy is so central to the character of God that he would ceaseto be God without it, for mercy is not merely an action God takes or asubstance God distributes but something God is. Mercy is endemic to his beingand an essential quality of life. Indeed, without the mercy of God life itselfwould be unthinkable, impossible.

Now, what preciselydo I mean when I speak of the mercy of God? The mercy of God is that aspect ofthe character of God which compels him to forgive sin, forebear offense, andrestore the offender to right relationship with himself when he or she rightlydeserves judgment, punishment, and wrath. So while words like compassion,understanding, patience, kindness, and forgiveness are distinct from mercy,they together help us grasp its meaning.

But having saidthat I must hasten to say that defining mercy is like defining beauty: Isuppose it’s necessary but definitions will never capture the essence of whatit is. Mercy has to be received in order to be understood. It has to be felt inorder to seem beautiful in our eyes.

So I want toencourage you today, in the words of the Psalmist, to open your mouths widethat God may fill you with the goodness and beauty and joy of his mercy inJesus Christ (Psalm 81:10). Open your hearts to the greatest gift of all, JesusChrist, and in so doing discover the heart of Christmas. If you will do this, Ipromise that you will come to that place with me where your soul honestly andinstinctually cries out and says, “Oh how beautiful the mercy of God!”

Breath-taken by themercy of God in Christ,

Pastor Charlie

Meditation, Prayer & that Beast called "The Flesh"

2011-12-14T09:38:00.000-06:00

Over the last few months I've been reading Kris Lundgaard's book The Enemy within: Straight Talk about the Power and Defeat of Sin. This morning I came across this passage from chapter seven entitled, "No Idle Mind." I pray that his insight blesses you as it did me this morning.

"Your flesh won't sit still for meditation and prayer any more than a wolverine would submit to your surgery. The flesh resists with its last breath anything that smacks of communion with God, because it suffocates in his presence. If you draw close to God in meditation and prayer, adoring God, getting to know him, and calling on him to search your heart, prepare to see the flesh scratch and claw like a wounded badger. It will do everything to stop you from meditation and prayer" (73).

Amen, I've found this to be true. Lundgaard then reveals four "claws" of this wolverine. (1) The claw of weakness which makes excuses out of the things that challenge us in this life, like the willingness to get out of bed in time to be with the Lord. "If you don't imbed it in your mind that prayer and meditation are indispensable, and seek God's grace every day to resist the sluggishness of your body, you will hit the snooze button all morning rather than kneel before the throne. And if you snooze, you lose" (74).

(2) The claw of the urgent which, of course, always finds a reason why there's not enough time to seek the Lord. But, Lungaard queries, would the Lord really call us to a life in which we don't have enough time to spend with him and also do his will? No, he would not, since his will for everyone's life is centered in living in communion with him. As a Pastor friend of mine is fond of saying, if we're too busy for God, we're too busy and we need to repent.

(3) The claw of the duty swap which would have us believe that seeking God by other means is sufficient to replace the personal pursuit of his presence. So, "I go to church and pray when I'm driving and before meals; that's enough." Actually, it's not. No relationship can develop on the fly, it takes sustained time and effort and, in this case, humble submission to him who sees all things, even the deep things of the heart.

(4) The claw of the big promise which says, "Once I finish this project or get through this season, I'll give more time to the Lord." But this never works because we always reap what we sow. If we sow indifference to the Lord today, we'll reap even greater indifference when the current hurdle has been navigated. Today is the day of salvation and therefore we must seek the Lord today--every today--while he may be found.

The point is that God has given us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Pet 1:3), but we must apply what he's given to us by his grace and power. The flesh will do it can to trick us out of using the tools the Lord has provided, but the Spirit will help us in our weakness if we will only turn to him. So why not cut out the excuses today and seek the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength?

Thanks, Kris Lundgaard, you really helped me today! And thanks, Jesus, for your work in Kris, and for John Owen who inspired him to write. You are a faithful Lord and leader of your church, your temple, your Bride!

Abortion Facility Closing in Minnesota

2011-11-29T12:09:00.001-06:00

As some of you know, I serve on the Board of Abba Pregnancy Resource Center because I'm very passionate about the pro-life movement. So you can imagine my joy when I received this awesome news in my in-box this morning from a fellow Board member:

Dear Friend of the Unborn,

Regions Hospital, bowing to the pressure brought by prayerand the presence of thousands of Christians, announced today that theabortuary within the hospital will close on December 9, 2011. This comesafter seven 40 Days for Life campaigns involving thousands at the hospital,petitions drives, phone calling and emailing campaigns, and millions of dollarsin lost business for HealthPartners over its ownership of the hospital and theabortuary.

I cannot express properly the waves of emotions of joy I amexperiencing with this victory.

I have little doubt the reason for this announcement on the Fridayafter Thanksgiving was intended to minimize the publicity of the closing and topass a "Regions only" spin to the news. But it matter little asto the claims of the hospital, we know how much prayer and labor has gone intoconvincing hospital officials to close their abortion mill.

This is the first abortion facility to close in Minnesota in morethan two decades.

We thank God first and foremost for this great victory. Itis the Lord of Life who has moved hearts and changed minds. We also thankall those who prayers ardently, kept vigil or stood in witness at Regions, whosigned petitions, sent correspondence, picketed at HealthPartners clinics andannual meetings, and who aided the boycott of HealthPartners medical insurancethese past six years.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Your brother in Christ,

Brian Gibson

On the Passing of a Great Woman of God

2011-11-02T13:01:00.000-05:00

Like me, it's likely that you have never heard of Evelyn Christenson before today but she was a great woman of God. She played a great role in the prayer movement of the denomination in which I serve and, indeed, around the world. She onceasked the Lord to let her teach the world to pray, and God answered thatprayer by sending her to teach internationally and write best-selling books onprayer.

Today Evelyn went to be with her Master and Friend, Jesus Christ. Her last words were these: "It's beautiful,it's beautiful... Jesus is holding my hand.” Evelyn has held the hand of Jesusfor many years, but today she gets to see His face!

Oh that we would live lives that lead us to speak words like that in our final moments. Oh that death would be sweet for us, not because we love death but because we love Jesus Christ who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through his life, death, burial, and resurrection.

The best way to honor Evelyn's life, I think, is to become a person of prayer, a person who knows what it means to be near to Jesus and commune with him and submit to him day by day. If we'll do this, then when we see Jesus we'll not be gazing upon a stranger but rather our most precious Lord, Savior, and Friend.

Thank you, Jesus, for using Evelyn's life in our lives today.

What to do When the Devil Accuses You

2011-10-28T08:03:00.003-05:00

I read this quote from Martin Luther today and found it a very powerful tonic against the devil's devices. Evil is powerful in this world, but in the light of Jesus Christ who lived, suffered, died, and was raised again from the dead it becomes utterly impotent! May we learn to use this fact as a weapon in spiritual war.

"Sowhen the devil throws your sins in your face and declares that you deservedeath and hell, tell him this: 'I admit that I deserve death and hell,what of it? For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction on my behalf. Hisname is Jesus Christ, Son of God, and where he is there I shall be also!'"

---Martin Luther

Michael Buble--Always on My Mind

2011-10-06T23:25:00.001-05:00

I've always loved this song. I first heard it sung by Willie Nelson but I like Michael Buble's version best. Hope you like it too!

Ray Comfort's "180"--Shocking Video but Worth the Time

2011-10-06T17:07:00.002-05:00

A good friend of mine forwarded this link to me today. The video is about 33 minutes long but well worth the watch. It's about Hitler, the holocaust, and the modern response to it.

Sermon Audio from Bethlehem Baptist Church

2011-10-06T11:56:00.003-05:00

Here's the link to the audio of my sermon at Bethlehem Baptist Church from a couple weeks ago. I thought about copying the text here but (1) sermons are meant to be read rather than heard and (2) some of what I actually say when I'm preaching isn't on the text I write for myself. So with that, if you're interested, here's a sermon on Psalm 112 and the joy of fearing God.

http://hopeingod.org/sermon/blessed-man-who-fears-lord

Mark Cavendish wins Cycling World Championship

2011-10-05T20:09:00.001-05:00

I'm a bit late on this as it happened a couple of weeks ago, but the winner of the final major pro cycling event of the year is...

Mark Cavendish!

He is without doubt the fastest man in the world this year. No one has been able to beat him on a consistent basis. Just in case you're interested, here's the You Tube video of the last 5 kilometers or so.

Free through Suffering

2011-10-02T15:53:00.001-05:00

My best friend and wife of almost 20 years--only a month away now!--sent me a devotional today from Streams in the Desert that really blessed me so I thought I'd share it with you all as well. I pray that the Lord will speak to you through this word.

Free Through Suffering

"Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress" (Ps. 4:1).

This is one of the grandest testimonies ever given by man to the moral government of God. It is not a man's thanksgiving that he has been set free from suffering. It is a thanksgiving that he has been set free through suffering: "Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress." He declares the sorrows of life to have been themselves the source of life's enlargement.

And have not you and I a thousand times felt this to be true? It is written of Joseph in the dungeon that "the iron entered into his soul." We all feel that what Joseph needed for his soul was just the iron. He had seen only the glitter of the gold. He had been rejoicing in youthful dreams; and dreaming hardens the heart. He who sheds tears over a romance will not be most apt to help reality; real sorrow will be too unpoetic for him. We need the iron to enlarge our nature. The gold is but a vision; the iron is an experience. The chain which unites me to humanity must be an iron chain. That touch of nature which makes the world akin is not joy, but sorrow; gold is partial, but iron is universal.

My soul, if thou wouldst be enlarged into human sympathy, thou must be narrowed into limits of human suffering. Joseph's dungeon is the road to Joseph's throne. Thou canst not lift the iron load of thy brother if the iron hath not entered into thee. It is thy limit that is thine enlargement. It is the shadows of thy life that are the real fulfillment of thy dreams of glory. Murmur not at the shadows; they are better revelations than thy dreams. Say not that the shades of the prison-house have fettered thee; thy fetters are wings--wings of flight into the bosom of humanity. The door of thy prison-house is a door into the heart of the universe. God has enlarged thee by the binding of sorrow's chain. --George Matheson

***

If Joseph had not been Egypt's prisoner, he had never been Egypt's governor. The iron chain about his feet ushered in the golden chain about his neck.--Selected

Vijah Sastry and Reaching All Nations

2011-09-30T08:44:00.002-05:00

Last night as I was falling asleep, I began thinking about my friend Vijah Sastry who has a ministry in India called Reaching All Nations. This caused me to go to his website this morning to see how he's doing and pray for him and I found a video there that was not there the last time I visited the site. I couldn't figure out how to embed the video here--I am old after all!--but the link is below. If the link doesn't work you can just go to their website at www.reachallnations.org and you'll find it there.

Vijah is actually in the Minneapolis area for a few months making connections and raising support, so please pray for him if you think about it. The Lord is doing great things through this ministry.

http://vimeo.com/19748292

Waking in Worship

2011-09-27T07:28:00.000-05:00

Oh how sweet it is to wake up out of a dream in which you're singing praises to God!

I'm walking through the lobby of a hotel in Southern California with Kim and Rachel, we're trying to find a way to get to wherever we're going. And as we were walking through the lobby I'm singing these words out loud with no thought of what people are thinking:

Praise to the Lord, O let all that is in me adore Him,
All that has life and breath come now with praises before Him,
Let the "Amen" sound from His people again,
Glady for, yes, we adore Him!

I woke up just as the chorus was coming to an end, and though it was early in the morning I had a hard time falling back to sleep because the joy of worshiping our great and gracious God filled my soul. Oh to live in a constant state of worship in waking life, "addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with [our] hearts" (Ephesians 5:19). Father, please hear my prayer.

Preaching on the Fear of the Lord at Bethlehem Baptist Church

2011-09-24T14:28:00.002-05:00

A couple months ago I read Psalm 112 in my daily time alone with God and it touched me very deeply (I have published the full text of the Psalm below). After meditating on it for sometime I said to the Lord, "If I ever get a chance to preach some Psalms this will surely be one of them."

Then about a week or so later my good friend Kenny Stokes, one of the Pastors at Bethlehem Baptist Church, asked if I would preach at Bethlehem's north campus this weekend: 6:00 p.m. on Saturday and then 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. on Sunday. They're hosting their annual conference this weekend at the Minneapolis Convention Center and therefore Pastor John is unable to bring the message. So I'll be covering the north campus, and three other Bethlehem-related church planters will be covering the other two campuses.

As soon as Kenny asked me to preach, and told me I could preach on anything at all, I knew Psalm 112 would be my text. Perhaps in a couple of days I'll post the sermon, I don't know, but one way or the other I do want to post the Psalm today and encourage you to read and savor it. It's delicious but it takes some pondering!

"Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments!

"His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. Light dawns in the darkness for the upright; he is gracious, merciful, and righteous. It is well with the man who deals generously and lends; who conducts his affairs with justice. For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever.

"He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD. His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries. He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever; his horn is exalted in honor.

"The wicked man sees it and is angry; he gnashes his teeth and melts away; the desire of the wicked will perish!"

Living in a Manner Consistent with our Love of Christ

2011-09-20T17:46:00.001-05:00

This morning in my time alone the Lord I read the second half of 2 Corinthians 11. Paul, who wrote the letter to Christians in the city of Corinth, was deeply concerned about the new believers there. Other teachers had come in after Paul and were leading them away from the truth of Jesus Christ. And what is more, they were boasting about their credentials and skills and using this to put Paul down, to place him lower in the pecking order than themselves, so that the Corinthians would believe and submit to them.

Therefore, Paul was compelled to write to these precious souls, whom he called saints (2 Corinthians 1:1), not so much to defend himself but the message about Jesus which he had taught them. However, in order to defend the message he did have to say something about the messenger, himself, and the second half of 2 Corinthians 11 is his self-defense. But it's quite odd because he simultaneously says some things about himself and does so in such a way as to show that boasting in one's self is a kind of madness. Here's what he wrote:

"Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one--I am talking like a madman--with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death.

"Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant? If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness" (2 Corinthians 11:22-30).

Putting Paul's self-defense aside for now, the question that sprang to mind as I read this list slowly and let the realities of it sink in was this: Am I living a life that displays my passion for Christ? Or am I naming the name of Christ over my life while essentially living for myself? Most likely I will not be lashed and beaten and stoned and shipwrecked for my love for Christ, but is there any indication that I'm living the kind of radical lifestyle that really does accord with knowing Jesus?

I'm still thinking about this. My suspicion is that I'm going to answer "yes and no," but honestly I'm not satisfied with that. Jesus doesn't live a "yes and no" life for me and I don't want to live one for him. So by his grace I hope to identify the "no's," die to my way of life, and enter more fully into his "yes" for me. Indeed, God has already created good works for me that I have yet to walk in (Ephesians 2:10) and I so want to walk in them. Lord, please help me in this.

So, what about you? Where are you at with the Lord? Being honest, do you think God's job is to make your life comfortable and enjoyable and such? Or are you willing to lose every comfort, if he calls you to do so, so that you might win the superior prize of eternal joy in Christ? I invite you to contemplate these things along with me because, even though it will be hard, in the end it will be good--very good.

I want to get to the end of my life and say what Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:7, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." And I want to hear those eternally joy-producing words from Jesus, "Well done, good and faithful servant...Enter into the joy of your Master" (Matthew 25:21).

Oh Lord Jesus, grant that we would know your great and lasting joy, even if it means that we have to suffer with you for a little while.

The Church of Christ is the Glory of Christ

2011-09-16T12:53:00.001-05:00

For the last several years I have had the great privilege of serving a church called Glory of Christ Fellowship in Elk River, MN. We took the name of the church from 2 Corinthians 3 and 4 which speak of the "good news of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (4:4) and the glory of God that pours through the being and shines on the face of Jesus Christ (4:6), a glory that transforms us into His very image one degree at a time (3:18).

So the vision that grabbed our hearts four or five years ago was to start a church that lived to exalt the glory of the One who is alone glorious, and has manifest His glory to us through his life, death, burial, resurrection, and saving grace.

This morning in my daily time with God I read 2 Corinthians 8, among other things, and I came across this phrase in 8:23. I swear this phrase was not in my Bible before today! I can't believe I haven't seen it before now, but it deeply moved my heart. It's simple but profound: "And as for our brothers [guys Paul had sent from church to church to help with this or that], they are messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ."

Wow, what did you just say, Paul? Did you just call the church, the Bride of Christ, the glory of Christ? I can hear Paul answer, "Yes I did, and I meant it. It was not a throw away phrase, it points to an eternally profound mystery, one that will make the angels and all the host of heaven praise the Name of the Lord forever and ever."

What does it mean to call the church of Christ "the glory of Christ"? It would take a book to adequately answer that question, but let me briefly summarize how we get from "the glory of God in the face of Christ" to the church as "the glory of Christ."

Paul's words in 8:9 help us here: "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich." A slight change of words will help us here: Jesus shared in our shame that we might share in his glory. He became sin for us so that we who believe in Him might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor 5:21).

Before Christ, we were lost in our sins and owed God a debt so great that it could never be repaid. But God, in his infinite mercy (Ephesians 2:4), sent his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, that whoever should believe in him would not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16)--true riches! And as it turns out, the reason we believed is not because we chose God but because He chose us. We were predestined to believe, we were chosen by God from before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4).

This brings us to Romans 8:30--"And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he justified (made perfectly right with God), and those whom he justified he also glorified." Hmm. God has glorified those who have believed in Jesus Christ.

How so? Back to 2 Cor 3-4: as we behold the glory of God in the face of Christ, we are transformed into his very image and beam with His glory. Our glory is like that of the moon: it is borrowed and dependent and reflects the glory of another. The glory of sun is produced by the sun (ultimately by God); the glory of the moon is also produced by the sun and if the sun should cease to shine so would the moon. Again, it's glory is borrowed and dependent.

The church of Jesus Christ is like the moon: we produce no glory of our own, rather, we reflect the glory of Him who has been infinitely gracious to us, who saved us when he rightly could have crushed us. Our glory is borrowed and dependent. We simply reflect the unspeakable beauty of Him who humbled himself to save us from our sins and transform us into a kingdom of priests for our God, "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that [we] may proclaim the excellencies of him [shine with the glory of Him] who called [us] out of darkness into his marvelous light" (1 Pet 2:10).

This fact does not give us a cause for boasting in ourselves. Quite the opposite. Since our glory is borrowed and dependent, it gives us cause for boasting in Christ alone who, by His grace, granted us to share in His glory. As Paul said, "But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world" (Gal 6:14).

Oh church, hear this and marvel at the grace of God: you are the glory of Christ! You are the light of the world that shines by grace! So worship Him for what He's done and live this day to reflect his glory--proclaim his excellencies--everywhere you go!

Praise be to your great and gracious Name, Lord Jesus!

Our Lips Bleed what our Hearts Ponder

2011-09-14T16:39:00.001-05:00

This morning in my time alone with God (TAWG) I read, among other things, Proverbs 22:17-19 which says, "Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge, for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, if all of them are ready on your lips. That your trust may be in the LORD, I have made them known to you today, even to you."

Solomon is urging us to seek the wisdom of God as if it were treasure--which it is--and then to discipline ourselves to put that wisdom into practice. Therefore, he counsels us to keep wisdom within us so that it's always ready on our lips. In other words, he thinks we should memorize portions of the Bible, in this case Proverbs, so that we'll be ready to apply what we've memorized in real-life situations.

Why? Simply because our lips bleed what our hearts ponder. Think about this. Pay attention to the movies and TV shows you watch, the web-surfing you do, the radio stations you listen to, the MP3s you listen to, the conversations you have, the things you read, and then notice how the things that influence you most are the quickest to leap off your lips as you face various situations.

It is a law: our lips bleed what our hearts ponder. As Jesus said, "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Matthew 12:34). Therefore, Solomon is urging us to ponder the wisdom of God that it might leap off our lips and be applied to various situations, and he promises us that when we do this "it will be pleasant" for us.

That word "pleasant" means "delightful or sweet sounding," so when the wisdom of God is applied to our lives the end result is joy in life, true and lasting joy, the kind of joy that makes you want to sing! It may take some suffering to get to the singing, but the singing will come if we will only listen, ponder, and apply the wisdom of God.

May the wisdom of God affect our heart and pour forth from our lips that we may know His lasting joy.

Ten Ways to Share the Love of Christ this Labor Day

2011-09-04T22:49:00.000-05:00

1. Write your boss a note and tell him or her that you appreciate them and you’re praying for them and the company.

2. Post a Scripture board at the employee entrance and change it frequently.

3. Put a note in all your employees’ pay envelopes and let them know you appreciate them and praying for them.

4. Write a note to a business you frequent to tell them how much you appreciate what they do, and tell them you’ll be praying for them.

5. Take one of the church’s Bible’s, or go buy one today, and give it away to someone who doesn’t know Jesus.

6. Have a barbeque and invite one or more of your neighbors—just get to know them and be who you are.

7. Go to McDonalds play-land with some money in your pocket. Quickly observe the number of children and bigger kids playing (and those watching them) and offer to buy them all a soft-serve ice cream. Tell them, “Jesus longs to have sweet and lasting friendship with you!”

8. Take a fresh loaf of bread, an apple crisp, or cookies to a new neighbor who just moved in, a neighbor who just had a baby, a neighbor who is without a job, a neighbor who is sick or had a bad day! Include a hand written prayer from you to them.

9. Bake something for your child’s new teacher and Principal to bring to school on Tuesday. Include a card that says you are praying for their school year.

10. Reach out to a friend or family who is looking for work and pray with them.

A Dream Comes True, or How a Chocolate Bar Opened the Door to Share the Love of Jesus!

2011-09-03T22:44:00.001-05:00

It's been a good day but a long one. I started work at 8:00 a.m. and finally finished up at 9:00 p.m., but even though I was tired I had a burning desire to share the love of Jesus with someone before I went to bed. So I walked around the neighborhood near the church office looking for someone to talk to--no luck, it was like a ghost town!

But I did have to go to Walmart on the way home to get some groceries and I figured there would be plenty of people there who needed to hear about Jesus. And sure enough there were, but the question was which one needed to hear it from me. I walked around getting my things, praying for God to open a door so that I'd be sharing out of his heart rather than just my desire and nothing really opened up. I could have forced something but it would have been just that.

And then I got into line. As the young man (he didn't have a name tag and I forgot to ask his name) was putting my groceries into bags, he began to comment on the gourmet chocolate that I bought. I eat just a little dark chocolate every day, usually Lindt, and I just knew that someday it would be used of the Lord! He went on to say that he likes doing special things for his girlfriend, now fiance, on their anniversary but I got a little confused as I listened to him so I asked, "Are you married?"

He answered that they were not, and that they had decided to get married by a justice of the peace. That was a divinely revealed bit of information! I asked him why, and he said that they just weren't sure about the religion piece and had gone back and forth. By now, people are starting to stack up in line behind us, there were three of four people and they were listening intently even if a little impatiently.

So I took out my wallet and handed him one of my cards and said, "Listen, I'm not trying to shove anything down your throat here, but I'm a Pastor so if you change your mind, give me a call and we can talk about it." He said thanks and continued by telling me that he believes in God but doesn't really do anything to pursue God, while his fiance is anti-God. Well, he explained, not really anti, she just thinks that when religion gets organized, it gets corrupt. I told him I understood.

And then I said, "Listen, I'm really not trying to shove anything down your throat, I mean that, but my wife and I are just about to celebrate 20 years of marriage and we're really happy together and still very much in love. And I'm just being honest with you, the reason we're still happy is because of the Lord Jesus and his place in our lives. If it wasn't for him I don't even think we'd be together, so honestly, man, remember the Lord and you guys will make it and be happy, but if you forget the Lord who knows?"

He really received what I was saying and even though the customers behind were getting a little irritated I could tell they were listening pretty well, too. My transaction came to a completion at this moment, so I told him I'd be praying for him and asked him to give me a call sometime. He gave me a sincere smile and said something nice, I don't remember what, and I went on my way.

Oh what a joyous way to end the day! There's just nothing like being on mission with Jesus! Will you join me in praying for my new friend?

Father, thanks so much for using broken people like me to reach broken people like my new friend at Walmart. Please bless his life and cause him to think a lot about what I said, and lead him to call me. Oh Lord, show him how beautiful you are and show him the way to eternal life. Show him that true and lasting happiness is found in Jesus alone and lead him in the way everlasting. Help his fiance to see that although people are corrupt and do crazy and hurtful things in your name, you're not like them. You're so gracious and beautiful and life-giving, Lord, please help her to see you for who you really are. I trust these precious people into your gracious and loving hands, thank you for leading me to him.

In the great and gracious name of Jesus, amen.

Sharing the Love of Christ in my Dreams--Again!

2011-09-02T13:16:00.000-05:00

I had another dream about sharing the good news of Jesus with someone last night, only this time it wasn't me who was doing the sharing.

Kim and I were walking down the road with a good friend of ours and off to the right there were a number of kids. Our friend went off toward them and then came back a few minutes later and said, "I used an illustration of water to tell the kids about the Living Water of Jesus, and 84 kids just heard the good news!"

With that, we all smiled with the joy of the Lord, I woke up and the dream was over. Oh praise God for such dreams, and praise him that every day is filled with opportunities to share the Gospel in waking life!

May the Lord Jesus fill us with his Joy today that we might overflow with his joy today!

Sharing the Love of Christ on a Plane

2011-09-01T12:50:00.000-05:00

Here's a testimony I received from a man in our church today:

"I flew back from Atlanta last night and sat next to these two professional soccer players. I was reading Jerry Bridges book on Grace as well as TABLE TALK was on my lap. Mutanda asked to see the Table Talk as it was a striking cover on 9/11. He read the first article where [R. C.] Sproul was pretty direct about Islam, and the fact that more babies were aborted on 9/11 then people killed in the towers.

"Mutanda is NOT a Christian and he told me so. We had extended full discussion on Jesus Christ, hell, salvation, is God just, forgiveness. He agreed to read the book of John and look for topics like love and forgiveness. He was VERY open to talking and wanted answers.

"Andre was next to him, his teammate, and listened in on the whole discussion. I am not opposed to you sending this out, but I prefer to be anonymous. Being used by God is an incredible experience especially when it comes to salvation, which is arguably the most important discussion one will ever have on the face of the earth in their lifetime."

I praise God for this interaction and pray now that He'll water the seed that was planted so that it comes to fruition. Here are a few links where you can see the soccer team and both players profiles. Please join my friend and me in praying for them.

http://www.fcedmonton.com/

http://www.fcedmonton.com/content/roster/Mutanda/Kwesele

http://www.fcedmonton.com/content/roster/André/Duberry

Sharing the Love of Christ in my Dreams

2011-08-31T15:48:00.000-05:00

Oh how I love it when I have God-glorifying dreams, and especially when I wake up right afterwards and end up remembering all the details!

Here's what I dreamed early this morning: I was walking along a sidewalk and stopped to talk to a friend. There were some rough looking kids right next to us and one of them walked up and asked, "Can I borrow your pocket knife," and simultaneously proceeded to take it off of my shirt. Why I had a clip on pocket knife on my shirt, I'll never know!

As I was keeping a close eye on this young man to ensure that he wouldn't strike out against me or steal my knife, I noticed he had somehow removed my keys from my belt loop without me feeling it. So I said, "Hey, man, give me my keys back," and went ahead and grabbed them in case he wasn't in the mood to surrender them. As soon as I secured my keys it occurred to me that he might have grabbed my wallet, too, so I felt my pocket and sure enough it was missing. We both laughed a little, perhaps for different reasons, and then I got my wallet back.

Then it hit me: I looked him in the eyes and said, "You forgot the most important pocket," and I reached back and grabbed my little pocket Bible out of my rear left pocket--where I do always keep it in real life--and I opened up the Bible and began to share with him.

I said, "Do you know how much Jesus loves you? The Bible says that God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, Jesus Christ, that whoever believes in him should not perish--that means to receive punishment from God--but have eternal life."

I had a huge smile on my face and my heart was filled with joy as I shared and at that moment I woke up. I wish the dream would have lasted just a little longer because I would have loved to hear his response, but alas it was only a dream. The more important thing is that this dream filled my heart with passion and joy to share the hope of Jesus Christ with a real person today in real waking life.

I have done that through a note or two but otherwise I've been glued to my desk all day. However, it's only 3:45 p.m., there's still plenty of time left. Perhaps the Lord would allow my dream to come true today. I guess I better find that clip on pocket knife!

Thank You, Jesus, for being such a mighty and merciful Savior! Use us all this day to spread the joy of your love and life, and thanks so much for inspiring me in a dream, the second one this week!

Learning to Think as God Thinks

2011-08-27T20:53:00.002-05:00

Here's a devotional I wrote for our church's e-newsletter this week, and with this one I have my blog readers caught up with my train of thought! Hope the Lord uses this to bless your life, I know the many times with the Lord that produced it blessed mine!

In last week’s devotional I said that developing a lifestyle of sharing the good news of Jesus Christ is all about sharing in the heart of God. We must do the right thing, that’s for sure. But first we must learn to feel the right thing. That is, we must press into our motives and pray for the grace to align them with the motives of God. Lasting joy in sharing the gospel stems from sharing in the heart motives of our Father.

And a vital part of sharing in his motives is learning to think as he thinks. It’s learning to view the world as he views the world. It’s being transformed by the renewing of our minds so that by testing we can discern the will of God in any given situation (Romans 12:1-2). As we learn to think the thoughts of God we will more naturally feel the feelings of God and act according to his will.

So, if we want to develop and sustain a passion to share the good news of Jesus Christ with a lost and dying world we must constantly fill our minds with the truths that make up that good news. We must read the Word of God daily and ponder truths such as the glory of God in the creation of all things; the horror and devastation of sin; the hot anger of God toward sin and the coming judgment; the merciful heart of God that pursued a path by which sinners could be saved from the moment sin entered the world; the ancient plan that began in Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and eventually culminated in Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world; the perfect righteousness of Christ which is credited toward everyone who believes in him; the shed blood of Christ that forgives all the sin of everyone who believes in him; the resurrection of Christ which proved that, unlike other religious leaders, Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, that no one comes to the Father except through him; the coming day of judgment in which God will examine every person’s life and works in light of his holiness; the eternal punishment that will be inflicted upon fallen angels and all who refuse to believe in Jesus Christ; the eternal blessing poured upon those who humble themselves by grace and believe in Jesus Christ, surrendering their lives to him.

As truths like these sink deeper and deeper into our hearts and minds, as our souls are transformed into the image of Jesus who saved us, we will come to think as God thinks, to view the world as he views the world, and to act as he would have us act. A renewed mind gives rise to godly motives, and godly motives propel us to be on mission with Jesus.

So, Beloved, let us pursue the lost and the least of these by first seeking the Kingdom of God and his righteousness. When God is our Treasure, his mission will be our pleasure.

Longing with you to think as God thinks,

Pastor Charlie

Pursuing the Heart of God--A Summary

2011-08-27T14:05:00.000-05:00

In the weeks before I left for vacation, I wrote three devotionals on how Jesus feels about lost people. I may or may not have succeeded at this, but what I was trying to do was press us to think beyond the mere commandment to share the good news with those who don’t know Jesus and tap into the inner motives of the God who saved us.

God sent Jesus into the world because he “so loved the world” and he’s infinitely “rich in mercy” (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:4). God Almighty was moved from the heart to send his only begotten Son. He was not heartlessly working out the details of a plan he had concocted, rather, he was overflowing with the love and mercy that characterizes his soul.

When Jesus looked upon the crowds that gathered wherever he went, “he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36). Jesus didn’t touch people’s lives because he was supposed to do so but because he was moved from the heart to do so. Jesus felt. He deeply desired to seek and save the lost. He deeply desired to lay down his life for his friends.

When Jesus rises to judge the nations of the world, he will separate us into two camps: those who had compassion on the lost and the “least of these” and those who did not. To those who had compassion Jesus will say, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” To those who did not have compassion Jesus will say, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:31-46).

It’s not that the pursuit of the lost and the least will save those who did so but rather that it will display their heart. It will prove the fact that they shared in the heart of their Master, that they, like him, were moved when looked upon the lost and the least. Jesus felt and those who love him will feel, too.

So developing a lifestyle of sharing the good news is all about sharing in the heart of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. We must do the right thing, that’s for sure. But first we must learn to feel the right thing. We must press into our motives and pray for the grace to align them with the motives of God. Lasting joy in sharing the gospel stems from sharing in the heart of our Father.

Next week I plan to write a devotional on believing what we believe about things such as the glory of God, the horror of sin and hell, and the joy of salvation and heaven. But for now I want to encourage us once more to pursue the heart of our Father and ask him for the grace to share in it.

Longing with you to feel as Jesus feels,

Pastor Charlie

Loving as Jesus Loved

2011-08-26T12:25:00.000-05:00

Matthew 25:31-46 is an amazing passage. Here Jesus prophesies the day of judgment and what he pictures is both glorious and horrifying. First, he says that he will come in his glory with all the angels of heaven, and he will sit on his glorious throne. The word “his,” twice repeated, implies that both the glory of Christ and the glory of his throne rightly belong to him. The Bible says elsewhere that we who believed in Christ will be glorified (Rom 8:30), but our glory will be borrowed. The glory of Christ, however, is proper to his being, and in that day every eye will see.

Having sat on his throne, he will then gather all the nations of the earth. Every human being who has ever lived will stand before him and answer for their life. And he will separate them into two categories, even as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. The point of this metaphor, I think, is not so much to say that some of us are literally sheep and others are literally goats, or that there’s something wrong with goats! Rather, the point is to say that from the outside the two kinds of humanity living on this earth don’t look very different, but in fact they are. And in that day he will separate them.

To those on his right he will say that they are blessed by the Father and that they are now welcome to enter into his eternal Kingdom where joy everlasting has been prepared from the foundation of the earth. And the reason he gives for granting this breath-taking privilege is that they cared for the hungry and the thirsty and the stranger and the naked and the homeless and the prisoner. In other words, they shared the heart of their Master and had compassion on “the least of these.” They saw suffering and their hearts were moved.

This compassion did not save them, rather, it proved the fact that the Spirit of their Master was in them. As we saw last week, Jesus had great, deep compassion when he saw the crowds, and these, his precious ones, did too. They shared in the heart of their Master, they shared in his work, and now they will share in his joy—forever!

To those on his left he will say that they are cursed and destined for the eternal fire that was prepared for the devil and his angels. And the reason he gives for this is that they had no compassion. They may have engaged in activities that looked good but all the while they were out for themselves. They did not share the heart or work of the Master and therefore they would now know his eternal wrath. Horrifying!

I want to be found on his right, and I know you do, too. The key to being found there is humble submission to him who is overflowing with mercy. So may we draw near to him, love him with all we have, and let his compassionate heart overflow to us and through us for the glory of his name and the good of the least of these.

Longing with you to be like Jesus,

Pastor Charlie

Sharing in the Heart of Jesus

2011-08-25T22:18:00.000-05:00

“And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest’” (Matthew 9:35-38).

When you’re out and about in the cities and see people who are not walking with God, how do you think and feel about them? Do you feel compassion? Do you feel pity? Do you feel judgmental? Do you feel indifferent? Do you feel compelled to act on their behalf?

As I’ve said in the last couple of devotionals, I really believe that the key to being on mission with Jesus is sharing the heart of Jesus for the lost and the “least of these.” By his grace, God has become our Father and the heart of being a child of God is sharing in our Father’s heart.

When Jesus looked upon crowds of people who were not walking with God, his heart was deeply moved with compassion. He thought to himself, “These people are being battered about by the realities of life and they’re helpless to do anything about it. They’re like a herd of sheep wandering from one place to another without the care and leadership of a shepherd. Their lives are aimless and fruitless.”

And having felt these things so deeply, he then turned to his disciples and said, “Listen, there’s a lot of work to be done and now is the time to do that work but there aren’t enough workers. So pray earnestly, passionately, and persistently to the Lord of the harvest so that he might send more and more laborers into his harvest.”

Beloved, Jesus loved lost people very much. In fact, his heart was so moved when he saw them that he said, in another place, his mission in life was to seek and save them (Luke 19:10). And since this mission was so central to the passions of his heart, he gave this call to his disciples: “pray with all your heart that God would provide workers to minister to the needs of people like this.” In other words, he wants us to share his heart and he wants us to roll up our sleeves and join in his work. He wants us to be like himself: compassionate and willing to act.

So why not set some time aside this very day to obey Jesus’ command and pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest. Pray that we might share his heart. Pray that he might send more workers into our cities. Pray that as we labor in prayer and caring and sharing, that he will allow us to bear the fruit of those who walk with God for the glory of his name, the good of the lost, and the joy of our souls.

Longing with you to enter into our Master’s heart,

Pastor Charlie

The Loving Heart of God

2011-08-23T17:31:00.000-05:00

Over the next several days I will be posting some devotionals I've written for our church's newsletter. They are all about learning to be on mission with Jesus Christ in the world. I hope they bless and help you, I'd love to hear your feedback.

In John 3:14-17 Jesus famously said, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:14-17).

Jesus’ words could not have been clearer: he alone is the way to eternal life, and God the Father made him to be that way. Further, the reason God the Father did this was because he loved the world so much. From the time Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, God has been pursuing his beloved creation and working to make a way for them to be saved from the consequences of their sin. Thus, he put his hand of blessing upon Noah. He made his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He compassionately led the nation of Israel for more than 1,500 years before Christ was born.

And when the time was full, he sent his only Son into the world out of the overflow of love that was in his heart. Now, I know that there is some debate out there about what John means by the word “world” and that’s a valid debate, but it’s not my concern here. Rather, my concern here is to show that it was love and mercy that moved the heart of our Father to work for our salvation.

Beloved, love is something you feel, and God feels very, very deeply. He did not send Christ simply to perform a transaction, rather, he sent Christ to reveal and express the depth and strength of the love in his heart. God really, really loves lost people—let that sink into your heart—God really, really loves lost people. In fact, he loves them so much that he’s moved from the depth of his being to seek and save them.

Therefore, as we seek to engage in the mission of our Father here at Glory of Christ, we must know that tapping into our Father’s heart of love is the key to his mission. We must, by his grace, learn to feel as he feels, to see as he sees, to overflow as he overflows, to act as he acts. Religious people “do their duty.” Children of God join with their Father in acting on the things that move his heart.

How do we do this? Well, a good place to begin is by praying over texts like John 3:14-17 and asking our Father to open our eyes and hearts, and to mold us into his image. If we’ll pray this with sincerity he will answer our prayers and equip us to go on mission with him.

Longing with you to feel as our Father feels,

Pastor Charlie

Bike Ride for MS

2011-07-15T21:42:00.000-05:00

Dear Family & Friends,

As most of you know, my precious Kimmy was diagnosed with MS fifteen years ago--it's hard to believe so many years have gone by! And while she's done very well over the years, we know that this disease could take over her body in any number of ways in no time at all. A couple of years ago a friend of ours went from walking, to a cane, to a wheelchair, to assisted living in the space of six months. For years he had functioned with the disease as well as Kimmy. We don't dwell on this kind of thing but we know it can happen and therefore we want to do everything we can now to stop the disease for Kimmy and the countless others who suffer with it.

Therefore, as we have every year for the last nine years, Kimmy and I have registered for the Bike MS: Star Tribune The Ride Across Minnesota 2011, or TRAM for short. TRAM is a 300-mile bike ride that will take us through Minnesota's Southeast bluff country and will raise over $1 million for MS research and programming along the way. This year Kimmy was asked to be the TRAM ambassador which means that she'll be speaking in various venues, she'll be featured in major and minor media, and she'll be riding with Julie Guthrie from the "Amazing Race" who's joining us for a couple of days this year to raise awareness and money. We're very excited about this opportunity, please pray that Kimmy will be bold and share Jesus through her suffering.

If you would like to help support us in this effort you can pray or give or both. Your tax-deductible donation to the MS Society on our behalf can be made via this link http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?px=6072478&fr_id=15251&pg=personal, or you can send a check (made out to the MS Society) to the Handrens at 8195 Parell Avenue NE, Otsego, Minnesota 55330. If you feel led to pray for us, please pray for boldness, physical strength, healing for my achilles heel which was strained a week ago, safety on the road, and hearts that will never forget Jesus or others who need a loving word or touch.

Thank you so much for your time and for your friendship. Many of you have walked through this with us for years and we love and appreciate you! May the Lord richly bless you for your love toward us.

With hope in Jesus Christ alone,
Charlie

Le Tour de France Has Begun!

2011-07-02T06:57:00.000-05:00

Three weeks. Over 2,000 miles. Twenty-two teams of nine riders each. Six ways to win something. Here are my predictions:

Yellow Jersey (overall winner): Alberto Contador (Team: Saxo Bank Sungard) though I'm pulling for Andy Schleck (Team: Leopard Trek).

Green Jersey (best sprinter): Thor Hushovd (Team: Garmin-Cervelo)

Polka Dot Jersey (king of the mountains): Contador or Schleck thanks to the new rules.

White Jersey (best young rider, 25 or younger): Robert Gessink (Team: Rabobank).

Best Team: Leopard Trek

Stage Winners: Each day of racing is called a stage and one rider wins each stage. Since there are 21 stages I will not make lots of predictions here but I will say that I expect Philippe Gilbert to win Stage 1, HTC High Road to win the Stage 2 Team Time Trial, Contador or Schleck to win the majority of the mountain stages, Mark Cavendish (the fastest man in the world at the moment) to win at least 5 of the sprint stages, and Fabian Cancellara to win the Stage 20 Individual Time Trial.

I also have high hopes for the following Americans to have a great Tour: George Hincape, Chris Horner, Levi Leipheimer, Tyler Farar, and Christian Vande Velde. George Hincape, Lance Armstrong's most reliable and loyal right hand man, has now tied the record for participations in the Tour at 16--truly amazing! He's not a threat to win anything but he's one of the most respected riders in the peleton and without a doubt the most honorable American.Chris Horner, though he's getting old (pushing 40), has the best chance for a top 5 overall finish and perhaps even top 3.

Barring a crash or some type of unexpected difficulty, this year's Tour is a two-man race. The drama is this: who will be first and second? Contador topped Schleck by only 38 seconds last year and given that he raced in, and won, the Tour of Italy just several weeks ago, he may not have what it takes to grab that first spot again. The secondary drama is this: who will finish third. There are probably 5 riders who could take that final podium position and it'll be fun to see who asserts himself and takes it. I'm pulling for the old guys, Chris Horner of Team Radio Shack or Cadel Evans of Team BMC.

Le Tour--there's no sporting event quite like it in the world and I'm so glad the 2011 edition has begun!

To be Missional is to Do Only what we See Jesus Doing

2011-07-01T12:14:00.000-05:00

Here's a devotional I wrote for our church's weekly e-newsletter.

In last week’s devotional I said that God Almighty has planted and rooted Glory of Christ Fellowship in this city that we might give our lives—our everything—to exalting his glorious name in Elk River and beyond. And I said that this lifestyle of exaltation must begin in our hearts and homes, then in our Community Groups, then in our church as a whole, then through strategic partnerships with other God-centered, Gospel-loving movements in our city, state, nation, and world.

Of course, in the ebb and flow of real life, we will be developing a heart for local missions in several spheres at once, but I am convinced—thanks to Asa Veek—that we must build the structure of mission from the inside out. That is, we must start with the heart-home and work toward the other spheres of mission. It may be helpful, then, to envision these spheres as concentric circles: heart-home, Community Groups, all-church, and strategic partnerships. Our plan is to patiently develop a Christ-enthralled passion for missions one sphere at a time.

Therefore, this week I want to begin a long series of devotionals that focuses on the how of all this. In other words, I want to suggest a path by which we can develop this passion and actually engage with Jesus and one another in the mission of Jesus in the world, namely, to make disciples of all nations.

So here’s the plan for the devotionals in the coming weeks: (1) Seek to share the heart of Jesus for the lost and the “least of these.” I’ll be writing two or three devotionals on this topic. (2) Learn the practical skills necessary for being on mission with Jesus. I’ll be writing many devotionals on this topic, probably too many! (3) Put these skills into practice and learn to live a “missional” lifestyle. I’ll also be writing many devotionals on this topic, Lord willing.

For today I just want to say two more things. First, I know that word “missional” is a bit controversial in our circles but I must admit that I like it. By “missional” I simply mean a Christ-centered passion to be on mission with Jesus. Jesus himself said that he only did what he saw the Father doing. To live a missional lifestyle is to die to our way of life and do only what we see Jesus doing. It’s to join our Father in his work.

Second, to prepare your heart for the next few devotionals, please take some time to meditate on John 17, Matthew 9:35-38, and Matthew 25:31-46. As you read, ask the Lord to reveal his heart to you and form his heart in you. The key to being on mission with Jesus is conforming to his heart, so let’s pray that he grants us this grace.

Longing with you to do only what we see Jesus doing,

Pastor Charlie