OOPS!

One of the inherent challenges and frustrations that pastors face is that we are forever making mistakes in things we say. Because we are talking, every week, for 40 minutes or so, we are bound to blow it...often. I guess I shouldn't speak for all other pastors, but I blow it often. And depending on your audience, they might twist your words, be offended by your words, mock your words, or just ignore them. Thankfully,when I "blew" it yesterday, the crowd at Grace gave me a break. 3 different people came up to me and asked me if I really meant what I said:

"All BELIEVERS will either spend eternity in Heaven or Hell."
And it wasn't that I just said it, but that I had also typed it that way and a slide of it was on the screen for everyone to see.
OOPS!

The real danger of it, of course, is that those who do not know what the Bible says may think I was saying that people who have already believed in Jesus might lose their salvation. Hopefully, the earlier statement about all believers being assured of their salvation made them realize that I must have used the wrong word here. I meant to say: "Every person will either spend eternity in Heaven or Hell."

So, sorry to all I confused
Thanks to all who corrected me.
And thanks to God, for allowing me to keep preaching, as I keep messing it up!

2 Belts are Better than 1

...I guess... they must be...
If 2 belts weren't better than 1, than certainly I wouldn't have worn 2!
For the first time I can remember, ever, I realized that other day, that I was wearing 2 belts.
Yep -2 belts - both in all the loops of the jeans - both buckled.
How did that happen? I wasn't drunk (I don't drink) and I wasn't high on drugs (I don't do drugs). So, what is my explanation for having 2 belts on? Certainly, it's not dementia...not yet; and I wouldn't want to admit that I am just completely clueless, not realizing, as I am putting on my belt, that I already have one on. So, here MUST be another explanation.

Let's at least try, shall we? Certainly, one of the following must be why I instinctively put on the 2nd belt. I knew I might need it. For what? Good question. Let's throw out a few answers and hope you "buy"one!
1. Just in case I needed to "give the belt" to 2 of my children at the same time
[this might be difficult to prove since I have never used the belt on my kids]
2. I was, subconsciously, starting a new fad
[you might believe this one unless you have ever seen my wardrobe, or clothing choices -
however, if some of you would be so kind as to start wearing 2 belts, I suppose it could turn
into one. Please only mention my name if it actually "catches on"!]
3. What is someone was hanging over a cliff and we needed 2 belt lengths to rescue them
[you can't tell me that would never happen. If someone uses that in the next action movie, I
want full credit]
4. I like to help people and assist them with their needs. What if some poor fellow was walking by
and his pants were going to fall down? I could give him my belt
[my second one of course -the first one is mine - all mine!]
5. What if I made up this story just so I would have something to blog about? That must be it!
[that would mean that I wasn't so oblivious that I put on a second belt over the first one]

you can decide which of the above proves the old cliche (at least it will become an old cliche after it becomes a new cliche): 2 Belts are Better than 1!

Praise God for WCA

WCA is Westside Christian Academy and I am praising God for this school today. They will be celebrating 8th grade graduation this morning, and although we have no children in 8th grade, it is one of the unique things they celebrate each year (the school is K-8th grade). Throughout the year, there are special programs and events which, in our opinion, sets them apart. They do not call themselves a classical Christian school, but I know that much of what they do is based on a classical approach to education. As a family, we have come to appreciate that very much. We also love that they offer great academics, while focusing on character development.

In the full 5 school years that we have been here in Northeast Ohio, God has provided for our children to be able to attend. Like most private schools, it takes money to attend, but we have found the sacrifice to be worth it. And, without the help of scholarships, through the school, as well as others who have given anonymously toward our children's education, we would have no way of going there. 2 of our children have since graduated, and 3 are finishing out another year in elementary there.

One of the reasons we are praising God so much for WCA this year, is because God has led us to home school our youngest 3 next year, meaning we will not be returning, at least for next school year. Normally, we are praying and waiting until August to see if God would provide financially (which He always did, eventually); but this time, we know that God is desiring we trust Him by faith, in a different way - bringing our children home. We are excited about what God is going to do through this educational and life experience this next school year; but we are saddened about leaving WCA.

May God bless WCA, their board, staff and students, as they continue to train young people, not just in the basic academic requirements, but in something that is much more important, and eternal: what it means to see the world from God's perspective; and to live for Him in every day life. And that is why, this morning, I am praising God for WCA!

YES!

I was asked a question this past week that caused me to think, really think about my heart answer. Not the answer that appeases people or sounds good, or even the "right" answer; but the true, heart felt answer. I suppose every person asks, or ought to ask themselves questions like this one: Do I still want to be a plumber; Do I still love being a lawyer; Do I really want to keep working for this company? So, I have been thinking about my answer...

I suppose people ask this question when things aren't going so well. Perhaps the pay isn't great, and there is more financial pressure. Or, the work place doesn't seem safe, either physically or emotionally. Sometimes, there is great tension at work, or at home because of work. And other times, for those of us growing older, we wonder: is this really how I want to spend the rest of my really productive working days?

DO YOU STILL WANT TO BE A PASTOR?
This is the question I was asked, and after thinking about it, these are some of the reasons, even from the last few days, as to why I gave the answer I did:

1. There is nothing else I would rather do. There are other things I could do. Last time, in between pastoral positions, I was a security guard, paper boy (I prefer paperman - sounds more like a super hero), and worked at Chick-fil-a, all during the same period of time. I love coaching basketball and if I could make a living at it, it would be tempting. I could probably teach the Bible somewhere, like a Bible College. But, deep down, I know God called me to this, that it is a privilege, and truly, at this moment, there is nothing else I would rather do with my "productive years".



2. The world hasn't ended yet. Last night, another prediction of the end of the world came and went. But, everybody seemed to be talking about it, even sports talk radio. It was on most of the news stations, even though most of the Christian world opposed Harold Camping's prediction of May 21, 2011 for the end (or at least the Rapture). But, it reminded me, that during such days, and in light of all kinds of varying beliefs in our world, people need pastors who are willing to "rightly divide the Word of truth", talking about what the Bible says, and what it doesn't say. Even my own family needs that. As a pastor, I get to do that, for my job!



3. I experienced the ultimate high. I should just leave that statement hanging, and find out what all of you thought I meant by that. Before you ask if I've considered rehab or if the police should be called, let me explain. Yesterday, in the midst of a counseling appointment (I was the counselor this time!), someone prayed to receive Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior!!! If you have ever led someone in a prayer to trust in Jesus for salvation, then you know what I mean when I say it is the ultimate high, for any follower of Jesus. And because I am a pastor, I seem to get more opportunities to be an eyewitness to people being changed, for eternity; and it is a humbling privilege.



4. Cigarette cartons in the parking lot. As I arrived at the church early this morning, I was greeted, by the door I enter, with an empty bottle of powerade, an empty bottle of an energy drink, and 3 empty cigarette cartons. The fact that they were just tossed down outside our doors probably means that those who littered were not regular attenders of our church, who would probably not just throw garbage on the grounds of their church. By the empty cartons, I can't tell, of course, of their spiritual condition. But, it did remind me of this. I pastor because I want to reach people and help them take the next step in their spiritual journey. And I don't just want to minister to people, here, who are disgruntled Baptists from another church. I don't want to just minister to people who think they have it "all together." I want to work with and serve those who smoke, those who drink, those who don't know what modesty means, those who have addictions, those who swear, those who don't have a lot of bare skin because of their tattoos, or many spots they haven't yet tried some type of ring on their body. I want our church to be open to those who are hurting, and brave enough to admit it. I want to minister to the kinds of people that Jesus ministered to: those who have problems, or at least know they have problems (the "sick" as Jesus termed it).
   

Despite the crap (believe me - I never used this kind of language until I became a pastor - actually until I was in my second decade of pastoring) that pastors have to shovel every day (and I realize that everyone else, in every other profession has to do the same thing), when I remember that I am serving the Lord, and not trying to please "men", then I am in the right spirit and have joy in serving. There is nothing else I would rather do, investing my life in others. So, for those of you, that were just looking for a simple answer, you can stop with the title of this entry: YES!

The World Ends this Saturday

The billboard in Florida reads: Judgement Day will arrive May 21, 2011; The Bible guarantees it! This certainly catches attention, especially to those who believe in the Bible and know that Jesus will return one day. It probably also catches the attention of those who do not believe in the Bible, but do believe, according to an ancient calendar, that the world is going to end in 2012. Prophecy, especially biblical prophecy, has long been of interest to those who believe in God and read the Bible. Ever since the Bible was written, people have wondered when the Messiah would come, when Jesus would come back a second time, and when the end of the world would take place. Our world jumps on this curiosity by making movies about the topic; and book writers make millions by writing about it.

I have studied the Bible all of my life. I have been a follower of Jesus from a very early age, and have gone to Bible college and seminary. That doesn't make me an expert, but it means I have studied, in depth, what the Bible says about the end of the world. In the general grouping of evangelical Christians, there is much debate, even, as to how the events will unfold and the order of such events. For example, will Jesus come in a Rapture, where all Christians rise in the air, meet Him in the clouds and go to Heaven with Him? Or, will Jesus come right to earth, to set up His 1,000 Kingdom reign? Most agree that Jesus is coming back a second time (the first being His incarnation as a baby 2,000 years ago), to set up His Kingdom and to judge all.

So, as I have read the claims of Harold Camping, who is predicting the end this Saturday, I cringe. Many people will look at his claims as coming from the general group of evangelicals, representing hundreds of thousands of Christians around the world. This may, very well, bring a bad name to Christ and to Christianity. In fact, there are probably not that many people who truly believe Mr. Camping and follow Him. But, because of this bold prediction and our interest in such things, it will be national news. The Bible would call Mr. Camping a false prophet. He predicted the world would end in 1984. The Bible says that if someone is a true prophet, then their prophecies always come true; otherwise, they are a false prophet.

Here is my simple understanding of what the Bible says:

• Jesus is coming back, to get His followers, which will then begin a long list of events to take place, including the final judgments for all people, either to Heaven or Hell


• No one knows when Jesus is coming back (Jesus said that only the God the Father knows)


• Nothing else has to happen, from our perspective, before Jesus returns. The Apostle Peter wrote that the only reason Jesus has not come back yet is because God is loving and patient, waiting for others to trust in Jesus for their salvation


• The fact is that Jesus could come today, tomorrow, and yes, He could come Saturday, May 21st. He could also come next week, next month, next year, or a hundred, or thousand years from now. The Bible says that a thousand years to us is as a day to God. We feel like it has been 2,000 years since the promise was made that Jesus would return. To God, it has only been a couple of days!


• We are to live our lives as if Jesus were returning today. When it comes to practical application, this is the key. I am to live my life, today, as though Jesus were coming today. My priorities, my attitude, everything, should be done with the thought of how I want Jesus to find me living, if today were my last day.

Live for God's glory today; and as the Bible says at the end of Revelation: Even so, come Lord Jesus!

John 13

Today, May 8th, I preached from John 13. In reading and studying this passage of Scripture, there will be many questions come to people's minds, some of which we will not have time to answer during today's message. I know one of the issues that people will be wondering about is the timing of the Passover, as mentioned in John 13:1 and following. We don't have the time in the message to deal with it, and it is not crucial to the main point of the passage. However, since it will probably be on the minds of many, I wanted to include some information here. This information comes from Robert Thomas, Stanley Gundry, Harold W. Hoehner and John MacArthur.

"An apparent discrepancy exists at this point between John's chronology and that of the Synoptic Gospels. The latter clearly state that the Last Supper was a Passover meal (Matthew 26:17-19; Mark 14:12-16; Luke 22:7-15). John 18:28, however, records that the Jewish leaders "led Jesus from Caiaphas into the Praetorium, and it was early [Friday morning; the day of the crucifixion]; and they themselves did not enter into the Praetorium so that they would not be defiled, but might eat the Passover." Further, according to John 19:14 Jesus' trial and crucifixion took place on "the day of preparation fro the Passover," not the day after the eating of the Passover meal. thus the Lord was crucified at the same time that the Passover lambs were being killed (cf.19:36; Ex.12:46; Num.9:12). The challenge, then, is to explain how Jesus and the disciples could have eaten the Passover meal on Thursday evening if the Jewish leaders had not yet eaten it on Friday morning.

The answer lies in understanding that the Jews had two different methods of reckoning days. Ancient Jewish sources suggest that Jews from the northern part of Israel (including Galilee, where Jesus and most of the Twelve were from) counted days from sunrise to sunrise Most of the Pharisees apparently also used that method. On the other hand, the Jews in the southern region of Israel counted days from sunset to sunset.

That would include the Sadducees (who of necessity lived in the vicinity of Jerusalem because of their connection with the temple). though no doubt confusing at time, that dual method of reckoning days would have had practical benefits at Passover, allowing the feast to be celebrated on two consecutive days. That would have eased the crowded conditions in Jerusalem, especially in the temple, where all the lambs would not have had to be killed on the same day.

Thus, there is no contradiction between John and the Synoptics. Being Galileans, Jesus and the Twelve would have viewed Passover day as running from sunrise on Thursday to sunrise on Friday. They would have eaten their Passover meal on Thursday evening. the Jewish Elders (the Sadducees), however, would have viewed it as beginning at sunset on Thursday and ending at sunset on Friday. They would have eaten their Passover meal on Friday evening."

Another interesting side note, in this passage, is to consider the conversation between Jesus and Judas Iscariot, and the possible seating arrangement during the meal. This information comes from the Life Change series, in the book of John; and from the commentary by Leon Morris:

"The usual arrangement was to have a series of couches each for three persons arranged in a U round the table. The host, or the most important person reclined in the centre of the chief couch placed at the junction of the two arms of the U. The guests reclined with their heads towards the table and their feet stretched out obliquely away from it. They leaned on the left elbow, which meant that the right hand was free to secure food. The place of honor was to the left of, and thus slightly behind the principal person. the second place was to his right, and the guest there would have his head on the breast of the host. Plainly this was the position occupied by the beloved disciple.

We might have thought that Peter would have the place of honor. But he seems to have been too far from Jesus to whisper a question himself (13:24), and he could scarcely have mentioned to John if he was behind Jesus, who was behind John. Judas was near enough to receive a piece of food from him (13:26), so he may have had the place of honor. He was the group's treasurer (12:6; 13:29) an important role, and Jesus may have been making a subtle last appeal to him."

In the DVD: The Gospel of John, that we are watching during our message series, has a woman who is playing the part of Mary Magdalene. In the scene for the Last Supper, she is in the room with the fellas, and it just seems kind of strange. I figured that people watching this video would be thinking about that, so I thought I would address it here. In fact, over the next few chapters as Jesus speaks with His disciples, before He is arrested and dies, she is there with them.

This is one of those artistic licences we hear about, where a movie is imagining what it might have been like. The fact is that we don't know for sure; and the reason we assume no one else as there is because the passages usually do not mention it. However, the reason it is plausible, and that we don't know, is because the Bible does tell us, very briefly, that there was a group of women that travelled with Jesus, ministering to His needs and the needs of the group. But, we forget about that and don't really think about it, because it is not often mentioned.

The key passage for this fact is Matthew 27:55,56 - "There were also many women there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him, among whom were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph and the mother of the sons of Zebedee."

IT - a book review

IT: How churches and leaders can get it and keep it, by Craig Groeschel, 2008.

When I was on vacation, I had the opportunity to do some more reading than normal. One of the books that had been on my shelf for some time was this one: IT. I really enjoyed the two other books I had read from this author: "Confessions of a Pastor" and "Chazown". So, I was looking forward to reading this one, but just hadn't taken the time the past couple years.

I would highly recommend this to any ministry leader in a church; and especially pastors. I like Craig's humor and humble writing style. It was very interesting for me, as it relates to being the right kind of church leader. At this time in my pastoral and private life, this book was motivational, encouraging and challenging. Let me share some of my favorite quotes with you:

• Where did "it" go? Instead of passionately caring about people who didn't have Christ, members started to grip about how the church wasn't all that they wanted it to be. Instead of people sacrificing for the cause of Christ, people appeared to be consuming, not contributing



• I can't tell you exactly what "it" is. Part of what makes "it" it is that it defies categorization. It won't reduce to a memorable slogan. "It" is far more special than that. It can't be learned in a classroom. Yet even though "it" can't be taught, "it" can be caught.



• When a church has "it", lives are changing, and everyone around knows it. The only thing constant is change, which it-soaked people seem to thrive on.



• So, you may ask, what is "it"? The best explanation I can give you is this: it is what God does through a rare combination of these qualities found in his people: Passion for his presence; a deep craving to reach the lost; sincere integrity; Spirit-filled faith; down to earth humility; brokenness



• Ministries that have "it" always have a clear vision. The people know the vision, understand the vision, believe in the vision, and live the vision
  
  


• To have "it", you'll have to choose not to do everything. Those who attempt to do everything always lose it. To be great at a few things and experience "it", you'll have to say no to many things.




• The team with "it" loves each other. Not only do they minister together, they do life together. What they have is more than friendship. It's something that God gives - more of a partnership of people with deep love committed to a single mission. You're more than friends. You're a team.



• Those with "it" know how to fight. When I talk about a fight, I'm referring to shutting the doors and fighting fair in private. People with "it" know how to say what's on their minds, get it out in the open, and not walk out of the room until the issue is settled. Once it's resolved, they act publicly as if the fight never even happened.




• At our church, we encourage people to do anything short of sin to reach those who don't know Christ...With-"it" ministries are filled with people so passionate, they're driven to become innovative. They'll become like others or do unusual things to reach those who are far from Christ or to help those who are hurting.Like the four men who broke through the roof to get their crippled friend to Jesus, motivated believers don't see obstacles. they create opportunities. Instead of saying, It will never work, they say, What if this does work?




• [WARNING: if you are easily offended, don't read this next quote]: You push forward a new idea or proposal you're passionate about. A fast-paced discussion leads to an upwelling of support that seems to reach critical mass. And then, in one disastrous moment, your hopes are dashed when someone weighs in with those fatal words: 'Let me just play the Devil's Advocate for a minute'...After making that seemingly harmless statement, the person feels free to blast your idea to smithereens. Your new idea will face resistance. It may or may not work; but don't let the devil's advocate kill God's plan. And when someone does try to take the devil's deadly role, tell the devil he can go to hell.




• The "it"-ified ministries that I've observed fail often. They're led by aggressive, do-what-it-takes, thick-skinned people who are willing to make mistakes. They're not afraid to fail. They don't know what can't be done and are willing to try things others think aren't possible




• If your ministry has become focused on the already-convinced, I'll bet that your ministry doesn't have "it". Many of our churches unintentionally turn their backs on those who need Jesus most. We focus inward. Do whatever it takes to make your ministry a place that welcomes those who don't know Christ.




• Have you noticed that new believers often have "it"? They're "unreasonably" excited about Christ. They think God is always speaking to them. They see everything as spiritual. They believe Jesus might return soon. Everything they do is focused on him. They have "it".

It is my desire to have "it" and keep "it". I want to honor God with my life and ministry; and I want to be a part of a church that desires to reach people for Jesus, sacrificing everything to do it. May God bless as we pursue Christ sincerely. May he give us "it".