“Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime, And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house.” (II Samuel 7:10-11)
The title of this blog post is a joke we have thrown around a lot over the years. It seems we spent so much time moving members of the church that we coined that cute little “title”. Now it’s our turn. As the saga continues for Crest Bible Church, the process of moving in to our new location is now front and center. Most everyone has experienced at least one move in their lives, with all the accompanying issues that take place. It is impossible to move without breaking something. (Federal law requires it). You find all sorts of strange and interesting things you never knew you had, but the one thing you really need cannot be found even with a search team and bloodhounds. You stick boxes on shelves intending to get to them some day. But we all know that “some day” is the next time you move 15 years later. Moving is so frustrating because of the level of work required. Virtually every endeavor of life can be considered successful if you get most of it done. If you succeed only 30% in baseball, you make the Hall of Fame. If I can guess right in the stock market just 51% of the time I can be rich. “Two out of three ain’t bad” is good enough for most everything else. If you only get 95% in a move, you are a miserable failure.
The part of the move we are in now is setting up the new place. We had a leadership meeting a couple of days ago and began to identify the list of items we have on the radar right now. Just in a couple of hours, we have listed 67 items so far, and that is just the tip of the iceberg. As we tackle that list, it will only grow. The more we do, the longer the list will get.
As we seek to serve the Lord Jesus Christ in our daily Christian walk, the work is daunting just like it is in a move. There is always something else to do. As long as there are people who do not know the Saviour, we cannot rest. We constantly see another ministry or another activity that can be used to draw the lost to Christ or strengthen the bond of fellowship among the saved.
David was driven in II Samuel chapter 7 to tackle a very ambitious project of building a Temple for the Lord. He saw that the tabernacle was portable while he had his own house to live in, and it made him want to build a house for God’s presence. His project was much more ambitious than the remodel of an elementary school (although I don’t think he had to put a fire sprinkler system in the Temple!). As his heart was stirred to build for his Lord, God sent him a message through Nathan the prophet. The gist of the message was simple: the work is God’s first. We bought the school because we were “moved” to find a place to grow and reach more people for Christ. But the second verse of the Bible begins, “And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters…” While we are “moved” to his service, God moved first. God expects us to work and build. I Corinthians 3:8-10 says we are to be “wise masterbuilders”, and that God will give to every man according to his own labour. But the work begins with the work of God in our hearts.
God told David that before he could build a house for him, that God would build David a house first. That is a direct reference to the “house of David”, namely the Lord Jesus Christ, the true “Son of David”. Any work we do must be based in God’s Son. Psalm 127:1 says, “Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it.” Our work begins with God moving in our hearts to accomplish his will. As we labour for him, we follow his lead and draw from his strength and his plans. If God truly builds the house for us first, we can be sure that our building for him will be blessed.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
My, How You Have Grown!
“But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.” (II Peter 3:18)
Last week, the two greatest grandchildren in the history of the human race were in Kansas City to visit with Grandma and Grandpa (that’s us if you haven’t figured it out yet). A couple of years ago, our daughter and son-in-law moved to Chicago, and now we only get to see the kids a few times a year. Lots of people have this same situation, so no need to feel sorry for us. But when we see the kids now, we get to use the line above that so many before us have made famous. Our granddaughter Alexit is 12, and our grandson Kelson just turned 10. They are at that age where you have to buy new clothes for them every other week. Alexit is now exactly 3/8 of an inch shorter than her grandma, and Kelson is just over a full inch shorter. Yes, we measured.
Alexit and Kelson are getting tall, and at the same time, they have developed some qualities that are reflective of their current ages. They can feed and dress themselves, and carry on nearly adult conversation. They can also find every reason under the sun to pick at each other and fight, proving that they are normal kids with more room to grow. Their physical growth is taking place in concert with the natural maturity that one day soon will turn them into full fledged adults.
The Bible says when we get saved, we are “born again”. The same growth process in young children is reflected also in the spiritual growth of the believer. Peter tells us to grow in grace and in knowledge. Both are necessary in harmony and balance to produce a mature Christian. But unfortunately, often a believer will grow in one area but not the other. If a 12 year old still needs diapers changed and has not mastered basic language skills, something is wrong. Likewise, if she is well adjusted emotionally and mentally but hasn’t cracked the 3 foot barrier, you would be at the doctor’s office finding out why. Some Christians grow in grace, but not knowledge. They never really get into the meat of the word and find out what the Bible really says. Their entire spiritual life is made up of “cutsie” homespun platitudes that may or may not be Biblical, and they really don’t care to find out. They have grace because they understand that Jesus died for them, but it stops there. They develop an imbalance between God’s love and his justice and righteousness. These people view God as the great big warm and fuzzy marshmallow in the sky who just tolerates everyone and everything regardless of the truth.
Then there are those who grow in knowledge, but not in grace. They can “rightly divide the word of truth” with the best theologians in the body. They can tell you all about the Antichrist and all ten of his toes, and even tell you which one of his little piggies goes to market or stays home. They know all the laws, rules and regulations of the Bible and of their particular religion, and will be the first to see that others submit to them. But there is a harsh outer shell and arrogance that does not allow for the grace of God toward us frail humans. Psalm 103:14 says, “For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.” God does not tolerate sin, but he knows us. I John 2:1 says, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” His standard is sinless perfection. At the same time, he gave us an advocate to allow his grace to cover our sins through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Both sides of that “equation” are necessary. The Christian who just tip-toes through the tulips of la-la land needs to open his Bible and actually read it. The one who thinks everyone ought to conform to his particular theology and live by his standards of morality needs to look in a mirror sometime and see who he really is. One who grows both in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is “of full age” (Hebrews 5:14) – mature and complete in Christ – as tall as grandma, and fashioned in the image of our Father in heaven.
Last week, the two greatest grandchildren in the history of the human race were in Kansas City to visit with Grandma and Grandpa (that’s us if you haven’t figured it out yet). A couple of years ago, our daughter and son-in-law moved to Chicago, and now we only get to see the kids a few times a year. Lots of people have this same situation, so no need to feel sorry for us. But when we see the kids now, we get to use the line above that so many before us have made famous. Our granddaughter Alexit is 12, and our grandson Kelson just turned 10. They are at that age where you have to buy new clothes for them every other week. Alexit is now exactly 3/8 of an inch shorter than her grandma, and Kelson is just over a full inch shorter. Yes, we measured.
Alexit and Kelson are getting tall, and at the same time, they have developed some qualities that are reflective of their current ages. They can feed and dress themselves, and carry on nearly adult conversation. They can also find every reason under the sun to pick at each other and fight, proving that they are normal kids with more room to grow. Their physical growth is taking place in concert with the natural maturity that one day soon will turn them into full fledged adults.
The Bible says when we get saved, we are “born again”. The same growth process in young children is reflected also in the spiritual growth of the believer. Peter tells us to grow in grace and in knowledge. Both are necessary in harmony and balance to produce a mature Christian. But unfortunately, often a believer will grow in one area but not the other. If a 12 year old still needs diapers changed and has not mastered basic language skills, something is wrong. Likewise, if she is well adjusted emotionally and mentally but hasn’t cracked the 3 foot barrier, you would be at the doctor’s office finding out why. Some Christians grow in grace, but not knowledge. They never really get into the meat of the word and find out what the Bible really says. Their entire spiritual life is made up of “cutsie” homespun platitudes that may or may not be Biblical, and they really don’t care to find out. They have grace because they understand that Jesus died for them, but it stops there. They develop an imbalance between God’s love and his justice and righteousness. These people view God as the great big warm and fuzzy marshmallow in the sky who just tolerates everyone and everything regardless of the truth.
Then there are those who grow in knowledge, but not in grace. They can “rightly divide the word of truth” with the best theologians in the body. They can tell you all about the Antichrist and all ten of his toes, and even tell you which one of his little piggies goes to market or stays home. They know all the laws, rules and regulations of the Bible and of their particular religion, and will be the first to see that others submit to them. But there is a harsh outer shell and arrogance that does not allow for the grace of God toward us frail humans. Psalm 103:14 says, “For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.” God does not tolerate sin, but he knows us. I John 2:1 says, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” His standard is sinless perfection. At the same time, he gave us an advocate to allow his grace to cover our sins through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Both sides of that “equation” are necessary. The Christian who just tip-toes through the tulips of la-la land needs to open his Bible and actually read it. The one who thinks everyone ought to conform to his particular theology and live by his standards of morality needs to look in a mirror sometime and see who he really is. One who grows both in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is “of full age” (Hebrews 5:14) – mature and complete in Christ – as tall as grandma, and fashioned in the image of our Father in heaven.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Horseshoes and Hand Grenades
“Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.” (Acts 26:28)
I am sure you are familiar with the expression: “Almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades”. Well, we almost got our occupancy permit this week. The saga of the relocation of Crest Bible Church has been a year and a half in the making. We first decided to pursue the acquisition of the South Park Elementary School at our annual meeting in January of 2009. On March 9, 2009, we submitted our bid to the School Board, and after several months of “due diligence” investigation, we took full and formal ownership on August 28, 2009. For the last 11 months, we have been in the remodel phase, updating the building to current codes and adapting it to church use. Last Thursday, we called for our final inspection. The city codes inspector found about 20 items that needed to be finished. They always find something – it is their mission in life. By the end of the day, we had knocked out 15 of them, and the other 5 were well on the way to being completed. So we called him back on Friday afternoon. Three items on the list were almost done. Even though we were at 98% compliance, almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, and we now know for sure it does not count in building inspections.
Paul witnessed of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ to one of the nobles of his day, king Agrippa. Read the entire account sometime in Acts chapter 26, it is one of the most persuasive arguments ever for becoming a Christian. Agrippa gave the classic “excuse” to Paul that has been repeated hundreds of millions of times since then: “Almost…” I don’t know how many times I have heard it, “I’m just not quite ready yet.” “Maybe next week.” “What would my friends say?” Those who are waiting for some “engraved invitation” are going to wait a long time. Jesus gave you the invitation when he stretched out his arms on the cross. What more do you need?
On the other hand are those who think they are Christians because they attend a church that can in some way be identified with the name of Jesus Christ. Just the simple act of dragging your sorry carcass into a particular building does not make one a Christian. I heard it put this way recently: “Going to church does not make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.” Many people think they are saved simply because they believe in God – as if God is impressed with a man acknowledging his existence. Still others are “trying to be good” and striving to be accepted, hoping that when they get to the “pearly gates” that they have done enough good to outweigh their bad and gain entrance. They are “almost Christians”. I’m sorry, but no one is “almost” a Christian any more than a lady can be almost pregnant. You either are or you are not. There is no indication in the Bible that Agrippa ever got saved. If he never received Jesus as his Saviour, he is in hell still today. For the last 2,000 years, he has been crying out, “Almost!!!” Likewise, the overwhelming vast majority of those who are “almost Christians” will never actually get there by trusting Jesus Christ to save them from their sins.
Becoming a Christian means you have to recognize that you are a sinner who has fallen short of God’s standard for your life (Romans 3:23). “Close enough for government work” does not count. You must acknowledge that you cannot save yourself, and that only Jesus can. Then you must “call upon the name of the Lord” to save you (Romans 10:13). Just the best you know how, ask Jesus to save you from your sins. He died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sins. He rose from the dead to guarantee the victory. Those of us who have placed our trust in the risen Saviour are given the privilege of sharing that news with everyone we can. It is not a message of hate, division, or exclusion. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) God loved you enough to “send the very best” – his Son. Anyone can come by faith. Will you?
I am sure you are familiar with the expression: “Almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades”. Well, we almost got our occupancy permit this week. The saga of the relocation of Crest Bible Church has been a year and a half in the making. We first decided to pursue the acquisition of the South Park Elementary School at our annual meeting in January of 2009. On March 9, 2009, we submitted our bid to the School Board, and after several months of “due diligence” investigation, we took full and formal ownership on August 28, 2009. For the last 11 months, we have been in the remodel phase, updating the building to current codes and adapting it to church use. Last Thursday, we called for our final inspection. The city codes inspector found about 20 items that needed to be finished. They always find something – it is their mission in life. By the end of the day, we had knocked out 15 of them, and the other 5 were well on the way to being completed. So we called him back on Friday afternoon. Three items on the list were almost done. Even though we were at 98% compliance, almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, and we now know for sure it does not count in building inspections.
Paul witnessed of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ to one of the nobles of his day, king Agrippa. Read the entire account sometime in Acts chapter 26, it is one of the most persuasive arguments ever for becoming a Christian. Agrippa gave the classic “excuse” to Paul that has been repeated hundreds of millions of times since then: “Almost…” I don’t know how many times I have heard it, “I’m just not quite ready yet.” “Maybe next week.” “What would my friends say?” Those who are waiting for some “engraved invitation” are going to wait a long time. Jesus gave you the invitation when he stretched out his arms on the cross. What more do you need?
On the other hand are those who think they are Christians because they attend a church that can in some way be identified with the name of Jesus Christ. Just the simple act of dragging your sorry carcass into a particular building does not make one a Christian. I heard it put this way recently: “Going to church does not make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.” Many people think they are saved simply because they believe in God – as if God is impressed with a man acknowledging his existence. Still others are “trying to be good” and striving to be accepted, hoping that when they get to the “pearly gates” that they have done enough good to outweigh their bad and gain entrance. They are “almost Christians”. I’m sorry, but no one is “almost” a Christian any more than a lady can be almost pregnant. You either are or you are not. There is no indication in the Bible that Agrippa ever got saved. If he never received Jesus as his Saviour, he is in hell still today. For the last 2,000 years, he has been crying out, “Almost!!!” Likewise, the overwhelming vast majority of those who are “almost Christians” will never actually get there by trusting Jesus Christ to save them from their sins.
Becoming a Christian means you have to recognize that you are a sinner who has fallen short of God’s standard for your life (Romans 3:23). “Close enough for government work” does not count. You must acknowledge that you cannot save yourself, and that only Jesus can. Then you must “call upon the name of the Lord” to save you (Romans 10:13). Just the best you know how, ask Jesus to save you from your sins. He died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sins. He rose from the dead to guarantee the victory. Those of us who have placed our trust in the risen Saviour are given the privilege of sharing that news with everyone we can. It is not a message of hate, division, or exclusion. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) God loved you enough to “send the very best” – his Son. Anyone can come by faith. Will you?
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Great Expectations
“Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long. For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.” (Proverbs 23:17-18)
Every year on July 4th, we have an annual family tradition just like most people. Our set location is Vicki’s parents’ house in Lee’s Summit. We do the typical July 4th stuff like grilling outdoors, making home-made ice cream, and blowing stuff up just like every good American would do. One of the main reasons we always meet at my in-laws’ place is the show their neighbors put on with their fireworks. One of their close neighbors apparently has waaayyy too much money, and has always felt the need to spend a bunch of it on our great American holiday. For many years, we have bee treated to one of the best fireworks displays in the city. They shoot off the great big “commercial” stuff; a solid 30 minutes worth with an awesome “finale”. It is loud and bright and huge and right on top of us. It is so close that we almost get showered with the debris. The best part of the show is that it is FREE. We just set up our lawn chairs in the back yard and enjoy!
This year for the first time in 12 years there was no show. Either the economy finally caught up with them, or there was some other reason, but we got nothing. We were really disappointed. I mean, how dare they deprive us of our July 4th tradition? Don’t they know that I travel from “out of state” every year for this? (I live in Kansas, and the show is across the state line in Missouri). Maybe I should bill them for my travel expenses. Since they saved a lot of money on the show, they could afford to compensate me for my trouble and unmet expectations.
It’s funny how we get attached to things like this, and feel an “entitlement” to reap the rewards and benefits of other people’s bounty. It is just not fair that some have more than others. But before you think I am going to take off on some political rant, look at this from a broader and more important aspect. God gave each of us an eternal soul. The “value” of that soul is the same for all. Jesus said in Matthew 16:26, “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Each single human soul is worth more than the combined assets of the world – in other words, priceless. Each person is given the choice by a loving God to direct that soul to heaven or hell by his faith in the risen Saviour. Our salvation is NOT based on whether we have enough money to shoot off commercial fireworks every year. It is also not dependent upon how “good” we are. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Jesus died on the cross to pay for those sins, and when I trust him, I gain more than the whole world.
Then once we trust the Lord as our Saviour, we get the privilege of living the rest of our lives for his glory and in his service. As the verse above says, we often get distracted by the “injustice” of the way the world operates. Serving Jesus Christ requires a sacrifice. It is not always easy, and quite often, our expectations do not get met. We expect that people will see the need to trust the Saviour, but despite our best and most sincere witness of his grace, they reject him. We expect that our commitment and dedication to God will be recognized and rewarded, but instead we are often hit with the exact opposite. But while our expectations from the world will always fall short, God will never let us down. Hebrews 6:10 says, “For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.” Some day, those who have trusted him and served him faithfully will “have praise of God” (I Corinthians 4:5). Our expectations will not be cut off. We can and will be disappointed often in this life. But serving Jesus Christ will be rewarded. It will be worth it all when we see Jesus. Life’s trials will seem so small when we see Christ. One glimpse of his dear face, all sorrows will erase. So bravely run the race, till we see Christ!
Every year on July 4th, we have an annual family tradition just like most people. Our set location is Vicki’s parents’ house in Lee’s Summit. We do the typical July 4th stuff like grilling outdoors, making home-made ice cream, and blowing stuff up just like every good American would do. One of the main reasons we always meet at my in-laws’ place is the show their neighbors put on with their fireworks. One of their close neighbors apparently has waaayyy too much money, and has always felt the need to spend a bunch of it on our great American holiday. For many years, we have bee treated to one of the best fireworks displays in the city. They shoot off the great big “commercial” stuff; a solid 30 minutes worth with an awesome “finale”. It is loud and bright and huge and right on top of us. It is so close that we almost get showered with the debris. The best part of the show is that it is FREE. We just set up our lawn chairs in the back yard and enjoy!
This year for the first time in 12 years there was no show. Either the economy finally caught up with them, or there was some other reason, but we got nothing. We were really disappointed. I mean, how dare they deprive us of our July 4th tradition? Don’t they know that I travel from “out of state” every year for this? (I live in Kansas, and the show is across the state line in Missouri). Maybe I should bill them for my travel expenses. Since they saved a lot of money on the show, they could afford to compensate me for my trouble and unmet expectations.
It’s funny how we get attached to things like this, and feel an “entitlement” to reap the rewards and benefits of other people’s bounty. It is just not fair that some have more than others. But before you think I am going to take off on some political rant, look at this from a broader and more important aspect. God gave each of us an eternal soul. The “value” of that soul is the same for all. Jesus said in Matthew 16:26, “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Each single human soul is worth more than the combined assets of the world – in other words, priceless. Each person is given the choice by a loving God to direct that soul to heaven or hell by his faith in the risen Saviour. Our salvation is NOT based on whether we have enough money to shoot off commercial fireworks every year. It is also not dependent upon how “good” we are. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Jesus died on the cross to pay for those sins, and when I trust him, I gain more than the whole world.
Then once we trust the Lord as our Saviour, we get the privilege of living the rest of our lives for his glory and in his service. As the verse above says, we often get distracted by the “injustice” of the way the world operates. Serving Jesus Christ requires a sacrifice. It is not always easy, and quite often, our expectations do not get met. We expect that people will see the need to trust the Saviour, but despite our best and most sincere witness of his grace, they reject him. We expect that our commitment and dedication to God will be recognized and rewarded, but instead we are often hit with the exact opposite. But while our expectations from the world will always fall short, God will never let us down. Hebrews 6:10 says, “For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.” Some day, those who have trusted him and served him faithfully will “have praise of God” (I Corinthians 4:5). Our expectations will not be cut off. We can and will be disappointed often in this life. But serving Jesus Christ will be rewarded. It will be worth it all when we see Jesus. Life’s trials will seem so small when we see Christ. One glimpse of his dear face, all sorrows will erase. So bravely run the race, till we see Christ!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)