Randy's Blog

7 Reasons You May Never Accomplish Something Significant

2012-01-16T07:41:00.000-06:00

Like most of us who blog even some, I read other people's blogs, including pastors. One of the best blogs for church leaders is one by Perry Noble. He shared the following recently that applies to all of us:

7 Reasons You May Never Accomplish Something Significant

1. Procrastination! (Remember, procrastination is assassination on the amazing future God has for you - James 1:22!)

2. You are allowing your past to identify you rather than Christ to identify you! (See 1 Chronicles 6:9-11!) You are not who you were...you are who you are in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), and if you don't let your past die, then it won't let you live.

3. You are more obsessed with what others think about you rather than what Christ thinks about you! (See Colossians 3:2-3, Galatians 1:10)

4. You do not understand the fact that God's Holy Spirit lives inside you (Ephesians 1:13-14) and has gifted you and is calling you to do something greater than you could ever imagine (Ephesians 2:10, Ephesians 3:20)

5. You are afraid (see Isaiah 41:10) - and remember, anyone who ever accomplished anything significant for Christ had to take a significant step of faith (Hebrews 11:6!)

6. You believe the lie from hell that says you are an accident when Scripture says that God custom designed you (Psalm 139:13-16) and that you were clearly created on purpose, with a purpose and for a purpose.

7. You are obsessed with things that have ZERO significance when it comes to eternity (1 John 2:17).

Following Jesus in 2012...and Beyond!

2012-01-05T11:25:00.000-06:00

As we begin 2012, my greatest hope and aim for you and me is to grow closer to Christ. I am absolutely convinced that he is the way to a purpose-filled abundant life. As I was reading the Life Journal readings this morning (Jan. 5), Jesus gave his invitation to Levi, the tax collector, that he gives to all of us, "'Follow me and be my disciple.'" (Luke 5:27)

I really do want to follow Jesus and be his disciple. But if I'm honest, I also realize there are times when, no matter what I say, I don't really feel like doing what it takes to follow him. Maybe I'm lazy, or tired, or distracted. Maybe I'm a little ashamed of where I'm at in that moment and really don't want to get any closer to Jesus and let him see what I've been doing (though, of course, there really is no hiding from him - but it feels like I can sometimes).

The truth is, if my spiritual journey to follow Jesus is dependent on how I feel, I'm not going very far. No matter how well-intentioned I may be, my feelings are up and down. Some folks are less driven by their feelings than others, but I'm not one of them. And the reality is, even if we're pretty strong in relying on our "thinking" over our "feeling," we all get tripped up here sooner or later.

That's why I understand that there are a couple of necessities to making changes in my behavior, changes in my practices, to help me better follow Jesus. Quite simply, they are time and accountability.

By time, I mean that it takes time to build something new into our lives. Call it a habit or a practice or a discipline or whatever, but it doesn't become an ongoing reality in my life just because I decided this morning or at the start of this new year to begin something new. Whether it's exercise or reading or a spiritual discipline, it takes time to make it a part of us.

And the time period we often see mentioned in the Bible is 40 days. Yesterday's Life Journal reading in Luke 4:2 told about Jesus going into the wilderness for 40 days. We see the number 40 all through the pages of the Bible, including 40 days it rained in the time of Noah (Genesis 7:17), 40 days Moses was on Mount Sinai with God (Exodus 24:18), 40 days the spies were in the land of Canaan (Numbers 13:25), 40 days of fasting by Moses and Elijah, 40 days of probation given to the Ninevites after Jonah's warning (Jonah 3:4), and the 40 days Christ remained on the earth after his crucifixion and before his ascension (Acts 1:3). The number 40 is also found in reference to years, as in the period of wandering by the Israelites and several other examples. The number 40 is typically related to a time of testing, probation or being tried. And at the end of that time comes a period or item of blessing.

God works through 40 days, and so my encouragement and my challenge to you is to stay with your discipline, your new practice, etc., for 40 days.

But, it's easy to let up or make an excuse for one day, that becomes two days, that then becomes three days and then a week and before you know it, you're either racked with guilt or you've moved on and chalked it up to one more "resolution" that didn't make it. That's why accountability is so critical. Unless we're accountable to someone else, many of us can come up with plenty of excuses for why we let something slip.

That's one of the reasons why I think Jesus was so specific in one of his statements: "'For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.'" (Matthew 18:20 NLT2, italics added) Why two or three? Why not 8-10? Or more? Does that mean he's not there with me all the time, or that's he's not with my family or our church? Of course he is, but the key here is that when we gather as two or three, we can't hide from each other. Two or three is the ideal setting for accountability. I don't have to talk in a group of 8-10, and certainly not in a group of 20 or more, but when there are only two or three of us, there's no hiding, no holding back, without someone noticing. And that's where accountability occurs - when I can't hide.

It's why I believe God has led us to make our Life2Life ministry and training so important. And why I believe we need to train one thousand or more of us over three years (we're about six months into that time frame) to grow ourselves and grow our influence for Christ across the Bay Area and around the world! You can click on the link to learn more and sign up for the training or if you are new in the Christian faith, have someone come alongside you and walk with you and help you on this journey.

If we're going to get closer to Christ this year, we have to make some changes in our lives, and that takes time - like 40 days. And we need to have someone alongside us to hold us accountable, and likewise, so we can hold them accountable, too. We're in this together! See what God can do in you and through you this year!

Loving + Learning = Living!

2011-12-06T20:15:00.000-06:00

This morning I was reading my Life Journal reading plan reading - Philippians. This may be my favorite book of the entire Bible. It's full of joy! But it also tells us some incredible things about Jesus Christ. In fact, I'll be focusing on some of this in Philippians 2 in my Sunday messages on the Incarnation this month.

But this morning I found something else that really caught my attention. I would usually journal this in my Life Journal, but I felt this was something I wanted to write out and share.

"I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ's return." (Philippians 1:9-10 NLT)

Vs. 10 caught my attention first - Paul wants us to understand what really matters. Isn't that what we all want, one way or another? And how do we discover that? Paul tells us in the previous verse/sentence. He points to two things: (1) overflowing love, and (2) growing in knowledge and understanding. It's learning and loving, and loving and learning - back and forth. It's not one or the other - both are the key to living! Loving + Learning = Living!

Love grows out of increasing knowledge and understanding of who Jesus is and what he has done for us. Love grows out of realizing God has loved us unconditionally and sacrificially through Jesus. And as I love more, I want to know even more about Jesus and our Heavenly Father. It's back and forth - loving and learning.

To me this becomes a picture of what the maturing follower of Christ looks like - both loving and learning. They go hand-in-hand. And the outcome is a life worth living, a life that makes a difference, a life that fulfills God's purpose for him or her.

Too often in my life I have drifted to one extreme or another. Learning for learning's sake, and developing a faith life that really doesn't make much difference in anyone else's life. In fact, it becomes a very self-serving life. Or serving others, because we're supposed to love our neighbors, but not really understanding why. After a while, I found it became pretty senseless. Doing good so others would notice and in some small way applaud. And once again it became pretty self-serving.

I have been out on both extremes, and neither was very satisfying. What I see here from Paul is that to live the way we were created to live, to live "pure and blameless lives," requires loving and learning. It's the secret to living. Living for the sake of others, because we've spent time learning about Christ and his love for us. It sounds simple, yet at least in my life it's a continual struggle to get the right balance. We really need the Holy Spirit's help on this. I hope and pray you've been doing better than I have - it's definitely worth it!

Loving + Learning = Living!

The Bible, YouVersion and You

2011-10-29T23:01:00.000-05:00

Our church, Gateway Community Church, has just begun using a new mobile Bible app called YouVersion. It's an amazing - and free - app that allows anyone to access dozens of Bible translations, use one of many different daily reading plans, and it now offers a Sunday morning option called YouVersion Live.

That's very different from how many of us think of the Bible. Maybe it's leather-bound, or maybe it's a simple paperback, but for hundreds of years when anyone thought of the Bible, they automatically assumed it to be a printed book (and before that, a hand-copied book). In fact, Johannes Gutenberg printed about 180 Bibles as some of his first work in the mid-1400s after he invented a printing press with movable type. Since then, it's been estimated that more than four billion have been printed, in hundreds of languages and thousands of editions. The Bible has been the number one best seller for so long that it's not even included on the lists anymore.

But in my lifetime the first truly new Bible has emerged in hundreds of years - the digital Bible. First seen in computer software programs, I began using a Bible software program called Accordance several years ago, designed specifically for Mac computers (Yes, I'm a Mac guy). It allows me to search the Bible and study in ways I never imagined twenty-five years ago in seminary.

And now, the Bible has spread to mobile apps. By my guesstimation, there are over 2,500 different Bible-related apps in the iTunes App Store alone.

For many folks, there's no substitute for a bound Bible in your hand. But for others today, using an app on your phone or tablet is becoming just as comfortable, or to have handy when you're out and can't keep a bound Bible with you. That's why we decided to put the YouVersion into service. Many folks already had it when we first mentioned it publicly. YouVersion is one of the most complete apps I've seen, and it's free.

According to an article I found at ChurchLeaders.com, the idea for YouVersion first came to Bobby Gruenewald on a layover at the O'Hare airport in Chicago in 2006. He said, "I was going through the security line, and for whatever reason at the time, I was sitting there processing what today's technology could mean for the Bible and could it be transformational in our engagement, and if so, in what says."

He talked about it with some of the folks at his church, LifeChurch.tv in Edmund, Oklahoma, a rapidly growing, multi-site church. In 2007 they created YouVersion as a Bible website, and the results were good but not revolutionary. Not long after they created the website, they decided to try a free mobile version. There was a lot of initial skepticism, even among the team, as to whether people would want to read the Bible on a mobile screen. But they discovered it worked!

Within days of launching it, 80,000 folks had installed it on their iPhones. They actually went live with the app before Apple went live with their App Store, and it was one of the first apps released in the store. Earlier this year they passed the 25 million downloads mark, and continue to expand at the rate of two million downloads a month, making it the world's largest mobile Bible app.

Today Bobby Gruenewald is the Innovation Leader at LifeChurch.tv and was recently named one of the top 100 most creative leaders by Fast Company magazine, alongside people like Oprah Winfrey and Conan O'Brien. In fact, his is the only name in the religion section of this list.

But Gruenewald never set out to get famous - he set out to reshape our culture through the power of God's Word. He said, "It's possible we could see the most engaged generation in history as far as the Bible is concerned, which is a pretty big leap because of all the trends and all of the data points were pointing to people reading the Bible less and less decade after decade."

For Gruenewald, it not about the number of people who install the app - it's about the number of people who become really engaged with the Bible. A church named Willowcreek in the Chicago has done some amazing research across hundreds of churches and thousands of Christ followers, and they have discovered something many Christians have known for years: "The Bible is the most powerful catalyst for spiritual growth, ... (and) reflection on scripture is the most influential spiritual practice." (Follow Me, pp. 105, 115)

To that end, Gruenewald has created the YouVersion Bible app, and we at Gateway have decided to promote and encourage it. We began promoting the use of the Life Journal reading plan a couple of years ago, and we were thrilled to discover that among the many plans available on YouVersion is the Life Journal. There have been over nine billion collective minutes spent reading the Bible using YouVersion on mobile devices. What's more, people are sharing scripture on their social networks every day at the rate of about 25,000 posts from YouVersion on Facebook and Twitter.

According to the churchleaders.com article, Gruenewald says YouVersion isn't meant to replace the traditional print-bound Bible. Instead, it's there to offer and create more opportunities for Bible reading and to take down barriers that keep people from engaging God's Word.

That's exactly what I want to see happening in our church and beyond. I am convinced that as we engage God's Word (and by this I mean more than simple reading; I mean spending time reflecting on what we read and how God is speaking to us in that moment), we will not only help people grow spiritually, but we will see lives radically transformed! The Holy Spirit works through God's Word to speak into our lives and change us. It's incredible!

So, we're promoting YouVersion (or any Bible app or program or website that gets folks into God's Word). If you don't have it yet and would like to try it, download it for free for your mobile device by clicking on YouVersion. You can also access it on your computer by clicking here. And you can even link them together. I'm not out to "sell" anything, but I do want to help you know God better, and I know for many folks, YouVersion is working. Try it out - see what you think! And let me know how it goes.

Types of Bible Translations, plus a little more…

2011-10-22T23:01:00.000-05:00

One of the questions that often comes up as a person begins to explore the Bible is which Bible translation should I get. It may sound like a simple question, but walk into a bookstore and ask for a Bible, one of the first questions you will be asked is, “Which translation?” If they aren’t familiar with translations, all of a sudden a lot of folks aren’t sure where to begin. So, I want to give you a hand walking through this.

The first thing we need to understand is that all Bibles are translations. Most of the Old Testament is written in the Hebrew language (though a few portions are in Aramaic – a version of Greek), and the New Testament is written in Greek.

The Old Testament also comes to us in a Greek version called the Septuagint. By around 200 BC there were perhaps a million Jews living in and around Alexandria, Egypt. Most now spoke Greek instead of Hebrew (after Alexander the Great conquered that part of the world more than a century earlier), so, according to the story, seventy Jewish scholars spent seventy days translating the Hebrew scriptures – what we today call the Old Testament – into Greek. The name “Septuagint” refers to the seventy scholars and seventy days, and the translation is often abbreviated in Roman numerals as LXX.

Like any language, both the Hebrew and Greek languages are unique. Oftentimes, translating from one language into another is not an exact science. Words have shades of meanings, and sometimes there are no direct or equal words from one language to another.

However, whether in Hebrew or Greek, both of the original Bible languages are ancient languages. The Hebrew language actually disappeared from use for many centuries (and was only revived with the establishment of the Jewish state of Israel following World War II). And over time some of the words in Greek dropped out of usage. So, translating both languages is not always an exact science. For this reason, modern translations that use multiple scholars stand a better chance of overall accuracy.

Another issue in translations relates to the actual process of translating. “Word-for-word” translations – called formal equivalence – are usually the most accurate, but sentence styles and structures have changed over the centuries. So, word-for-word translations tend to be harder to read.

The main Bible many folks own is a King James Version (KJV) Bible (in fact 62% of all American adults own a KJV Bible), and it is an example of a word-for-word translation. This translation first appeared in 1611 – 400 hundred years ago this year – because King James I did not like the few English translations available at the time. So, he pulled together a group of 54 scholars to translate the Bible.

Because it is a word-for-word translation, the sentence structures are often awkward to 21^st Century Americans. It was awkward to 17^th Century English, too, but the King James Version of the Bible became so pervasive and was so often read aloud in church during those early years that it actually changed the way English spoke.

However, the translators did try to use more common or familiar terms, even if the structures were awkward. Interestingly, at the time “you” was a more formal way of addressing someone, while “thou” was a more familiar or common term. The translators decided not to use any special grammar for God, so they chose to use “thou” just like everybody else did. That decision has profoundly affected the English language, and only in the last 30-40 years have translations begun to move to pronouns more current than the traditional “thou.”

A second primary way translators now choose to translate the Bible is a method called dynamic equivalence, and it is more of a “thought-for-thought” translation. This method allows the translator to take the basic idea of a sentence of phrase and put into a modern language form that is more natural and comfortable to read and speak. This method makes these kinds of translations much easier to read, though they tend to more often miss nuances found in the original text.

Translations today tend to lean more toward either the “word-for-word” approach or the “thought-for-thought” approach. However, it’s not an exact science, and in fact, all translations fit somewhere in between these two approaches, as seen in the chart below (originally prepared by Zondervan, a Bible publisher):

(see the end of this article below for the meaning of the various abbreviations)

Below are six translations that span the range of approaches:

John 1:14 (NASB): “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John 1:14 (KJV): “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
John 1:14 (NIV): “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John 1:14 (NLT2): “So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.”
John 1:14 (CEV): “The Word became a human being and lived here with us. We saw his true glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father. From him all the kindness and all the truth of God have come down to us.”John 1:14 (Message): “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish.”

Clicking on A Guide to Popular Bible Translations will take you to a chart (available as a pdf for download) that gives a great deal of information about the various translations, including the approach to translation and graded reading level. I always suggest that when you are trying to decide which translation to buy, look up a few passages in several different translations to see which reads best for you.

If you are wanting to become a more serious Bible student, consider multiple translations spanning the range of translation approaches, to give you more insights. Some publishers offer multiple translations side-by-side in one book. Bible software and Bible websites are also available that offer multiple translations, often side-by-side (and I'll write more about those in a future blog).

Finally, when searching for a Bible, decide if you want study helps. There are many good study Bibles available now that offer helpful (though usually not overwhelming) insights to understanding various passages and words. One of my favorites is called the Life Application Bible, and it is available in several translations.

Of course, any of the pastors or staff at Gateway are available to help you. In addition, most Christian bookstores tend to have knowledgeable people working with Bibles. You can also do research online. The main thing is to choose a Bible with which you feel comfortable, which you will use and read. Don't pick one just because your parents used it or it just happens to be lying around on a shelf somewhere - do your homework. The Bible is the most important book in the world, and it deserves some attention. God is still using it today to speak to us - don't miss the chance to read what He wants to say to you!

Translation Abbreviations

NASB - New American Standard Bible (1971; update 1995)

AMP - Amplified Bible (1965)

ESV - English Standard Version (2001)

RSV - Revised Standard Version (1952)

KJV - King James Version (1611; significantly revised 1769)

NKJV - New King James Version (1982)

HCSB - Holman Christian Standard Version (2004)

NRSV - New Revised Standard Version (1989)

NAB - New American Bible (Catholic, 1970, 1986 (NT), 1991 (Psalms)

NJB - New Jerusalem Bible (Catholic, 1986; revision of 1966 Jerusalem Bible)

NIV - New International Version (1984)

TNIV - Today’s New International Version (NT 2001, OT 2005)

NIV11 - New International Version 2011

NCV - New Century Version

NLT - New Living Translation (1^st ed. 1996; 2^nd ed. 2004)

NIrV - New International reader’s Version

GNT - Good News Translation (also Good News Bible)

CEV - Contemporary English Version

Living - Living Bible (1950). Paraphrase by Ken Taylor.

Message - The Message by Eugene Peterson (1991-2000s)

The Story Behind the World Trade Center Cross

2011-09-11T00:01:00.006-05:00

Today is the Tenth Anniversary of the horrific events of 9/11. There are many events going on, including the dedication of the World Trade Center Memorial. A significant part of that memorial is what has come to be known as the World Trade Center Cross. It was first discovered in the wreckage of the World Trade Center towers.

Frank Silecchia was the ironworker in New York City who found what he called “America's Healing Cross” at Ground Zero on September 13, 2001. After helping recover three bodies, Silecchia noticed what he called “Calvary.”

When Tower One collapsed on World Trade Center Building 6, it created a unique valley bordered by the mounds of contorted debris. One writer called it a “new-millennium translation of the valley of the shadow of death.” Silecchia was overwhelmed by the dim view of a perfectly symmetrical cross standing upright in the middle of that providential space. He quickly became the curator of the cross and took numerous people there for comfort.

His faith compelled him to remind people that the cross was God's way of saying, “I never left you... I've been here all along.”

When Barbara Walters arrived with two of her family members who had lost a son there, she pointedly asked, “How could you tell me God's here?” Frank led her through the debris to “Calvary.” She then responded, “I need a picture of that.”

Frank wanted the cross saved for the entire world to see. He said, “I want everybody to have it just as Christ wanted everyone to have salvation.” Such a desire was realized when Father Brian Jordan appeared. Frank took him to the cross and Jordan became Silecchia's advocate for preserving the cross. By October 3rd, Jordan's influence with the Mayor's office led to a relocation of the cross, and a ceremony of blessing took place the following day.

The eighteen-foot iron cross remained in a prominent, visible place at Ground Zero until 2006 when it was moved across the street to St. Peter’s Church. When my family visited New York City at Spring Break 2010, we saw the cross at this site. Below is a picture of my wife Susan standing next to, followed by an inscription placed on the cross:

It became "a sign of comfort" for many, but recently there has been controversy about including it in the World Trade Center Memorial by a group of atheists because of it's religious meaning. Some have tried to trivialize this, but I hope we do not allow it to just become a relic. It really is a sign of comfort and hope, as it reminds us that from death and destruction, by the grace of God, comes resurrection and new life.

As Frank Silecchia hoped, “America's Healing Cross,” now known as the World Trade Center Cross, became a permanent fixture in the memorial during July of 2011.

On reflecting back to the first time he actually touched the crossbeams of steel, Frank said, “I felt the power of the cross. Not just THIS cross, but THE cross.” He stated, “Terrorism is the devil's tool; the cross is our tool. And I don't think, I know, we'll win.”

(Incidentally, a replica of this cross was placed at the gravesite of Father Mychal Judge, the New York City Fire Department chaplain who died at the WTC on September 11, 2001).

(Sources: Be Still, America...I Am God, Amy Bartlett, 2002, p.23-31 and In Other Words, 9/11 Special 10^th Anniversary Issue)

10 Signs Your Christianity Has Become Too Comfortable

2011-08-18T17:06:00.000-05:00

I have to confess that all too often in my Christian journey I've become too comfortable. I've become complacent. I've allowed my Christianity to become convenient, living it only when it's easy or doesn't cost me anything.

Unfortunately for me (and maybe you), this isn't what Jesus teaches us. He tells us we are bought for a price, that our lives are not our own, and that we are to serve others and love our neighbors more than we are to make our Christian journey easy or convenient.

This has been on my mind a lot lately, and my current sermon series, "Every ONE Matters," really digs deeper into this and the vision I believe God has for our church. I came across the following list from Brian Dodd (original article here) and decided to share it with you. See if any of these apply to you - too often they do to me!

10 Signs Your Christianity Has Become Too Comfortable

You are not attending church with a high level of expectancy.
You no longer seem to be concerned about the spiritual condition of neighbors, family members, or your co-workers.
You haven’t had a spiritual conversation with a non-Christian in a long time.
The Bible seems like a history book. It’s lifeless to you.
Your happiness on Sunday mornings is more important than what it takes to reach the unchurched. As long as you get your parking spot, your seat, and hear the music you like, everything’s fine.
The plight of the poor doesn’t concern you.
Pictures of overseas suffering do not move you to action.
You do not give your financial resources sacrificially.
Your prayers don’t seem to be making it past the ceiling.
It doesn’t even dawn on you that God could do something incredibly radical in your life at any moment today. It’s not even on your radar.

I guess the bigger question, though, is that if you find yourself in this list, what are you doing to become less comfortable? What are doing to risk more for Jesus? It's a question I want to ask myself each day. I hope you will, too!

"One on ONE" Sermon Notes for 8/14/11

2011-08-14T16:19:00.000-05:00

If you were with us on August 14, you know I felt led by God to change up my entire message. It wasn't that the message I had written was bad or wrong - it was just one of those times God wanted to test my obedience and grow my faith and speak in a different way through me. The bottom line of both the message I preached and the message I wrote were the same. The message I wrote had more information. As I shared at the start of my message, I've included the Notes for this message here in my blog for those who want to fill in the blanks:

August 14, 2011

Every 1 Matters – Part 2

“One on ONE”

God created you to change the world!

Romans 5:8 (NLT2): “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”

Every 1 matters – you matter, and so does everyone you encounter.

Jesus: “If your first concern is to look after yourself, you’ll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you’ll find both yourself and me.” (Matthew 10:39 Message)

The more we focus on Jesus and seek to become like him, the less we think about ourselves and what we can or can’t do, and the more we trust him to do amazing things in and through us.

Gateway’s DNA

Ephesians 4:15-16 (Message): “¹⁵God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. ¹⁶He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love.”

Romans 8:29 (Message): “God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him.”

Biblical pictures of what the life of Jesus looks like in us:

The Beatitudes & Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7)
Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)
1 Corinthians 13 (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

Sin in our lives has distorted our God-given nature so that we become self-centered and self-absorbed.

God offers us salvation through Jesus Christ so we can be who He created us to be, and so we can fulfill our God-given purpose to love and serve others.

Ephesians 2:8-10 (NLT2): “⁸God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. ⁹Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. ¹⁰For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

Jesus: “‘Only God’s Spirit gives new life. The Spirit is like the wind that blows wherever it wants to. You can hear the wind, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going.’” (John 3:8 CEV)

This journey of growing and becoming more like Jesus happens through training.

1 Timothy 4:8 (NLT2): “‘Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.’” (emphasis added)

We go nowhere unless God’s Spirit leads us, but we can’t go anywhere unless we join in.

Jesus created the church to help us on this journey to grow and mature and live out our purpose.

Ephesians 4:11-12 (NLT2): “¹¹Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. ¹²Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.”

Gateway’s GUIDE for Growth:

G – Growing in our relationship with Jesus Christ

Ex.: Worship, Bible (Life Journal), Prayer, Gateway Academy, Women’s Ministry

U – Using our spiritual gifts to serve

Ex.: Children, Students, Team Gateway (hospitality), Arts Ministry, Missions, etc.

Jesus: “‘For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.’” (Mark 10:45 NLT2)

I – Involved in biblical community

Ex.: Life Groups (Group Connection), Celebrate Recovery, Women’s Ministry

Romans 1:12 (NCV): “I want us to help each other with the faith we have. Your faith will help me, and my faith will help you.”

D – Dedicated to reaching others

Ex.: Inviting friends, Mentoring (Life2Life)

Jesus: “‘For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.’” (Luke 19:10 NLT2)

E – Exercising stewardship

Ex.: Recycling, Giving & Tithing (90-Day Challenge)

Another way that we grow is through adversity.

Challenge for tomorrow at 3 pm and 7 pm…

Set your phone or watch alarm now to remind you.
Share your experience on our website – Every 1 Matters Postings.

The 59 "One Anothers"

2011-08-07T10:20:00.001-05:00

During August 2011 I'm preaching a series I've entitled, "Every 1 Matters." I think it's one of the most important series I've ever preached. I feel like God has been showing me things for over a year now, and it's amazing to me how all these separate pieces keep coming together and confirming the vision God is giving us.

Every ONE matters because every single individual matters to God. You matter to God. I matter to God. There are no exceptions - He loves us all and cares about our lives.

But, God didn't create you and me to focus on ourselves. He created us to love God and love our neighbors. Love is the defining characteristic of a life committed to Jesus Christ. And love is a verb - it always plays itself out in our interactions with others, in our relationships.

So, Every ONE Matters for a second reason. Not only do each of us matter, but so do the people around us. People to whom God calls us to reach out to, care for and love. In fact, this is the point - to love others!

One of the clearest ways this has come to me is through a list found scattered throughout the New Testament that someone along the way titled the "One Anothers." In the New Testament, the Greek work allelon is found one hundred times, but 59 of those times it is used as a command toward another. Allelon essentially means "one another" or "each other." Throughout these 59 references we see so many ways we are to demonstrate that Every ONE Matters. All these actions are typically one person to another person. They are individual and personal, rather than a scatter shot aimed at a whole group. In fact, love is typically best expressed and best received when it is personal and individual.

I think too often we try to defer to a group to love others or be the church. But, I am the church, and love is real and genuine when I express it toward another. It's not simply up to others to love - it's up to me to love individuals. To come alongside others and invest in them and express the love of Christ to them. To be the tangible hands and feet and voice of Christ to another. The tragedy of our time is that we (and I include myself here) think or hope or pray that someone else will do to another that which God has called us (me) to do. Following Christ means to love each one, every one, as one, because that is how God has chosen to love us - by loving each one of us.

Below is the entire list, as compiled by Carl George in his book Prepare Your Church for the Future (Revel 1991; pp. 129-131).

The 59 “One Anothers” of the New Testament

1. “...Be at peace with each other.” (Mark 9:50)

2. “...Wash one another’s feet.” (John 13:14)

3. “...Love one another...” (John 13:34)

4. “...Love one another...” (John 13:34)

5. “...Love one another...” (John 13:35)

6. “...Love one another...” (John 15:12)

7. “...Love one another” (John 15:17)

8. “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love...” (Romans 12:10)

9. “...Honor one another above yourselves. (Romans 12:10)

10. “Live in harmony with one another...” (Romans 12:16)

11. “...Love one another...” (Romans 13:8)

12. “...Stop passing judgment on one another.” (Romans 14:13)

13. “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you...” (Romans 15:7)

14. “...Instruct one another.” (Romans 15:14)

15. “Greet one another with a holy kiss...” (Romans 16:16)

16. “...When you come together to eat, wait for each other.” (I Cor. 11:33)

17. “...Have equal concern for each other.” (I Corinthians 12:25)

18. “...Greet one another with a holy kiss.” (I Corinthians 16:20)

19. “Greet one another with a holy kiss.” (II Corinthians 13:12)

20. “...Serve one another in love.” (Galatians 5:13)

21. “If you keep on biting and devouring each other...you will be destroyed by each other.” (Galatians 5:15)

22. “Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.” (Galatians 5:26)

23. “Carry each other’s burdens...” (Galatians 6:2)

24. “...Be patient, bearing with one another in love.” (Ephesians 4:2)

25. “Be kind and compassionate to one another...” (Ephesians 4:32)

26. “...Forgiving each other...” (Ephesians 4:32)

27. “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.” (Ephesians 5:19)

28. “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Ephesians 5:21)

29. “...In humility consider others better than yourselves.” (Philippians 2:3)

30. “Do not lie to each other...” (Colossians 3:9)

31. “Bear with each other...” (Colossians 3:13)

32. “...Forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.” (Colossians 3:13)

33. “Teach...[one another]” (Colossians 3:16)

34. “...Admonish one another (Colossians 3:16)

35. “...Make your love increase and overflow for each other.” (I Thessalonians 3:12)

36. “...Love each other.” (I Thessalonians 4:9)

37. “...Encourage each other...”(I Thessalonians 4:18)

38. “...Encourage each other...” I Thessalonians 5:11)

39. “...Build each other up...” (I Thessalonians 5:11)

40. “Encourage one another daily...” Hebrews 3:13)

41. “...Spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” (Hebrews 10:24)

42. “...Encourage one another.” (Hebrews 10:25)

43. “...Do not slander one another.” (James 4:11)

44. “Don’t grumble against each other...” (James 5:9)

45. “Confess your sins to each other...” (James 5:16)

46. “...Pray for each other.” (James 5:16)

47. “...Love one another deeply, from the heart.” (I Peter 3:8)

48. “...Live in harmony with one another...” (I Peter 3:8)

49. “...Love each other deeply...” (I Peter 4:8)

50. “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.” (I Peter 4:9)

51. “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others...” (I Peter 4:10)

52. “...Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another...”(I Peter 5:5)

53. “Greet one another with a kiss of love.” (I Peter 5:14)

54. “...Love one another.” (I John 3:11)

55. “...Love one another.” (I John 3:23)

56. “...Love one another.” (I John 4:7)

57. “...Love one another.” (I John 4:11)

58. “...Love one another.” (I John 4:12)

59. “...Love one another.” (II John 5)

A Really Generous Kid

2011-08-06T18:25:00.000-05:00

In July 2011 I preached a series entitled, "Living Generously." As I neared the end of the series, Dennis Adams passed along to me a great video. In it a boy demonstrates the value of living generously. In choosing to be generous he is blessed, though not because he was seeking the blessing. In fact, he didn't even know it was a possibility, but as you watch the video you see he gets so much more than he ever imagined. It really brings to life Jesus' teaching on this:

Jesus: “‘Give, & you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.’” (Luke 6:38 NLT2)

Click here to watch the video, and see how Jesus' teachings always work!

Best T-shirts of the Summer

2011-06-09T13:27:00.000-05:00

Like any vocation, there are professional publications for preachers, and occasionally they offer humor. Below is a list from one that I thought was a great way to begin the summer. Enjoy!

This was in the "Bob Levey's Washington" column in the Washington Post. Every year he compiles and prints the "Best T-shirts of the Summer", and I came across this list in a preaching resource I receive:

(around a picture of dandelions) I Fought the Lawn and the Lawn Won
So Few Men, So Few Who Can Afford Me
I Suffer Occasional Delusions of Adequacy
God Made Us Sisters, Prozac Made Us Friends
If They Don't Have Chocolate In Heaven, I Ain't Going
At My Age, I've Seen It All, Done It All, Heard It All...I Just Can't Remember It All
My Mother Is a Travel Agent for Guilt Trips
I Just Do What the Voices Inside My Head Tell Me to Do
If It's Called Tourist Season, Why Can't We Hunt Them?
Princess, Having Had Sufficient Experience with Princes, Seeks Frog
No, It Doesn't Hurt (on a "well-tattooed gentleman")
(on the back of a passing motorcyclist) If You Can Read This, My Wife Fell Off
I Used to Be Schizophrenic, but We're OK Now
Veni, Vedi, Visa: I came. I Saw. I Did a Little Shopping.
What if the Hokey Pokey Really Is What It's All About?
I Didn't Climb to the Top of the Food Chain to Be a Vegetarian
Coffee, Chocolate, Men...Some Things Are Just Better Rich
Liberal Arts Major...Will Think for Money
Growing Old Is Inevitable; Growing Up Is Optional
IRS -- Be Audit You Can Be
Gravity. It's Not Just a Good Idea. It's the Law.
If You Want Breakfast in Bed, Sleep in the Kitchen
The Old Pro. Often Wrong -- Never in Doubt
If at First You Don't Succeed, Skydiving Isn't for You
Old Age Comes at a Bad Time
In America, Anyone Can Be President. That's One of the Risks You Take.
First Things First, but Not Necessarily in that Order.

The End of the World as We Know It?

2011-05-21T16:14:00.005-05:00

(10 pm CDT update - I'm still here. Either I missed it, or someone got it wrong...)

It's the end of the world as we know it.

It's the end of the world as we know it.

It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine.

(REM - It's The End Of The World As We Know It, 1987)

As I write, it's Saturday, May 21st, and the rapture, according to Harold Camping of Oakland, CA, is supposed to occur this afternoon at 6 pm... and I feel fine! (According to his prediction, the world itself won't actually end until October 21, 2011.) My first question is - is that 6 pm PDT (since that's where Harold is located) or 6 pm CDT (where I am) or 6 pm EDT (because television shows always list Eastern Time first - must be a conspiracy in there somewhere) or even 6 pm GMT (which is Greenwich Mean Time, which runs through England, and means I'm probably already too late)? It's an important question, if you think about it. If it's 6 pm EDT, then I have time to hear if it's really happening before it gets here to the Central Time Zone. Sort of a rolling rapture...

Anyway, I haven't cancelled any of my appointments for next week, and I would suggest that you don't either. It's not that I don't believe that Jesus will return someday and take home all those who have put their faith in him. That promise is found often and consistently throughout the Bible. It begins in the Old Testament with prophecies about the Day of the Lord.

After Jesus' death and resurrection, there was a general expectation that he would return very soon. I love the picture of the church in Acts 2-4, but you also get the impression here that they were waiting for something to happen - the return of Jesus. And when it didn't happen right away and they had to go about their lives - and be Jesus' witnesses "...in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth," (Acts 1:8 NLT2) - the church began following the leading of the Holy Spirit to share this good news to every tribe and nation. But they never lost sight of the promise that Jesus would return on a Day of Judgment and take his followers home.

For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:14-18 NLT2)

This event is sometimes called the Rapture, though you won't find this word in the Bible. The word Rapture is a theological term that, according to my Accordance Bible Software, is "the imminent translation or removal from earth of the Church at the second coming of Christ." In Jerusalem just before he was taken prisoner, Jesus talked about his return and the warning signs that would be present in Matthew 24 and Mark 13.

Almost since the time of Jesus there have been folks who have tried to ascertain when Jesus' Second Coming would occur. Down through the centuries there have been many, many predictions. In my own lifetime and the 20th Century there have been seen several well-documented predications, and probably many more. (similar prophesies occurred for 2000, 1994, 1988, 1975, 1941, 1925, 1920, 1918, 1915, 1914, etc.) The first time you hear one of these it can be disconcerting, even scary, until you read more from the Bible about this event.

Jesus: "'However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.'" (Matthew 24:36 NLT2; see also Mark 13:32, which probably records the same event)

Jesus: "...'The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know.'" (Acts 1:7 NLT2)

On two separate occasions Jesus clearly stated that no one but the Father (God) knows when this will happen. No prophet, no pastor, no denomination, no radio preacher - no one! Jesus often tells us to be ready because, he says, '"...the Son of Man (Jesus) will come when least expected.'" (Matthew 24:44 NLT2) It seems to be the height of arrogance or ignorance for anyone to claim they know or have figured this out. Jesus is very clear about this.

So, honestly, I'm not sweating 6 pm very much, no matter which time zone it comes in. My biblical faith tells me that this is a non-event, except for the poor folks who have been duped or frightened into making something out of another set of faulty predictions. Those who believe Camping have been gathering in spots around the country and even selling off their possessions in order to be ready. It's interesting that Camping, the latest prophet of doom, actually made this prediction once before in 1994. When it failed to occur then, he claimed to have gotten the math wrong. But this time he says he's got it right. Yea, sure...

I did a little more reading about Camping and his ministry, Family Radio. He's basing his predictions on math and codes that he believes he's found in the Bible. You can go to his website to learn more about how he came to this. He even goes so far as to explain why Jesus' own statements (see above) about his return aren't to be believed. Camping owns close to sixty radio stations around the country. Interestingly, one news article I read interviewed a receptionist with Family Radio who planned to be on the job Monday, and who said at least eighty percent of the staff there did not believe this prophecy. I was wondering how they would handle their station if they were all gone - I guess they won't be!

I have not listened to Camping nor read very much of his stuff. But this one topic - the time of the return of Jesus - seems to catch him and a number of otherwise well-intentioned Christ followers (as well as a few genuine nuts). Ultimately, it ruins their credibility with Christ followers, and it makes Christianity as a whole look crazy.

There is one aspect of all this with which Camping does help us. He reminds us that Jesus will return, and we had better be ready. It will happen suddenly, without warning, and there will come a day and time when it is too late - it really will be the end of the world as we know it. Jesus told a powerful parable that warns us all that though we may not know when he is coming, the wise person will be ready:

"'Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. The five who were foolish didn’t take enough olive oil for their lamps, but the other five were wise enough to take along extra oil. When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight they were roused by the shout, "Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out and meet him!" All the bridesmaids got up and prepared their lamps. Then the five foolish ones asked the others, "Please give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out." But the others replied, "We don’t have enough for all of us. Go to a shop and buy some for yourselves." But while they were gone to buy oil, the bridegroom came. Then those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked. Later, when the other five bridesmaids returned, they stood outside, calling, "Lord! Lord! Open the door for us!" But he called back, "Believe me, I don’t know you!" So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return.'" (Matthew 25:1-13 NLT2)

Regardless of the day and time, each of us has to decide if we will have put our faith and trust in Christ and be wise and ready, or if we are willing to gamble and put it off and discover we are foolish. You are the only one that can decide that - what's your choice?

The Death of bin Laden

2011-05-07T19:26:00.003-05:00

Sunday evening I sat in front of the television and listened as President Obama announced the death of al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden. I felt some joy about that, and relief that he was no longer a threat. We have individuals in our church who lost friends, co-workers and loved ones because of the 9/11 tragedy. I personally visited last year the "Ground Zero" site in New York City, and I visited in 2004 the site in Pennsylvania where the fourth airliner crashed. I have great admiration for the men and women who serve in our armed forces and the job they have done protecting our nation, and I am grateful for our special operations teams and the secret work they do. I certainly believe in the active presence of evil in our world today, and the actions of 9/11 can only be described in those terms, as far as I am concerned. And I believe bin Laden was clearly an instrument of evil.

I'm not sad that bid Laden is dead, but at the same time I can't say I feel "happy" either. I know this sounds weird, and I don't have it fully worked out, but stay with me. I feel relief, and I'm breathing a little easier because of his death. I've certainly watched television shows and movies where the "bad" guy is killed, and I walked away feeling he (or she) got what they deserved. In fact, the movie would have been a disappointment if that had not happened. But this isn't a movie - this is real life! This isn't about entertainment but about flesh and blood human beings.

From the Bible it is clear to me that God created governments and they serve several purposes. Among those, governments are given the responsibility by God to bring about justice. "...The authorities are established by God ... to punish those who do wrong." (Romans 13:4 NLT) The government's responsibility to maintain order and provide for the common good enables you and me to freely live out our faith. This isn't a naive belief that governments can do whatever they want. No government rules perfectly, and there are times when some governments fail and need to be replaced. But, the Bible shows us that governments do have a God-given responsibility to bring about justice and punish those who do wrong.

I certainly believe that's what has happened here. Our government has used its God-given responsibility to bring about justice and punish one who has clearly done much that was wrong. And in acting, it is likely that our government has also prevented future loss of innocent life.

What has disturbed me over the years is when foreign nationals celebrate the death of Americans by terrorists. But, just because they act this way doesn't mean I have to. I don't think I can do that, at least not right now. As I said above, I can be relieved, and I can be grateful to our special forces team, but I cannot, in good conscience, celebrate the death of any human life - even if it is justified.

I have this image of a baby being born into this world, and a mother and father who are so excited. Yet somewhere along the way, young Osama took some wrong turns. Instead of being a productive citizen and faithful son, somewhere along the way he became an instrument of sin and evil. So, I do not celebrate but instead feel sadness. Sadness that a life born full of promise ended so tragically. Sadness that sin and evil had gotten such a grip on an individual or organization to lead them to commit acts of evil. Sadness that hate could be so strong in our world today. Sadness that innocent lives have been damaged and destroyed by these acts of violence. Sadness that, somewhere along the way, they did not hear - at least not enough to act upon - the Good News of redemption in and through Jesus Christ.

I am grateful that our government has chosen not to release photos of bin Laden. I don't want my ten-year-old son to accidentally see that picture and have it scorched into his memory. I don't want to take away his innocence just yet. I don't want him to live in fear or see terrorists around every corner. If I could make a wish for him, it would be that there would be no more wars and terrorism by the time he is a young adult. I realize that the only way that will happen is if Jesus returns, for he warned that prior to his coming there would be wars and threats of war. We really are living in the end times, though Jesus may not return in my lifetime or yours (and I'm not here to try to predict that time, either).

So, we are stuck in the "in-between" times - after Jesus has defeated sin and death and allowed me to join his side, but before the victory is complete here on earth. We live in a world racked with sin, and ultimately no government or philosophy can fix that. We will not "progress" enough or "evolve" enough to get past these things. We are battling sin and evil - our battle is not against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12). But we are not alone - we can choose to be on the side of Jesus, who has already sealed the victory for us.

Because of Jesus' victory, I have hope ... but it's not so much in military victories or even peace treaties (as much as I am grateful for those). My hope is in Jesus Christ, who will one day return and bring his own safely home; who will judge the sheep and the goats, and cast some into outer darkness not only for their evil deeds, but even for their ambivalence to evil and to Jesus himself. Who will judge the Osama bin Ladens and Hitlers. I have hope because there will be justice, even when I do not see it in this life. And quite honestly, this past weekend, I sure would not have wanted to be bin Laden when he met his Maker. But because of my faith in Jesus Christ, I do look forward to meeting my Maker - and no event in this life can take that hope and that joy and that peace away from me!

When is Easter?

2011-04-23T22:28:00.000-05:00

Easter is so late this year - April 24. In fact, we're only two weeks away from Mother's Day. Why did it happen this way, and why is it sometimes as early as March.

To answer this, I read some material by History professor Steve Ware from an article in The Christian Century, as well as information in the Wikipedia website. The short answer is that Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. Huh?

The equinox is when the equator is perpendicular to the sun. The center of the sun is in the same plane as the Earth's equator. At this point in time, if you were standing on the equator, the sun would appear directly overhead. It typically occurs around March 20/21 in the spring, called the "vernal equinox," and around September 22/23 in the fall, called the "autumnal equinox." The word "equinox" is derived from the Latin words aequus, meaning equal, and nox, meaning night. Although it's not exactly the case, we can think of the equinox as being the time when the length of the day and the night are approximately the same. The equinox marks the official change of seasons, from winter to spring or summer to fall.

The short version is that in 325 A.D., Constantine, emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, convened the Council of Nicea. Among the business before the council was a desire to establish a uniform date for Easter. Out of the discussion and debate came the "Easter Rule," setting Easter on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. However this decision was not unanimous.

There was not yet what we now consider a Pope. Instead, there were bishops from across the church, though over time the Bishop of Rome in the western portion of the Church began to take on greater and greater preeminence, and eventually became what we today know as the Pope. The eastern bishops of the Church (more closely associated with Constantinople) at that time wanted to schedule Easter in conjunction with the Jewish Festival of Passover since, after all, Jesus went to Jerusalem, in the first place, to celebrate Passover. The Western bishops (more closely associated with Rome) preferred a date corresponding with the beginning of spring, because that was the time already established for a lot of pagan celebrations, and they wanted to offer an alternative.

In fact, on this and other issues, the first split of the Church eventually occurred, around 1054/1055 AD, when the Church split into the Eastern Church, which today is made of multiple branches called the Orthodox Church, and the Western Church, which became known as the Roman Catholic Church of today. (Some five hundred years later the Protestant movement, under the leadership of Martin Luther and others, split from the Western or Roman Catholic Church).

Most churches in America today are descendants of the Western line of the Church and use a different calendar than the Eastern Orthodox churches. Sometimes our celebrations of Easter fall on the same day, and sometimes they vary by as much as five weeks! Based on these calculations, Easter can fall between March 22 and April 25, so this year is the second latest day on which Easter can fall. Easter last fell on April 25 in 1943 and will not do so again until 2038.

So, for the record, this year (2011) the first full moon following the vernal equinox occurred on April 18. Easter falls on the first Sunday following April 18, which is April 24. This year both the Western and Eastern churches are celebrating Easter on the same day. The beginning of Passover this year falls on April 19.

Believe me when I say the actual computations for Easter are actual quite involved. If you want to dig deeper, google Easter for more information. However, for most of us it's enough to take the word of "the powers that be" and celebrate Easter this year on April 24. Happy Easter!

A Culture Shift

2011-04-16T15:47:00.000-05:00

On Wednesday night, April 13, I shared with our church family a sense that God is calling us as Gateway Community Church to a culture shift. I said this, and I continue to talk about this, not because of a momentary experience in my life, but what feels more and more like a tidal wave of leadings from God.

The essence of this culture shift is that the mission and the ministry of our church are not the responsibility of the institutional church but of the living, breathing organism of the church made up of the individual members of the body of Christ who attend Gateway. In other words, each one of us is called by God to live as "fully devoted followers of Christ." The mission belongs not so much to the church as a whole, but to the church as in each member of the body. The effectiveness of the church is most obvious when each one in the church family owns and lives the mission, rather than when the mission gets bumped up the line to the overall church body or institution.

I'll admit that I'm still working on the words and language to express just what I sense God saying in all this. I've been talking it out with staff and in Grow Gatherings on Sunday evenings. I've been thinking about it and reflecting on it, and actually preaching on it more than I realized. I see it already happening in the accountability and encouragement that occurs in Celebrate Recovery, as individuals take on responsibility for other individuals and come alongside them. I see it already happening in our Marriage Mentoring ministry, where one couple comes alongside another couple to help and encourage them in their journey. I see it as we've been talking lately about how to help grow and encourage brand-new followers of Christ, who need someone to come alongside them and show them the way. I see it already happening as we talk about investing more into the parents of our children and teens, so parents feel empowered to accept their God-given responsibility to teach and encourage their own kids about Jesus Christ, with the church serving in a helping role.

I've been sensing it in a scripture that has really jumped out at me in the last few weeks:

Jesus: “‘For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.’” (Matthew 18:20 NLT2)

I've always wondered about this scripture. Why "two or three"? Why not five or six, or a hundred to a hundred fifty? Then, a few weeks ago it struck me - it's in settings of two or three that our relationships are most exposed and open, where vulnerability as well as accountability are most possible and most likely. It's the essence of relationship, and much of our spiritual growth comes in our interaction with another. In the New Testament the phrase "one another" is found nearly sixty times: "accept one another," "be devoted to one another," "greet one another," "serve one another," "instruct one another," "honor one another," "encourage one another," "do not slander one another," and especially "love one another."

There's a sense of Christianity and love being personal - not something that can be done through an institution nearly as well as through one individual to another. We are called to come alongside one another to help, encourage, hold accountable and love one another. And it's in these small settings of two or three or four, where it's impossible to hide from each other or wait for someone else to answer or explain, where we become known deep down, behind the walls.

Yet, too often in my ministry "career" I've rationalized that working mainly with large groups is efficient and a better use of my time. I thought I could reach more people faster, better. But in fact, what I think I've been doing is at the very least fooling myself. It definitely takes more work and we experience more pain when we get up close and personal with someone, yet it's only there that I see behind the curtain of who that person really is, who I am, and who God really is and what He desires in our lives - where two or three of us are gathered.

This is why I believe we need a culture shift. We need to move away from thinking about how others will do ministry and instead ask God what do you want me to do? What person do you want me to come alongside? How do you want me to love another? Words and phrases that have been coming to me lately include "accountability;" "360º mentoring," where as we mentor another, we are at the same time being mentored by someone else; "sacrificial love is normal for the Christ follower;" "every ONE matters to God;" and "personal responsibility for my own spiritual growth."

And I really don't see this as a program of our church so much as a part of our essence, our culture. We don't plan it and orchestrate it - we empower it and release it. The church then fulfills it's God given purpose "...to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ." (Ephesians 4:12)

I've got a lot more praying and thinking to do on this, but I don't plan to wait until it's all clear, either. I'm diving in, wanting to go deeper into the love of God. I hope you will, too. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, too. This is definitely a work in progress, but I really feel God's presence in the midst of this. And I believe seeking to live our lives this way will radically change our church, but more important than that, it will change our community and our world. It will take time, because relationships can't be rushed or pushed. But I believe God has been planting seeds all around our church, and over the next two to three years I expect to see a real culture shift. The church will be the church, and God will be glorified!

John Stott on the Cross

2011-04-02T23:31:00.000-05:00

My sermon series right now is entitled, "The Cross," and I'm based it, in part of the book The Cross of Christ by John Stott.

John R.W. Stott has been one of the great minds of evangelical Christianity over the past half-century. He was a principal writer of the Lausanne Covenant in 1974. In 2005 Time magazine recognized him as one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World." I like him not just for all these reasons but also because I can understand what he's writing. Sometimes, our deepest theologians write in such exact and "thick" language that I find myself reading and re-reading the same page over and over again. I don't find that true with Stott. His writing is profound but also accessible. And for that I am grateful. Below is a picture of the cover of his book from Amazon.com at The Cross of Christ. Order it if you'd like to dig deeper in this incredibly important topic.

My message for Sunday, April 3, is entitled, "Why God Used the Cross," and it looks at what God did in Christ on the cross. You can go to our website and download a podcast of the message (or even subscribe to our podcasts through iTunes), if you'd like to go deeper. The theological expression is "substitutionary atonement": God took our place on the cross in Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV): “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Romans 8:3-4 (NLT2): “The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.”

Romans 5:8 (NLT2): “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”

I used several quotes from Stott's book in my message on the 3rd, but not all of them made it into the printed notes. Below are a few that I felt were particularly helpful or profound:

John Stott: “The crucial question we should ask, therefore, … is not why God finds it difficult to forgive, but how he finds it possible to do so at all.” (p. 90)

John Stott: “At the cross in holy love God through Christ paid the full penalty of our disobedience himself. He bore the judgment we deserve in order to bring us the forgiveness we do not deserve. On the cross divine mercy and justice were equally expressed and eternally reconciled. God’s holy love was ‘satisfied.’” (p. 91)

John Stott: “All inadequate doctrines of the atonement are due to inadequate doctrines of God and humanity. If we bring God down to our level and raise ourselves to his, then of course we see no need for a radical salvation, let alone for a radical atonement to secure it.” (p. 111)

Emil Brunner: “…the cross of Christ ‘is the event in which God makes known his holiness and his love simultaneously, in one event in an absolute manner.’ ’The cross is the only place where the loving, forgiving, merciful God is revealed in such a way that we perceive that his holiness and his love are equally infinite.’ In fact, ‘the objective aspect of the atonement…may be summed up this: it consists in the combination of inflexible righteousness, with its penalties, and transcendent love.’” (p. 131)

John Stott: “The essence of sin is man substituting himself for God, while the essence of salvation is God substituting himself for man. Man asserts himself against God and puts himself where only God deserves to be; God sacrifices himself for man and puts himself where only man deserves to be. Man claims prerogatives that belong to God alone; God accepts penalties that belong to man alone.” (p. 159)

Sometimes this kind of topic can seem somewhat technical, and you may experience that. But for me, when I think about what God did for us in Jesus Christ, the pain and suffering He suffered for us, the depths of love He demonstrated, I'm just blown away. This is the truth I need to remember and have to remember when I get down on myself or feel attacked or don't feel like I'm worth very much - Jesus Christ died for me! I hope it sinks in for you, too!

Questions for the Person Who Says They Can't Change

2011-01-29T22:15:00.000-06:00

In my message on January 30, I'm talking about those situations where we feel stuck, where we feel like we can't change: "That's just the way I am. I can't change." But are we really stuck? Can we really not change?

In his book, The Christian Atheist (pp. 133-134), Pastor Craig Groeschel has six simple questions he asks when a person says they can’t change. If that person says yes to three or more of these, odds are they have a problem. Listed below are those questions:

1. Do your family and friends say you have a problem?
You may deny it, but others often see objectively what you cannot see.

2. Do you continue even though you are hurting people?
If you look at what some folks claim has control over you, do you keep doing it or giving in to it, even though it affects others negatively?

You may well not want to hurt others, but if they continue to suffer because of your actions, odds are you have a problem.

3. Do you arrange your schedule, priorities, or spending around it?
If you make major life changes in order to get your “fix,” odds are, your fix has a strong hold on you.

4. Can you go one week without it?
If you can’t walk away from something for a week, odds are you’re in bondage to it.

5. Is it driving others away?
When an addiction reaches advanced stages, it tends to isolate the one who’s addicted. When your actions continually hurt, abuse, or neglect others, they tend to pull back.

6. Are you denying it is a problem or trying to keep it a secret?
If you feel defensive, always claiming you don’t have a problem, you probably do.

If you’re hiding a behavior from others, there’s a problem, and it needs to be addressed head-on. Nothing can get change or begin to improve until we do. So, face the truth, and trust that God really can make a difference in your life.

“Each time (the Lord) said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NLT2)

St. Nicholas, Gifts and Christmas

2010-12-12T06:16:00.000-06:00

In the Centuries following Jesus’ death Christianity was outlawed in the Roman Empire.

Late in the third century a man named Nicholas was born, who went on to become at a very young age the Bishop of Myra, while Christianity was still outlawed. This Bishop of Myra, Nicholas, later was recognized as a saint and called Saint Nicholas. He was known for his generosity to people in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships.

One of the most famous stories about Nicholas demonstrates his great love for children. The story says a poor man had three daughters. He was too poor to offer a dowry, which likely meant the girls would never marry and would probably be sold into slavery. Mysteriously, on three different occasions, a bag of gold appeared in their home, providing the needed dowries.

It is said Nicholas tossed the dowry through an open window or down the chimney and landed in stockings left by the fire to dry. This led to the custom of children hanging stockings to eagerly await a gift from St. Nicholas.

Through this story and many more, Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, and later, St. Nicholas, became known as a very generous, loving person, especially known as a gift-giver who had special concern for children, especially those who had little.

Within a few hundred years the story of St. Nicholas merged with the Christmas story, and it became common to give simple and needed gifts at Christmas, especially to children.

Genuine gift-giving should never be out of compulsion or to see what we get in return. Giving gifts is a way of expressing love and gratitude. Giving gifts at Christmas isn’t simply about what we get, but reminds us of what God has already done for us in Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:8-9 (NLT2): “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”

Salvation is a gift from God – something we can’t earn or cause or bring about ourselves. It is a gift, given out of sheer undeserved grace that tells us so much about God. True gifts are always like that – they tell us more about the giver than the one who receives it. As St. Nicholas gave to needy children, it said everything about his true character and concerns.

Yet, God doesn’t give us a gift just to sit around and admire – He gives us this gift of grace in Jesus Christ to transform our lives, so that He can use us to transform the lives of others.

God’s Christmas is about giving a gift that no one deserves, but He gives anyway, so that we, too, can give that same gift to others. And they don’t deserve it anymore than we do. Yet, when we fail to give this gift, we’ve missed the point of the gift in the first place. The gift is always given to encourage others to give.

2 Corinthians 5:17-20 (NLT2): “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, ‘Come back to God!’”

Symbols of Christmas - Greenery

2010-11-27T20:06:00.000-06:00

In these weeks leading up to Christmas it is so easy to get lost in the activities and shopping and overlook what Christmas is really about. Symbols of Christmas are all around us, if we just know what they're trying to tell us. Over the next few Sundays we'll be sharing some of this to help all of us remember the Christ of Christmas as we go through these days surrounded by the rich symbolism of Christmas. And throughout these weeks I'll be posting additional materials.

I'm beginning this week with greenery - specifically evergreens. Evergreens remain green throughout the year, including the cold, dark winter. They are unchanging, reminding us of the nature of God as revealed in Jesus Christ. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." (Hebrews 13:8 NLT2)

My message on November 28 shares a good deal about this (and is available online on our Gateway website), and I may come back and put some of that material into my blog. But there's more material than I can possibly include on Sunday morning, so I'm sharing some of it here.

In today's blog I'm sharing some of the legends (and actual origins) that grew up around some of the greenery of Christmas. I don't believe the legends are literally true - they are myths - but that doesn't mean they don't teach us truth. And some of the stories below are not legends but based on history. Together, legend and history have created symbols that remind us in this Christmas season of the Good News that "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:11 NIV)

Legend of the Origin of Evergreens
As reported beginning in Matthew 2:13, shortly after Jesus was born, an angel appeared to Joseph to warn him to take the infant Jesus and his mother Mary and escape to Egypt. King Herod was looking for him in order to kill this new king who had been born. Herod sent soldiers to find this child of whom the Wise Men had spoken. No one could know that Joseph's young family was leaving or where they were headed. It was a difficult journey as they left under the cover of night and traveled through the night and next day.

The Bible attests to these events, but now the story moves into the realm of legend. By mid-afternoon dust could be seen rising behind them, indicating Herod's soldiers were headed their way. Where could they hide or find protection? Quickly, Joseph led his family into a clump of cedars on a hill, which at that time of year had already lost their leaves. Immediately, the bare cedar twigs greened with color and thickened with growth to hide the Holy Family. The white berries of the cedar tree turned to sapphire blue to match the robe Mary was wearing and help her blend into the cedars.

The soldiers passed the young family, never seeing them, but since that day cedars and plants like them have never shed their leaves or lost their green because they sheltered the Holy Family.

Legend of the First Christmas Tree
Seven hundred years after the birth of Christ, Pope Gregory called upon Winfred of England (later known as Saint Boniface) to serve as a missionary for three years to the pagan tribes of Northern Germany. One day, as he was traveling among the people there, he came upon a pagan ceremony in the forest to worship the spirit of the forest using a human sacrifice. Typically, in this pagan ceremony the blood of a child was sprinkled around an oak tree to please the god of the forest. Winfred begged that this terrible thing not happen, but he was ignored. In desperation to stop this horrific act and save the infant, Winfred grabbed a ceremonial ax and cut down the oak tree. The people were furious, but their anger quickly turned to amazement as they saw a small fir tree spring up to replace the fallen oak. A shaft of light caused each twig of this new fir to glisten. The people listened as Winfred told them the tree was a symbol of the birth of life through Jesus Christ. And this began the custom of the German people using a fir tree as a symbol to remember the birth of Jesus.

Legend of the Poinsettia
This legend from Mexico says that the Bethlehem star shone over the manger where Jesus was born. Its light was so bright that up sprang a beautiful flower that symbolized that moment. The plant was star shaped with pure white petals and golden star centers. It was considered the Flower of the Holy Night, symbolizing the Bethlehem star. This beautiful creation glorified and commemorated that holy night. But thirty three years later Jesus died on the cross. The petals became blood red to remember the sacrifice of the Christ who was born under the star in Bethlehem.

In the 17th Century, Franciscan priests found these beautiful red blooms, then called, "Cuetlaxochitle," growing on the slopes near Taxco, Mexico. In the early part of the 19th Century the first American ambassador to Mexico, Dr. Joel Robert Poinset, also saw these beautiful red flowers (actually leaves) blooming profusely at Christmas. In 1828 he brought this brilliant tropical plant, known in Mexico as the "Flower of the Holy Night," back to the United States. Here it gained the name poinsettia, after the man who brought it to the United States.

Legend of the Holly
Legend has it that the crown of thorns made by the soldiers and placed on the head of Jesus early on the morning of Good Friday was made from holly leaves. In those days the berries were white, but when the crown was pressed down on Jesus' head, the blood that flowed from his head turned the berries a bright red.

Garland
Long before Jesus was born greenery was used in several cultures in special celebrations. The Jews used boughs of trees to adorn the booths they set up for the Feast of Tabernacles. As a part of a Roman celebration of the winter solstice, Romans lavishly decorated their homes and temples with boughs, garlands and flowers, and carried greenery in their processions. German tribes used green boughs to remind them that winter would not last.

As Christians began celebrating the birth of Jesus on December 25, which closely coincided with the winter solstice celebrations, they took over some of these customs but gave them new meaning. Their green decorations and garland remembered the new life and salvation which the birth of Jesus brought into the world. They were meant to be joyful reminders of this holy time.

Wreath
Wreaths are circular, with no beginning or end, representing the eternal nature of God. The Christmas wreath is said to have originated with Jesus' crown of thorns, reminding us that the Child of Bethlehem is also the Christ of Calvary whose great love for each of us led him to die on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins and the sins of the world.

Halloween Origins and Christian Connections

2010-10-30T21:28:00.000-05:00

Halloween falls on Sunday this year (2010). Should Christ followers ignore it because of the dark and unChristian aspects to the holiday, or fully embrace it because our culture does, or something in between? My message on October 31 addresses some of this, and I've included a portion of it below (The entire message, "Turn the Light On," can be listened to online on our website, www.gateway-community.org). But, there is no way to cover it all, so I've also added additional material here that explains the origins of more of Halloween's activities and practices.

It’s believed Halloween has its earliest connections in a pagan Celtic feast in Ireland and Britain before the time of Christ, called Samhain (pronounced Sah-ween or Sow-ane, and derived from Old Irish and meaning roughly "summer's end"). Like most primitive cultures that struggled with survival, Samhain was tied into the cycle of the seasons and food production. Samhain, on November 1, seems to have had multiple focal points:

celebration of the harvest, and make offerings to their gods (over 300) to express gratitude. It was also a day when animal herders moved their animals into barns and pens to ride out the winter. Weaker animals were slaughtered at this time for food during the winter, since frost and cold had already arrived and the meat could be safely kept.
the ending of the summer season (according to Celtic tradition, the "light" part of the year) that now leads into the cold, dark, winter ("dark" part of the year). Sacrifices were offered to encourage the gods to bring about the rebirth of the world in the spring.
the end of the old year and the beginning of the new year, because the Celts believed dark precedes light.

The Celts believed that on the "eve" or night before Samhain the boundary between the spirit world and our world became very thin. It was believed that deceased spirits or ghosts roamed the earth freely, seeking to attack the celebration feast and perhaps look for a new body to possess.

Burnt sacrifices of crops, animals and sometimes humans were offered in bonfires, representing the sun, by the Celtic priests, called Druids, to placate the gods, to ensure the sun and light would return after the dark winter and to scare away evil spirits. The word bonfire comes from the words "bone fire," for it was literally the bones of sacrificed and slaughtered animals, along with the occasional human sacrifice, and wood that made up these fires. All other fires in the village would be put out on Samhain and villagers would relight their fires from this sacred bonfire.

Celts tried to appease the roaming spirits by leaving them gifts of fruit and nuts on their doorsteps. Centuries later Irish farmers went door-to-door collecting food and supplies for a village feast and bonfire. Those who gave were promised property and blessings, while those who didn't received threats of bad luck. When Irish immigrants came to America in the 19th Century this custom of trick-or-treating came with them.

To scare off these spirits, the Celts also dressed up in costumes to look like demons, witches and goblins, and wandered through the streets making loud noises to try to confuse and frighten away the spirits. From this we get the tradition of wearing costumes.

The Celts sometimes carried ugly, monstrous faces on hollowed out turnips, gourds, or beets, lighted with candles. These Jack-o-Lanterns were meant to represent the souls of the dead or goblins freed from the dead. It was believed that if a demon encountered something as frightening or terrible as itself, they would run away, sparing the homes from attack by the evil spirits. When the Irish brought this tradition to America, they had difficulty finding turnips but found plenty pumpkins. Over time, the pumpkin became the traditional "lantern." By the way, the name jack-o-lantern comes from a legend about an Irishman named Jack who was completely self-centered and so was forced to roam the earth with a burning coal inside a turnip (and then when the story came to America, a pumpkin) to light his way.

Nocturnal animals such as bats and owls were feared because people believed that they could communicate with the spirits of the dead.

Black cats were considered to be reincarnated beings with the ability to see the future. During the Middle Ages it was believed that witches could turn themselves into black cats. So, when a black cat was seen, it was believed to be a witch in disguise.

During the middle part of the first century (shortly after the death of Jesus Christ) the Romans conquered most Celtic lands, and introduced their own Romans festivals that morphed Samhain. One festival honored Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol for Pomona was the apple. This is probably connected to the tradition of "bobbing" for apples, which used to be a bigger part of Halloween activities until concerns about health and germs became significant.

Then, starting in the 2nd Century, Christian missionaries made their way into the area and began converting the Celts. In 313 AD, Roman Emperor Constantine declared the entire Roman Empire was Christian, so the missionaries' task was now a part of the purpose of the Roman Empire itself.

The missionaries pointed the Celts to Jesus Christ, their Creator and Savior, who had defeated Satan, death and evil at the cross, and before him these evil spirits lost their power and were considered simply superstitions.

Samhain became, instead, a time when the Celts learned about Christian heroes and martyrs, as well as celebrate the lives of their deceased family members who had become Christ followers. This practice began to spread throughout the Holy Roman Empire, now Christian.

In the 7th Century Pope Boniface IV officially instituted All Saints’ Day on May 13 to remember and honor these saints and martyrs who had died, and to replace pagan festivals of the dead. In 834 AD Pope Gregory III moved All Saint’s Day to November 1, and October 31 became All-Saints Eve, or using the word common then for saint – hallow – All Hallows’ Eve, from which we get our word "Halloween."

The word “saint” in the Bible actually has its roots in the word “holy,” and means someone who is set apart for God – a Christ follower. "All Saints" was a day to remember and recognize all the saints who had died, and not just specially recognized Christians.

While Halloween's origins are older than Christianity, it was adapted by Christians to displace pagan festivals and practices. This has always been a common practice of Christianity, though in modern times it seems that our culture is making an effort to take back events such as Christmas and even Halloween, copying the practice of the early Church and attaching additional or other meanings. There is no mention of Halloween in the Bible, though many of the early practices associated with the day are clearly prohibited by God in the Bible. "'Don't dabble in the occult or traffic with mediums; you'll pollute your souls. I am GOD, your God.'" (Leviticus 19:31 Message)

My intent here is not to suggest that Christ followers should or shouldn't participate in Halloween. After thought and prayer, our family has chosen to participate in some Halloween activities, but we have tried to avoid dark or occult costumes and activities (my son has decided to dress as a hobo, and we're hosting a neighborhood party for some friends). I believe this is a decision that has to be carefully weighed, because of all the dark and occult practices from Halloween's past as well as some modern practices, especially those connected to the occult. Sincere, dedicated Christ followers have argued for complete avoidance of Halloween as well as participation for the fun and as an outreach and witness to others. Either way, Christ followers must be diligent to avoid the dark practices of Halloween. "Put everything to the test. Accept what is good and don't have anything to do with evil." (1 Thessalonians 5:21 CEV)

Membership Update - Exercising Stewardship (October)

2010-10-25T17:24:00.000-05:00

This month I'm wrapping up my Membership Series for our Gateway members (and anyone else). I began this series in May, and each month I've added more to this series, explaining what we call our GUIDE. The GUIDE (part of our Membership Covenant) is a tool we use here at Gateway that not only describes what a "fully devoted follower of Christ" looks like, but also lists biblical practices and disciplines that help guide us in our spiritual journey.

This month I conclude by examining the "E" of GUIDE: Exercising Stewardship. I'm defining stewardship as the process of managing that which belongs to another. Modern-day examples in the business world include bankers and managers.

The biblical idea of stewardship is rooted in the belief that God created all there is, and it is all His. Because God is the Owner, He has rights, while we, the "renters" or "stewards" have responsibilities.

“‘You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased.’” (Revelation 4:11 NLT2)

“The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.” (Psalm 24:1 NLT2)

The implications of this belief underlie much of how Christ followers are called to live their lives. It calls us to care for the earth, because it is God's, and we have been entrusted with the care of the planet and all that is on it. To that end, Gateway has begun recycling. Our church family has really helped us here as we've sought to learn what that means and looks like here.

Another implication of this belief is that our lives are gifts from God to be used for His purposes. Christ followers have been bought for a price - our lives are no longer ours but belong to God to be used for His purposes and His glory. We were created to love God and love our neighbors. We were created to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Quite simply, we were created to do good for God's sake and glory.

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:10 NLT2)

But perhaps the most difficult implication for us to accept is how we use the resources we have. The Bible tells us that everything we have, all our resources and even our ability to produce those resources, belong to God. Yet, our sinful nature too often grabs these resources for ourselves as means of security and greed and idolatry. We may not do this consciously, but we do it none the less.

“…What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift?” (1 Corinthians 4:7 NLT2)

“If you start thinking to yourselves, ‘I did all this. And all by myself. I’m rich. It’s all mine!’—well, think again. Remember that GOD, your God, gave you the strength to produce all this wealth….” (Deuteronomy 8:17-18 Message)

Out of gratitude and obedience God calls us and invites us to exercise faithful stewardship of all He has entrusted to us. But perhaps even more importantly, God calls us to give back a portion of all we've received - the tithe, or 10% of our income - as a concrete statement of faith in God and His provision for our lives. God understands this is a challenge for us, so in this one instance He allows us to test Him.

“‘Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me! ‘But you ask, “What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?” You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,’ says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, ‘I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!’” (Malachi 3:8-10 NLT2)

For all these reasons, we believe it's important to exercise stewardship in our lives as testimonies of faith and faith-building tools. I encourage you to be good stewards of our earth by recycling. I encourage you to be good stewards of your life by using it to bless others and by serving. And I encourage you to be good stewards of the resources entrusted to you by tithing. And to help you do that, we've set up our 90-Day Challenge. The details about it are below if you'd like to take God at His Word and discover how trustworthy He really is.

As member of Gateway, stewardship is an important part of our spiritual journeys. I hope you will allow God to encourage you in this area. It has the potential to grow your faith like few disciplines do. Susan and I have tithed (and given above) for over 25 years. I've discovered time and time again God is faithful, and I've been blessed - not necessarily with more resources, but with the experience of knowing I can put my whole faith in God through Jesus Christ. Stewardship has been a great guide for my life!

The 90-Day Challenge

I would like to test God's faithfulness by accepting the 90-Day Tithe Challenge. I agree that for the 90-day period, my household will contribute to God, through Gateway Community Church, a tithe equal to 10% of our income. At the end of the 90-day period, if I am not convinced of God's faithfulness to bless my life as a result of my obedience to His Word, then I will be entitled to request a refund, up to the full amount of contributions made during that 90-day period.

To begin, I will mark my first tithe “90-Day Challenge” or contact Elsa Salinas: esalinas@gateway-community.org or (281) 286-1515. (Gateway must be told you are beginning this challenge for this refund offer to be in effect.)

Membership Update - Dedicated to Reaching Others (September 2010)

2010-09-23T16:44:00.000-05:00

Late last Spring I began a Membership Series for our Gateway members (and anyone else) that is intended to help us grow and become more and more like Jesus Christ. I'm using a tool that we at Gateway call the GUIDE (which is a part of our Membership Covenant). It's an acronym that both describes what a "fully devoted follower of Christ" looks like, and at the same time lists biblical disciplines and practices that God has given us to guide us in our spiritual journey. You can read more about the GUIDE in my May Update.

This month I turn to the "D" of GUIDE, which stands for: "Dedicated to Reaching Others." We understand this to mean that "I will seek opportunities to develop relationships with everyday people, recognizing my role as an ambassador to the life-changing message of Jesus Christ."

As you probably know, "Reach" is an important part of our church's DNA, and has been from our very beginning. It's a part of Jesus' own mission: "And I, the Son of Man, have to come to seek and save those ... who are lost." (Luke 19:10 NLT) Every ONE matters to Jesus. No one is beyond his love or his desire to develop a relationship with them.

In the Great Commission Jesus told us, "Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." (Matthew 28:19 NLT) The Apostle Paul wrote:

"So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, 'Come back to God!' For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ." (2 Corinthians 5:20-21 NLT2)

Paul says reaching others is what Christ followers do. It's not up to some of us. It is a fundamental part of what it means to be a Christ follower - period!

But before you start sweating that out and wondering if that means we're supposed to all head out to the street corners and stand on our soap boxes, hear me out. That may be true for a few of us, but notice that our statement above says, "I will seek opportunities to develop relationships..." Reaching others is almost always done best and most effectively and most naturally through relationships. Most often it's relationships we already have, though Christ followers also seek to develop new relationships to share the life-changing message and love of Jesus Christ. It means looking at those around us to see whom we can become more intentional about growing our relationship and, at the right time, sharing our story of our journey with Jesus Christ.

Think about it - an ambassador represents his or her homeland to others. Paul tells us we are Christ's ambassadors, so we represent Jesus Christ and the hope and joy and life-changing love he offers us to others. God often uses us as the "go-between" to help one of our existing friends or relatives get to know our best friend and brother Jesus Christ. We aren't responsible for their relationship with Christ, but we are responsible for looking for natural opportunities to make introductions and even walk alongside our two friends as they get to know each other better.

Our dedication to reach others begins with wherever that person is in their relationship with Christ. From no relationship to a relationship that has slipped, to a relationship that is growing. A significant part of this dedication is coming alongside others in what I would call a mentoring relationship, regardless of where they are on their journey. Mentoring is simply being intentional about sharing with another person or persons about our journeys with Christ. It's an intentional decision to reach out to another, but it invariably becomes a two-way street as God's Spirit works in and through both of us to grow both of us. We may think it's all about the other person, but God has designed this act and process of reaching out to others, of being ambassadors for Christ, as a growth opportunity for both of us. We are always blessed as we allow Christ to use us to reach others, and, in fact, there are some blessings God has reserved for us that we will never experience unless we do reach out to others.

Ultimately, this dedication to reaching others isn't a program or something we do only when the church is making a push. God intends this to be a part of our lifestyle as Christ followers. He intends it to be a natural part of the culture of any church, and we certainly want that here at Gateway. We offer opportunities for you to invite a friend, including regular events such as our Sunday services, and special outreach events, such as Ladies Night Out or our recent Date Night or our regular Bring-A-Friend Sundays (the next one is October 24!).

I know many of us have some feelings of insecurity or even fear about reaching out to others - I certainly do, and I have to work on it! Yet, Christ wants to use us, and God has already been working in the person we feel led to reach. Even if the results don't seem to go anywhere in our first tries, God is using us to plant seeds. Sometimes we see the fruit of our efforts, and sometimes others do - and we reap the harvest that others planted before us.

But nothing happens if we do nothing. That's why this begins with us dedicating ourselves to this journey - of allowing God to work in and through us to make the choice to be Christ's ambassador to reach out to the relationships around us. After all, in Christ we represent the one and only way to help people live forever in heaven with Jesus. There's no more important work or task in our lives, because nothing else we do can affect the eternity of another like this. God has given you and me the greatest opportunity there is - to be a part of His life-changing plan to save lives and change the world!

Angels - Part 6: Fallen and Deceptive Angels

2010-09-17T00:01:00.001-05:00

Today I'm wrapping these posts on angels looking at fallen angels, sometimes called demons, and their leader, Satan.

The biblical story about Satan, or the devil, is not clear. The Bible does not set out to tell that story. Many of our ideas about Satan and his dark angels come from popular folk lore or classic literary works such as Dante's Inferno or Faust. Isaiah 14:12-15 (NLT2) seems to give the best picture of what happened, if, in fact, it refers to Satan and not Israel, as some have suggested:

“How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world. For you said to yourself, ‘I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north. I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.’ Instead, you will be brought down to the place of the dead, down to its lowest depths.”

Jesus said, “‘…I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning! Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions (sometimes symbols for the devil and his demons) and crush them. Nothing will injure you.’” (Luke 10:18-19 NLT2)

We don’t know for sure where Satan came from, though he was probably a cherubim and possibly the highest of all the angels; he fell to earth at God’s bidding due to his sin, and continues as a superhuman opponent of God and his people. Demons appear to be angels who followed him and fell with him. It appears about one-third of the angels fell with Satan, according to Revelation 12:3-4. The name Satan in Hebrew means “adversary.” His other well-known name is the devil, which means “accuser” or “deceiver.” It is his title, but it really describes what he does. In fact, lies and deception are his primary instrument in human lives. Scripture also offers several other names for him:

the Wicked or Evil One (Matthew 6:13)
the Enemy (Matthew 13:25, 28, 39)
Murderer (John 8:44)
Deceiver (Revelation 20:10)
Beelzebub (Matthew 9:34, 12:24)
Belial, or Beliar, “worthless one” (2 Corinthians 6:15)
Ruler of this World (John 12:31)
Prince of this World (John 12:31)
Prince of the Power of the Air (Ephesians 2:2, 6:12)
the Great Dragon (Revelation 12:9)
the Ancient Serpent (Revelation 12:9)
Abaddon, Apollyon, the Destroyer (Revelation 9:11)
the Tempter (Matthew 4:3)
Father of Lies (John 8:44)

There is certainly a great deal of interest in angels these days. An incredible number of books have been written about them in recent years. Yet, not all are written from a Christian perspective. But, if we’re talking about angels they must be God’s good angels, right? Not necessarily, for notice there are evil or fallen or dark angels. People are claiming to be told by angels to write books about angels, to seek your angel, etc., but this doesn't fit with the ministry God has given angels.

Certainly this interest in angels indicates a spiritual hunger in our land today, and that is positive. Yet, not all angels are answers to spiritual hunger. Angels can deceive us, even when they are not trying to do so. John of Revelation describes a dazzling appearance of the resurrected, glorified Christ (Revelation 1:14-17). John worships him. Yet, at the end of the book we again see John falling down to worship, but this time it is an angel, who objects to him doing so and tells him to worship God (Revelation 22:8-9). If John could be unintentionally fooled, how easy is it for us to be fooled. So, how do we recognize the wrong kinds of angels? Here are some suggestions:

Are angels identified by non-biblical names? In the Bible only two angel names appear: Michael and Gabriel.
Are the angels given an extrabiblical description? In other words, what do they look like? The Bible is very minimal about angelic descriptions because the emphasis is on the message. Angels do not draw attention to themselves but to their message from God. Too much detail means the angel has become the focus of the appearance rather than the message, and that is not biblical.
Are the angels performing roles beyond what the Bible reveals about them? Many of the claims of modern-day angels far exceed the biblical norms.
Are angels sources of additional information beyond the teaching of the Bible? For instance, the Book of Mormon includes revelation to Joseph Smith by an angel. Much of this new revelation contradicts the Bible. Paul himself wrote, “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned” (Galatians 1:8).
Are the angels in any way proclaiming another gospel, another way to heaven, a “revised” form of Christianity? In the Book of Mormon this is certainly true. We must be careful.

I hope these posts have helped clarify what we know about angels (and what we don't know). They are certainly beautiful creations of God, serving Him constantly and faithfully (except those who are fallen). Someday we will enjoy God's creation alongside the angels, and I'm sure that will be an amazing and glorious time. And the stories they can tell, since they have seen just about everything!

Angels - Part 5: Organization, Guardian and Encounters

2010-09-16T00:01:00.006-05:00

Today I want to look at some miscellaneous topics about angels and wrap up tomorrow looking a fallen angels.

Medieval scholars argued over how many angels could dance on the head of a pin. That was mere speculation, however. So, what can we ascertain about the number, organization and rank of angels?

In terms of numbers of angels, the Bible speaks of “multitudes” of angels praising God at the birth of Jesus, and this was only a part of the heavenly host (Luke 2:13-15). At his betrayal Christ said he could call upon God for twelve legions of angels (Matthew 26:53), which would calculate to about 72,000 angels (6,000 x 12). There are some references in scripture that the number of angels is comparable to the number of stars in the sky. Hebrews 12:22 speaks of “an innumerable company of angels” which probably is as close as we are going to get.

Angels seems to be gathered in an organization. There are hints at assemblies or large gatherings, an army of angels that is obviously organized, and several different titles, probably for various levels of organization for both good and bad angels: thrones, dominions, principalities, authorities, powers, angels, world rulers, wicked spirits (Romans 8:38; 1 Corinthians 15:24; Ephesians 1:21, 3:10, 6:12; Colossians 1:16, 2:10, 15).

The ranking of angels is not very clear from the Bible. There seem to be broad classes of angels with ranking within each class. Classes might include cherubim, seraphim and living creatures. Cherubim seemed to hold the highest position. Among the cherubim, Satan appears to have held the highest rank (Ezekiel 28:12, 14, 16).

Archangel implies a ranking of first among angels, since the Greek prefix arche means first. This title is applied directly only to Michael (Jude 9). However, he is also called “one of the chief princes” (Daniel 10:13), implying that there are others of high rank, but we cannot say for sure whether they are archangels or not.

There is also reason to believe that there is a descending rank among the following: thrones, principalities, authorities, powers, world rulers, wicked spirits, and angels. Some of these titles apply both to good and evil angels.

Guardian angels are probably the most popular kind of angel that most of us are familiar with, because we all know how fragile life is. It is comforting to know they are there to watch over us.

The idea of guardian angels was fairly well developed in Judaism by New Testament times. Judaism taught that each individual had their own personal angel. The early church fathers and later Christian theologians held similar beliefs. Some “Catholic children are still taught that a good angel sits on your right shoulder and a bad one on your left, and you get to choose between the two at every moment of your life.” (Gary Kinnaman, Angels: Dark and Light, p. 83) Catholic beliefs are based on Genesis 48:16, Matthew 18:10 and Tobias 3:25, which is one of the apocryphal books which appear at the end of the Old Testament of Catholic Bibles, but is not included in Protestant Bibles.

While Protestants (and Gateway is a part of the overall Protestant movement) are certainly not opposed to the concept of guardian angels, we have to acknowledge that scripture is not very clear about this. Only a few references suggest the possibility of guardian angels, and none directly states this to be true. Psalm 91:11 says, “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” The devil used this passage to try to tempt Jesus. This passage does indicate there are angels around us to protect us, but it is not clear there is one guardian angel assigned to you. In the passage in Acts 12 where Peter is freed by an angel from prison he returns to the house of Mary. The servant girl who answers the gate is startled and rather than let him in she rushes back to tell everyone its Peter. When they say she’s crazy she continues insisting it is him. Then in vs. 15 they respond to her with this: “It must be his angel.” The implication is that the early church believed each person had an accompanying angel that resembled him or her. These passages and a few others hint at guardian angels, but, again, they do not come out and state this as a biblical teaching.

As Protestants we cannot unequivocally say there are guardian angels, at least by biblical standards. Yet, we can acknowledge several allusions to the possibility of them. In addition, there are passages that indicate that angels are there to protect and watch over us, even if no one angel is assigned to each one of us. In this case, each of us will need to draw our own conclusion.

Sometimes, the Bible indicates, angels appear in disguise. In Genesis 18 and 19 Abraham entertains three “men.” They sit with him, talk with him, and eat with him. Only as they share their message with Abraham does it become known that they are angels. Two of these “men” then go on to Sodom where Lot provides them shelter. Neither Lot nor the men of the city recognize them as angels. Yet, the men of the city that try to take the two are struck with blindness. Obviously, these angels appeared to be completely human, yet they were angels.

Just as other stories in the Bible corroborate this truth, that angels do often take on the appearance and activity of humans to accomplish their purposes, so it would appear they continue to do so today, as many individuals will attest. I suspect we really don't have a clue just how active and prevalent angels are in our daily lives on behalf of God.

Angels - Part 4: the Ministry of Angels

2010-09-15T00:01:00.004-05:00

I'm continuing my postings on angels, related to a series we've been offering at Gateway on Heaven. I began on Sunday offering an overview of angels. On Monday we looked at what we know about the origin and nature of angels. On Tuesday I listed the various kinds of Bibles as found in the Bible. And today, Part 4, we're looking at the ministry of angels, again as detailed in the Bible.

Angels minister in both heaven and earth, but what are some of the specifics that they do? We’ll look at their ministry in three areas: in relation to God, in relation to Christ, in relation to Christ followers.

In Relation to God:
Angels’ primary ministry seems to be that of worship and praise of God (Isaiah 6; Revelation 4:6-11). Much, if not all, of this praise is in the form of song. Angels serve God and His purposes and are His messengers. Angels seem to carry out certain aspects of God’s government, including controlling nature (Revelation 7:1, 16:3, 16:8-9) and guiding nations. Angels protect God’s people, delivering them from wicked works (Psalm 34:7; Isaiah 63:9). God uses angels to execute His judgments, as in the case of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:1, 12-13), or bringing plaques on Egypt (Psalm 78:43, 49), or destroying many Assyrians in answer to Hezekiah’s prayer (2 Kings 19:35).

In Relation to Christ:
While all that was said about God above would apply to Christ, there appear to be some special ministries of angels in relation to Christ. Angels predicted his birth (Luke 1:26-28) and announced his birth to the shepherds (2:8-15). They protected Christ as an infant when they warned his parents to flee to Egypt to escape Herod’s wrath (Matthew 2:13-15). They strengthened him after Satan’s temptation (Matthew 4:11). Angels announced Christ’s resurrection. Once he was resurrected the angels worshiped and served him. Angels have predicted his return (Acts 1:11). Angels will accompany Christ when he returns (Matthew 25:31).

In Relation to Christ Followers:
Angels minister to Christ followers as signs of God’s love. They are “sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation” (Hebrews 1:14). God uses angels to reveal His will to people. They guide people, as in the case of the angel who told Joseph to take Mary as his wife and virgin-born son as his own (Matthew 1:20-21). On a few occasions the Bible shows angels providing for the physical needs, such as food, of people (Hagar and her son, Genesis 21:17-20). Angels protect people from physical danger, as in the three youth in the fiery furnace (Daniel 6:20-23) or when Israel’s king sent an army to capture Elisha at Dothan and an army of angels protected Elisha (2 Kings 6:16). Angels encourage, as in the case when an angel freed the apostles from prison and then encouraged them to continue preaching (Acts 5:19-20). Angels are sometimes agents in answering prayers.

An important distinction, however, is necessary. The ministry of angels is “primarily external and physical, whereas the ministry of the Holy spirit is internal and spiritual. Angels minister for us; the Holy Spirit minister in us (John 14:16-17; Hebrews 1:13-14). They guard our bodies and pathway; He guards our spirits and guides us in the right way. They may be agents to answer prayer, but He is the Prompter and Director of our prayers (Romans 8:26-27; Jude 20).”

What Angels Do Not Do:
Though we’ve looked at many of the things angels do, we need to also say a few words about what angels do not do (from Angels: Dark and Light, Gary Kinnaman, pp. 78-80):

Good angels never try to change Scripture. Messages of angels never change or contradict the Bible.
Good angels refuse to be worshipped. Good angels can be respected, but never worshipped. Neither are they objects of prayer. They may help God answer prayer, but nowhere in the Bible do we see any suggestion that we are to pray to anyone but God. Good angels always point people back to God, never to themselves.
No one in the Bible ever initiates conversation with an angel. Pay particular attention to this. People may talk to angels, but angels always talk first. Some new age authors suggest you are to call on your angels like calling on a friend on the telephone. Good angels are always there, but they don’t answer our calls—only God does that!
Angels are not omnipotent, omniscient, or omnipresent. They are not all-powerful, though they are very powerful. They are not all-knowing, though they are very intelligent. They are not everywhere at once, though they can be at any one place immediately.
Angels do not violate the free will of humans. Angels play an important role in the purposes of God and affairs of people, but they do not control people or violate their free will.

Join me tomorrow as we look at the organization of angels and a little more about how they work in our world today.

Angels - Part 3: Kinds and Positions

2010-09-14T00:01:00.001-05:00

Today is day 3 of my posts on angels, related to a series we've been offering at Gateway on Heaven. I began on Sunday with an overview of angels. Yesterday I offered a deeper look into the origin and nature of angels. Today we're looking at the various kinds of angels mentioned in the Bible and their positions.

To begin, let me just make it clear that Jesus Christ is not an angel. He is superior to the angels. He is God, and angels were created by Him. Hebrews 1 & 2 presents a biblical argument for Jesus Christ being superior to the angels.

Angels are a little “higher” than human beings. Hebrews 2:5-7 quotes Psalm 8:4-6 that human beings are “a little lower than the angels.”

"And furthermore, it is not angels who will control the future world we are talking about. For in one place the Scriptures say, 'What are people that you should think of them, or a son of man that you should care for him? Yet you made them only a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You gave them authority over all things." Now when it says 'all things,' it means nothing is left out. But we have not yet seen all things put under their authority." (Hebrews 2:5-8 NLT2)

But, what does “a little lower” mean? Possibly it refers to man’s nature as mortal and subject to death, as compared to angels. Angels are God’s messengers, sent forth by God to minister to people. People, however, have the ministry of witness, of sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ, of preaching and teaching of him that others may come to a saving relationship with God through Christ. There does not seem to be any mention of this kind of ministry for the angels in the Bible. In addition, the Bible seems to indicate that in the coming Kingdom human beings will rule over angels, or at least have some role of judgment related to angels. (1 Corinthians 6:3 (NLT2): "Don’t you realize that we will judge angels?...")

Within the broad category of angel there seems to be at least two special classes or orders of angels, which are spelled out below:

Cherubim - “…angelic beings of the highest order or class, created with indescribable powers and beauty.” (C. Fred Dickason, Angels: Elect & Evil, p. 61) It seems impossible to adequately describe these celestial beings. They are seen in Genesis 3:24, guarding the gate at the Garden of Eden; Exodus 25:17-22, as golden images on the mercy seat, the lid of the ark of the covenant; Ezekiel 1:1, 28, 10:4, 18-22, as very complex creatures with four faces and four wings and the overall appearance similar to a man. Perhaps because they never carry messages for God, cherubim are never referred to as angels. Their main purpose and activity appears to be summed up this way: “they are proclaimers and protectors of God’s glorious presence, His sovereignty, and His holiness.” (ibid., p. 63)

Seraphim - The Hebrew term means “burning ones,” and probably refers to their all-consuming devotion to God vs. any particular kind of ministry. They are mentioned only in Isaiah 6, where they are calling out to each other, around the throne of God, "'Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!'" (6:3, NLT2) These angels seem to perform a priestly function for God. They proclaim His holiness and that human beings must be cleansed of their sins in order to stand before God and serve Him. Hence, Isaiah is cleansed through the hot coal before he can speak to God.

Living Creatures - The identity of the four living creatures of Revelation 4:6-9 is unclear. While their appearance is similar to that of cherubim, there are several differences. There are also some similarities with the seraphim and their actions more closely reflect that of seraphim. Whether they are a type of seraphim or another type of angel is uncertain.

In the Bible only two angels have names: Michael and Gabriel. Michael seems to be the greater, serving possibly as a military leader while Gabriel is the leading messenger. Let’s look at each of these a little closer:

Michael - He is the only angel designated an archangel and is classified as “one of the chief princes” (Daniel 10:13). He is assigned to the welfare of the nation of Israel, as others are assigned to other nations by God or Satan (Daniel 10:13, 20). He is the military leader of an army of angels in combat with Satan (Revelation 12:7).

Gabriel - His name means “mighty one of God,” speaking of his great strength from God. He has permanent access to God, standing in His presence (Luke 1:19). Each of the four times he appears in the Bible he seems to be God’s special messenger of His kingdom program.

Raphael, Uriel, and Jeremiel - These three angels are mentioned in the apocryphal writings (which are typically included in Catholic Bibles, but not Protestant or Jewish Bibles), but are not mentioned in the Bible.

Notice that each angel's name ends in "el." In Hebrew this means "of God." Even the names of angels show us their intimate connection to God.

Tomorrow we'll look at the ministry of angels.

Angels - Part 2: Origin and Nature

2010-09-13T00:01:00.004-05:00

Today I'm continuing my postings on angels, related to a series we've been offering at Gateway on Heaven. I began yesterday with an overview of angels. Today I'll take a little deeper in the origin and nature of angels.

In Genesis chapter one's account of creation there is no mention of the creation of angels. We don’t know if angels were created before the universe or while it was being created, though there are some indications in scripture that it was probably before (Job 38:4-7). We can definitely affirm angels were created by God (Psalm 148:2-5, Colossians 1:16) for everything that exists was/is created by God. They were created as angels, not as people who went on to become angels. Interestingly, while angels and stars in the Old Testament are not the same, they are often used in parallel or are closely associated with one another. In Isaiah (14:12-15) and Revelation (9:1-2), as well as in Luke (10:18-19), there are allusions to angels, including Satan, where the word "star" is used.

Angels were created for God’s purposes. They primarily glorify Him and serve Him, doing His will in many matters (Hebrews 1:7). Angels were created good, for God said everything He created was good (Genesis 1:31).

Since angels are creatures (i.e., they are created by God) they can only be in one place at a time—they are not omnipresent, though they are immediately present. They are primarily spirit in nature and are subject to time (Daniel 10:10-14). Angels have greater power than human beings (2 Peter 2:11) and can even control some aspects of nature (Revelation 7:1, 16:8-9), but they are not omnipotent. They are sometimes taxed to accomplish their duties, such as the ongoing struggle with evil angels (Revelation 12:7). Yet, all angelic actions and power are due to God’s choice, His assignment. Angels are not all-knowing—omniscient. They do not know when Christ will return (Matthew 24:36) and are amazed and interested to learn more of the wonders of salvation (1 Peter 1:11-12). Angels are not perfectly holy, for some turned from God’s will and fell into the bondage of sin (Isaiah 14:12; Revelation 12:3-4).

Angels are intelligent and have emotions. Scripture shows them expressing joy at God’s creation (Job 38:7) and the salvation of a repentant sinner (Luke 15:10). Angels also have a will of their own. While they were created to do the will of God, many chose to go against His will and followed Lucifer, or Satan.

Scripture describes angels as “ministering spirits” (Hebrew 1:14) and therefore being spiritual beings, or without material, fleshy bodies. Yet, they cannot be in more than one place at a time. Scripture really gives no insight into what form their “bodies” do take. It appears that angels are without sex. From Matthew 22:28-30 we know that they do not reproduce and are not a race. They are generally referred to in the masculine sense in the Bible, but that may be more a limitation of human speech than anything else. When they do appear in the Bible they generally take on the form of a man (Genesis 18:2, 22). Angels are immortal, never ceasing to exist or dying (Luke 20:36).

Angels are normally invisible (Colossians 1:16). Yet, they do appear on occasion. The Bible gives many examples of angels appearing in dreams and visions. But, on occasion they also appear to our natural sight. Sometimes they are recognized as angels (Daniel 8:15-17; Matthew 28:1-7), and sometimes they are not recognized, at least not right away (Numbers 22:23, 31; Judges 6:11-12, 21-22, Hebrews 13:2).

Generally, when angels do appear to people, they appear as men. Abraham entertained three men in the plains of Mamre (Genesis 18:1-8). He did everything with them that you or I would do in the presence of another person, including talking and eating. But, they were angels. Mark and Luke describe the angels at the empty tomb in male terms (Mark 16:5; Luke 24:4). Only in Zechariah 5:9 do we see angels in the form of women.

Sometimes angels may appear similar to men, but have some strange or different aspect about them. In chapter 10 of Daniel an angel is described that resembles a man, but many other special attributes. The angel that appeared to the two Marys at the empty tomb frightened them because “His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow” (Matthew 28:3).

There are also examples of angels appearing as unusual living creatures, with Revelation describing one with many eyes, faces resembling a lion, a calf, a man and an eagle, and six wings.

When humans are confronted by angels their reactions vary. Mary became agitated when Gabriel announced the news of the Christ to her (Luke 1). Zacharias was afraid when the angel appeared to him in the temple (Luke 1:12), as were the shepherds who received the message of Christ’s birth while tending their flocks out in the fields (Luke 2:9). Yet, others, such as Joseph, seem to give no special reaction to the presence of an angel.

Most artwork depicts angels as having wings. Certainly the Bible shows that some angels have wings. Both seraphim (Isaiah 6) and cherubim (Ezekiel 1:5-8) are shown to have multiple wings. There are also references to angels “flying” (Daniel 9:21; Revelation 14:6-7). Yet, many angel passages say nothing of wings, and in those where angels take on human form there is certainly no mention of wings. The question of all angels having wings is really up in the air.

What about the spiritual state of angels? Well, we know they were created holy by God, but some chose to rebel against God. Scripture shows Satan to be the leader of the rebellion, which apparently began with evil thoughts of pride from unexplained origins led him to try to overthrow God (Isaiah 14:12-17). When Satan failed he took a great number of angels with him. From that point on there is no further mention of angels “changing sides.” It seems they became set in their spiritual states. Those who fell seem to have no option for redemption for Jesus says they are consigned to the lake of fire (Matthew 25:41). Since then, these two groups of angels have been at war, both on the spiritual plane, the world plane and the individual plane.

One other note about angel’s nature relates to a survey Gary Kinnaman did of people who claimed to have had angelic encounters. While this information is not directly from the Bible, it generally seems to be consistent with biblical norms. In his accounts of what seemed to be good angels, by tests that I will mention later, angels are “almost always very tall, usually around ten feet. They are bright, glowing white, often with a slight bluish tint. Their faces are indescribable, so their gender is unrecognizable. They are usually dressed in a full-length robe and frequently girded with a belt or sash of gold.” (Angels Dark and Light, p. 52) Unless they appear as humans, their appearance often seems transparent. Their appearance always seems to be very brief. Communication with angels is usually in terms of speech as we know it, but virtually always some form of direct communication. In most reports the angels do not have wings. When we look at the Bible we notice many of the same general features. By that I don’t mean the details, but rather that descriptions of angels in the Bible, when they are not appearing as humans, are vague. The emphasis is never on the angel’s appearance, but on the angel’s message. For example, when Gabriel appears to Zechariah and later Mary in Luke 1, his appearance is completely left out. Nothing is mentioned, which would seem to indicate the message clouded out the messenger.

Tomorrow I'll look at the position of angels and the different types of angels.

Angels - Part 1

2010-09-12T00:01:00.001-05:00

We're in a series on Heaven, and it's been really exciting for me to learn so much about our resurrected lives on our future home on the New Earth. In my third message I'm talking a little about angels, but I really only touch on the subject. A few years back I did a program on angels, and I've dug up the material and plan to share some of it over the next few days on this blog. I'm starting below, but check back each day as I put up more material.

The movie It’s a Wonderful Life with the angel Clarence Oddbody has become a Christmas tradition for many. While serving as God’s messengers, they are also getting credit for helping people lose weight or find their keys. A Wisconsin homemaker has a collection of 11,161 angel artifacts. There are angel clothes, brass cherub flushers, angel mouse pads and screen savers for our computers, angel soap, angel towels, Cherub air freshener, angel night-lights, angel sheets and pillows and angel suitcases. There are people who claim to help you get in touch with your guardian angel.

Yet, for all our interest, even our need, for angels, we must be careful. Virtually every major religion through the years has had its own form of angels. Christianity is no exception. And while the Bible has a great deal to say about angels, we want to be careful as Christians that we don’t get caught mixing our angels to create something that is not pleasing to God. In fact, the Bible indicates that not only are there good angels, but evil ones as well, that are very skilled at fooling people until it is too late. So, if you are interested in being aware of the angelic presence around us, do it from a biblical viewpoint so all that you do will give God honor and praise and not lead you astray.

Angels are found in 34 of the 66 books of the Bible (17 - Old Testament, 17 - New Testament). The word “angel” is used 108 times in the Old Testament, 165 in the New Testament.

Two classes of angels are shown in the Bible:

the "elect" (1 Timothy 5:21) and "holy" (Matthew 25:31) who worship God and serve Him completely
the evil angels, including Satan, their leader (Matthew 25:41), and demons (Matthew 12:26-28), who oppose God and all His servants, both humans and angels.

Charlie Shedd says two words come closest to a true biblical understanding of what an angel is: "manifestation" and "servant." Servant is fairly clear, and the word "manifest" means "to reveal, prove, display, and put beyond doubt the nature of that which is being manifested." Since God is love and angels exist to manifest and serve him, then what angels do is to reveal, prove, and display God’s love.

Our word "angel" is derived from the Greek word angelos, which means, very simply, "messenger." In the Greek world just before New Testament times, the role of the human angelos was fairly simple: "he delivered messages, answered questions, and expected payment for his services—and he was protected by the gods." These ancient human angelos could also serve as envoys, making treaties and delivering official communications. In the New Testament an angelos is a celestial being with a divine message from God. This idea generally comes from the Jewish understanding of angels.

In the Old Testament the term most frequently used for angel is malak. It, too, means messenger or representative. Malachi, one of the Old Testament prophets (and the last book in the Old Testament) is a name that literally means "my messenger." However, even though malak is translated messenger, its meaning is broader than our modern day understanding. There weren't phones and email, nor did they have mail or cars, so delivering a message was not easy. Sometimes it took weeks to deliver a message. The malak represented the concerns and desires of the one who sent him. Sometimes, because of the distances and length of time involved, the malak had to interpret the message and its meaning. Angels in the Bible often directly represented God to their intended audience.

Come back tomorrow for information about what we know about the origins of angels and their basic nature.

Membership Update - Involved in Biblical Community (August 2010)

2010-08-05T13:51:00.000-05:00

A couple of years ago our family was vacationing down on the western part of Galveston Island. There's a house down there that we've stayed at before (though not since Ike). One of the things I did down there was some grilling on a portable bar-b-q grille.

It was a little breezier than usual one evening as I was preparing to start up the grille. I set the charcoal in a pile and tried lighting it, but it was hard because of the wind. I finally got it started and stepped away to bring some things from the kitchen. When I got back most of the charcoal bricks were burning, but a handful had rolled off the pile and they were still dark. I got some tongs and put them into the flames, and they soon lit up like the rest of the coals.

As I watched those coals begin to heat up, I realized God was showing me a metaphor of why small groups in our church - any church - are important. Together, in a group, we can do more and accomplish what we're there for, but by ourselves we cool off and don't provide much heat or light.

As I write this we're getting ready to take my daughter to TCU as she begins her freshman year there. One of my big hopes for her is to find a group of peers, of friends, that she can live life with, who have similar values and interests as she does. I know if she finds the right group it will make a huge difference in her college and life experience.

The truth is, all of us need smaller groups of 5-15 folks, where we are known, where we can let down our hair, where we can be real, where we can ask questions, where we can help others, etc. In our worship services of 500-800 it's easy to remain anonymous, and that can be a good thing as someone is checking out our church. They don't feel pushed, and they can take it at their own pace. But surveys have shown over and over that if a person doesn't connect with some small group of people, there's a 70-80% chance they will become inactive within a year. We were created for community, for being together, for doing life together. Whether an introvert or extrovert, we all have some level of need in this area.

God created us to go through life together. In Genesis, after creating the man, God knew He wasn't finished: "Then the LORD God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.'" (Genesis 2:18 NLT2 - italics added) This passage is about more than marriage between a man and a woman - it shows that God created us for community, to be with others and help others: "The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part…" (1 Corinthians 12:25 Message)

In smaller groups we know what's going on each others' lives and can help: "Share each others burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ." (Galatians 6:2 NLT2) Life in smaller groups is also a way God has provided for us to help each other grow in our faith: "I want us to help each other with the faith we have. Your faith will help me, and my faith will help you." (Romans 1:12 NCV)

The bottom line is that small groups are one of the primary places where we live and receive love. God is love, and love describes the motivation behind everything Jesus did. And love is the goal for Christ followers. Certainly a family is a small group, where love is the basis for the relationships, but the same is true for small groups in churches. We call them Life Groups here at Gateway, but we also have small groups in our Celebrate Recovery ministry, our Women's ministry, and even in our children's and student areas.

Here at Gateway we lift up what we call the GUIDE. It's an acronym that both describes what "a fully devoted follower of Christ" looks like, and it lists biblical practices and disciplines that guide us in our spiritual journey (read more about the GUIDE in my May Update). The "I" in GUIDE stands for "Involved in Biblical Community," because we know it is absolutely essential for anyone who wants to follow Christ. From Jesus' beginning in ministry he had twelve others alongside him, and if he lived this way, it says a lot about what each of us needs.

Biblical community comes as we try to live out the love of Christ with others. It happens in Life Groups and Celebrate Recovery. We have an event coming up in September called Group Connection on Sunday, September 19 at noon. Last year we placed over one hundred folks in small groups through this event. If you aren't in a Life Group, you can sign up this Sunday at the Ministry Booth or by contacting the church office. Yet, it's important to realize that biblical community is also available through our serving teams. When we serve alongside others, we experience community with those folks, too.

What I want to do is encourage you to be intentional in your biblical community. Find a place(s) to experience it, and then help others do the same. We all need it, and the cool thing is that we can all give it.

Membership Update - Using My Gifts to Serve (July 2010)

2010-07-13T00:01:00.003-05:00

Two months ago I began a Membership Series for our Gateway members (and anyone else) that is intended to help us grow and become more and more like Jesus Christ. I'm using a tool that we at Gateway call the GUIDE (which is a part of our Membership Covenant). It's an acronym that both describes what a "fully devoted follower of Christ" looks like, and at the same time lists biblical disciplines and practices that God has given us to guide us in our spiritual journey. You can read more about the GUIDE in my May Update.

This month I turn to the "U" of GUIDE, which stands for: "Using My Spiritual Gifts to Serve." We understand this to mean that "I will seek opportunities to serve my church family utilizing my gifts, talents, and time."

The reason we serve begins with Jesus himself, who said: “‘For even the Son of Man (a title Jesus used for himself) came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.’” (Matthew 20:28 NLT2) Jesus came to serve, and those who follow him do likewise. Certainly, obedience is a big part of following Jesus. But we also follow (and serve) out of gratitude for all he's done for us, including especially his death on the cross. We live out the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37-40) to love God and love our neighbors through serving. And the Bible teaches that if we claim to have faith but don't live it out in our daily lives, then our faith is "dead and useless." (James 2:17 NLT2) It's no faith at all.

But there's another very important reason we serve - it not only reflects that we are trying to live as Jesus lived, it also helps us actually become more and more like Jesus:

“Christ chose some of us to be apostles, prophets, missionaries, pastors, and teachers, so that his people would learn to serve and his body would grow strong. This will continue until we are united by our faith and by our understanding of the Son of God. Then we will be mature, just as Christ is, and we will be completely like him.” (Ephesians 4:11-13 CEV; italics added)

The Bible says that in learning to serve, we will become "completely like him (Christ)." Serving grows us as it teaches us to put our faith into action. And again, faith means nothing if it's not lived out in our daily lives. Our lives bear this truth out:

In one study, when folks in a congregation were asked, “To what extent has your ministry or service to others affected your spiritual growth?”, 92% answered positively, and none responded that ministry had had a negative effect on their spiritual growth.
Over half (58%) of those who were not actively ministering to others felt either “not satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” with their level of spiritual growth.
And a recent study makes it clear that “serving is one of the most important expressions of being Christlike”.

We have a high expectation that members of Gateway will serve. It's not to keep our members busy or to handle things we can't get to. It's our calling as a church to lead us in obedience to Christ and help us become more and more like him. We were made for this! "God has made us what we are, and in our union with Christ Jesus he has created us for a life of good deeds..." (Ephesians 2:10 TEV)

I wish I could tell you that everyone in our church family is so convinced of this that we have all the volunteers (or, a better word might be servants) we need, but that's not the case. There's not a Sunday that goes by when we don't need loving Christ followers serving in our children and student areas, serving on our Team Gateway (hospitality) or in our Arts Ministry (performing and technical). We also have a Great Day of Service coming up July 31st, and there are always other mission opportunities.

Some of you reading this right now have been gifted by God to serve in some of these areas, but you aren't ... and there are folks missing out because you aren't doing your part! And those of us who are regularly serving have a responsibility to carry this value to others and encourage others to serve.

If you have a question about where to serve, contact any of our staff or a friend who is already serving, or just try something for a while and see if it clicks for you. The first area you try may not be the right fit for you, but stay with it and you will find the place you were created for, that fulfills you, that grows you, and that blesses others. And in the process, God will be working in you, transforming you, growing you!