Allegiance...to whom?

I'm typing these words on the day of my nation's Independence. This day will consist of families coming together, friends investing in one another, plenty of food, live music, and the culmination that everyone waits for...FIREWORKS. It's a fun day. I enjoy these days. However, in the midst of all the celebrating, I fear the tendency we all have in forgetting what the day is about. Do we honestly think about our forefathers who fought against the British in order to preserve for us a separate nation? Do we honestly think about the victory that was won in order for us to have freedom? I'm not convinced many of us think about that when we go about in our celebrating. I admit, I don't think about it much...and I should. I'm not what you would call a "Proud American," because, I see my country in desperate need for repentance and salvation. However, I am drawn to the conclusion that this day should prompt believers to look ultimately at the sacrifice our Savior bore on the cross in order for us to celebrate daily the liberation we have in Christ!

For just a moment, look over Hebrews 13. If you don't have a Bible with you, I encourage you to check out http://www.biblos.com/. That site will give you Scriptures...in many translations with helpful explanations. Go ahead and read, I'll wait.

How important is this day to you? How important is this day in other countries? How important is each day that the Lord has made? Is Christ the center of them all? One verse that jumps out at me in Hebrews 13 is found in verse 8 when the writer declares, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." I love this rich verse! Each day offers us a time of celebration over the joy of His conquering sin and death for the freedom we have to enter the presence of His Father. We don't really have to wait on day a year...or even a day a week to celebrate that truth. Jesus Christ is the SAME. In other words, He is unchanging. He never fails. He never disappoints.

My country seems to change alot. We change leaders. We change laws. We change the way we think and view certain issues. There is no consistency. In the midst of my personal frustration, I see a need to find all my allegiance in the ONE who is the SAME...today...and the infinite days to come. I see the joy in the fact that above my country being freed from the hold of Britain, my Savior freed ALL NATIONS to be free from the captivity of sin. I'm sure you saw verses in Hebrews 13 that jumped out at you. 2 issues that rob America are found in that chapter; sexual immorality (v.4) and the love of money (v.5). We have a free nation...but I would argue that we are still in slavery to those sins. The only remedy is found at the cross. Want a release from sexual sins? Find allegiance in Christ alone. Want a release from the worship of money? Find allegiance in Christ alone. This nation can't help you in your problem with sin. Only Christ can help, because only Christ has made the sacrifice needed in order to have freedom.

Allegiance..to whom? Join me today as I pray for my country in hopes that she will see the need for the Savior and rejoice in the freedom that He alone sacrificed to give.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Dave

The Center of our Response

As a church, how can we genuinely and practically respond to the Gospel? When we read of the steadfast love of our Father who sent His Son to save sinners...what should our response be? When we digest the truth that we went from being objects of His wrath to adoption into His family...how can we respond? The center of our response can be found in 1 Peter 3:8.

"Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind." - 1 Peter 3:8, ESV

I love this verse! This morning, it about knocked me out of my quiet time chair. How can a church function with unity, love, tenderness, and humility? The Gospel. The center of our response to the Gospel is understanding our daily need for His grace and relaying that need to others. I often times fall into the trap of my own pride which allows me to think that my steps are important, my words matter, and my leadership counts. Pride can swallow us up...which will take away the response the Gospel deserves. I've seen leadership so swallowed up in pride that sin isn't recognized...and disguised by the errors of others. The center of fallen man's response is his own hopeless determination. The center of our response to His Gospel must be in the words that Peter penned for our benefit.

What is the center of your response daily to His Gospel? Do you ignore it? Do you take it for granted? Do you proclaim it? Do you live with joy? Do you forgive others? Do you own up to your own sins? Do you recognize your desperate need for His presence? May the center of our response be like 1 Peter 3:8. Even in the context of suffering as this text is located in...may in all seasons we celebrate the Gospel of our Lord.

I believe this genuine response will show the validity of our faith and our passion for His Gospel.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Dave

The Gospel according to...cell phones

This morning, I had the joy of preaching the Gospel to the new 6th grade class at CrossPoint church. I always love having opportunities to share the good news of my redemption to others. In this particular morning, I shared a story about my past that led to this blog post.

Before I share my story about cell phones, I want to share a quick story with you. After my first year of faithful service to my first church...I received a cell phone...and $300. What a blessing. OK, now for the longer story.

Cell phones have become the RAVE these days. In 2001, I got my first cell phone. My first church that I served in student ministry gave me a phone to use for "student ministry purposes." I looked at the phone as a gift from above. The phone was my driving joy each day. I'd call people simply to tell them that I had a cell phone. It was great.

With my new cell phone came a book that held all the rules and guidelines to the phone. As an idiot, I threw the book in the backseat of my car and went about my frenzy of calls. During this time, I had a long distance relationship with a girl named...well, I forgot. All I remember is that it lasted 2 weeks. Anyways, we talked at night on the phone. We talked alot. A month later, I received my first bill. The bill was $300!! I was dumbfounded. I refused to read the manual and had a fine to pay as a result. In the grace of the church...the payment was made in advance.

Take just a minute and chew on Romans 3:23-26. In this rich text, we see that the love of Father went BEFORE us to redeem us at the atoning expense of His only Son. Our salvation was sealed before we were born through the eternal riches of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:7). We are saved, not by anything we have done...but by ALL that He has done for us...before us. The payment was made before the fine hit for our lives today. What grace.

Looking at my cell phone today, I'm reminded of what happened years ago. I broke the manual. I refused to live by the standards of my God. In His grace, He sent Jesus to suffer in my place. Just like the garden (Genesis 3:1-21)...Jesus paid it all.

I abide by my cell phone guidelines now after what happened in college. As a redeemed child of God, I strive to abide by His standards...perfectly accomplished in the Living Vine; Jesus Christ, my Savior and my Lord (John 15).

Soli Deo Gloria!

Dave

RED LETTERS...not man's letters

I just returned a few days ago from an incredible weekend with my High School students at CrossPoint. The focus for the weekend camp was THE RED LETTERS. When you look at the New Testament Scriptures, you will see the words Jesus spoke in red. This has always signified the grace and love He poured on the cross with His own blood. I was raised in a glorious home in which every time the RED LETTERS appeared...I automatically saw Jesus. It seems in most churches and ministries, the RED LETTERS have been replaced by man's letters. Please permit me to explain.

Mark 10:35-40 reveals to us the sinful desire for James and John to have their own letters next to the RED LETTERS of Jesus. In other words, they wanted the high position of worthy standing next to Jesus. What was the motive? I'm not fully sure what the motive was...but I do see much of it in today's society. We trust in the blogs, notes, leadership, direction, encouragement, guidance, and wisdom of man...and neglect to live under the joy of the Gospel. The way Jesus responded to this request should prompt us to live under His RED LETTERS.

Mark 10:45 served as our main verse for one of the three sessions this past weekend. In this verse, Jesus said, "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." The RED LETTERS, the Gospel of our Lord can be clearly defined in this singular verse. We are ransomed by the grace of our Almighty God, paid for in full on the cross. It's not that we exist to do great things for Him. I believe He does great things in us...for Himself. It's not selfish. It's glorious. Who can compare to Him? He has no rival outside of His Triune nature. The RED LETTERS should spark in us the joy that in our sinful living and our selfish motives...our Savior ransomed us to receive the beautiful grace of His righteousness. In other words, we receive the undeserved favor of receiving the rightful standing needed in order to enter glory for all eternity. With that being said...what letters do we have to offer?

Some practical ways I've seen man's letters attempt to take the spotlight of the RED LETTERS are in the following.

1. "Your leadership motivates me to be a better Christian." Apart from the RED LETTERS, man cannot possibly lead. We lead only by the RED LETTERS.

2. "Your blog, your notes inspire me every day." Again, the RED LETTERS should give us the inspiration needed daily...for in the RED LETTERS, we are saved.

3. "Your encouragement is ALL I need." Well, encouragement is great (Hebrews 3:13), but we receive eternal encouragement in the Savior that all of Hebrews 3 talks about!

These are some of many practical ways in which man's letters are brought into picture. Friend, I struggle with this. Sometimes in the back of my mind...I wonder, "Was that sermon good?" or, "Am I good at what I do?" I tend to have the temptation almost daily to rely on my letters and not the RED LETTERS of my Savior. Repentance is a must in this area. The joy of His RED LETTERS forgives me when I want my own letters to interfere. He is gracious. He is all worthy of my praise.

May we not lean on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5) or our own desire to lead (1 Corinthians 1:12); but may we live under the grace of His Gospel; His RED LETTERS.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Dave

Starting RIGHT not RELIGIOUS

This morning, my sweet Eden woke up at 6am. Normally, her wake up time is between 6:45am - 7:45am. I fell for the deception that each morning would carry the same routine. This morning, my routine was thrown off and the ugly monster of my sin of religion came down like softball size hail on my heart. Please allow me to explain.

For the past 8 years, I have blocked out about an hour each morning for much needed devotional time to my Lord. Some days changed, but for the most part the schedule was consistent. My quiet times consist of Scripture reading, praying, journaling, and reading books to help me understand the Word better. I usually drink about a half pot of coffee in that time. This routine started after a challenge by my BFF Jonathan in the summer of 2002. His challenge was to try better consistency with my morning times with the Lord. I'm so glad I took that challenge. I love the mornings.

Well, I've learned as a new father that my desires can often be selfish. Some may argue that having consistent time each morning with the Lord is the main priority of the day. In most ways, I would agree. However, I've noticed that my routine can sometimes be the sin of religion hidden in complacent expectations. If I'm used to having an hour of devotion and then because of unexpected events, that time is shortened, why do I get upset? Why do I believe that time is my time without any interruptions? Why do I get in a bad mood when I'm thrown off my routine? I believe it is because of my sin of religion.

This morning, Eden woke up and changed my routine. I loved it. I walked into her dark room and watched her do her morning dance while making her joyful noises. Her dance consists of kicking her feet in the air and moving her shoulders back and forth. She looked at me with her gorgeous blue eyes and even giggled some. I loved it. I believe the morning started out RIGHT. Instead of rushing her to fall back asleep, I enjoyed the grace of being a father. Instead of stressing out because I didn't have time to write in my journal or read a few chapters in the Word, I enjoyed the blessing of new life waking up to blissful unknowns. Instead of praying for my needs and expectations, I held her in my arms and prayed for the grace of my Lord to one day save her. I started the morning out RIGHT, and praised my Father for the love He placed in my soul in being Eden's father.

Eden fell back asleep and I had about an hour to spend with my Lord. Another lesson learned today. May religion not stick it's ugly head in my soul anymore. May worship not be defined in morning rituals but rather heartfelt devotion to the only One that is mighty to save. May serving my daughter and loving her draw me to sweeter times with my Father in glory.

Psalm 63 really jumps out at me with this post. Take a few minutes and read it. Live in the RIGHT and avoid the RELIGIOUS temptations of the day.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Dave

Jaw is still on the floor

My jaw is still on the floor. That's all I can say still after this past Sunday. Since January, the Holy Spirit has overwhelmed me with joy over the impact of the Young Preachers Society in my church. For the past 5 months, close to 10 different young preachers from high school took the pulpit and proclaimed the excellent Word of our Lord. This past Sunday was the culmination of an excellent adventure. 3 corporate worship services with 3 young preachers from the society. The result? Well, my jaw is still on the floor.

All 3 young preachers had the Word of God marinaded on their souls to where the flavor of His truth was poured out to His church. I didn't hear flashy stories or pointless humor. I didn't hear classless insults or prideful boasting. I didn't see superficial expressions or separated illustrations. What I saw and heard was the gracious voice of my Lord found in His Word with the help from His anointed young preachers. All 3 had the Word memorized and maintained in it's right context. All 3 were excited about their responsibility. All 3 took the pulpit with great humility. All 3 gave glory to the One that defines the Word. All 3 accurately showed the weight of sin and the sufficiency of Christ, the Victor. (All 3 opened my eyes to my first sermon 12 years ago. What a tragedy, that was!)

My jaw is still on the floor. I'm amazed by the power of my Lord. I hope the legacy that I attempted to leave will show my church that I was out preached by 3 guys who are at least a decade behind me. I pray my church will see the treasure of true student ministry; not in games or events, but in the display of the eternal worth of Christ found in the hearts of teenagers. I believe the Young Preachers Society painted that picture brilliantly this past Sunday.

I hope what Paul wrote to Timothy was what I left at Summit; "You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness." 2 Timothy 3:10

My jaw is still on the floor.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Church; Biblical or Clique...ical?

If you have followed me in the past few weeks, you are probably aware that my time at my church is coming to an end. Last night was my final Wednesday night worship time with my students. I'm eternally grateful for the grace my Sovereign Lord has given me to preach His Word for the past 4 1/2 years at Summit. Last night, I challenged my students and adult leaders to think about the church. Are we Biblical...or (brace yourself, I made up this word) Cliqueical? Do we live by the Biblical model of church...or do we enjoy the selfish pleasures of being in a clique with church as its title? Below, I offer you 10 answers to this question. 5 answers will support the Biblical side (with Scripture), and 5 will support the Cliqueical side (without Scripture). These points were delivered last night to my students in our last time of worship together. Acts 2:42-47 will serve as the main text for these notes.

1. The Church is Devoted to the Word: Biblical. Looking at verse 42, you will see a sweet sentence of joy that the early church shared. Luke writes, "And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers." I love this verse. Following Pentecost, the church was zealous toward the meditation and practical application of God's Word. Looking at this verse with a closer lens, you will notice 2 important words; "devoted" and "teaching." The former word can be translated as, "attending constantly," while the ladder word is translated, "doctrine." So, from these words, we can gather the fact that the church was constantly attending to the study and joy of doctrine. This is a beautiful picture of radical obedience and trust in the sufficiency of God's Word. What if we spent our collective energies on constantly attending to the study of God's truth? How would that change our churches? I believe we would see a shift from man-centered ideas to God-centered practice. It's interesting to me that the entire book of Acts is defined with just that; God-Centered, Spirit equipped practice of the advancement of His church.

2. A Clique wants quick solutions: Cliqueical. Above, we see the Biblical church devote time and efforts in constantly attending to the Word of God. A Clique that masquerades behind the church will strive for easy solutions and quick answers to their needs. From my angle, I see cliques very prevalent in church youth groups. A group of 15-20 church kids that devote all their time together will often want answers to questions that fancy their religious curiosity. For example, "How far is too far?" or "Is it OK for me to do this?" I've heard so many questions over the years from students that seem to like their youth group and have popularity as the goal for their age advancement. Cliques want quick solutions. They want to have comfortable answers in order to feel better about themselves. It's time for us to devote to the doctrines of our faith. Our questions need to be centered on areas such as: Who is God? And what is man? And Why the cross?

3. The Church is connected in fellowship: Biblical. Acts 2:42 offers us the vision of the early church; to live in fellowship. This word often gets diluted into the false assumption of eating or hobby sharing. We can go out to a fast food restaurant after a church service and talk about baseball...but does that define fellowship? Biblical churches look at fellowship at its core; to bind together for the goal of the Gospel and the edification of the redeemed. Sharing both joys and sufferings gives us a picture of the sweet definition of fellowship. Looking to Christ as the greatest prize on this earth naturally draws us to enjoy the presence of those that sing the eternal chorus. When churches fail in true fellowship, cliques run the halls and the mission is blurred. May we bind together in love (Colossians 3:12-14) and enjoy the Savior who is the head of the church (Ephesians 1:22).

4. A Clique has a closed circle of fun: Cliqueical. I remember growing up in a church that had a vibrant youth group. I remember the middle school years of rejection and ridicule (I admit, I was a bit annoying). I remember closed circles around me. I also remember being in closed circles. You see, student ministries can often have a few circles of friends that leave walls for those on the outside to only hear the noise from a distance. I still regret the closed circles I embraced at the cost of others' pain. Cliques are closed circles. It's almost like coming to an intersection with no options for any turn. If our churches are full of closed circles of relationships that seek selfish gratification with excluding the Gospel...then our mission is tainted. May the Spirit lead us out of our comfortable circle of friends and reach those that are outside the camp as Hebrews 13:13-14 beautifully challenges.

5. The Church has a great reputation: Biblical. Acts 2:43-44 simply reads, "And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common." This verse jumps off the page at us with the exciting thought that at one time...the church had a great reputation! Looking at verse 43, we can see the response of those outside the camp...they were in AWE! What??!!! Luke is right. The church was living in Biblical soil which gave the sweet fragrance of God's grace to those around. What have we done wrong? From all the programming and useless spending...we have made a system that looks too much at the clique instead of the mission. The Spirit was at work. People responded with awe. Unity was visible. What do we have in common? It's hard to think that the answer to that question could define a clique more than a Biblical church.

6. A Clique gives a bad name: Cliqueical. I remember my days of traveling to churches and serving at various youth retreats. I remember the lasting impression I received from a church while working camp. This church came with obvious divisions. The youth minister's arrogance and attitude revealed some of the source. In just 5 days of camp, if my memory serves me correct, this group had at least 5 conflicts...with only 20 total in the group! Cliques leave bad names. If people walk inside our church doors and see divisions birthed from pride and unrepentant sin...we will give them the memory of a clique. If pastors or other leaders live with pride and unrepentant sin; religious cliques can form. Some cliques will spark disunity with others. Some will try to change things. Some will walk away. What kind of name does your church have in the community?

7. The Church is active in meeting needs: Biblical. Luke writes in Acts 2:45, "And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need." Churches live with the anticipation to meet needs. Our primary need is to reach the lost with the saving Gospel of our Lord. The primary need is defined in love with the physical need of helping others. We should be on the front line with the issues our world is facing today. Children dying from preventable diseases, women abandoned by their abusive husbands, orphans left without hope, elderly forgotten, etc. The early church was known for staying behind during times of great disease in order to assist others. Many died in their efforts of taking care of the sick. They were zealous in the advancement and application of the Gospel. In centuries that have separated us from this verse...what has happened? It seems that mission spending is often put at the bottom priority of the list with the disclaimer of specific restrictions to follow. May we open the doors and show generous Gospel-saturated truth and love to our dying community around us!

8. A Clique wants needs met: Cliqueical. Ok, I said it. Cliques come with a list of needs. We tend to have many high-maintenance folks that attend our churches. As churches exist for meeting needs for the lost...cliques exist for having their needs met. I would argue that having certain needs met in the church is Biblical. Hospital visitations, counseling, intercession ministries, etc. I would argue also that those fall more in line with the Biblical understanding of fellowship. Cliques want their agendas on the table...and applied. They want programming that offers rewards and prizes to satisfy the ego. They want the best any church can offer in order to hide their sin under the umbrella of comfortable acceptance. What has gone wrong? May our only needs me found in the sufficiency of the Savior and His Glorious Gospel!

9. A Clique wants comfortable and ordinary religious routine: Cliqueical. What if we had preaching to start the service with ALL the music to follow? What if we decided to have 1 Sunday in which we didn't gather corporately to worship, but rather focused on mass evangelism? What would happen if we slashed our professional expectation of routine worship and had open time of simple silence? What would happen if we held others accountable for their sins as an act of worship? I can tell you what would happen from the aspect of a clique-run church; rebellion. We tend to like our normal routine of religion. We tend to have uneasy feelings when new changes are brought and people we don't recognize join the church. This has to stop. Cliques like things the way they are...as long as their circle of friends aren't impacted. Churches follow the teachings of Scripture and live with wreck less joy over the glorious unknowns each day brings. Churches read passages like Matthew 6:25-34 and find comfort in the sovereignty of the Lord and not the routine of man's failed leadership.

10. The Church worships and the lost are redeemed: Biblical. Finally, Acts 2:46-47 reveals, "And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved." The church simply found Jesus to be the most worthy name to proclaim. The church found radical faith in His teachings...and they actually did them. I truly believe the church had worship as her focus; which led to the salvation of many. When the church finds nothing more satisfying than the adoration of praising God; the lost will see genuine joy and obedience is done as a response to love. Romans 5 will be proclaimed in such a way that the Gospel will be relevant...because the Gospel is lived. The Church worships and the lost are redeemed. The Lord accepts our worship and saves the lost. He receives the honor. He receives the praise. He receives the bride as His token.

So, what is your church: Biblical? or... Clique...ical?

Soli Deo Gloria!

Dave