I think it was the late Waylon Jennings who said, "If I'd known I was gonna live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself!"
Too often, we are just like Waylon when it comes to thinking about the future in a spiritual way. Oh, we take care of heaven...we have come to know the Savior and our ticket is punched and we are on the way...but what about our kids..yep, they know Jesus...and our grandkids...well, most of them do...but what about after that?
What about our future generations. What about 50 years from now when we will be gone and only a distant memory or a picture in a worn out photo album...what about those great-great-great-great-great-great grandkids?
Look at what Peter writes in 1 Peter 1:10-12 "Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things."
This blew me away when I realized what it meant. The prophets of the Old Testament...dudes like Moses, Elijah, Malachai, Amos, and even the reluctant ones like Jonah...they did what they did, not fully understanding it all, but so that we would benefit from it. They recorded what they did so that when Jesus came around, the people coulds say, "Yep, this is the ONE, I know from the directions that the prophets gave us in their writings."
Of course, a lot of people missed it...but that is not the prophets fault.
What about us. Are we living in such a way that future generations will be able to turn and point to us and say, "I've embraced Jesus as my Savior because my great-great-great-great-great-great- grandfather lived a life that is still impacting us today!"
I want to run into someone in Heaven, who lived a hundred years from now and have them tell me, "Because you stood for the truth....because you lived a life of ministry....because you followed Jesus....I'm standing here today."
That is my desire. I hope it will be yours as well.
See you there, or in the air
Pastor Dave
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Secondhand Jesus
Finally finished reading the book, "Secondhand Jesus" by glen Packiam.
As mentioned in the previous entry, this book has really made me stop and think. Glenn doesn't necessarily bring anything new to the table in this book, but he does bring it in a new and fresh way.
The book is about those, "what the heck" moments we all have in our lives. You know the ones where you are doing everything you are supposed to do and then you don't get the results you think you should get. You're being obedient, folloing the Lord and instead of blessings, tragedy strikes, pain enters in, problems arise and your world seems to crumble down around you.
Without going into details, Glenn speaks from experience. He worked for a church that was rocked by scandal, and then by disaster. Through it all, he came out closer to God, redfining what it meant to follow Jesus and to know Him.
He got a firsthand faith.
While the title and premise of the book intriqued me, I didn't think I suffered from secondhand faith. I was wrong. I came away realziing just how much I defined who I am in Christ by what I do, what I hear others say, and not enough on what HE HAS DONE FOR ME.
One of the interesting things Glenn does in this book is he uses his own personal life stories, interwined with the stories of the Ark of the Covenant from the Old Testament to describe just what this secondhand faith, or secondhand Jesus is all about. I love it when an author makes the Old Testament (or any Scripture for that matter) come alive and fell fresh.
But don't take my word for it.
God out and get the book....learn about what Glenn is talking about...firsthand.
Jehovah Adonai
Pastor Dave
As mentioned in the previous entry, this book has really made me stop and think. Glenn doesn't necessarily bring anything new to the table in this book, but he does bring it in a new and fresh way.
The book is about those, "what the heck" moments we all have in our lives. You know the ones where you are doing everything you are supposed to do and then you don't get the results you think you should get. You're being obedient, folloing the Lord and instead of blessings, tragedy strikes, pain enters in, problems arise and your world seems to crumble down around you.
Without going into details, Glenn speaks from experience. He worked for a church that was rocked by scandal, and then by disaster. Through it all, he came out closer to God, redfining what it meant to follow Jesus and to know Him.
He got a firsthand faith.
While the title and premise of the book intriqued me, I didn't think I suffered from secondhand faith. I was wrong. I came away realziing just how much I defined who I am in Christ by what I do, what I hear others say, and not enough on what HE HAS DONE FOR ME.
One of the interesting things Glenn does in this book is he uses his own personal life stories, interwined with the stories of the Ark of the Covenant from the Old Testament to describe just what this secondhand faith, or secondhand Jesus is all about. I love it when an author makes the Old Testament (or any Scripture for that matter) come alive and fell fresh.
But don't take my word for it.
God out and get the book....learn about what Glenn is talking about...firsthand.
Jehovah Adonai
Pastor Dave
Friday, September 18, 2009
REVIVAL!!!!
I am currently preaching through the book of Habakkuk at our church. This Sunday the message will be based on Habakkuk 3:1-2 "A prayer of habakkuk the prophet. On shigionoth. Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy."
This short passage has penetrated my heart this week. I have been feeling worn out, drained, tired and empty. I had lost my joy in service to God and His people. I tried to "work it up" over and over again, but found that I couldn't do it. I began to question if I should still pastor. I did not feel a release from God concerning pastoring, but I didn't feel as if I had anything left to give to anyone...I felt as if I was trying to pump water from a dry well.
So I spent time in prayer Sunday. I spent more time in prayer on Monday. I began to read the third chapter of Habakkuk in preparation for the coming Sunday. I prayed some more....I read some more. As I meditated on the first part of the thrid chapter God began to stir things up inside of me. He began to make me see that I had been living off of rumours of Him, that I had been living in the past while I was trying to move into the future. He began to show me that HE IS HERE and HE IS ACTIVE in my life.
He did this in three ways:
First, by His Word: I read that Habakkuk had HEARD of His fame, and that He STOOD in awe of His deeds, and asked God to RENEW them in our day and in our time make them KNOWN.
You see, I had heard of revivals of the past, and desired to see revival break out across this country again, yet I had gotten sidetracked in my walk with Christ. I was beginning to be more concerned with building a church than building The Kingdom. I needed to stand still, to observe all that God is doing across this great nation and across the world. I then began to experiecne renewal in my heart, in my relationship with Christ...I began to feel energized with a desire to know Christ and to make Him KNOWN.
Second, this was all given a spirtual boost when God put this book in my hands, courtesy of my loving wife:
This book merely confirmed what God has showed me in Habakkuk and what God had impressed upon in my time in prayer. I was shown that although one plus one always equals two in math, it doesn't always work that way when following Christ. In other words, one obedience plus one obedience does not equal out to a trouble free life where everything will always turn out the way we think it should. Although I have always known that the Christian life was not a paint by numbers canvas, I had become to live it as though it was, and if you just put the right color of paint in the right place you would have a masterpiece. Instead, I had to come to terms once again with the fact that you can do all the right things, for all the right reasons and still come out with more of a "mess" than a masterpiece, but regardless, God is still God, God is still good, and He will never leave me or forsake me. I realized that I wanted to KNOW God all over again.
And then came the third thing that God did, in only a way that God could do.
He friended me through facebook.
Well, not God Himself, but through one of his followers, I began to experience a freshness in my own relationship with God. Let me try and explain. I have a friend on facebook that I used to barely know in high school. Her name is Barb. Barb found another person on facebook that we both went to school with. His name is Bob. Now Barb and I were not good friends during our high school years. In fact we really didn't know each other, it was more like we knew of each other, and when she recommened Bob to me as a friend, I couldnt even remember who he was, so it was not like we were good friends in high school either. But after I requested to be Bob's friend he responded with a praise that it was good to hear that I was following "our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." Now this was not the Bob I remembered from high school, so I asked him about his faith journey. He responded by directing me to his web site, which you can check out for yourself here:
http://www.heavensentconsulting.com/Bob/BobPersonal.htm
Through his testimony on his site, and ongoing correspondence I have come to know a man, a fellow brother in Christ, a fellow traveller on God's trail, a believer who has had his share of trials and tragedies, and yet one who has a vital, contagious relationship with Jesus. He encouraged me and inspired me to KNOW Christ all over again. I cannot fully put into words just how much of an impact getting to know Bob has had on me. It was as if Jesus was telling me, "Here you go Dave. You need a fresh vison of me. I'm going to show myself to you through the most unlikely person you could imagine: Bob Craine. Everytime I see Bob's picture now on as status update on facebook, or in a comment I see Jesus.
And this has led me back to what I so desired not long ago. Revival. Revival in my life. Revival in my family. Revival in my walk with Christ. Revival in my church. Revival in my town. Revival in my county. Revival in my state. Revival in my country. Revival in my world.
I am reminded of a scene in the movie Braveheart. Mel Gibson plays freedom fighter William Wallace. He is captured and sentenced to death. As they execute him....literally ripping his body apart and gutting him with a sword he screams out the word "FREEDOM!!!" and it sent chills down my spine.
I want revival in that way. I want every fiber of my being, every facet of my life, every breath I breathe to scream out "REVIVAL!!!!!!!!!"
I believe in God. I beleive in Jesus. I believe in revival. I believe that revival is possible. God has already begun revival in my heart and in my life. He used His Word, a book, and a brother.
Will you join me?
REVIVAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pastor Dave
This short passage has penetrated my heart this week. I have been feeling worn out, drained, tired and empty. I had lost my joy in service to God and His people. I tried to "work it up" over and over again, but found that I couldn't do it. I began to question if I should still pastor. I did not feel a release from God concerning pastoring, but I didn't feel as if I had anything left to give to anyone...I felt as if I was trying to pump water from a dry well.
So I spent time in prayer Sunday. I spent more time in prayer on Monday. I began to read the third chapter of Habakkuk in preparation for the coming Sunday. I prayed some more....I read some more. As I meditated on the first part of the thrid chapter God began to stir things up inside of me. He began to make me see that I had been living off of rumours of Him, that I had been living in the past while I was trying to move into the future. He began to show me that HE IS HERE and HE IS ACTIVE in my life.
He did this in three ways:
First, by His Word: I read that Habakkuk had HEARD of His fame, and that He STOOD in awe of His deeds, and asked God to RENEW them in our day and in our time make them KNOWN.
You see, I had heard of revivals of the past, and desired to see revival break out across this country again, yet I had gotten sidetracked in my walk with Christ. I was beginning to be more concerned with building a church than building The Kingdom. I needed to stand still, to observe all that God is doing across this great nation and across the world. I then began to experiecne renewal in my heart, in my relationship with Christ...I began to feel energized with a desire to know Christ and to make Him KNOWN.
Second, this was all given a spirtual boost when God put this book in my hands, courtesy of my loving wife:
This book merely confirmed what God has showed me in Habakkuk and what God had impressed upon in my time in prayer. I was shown that although one plus one always equals two in math, it doesn't always work that way when following Christ. In other words, one obedience plus one obedience does not equal out to a trouble free life where everything will always turn out the way we think it should. Although I have always known that the Christian life was not a paint by numbers canvas, I had become to live it as though it was, and if you just put the right color of paint in the right place you would have a masterpiece. Instead, I had to come to terms once again with the fact that you can do all the right things, for all the right reasons and still come out with more of a "mess" than a masterpiece, but regardless, God is still God, God is still good, and He will never leave me or forsake me. I realized that I wanted to KNOW God all over again.
And then came the third thing that God did, in only a way that God could do.
He friended me through facebook.
Well, not God Himself, but through one of his followers, I began to experience a freshness in my own relationship with God. Let me try and explain. I have a friend on facebook that I used to barely know in high school. Her name is Barb. Barb found another person on facebook that we both went to school with. His name is Bob. Now Barb and I were not good friends during our high school years. In fact we really didn't know each other, it was more like we knew of each other, and when she recommened Bob to me as a friend, I couldnt even remember who he was, so it was not like we were good friends in high school either. But after I requested to be Bob's friend he responded with a praise that it was good to hear that I was following "our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." Now this was not the Bob I remembered from high school, so I asked him about his faith journey. He responded by directing me to his web site, which you can check out for yourself here:
http://www.heavensentconsulting.com/Bob/BobPersonal.htm
Through his testimony on his site, and ongoing correspondence I have come to know a man, a fellow brother in Christ, a fellow traveller on God's trail, a believer who has had his share of trials and tragedies, and yet one who has a vital, contagious relationship with Jesus. He encouraged me and inspired me to KNOW Christ all over again. I cannot fully put into words just how much of an impact getting to know Bob has had on me. It was as if Jesus was telling me, "Here you go Dave. You need a fresh vison of me. I'm going to show myself to you through the most unlikely person you could imagine: Bob Craine. Everytime I see Bob's picture now on as status update on facebook, or in a comment I see Jesus.
And this has led me back to what I so desired not long ago. Revival. Revival in my life. Revival in my family. Revival in my walk with Christ. Revival in my church. Revival in my town. Revival in my county. Revival in my state. Revival in my country. Revival in my world.
I am reminded of a scene in the movie Braveheart. Mel Gibson plays freedom fighter William Wallace. He is captured and sentenced to death. As they execute him....literally ripping his body apart and gutting him with a sword he screams out the word "FREEDOM!!!" and it sent chills down my spine.
I want revival in that way. I want every fiber of my being, every facet of my life, every breath I breathe to scream out "REVIVAL!!!!!!!!!"
I believe in God. I beleive in Jesus. I believe in revival. I believe that revival is possible. God has already begun revival in my heart and in my life. He used His Word, a book, and a brother.
Will you join me?
REVIVAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pastor Dave
Name Change
Yes, this is the blog formerly known as "Pastor Dave Lets His Hair Down"....now to be known as "Confessions Of A Small Church Pastor".
I chose the name change for a couple of reasons:
1) My hair is not all that long anymore...and the original name for the blog was a play on the fact that most of the members of the church that I pastor had never seen me with my long hair "down". I had always worn it in a ponytail at church.
2) I find that being a pastor of a small church (just under 100 in Sunday morning service...although it used to be much smaller than that), affects my perspective on many things.
And so, I thought that the change in name was needed.
Hopefully it will spur me on to post more frequently and on a regular basis.
And with that....I'm off to make a REAL blog entry.
See ya in the funny papers.
Pastor Dave
I chose the name change for a couple of reasons:
1) My hair is not all that long anymore...and the original name for the blog was a play on the fact that most of the members of the church that I pastor had never seen me with my long hair "down". I had always worn it in a ponytail at church.
2) I find that being a pastor of a small church (just under 100 in Sunday morning service...although it used to be much smaller than that), affects my perspective on many things.
And so, I thought that the change in name was needed.
Hopefully it will spur me on to post more frequently and on a regular basis.
And with that....I'm off to make a REAL blog entry.
See ya in the funny papers.
Pastor Dave
Friday, August 28, 2009
One Thing
30 Days
Wow....it has been thirty days since I last posted a blog. When I first realized that I could not believe that much time has passed. I thought to myself..."What have you been doing this past thirty days?" "How could you go so long without posting something...anything?"
Then I thought over the last thirty days.
Since I last posted I have:
1) Prepared and began teaching an intensive 24 week study on Heaven for our mid-week Bible study.
2) Finished preaching through the book of Hebrews (which took over a year to complete).
3) Began preaching through the book of Habakkuk (an often forgotten book of the Old Testament).
4) Performed two weddings, with a third to do in two days.
5) Officiated at a funeral.
6) Gave the "charge" for graduates at a Christian based drug program.
7) Had a car break down (which if you would, keep a 2nd car for us in your prayers, as we REALLY need a 2nd car with two college students at the house and a third child in high school), and it is still broken down.
8) Had a washing machine break down (thankfully we got a used one to use for now...)
9) Did four weeks of marriage counseling with two different couples.
And when I came to the end of the list I realzied...I'd been pretty busy. Very busy. But I still want to blog, and I still want to finish a book that I started writing, and I still want to have a weekend seminar on how to study your Bible, and I still want to put together a "Saturday in the park" preaching & worship day in the Yuba / Sutter area, and I still want to.....well, you get the picture.
There is much I want to do.
There is only one thing that I must do.
Follow Jesus.
When all is said and done, that is what I want to be known for.
I don't want to be so busy about the work of the Lord that I forget the Lord of the work.
So hopefully, tomorrow, I will blog again.
But if not....tomorrow, as today, I will follow Jesus. Then I know that not matter what I accomplish (or don't accomplish), I know that I will be doing the ONE thing that He would have me do.
I leave you with the lyrics of a song by one of my top five Christian artists: Rich Mullins.
The song is called: My One Thing
Everybody I know says they need just one thing
And what they really mean is that they
need just one thing more
And everybody seems to think
They've got it coming
Well I know that I don't deserve You
Still I want to love and serve You
More and more
You're my one thing
Save me from those things
That might distract me
Please take them away and purify my heart
I don't want to lose the eternal for
The things that are passing
'Cause what will I have when the world is gone
If it isn't for the love that goes on and on with
CHORUS:
My one thing, You're my one thing
And the pure in heart shall see God
You're my one thing
You're my one thing
And the pure in heart shall see God
Who have I in Heaven but You Jesus
And what better could I hope
To find down here on earth
I could cross the most distant reaches
Of this world, but I'd just be wasting my time
'Cause I'm certain already, I'm sure
I'd find You're
CHORUS
Every night and every day
You hold on tight
Or you drift away
And you're left to live
With the choices you make
Oh Lord please give me the strength
To watch and work and love and sing and pray
'Cause who have I in Heaven but You Jesus?
And what better could I hope
To find down here on earth?
Well I could cross the most distant reaches
Of this world, but I'd just be wasting my time
'Cause I'm certain already I'm sure I'd find
You're my one thing (one thing)
You're my one thing (one thing)
And the pure in heart shall see God
Ok, so there's that.
Pastor Dave
Wow....it has been thirty days since I last posted a blog. When I first realized that I could not believe that much time has passed. I thought to myself..."What have you been doing this past thirty days?" "How could you go so long without posting something...anything?"
Then I thought over the last thirty days.
Since I last posted I have:
1) Prepared and began teaching an intensive 24 week study on Heaven for our mid-week Bible study.
2) Finished preaching through the book of Hebrews (which took over a year to complete).
3) Began preaching through the book of Habakkuk (an often forgotten book of the Old Testament).
4) Performed two weddings, with a third to do in two days.
5) Officiated at a funeral.
6) Gave the "charge" for graduates at a Christian based drug program.
7) Had a car break down (which if you would, keep a 2nd car for us in your prayers, as we REALLY need a 2nd car with two college students at the house and a third child in high school), and it is still broken down.
8) Had a washing machine break down (thankfully we got a used one to use for now...)
9) Did four weeks of marriage counseling with two different couples.
And when I came to the end of the list I realzied...I'd been pretty busy. Very busy. But I still want to blog, and I still want to finish a book that I started writing, and I still want to have a weekend seminar on how to study your Bible, and I still want to put together a "Saturday in the park" preaching & worship day in the Yuba / Sutter area, and I still want to.....well, you get the picture.
There is much I want to do.
There is only one thing that I must do.
Follow Jesus.
When all is said and done, that is what I want to be known for.
I don't want to be so busy about the work of the Lord that I forget the Lord of the work.
So hopefully, tomorrow, I will blog again.
But if not....tomorrow, as today, I will follow Jesus. Then I know that not matter what I accomplish (or don't accomplish), I know that I will be doing the ONE thing that He would have me do.
I leave you with the lyrics of a song by one of my top five Christian artists: Rich Mullins.
The song is called: My One Thing
Everybody I know says they need just one thing
And what they really mean is that they
need just one thing more
And everybody seems to think
They've got it coming
Well I know that I don't deserve You
Still I want to love and serve You
More and more
You're my one thing
Save me from those things
That might distract me
Please take them away and purify my heart
I don't want to lose the eternal for
The things that are passing
'Cause what will I have when the world is gone
If it isn't for the love that goes on and on with
CHORUS:
My one thing, You're my one thing
And the pure in heart shall see God
You're my one thing
You're my one thing
And the pure in heart shall see God
Who have I in Heaven but You Jesus
And what better could I hope
To find down here on earth
I could cross the most distant reaches
Of this world, but I'd just be wasting my time
'Cause I'm certain already, I'm sure
I'd find You're
CHORUS
Every night and every day
You hold on tight
Or you drift away
And you're left to live
With the choices you make
Oh Lord please give me the strength
To watch and work and love and sing and pray
'Cause who have I in Heaven but You Jesus?
And what better could I hope
To find down here on earth?
Well I could cross the most distant reaches
Of this world, but I'd just be wasting my time
'Cause I'm certain already I'm sure I'd find
You're my one thing (one thing)
You're my one thing (one thing)
And the pure in heart shall see God
Ok, so there's that.
Pastor Dave
Monday, July 27, 2009
50 People Every Christian Should Know
I have just finished reading an amazing book. It is called, "50 People Every Christian Should Know".
And if there was ever a book that lived up to its title, it is this book.
It tells us the stories of men and women of God who lived a life of devotion to God. The stories present a brief biography of each person, and it doesn't sweep any issues that may have raised questions or controversy concerning the people portrayed.
While many of these are well known to most beleivers, such as: C.H. Spurgeon, Jonathan Edwards, Oswald Chambers, D. L. Moody, A.W. Tozer and a few others, there are many that I have never heard of before.
The book has educated me on such preachers of days gone by such as: William Culbertson, Henry Drummond, R.A. Torrey, W.E. Sangster, Alva Jay McClain, William Whitting Borden and so many others.
Three things that seem to be repeated often in each of the individuals stories is this: obstacles that had to be overcome (poverty, physical disabilities, and lack of education), as well as much time spent in prayer, and much time spent in Bible study.
It also appeared that many of these preachers preached much more than we do today. I read of several of these men who preached five, six, seven times each week or more. It also seemed as though most of them were prolific writers. In fact the author, Warren Wiersbe gives you a critique of the books that each of these saints of old has written, and which ones are the best ones to purchase. If you bought all of the ones reccomened by Wiersbe, well, let me just say that I would probably have to get a second job!
What impacted me the most thought wss the amount of time spent in prayer and study of the Word. One of the preachers in the book is stated to put in 60 hours of study for each message he preached. That is amazing. When you also realzie that they did their study often by candlelight and without any of our modern day aides such as comptuters, computer programs, several different translations of the Scriptures and various other helps, it makes me wonder about many of our preachers today, including myself.
What would happen if I spent 4 or 5 hours per day in study of the word....each day? What would happen if I prayed daily for several hours?
What difference would it make in my spiritual life?
What difference whould it make in the spiriutal life of the church that I pastor?
What difference would it make in my family?
What difference would it make to my neighbors?
What difference would it make to my country?
Is this what may be missing in the church in the USA today?
Could this be the secret to revival in our country?
Have we sold out Jesus, not for thirty pieces of silver as Judas did, but for our favorite tv show?
Have we fallen asleep, not while our Lord is praying in the garden of Gethsemane, but while He weeps for the lost in this country and we are too tired to personally share the gospel because of late hours on the internet?
And that leads me to the last thing I want to share about the men and women portrayed in this book: they were passionate about sharing the gospel to the lost.
We need to be the kind of people who, if the Lord does not come back soon, and they write a new book, of the 2nd 50 people every Christian should know, that you and I are listed in that book....not for personal fame and glory, no....may we never ever seek for attention on us, but for the glory of God, for the sake of future generations, to inspire those who come after us to live their lives in a passionate pursuit of the Lord, in leading the lost to salvation and to leave a legacy of faith, long after we are gone.
I'm off to bed now, planning on rising early...time in prayer, and time in the Word...maybe you will join me?
Pastor Dave
And if there was ever a book that lived up to its title, it is this book.
It tells us the stories of men and women of God who lived a life of devotion to God. The stories present a brief biography of each person, and it doesn't sweep any issues that may have raised questions or controversy concerning the people portrayed.
While many of these are well known to most beleivers, such as: C.H. Spurgeon, Jonathan Edwards, Oswald Chambers, D. L. Moody, A.W. Tozer and a few others, there are many that I have never heard of before.
The book has educated me on such preachers of days gone by such as: William Culbertson, Henry Drummond, R.A. Torrey, W.E. Sangster, Alva Jay McClain, William Whitting Borden and so many others.
Three things that seem to be repeated often in each of the individuals stories is this: obstacles that had to be overcome (poverty, physical disabilities, and lack of education), as well as much time spent in prayer, and much time spent in Bible study.
It also appeared that many of these preachers preached much more than we do today. I read of several of these men who preached five, six, seven times each week or more. It also seemed as though most of them were prolific writers. In fact the author, Warren Wiersbe gives you a critique of the books that each of these saints of old has written, and which ones are the best ones to purchase. If you bought all of the ones reccomened by Wiersbe, well, let me just say that I would probably have to get a second job!
What impacted me the most thought wss the amount of time spent in prayer and study of the Word. One of the preachers in the book is stated to put in 60 hours of study for each message he preached. That is amazing. When you also realzie that they did their study often by candlelight and without any of our modern day aides such as comptuters, computer programs, several different translations of the Scriptures and various other helps, it makes me wonder about many of our preachers today, including myself.
What would happen if I spent 4 or 5 hours per day in study of the word....each day? What would happen if I prayed daily for several hours?
What difference would it make in my spiritual life?
What difference whould it make in the spiriutal life of the church that I pastor?
What difference would it make in my family?
What difference would it make to my neighbors?
What difference would it make to my country?
Is this what may be missing in the church in the USA today?
Could this be the secret to revival in our country?
Have we sold out Jesus, not for thirty pieces of silver as Judas did, but for our favorite tv show?
Have we fallen asleep, not while our Lord is praying in the garden of Gethsemane, but while He weeps for the lost in this country and we are too tired to personally share the gospel because of late hours on the internet?
And that leads me to the last thing I want to share about the men and women portrayed in this book: they were passionate about sharing the gospel to the lost.
We need to be the kind of people who, if the Lord does not come back soon, and they write a new book, of the 2nd 50 people every Christian should know, that you and I are listed in that book....not for personal fame and glory, no....may we never ever seek for attention on us, but for the glory of God, for the sake of future generations, to inspire those who come after us to live their lives in a passionate pursuit of the Lord, in leading the lost to salvation and to leave a legacy of faith, long after we are gone.
I'm off to bed now, planning on rising early...time in prayer, and time in the Word...maybe you will join me?
Pastor Dave
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Prostitution In The Church
I found this while doing some blog surfing and thought I would share it here. I foundit on this blog: http://danielfusco.wordpress.com/, but it is not by the author of that blog. The author of the article is David Ryser. This is a very thought provoking article. Read on.
The Question that Changed My Life
By David Ryser
A number of years ago, I had the privilege of teaching at a school of ministry. My students were hungry for God, and I was constantly searching for ways to challenge them to fall more in love with Jesus and to become voices for revival in the Church. I came across a quote attributed most often to Rev. Sam Pascoe. It is a short version of the history of Christianity, and it goes like this: Christianity started in Palestine as a fellowship; it moved to Greece and became a philosophy; it moved to Italy and became an institution; it moved to Europe and became a culture; it came to America and became an enterprise. Some of the students were only 18 or 19 years old--barely out of diapers--and I wanted them to understand and appreciate the import of the last line, so I clarified it by adding, "An enterprise. That's a business." After a few moments Martha, the youngest student in the class, raised her hand. I could not imagine what her question might be. I thought the little vignette was self-explanatory, and that I had performed it brilliantly. Nevertheless, I acknowledged Martha's raised hand, "Yes, Martha." She asked such a simple question, "A business? But isn't it supposed to be a body?" I could not envision where this line of questioning was going, and the only response I could think of was, "Yes." She continued, "But when a body becomes a business, isn't that a prostitute?"
The room went dead silent. For several seconds no one moved or spoke. We were stunned, afraid to make a sound because the presence of God had flooded into the room, and we knew we were on holy ground. All I could think in those sacred moments was, "Wow, I wish I'd thought of that." I didn't dare express that thought aloud. God had taken over the class.
Martha's question changed my life. For six months, I thought about her question at least once every day. "When a body becomes a business, isn't that a prostitute?" There is only one answer to her question. The answer is "Yes." The American Church, tragically, is heavily populated by people who do not love God. How can we love Him? We don't even know Him; and I mean really know Him.
What do I mean when I say "really know Him?" Our understanding of knowing and knowledge stems from our western culture (which is based in ancient Greek philosophical thought). We believe we have knowledge (and, by extension, wisdom) when we have collected information. A collection of information is not the same thing as knowledge, especially in the culture of the Bible (which is an eastern, non-Greek, culture). In the eastern culture, all knowledge is experiential. In western/Greek culture, we argue from premise to conclusion without regard for experience--or so we think. An example might be helpful here. Let us suppose a question based upon the following two premises: First, that wheat does not grow in a cold climate and second, that England has a cold climate. The question: Does wheat grow in England? The vast majority of people from the western/Greek culture would answer, "No. If wheat does not grow in a cold climate and if England has a cold climate, then it follows that wheat does not grow in England." In the eastern culture, the answer to the same question, based on the same premises, most likely would be, "I don't know. I've never been to England." We laugh at this thinking, but when I posed the same question to my friends from England, their answer was, "Yes, of course wheat grows in England. We're from there, and we know wheat grows there." They overcame their cultural way of thinking because of their life experience. Experience trumps information when it comes to knowledge.
A similar problem exists with our concept of belief. We say we believe something (or someone) apart from personal experience. This definition of belief is not extended to our stockbroker, however. Again, allow me to explain. Suppose my stockbroker phones me and says, "I have a hot tip on a stock that is going to triple in price within the next week. I want your permission to transfer $10,000 from your cash account and buy this stock." That's a lot of money for me, so I ask, "Do you really believe this stock will triple in price, and so quickly?" He/she answers, I sure do." I say, "That sounds great! How exciting! So how much of your own money have you invested in this stock?" He/she answers, "None." Does my stockbroker believe? Truly believe? I don't think so, and suddenly I don't believe, either. How can we be so discerning in the things of this world, especially when they involve money, and so indiscriminate when it comes to spiritual things? The fact is, we do not know or believe apart from experience. The Bible was written to people who would not understand the concepts of knowledge, belief, and faith apart from experience. I suspect God thinks this way also.
So I stand by my statement that most American Christians do not know God--much less love Him. The root of this condition originates in how we came to God. Most of us came to Him because of what we were told He would do for us. We were promised that He would bless us in life and take us to heaven after death. We married Him for His money, and we don't care if He lives or dies as long as we can get His stuff. We have made the Kingdom of God into a business, merchandising His anointing. This should not be. We are commanded to love God, and are called to be the Bride of Christ--that's pretty intimate stuff. We are supposed to be His lovers. How can we love someone we don't even know? And even if we do know someone, is that a guarantee that we truly love them? Are we lovers or prostitutes?
I was pondering Martha's question again one day, and considered the question, "What's the difference between a lover and a prostitute?" I realized that both do many of the same things, but a lover does what she does because she loves. A prostitute pretends to love, but only as long as you pay. Then I asked the question, "What would happen if God stopped paying me?"
For the next several months, I allowed God to search me to uncover my motives for loving and serving Him. Was I really a true lover of God? What would happen if He stopped blessing me? What if He never did another thing for me? Would I still love Him? Please understand, I believe in the promises and blessings of God. The issue here is not whether God blesses His children; the issue is the condition of my heart. Why do I serve Him? Are His blessings in my life the gifts of a loving Father, or are they a wage that I have earned or a bribe/payment to love Him? Do I love God without any conditions? It took several months to work through these questions. Even now I wonder if my desire to love God is always matched by my attitude and behavior. I still catch myself being disappointed with God and angry that He has not met some perceived need in my life. I suspect this is something which is never fully resolved, but I want more than anything else to be a true lover of God.
So what is it going to be? Which are we, lover or prostitute? There are no prostitutes in heaven, or in the Kingdom of God for that matter, but there are plenty of former prostitutes in both places. Take it from a recovering prostitute when I say there is no substitute for unconditional, intimate relationship with God. And I mean there is no palatable substitute available to us (take another look at Matthew 7:21-23 sometime). We must choose.
Dr. David Ryser
The Question that Changed My Life
By David Ryser
A number of years ago, I had the privilege of teaching at a school of ministry. My students were hungry for God, and I was constantly searching for ways to challenge them to fall more in love with Jesus and to become voices for revival in the Church. I came across a quote attributed most often to Rev. Sam Pascoe. It is a short version of the history of Christianity, and it goes like this: Christianity started in Palestine as a fellowship; it moved to Greece and became a philosophy; it moved to Italy and became an institution; it moved to Europe and became a culture; it came to America and became an enterprise. Some of the students were only 18 or 19 years old--barely out of diapers--and I wanted them to understand and appreciate the import of the last line, so I clarified it by adding, "An enterprise. That's a business." After a few moments Martha, the youngest student in the class, raised her hand. I could not imagine what her question might be. I thought the little vignette was self-explanatory, and that I had performed it brilliantly. Nevertheless, I acknowledged Martha's raised hand, "Yes, Martha." She asked such a simple question, "A business? But isn't it supposed to be a body?" I could not envision where this line of questioning was going, and the only response I could think of was, "Yes." She continued, "But when a body becomes a business, isn't that a prostitute?"
The room went dead silent. For several seconds no one moved or spoke. We were stunned, afraid to make a sound because the presence of God had flooded into the room, and we knew we were on holy ground. All I could think in those sacred moments was, "Wow, I wish I'd thought of that." I didn't dare express that thought aloud. God had taken over the class.
Martha's question changed my life. For six months, I thought about her question at least once every day. "When a body becomes a business, isn't that a prostitute?" There is only one answer to her question. The answer is "Yes." The American Church, tragically, is heavily populated by people who do not love God. How can we love Him? We don't even know Him; and I mean really know Him.
What do I mean when I say "really know Him?" Our understanding of knowing and knowledge stems from our western culture (which is based in ancient Greek philosophical thought). We believe we have knowledge (and, by extension, wisdom) when we have collected information. A collection of information is not the same thing as knowledge, especially in the culture of the Bible (which is an eastern, non-Greek, culture). In the eastern culture, all knowledge is experiential. In western/Greek culture, we argue from premise to conclusion without regard for experience--or so we think. An example might be helpful here. Let us suppose a question based upon the following two premises: First, that wheat does not grow in a cold climate and second, that England has a cold climate. The question: Does wheat grow in England? The vast majority of people from the western/Greek culture would answer, "No. If wheat does not grow in a cold climate and if England has a cold climate, then it follows that wheat does not grow in England." In the eastern culture, the answer to the same question, based on the same premises, most likely would be, "I don't know. I've never been to England." We laugh at this thinking, but when I posed the same question to my friends from England, their answer was, "Yes, of course wheat grows in England. We're from there, and we know wheat grows there." They overcame their cultural way of thinking because of their life experience. Experience trumps information when it comes to knowledge.
A similar problem exists with our concept of belief. We say we believe something (or someone) apart from personal experience. This definition of belief is not extended to our stockbroker, however. Again, allow me to explain. Suppose my stockbroker phones me and says, "I have a hot tip on a stock that is going to triple in price within the next week. I want your permission to transfer $10,000 from your cash account and buy this stock." That's a lot of money for me, so I ask, "Do you really believe this stock will triple in price, and so quickly?" He/she answers, I sure do." I say, "That sounds great! How exciting! So how much of your own money have you invested in this stock?" He/she answers, "None." Does my stockbroker believe? Truly believe? I don't think so, and suddenly I don't believe, either. How can we be so discerning in the things of this world, especially when they involve money, and so indiscriminate when it comes to spiritual things? The fact is, we do not know or believe apart from experience. The Bible was written to people who would not understand the concepts of knowledge, belief, and faith apart from experience. I suspect God thinks this way also.
So I stand by my statement that most American Christians do not know God--much less love Him. The root of this condition originates in how we came to God. Most of us came to Him because of what we were told He would do for us. We were promised that He would bless us in life and take us to heaven after death. We married Him for His money, and we don't care if He lives or dies as long as we can get His stuff. We have made the Kingdom of God into a business, merchandising His anointing. This should not be. We are commanded to love God, and are called to be the Bride of Christ--that's pretty intimate stuff. We are supposed to be His lovers. How can we love someone we don't even know? And even if we do know someone, is that a guarantee that we truly love them? Are we lovers or prostitutes?
I was pondering Martha's question again one day, and considered the question, "What's the difference between a lover and a prostitute?" I realized that both do many of the same things, but a lover does what she does because she loves. A prostitute pretends to love, but only as long as you pay. Then I asked the question, "What would happen if God stopped paying me?"
For the next several months, I allowed God to search me to uncover my motives for loving and serving Him. Was I really a true lover of God? What would happen if He stopped blessing me? What if He never did another thing for me? Would I still love Him? Please understand, I believe in the promises and blessings of God. The issue here is not whether God blesses His children; the issue is the condition of my heart. Why do I serve Him? Are His blessings in my life the gifts of a loving Father, or are they a wage that I have earned or a bribe/payment to love Him? Do I love God without any conditions? It took several months to work through these questions. Even now I wonder if my desire to love God is always matched by my attitude and behavior. I still catch myself being disappointed with God and angry that He has not met some perceived need in my life. I suspect this is something which is never fully resolved, but I want more than anything else to be a true lover of God.
So what is it going to be? Which are we, lover or prostitute? There are no prostitutes in heaven, or in the Kingdom of God for that matter, but there are plenty of former prostitutes in both places. Take it from a recovering prostitute when I say there is no substitute for unconditional, intimate relationship with God. And I mean there is no palatable substitute available to us (take another look at Matthew 7:21-23 sometime). We must choose.
Dr. David Ryser
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