THE GLORY OF THE LORD

While reading 2 Chronicles, chapters 6-15 today, one particular verse jumped out at me. It was 2 Chronicles 7:1 "When Solomon finished praying, fire descended from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple."

I read that and paused for just a moment picturing what happened in my mind. I remember thinking..."WOW!" I mean, wouldn't you have wanted to see that! Here you are praying...and then suddenly the fire descends from heaven...consumes your offering...and the glory of the Lord fills the place you are at!!!! I'm serious people, I'm thinking "WHOOOAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!"

And then it hit me...this should be you and me...this should be our church services...our private prayer times...our private worship time...our corporate prayer time...this should be anytime we worship!

I say that because we have the glory of the Lord filling our temple (our body), the fire from heaven (the Holy Spirit) indwells us and should consume us!

But most of the time it doesn't happen. At the very least, if it is happening, somehow, someway, we have turned a blinde eye towards it...or we have become deaf, dumb and blind when it comes to the supernatural presence of the one, true, almighty, all powerful God of the universe!

I don't have all the answers here, but I have begun a journey this week, a journey of losing myself in the Lord, a journey of immersing myself in the Word, a journey of worship, a journey of prayer, a journey of living out the gospel, of not just knowing the gospel, or knowing the Lord, or knowing the Word, but one of walking the gospel, walking with the Lord, walking in the ways of the Word.

I desire, more than any other time in my life to be consumed by the fire of the Lord, to be filled with His presence, to see the glory of the Lord made manifest in my life and in the lives of those around me. I desire to come to worship with my brothers and sisters, rejoicing, expecting, anticipating the glory of the Lord to come fill this place!

If the church, both the individuals and the local gathering, would be consumed by the fire of the Lord, if the offering of our lives was consumed by holy fire from heaven, then those around us would come rushing to find out what is happening!

There is a quote attributed to John Wesley that goes something like this: "Set yourself on fire with passion & people will come for miles to watch you burn.” I have done some research and have found that some say Wesley never said this. Whether he did or not, I do not know, but what I do know is that this quote is very true. But I would like to state it this way instead, "Be set on fire by the Holy Spirit and people will be drawn to the Lord."

Glory come down, and heaven, fill my soul.
Pastor Dave

DEUTERONOMY

Thought I would keep my thoughts to myself today...but wanted to share with everyone my favorite verses that I read in my daily reading today from the book of Deuteronomy. So read, think, pray and worship as you read these.

Deuteronomy 1:3 "...Moses told the Israelites everything the LORD had commanded him [to say] to them."

Deuteronomy 1:29-33 "So I said to you: Don't be terrified or afraid of them! The LORD your God who goes before you will fight for you, just as you saw Him do for you in Egypt. And you saw in the wilderness how the LORD your God carried you as a man carries his son all along the way you traveled until you reached this place. But in spite of this you did not trust the LORD your God, who went before you on the journey to seek out a place for you to camp. He went in the fire by night and in the cloud by day to guide you on the road you were to travel."

Deuteronomy 4:1 "Now, Israel, listen to the statutes and ordinances I am teaching you to follow, so that you may live..."

Deuteronomy 4:9-10 "Only be on your guard and diligently watch yourselves, so that you don't forget the things your eyes have seen and so that they don't slip from your mind as long as you live. Teach them to your children and your grandchildren. The day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, the LORD said to me, 'Assemble the people before Me, and I will let them hear My words, so that they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth and may instruct their children."

Deuteronomy 4:29 "But from there, you will search for the LORD your God, and you will find [Him] when you seek Him with all your heart and all your soul."

Deuteronomy 4:31 "He will not leave you, destroy you, or forget the covenant with your fathers that He swore to them by oath, because the LORD your God is a compassionate God."

Deuteronomy 5:6-9 "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery. Do not have other gods besides Me. Do not make an idol for yourself in the shape of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. 9 You must not bow down to them or worship them, because I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God..."

Deuteronomy 5:11-12 "Do not misuse the name of the LORD your God, because the LORD will punish anyone who misuses His name.Be careful to dedicate the Sabbath day, as the LORD your God has commanded you."

Deuteronomy 5:16-21 "Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and so that you may prosper in the land the LORD your God is giving you. Do not murder. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not give dishonest testimony against your neighbor. Do not desire your neighbor's wife or covet your neighbor's house, his field, his male or female slave, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 "Listen, Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One. Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."

Deuteronomy 6:18 "Do what is right and good in the LORD's sight, so that you may prosper and so that you may enter and possess the good land the LORD your God swore to [give] your fathers"

Ok, that's it. No comments from me. Just the Word. Let it speak to you today.

Pastor Dave

FAITH

SOME RANDOM THOUGHTS ON FAITH FROM HEBREWS 11

Reading about faith in Hebrews this morning...and I had some random thoughts that I decided to share on the blog...especially since I haven't posted anything in a long time.

Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen."

I love this! Faith is the reality of what is hoped for. Who doesn't hope for a better life? Who doesn't hope for something more than this?!?! I remember when the movie "The Goonies" came out. I was an adult, but it struck a chord deep within me, as it did for every other guy I knew who saw it. What "chord" was it? The adventure that we all desired when we were kids!

My buddies and I were always on the lookout for hidden treasure...for and adventure! We grew up, got married, had kids, jobs, responsibilities...and forgot about the great adventure we all wanted to go on...but when I embraced Jesus as my Lord & Savior, I embarked on a great adventure! This was the inner longing I had as a child that had expressed itself in the desire for hidden treasure, for adventure, for discovery!

The faith I have in Jesus is not some weak, wimpy, wishy-washy type of faith...NO! It is the REALITY of what I have always hoped for! When I live out that faith, expressed in worship, in struggle, in temptation, in trials, in the darkest times of my life...it then becomes the "proof of what is not seen."

Hebrews 11:4 "By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain [did]. By this he was approved as a righteous man, because God approved his gifts, and even though he is dead, he still speaks through this."

This is my desire. At the time I am writing this I am 54 years old. Now "old" is a subjective word. My kids think I am old. My Dad still thinks I'm a kid. But I know this, at 54, I'm pretty sure I have more years behind me now than I have in front of me. My death is on the way. This body will not make it to the other side...which I'm glad for. I'm looking forward to a new body one day...but between now and then, this verse is one of my most repeated prayers, that after I am gone and with the Lord, that my life, my faith, will live on.

I pray that even though I will be dead, my faith will still speak to those here. This gives me a "big picture" to shoot for. This faith of mine is not all about me, it is about my kids, my grandkids, my great-grandkids, my great-great-grandkinds, my great-great-great- grandkids, and on and on and on. It is about those whose lives I interact with and how my faith may be an instrument that draws them closer to Jesus.

Hebrews 11:8 "By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and went out to a place he was going to receive as an inheritance; he went out, not knowing where he was going."

This is so not like us today. We have the Word of God, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to guide us to where we should go, and more often than not, we hesitate. We know where God is calling us and we argue and debate the details with Him. We look for loopholes, we try and find hidden meanings in what God is plainly telling us so that we can do what we want in His name, rather than follow Him, regardless of where He is leading. I wonder, would I follow God if He told me to just go north, or go east?

Lord, give me the faith that Abraham had...faith to follow you, no matter what.

Ok, so there's that.Pastor Dave

HAS JESUS REALLY CHANGED YOUR LIFE?

Over the last year or so I have been reading some books that have had a huge impact on my walk with Christ. They have caused me to rethink my commitment to Jesus, what it means to be a Christian, how to live out the Christian faith…what a life totally surrendered to Jesus might look like, and a host of other questions.

Some of these books have been: “Crazy Love” by Francis Chan; “Radical” by David Platt; “Not A Fan” by Kyle Idleman.

Most recently I have just finished the novel, “Courageous” by Randy Alcorn.


This is based on the screenplay of the upcoming movie by the same name. As a pastor, I have been able to see an advance screening of the movie, and as great as the movie is, the book is even better, and has had an even bigger impact on my life than the movie.

All of these books, and the movie, have one theme in common…how can you stay the same after you have encountered Jesus. They may not seem as if they are addressing this issue, but at the core, that is exactly what they are saying.

How can you stay the same after you have encountered the “crazy love” of Jesus? How can you stay the same if you have come into a relationship with this “radical” Jesus? How could you ever be just a “fan” and not a totally committed follower of Jesus after you realize what He has done for you? And how could you not be changed into a “courageous” follower after you have been loved to the cross by this man, who is God in the flesh, Jesus?

Reading John chapter 8 today, these thoughts and more came to my mind, especially when I got down to verse 11.

In John chapter 8 a woman was caught in adultery and brought to Jesus. Now, the first thing that comes to my mind is where was the man? As my Dad used to tell me, “It takes two to tango.” Maybe the man was a Pharisee or a scribe and so they were protecting one of their own. Maybe this woman was a prostitute, so they were trying to get rid of an unwanted person in their society. Whatever the reason, they were one sided in their presentation of their religious beliefs.

Jesus would have none of that.

After he wrote something in the dirt…(ever wonder what He was writing? Maybe it was the name of the scribe or Pharisee that was with the woman)…He answered them with this in verse 7: “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”

Well, that ended that. One by one they left. Until only the woman and Jesus remained. It was after this that He said these words to her in verse 11: “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.”

If I had a nickel for every person who quoted the first part of that statement from Jesus to me, well, I’d be a rich man for sure. Everyone wants the "no condemnation" Jesus, but not to many are ready to embrace the same Jesus that says, "Go, and sin no more."

But it is the second part of the statement that is essential and vital to this dialogue.

“Go and sin no more.”

In essence He was saying, “Go, and leave your old life behind. Go, and walk in a different direction than what you were heading. Go, and follow Me.”

And how could she not do so? After being forgiven by Jesus, how could her life not be changed? How could she continue in the life she once had? After this day, after this encounter, after being saved by Jesus, how could she not now live for Him?

And yet, many professing believers in Jesus seem to do just that.

Far too often, I have found myself doing just that.

No more.

Please don’t misunderstand me. I am not saying that I can be sinless…but I am saying that I can sin less. I am saying that I can follower Jesus closer. I am saying that I can love Him more.

And after all, isn’t that what it is all about.

Having this crazy love, this radical love, this courageous love, this love that causes me to be a follower and not a fan, of the one who gave His life for me…Jesus.

Will you join me?

Let’s go.

Pastor Dave

The Incarnation

We are currently going over basic doctrines at our Bible study on Wednesday nights. Tonight we will finish up studying the incarnation. This has been one of the most enjoyable for me to teach so far. It has really got my brain and imagination spinning.

It is one BIG HUGE GINORMOUS miracle. The 2nd person of the Trinity, Jesus, God the Son, confining and limiting Himself in the womb of a young jewish virgin named Mary. We often think of all the pain and suffering that Jesus went through from the Garden of Gethsemane to Calvary, and yet the incarnation has had me reflecting on the pain and suffering of everyday life that Jesus had to endure because He loved us so much.

It has driven home the fact that His whole life was offered up as a sacrifice for me. His whole purpose for coming was to die...to be offered up as a sacrifice for our sins, to pay the penalty that we could not pay. However, to get to Calvary, the suffering that He had to deal with began long before that night in the Garden.

Even the birthing process is a tramatic part of life for the newborn...and Jesus went through it. He endured stubbed toes and skinned knees. Did he cry the first time he got a splinter from pretending to be a carpenter like His earthly father Joseph? Was He ever made fun of as a child? How many times did the one who formed and fashioned limbs, bones, muscles and nerves trip and fall while He was learning to walk? How often did the One who spoke the sun into existence get sunburned?

I would encourage you to spend some time reflecting on the incarnation and all that it means. I cannot speak for you, but for me, I will never be the same.

Matthew 1:22-23: "Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son,
and they will name Him Immanuel ,which is translated "God is with us."

Isaiah 9:6: "For a child will be born for us,a son will be given to us, and the government will be on His shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace."

The incarnation. Wow. Mighty God indeed!

Pastor Dave

Got Vision?

I finished reading the book of Daniel yesterday, and it struck me just how many times the word "vision" was used in the last few chapters. So I did a little search and found that the word "vision" or "visions" was used 31 times in the whole book. That is more than 2.5 times per chapter. Sounds like "vision" in one form or another, is the underlying theme of the book of Daniel.

Daniel was a man of strong conviction, one who saw the big picture and could see beyond his circumstances and the immediate future. As such, I believe Daniel not only was allowed to see visions from God, but that he had a personal vision...he could see clearly that the world around him was not all that there was.

The church today could use some men like Daniel. Not just men of strong conviction, men who would be willing to stand up to the ways of the world so much that they would be willing to be thrown into a den of lions, but men (and women) of vision.

There are more than one Hebrew word that has been translated as "vision" in the book of Daniel, but the one I want to focus on is used in chapter ten. It is the word "ma-raw" which means "looking glass". The term "looking glass" has two meanings. The first is: mirror. The second is: with normal or familiar circumstances reversed.

It's the second definition of looking glass, or vision that I want us to look at.

Normal or familiar circumstances reversed.

We need some men and women of God who are willing to see things that are not normal, who are willing to take a look at what is familiar and reverse it...turn it around.

You see, as I look around at the church I see most beleivers living for the same thing that the world is living for. Nice house, two cars...and maybe a recreational vehicle or two, money for a couple of vacations, a nice retirement and enough money to afford the "normal" entertainment the world delivers - tv, movies, dvds, etc.

Now, there is nothing wrong with any of theses things in and of themselves. But too often I see people, good Christian people who remind me of the lyrics of a Gary Paxton song. The lyrics go like this:

"There goes a cigar smoking a man, There goes a shiny car driving a man."

I meet Christians all the time who seem more interested in keeping their house up, working more hours to pay for their toys, planning vacations until they are stressed to the max...and it seems to me that they aren't buying a house, a house is buying them. They aren't taking a vacation...a vacation is taking them. They aren't playing with their toys...their toys are playing with them. They are entertained to death spiritually, with more knowledge about our plastic culture than about the Word of God.

But after all, they are just normal...they are just natural...but God has called His people to be more than normal...He has called us to be people of vision, to be people who reverse the normal or familiar things, people who are not natural, but supernatural.

I am praying for more men and women who claim the name of Jesus to have a vision that turns this world upside down. More men and women who will look past the homes and the cars and the tv shows and retirement and see eternity...see what they have invested not in this earth, but in the new earth.

I know we need homes, and in our culture a car is more than a luxury, it is a neccessity. I also have no problem with tv and entertainment or taking vacations. The problem is not with having or doing any of those things, the problem is when the things have us and when the things are in control of us. Think about all that you have and then really think hard about what you have that is a neccessity. If you're honest...it's kind of scary. We (myself included) have a lot of stuff...but we need very little. After all, when we stand before God and he asks us to give an account of the life He has given us, a life full of His mercy, grace and love...a life that is to be lived out in worship to Him, and in taking the gospel to those around us, do any of us really think we're going to show off our vacation photos or our title deeds as evidence of being good stewards of the gifts He has given us?

I'm not advocating poverty here. I'm advocating vision.

Got vision?

Ok, I need to take a peek in the looking glass.
Pastor Dave

Trembling At The Word

I know quite awhile ago I said I would follow up on the previous post about church, and I never did...but I haven't forgotten about it. It is coming, along with another attempt at posting on a regular basis. Until then, here are some thoughts I have had lately concerning the Bible.

I have been reading a daily devotional lately by John Piper. The only problem with it is that Piper is so good it's hard to read just one devotion per day, but I am trying to contain myself and make it last! This devotional is called "Pierced By The Word".


Piper has a way of making the profound very simple and opening up your eyes to the magnificence and glory of God and His Word...and this little devotional does just that. It has got me to thinking a lot about how we treat the Word in our country...and in our churches.

I have begun to feel as if we have turned the Word of God into just another product for sale. We have so many versions now, and on top of that we have an amazing number of different study Bibles. At my desk as I type this I have within my reach seven different study Bibles from six different translations (yes, I have two copies of one translation, the ESV). When is enough, enough?



I went to one publisher of Bibles...and this is only one of several, Zondervan, and they had a total of 24 different study Bibles! Now don't misunderstand me, I am not sure you can ever have too many Bibles available...but is it possible that we have so many Bibles that we have become complacent to what the Bible really is?

I have found everything from comic book Bibles to one called "The Duct Tape" Bible, which is just what it says, a Bible, where the cover is made up of duct tape! I cannot help but wonder if when Tyndale first began to translate the Word into the english language, could he have ever imagined such a thing?

It makes we wonder if we have forgotten just what the Bible is. This is the Word of God! It does not just contain the Word of God, it IS THE WORD OF GOD!

This little devotional book by Piper has come to open my eyes wider to what I have always known, but have not always experienced, nor have I always lived out what I have know, which is that this book, The Bible, is a HOLY book, a book to be handled carefully, a Book to not just read, but a Book to study, to break down, to make a part of our lives. It is meant to be lived out, applied to our lives, weaved into the fabric of our being, change us, rearange us, mold us, shape us, convict us, inspire us, drive us to our knees and lift us up to heavenly places!

And yet, for most of us it goes unread unless we are in church, and treated as though it were not even as important as a cheap paperback novel.

If you think I'm over reacting, let me share a couple of verses that Piper shares in his book.

Isaiah 66:2 "...This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and TREMBLES at my word". Now seriously, when was the last time you or I, or anyone you know TREMBLED when they read the Word? The word "trembles" means: fearful, reverential or afraid. When we open up this BOOK, we should be aware of just what it is that we are handling. While I understand some of the ways we refer to it, I think that the familiarity with the Bible has caused us some damage when it comes to how we approach it. It is not "the good book" or the "owners manual for life"...it is the WORD OF GOD! It is God breathed! It has the power to change lives for eternity! This is big stuff people! It is a really big deal!

Another verse that Piper uses and one with which I am very familar with is found in Hebrews, chapter 4, verse 12, where it says: "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

What other book can do that? What other book is living and active? What other book penetrates so deeply, so carefully that it can divide the soul and spirits? What other book can judge you thoughts and your attitudes? This is an amazing book. Words cannot begin to describe just what it is that we have in the printed Word of God. It is no wonder that our enemy, Satan, has done all he can to destroy this Book, and now since that has failed, he has turned to destroying our desire for the Book. The church today knows more about the latest season of Survivor than she does about the Word of God. How many people do you know are HUNGRY for the Word?

Thank you John Piper for renewing a passion in me for the Word of God. Thank you for opening my eyes to the incredible depth of this Book. Thank you for making me see that when I open this Book to read, I should not do so casually with one eye on the scriptures and the other on the television...but that this is the Word of the Lord.

May the Holy Spirit convict the church in America today of her complacent attitude toward the Word of God, and may He start with me.

Ok, time to tremble some.
Pastor Dave