The Importance of Emphasis

One criterion of good Bible study and teaching is that we emphasize what the text emphasizes. Many preachers use the "springboard" method of preaching that starts with a premise outside of scripture. Verses are used to confirm this extra-biblical premise to validate it. This is the same as a builder constructing a building without a foundation. The building can be no stronger than the foundation: if the foundation is faulty, the building will not stand.

A preacher has a responsibility similar to the media in that he must hold forth the unbiased truth. The media does not always provide honest, hard facts. I was working at San Diego State University on the campus and watched a news team with cameras interview a group of people holding signs. One of the ten people of the group held a megaphone speaking out against "injustice," while five other people milled around with signs. It occurred to me that out of the thousands of people that walked by, the handful with signs would be on the Evening News. Though they clearly did not speak for the majority, their voice would be heard the loudest. It was not their position as much as their persuasion that grabbed attention.

I am saddened to think that this "springboard" preaching could be the norm rather than the exception. I have always attended a church that preached and taught through the Bible. I looked out a website today from an pastor and perused his video library. Messages included a series on the rapture, one series on numerical codes in the Bible, and the emergent church. I do not see how any of these topics even deserve a sermon title, much less a series! This is an over-emphasis of doctrine that twists the scripture out of joint.

Take the rapture, for instance. It would be fair to say the Bible does not emphasize the rapture. Reference to what we commonly call the "rapture," the "catching up" of the church to meet the Lord in the air is only found in two small portions of scripture: 1 Cor. 15:51-53 and 1 Thess. 4:13-18. Words intended to comfort no doubt confuse when blown out of proportion! The teaching of the rapture is held forth by scripture. There are also fewer things more divisive when people argue over when this will occur! The emphasis of scripture is to hold forth the truth of the rapture so all might be ready for it, not argue about when it will happen. When Jesus was asked by His disciples when He would return to set up His kingdom He said in Acts 1:7-8: "...It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. [8] But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Here we have Christ's emphasis: the time and date is not important, but their Holy Spirit-empowered witness in the meantime was very important.

In teaching, we must remember that we are messengers of God's truth. We are to deliver the message once delivered through the Holy Spirit. Jude 1:3 says, "Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints." Because the prevailing wind of false doctrine will threaten to move us from the foundation of Christ, we must contend earnestly to remain rooted on the truth of scripture. Should we pry into the misty subjective "doctrines" concerning numbers when Jesus did no such thing? Why go stumbling around in the dark when Christ has brought us such brilliant, vibrant light? The scriptures are intended to point a man to God and His glory. The devil would like nothing more than to take our focus from the Source of Life Jesus Christ.

I am on dangerous ground when I emphasize what the Bible does not! What a gross sin it would be to lead people to the rock at Meribah when we God has given us living water through the Holy Spirit without measure! God has made us fountains of living water through rebirth by the blood of Jesus, and man tries to squeeze water from stones! 2 Peter 3:10-12 says, "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. [11] Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, [12] looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?"

The Day of the Lord is not the emphasis here. The emphasis of the passage is to cause all to consider what manner of people we ought to be in holy godliness, looking for the coming day of the Lord. Since all will be dissolved, how ought we to live for God while we still have time? There are plenty of well-meaning people who would love to spend a month of Sundays explaining all the hidden truth which explains when that day will come. I am reminded of the words of Christ in Matthew 15:14: "Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch." It grieves me to see the wrestling that occurs in that ditch. I spent a good portion of my life in that ditch. But God in His mercy, pulled me from that pit! I am determined to stand clear of that ditch on the clear promises of God. It is He that has opened my eyes, and I choose to place the emphasis of my life upon Him.

The point of this post was not to "take shots" at anyone or decry a particular style of preaching. The point must be emphasized: we are to preach Christ, and Him crucified from all parts of scripture as the LORD leads. Beware of those who camp on issues not emphasized in scripture. Like a body needs healthy food to be strengthened, mature, and grow, we need the pure milk and meat of the Word to grow spiritually. If a doctrine takes your eyes from Christ, then it is not pure doctrine. All good doctrine elevates and magnifies Christ. Taste and see that the LORD, HE is good!

The Great Omission

Churches throughout the world place emphasis on teaching of the Word of God.  Modern-day sermons are vehicles to express themes that range from "God's best for you" to "Jesus loves you and has a plan for your life."  Though often sermons are the centerpiece of a Sunday morning worship service, I am amazed how infrequent God and His attributes are the centerpiece of those sermons.  If there is a cause for the disillusionment, ignorance and faithlessness of the modern church it is largely due to the shift from God to what a man can get from God.

When was the last time you heard a message that focused on God, like His perfection, justice, mercy, immutability (the fact He does not change)?  I feel the need to define immutable because it is likely you have never heard the theological term used by Holy Spirit-fired preachers of centuries past to try to describe God:  Malachi 3:6 says, "For I am the Lord, I do not change; therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob."  Take in the wonder how God does not change.  What He has said He will do, and emotions will never lead Him from His prescribed course.  He does not have opinions that waver according to His approval rating.  God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, and this will never change no matter how many people blaspheme His holy name.

I love reading the words of preachers who long ago have been ushered into eternity because of the wealth of content and description found in their writings.  Over time we have seen the English language that once soared over the mountains plunge into the gutter!  Read the Declaration of Independence, if you can follow it.  Such highly wrought sentence structure today leaves us glazed-eyed and slack-jawed!  The church is the not only place we have seen this phenomena, but we see this reduction of complexity everywhere in the world.  We have grown accustomed to it.  Classic music composed for an entire symphony has been replaced by three men in a garage with electric amplification; grand paintings and portraits that took years to complete have been replaced with Photo Shop; acting in grand halls has been replaced by youtube clips; powerful speeches like the Gettysburg address have been replaced with "Married With Children" one liner cut-downs and tweets about eating lunch.  The Meaningful has been fully eclipsed by the meaningless, which is like a mirror that brings only ourselves into focus.  We become the breadth and depth of our existence, and that is a thimble half-full compared to the ocean that cannot even begin to quantify our Maker.  As you cannot quantify eternity in years, so you cannot sum up the Divine Infinitude that is GOD with a few meager words.

Could it be possible that the church has lost sight of God?  Is it conceivable we have grown apart from Him due to fads and passing winds of doctrine?  How long have we been drifting on the current of current events?  It seems the only things that fire up the church these days is an external fire when God intends we cultivate the inner fire of the Holy Spirit.  Moral issues like abortion and gay marriage, books like The Prayer of Jabez, The DaVinci Code, conspiracies like Y2K, fads like WWJD? and the constant upheaval in economics and politics stir the hearts of most churchgoers more than God Himself!  How about we turn our eyes upon Jesus?  How about we shift our view from the temporal to the face of the Eternal?  So much of our focus is the equivalent of sparking up strange fire like Nadab and Abihu.  The hearts of many would rather pay money to seek familiar spirits with King Saul than pay the price of devotion and obedience to wait for the still small voice of the Holy Spirit.

If our church experience becomes more about people than God, it's not church.  Jesus is the Head of the body, and we live to glorify and praise Him.  God must be the center of all that we do, for it is He who works in us both to will and to do His good pleasure.  I've decided that in my preaching I need to do a better job of making God the focus.  I need to emphasize who God is by magnifying His divine infinite attributes.  There is a benefit to observation, interpretation, and application, but God must be lifted up as the centerpiece of the discourse.  A sermon must be a scaffold to elevate the low mind of man to consider the holy infinite God, and  must never be seen as the building itself.  When you know what a man is like, you know how he will act.  You cannot trust in a God you do not know.  The longer we remain ignorant of our God, the weaker our faith and witness will be.  Thousands of years ago God was worthy of all glory, honor and praise.  Because He does not change He will remain worthy for thousands of years to come, from eternity to eternity.  Let us determine to know Him better!

Think on these things!

I brought a single book besides the Bible to Australia, A Body of Divinity by Thomas Watson.  It was originally printed in 1692, and the truth it contains remains to this day.  I would like to quote a paragraph from the book concerning the wisdom of God.  It's rather long, but as a gourmet meal is not prepared in 10 seconds, deep thoughts or a spiritual nature are rarely conveyed in a sentence.

The wisdom of God wonderfully appears in the works of His providence.  Every providence has a mercy or a wonder wrapt up in it.  The wisdom of God, in His works of providence, appears.  (I.) By effecting great things by small contemptible means.  He cured the stung Israelites by a brazen serpent.  If some sovereign antidote had been used, if the balm of Gilead had been brought, there had been some likelihood of a cure; but what was there in a brazen serpent?  It was a mere image, and not applied to him that was wounded, he was to look upon it only; yet this wrought a cure.  The less probability in the instrument, the more is God's wisdom seen. (2.) The wisdom of God is seen in doing His work by that which to the eye of flesh seem quite contrary.  God intended to advance Joseph, and to make all his brethrens' sheaves bow to his sheaf.  Now, what way does He take?  First Joseph is thrown into the pit; then sold into Egypt; then after that put in prison (Gen. 39:20).  By his imprisonment God made way for his advancement.  For God to save in an ordinary way would not so much display His wisdom.  But when He goes strangely to work, and saves in that very way in which we think He will destroy, his wisdom shines forth in a most conspicuous manner.  God would make Israel victorious, and what way does He take?  He lessens Gideon's army.  'The people that are with thee are too many' (Judg. 7:2).  He reduces the army of two and thirty thousand to three hundred; and by taking away the means of victory makes Israel victorious.  God had a design to bring His people out of Egypt, and a strange course He takes to effect it.  He stirred up the hearts of the Egyptians to hate them.  'He turned their heart to hate His people' (Ps. 105:25).  The more they hated and oppressed Israel, the more God plagued the Egyptians, and the more glad they were to let Israel go (Ex. 12:33).  The Egyptians were urgent upon Israel, that they might end them out of the land in haste.  God had a mind to save Jonah when he was cast into the sea, and He let the fish swallow him up, and so brought him to the shore.  God would save Paul, and all that were in the ship with him, but the ship must break, and they all came safe to land upon the broken pieces of the ship (Acts 27:44).  In reference to the church, God often goes by contrary means, and makes the enemy do His work.  He can make a straight stroke with a crooked stick.  He has often made His church grow and flourish by persecution.  'The showers of blood have made her more fruitful,' say Julian.  Ex. 1:10: 'Come, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply.  Verse 12:  'The more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied;' like ground, the more it is harrowed the better crop it bears.  The apostles were scattered by reason of persecution, and their scattering was like that scattering of seed; they went up and down, and preached the gospel, and brought daily converts.  Paul was put in prison, and his bonds were the means of spreading the gospel (Phil. 1:12).

Consider the wisdom of God at work in your own life:  can you not see His great handiwork?  He is great and above all and uses the weak instrumentality of our flesh and the circumstances of this life to fulfill His purposes.  Rejoice in the LORD always, again I say rejoice!  The One who allows you to abound and lack will sustain you through the dry and rainy seasons alike.  The One who knows your frame also knows your feelings.  He knows your circumstances well, for it is He that ordained them.  He wants to use all things to refine and mold us into the image of Christ that He may be glorified.  Should we not glorify our God for these things?

What I did today...

Perhaps you're wondering how I'm spending my time over in OZ.  If I was staying in El Cajon with my family, it may not be quite as interesting.  People here put their pants on one leg at a time just like at home, but because it is 7,300 miles from home it garners interest!

I left San Diego at 8:50pm bound for Los Angeles and departed for Brisbane at 11:20pm.  The flight was about 13 hours and went very smoothly.  I arrived at 6:30am to find that the exchange rate had swung against the dollar severely.  In May when I handed the money changer $300 American I received $400 in Australian dollars:  this time I forked over $400 and received $412.  Unfortunately nothing is cheaper than before, but God has provided abundantly for me!

Since my arrival, I still have not been waked by the sound of my alarm.  I go to bed around 10pm or later feeling very tired and wake up at around 5am feeling very tired!  The beauty of life in AUS is coffee provided nearly all day, so there's no excuse to continue feeling tired.  The Landman family makes terrific coffee, and the teens in the house Louise and Johan informed me they have been drinking coffee since the age of two.

I started my morning with prayer and Bible reading, and at about 7am shared some "brekky" and coffee with Louis.  Brekky this morning was cereal with "full cream milk," which included prunes, strawberries, kiwi, and a mix of corn and bran flakes.  The "kiwi fruit" as they call it here looks no different but certainly has a mellow, sweet flavor unlike any kiwi I've ever eaten.

After eating we began the preparations for Joe to come over, a fellow immigrant and friend of Louis from South Africa.  Joe is a skilled electrician and Louis planned to install some canned lighting.  After laying out the lights over the kitchen area, Joe amazed me by accessing the work literally through the roof!  He removed some tiles from the roof to drill with the hole saw down through the sheetrock lid.  Louis snapped the 15 watt cans in place and the room received much needed illumination!

I spent the next hour trimming the hedges in front of the house.  Hedges are hedges wherever you are, but I had Louis take a picture just to prove that I actually did something productive here, not that you wouldn't believe me or anything.  Isn't it great that we can trim the hedge unto the LORD as well as preach?  After a minor "set-back" which involved a cord repair, things went in quick order.


After yard work and lunch Louis and I rode his scooter over to the hospital, where Louis' wife Sonja is recovering from a procedure.  While we were visiting her, we were able to meet with Phil and Linda White who brought her flowers.  It was a great to talk together, and riding onthe back of the scooter was quite memorable.  There we were, riding a scooter to "Woolies" (Woolworths) and the hospital at 80km an hour, wearing matching helmets and blue shirts.  When we stopped at an intersection, some little kids actually said hi to us, laughing in amusement.  We were quite a spectacle to be sure!

After arrival at home in the afternoon, I returned a call to Heath from Calvary Chapel in Canberra.  During our conversation I was blessed by his genuine love and support as he encouraged me to seek the LORD's will in everything I do here.  He was blessed to hear that God has put AUS on my heart, and he offered me a place to stay if God should lead me to visit.  I have no doubt that our paths with cross during this trip, and I trust that God will make the way clear.

Well, I'm off to the store to buy some fish with Louis, and I'll try my hand at some night driving on the other side of the road.  I have to hurry to be home by 7:30pm to catch the semi-final rugby match between the Brisbane Broncos and the  Melbourne Storm.  The winner will play in the final next week against the Eels.  Gotta love footy!  Be blessed in Jesus name, and continue to pray that God's will be done in earth as it is in heaven, in Australia, USA, and across the globe!

Took a little walk in the forest...

This morning I took a little walk in the woods.  Less than a stone's throw south there is an expansive forest near the home where I am staying.  The sky was a clear blue, the temperature cool, and the sun bright.  I decided it was a perfect time to do a little exploring.  I stuck to the trail and walked for half an hour, taking in the sights and sounds of the thickly wooded area.

As I walked, the song of a bird prompted me to sing a worship song, perfectly hitting the first four notes of "I want to live...to live for your pleasure.  I want to run...to run for your fame.  I want to dwell...in your house forever:  to seek your face, as you call my name, to hear you say, "Well done!"  Creation itself worships God, glorifying Him in song and activity.

Much can be learned through the call of a bird and the hurried scramble of ants over rocks and leaves.  In the words of Solomon:  Proverbs 6:6-8 says, "Go to the ant, you sluggard!  Consider her ways and be wise, [7] which, having no captain, overseer or ruler, [8] provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest."  An ant is content to be accountable to God, needing no "foreman" ant to cajole, motivate, or convince of purpose and function as part of the colony.  How wonderful it would be for us to be like ants in this manner, fulfilling our function in the Body of Christ with joy, thanksgiving, and diligence.  We should be willing to receive wisdom from God's creation as we are still before Him.


As I continued my hike through the forest, I came across a termite mound standing about three feet tall.  I stood on a stump to take a better shot of the mound constructed of mud.  I love it when I see the weak instruments like insects God uses to make things that I cannot!  Without training or classes termites made this wonderful mound of mud that has weathered rain and fire, by the look of nearby trees.  A man cannot build a lasting structure without refined materials and adequate training.  Yet termites and ants can make vast homes because of the wisdom God has placed within them.

When I think about the labor that stands before the Church of Jesus Christ in Australia, it is a daunting task and I know not where to begin.  What can a man do in his own strength for God?  The work stands before me is an impossible task which I am completely incapable to begin or complete.  But praise be to God, that the Church is Christ's Body, and He is the Head!  All those who are born again have been placed in different roles in His Body that He might be glorified.  Like the Holy Spirit instructed the persecuted disciples brought before magistrates what they should say in that exact moment, I have no doubt I will know what to do when the time comes.

Jesus says in Matthew 6:27-33:  "Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? [28] So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; [29] and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. [30] Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? [31] Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' [32] For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. [33] But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."

Ants and termites do not worry, but work.  Birds do not fret about food, for God provides even for them of His abundance.  Visas, transportation, money, food, clothing, and rent do not stand in the way of God from fulfilling His will.  Let us decide not to allow anything to stand in the way of our obedience, and take heart in the promises of our Savior.  Instead of looking to the uncertainty of the world, rest in the One who does not change, whose Word is true, and whose mercy reaches from everlasting to everlasting.

Do you need a breakthrough?

"Would it not be an encouragement to a subject, to hear his prince say to him, You will honour and please me very much, if you will go to yonder mine of gold, and dig as much gold for yourself as you can carry away?  So, for God to say, Go to the ordinances, get as much grace as you can, dig out as much salvation as you can; and the more happiness you have, the more I shall count myself glorified."

Thomas Watson, A Body of  Divinity, page 14

As I flew over the Pacific towards the coast of Brisbane, this statement was so good I had to linger for a while.  Ever had one of those moments when a text arrested your interest and chained you to the spot?  A smile spreads across the face and the heart swells up joyfully as if to shout, "This is true!  Amazing and true!"  We serve the King of kings, whose royal stores are graciously offered to all who will approach in humble faith.

In the fantasy film "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen," the Baron makes a wager with the Sultan.  The Baron proposes that he fetch a bottle of sparkling wine from over 1,000 miles away within an hour or the Sultan can cut off his head.  The Sultan accepts the wager, saying that if the Baron was able to perform this feat he would allow him to carry from his treasury as much riches as the "strongest man can carry."  The Baron was able to fulfill his end of the wager and the strongest of his companions was able to carry off all the Sultans treasure, enraging him and starting a war.

The fantastic tale ranges from ridiculous to absurd, but the point is this:  every earthy king has a limit to his riches.  There is only so much gold to be mined from the hills, and only so many precious stones lying hidden in the earth.  No man can place an "infinity" sign next to his checkbook balance.  But Christian, do you realize what God has offered you according to His infinite greatness and wealth?  Jesus says in Luke 12:32:  "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."  For those who overcome through Christ we will sit with Christ in His throne, as He has overcome and sits in His Father's throne (Rev. 3:21).  Oh, the inestimable riches of the grace of God!

What riches of grace and mercy lie undisturbed by God's people!  Because of this, we rob God of glory.  We are content to only receive from God what we can easily carry between finger and thumb, rather than loading ourselves to the full of His bounty!  We do not want to be burdened on earth by the gravity of sin, forgetting that the riches of heaven draw us toward Him.  Heavenly riches make a man's footsteps light upon this earth.  It is only a man has tasted and seen that he can adequately describe of the heavenly to the trudging hell-bound masses.  It is not that God wants us to be self-centered and full, but that we would be filled with His glory so we might be emptied!

Exodus 19:21 says, "And the Lord said to Moses, "Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to gaze at the Lord, and many of them perish."  We live in a day when we must warn the people to gaze upon the LORD because many are perishing!  In too many churches today the message is only about what God wants to do for you and how He has a plan for your life.  We worship the plan rather than the Planner!  God has already done!  Jesus said, "IT IS FINISHED!"  But too many of us have neglected to begin to enter in.  The stores of His grace, mercy, truth, love, wisdom, and knowledge lay untouched as we bumble around looking at ourselves in vanity.  Should we not turn our gaze to our God and worship Him for who He is?  God has given the Holy Spirit without measure yet we are happy to be happy.

"Go to the ordinances, get as much grace as you can, dig out as much salvation as you can; and the more happiness you have, the more I shall count myself glorified."  As a man matures from a boy to a man, His strength, vitality, and endurance increases.  Let us not be content with the spiritual riches we are able to glean today but press on to unexplored territory of the Kingdom of God.  Let us avail ourselves of the stores of our Savior's grace and abundant salvation.  May our hearts be elevated in worship, our minds focused in devotion, and our eyes fixed upon our Savior.

Everyone knows how Bill Gates, Elvis Presley, and Michael Jordan acquired their vast fortunes.  Newspaper and television reports how they have become wealthy through computers, music, and basketball.  We can take virtual tours of their homes and read of their exploits on the internet.  If only the Source of our vast spiritual fortune was known to the world:  not to the end that people would be envious or desire such fortune for themselves, but to the end they may adore and reverence the God who gives such gifts to men.  Worship the King who is glorified through the riches received by His children.  Let us break through and gaze upon our Savior, who is worthy of all glory, honor, and praise!

What needs to be "broken through" in your life that holds you back from freely gathering up the riches of the Kingdom?  Jesus has done the work:  let us enter in through Him!

God is real!

As I flew out of San Diego yesterday, I watched the city lights twinkle through the window of the small plane.  It occurred to me that it would be foolish to deny the existance of human life.  Lights in a contiunous grid pattern filled the darkened landscape below.  I could make out a small baseball diamond, an illuminated rectangular pool, and cars crept through the highway like blood cells flowing in a vein.  In the Pirate's of the Carribean ride at Disneyland I always loved the skeleton who drank the wine that could be seen flowing through the rib cage.  The L.A. traffic looked like that, shimmering far below in a continual stream.

Every window is fitted with a plastic cover that can be pulled down to block out the sight below.  In talking to a friend today, I learned the position of the Australian government is athiestic.  Let's say I told my fellow passenger, "Look at all the electric lights down there."  He promptly closes the window and says, "How can you know those are lights?"  Well, I've seen lights before, I've turned them on, I've changed bulbs, tubes, and mercury vapor and halides...I know an electric light when I see one.  In my opinion, it takes no faith whatsover to believe that I saw lights out the window the opposite direction of stars.  It takes the deductive power of a two year old child to make that simple conclusion.

I do not believe it takes any faith whatsover to believe that God exists.  I think it is even more remedial than the concept posed by Ray Comfort is all is required is to "have eyes that see and a brain that works."  A man would never come upon cave drawings or paintings and think that the clear representation of hunter and prey were the cause of millions of years of erosion and lime.  What diver would believe that a wrecked ship near a reef was the evidence of driftwood joining itself together?  No one could ever step foot into a plane believing that there was no engineering involved in the design and it is the product of random chance.  When I start thinking about how the human body forms in the womb with all bones, skin, glands, hair, organs, taste buds, bone marrow, brain, vascular, reproductive, and respiratory systems I know it is far beyond man to comprehend.

Man has learned to "harness" the power of wind, but man cannot create wind from nothing.  We can create mechanical means to fan ourselves or condition the air of a house, but we must use copper, steel, wires, coils, refrigerant, and electricity to do it.  Benjamin Franklin "discovers" electricity with his kite and key and is hailed as a hero, and Thomas Edison invents the incandesent light bulb harnessing electricity and every child at school is taught of him.  The grand irony and tragedy of all this is God, the Creator of electricity and all things, is ignored and seen as irrelevant.  Schools and governments alike try in vain to cover up every evidence of God and focus on the exploits of man who uses what God has given Him.  We worship the creature over the Creator.  All we have to do is open our eyes and God's glory is seen!

Even if every window in the airplane was shut, it wouldn't change the reality of the lights far below.  The world can make athiestic claims right until the Day of Judgment.  No system ever formed itself.  No building ever built itself.  No pastry ever baked itself.  No book ever wrote itself.  No painting ever painted itself, and no man ever made himself!  Yet there are those who say the world made itself by accident, along with the life and ecosystems in it.  I would be a fool for believing that!  The earth was made with the ability to support life God created.  Life has never come from non-life.  Anyone who thinks otherwise is no different than the alchemists of the middle ages who tried to make gold from non-gold through chemical means.  What they learned by failure we know scientifically as fact, that gold and silver are basic elements and are not reducible.

Life is the most basic element of God's handiwork.  Jesus came that we might have abundant life through Him.  Man has the ability to make beautiful things, like lights spread out like a glimmering carpet underneath the plane.  But the heavenly lights and stars that God spoke into existence have been around since the beginning of creation, and will remain long after my body turns to dust.  He is the eternal God, the mighty Creator of the heavens and earth.  He is my God, and I will shine eternally for His glory by His grace.

Safe in Brisbane!

I have arrived safely in Brisbane!  It was a great flight, smooth through customs, and the Landman family was there bright and early to pick me up.

Apparently there is a big windstorm coming up from Sydney and we are seeing the effects in Brisbane.  More to come!

Preparing a Place

As the time of my departure draws near, it has been a blessing to hear of the preparations taking place.  Today I received an e-mail from Louis that the preparations of "my room" have been completed.  I sent over a copy of my itinerary and Louis will pick me up from the Brisbane airport.  Over the last couple weeks there have been discussions concerning renting a car or scooter to aid me in transportation.  He and his wife Sonja have prepared a room with a bed, a laptop with internet access, a printer, and even a mobile phone.  I am blown away by their generosity, thoughtfulness, and care.  But this moved me to appreciate my Savior even more.

I started thinking about Elisha.  Elisha was an Old Testament prophet who was greatly used by God.  As he passed through the city of Shunem, there was a God-fearing woman who often constrained him to eat at her house.  2 Kings 4:10 records a conversation with her husband:  "Please, let us make a small upper room on the wall; and let us put a bed for him there, and a table and a chair and a lampstand; so it will be, whenever he comes to us, he can turn in there."  Knowing that Elisha was traveling and could not provide for all his necessities, God put it in the heart of the Shunamite woman to build a furnished room for Elisha.  She wanted to provide a bed so he could sleep, a table and chair for eating, a lampstand for reading or writing.  She was blessed to bless the man of God.  Her outpouring of care was not lost on Elisha and he later asked her, "What is to be done for you?"

My brothers and sisters in AUS have been thoughtful in their care for me.  As the Shunamite considered and provided for Elisha's necessities with thought for his comfort, so a place is being provided for me in AUS.  But while I will be spending a short while in the Landman house, there is a place being prepared for me in heaven by my Savior, Jesus Christ the LORD, with whom I will dwell eternally.  If a fellow pilgrim walking this earth can abundantly supply my needs in a country foreign to me, how much more my Maker!

Abraham was called out of his city to the land which God would show him.  Abraham was a pilgrim on this earth, dwelling in tents because he was looking unto a heavenly city made by God.  Hebrews 11:16 says, "But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them."  Let this verse sink into your hearts:  because Abraham desired to be where God is, God is not ashamed to be called "the God of Abraham."  Does not this bring tears of joy to your eyes and intense longing to your heart?  If you seek God, He will not be ashamed to be called your God!

The Father has prepared a city for His people, and Jesus has gone to prepare a place in that city for all who follow Him in faith.  Jesus says in John 14:2-3: "In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. [3] And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."  Who do we need more than Christ, and who knows our needs better than Christ!  Where we are going internet and mobile phones are unnecessary, beds and lamps will be useless.  The Light of the world will be our light, and the one who does not slumber nor sleep needs no bed.  How good it is to long for heaven!  We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

When Elisha was provided a room he asked, "What is to be done for you?"  We should ask the same of God, for He has prepared a place for us!  A man can do nothing for God unless God does it through him.  We have already entered into the dwelling place of the Most High God through the blood of the Lamb as we enter boldly into His throne room of grace.  We are now the temple of the Holy Spirit.  Our inheritance in Christ is to be entered into now to the degree a mortal can. 1 Cor. 15:54-57 says, "So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory."  [55] "O Death, where is your sting?  O Hades, where is your victory?"  [56] The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. [57] But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Let us enter into the abundant life found in Jesus Christ, laboring for Him.  There is no life to be found in cars, houses, mobile phones, or internet service.  Life is only found in Jesus Christ.  Have you tasted and seen that the LORD, He is good?  Oh, the wonder of His grace, that I am His and He is mine!  Let us serve Christ and others for the glory of God, for He has prepared a place for us.

Where I'll be staying God willing...

I am excited to report that I know where I will be staying when I travel to Brisbane.  The Landman family has graciously extended their hospitality to me during my visit.  Louis and Sonja invited me over to their home for a wonderful dinner with them during my previous stay.  They have two terrific kids, Louise and Johan, and I look forward to spending time together.  If you want to check out the street I'll be staying on, feel free to check out the link.  The area is indicative of much of the suburbia that is Brisbane, very picturesque and beautiful.  Please pray for the Landman family and I thank God for their sacrificial hospitality.

I had a conversation with a brother at church that reminded me that I need to explain my visa situation so you might pray towards that end.  I will be traveling on a "tourist visa," which is a one year visa that allows multiple entry but only for a three month maximum stay.  I am not allowed to do any work or make any money in AUS.  A tourist visa only makes sense in the interim because it is easily obtained and is cheap.  The trouble is I cannot afford to bring the whole family over on tourist visas and leave every three months for a couple weeks.

Another visa option is the "religious workers visa."  This is a two year visa that would cover me and my family, but I would not be able to draw any income from AUS.  There are prerequesites for obtaining this visa as well:  I would have to be brought into an established church in Queensland as a pastor.  The church would apply with Queensland to be eligible to bring in a foreign minister, and then I would have to apply with Queensland as well.  The church would have to prove that I have a skill set not available in Queensland, and that I am not taking a job away from Australians.

Then there is the independent worker.  This visa is very spendy (about $4,000 American) to pay for the application process and is no guarantee whatsoever that I will be accepted.  There are only certain trades that qualify, and I've been out of my trade (mechanical insulator) for longer than three years so I don't believe I qualify.  Once this visa is obtained, you can only work in the field that the visa specifies.  This still would not guarantee a job, provide permanent residency, and you can forget trying to become a dual-citizen without that.

You know why this pumps me up?  Because the only way I will be able to serve long-term in Australia is with the divine intervention of God!  The doors He shuts none can open, and the doors He opens none can shut!  Beaurocracy is not greater than my Savior, and all nations tremble at His voice.  No government can stand before the KING of Kings and LORD of Lords.  I rejoice in my Savior, Jesus Christ.  It's miraculous that two continents are united with people praying and supporting me and my family in this venture of faith for the glory of God.  The earth is the LORD's, and the fullness thereof.  The whole earth is filled with His glory!

Is anything too hard for our God?  He does not change, grow weary, or become faint.  If anything is too hard for your god, then your god is a pathetic farce.  My God is LORD of ALL, and nothing is too hard for Him.  He is worthy of all honor, glory, and praise.

Comfort from God

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."  - Matthew 5:4

 

As I read the prayer of Paul for the church in Ephesus in Ephesians 1:15-23, I sit astonished at how far I am from experiencing the fulfillment of Paul's prayer.  I mourn over the fact that the church has not only fallen short of God's glory, but how far we are from the will of God in this area.  Paul laments in Romans, "Oh wretched man that I am!  Who will deliver me from this body of death?" (Rom. 7:24)  The church is the Body of Christ, and Jesus is the Head.  This Body which is intended to be marked by life is little more than a comatose man with spasms.  How far we are from fulfilling God's will in His Body with the life He has graciously provided!

We must be brought to mourning for our condition before comfort will be provided.  We must repent before we are forgiven.  We must confess our blindness before our eyes will be opened.  Jesus had just given sight to to a blind man by spitting on the ground, putting the clay upon his eyes, and commanding Him to wash in the Pool of Siloam.  The man went, washed, and came back seeing.  The man worshiped Jesus, believing in Him.  The Pharisees, however, did not believe in Jesus.  They looked to their own righteousness for their salvation.  They searched the scriptures daily, believing that in them they could find eternal life.  Yet the Eternal Word stood before them, God who became flesh, and they denied His deity despite the signs and wonders He performed.  They asked Jesus, "Are we blind also?"  Jesus replied in John 9:41:  "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, 'We see.' Therefore your sin remains."  The one who was once blind came away seeing physically and spiritually, but the Pharisees remained blind.

How my heart aches for the condition of the Body!  We are like the church of Laodicea, of whom Christ said, "Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'--and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked-- [18] I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see" (Rev. 3:17-18).  We are like Judah of whom the prophet lamented in Isaiah 1:4-6: "Alas, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children who are corrupters!  They have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked to anger the Holy One of Israel, they have turned away backward. [5] Why should you be stricken again?  You will revolt more and more.  The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faints. [6] From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores; they have not been closed or bound up, or soothed with ointment."  Are not the words of Christ relevant which He spoke in Matthew 15:7-8:  "Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: [8] 'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me."

When we consider the power of Christ displayed upon earth and the lack of power evident in the church today, should we not mourn?  Who is there who will weep over the sins of God's people as Daniel, who stood in the gap interceding?  Should we not cry out to Jesus as Peter, "Depart from us, for we are sinful men, O Lord!"  As Jesus was led to Calvary He said to those who wept that they should not weep for Him, but for themselves and their children.  Luke 23:31 says, "For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?"  Jesus had just been betrayed, forsaken, and denied by those who gave their allegiance to Him.  The wood is certainly dry, and we are no better than our fathers!  God help us!  It is no wonder that Jesus is a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief.  What brings more grief to a father than a child who only brings dishonor and shame?

Those who have ears to hear, let them hear!  The stately, majestic, wonderful Head who is Christ rests upon a body stricken with untreated wounds.  We are dehydrated, our muscles are atrophied, we lie senseless in our own waste and vomit!  Is this not our condition compared to that of Christ?  How long, o Lord?  How long will you allow your holy and righteous name to be blasphemed through the disobedience of your faithless people?  God has truly done all things well, but there are none who do good, no not one.  We are a people of unclean lips that dwell among a people of unclean lips!  We are no different from Samson, a man filled with the Holy Spirit and consecrated for His service who chose to be lulled to sleep upon the knees of Delilah!

We are too quick to offer comfort in this present hour.  God does offer comfort, but to those who will mourn.  The valley of the shadow of death precedes dwelling in the house of the LORD forever.  The cross goes before eternal glory.  We must confess our blindness before God will open our eyes.  God will give to those who first ask.  We must mourn before God will comfort.  He has provided the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, who will help, guide, and teach us all things.  Cleansing from sin precedes this holy baptism.  It would be better that we refuse to be comforted than to accept a cheap emotional substitute for the work of the Spirit.  Jeremiah 31:15 says, "Thus says the Lord:  "A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her children, because they are no more."  Jesus wept over the lost sheep of Israel:  should we not weep for our sins?

I woke up this morning moved once again by Jeremiah 9:1:  "Oh, that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!"  How this verse perfectly explains the longings of my heart, only to be betrayed by my dry eyes!  I thank God for His exceedingly great and precious promises.  Those who come to Him in humble faith He will not cast out (John 6:37).  How blessed are those who mourn, for it is they who will receive true comfort.  Praise God for Philip. 4:6-7 which states, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; [7] and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

One week countdown!

Today marks one week to my departure date, and time seems to be against me!  There is much to do and time is short.  I've heard it said that "Time flies when you're having fun" but time also flies when you're working feverishly.  I'm of the opinion that "Time flies."  Like money, it certainly sprouts wings and flies away.

I bought webcams for both my laptop and Laura's desktop, which should be a blessing to aid us in communication.  There are so many little things to do that I've actually made a running list, something that I don't often have to do.  I thank God for your prayers and all the support offered by friends and family.  We appreciate it and we are happy to confess that we a regular people who know the feeling of stress and the unknown.  But God is using this time to draw us closer to Him in faith.  Without God, none of this would be possible.

I have been in communication with the fellowship in Brisbane and it is always a blessing to hear from them.  Please pray for the work there!  Lift up Phil, Linda, Louis, Sonja, and their two families for wisdom, guidance, and provision.  I would love for everyone to meet them!  What a blessing they have been to me and an encouragement as we seek to pursue God's call together.

Once I arrive in AUS, I plan to be more active on the blog and open a Facebook account to better connect.  Right now my time is stretched and I want to finish strong at Calvary Chapel El Cajon.  God has been so faithful to me:  no doubt He will continue, for His mercy endures to all generations.  When I am weak, He is strong. 

Our Heavenly Father

"Now they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed. And as they followed they were afraid. Then He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that would happen to Him: [33] "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles; [34] and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again." [35] Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, "Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask." [36] And He said to them, "What do you want Me to do for you?" [37] They said to Him, "Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory."   Mark 10:32-37

I praise God that we have a heavenly Father who knows our frame, that we are dust.  Our minds are fixed upon the temporal and we remain blind to our true needs.  Jesus told His disciples all that would befall Him in Jerusalem:  He would be betrayed, condemned, delivered to die, mocked, scourged, spit upon, and killed.  Jesus also predicted His resurrection from the dead on the third day.  Then James and John walk up to Him and say, "Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask."  Though Jesus would be crucified for the sins of the world, these men's request reveals all they were thinking about was their place in the world.

If we would be honest, we have to say that we are no different then James and John.  We want Jesus to do for us whatever we ask.  If we make a series of bad choices and are facing the consequences, we want God to make them disappear.  How much of our prayers are filled with requests for God's stamp of approval!  These prayers have nothing to do with the glory of God, but pleasure, ease, or comfort for ourselves.  Granted, God desires that we petition Him with our needs.  But often our wants become our focus.  Many people come to Jesus Christ because they have been told that He will give us peace, joy, happiness, and fulfillment.  The part about taking up the cross and willingly becoming a slave of Christ was conveniently ignored.

How many times have we asked for things that would have ruined us if God had done what we asked?  The path to Calvary passed through Gethsemane.  Jesus Himself laid down His will in the garden before He picked up the cross.  He asked that if His Father was willing to please remove this cup of suffering from Him.  But Christ concludes:  "Yet not my will, but yours be done."  That is what distinguishes Jesus from every man on earth.  He humbled Himself according to the Father's will, though being equal with God, took the form of a servant, and walked the path of the cross.  He was not praying for elevation of position or His own salvation.  He died so we might live.  Had the Father granted His request, all mankind would have perished.

One thing I love about the men of the Bible is that they are men.  Their flaws and weaknesses are not hidden from our sight.  The great men of faith like Abraham, Moses, Jacob, and David all made mistakes along the way.  During our family post-dinner Bible reading tonight, a passage caught my attention in 1 Kings 1:5-6:  "Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, "I will be king"; and he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. [6] (And his father had not rebuked him at any time by saying, "Why have you done so?" He was also very good-looking. His mother had borne him after Absalom.)"  David was a great warrior, a tremendous leader, but not the greatest dad.  He was not the stern disciplinarian one would expect.  Instead, he allowed his son Adonijah to do whatever he wanted.  Not one time did he ever question what his son did.  The fruit of this negligence of discipline in Adonijah's life was a premature death.

Now that David was old, Adonijah continued to to as he pleased.  He "exalted himself" and claimed the throne.  He had not been anointed or appointed king, but he tried to take the throne by force.  Most of us are Adonijahs at heart, wanting the throne for ourselves.  We are worthy in our own eyes and say, "I will be king."  We are like James and John approaching Jesus to say, "We want you to do for us whatever we ask."  I praise God that His Word and wisdom stops us and asks, "Why have you done so?"  God has placed the Holy Spirit in our hearts to convict of us of sin, righteousness, and judgment.  There's a country song that says, "I sometimes thank God for unanswered prayers."  What the artist means is he is thankful God did not always give him what he asked for.  God loves us too much to keep us from discipline and correction.  That's something we need but often don't ask for or appreciate. 

Proverbs 3:11-12 says, "My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor detest His correction; [12] for whom the Lord loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights."  Do you know who wrote this passage?  Solomon, son of David!  That means there is hope for us hopeless parents after all!  One of the rules of Susannah Wesley was, "Give the child nothing he cries for and only what is good for him if he ask for it politely."  (To see the full list, follow this link and scroll down to the bottom.)  The only thing worse than a spoiled child is a spoiled Christian!  We often think that we know what is good for us.  God know was is best for us because He alone is good.  Praise God that He is good, and His mercy endures to all generations!

The Cure for Disillusionment

There is always potential for disillusionment when following Jesus Christ.  When God places in the heart of a man the desire to serve others, it might become others that motivate him.  This is a prolific breeding ground for disillusionment.  One of my favorite sermons to listen to, "Ten Shekels and a Shirt" by Paris Reidhead, contains a personal example of how his mission field experience did not measure up to his expectations.

To summarize from the sermon, the preacher Paris Reidhead took a mission trip to Africa.  He had seen gruesome pictures of lepers and starving children, and heard how great the need for the Gospel was.  His heart was moved on an emotional level to go over to Africa to ease the suffering of the people.  When he arrived, however, he felt betrayed by the fact that the people knew the Gospel but loved their sin and wanted to stay in it!  Paris spoke of a time of private prayer when he practically accused God of misleading him to even go to Africa at all!  But the words of God spoke to His heart:  "I did not send you here for them.  I sent you here for Me!  Do I not deserve the reward of My suffering?"  He learned a valuable lesson the message struck home to my heart years ago:  we exist to serve and glorify God first and only.  When we begin to live a life to please men, the end will always be disillusionment.

There is a story in The Gospel of Mark where Jesus healed all the sick and delivered all the demon possessed in the town that were brought to Him.  The next morning before the sun rose, He spent time in private prayer.  The disciples found Him and Peter said, "All the people are looking for you."  The response of Jesus is amazing.  Mark 1:38 says, "But He said to them, "Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth."  Peter wanted to accommodate people, but Jesus wanted to seek and save souls that didn't even know to look for Him!  Many would have been content to be the celebrity of the town, but not Jesus.  He would not have His role reduced to that of a street performer who lived to astonish people or profit from them:  He came to save them.

If your service to Christ has made you disillusioned, hear a gentle word of exhortation:  you have likely started to focus on serving people rather than serving God!  You are trying to give out more than you have received.  A man can serve God by serving others, for man was created unto good works so people will glorify our God in heaven.  But if our focus becomes people, then we will be annoyed when they do not show adequate appreciation.  We will feel taken advantage of.  We will feel like they are not worthy of our time.  But if we serve God first and keep our eyes upon Him, we will joyfully serve others because we are doing it unto the LORD.  Isn't He worthy?  No one deserves the smallest benefit from the hand of God, not even the crumbs that fall from His table.  Thank the LORD that He is our Sustainer and the lifter of our head!

I love the fact that I am going to Australia for Jesus Christ.  I am not going because any person other than Him has asked me to go.  I am not going because I believe I possess something that believers there do not.  I am going simply because Jesus told me to.  Jesus is worthy to be praised in a time of plenty and a time of lack.  He is unchangeable and infinitely good.  Whether my health is poor or strong, regardless of the weather, financial security, or acceptance by man, God deserves the glory.  Jesus will always deserve the reward of His suffering:  redeemed souls of men made in the image of God.  Even if I lower my net for a catch and toil years without a soul, God is worthy.  If the catch is so great I must call others for assistance, God is worthy!  No one can be disillusioned by Jesus, for He is no illusion:  He is the divine Illumination, the Light of the World.  It's only through Him that I can see.

My testimony concerning AUS...

For those who are interested to hear the background on the call upon my life in Australia, I invite you to visit this link to Calvary Chapel El Cajon's website.  On Friday I shared with those in attendance how God made my call to preach in Australia clear.

What is so wonderful about our God is nothing will shift His call from our lives.  Situations can be fluid, changes seem abrupt, difficulties arise:  but the call of God remains.  When Jonah ran from the calling upon his life to preach in Nineveh he ended up in a storm, was thrown overboard, swallowed by a great fish in whose belly he remained for three days, and then was vomited out.  Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah to preach in Nineveh.  No change in calling.  Praise God that He is immutable, cannot be taught, and reigns over all!

What makes you celebrate?

I celebrated my second Labor Day in a single year with family time and a wonderful BBQ with dear friends.  In Queensland AUS, Labor Day is celebrated on May 1st.  The White family and I had a lovely outing to the Gold Coast and Mount Tambourine during my first visit to Australia.  While driving home this evening, a license plate cover caught my eye.  It simply read, "Celebrate Eggplant."  The first thing that came to mind was "ridiculous," but then I caught myself.  I started thinking about all the things we celebrate.  People celebrate national holidays, birth of children, Little League opening day and closing ceremonies (which I will do anything to avoid and to this point have been very successful), graduations, career promotions, sports championships like the Super Bowl and World Series, a strike while bowling, a ringer while playing horseshoes, or some killer guacamole and salsa.  Now eggplant has been thrown into the mix.  I celebrate food and celebrate with food as much as anyone.  I'm not going to say eggplant can't be celebrated, but it certainly doesn't make my list.

It caused me to think on the fact that there all kinds of things people celebrate which are completely insignificant in the light of eternity or compared to the glory of God. How tragic it would be for the worship of God to fall short of pure celebration.  The most important people in our lives we tend to take for granted, and God is by far the Being most taken for granted.  Even professing followers of Jesus Christ celebrate the creature rather than the Creator, the gift over the Giver.  Believer, have you celebrated your Savior Jesus Christ today?  Have you acknowledged His labor of love passionately, knowing that He shed His blood that you might be redeemed?  As I continue to think about it, I honestly have to say that I gave the terrific steak I ate today more thought than that fact that Jesus labored that I might have rest in Him.  I do not say this with any joy, but with the intention of avoiding this pitfall in the future.

As we drove on, the worship CD began to play Brenton Brown's "Everlasting God."  My focus moved from eggplant to the LORD of all creation, the Maker and Sustainer of all things.  "Our God, you reign forever, our Hope, our strong Deliverer. You are the Everlasting God, you do not faint you won't grow weary, you're the defender of the weak, you comfort those in need, you lift us up on wings like eagles."  My heart was moved to celebrate the King of Kings and magnify Him.  We can glory in our weakness for it is in our God we are strong.  We can glory in our need because our God is abundantly able to provide beyond what we can ask or even think.  If we fall short of celebrating our Savior, perhaps we don't know or appreciate Him as we ought.

Isaiah 40:28-31 says, "Have you not known?  Have you not heard?  The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary.  His understanding is unsearchable. [29] He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. [30] Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, [31] but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."  If there was ever a cause for celebration, we should celebrate God!  His ways are past finding out, and His mercy endures to all generations.  Let us not "celebrate eggplant" and leave the celebration of our Savior undone.  We would be as the Pharisees who strained out a gnat and swallowed a camel.  Let us wait upon the LORD and celebrate Him!

Isn't God great?

Tonight I had the privilege of holding forth my testimony at Calvary Chapel El Cajon.  It was wonderful to see all the smiling, expectant faces and receive the brotherly love that marks true believers.  Young and old came alike and took in the wonder of our God, a great God who is mighty to save all through Jesus Christ who come to Him in humility and faith.  My prayer is that God was glorified tonight, and that the Body of Christ was edified.  There are few things more exciting then people who are excited about what God is doing and take in active role in serving Him.

So much of our lives are spent on the sidelines.  We think about doing but procrastinate.  We leave loving words unsaid, and withhold good from whom it is due, especially concerning God.  With the NFL kicking off the season next week, millions of Americans will spend hours watching people play a game.  Bets will be taken, fantasy football will be in full swing, sports bars will be full, and kids will play pick-up games imagining they are L.T. or Phillip Rivers.  But the only games that matter in the record books are played by professionals.  No kid will go to the Pro Football Hall of Fame for throwing touchdowns on a Wednesday night.  That is reserved for the chosen few who compete on national television on Sundays and have years of continued success at the National Football League level.

There is no such thing as a professional Christian.  There is no "semi-pro" league or NCAA.  Every Christian has made the big time because we serve an infinite God.  A child can have the impact of a seasoned veteran.  Everyone's words, thoughts, actions, and attitudes add up for the glory of God or otherwise.  We have a choice if we will sit on the sidelines and watch other people sweat and sacrifice to follow Jesus and cheer them on.  Or we can choose to enter the arena, put on the armor of God through the Holy Spirit, take up our cross daily, and follow Jesus.  The battle is not reserved for the strong, for when we are weak He is strong.  Living vicariously through another Christian is a dangerous thing.  That's not life:  that is a cheap substitute that will not supply robes of righteousness by God's grace.  Because the football team you cheer for wins does not mean you have won.  No one ever entered into eternal life because they admire faith.  You must have faith in Christ received from the merciful hand of our Creator.

If you could be everywhere, know all things, and do everything without effort, why not do it all yourself?  Then it would be done exactly how you want it, right?  God does not operate like a man.  He is so great and awesome and wonderful that He commits the treasures of the Kingdom of God to wretched, lost sinners!  He calls and commissions men to serve Him on earth that His power might be revealed through these weak instruments, these earthen vessels in which He has placed His glory.  God could have committed the Gospel to righteous angelic beings, but instead He chose man.  The ways of God are past finding out, and His thoughts are so high.

May we think as highly of God as His thoughts are above us!  Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."  Only a good God could think good of a stubborn, stiff-necked people.  Lift up praise to the King of Kings, the Redeemer and Restorer of your soul!  Psalm 100 brings us to a fitting conclusion:  "Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! [2] Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing. [3] Know that the Lord, He is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. [4] Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise.  Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. [5] For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations."

Stray dog!

I was picking up trash in front of the church building today while braving the afternoon heat.  I found the usual trash:  cigarette butts, empty whiskey bottles, Burger King bags, deflated balloons, napkins, even a pink copy of a "notice to appear."  But something unusual happened as I walked along Main St.:  a black shaggy medium-sized dog trotted down the sidewalk towards me.  His tags jingled as he moved at a relatively fast clip, tongue lolling out of his mouth.  No slack in pace as he passed.  It looked like he knew where he was headed to, and no owner to be seen.  I've seen plenty of stray dogs during trips to Mexico, but along busy Main and Johnson it was the first stray I can remember seeing for a long time.

Stray dogs are easy to spot.  If only it was so easy to spot a man who has strayed from his Owner!  A dog without an owner is a stray, but every man has a Maker.  Once we are born again every man has an Owner.  Followers of Christ look to Him to satisfy our thirst with His Living Water that brings eternal life.  Many professing followers of Jesus are like that dog:  they trot with purpose, but not the purpose of the Owner.  Somehow they have been separated.  God never leaves His children alone, just like no loving parent leaves their child intentionally at the fair.  But kids are separated from their parents all the time through absentmindedness, distraction, or circumstances.

I've never had that sinking feeling of losing a child and having their name paged over the intercom.  But as the city has ways of reuniting a stray dog with his owner, as stores have ways of reuniting father and son, so God has a way of being found by His children:  His constant availability.  James 4:8 says, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded."  God wants to be found.  If you seek Him with your whole heart, you will not remain lost.  You will find Him because He will reveal Himself to you.

A good example is our huge family Easter egg hunt at my Grandpa and Grandma Henry's house.  Every year Aunt Julie, Angela, or Darla have a hand in hiding the "golden egg" in an acre of property in Ramona.  Now the golden egg makes this a hunt for adults and kids alike, seeing as it usually contains $20!  Every year the focus is on the golden egg.  Every year it is the very last egg to be found because it is hidden very well.  After about five minutes of looking, kids and adults start saying things like, "Is it still out here?" or "Which side of the yard is the golden egg on?"  The one who hid the egg will say, "It's on that half of the yard."  Everyone will move over to that side.  The egg is so well hidden that within ten minutes the search will often be narrowed to a small area until the egg is found.

My point is this:  the golden egg is found every single year!  My grandpa always tells us how every year eggs are left behind in gopher holes and in piles of grass.  But not one time has the golden egg remained because it was our chief focus.  There are some who give up and sit down, content with their finds.  But there are others who will not leave the field until the egg is found.  Likewise the one who hid the egg knows the location, and will continue to tip and assist until the egg is found.  It is the same way with our LORD, Jesus Christ!  He has revealed Himself through His Word.  There are many who will start looking for salvation but lose heart.  No one has ever found the golden egg eating BBQ on the porch, and no one has found eternal life without looking!  If we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us.  If we want eternal life through Him, we will find it because He will lead us to Himself.  He is the prize that we are seeking.

The stray that trotted past me today had tags and a collar.  He carries with him information that will reunite him with his owner.  Every human being has been created in the image of God so His mark is upon all mankind.  Unlike animals, God has breathed into man a spiritual element, a living soul.  God has given man the freedom to choose to trust in God or to reject Him.  There is certain hope for all who call upon the name of the LORD in repentance, humility, and faith!  We have no power or knowledge in ourselves to be saved, but by the grace of God we can be redeemed from the wandering path.  What a reunion occurs when a man comes to Christ!  What sweetness there is in knowing your Maker as Savior and Master, and fulfilling His purposes.  Nothing compares to the love of God.  John 3:16-17 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. [17] For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."