Marching Forth!

One of the biggest hindrances a Christian faces in evangelism is himself.  We have a way of becoming self-focused when answering the call to reveal Jesus to the world through our lives.  A common extreme is to become so regimented on a process that we forget to show real love to the people Jesus died to save.  Another common issue is we are so concerned about our lack of knowledge or other perceived insufficiency we refuse to even try! As I waited in a Starbucks to meet with a friend today, I was struck by the vast differences of the people inside.  There was a policeman with a holstered gun, a man working on his computer, a man with painted nails and a purple purse, a couple of ladies walked in fresh from a workout, and a job interview was being conducted in the corner.  I considered our different personalities, lifestyles, and occupations, and I wondered what I could possible have in common with all these people.  I looked again at the man ...

Has someone ever asked you an unexpected question?  On Christmas Eve my great-grandma, affectionately known as "Mama Pachita," asked me such a question.  To this point, her question usually has been, "Mijo, why don't you speak Spanish?"  As I knelt by her chair to give her a hug she bluntly asked, "Why do you have to go so far?  What if you are gone when I die?"  She struggled to cope with the idea that I would be moving from San Diego to Sydney across the Pacific ocean about 8,500 miles away.  This is not a question I could answer.  I quipped that she had lived a long life until this point, and I didn't think that would soon change.  Though still in great health, the thought of me being gone when she passed away disturbed her.  As I lay down to pray and sleep that night, her question remained in my mind. I suppose I don't consider the ramifications of my own death that often.  I have taken responsible steps to provide for my family th...

As I went to sleep last night, a very simple thought came to me.  Wouldn't it be great if now and always God's people were faithful to share the love of Jesus with everyone?  A lot of the time we think of evangelism as going to people we've never seen before we tracts or having an outreach at the beach.  How great it would be to actively walk in the love of Christ every day!  He gave Himself completely, the greatest gift of all! Romans 10:13-15 reads, " For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. 14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good thing s!"   How will people know of the love of Jesus firsthand except God reveal it through His pe...

" I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. 11 For as the earth brings forth its bud, as the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations ." Isaiah 61:10-11   What God has promised He is able to perform.  Our intellect can get in the way of trusting the Word of the LORD.  When my children were in preschool, they learned how plants grow from seeds.  They wrapped dried beans in a wet paper towel sealed in a Ziploc bag.  After placing the bag in a sunny spot, with childlike enthusiasm they couldn't wait until the first tender shoots peeked out from those seemingly dead, dry beans.  When we grow plants from seeds as adults, we c...

Sometimes in reading the Bible I come across verses that shatter my misconceptions I didn't know I had!  I read Proverbs 24:15-16 which states, " Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; do not plunder his resting place; 16 for a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again, but the wicked shall fall by calamity ."  Both the wicked and the righteous will fall into sin, for they live in a body of flesh.  The difference between them is the righteous will rise again and again, while the wicked will fall and be unable to rise.  The wicked have no resting place under the oppressive weight of their guilt and sin before God, while the righteous are those who rest in the forgiveness offered through the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ. We might think that a righteous person is one who no longer sins, while in actuality those who are righteous are those whose sins are forgiven.  There is none righteous, not one is righteous in his...

" Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: you will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 14 "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" 15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has...

For all of those who envision God as a soft old man similar to a cross between Santa Claus and a benevolent Genie, I am here to set things straight.  There is no fitting comparison found on earth for God.  Yes, God is full of love, compassion, and mercy.  But that does not make Him soft or manipulated by the whims of men.  The God I serve, the God who shed His own blood for my sins, is more fierce in His love, justice, and grace than we could imagine.  The same God who says, "My peace I give unto you" is the same God who says this in Psalm 50:22-23:  " Now consider this, you who forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver: 23 whoever offers praise glorifies Me; and to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God ."  Now there's a verse we don't hear read too often! As much as I appreciate and love every aspect of God's character (and perhaps because I am a man!) I really love to read of the awesome po...

When I played piano as a youth, one of my favorite Christmas songs to play was "The Little Drummer Boy."  The last time I sang this song, my emotions were profoundly moved to a point I could hardly sing.  Perhaps for all those years the truth of the message was hidden among the multitude of "pa rum pum pum pums!"  It is a classic carol but also a timeless truth.  As ridiculous as it seems that a boy would be encouraged to play on his drum as a gift for baby Jesus, how much more ridiculous is it that the praises of our lips would be received by Him!  Are the words of my lips as pure as the love of the Little Drummer Boy, who gave all he had to give?  Here is the message of the carol written by Katherine K. Davis, Henry Onorati, and Harry Simeone  below: Come they told me A new born King to see, Our finest gifts we bring To lay before the King  So to honor Him When we come. Little Baby I am a poor boy too I have no gift to bring That's f...

I have been mulling over a portion I read yesterday during my devotional time.  Judges 8:10-11 reads, " Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of all the hosts of the children of the east: for there fell an hundred and twenty thousand men that drew sword. 11 And Gideon went up by the way of them that dwelt in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and smote the host: for the host was secure ."  To set the scene, God gave Gideon and his 300 men a miraculous victory over the Midianite army where 120,000 died.  The remaining 15,000 men and kings Zebah and Zalmunna fled with Gideon and the 300 in hot pursuit.  Though Gideon and the 300 were weary, they killed all who remained of the Midianite army and took captive their kings. The part of the scripture which leapt off the page was the final statement:  Gideon " ...smote the host:  for the host was secure. "  These 15,000 felt...

With less than 48 hours remaining in Australia this trip, I am amazed to think about all that has happened in that time.  My schedule has been fairly rigorous of late, and yesterday is a great example.  I visited a property and picked up a rental application in the morning, had lunch with some mates, went for caroling practice, then headed off to the Beecroft Nursing home to sing to folks, played gridiron at the park with guys from church, then went to the church building for a dinner gathering!  It was 11pm before I hitched a ride with Ian back to the Tookes and let's just say, Sunday morning came EARLY!  If you are keen to hear the message I preached today called "Dry Bone to New Life", follow this link !  (Right click and save to desktop - then play!) Yesterday I was so happy to be able to sing carols with people from Calvary Epping and CC Sydney to the residents at the nursing home, a place I have jogged past for the last two months praying for an opportu...

A big problem with leadership in the church today are the perceptions of it either by leaders or congregants.  Since the formation of the church men have been drawn to follow men.  This is nothing new.  The children of Israel wanted a king so they could be like the other nations.  I have heard it said that a pastor cannot lead a man further than he has traveled himself in spiritual maturity.  I agree to a point.  A pastor's role is to lead a man to follow Christ, take heed to all the flock of God, and equip the saints for the work of the ministry.  IF you follow the pastor, you willingly limit yourself to your leader.  God has placed pastors within the Body of Christ that they might point to Christ the Messiah as John the Baptist did.  As a pastor, my role is to lead by example in following Christ, not by making myself the standard, but serving as a fellow-laborer still growing in maturity.  Even Paul said in Philippians 3:12 :  " N...

" You shall not see your brother's ox or his sheep going astray, and hide yourself from them; you shall certainly bring them back to your brother ."   Deuteronomy 22:1-2     Our natural tendency is to avoid involving ourselves in other people's business.  Just like the story of the Good Samaritan, when we see trouble our instincts tell us to pass on the other side.  The Priest and Levite would have known Deuteronomy 22:4 which read, " You shall not see your brother's donkey or his ox fall down along the road, and hide yourself from them; you shall surely help him lift them up again ."  While they obeyed the letter of the Law, they ignored the implications of the Law.  A man is certainly of more value than a donkey or ox!   There is this perception in many Christians that the role of correction or confrontation of sin falls only to the pastor.  This is not true!  As children of God, we all have the freedom and responsibility to seek to re...

We have an amazing capacity to complicate what God has made simple.  Take the call of God, for instance.  There are certain things every believer is called to do without exception:  abide in the Vine, share the Gospel, to teach new believers, pray without ceasing, to love one another as Christ loves us, and to live for the glory of God to name a few.  What often trips people up is defining their personal role in the Body of Christ.  Because the clouds have not parted with a beam of light, no lightning has struck their path, or the risen LORD has not appeared to them in a vision, they waffle and remain uncertain concerning what they are to do.  And most often, unfortunately, use their freedom in Christ to do little or nothing. One of the roles most neglected in the Body of Christ is the teaching of children.  I was told early in ministry that "10% of the people in church do 90% of the work," and there is much evidence to support this.  This may o...

" And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose ."   Romans 8:28 There are few verses as loaded as this to blast our doubts concerning the sovereignty of God.   Countless books have been written on the subject, and more sermons preached besides.  Because of the prolific and often flippant use of this scripture, we can be numb to the reality of the promise contained within.  It is one thing to quote this verse:  do we actually believe it is true? The Bible teaches us that we do not see things as God sees.  We are limited in sight.  We cannot see the good in a 20-year-old man who lost limbs in war and is now confined to a chair.  We mourn with those who suffer debilitating illness, and shake our heads over the pain of separation of parents as they bury their only child.  There are many things we can see no good in, and frankly there is no good in them.  Deat...

" So the LORD was with Judah. And they drove out the mountaineers, but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the lowland, because they had chariots of iron . " Judges 1:19   This verse is intriguing because it points to man's failure in spite of God's power, authority, and sovereignty.   Are chariots too hard for God to destroy?  The LORD was with Judah but they remained incapable of complete victory over their enemies.  God made the wheels of the Egyptian chariots fall off as their army pursued Israel through the Red. Sea.  God made Sisera's 900 chariots as nothing and killed every man of his army with the sword.  Joshua told the children of Joseph to drive out the Canaanites, but the people complained that their enemies had chariots of iron.  Joshua 17:18 reads, " ... but the mountain country shall be yours. Although it is wooded, you shall cut it down, and its farthest extent shall be yours; for you shall drive out the Canaanites, though the...

In Romans 7:13 Paul says that God's commands make sin appear "exceedingly sinful."  The law is not often emphasized today because Christ has instituted the New Covenant in His blood.  We can be insulated from the severity of sin as offense towards God because we do not have to physically pay for our sins with the blood of animals or our own.  It is important that we look at each sin specifically, not in generalities.  In this way we bring attention to specific sins and through God's power put each to death without mercy.  We cannot "deal" with our sins.  We might as well deal with axe murderers and serial rapists! There are patterns we fall into when thinking of sin.  We compare ourselves with others and "grade" on a curve.  If we seem more upright than someone else, we do not see ourselves as being in sin.  In school we are happy with an "A" grade, even though the range is from 90 to 100%.  God's justice demands complete perfection...

I have been reading Jerry Bridge's classic, The Pursuit of Holiness .  It is a mix of education, edification, and exhortation bound together to encourage believers to fulfill our responsibility to walk in holiness before God and men.  The book contains a little formula which sums up my convictions very well in the way we define sin personally, sins not clearly described in scripture.  We have likely all struggled whether a certain attitude, thought, or action was sinful.  So often we find that even though something is not sinful in itself, that harmless thing for one person can be a enslaving idol to another.  Until we are convinced we are in sin we likely will not cease from sinning!  How can we tell right from wrong?  God does not leave us to our own philosophy or opinions, but clearly lays guidelines before us to follow as led by the Holy Spirit. On page 91 of the book (which I recommend purchasing and reading entirely yourself!), four questions a...

To the chief musician, by the sons of Korah " God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; 3  though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah " Psalm 46:1-3 It is easy to lose proper perspective in this life when faced with troubling circumstances.  Like Peter who took his eyes off Jesus as he began to sink on the Sea of Galilee, we too can be overwhelmed by the difficulties which surround us.  Illness, depression, politics, relationships, anything and everything can cause us to lose heart.  But I love this passage in Psalm 46 because it brings us back to the right outlook.  God is our refuge no matter what!  Even if the earth is removed and the mountains cast into the sea, even if huge tsunamis devastate the coasts and earthquakes ravage the land, God remains ou...

I remember my dad reading from Norman Rockwell's Christmas Book when I was a kid.  One of the stories in the book is called "Christmas Every Day" by William Dean Howells.  A man tells his daughter a story about a little girl who wished every day was Christmas.  To her initial surprise and delight, her wish became true.  But it was not long before she was so tired of everything having to do with celebrating Christmas - the packages, food, and activities - that she wished it would never be Christmas again!  Everyone was sick from eating candy, turkeys were so scarce hummingbirds were being used as substitutes, people lost their tempers from the stress, and everyone was dirt poor.  The moral of the story is the conclusion that Christmas is very special because it is one day a year, and that is enough.  It is possible to have "too much a good thing." As a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, it is possible to appreciate and thank God for Christ's comi...

Small things can make a big difference.  When baking bread, cakes, or cookies, a small omission of salt or baking powder will make a tremendous impact on the outcome.  All the ingredients work together with the heat of the oven to rise properly and form the correct consistency.  One little teaspoon of salt missing from the batter can have disastrous results! Little words in the English language have great power.  Take the word "all," for instance.  In three letters everything can be lumped together.  Every person in the world, every rock in the universe, every star in the heavens, every molecule and atom are included in "all" things.  Another huge word is "if" when used in a conditional sense.  Galatians 6:9 reads, " And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart ."  The immediate context of the passage is teaching the principle of sowing and reaping:  if we sow to the flesh we will...

" And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." 5 Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful ." Revelation 21:3-5 The context for this passage is a time when God will create new heavens and a new earth because the first passed away.  The Bible teaches us that a day is coming when He will dissolve this world and all the works and sin within it.  All who have rejected Christ will face eternal damnation, and all those who have repented of their sins will spend eternity with God in the new heavens and earth He creates.  Because of sin, ...

Last night me and two mates took the red-eye from Perth to Sydney following the weekend conference at Calvary Chapel Albany.  We all were blessed by messages and testimonies from pastors Raul Ries and Bill Welsh, as well as from Ryan Ries of The Whosoevers .  The common qualities between these men are a genuine love of God, compassion, and a contrite spirit.  Whether they shared passages from scripture or detailed events of their lives, the power of Jesus Christ to save and deliver was central.  Being grounded and obedient to the Word of God was another uniting point of every discussion. I was not only able to spend quality time with my traveling buddies Ian and Paul, but also met a lot of great people like Russ, Bruce, Luke, Bryan, and many more.  The more I travel around Australia the more I am struck by the fact we serve the same God.  We come from different backgrounds with different accents and roles in the Body of Christ, but we love and honor the s...

No matter what our standards are, life will force upon us a barrage of choices.  We will be forced to decide if we will have that fifth cookie, what movie we will watch, whether we should pay extra on the mortgage this month, or if diet Dr. Pepper actually tastes like regular Dr. Pepper.  As parents we not only have to make decisions about our lifestyle, but we must set boundaries for our kids.  Some parents make well-defined boundaries, and others let their children live as they please.  Boundaries to some are no different than a bubble!  Due to hurts they may have experienced as children, many parents work hard to protect their children from every potential worldly influence.  Boundaries are important.  But it is possible to make boundaries so restrictive for the child to be stripped of the decision making process when it comes to morality.  When "obey" or "disobey" are the only decisions to be made, when real choices present themselves many tee...