Marching Forth!

Last Sunday in Sydney I held forth the three things Peter said to the multitudes on the Day of Pentecost when they asked, "What shall we do?"  He said repent, be baptized (in water), and receive the promise of the Father.  It was the last exhortation that was particularly heavy upon my heart.  Jesus promised the baptism with the Holy Spirit to His disciples in Acts 1:8 :  " 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 ."  When the Holy Spirit "came upon" the believers in Jerusalem, this marked the first time the Holy Spirit was poured out in such fashion apart from Christ.  As it is written in John 3:34 :  " For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure ."  When the disciples on Pentecost received this gift of the Holy Spirit, it was accompanied by tongues and the gift of t...

On the way home from Australia, I watched the popular movie "Avatar."  It resembles closely, in a way, this current generation which finds escape through technology.  I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't seen it, but the film holds forth the concept it might be possible to move your soul from one body from another.  Instead of remaining bound in a paralyzed body, one could inhabit a new body in an alien environment.  All one must do is find this new environment, have a body made which could live in it, and the fantasy potential is endless.  Yet after the movie is over, reality is still reality.  After coming home from a two-week trip, reality waits in the form of going back to work, paying the bills which have piled up, and cooking dinner. Escaping reality has been a hobby for humans since the beginning.  Music, sports, theater, stories, gambling, sex, drugs, and alcohol are just the beginning of things which have been used by people for mi...

Laura and I spent some time in Brisbane, AUS walking through the shops at Queen's street.  There was a variety of shops which would be found in any mall in America selling clothes, electronics, shoes, games, CDs , DVDs, and beauty products.  There were many "touristy" type places, selling momentos , knick -knacks, and memorabilia with "Australia" printed on it.  As we perused the wares, there was something that caught my eye a time or two:  Newton's cradle.  This was a device Newton used to prove every action has an equal and opposite reaction.  This is the summation of Newton's second law, the law of motion.  When one ball is lifted and allowed to fall, a ball on the other side will spring into the air.  It is only friction between the balls that causes the motion not to be perpetuated indefinitely. It caused me to consider the function of the church of Jesus Christ, His Body on this earth.  Is a church supposed to "run like cloc...

Today is the third very full day Laura and I have spent in Sydney, Australia.  So far it has been a wonderful blur of a trip, and it is hard to believe we've only been here three days.  We've been meeting beautiful people, going to different places, and it's already a challenge to keep it straight.  Ross and Joan have been terrific hosts, and we've met several families from Calvary Chapel Sydney.  I would say the jetlag has been a non-issue except I find when I sit down to write my mind is blank, still feverishly processing information from the day. We've taken many pictures, visited with wildlife, taken a drive down the coast, hopped on the train and hung out at the harbour for half a day, and sampled local fare.  Within a few days we hope to share some pictures and communicate some of the memorable things we've already done.  At the moment it is difficult for me to focus on anything but tomorrow, because God-willing I will be preaching at Calvary C...

People have a tendency to attribute power to symbols.  This belief is not only held in the pagan or occult arena but is prominent in movies, decor, jewelery, and even churches.  Constantine proliferated the use of the cross as a symbol when he believed Jesus told him to place the symbol of the cross in his standard:  " In this sign, you will conquer ."  The cross is used in movies to fend off evil beings like demons or vampires, and the upside-down cross has been long used by Satanists.  Ozzy Osborne is rarely seen without an enormous crucifix hanging from his neck, common attire for all the members of Black Sabbath. My concern is people in the church might fall into this trap of giving heed to superstition and belief that actual power is contained in the cross itself.  The refrain of a popular Chris Tomlin song goes, " Mighty, awesome, wonderful, is the holy cross where the Lamb laid down His lift to lift us from the fall. Mighty is the power of the cro...

I'm not one to theorize very often, but as I read my morning passage today light dawned upon my heart.  In centuries past, many preachers tended to camp on the power, strength, and judgment of God.  Dire warnings against impenitent sinners were as common as people attending church in America even a few generations ago.  Now the primary emphasis camps upon the love, grace, and mercy of God.  Generations ago people saw God as a homicidal tyrant, justly raging against the immoral.  Today He is pictured as a kind grandpa who wouldn't ever judge a person because He has softened with mushy affections.  He cares more about our feelings than righteousness.  These views are not scriptural, and are therefore incorrect. No person in the Body of Christ today will deny that apathy is a serious issue faced by the church today.  There is a sense on entitlement which has crept into the Body, a selfishness that has bred under the surface like a cancer for decade...

I enjoy a very occasional game of golf from time to time.  I would rather be playing golf than watching it on T.V.  But when the PGA televises the Masters hosted at Augusta National in the spring, I always tune in if I can.  There is no course more historic or well-designed in my opinion, nor a course more immaculately manicured.  It seems almost every hole on the course comes with a nickname and a slice of history.  For whatever reason, the hole placements and difficulty of the course brings out the best in golfers seeking the most-coveted of all major PGA championships.  What is the prize these men compete for besides the purse money?  A green jacket.  When Phil Mickelson won his first, he admitted later he slept in the green jacket that night. Here is a snippet from a Wikipedia post concerning the green jacket:  " The green sport coat is the official attire worn by members of Augusta National while on the club grounds; each Masters winn...

For our family reading tonight after dinner, we read II Chronicles 18.  King Jehoshaphat of Judah asked King Ahab of Israel to inquire of the LORD before a battle at Ramoth-Gilead.  King Ahab had 400 "prophets" who were "yes" men.  They always encouraged the king to do whatever he wanted.  When Jehoshaphat heard these men speak he said, "Isn't there a real prophet of God we could speak to?"  These men had props to illustrate their points, and were all in agreement.  Could they possibly all be wrong?  King Jehoshaphat was a godly king who sought the LORD and delighted to walk in His ways.  He recognized they operated according to another spirit - a lying spirit who the true prophet Micaiah later revealed. I admire men like Micaiah.  He was told by King Ahab's messenger in so many words, "Alright Micaiah.  All the prophets - and I mean all 400 of them - are all in agreement and speak well of the king's plans.  Why can't you just agr...

In exactly a week's time, God willing Laura and I will be boarding a plane in the San Diego commuter terminal for Los Angeles.  After a short wait, a non-stop 14 hour flight to Sydney awaits us.  When I consider the short trip Laura and I are taking, the wise words of James 4:13-15 ring in my mind:  " Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit"; [14] whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. [15] Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that ."  I do not know what tomorrow holds, but if the LORD wills we shall embark on trip to Australia according to the will of God. Proverbs 16:9 says, " A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps ."  God has the ultimate say for the future of my family and me.  Laur...

While I was working through the list of repairs I agreed to perform on my house before escrow closes on April 13th, I thought about all the time, effort, and money I poured into the house since the day Laura and I bought it.  Little was left undone:  both bathrooms and kitchen gutted and replaced, all new flooring, lighting, doors, some windows, retaining walls, fences, cabinets, driveway, electrical service change, on and on. The thought occurred to me:  how much richer a man would I be if I had invested such time and energy pursuing relationships with people?  Where would I be now if I had used those tens of thousands of dollars and countless hours blessing others in the name of Jesus?  It's ironic, but the financial gain from that house will assist our family to embrace the call God has placed upon our lives to serve Him in Australia.  It is hard to pour so much into a home and sell it, just like it is hard to lay down a ministry when it is fulfilled....

Yesterday our family headed off to Singing Hills for a service for Aunt Lynn, who recently passed into eternal rest.  It was well-attended, and all enjoyed the celebration of her life.  After the service, I surveyed a number of grave markers in the cemetery.  The bronze markers were engraved plates on granite slabs, spread out evenly in the wind-swept grass field.  There are now six members of my family on my dad's side laid to rest in that field.  I walked slowly, reading the names of other people I had never met.  Every name was accompanied by dates like blank front and back book covers, and I felt like I was missing the body of each novel.  A name and a date cannot define a life.  It is what a person does that counts. All those grave markers indicated people who will never "do" anything on earth again.  Their time for living a life worth remembering on earth has passed.  Psalm 103:13-16 " As a father pities his children, so the Lor...

I am convinced that if man could see with his physical eyes the damage to Satan's kingdom and the increase of God's power upon this earth due to Holy Spirit-led prayer, he would never cease to pray.  In fact, such a man could not imagine a moment without prayer.  Prayer would be his hobby and most passionate pursuit.  He would go without food, without sleep, deprive himself of worldly pursuits and pleasures, only to beseech the God of heaven.  He would see strongholds toppled, chains broken, souls saved from hell, and God's great pleasure in his obedience. But God is wise to only allow such sight when we look with eyes of faith.  If we could see the spiritual arena as Elisha, it is probable we would be lifted up with pride and think God depends upon us to do everything.  Instead of submissive humility driving us to our knees, it would be arrogance and pride.  Do you know when I know my prayers are getting through to God?  When the enemy begins h...