Marching Forth!

One grave misconception which has remained largely unchecked in the modern church is that ministry is to be primarily accomplished through professionals.  Instead of ministering to the needs directly that we see, the temptation is to refer people to the professionals.  For instance, let's say someone is struggling with their marriage.  Mature believers filled with the Holy Spirit and the wisdom of God will without any thought encourage that person to call the church office so they can seek counsel from the pastor.  Here was an opportunity to minister lost by someone qualified and equipped by God to do so.  Is the pastor of the local church gifted and experienced?  Sure.  But we will no doubt answer to God for all the times we pawned off opportunities on others God intended for us to fulfill. Here is an interesting passage from Love, Acceptance, and Forgiveness by Cook and Baldwin from a pastoral perspective: "Since it's not my church and I don't ...

There are few books I have read which are as poetic, expansive, and thrilling as His Part and Ours by J. Sidlow Baxter.  To meet a man who knows of God is common:  to peer into the heart of a man who knows God is a rare privilege.  Here is a passage which should cause the heart of every follower of Christ to be enraptured with appreciation and love for our Savior: "My Beloved is mine, and I am His" - this is a complete union.  The bridegroom and the bride have given themselves fully to each other.  Christ has given Himself fully to His mystic bride.  Christ is mine in all His offices and capacities - in His incarnation, in His teaching, in His redeeming, in His resurrection life, in His exaltation, in His second advent and the glory of His coming reign, yea, and in all the blessedness of His eternal glory!  He is altogether mine .  O the wonder of it!  My heart, what of thy present response to all this?  Truly thou art Christ's by ...

There is beauty in a body functioning at a high level.  It is amazing to see the abilities of an athlete on display, whether it be an Olympic diver, a NFL running back, or a cheer captain.  There is control, poise, and grace that most do not naturally posses.  It takes years of practice and refinement to condition a human body to operate perfectly in sync with the mind.  Coaches know exactly what to do, but are typically unable to combine their knowledge with the raw talent required to be world-class athlete.  There is a big difference between knowing what to do and perfect execution of that knowledge. It is interesting that when a person is born again of the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ, this person becomes part of His Body.  Paul says in Ephes. 4:15-16 :  "... speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ-- [16] from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, acc...

Among Christian leaders today, there are few books save the Bible that have been more influential or universally appreciated than Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders.  Years ago I read the book and was not impressed.  I am horrified to say that until quite recently I have misjudged Sanders.  Why?  It is because the book I read was not actually written by J. Oswald Sanders.  Was his name on the cover?  Yes.  But I admit that I am indignant of the wretched (my opinion) paraphrase that has been attributed to him by the editors at Moody Press.  The second revision, which are all copies printed after 1994, is a " line-by-line revision ."  Why they thought it necessary to butcher the latest edition in the process, I will never know.  What I do know is that this revision is a shadow of what J. Oswald Sanders actually wrote.  The original and first revision by Sanders are powerful, inspired, and dynamic. You be the judge.  Her...

I've been working nights this week, and the hours are exceptional to wreak havoc on my daily schedule and writing routine!  I'm looking forward to the weekend when I can spend time with the family.  It's been nice to see Laura a bit during the day, but I have not seen my kid's faces since Monday.  In a word, LAME. I was encouraged yesterday during my morning devotional time.  I'm in the book of Deuteronomy, and it ranks high among my personal favorites.  Deuteronomy 2:7 reads, "For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hand. He knows your trudging through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing ."  Here are the initial impressions God placed upon my heart: This is not presumption, for God knows His people.  He can say, "Thou hast lacked nothing" because He provided for every need all along the way, never skipping a day.  He does not say, "That's good eno...

" It was one of the immeasurable evils which the Roman Catholic Church inflicted on Christendom, that it held constantly before the eyes of the Church the exhausted, suffering, agonized form of Christ on the Cross - fastened the thought and imagination of Christian men on the extremity of His mortal weakness - and so deprived them of the animation and the courage inspired by the knowledge that He is now on the throne of the Eternal.  A similar loss may be inflicted on ourselves if our thoughts are imprisoned within the limits of the earthly life of Christ, and if we do not exult in His resurrection and in His constant presence in the Church.  The historic Christ is the Object of memory; the present, the living Christ, is the Object of faith, the Source of power, the Inspiration of love, the Author of salvation.  Christ must be infinitely more than an august and pathetic tradition to us.  He is the Contemporary of all generations ." - R. W. Dale , His Part and Ours b...

We have a family routine after eating dinner.  Like my family did when I was growing up, we read a portion of scripture from the Bible.  As we read Psalm 2 today, God gave me fresh insight to that familiar passage. The first three verses read like this:  " Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? [2] The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, [3] "Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us ."  This is the exact thing man has been doing since Adam's fall into sin:  man continues to rebel against the righteous commands of God.  It used to make news when the 10 Commandments were removed from justice halls, schools, and war memorials.  Not anymore. With each passing day, the government and culture of every nation seems to drift further and further from Biblical values.  This "drift" is more like an intentional departure!...

" Then Job answered the Lord and said: [2] "I know that You can do everything, and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. [3] You asked, 'Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?'  Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. [4] Listen, please, and let me speak; You said, 'I will question you, and you shall answer Me.' [5] "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You. [6] Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes ." Job 42:1-6   Once a man sees God in truth, his condition becomes a brutal reality.  Job justified himself until God spoke.  When God began to speak, Job had nothing to say.  And after Job heard God and saw Him in His majestic glory, he humbled himself:  " Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes ."  It was only after Isaiah saw the LORD high and lifted up that he said, "Woe is me!  I am undone...

There is an interesting story behind this tree growing behind our church building.  Near the walls of the structure of Calvary Chapel El Cajon there are many potted trees, and this used to be one of them.  It was over a year ago when this particular tree fell over in the pot due to saturation from rain.  The concrete pot remained firm on the ground, but the weight of the tree caused it to tip.  For about a week it lay horizontal, the root-ball partially exposed. The falling of the tree coincided with my very first trip to Australia in April of 2009.  Since the tree didn't die immediately, the church staff figured we would try to save the tree.  The assistant pastor and I began a morning hacking the tree from the pot.  At most we were able to salvage half of the root system.  We dug a hole, planted the tree, lashed it to the fence, and waited to see if our efforts would be rewarded.  We had concluded an early morning prayer meeting when a br...

We all deal with trying circumstances, and this is no accident.  God allows us to face trials and difficulties which are a means to mold our character and build faith in Him.  In reading "His Part and Ours" by J. Sidlow Baxter I have been very blessed by his clear insight.  Because of the trials I have faced and the certain struggles which lie ahead, here is a part I especially enjoyed:   "His grace is sufficient for thee!  For thee - not just for this present trial of yours, but for you yourself, making you equal to all the trials that come.  See here the Divine method with us.  God does not pledge Himself to be ever altering our circumstances and removing our burdens in answer to our prayers.  Our truest blessings often come through the things that seem most grievous to us.  If God were always leveling down our circumstances to our spiritual condition we should waste away with spiritual dry-rot.  It would be with us as it was with th...

When I first visited Calvary Chapel Sydney in November of 2009, I never for a moment entertained the idea that I would be someday invited to serve as pastor there.  It would have been presumptuous, to say the least.  Most people don't take unemployed youth pastors very seriously!  I had resigned from my position as youth pastor in September to pursue the call of God to preach and pastor in Australia and left for a two-month stint.  Of all the places I visited, Sydney seemed the least likely.  I remember going to bed the first night and praying, "LORD, I'm really not comfortable here.  I don't know why.  The people are hospitable, friendly, and welcoming...I can't explain it."  There was oppression from the start.  But God lifted the dread which lay heavy upon me and I thoroughly enjoyed my stay. Laura and I took a 10 day trip to Sydney and a few days in Brisbane in March of 2010.  This time I had been encouraged to come from a friend a...

Today was the first day of flag football practice for our boys.  I brought a book to read ( The Reformed Pastor by Richard Baxter) at Abel's practice at Hillside Recreation Center and came upon an amazing passage.  As I looked above the green of the turf and the rushing of cars down Fletcher Parkway, soft clouds billowed overhead.  As I read it was as if a bright shaft of light illuminated a thought never considered before.  The portion I read was this:  " And I must tell you that, as it must be the great work of God's grace to give you such a heart, so if ever he mean to pardon and save you, he will make this change upon you; he will make you feel your sin as the heaviest burden in the world, as that which is most odious in itself, and hath rendered you liable to his wrath and curse; he will make you see that you are a lost man, and that there is nothing for you but everlasting damnation, unless you are pardoned by the blood of Christ, and sanctified by his Sp...

I'm reading a book written centuries ago from a English pastor to fellow pastors, encouraging and exhorting them to undertake their calling as overseers in the Body of Christ with rigor and dedication.  Two of his strongest exhortations (of which I am in agreement with) are sorely lacking in the model the modern-day church fellowships model:  "catechizing" by the pastor (personal instruction of the congregation) and biblical church discipline.  Though much as changed since 1656, it is amazing how people and their great need for Jesus have remained the same!  Following are paragraphs containing some of Baxter's observations and comments upon reformation.  These words were no doubt as true in his day as ours. " How long have we talked of reformation, how much have we said and done for it in general, and how deeply and devoutly have we vowed if for our own parts; and, after all this, how shamefully have we neglected it, and neglect it to this day!  We carry...

I have heard people say there are questions we ask of God which reveal a lack of faith.  Only God knows.  I have been asking a lot of questions lately.  The more we struggle or suffer, the more cause we have to ask God about how all this works together in His plan.  When difficulties persist, the only way to persevere is to rest upon the truth and strength of God.  Those who live according to their own understanding are like King Saul, whom when the battle pressed against him he chose to fall upon his own sword and end his life.  Any question humbly asked of God will not cause our rejection by Him.  There is no question off-limits for the contrite seeker, for God has made all things.  He is aware of our deep longings, fear, confusion, anger, or uncertainty.  It would be better for us to confess everything we know is wrong with us than to quietly ignore our sins and weakness. Is it a question spawned by lack of faith when we ask God, "Why is...

" He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name. [5] Great is our Lord, and mighty in power His understanding is infinite ." Psalm 147:4-5   I've been thinking about the magnificence of our God, the Creator of all things.  God has made amazing things on earth, but His glory and grandeur displayed in the heavens is beyond words.  A song comes to mind:  " My God is so big, so strong, and so mighty.  There's nothing my God cannot do ."  The earth is a pretty big place compared to us.  Flying about 7,300 miles from Sydney, Australia to Los Angeles, California takes about 12 hours.  The airbus I have flown averages around 600 miles per hour.  But how does that speed compare to the speed of light?  The speed of light (a constant) is 186,000 miles per SECOND, or about 700 million miles per hour.  Because our galaxy and space is such a gargantuan place (much too small a word!) a mile is so insignificant we would have to us...