Marching Forth!

Too many of us Christians lament our lack of opportunity to impact the world for Christ.  By "opportunity" we mean an obvious, fool-proof plan laid out start to finish with no chance of failure.  My friends, this will never exist!  People who are wise in investments make their own opportunities.  While everyone else is reeling, scared to invest, and waiting for "something to happen," successful entrepreneurs manage to create a booming market!  After companies see the success they do their best to follow the formula, usually without success.  They didn't see the opportunity while it remained an option.  Should we choose inaction when we have the Holy Spirit of God?  Christians, there will be no easy opportunities.  Our flesh will resist stepping out in faith.  Satan will try to deceive us to justify why the time isn't right.  The whole world is under the sway of the devil, and we have a message contrary to the world!  We can be ...

" Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession ." Psalm 2:8 Last night I attended a home group where this verse was read by pastor Mark Walsh.  The context is God speaking prophetically to Jesus, His Anointed One.  Psalm 2:7 reads, " I will declare the decree: the LORD has said to Me, 'You are My Son, today I have begotten You ."   The Father gives the Son an invitation to ask for His inheritance and later promises all will be subject to Him:  Psalm 2:9 says, " You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel ."  A day will come when Jesus Christ will set up His kingdom upon earth and will rule in righteousness.  The earth and all that is in it is Christ's for the asking.  Jesus has affirmed, " All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth ." Most of us have been exposed to the idea of heavenly reward or inheritan...

Yesterday the LORD gave me great comfort through a living illustration.  Whenever I put on shoes in the Tooke's home in the morning, Poncho (the family dog) whimpers and shakes with excited anticipation.  He has learned that when shoes go on the feet, it means he will be going on a walk.  I put on my shoes yesterday morning and it cracks me up how excited Poncho becomes at the prospect of a walk.  So not wanting to disappoint him, I picked up his lead (leash for the Americans in our audience) and walked out the door. After about 10 minutes of jogging and a couple of potty breaks, Poncho began to resist the lead more and more.  As I carefully observed him, he was favoring his left foreleg.  For the past couple of weeks I have seen him more than once favor that leg.  "I'm sorry, Poncho," I told him.  "We'll take it easy, alright?"  Unfortunately for both of us, we happened to be at the lowest point of elevation in our run!  After a minut...

Moving can be a moving experience.  The nature of the process reveals to us what we really think is important.  It strips away the veneer of all we have taken for granted.  Perhaps for the first time we see our priorities aren't where we thought they were.  A baby doesn't care where he is as long as he can cuddle with his silk blanket.  Sometimes the presence of mom is enough to comfort.  Once we grow older we still do not outgrow this attachment to things.  It is natural to base our security in what we can hold in our hands.  In reality, this is security found in ourselves. This process cannot be performed until we resign ourselves, our things, family, friends, and future to Jesus Christ.  Perhaps some foster a false "romantic" view that following Jesus comes at no cost of things, relationships, or comforts.  Will God provide for our needs?  Certainly.  Isn't it true that anyone who leaves family for the sake of the Gospel ...

What self-deceptions we are willing to employ to justify refusal of submission to God!  How far we will wander from obedience because we are too proud to repent.  We say, "I will not commit because I know I cannot.  I am unable to perfectly keep my word."  So out of pride we fashion a pious cloak to cover our rebellion.  "God would not have me agree to something I cannot do."  But can a man do anything perfectly before God?  You cannot do anything for God!  We are powerless to do the first works, much less be fruitful, progress in sanctification, or even cease a single sin unless God helps us.  It begins with faith in Him and agreement with God.  Then we must commit to give no place to the devil, walk in obedience, and continually humble ourselves before Him.  No wonder pride in all its forms and disguises is abominable before God! While struggling with a particular sin years ago, I remember in church when the hymn "I Surrender Al...

"First, all preaching should be practical.  The proper end of all doctrine is practice.   Anything brought forward as doctrine, which cannot be made use of as practical, is not preaching the Gospel.  There is none of that sort of preaching in the Bible.  That is all practical.  "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:  that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Tim. 3:16-17).  A vast deal of preaching in the present day, as well as in past ages, is called doctrinal as opposed to practical preaching.  The very idea of making this distinction is a device of the devil.  And a more abominable device Satan himself never devised.  You sometimes hear certain men talk a wonderful deal about the necessity of "indoctrinating the people."  By which they mean something different from practical preaching; te...

It's not often when an object lesson literally jumps into your lap.  While reading today Poncho, the Tooke's dog, did something he has never done before.  He came up very close to the chair I was sitting in, stared at me with his tail wagging, and suddenly jumped into my lap.  Before I could put what I was reading on the table beside me, he had settled down in a comfortable position.  Poncho is a medium-sized dog (poodle/cocker mix) that weighs around 50lbs, likely not the ideal size of a lap dog!  As I stroked his coat Ross remarked, "Now there's the ultimate in acceptance.  He's found a friend."  Poncho proved his acceptance of me by his actions. As I sat with Poncho spread across me, there was a deep sense of pleasure in this display of confidence and trust.  Unfortunately today the word "pleasure" tends to have a sexual connotation, but this was nothing of the sort.  If Poncho suspected I would injure or hurt him he would refuse even to...

I have spent the last few days driving around town, familiarising (Aussie spelling!) myself with the local roads.  It's been great to visit with people from the congregation, share great food, and have the freedom to travel without requesting a lift!  The car shown is a Lancer the church has provided for my transport and has been a blessing. A huge key to my successful navigation of Sydney roads is me not having to navigate them alone!  The Tookes have been kind to loan me their G.P.S. and what a great help it has been.  It prompts me in advance for turns, warns me of the abundant red-light and speed cameras, and monitors my speed.  The function I like most of all is when I make a wrong turn or have to detour because of road work it automatically adjusts the route to my destination.  It is also encouraging there are multitudes of ways to arrive at any destination.  The question is:  how long do I want it to take? One aspect of the TomTom I app...

I awoke this morning to the sound of strong gusts of wind which scratched branches across the tile roof.  The trees swished in unison as the breeze fluttered the leaves, almost like the noise of running water.  It reminded me of the words of Jesus in John 3:8:   " The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit ."  God employs no wind generator to make the breeze blow, just like He needs no wave machine to control the tides.  The sound of the wind and the visible effects are obvious, but the source and substance of wind remains unseen. Jesus compares wind to the Holy Spirit and His influence on the life of a Christian.  While a tree is forced to move due to the power of the wind which overcomes the pull of gravity, the Holy Spirit will not make a man do anything.  God doesn't just want to move our limbs but our thoughts, attitudes, and desire...

" And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life ." Matthew 19:29 This is a remarkable verse, especially poignant for those who have left all to follow Jesus.  As true as it remains for the foreign missionary, it rings just a true for the man who never physically leaves his house or country.  When a person decides to follow Jesus, he must leave all.  Nothing in his life is to have precedence or influence above his LORD and Savior.  The allurements of riches, personal ambition or goals, pursuits of pleasure, and all which competes with loyalty and love for Christ must be put away. We do not leave all to follow Christ for the purpose of receiving a reward.  If this is our motivation we can know for certain we are moved by selfishness rather than love.  By responding in the flesh we forfeit the hundredfold which t...

This week at Calvary Chapel El Cajon we finished the last chapter in the Bible, Revelation 22.  I compared the bottom of the final page of scripture with my wife's Bible.  Though hers was blank, mine read "THE END."  I like that.  There is nothing to add to the Word of God.  There will be no divine inspiration that is to be written down and added to the text of my Bible.  It is not an ever-expanding volume conditional on the passing whims of men. But does the final chapter of my Bible mark the last of God's word to mankind?  Certainly not!  God still speaks to us with His still, small voice.  Jesus makes this clear in John 16:12-14: " I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He...

I recently watched the "new" Robin Hood movie directed by Ridley Scott starring Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett.  Though it started with promise, in my opinion it ended in complete disarray.  For those of you who have not yet watched the film and hope to, you might want to skip the next couple paragraphs because I will no doubt spoil it for you.  For others I am only saving you the trouble of having high hopes dashed!  Robin Hood is a well-known character in English folklore who "robbed from the rich and gave to the poor."  This movie was a departure from that character.  It seemed like Scott didn't know whether to have Russell Crowe return to his role in Gladiator or impersonate Mel Gibson in Braveheart.  But what really bothered me was how Maid Marion was depicted in the latter part of the film.  It seemed she was directed to channel Éowyn from Lord of the Rings swinging a sword and riding into battle accompanied by chain-mail clad Friar Tuck!...

After price watching for seemingly weeks on end, I have purchased tickets with United Airlines to fly to Sydney, Australia. We will drive up to Carlsbad, fly up to Los Angeles, and begin the non-stop trip into Sydney.  Sitting on a plane for 14 hours is not great, but it certainly beats a four week voyage through the Pacific!  I plan to return on December 14th, and I will remain in San Diego for the Christmas holiday.  Then we'll pack up the family and make the big leap together, trusting God will provide our necessities concerning the religious workers visa and everything else. Laura went to a Pastor's Wives Retreat this week and God has continued to lead her in the direction of homeschooling the boys, at least at the start.  This will not only save some money but will also ease the culture-shock of transition.  My schedule will likely provide opportunities for me to assist as well.  Again, we find ourselves in the familiar position of knowing one more d...

I recently bought a re-print of a book written by Nathaniel Dwight (first published around 1840) called The Lives of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence .  An interesting story with a spiritual application garnered my attention as I read through.  This passage can be found on page 8 of the reprint: When General Whipple set out to join the army, he took with him for his waiting servant a colored man named Prince, one whom he had imported from Africa many years before.  He was a slave whom his master highly valued.  As he advanced in his journey, he said to Prince, "If we should be called into an engagement with the enemy, I expect you will behave like a man of courage, and fight like a brave soldier for your country."  Prince feelingly replied, "Sir, I have no inducement to fight, I have no country while I am a slave.  If I had my freedom, I would endeavor to defend it to the last drop of my blood."  The reply of Prince produced the effect o...

" Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much ." James 5:16 Recently I saw this scripture in a fresh light.  How does the James passage unite with the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:23-24:   " Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, [24] leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift ."  Perhaps my brother has something against me because I have wronged him!  If that is the case, it is my brother to whom I ought to confess my trespass.  Confession to God alone is sometimes not enough. Is God able to absolve my guilt by the blood of Jesus Christ?  Absolutely.  But simply confessing my sin before God it does not clear me from confessing my faults to those I have wronged.  There is an int...

"And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statutes which I command you today for your good?" Deuteronomy 10:12-13   I wonder if people understand that God has requirements of His people.  If God grants five talents to a man, at his hand He will require them.  See how many times the word "LORD" appears in the Deuteronomy passage!  This is the word used for the "self-existent and eternal" God.  If you are a Christian, than God must be your LORD.  A good servant always does the will of his master, even as Jesus always did the will of His Father in heaven.  Does a father require things of his children?  Yes.  Would a master who purchased a slave with his own blood expect obedience from that slave?  Certainly.  Y...

God is faithful to not only establish His word, but also confirms it along the way.  This epic walk of faith in Christ forces us to focus on Him alone, not being distracted by all the unknown.  When this vision to serve Christ in Australia began in 2005, I did not know how, when, or where it would happen.  I only knew God had called us and He would make it happen in His time.  This last week has been a great blessing to me and Laura as we see God doing things behind the scenes and fulfilling His purposes in us right now. A week ago today, I resigned from my job in construction.  I wanted to have at least a week or two to prepare and spend time with family before I head off to Sydney for two months.  My first inclination was to purchase a departing ticket between October 4th-6th (Mon.-Wed.).  But I simply did not feel led to buy a ticket.  The prices were fluctuating greatly and I didn't feel certain it was the right time.  Early this week L...