Marching Forth!

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...

There are a lot of positive things to say about Sunday School for kids.  For parents, however, there is a hidden danger.  Decades ago it was not uncommon for kids to attend the same service as their parents.  This gave parents an opportunity to explain thoroughly what had been preached and apply it personally to the lives of their children.  Frankly I do not know the exact history of what has brought us to the current system of kids having their own separate classes with activities, crafts, and snack apart from convenience.  As much as children have benefited from having a class geared to their level of understanding, teachers have also grown through the preparation and prayer for children and services.  This is good.  But I believe parents should live as if their kids never went to church at all.  Allow me to explain. Sunday School attendance has the power to subversively deceive parents into thinking their children are being taught the Word o...

I'm preparing a Bible study for Tuesday night, and I was deeply challenged by the introduction.  I find that God must challenge me first so I can properly convey the truth of His Word to others.  Hopefully it is an exhortation you too will find profitable! Can man ever appreciate God enough? Our appreciation is limited by our awareness. An infant which is practically blind and without understanding has hardly the capacity to appreciate all the parents have done for his survival and growth. What pains a pregnant mother takes in eating food and dietary supplements which promote heath, and abstains from drink and activities which could do harm. What of the purchase of clothes, buying a crib, a safety seat for the car, cleaning wipes, diapers, ointments, and the arranging of a nursery? The child realizes none of this. The baby cries when he is hungry, feels the stab of a gas pain, or when he is held in the arms of a stranger. But appreciation? This the child in his immaturity c...

Last night I went with John and Tina Graves to the house of Paul and Christina for a Thanksgiving meal and celebration.  2010 will mark the second time in five years the I will spend the American holiday of Thanksgiving outside of the U.S.  It was fun to watch a downloaded football game ("gridiron" in AUS) and sit around the table with friends new and old.  No one cooks a Thanksgiving meal like my dad or grandpa, but it was delicious just the same. No matter where I am or what I eat, I can give thanks to the same God.  Celebrating a holiday is so different from house to house, especially from country to country!  The more and more I experience in Australia, the more I am struck by differences.  When I woke up this morning, I did the washing (laundry) and hung it outside to dry.  I vacuumed the pool, read my Bible, played with the dog, and tried to figure out why my computer keeps crashing when I watch streaming video.  Just the daily morning rou...

I was driving down the street today and observed a church sign which read:  " Jesus came to earth to make peace with us ."  Interesting, I thought, because I couldn't disagree more.  Jesus did not come to earth to make peace with men:  He came to earth so men could have peace with God.  There's a big difference.  God did nothing to separate or ostracize mankind from Him, nor did He declare war on man at any time.  It is man who rebelled and sinned against God!  It is man who declared in the Garden of Eden that he would not submit to the rule, authority, or commands of God.  It is man who wars against God, not God with man.  If that was the case, the battle would have been over long ago!  And contrary to the opinion of some, God would have won! Because of Christ's sacrifice on the cross, through faith we are forgiven and His righteousness is imputed to our account.  Romans 5:1-2 reads:  " Therefore, having been justified...

" And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God ... " Ephesians 6:17 As I read this scripture yesterday, a powerful realization come to mind.  If the Word of God is the sword of the Spirit, than it is the implement He uses to do His searching work.  When we remove the Word of God from preaching or evangelism, it renders Him without His weapon!  Think of this in terms of warfare:  take away the pilot's jet and he is grounded; remove the gun from the sniper's hands and he is neutralized.  If we desire the power of the Holy Spirit to impact the hearts, minds, and lives of others, we are fools to substitute clever sayings or logical postulates for the Word of God.   We unknowingly play the hypocrite when we ask God's Spirit to move and neglect the use of His Word. Hebrews 4:12 reads, " For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, a...

In preparing for preaching this Sunday, I have been struck by the critical importance to use of God's Word in sharing the Gospel and prayer.  Before he was filled with the Holy Spirit, I cannot immediately recall a single time when Peter quoted from scripture.  Yet during Peter's sermon on the Day of Pentecost, when he preached to the people after the lame beggar was healed at the temple, when he addressed the religious leaders while on trial, and in prayer afterward he quoted scripture!  The Holy Spirit not only brought passages to remembrance, but caused the disciples to rightly divide the Word of truth.  They were able to bring the truth of God's Word upon any situation with the accuracy of a skilled sniper.  It was the Spirit who caused their words to engage and persuade hearts with power.  When they prayed God answered, and the earth quaked as God moved in power among them to boldly proclaim His Word. Consider this quote from R.A. Torrey's book How t...

A man stared into the clouds as they morphed into puffy shapes overhead.  The air was damp and heavy.  Thunder could be heard afar off as an occasional raindrop the size of a grape whizzed and smacked the ground.  The stored heat in the asphalt from the sun evaporated the spot in moments, though the aroma of summer rain continued to grow.  The man knew God was up above.  He stood transfixed in the middle of the street, trying to see a break in the clouds. "There is a dark cloud over this country, Father," the man said slowly.  "There is also a cloud over your church.  We struggle to see.  I know you can part the seas...won't you part the clouds that hang over my soul as well?" The clouds continued to billow and change.  Sometimes a spot of blue shone brightly through the where the clouds were wispy thin.  There was no thunder, no crack of lightning.  Only the sound of the wind in the trees and pattering of rain could be heard....

After church yesterday, a family took me down to "Sculpture By the Sea" at Bondi.  We ate fish and chips on the wind-swept knoll overlooking the water.  The sun was shining and the exhibition was "chockers" (full, packed) as we slowly shuffled down the path from Bondi beach to Tamarama.  I learned that every cove is a specific beach and is a different suburb. Like most art exhibits, some displays were more impressive than others.  I'm pretty sure most of the time I don't "get" art.  I appreciate the skill, craftsmanship, and creativity these artists pour into their craft.  Some of the displays were large, others intricate, some labor intensive, and then there were ones just to shake your head at:  what the heck is that supposed to be or represent?  That is the product of six-month's work and ten thousands of dollars?  Only humans can waste their time so well. But there is at least one thing in common between the "struggling artist...

On Wednesday Mark and I visited the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.  I uploaded some of the pictures to my flickr account which can be accessed by following the link on the right panel of the blog.  In addition to a tranquil place of memorial, there is a museum which houses many replicas and actual uniforms, weapons, medals, planes, and stories from primarily the first and second world wars.  Although primarily Australian in focus, there is a unique international flair.  There are not only Australian relics, but many articles from Italian, German, and Japanese forces.  It emphasized the world-wide scale of the war and how great the impact was on all people. As I perused weapons designed for maximum destruction of humans, armor, and equipment, I could not think of war in any romantic terms.  War is a terrible necessity sometimes brought upon a country or group of people.  It is a great tragedy that war comes at the immense cost of human life....

When I saw this shirt, I almost immediately asked for a picture of it.  When Nathan traveled up to Sydney, he bought this shirt from a Muslim salesmen at Paddy's Market.  There are an interesting mix of messages on display. Is Jesus coming?  He has already come as a servant, a Savior who came to seek and save the lost.  After His resurrection, Christ ascended up to heaven where He remains at the right hand of the Father.  But scripture teaches us He will come again, this time as a conquering King.  Jesus says in Revelation 22:12, " And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work ."  Christians welcome the return of Christ because He will set up His rule upon this earth.  Those who reject Christ and refuse to repent for their sin will face the fierce wrath of God for eternity.  If they actually believed this, they would shake at the prospect of Christ's return. The part of the shirt whi...

"Now Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; so the children of Israel heeded him, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses." Deuteronomy 34:9 Leadership is a quality rarely understood according to the context of scripture.  People sometimes think to be a good leader one must be a visionary, be filled with confidence in his abilities, and in short be the best and brightest.  This is not true according to the biblical model.  In the Bible, the greatest leaders were always followers:  they followed God, and He gave them the wisdom and authority to fulfill their role as leaders. A quick glance over the men who gained great power in the world were men who did not follow God.  They saw their rule as absolute, and their chief tactic to deal with opposition was systematic elimination.  Men like Hitler, Pol Pot, and Stalin were particularly brutal and violent towards all who could be considered a threat. ...