Isaiah 14:24

The LORD of hosts has sworn:
“As I have planned,
so shall it be,
and as I have purposed,
so shall it stand,

Father, help me to trust in Your sovereignty and goodness. As You have planned, so shall it satnd. Got, I trust that all things are in Your hand and that You will do that which you have set out to do. Father, help me to take comfort in the reality that our plans are lower than your plans, and that Your will is lower than our will, and that in the end, Your plan is the plan that will be accomplished.

As I hear all these things concerning my own future at church, and although I desire and want to stay and become the English Pastor, I need to keep my own pride in check, and continue to trust that God’s ways are higher and greater than my ways.

Firm in Faith

Isaiah 7:9b – If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all

If I do not care to take time to nurture my faith and to allow it to grow firm in Jesus Christ, I will have nothing to stand upon. I need to be firm in the belief that Christ has given mel I need to stand.

What this does not mean is that I am supposed to throw away all doubt and to dive head-long as if what Christ told me were true, but to spend ample time with Him so that I will be able to hear His voice clearly, and my courage and conviction would be rooted in the spoken word of Christ through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

The question that I need to ask myself is this:: Am I firm in my faith in regards to Christ’s word for our church? Am I sure that this is the direction that He is leading us? Is this where He desires us to tread? Is there a task higher than pursuing Him with our whole selves (discipleship) and to plead for the Holy Spirit to take possession of us (prayer). Is there a higher and greater commission than holiness, expressed in faithful obedience?

The answer, I am convinced, is no. There is no higher calling for hte Christian than to know the One who saved us. I need to pursue Him in prayer daily for daily strength and guidance, in order to remain firm, and to ask for how this play sitself out operationally.

Father, please grant me 8580 men and women to labour alongside, that we may together do your work, glorifying You, and supporting one another. (<- refer to Numbers 4 post for context)

Heroes at drinking wine…

Isaiah 5:22 – Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine, and valiant men in mixing strong drink.

How many of us excel in having fun? I was incredibly rebuked because our culture prides these people and these skills (not bartending and how much alcohol we can pack back, but rather, our ability to play, whether i be video games, or how well we dance… etc).

I’m saddened by my own propensity to take pride in my own ability to have fun, and often times, these abilities are the ones that cause me to be disobedient. Whether I am valuing my ability to be good at fantasy sports, or be good at video games, these are things that not only detract me from being obedient to God, but they also serve to detract others as well.

Sharing the Load

Numbers 4:48-49 – those listed were 8580. According to the commandment of the LORD through Moses they were listed, each one with his task of serving or carrying. Thus they were listed by him, as the LORD commanded Moses

Being very rebellious, I tend to gloss over certain sections of Scripture that I don’t find as interesting (genealogies and lists) and I glossed over this chapter not really thnking that I would get much out of this portion of Scripture, but when I got to the end, God graciously revealed this passage to me and forced me to stop and consider what I had just read…

The task of taking down and carrying the tabernacle required 8580… or at the very least, this was the number of people that were assigned to do the task. Now in all honesty, I don’t think it took this many people to do it (It’s a big tent, but not that big), but reading into the situation, I think that this was purposeful so that these people were able to share the load (and not carry it alone). Also, they took their instruction from Moses, who took his instruction from the LORD. And so there is a great chain of command going on here, where God is the Lead Pastor, who directs the pastor of the church, who directs his congregation, who shares teh burden amongst each other, in order that no one man burns out.

This is a great reminder for me as a pastor and as a church-goer to participate in sharing the load, for the sake of my obedience (they were commanded to), as well as for the sake of my brother (an effect of my obedience).

To my Sunday School Class

Hey all,

Thank you for the awesome Sunday School class we had. Just in case I don’t make it abundantly clear, I love teaching this class. It’s actually one of my favourite times of the week (on par with preaching and working out!). And I’m especially grateful when you’re attentive and are engaged in the material.

As a review:
We’re talking about repentance and more specifically, how the Holy Spirit moves us to obey God. Even more specifically, we’re talking about how the Holy Spirit causes us to read the Bible.

We talked about how the Holy Spirit transforms our desires and makes us WANT to know Jesus Christ more. Those who are saved are compelled to read the Bible because the Bible is where God has promised to speak to us.

The Holy Spirit also softens our conscience, and allows us to recognize that it is right to read the Bible, and that it is wrong for us to neglect our relationship with Jesus Christ.

That was all review. The purpose of this post s to talk about how the Holy Spirit convicts us to read our Bibles, what His conviction feels like, and the result that His conviction ought to produce.

1. The Holy Spirit convicts, but does not condemn.
Romans 8:1 – There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

The Holy Spirit will convict us, but He will never condemn us. If you feel as if you’re being pushed to read your Bible (or obey in any way shape or form) out of guilt, that is not the Holy Spirit. Sometimes you will hear voices in your head that go something along the lines of: “you’re not reading your Bible, you’re a terrible Christian. How can God love you? How do you think He can love someone that doesn’t read His Word? You better go read it now, or else He won’t bless you.” That’s not the Holy Spirit, that’s Satan disguised as the Spirit trying to guilt you into obeying, and thus robbing you of the joy in obedience. If you listen to this voice, thinking that this is God, your obedience will be joy-less. You will constantly feel guilty when you skip a devotional, and because we don’t really like feeling guilty, we’ll eventually just stop obeying.

Rather, the conviction of the Holy Spirit is sweet. He does not compel us by guilt, but by grace; He convicts us with the Gospel. When He speaks, you will hear something along the lines of: “Hey, I know it’s been a while, but I desire for you to hear My voice. I want you to know Me. I want you to experience the joy that comes from knowing Me. I know that you enjoy (fill in the blank), but just wait until you actually take a moment and rest in My word and My presence… I will give rest for your soul. I will fill you. I want to do these thing. I don’t want you to miss the grace that I have won for you on the cross.” The conviction of the Holy Spirit is sweet, and not driven with guilt.

2. The Holy Spirit does not want you to be clean before you come to Christ, but to come to Him so that you can be made clean.

Matthew 11:28 – Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

When Jesus is referring to those who are heavy-laden, He is referring to those who feel heavy with thier sin and do not know how to return to God. One of the biggest reasons I hear for people not spending time with God is because there is an overwhelming sense of dirtiness/guilt/sin in their lives and they feel as if they have sinned to greatly to go back to God and to read their Bibles. And so, they feel as if they cannot go back to God just yet. And they wait until they’re “clean” enough (either by obeying more rules, avoiding certain sins), and then they feel that they are adequate to go back to God.

The Holy Spirit will never say, “You’re not clean enough to read your Bible. You’ve sinned too much today. Why are you even coming to me? You’re not worthy to stand in My presence. Go clean yourself.” God will never say that to you. That is Satan trying to keep you away from God, while at the same time, trying to cultivate a spirit of guilt (again, refer to the first point), which will cause us to run from God instead of run towards Him.

Instead, God will say, “I know you’re a screw-up that screws up. I know you’re a sinner and that you’re prone to sin. That’s why I died on the cross for you. The cross is the proof that I know you’re a sinner, and that I WANT you to come to Me so that you can be clean. Come to me. Open My word so I can talk to you and tell you how much I desire you.”

I only want to give you two points because the major idea is that I want us to understand the a lot of what we think is the Holy Spirit is actually Satan trying to guilt us by pointing out our sin and short-comings, and as we know, guilt does not cause us to want to read our Bibles but rather, it makes us resent God for giving us the burden of obedience. The Holy Spirit does not guilt us, but propels us to read the Bible (and obey) by drawing our eyes to Jesus, the One who died on a cross because He so cherished you and desired for you to know Him.

And so this week, read your Bibles =). As well, be attentive to the voices in your heart. If you hear the voice that guilts you, rebuke it in the name of Jesus, claiming the Gospel as your firm foundation, that Christ has already died for you, and that you need not prove your righteousness by reading your Bible. Rather, proclaim that you are a sinner saved by grace alone, and that you will read your Bible because it is the word of the living God, who so cherishes you and wants to know You that He gave Himself for you. Ask the Holy Spirit to grant you a desire for the Bible but granting you a desire for Christ.

Our foundation for obedience is a love for Christ. I love what Erica said when she said that she reads the Bible because she wants to know Jesus. I couldn’t have said it better, and so I won’t.

Read your Bibles friends =)

Blessed is the one who is not offended by me

Matthew 11:4
And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preaached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

Hearing Pastor Matt Chandler speak on this passage has profoundly changed the way I looked at the last bit of this sentence. Jesus was quoting Isaiah 29:18; 35:5-6, both referring to the activity of the Messiah. And so, Jesus was saying, “Yes, I am the one that you have been waiting for.” And this should be cause for celebration, but for John’s disciples, the ending is not a jubilant one. In quoting the two passages out of Isaiah, Jesus conveniently left out the last part of the sentence, “and the captives will be set free.” Translation: “Yes, I am the Messiah, but John is going to remain in prison.” And then, as they were walking away, Jesus adds, “Blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” And so to put it all together, Jesus is saying, “Yes, I’m the Messiah and yes, I am the one who has the power and ability to set you free from prison, but I will not, and you will die there. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

And in the midst of my present situation (admittedly not nearly the same gravity as John the Baptist’s), this passage serves as a good reminder that Jesus is God and that I am not. Jesus is the Messiah, He is the one who has come to redeem mankind and to save us from our sin and has called us to live a new life. This is who Jesus is. He didn’t come to serve me, He came so that I could serve and obey Him. It’s not His job to wait on my beckoning call, regardless of how noble I think my calling is. Jesus will act according to His purposes (which are too great for me to know and comprehend), and my role is to not only acknowledge that He is higher than me, but to not be offended by His will, especially when it opposes mine, even if His will is costly for me.

Right now, the cost of following Jesus is heartache and hard work. I strive to make the Gospel known in the lives of my congregants and the teens that have been entrusted to me, but all of my efforst seem to be in vain. Many still do not believe, and the number of workers are few. And it is my will that they be saved IMMEDIATELY! However, this is not God’s will of decree (for now at least). And a large portion of my job is to continue to praise and worship Jesus Christ in the midst of His “no,” to trust in His greater “yes” for our church and for me, and to not be offended by Him.

And the blessing that comes from worshipping Jesus Christ as God comes in Matt 11:28-30: Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me,for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

This passage speaks of all those who will trust in Jesus Christ for salvation. All who trust that Jesus Christ is the answer (not good works) for salvation (present and future) will be given rest for their weary souls. The moment that I realize that my salvation and my worship is not how many people are saved under my care, but rather, whether I have been faithful in exalting Jesus Christ in my life, the burden of pastoring becomes signficantly lighter.

Again, my job is to be faithful to Jesus. His role is to save. He is the Good Shepherd and I need to grow in my trust that He is ultimately good and desires the best for our church.

Called to Mission

Matthew 10:7-8 – And proclaim as ou go, saying, “They Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Heal the sick, rasie the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.

My call as a Christian is to participate in Christ’s call for my life. Salvatino from the penalty of my sin is not the end of the story. None of the Gospels end with Jesus dying, but with Him rising from the grave and calling us to join Him (Acts 1:8). And so, my life cannot be wasted simply waiting for Jesus to return, but my life is to be spent working and to, through the Holy Spirit who possesses me, usher in the Kingdom of God through proclamation and intentional discipleship. My job is to respond to Jesus’ call in my life. My job is not to convert…

Matthew 10:14-15 – And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.”

If they do not receive the message, it is their fault. It is not our burden to bear if they do not receive Christ. Their blindness cannot be overcome by even the best witness. Rather, our job is to proclaim and to actively work on their behalf. God will be gracious to those whom He desires to be gracious towards. Furthermore, those who reject Him will experience the fullness of the wrath to come.

This is a barrier that I struggle with, because I’m so used to my actions producing a result (If I study hard, I will pass. If I work out, I will grow stronger). What I struggle with is the fact that I evangelize, preach, teach the Bible, and there seems to be little change in the lives of my friends, family and congregation. And when there is no life change, I feel like I have failed them, and furthermore, I feel as if I’ve failed God. I feel like I’m not meant to be a preacher or a teacher, or even a boyfriend/husband/father. I feel that if I cannot help them grow, then I am the one who is failing. However, the word of God speaks differently about the issue. My call is to proclaim and to accompany my proclamation with good works. My call is not to convert. Only God saves. And yes, on one level, I can constantly refine my skills and relate to them better, but my sanity rests on the belief that my faithfulness does not translate towards the salvation and sanctification of others.

Matthew 10:24-25 – “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the discile to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household?”

On another note… Jesus tells us that we will be rejected, and furthermore, we will be persecuted. If I am faithful to my calling as a minister, I will experience rejection and heartache, and perhaps someday maybe even violence. However, Jesus reminds me that if I do face heartbreak and rejection, then I’m only following in His footsteps. This is depressing but encouraging at the same time (I don’t really know how to take this passage sometimes). However, in the times where I am rejected, I need to take heart that Jesus had it worse, and that He is my great and sympathetic High Priest who not only comforts and consoles me, but gives me hope for my tomorrow. Jesus’ words ultimately did not return to him void, and neither will mine, provided I am preaching the word of God (Isaiah 55:11).

Matthew 10:42 – And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is my disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.

And lastly, as an encouragement to me, Jesus says that no work that I do will go unnoticed or unrewarded. In my current season of busy-ness, I need to hold onto all of these truths: that Christ’s call is for me to proclaim and to disciple (not to convert), that suffering and rejection will be a norm, and that there is a reward awaiting me in heaven, namely, Jesus Christ.

“Whom have I in heaven but You Jesus. And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. Though my flesh and my heart may fail, but You are the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

Healing

Matthew 9:2b… And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; you sins are forgiven.”

Every time I read the account of this healing I’m deeply encouraged by the far reaches of our minute and small faith. Not only can our faith save us, but when we act in faith on the behalf of others, Jesus mayh also extend healing to that person. I beleive that this isa nice, loose connection towards intercession, where we are, in faith, standing in the gap for our freinds and family.

This is incredibly encouraging for me because I know that if I act in faith, that the results are not only limited to my own sanctification, but if He wills, there can also be salvation/renewel in the lives of others. After reflecting on this, this adds a gravity to my actions as well. Not only will my actions be used by God, but my omission will prevent me from experiencing the grace of God (both in my own edification and sanctification, but also in witnessing God work through me to affect and heal others.

I think there is a further connection to verses 35-38, where Jesus speaks of the vastness of the harvest, but the sparseness of the labourers. In the end, I need to know that I have been called to be a worker to be used by God in the harvest. All of this cannot cause me to be arrogant, because I am only preparing the way of the Lord, and not lord. I am being used by God, not because I’m amazing, but because God desires to work in me, to cause me to love Him and to know Him deeper as well. In this way, I am called to be both a worker and an enjoyer of Jesus Christ.