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Thursday, August 21, 2008

Great Worship

Hillsong This is Our God. Integrity Music (c) 2008
Hillsong just released a new album this past week that is incredible! I always am looking for and enjoy good worship music. This was an album that was recorded live in March. There are some very powerful songs on this CD. Be sure to check out Stronger, Healer, Same Power, and With Everything. This is a powerful collection of God honoring praises and it would serve you well to join in the praise! Hope you enjoy even a fraction of as much as me.

I'm Off to Visit My African Buddies


AFRICA
Tomorrow afternoon I will be flying out from Chicago Ohare International Airport along with my girlfriend Ashley and my mom, on a short term missions trip. We will be doing several things while there but the big things we will be doing is conducting a Vacation Bible School for some younger students (1st and 2nd grade). Our theme is BIGGER. God is bigger than the slum. He is bigger than their difficult situations. We will do two weeks of morning camps at two different schools. In the afternoons we will conduct interviews with students to try to help the mission assess what has happened since the election turmoil in January. If you are unaware, the Kenyan elections went poorly and made the nation turn against itself. There were many tribal conflicts and the slum that we work in was partially burned down. This put many of our students into an even harder situation than they were before. So now it is the work of several people from First Love Kenya to figure out what is happening with the students. We will partner with them in their endeavours.
For more info on First Love's ministry please visit:
We will also get to work with the Christian Union (highschool midweek youthgroup). I have preached a couple times before at their youth group and I am looking forward to another couple chances to be with them.
So, we are excited and would love it if you joined us in prayer for the nation of Kenya. I will try to fill you in as much as I can but Internet is spotty and unpredictable there. When I return I will be sure to post pictures online. I love you guys. Thank you for your support and encouragement.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

The Living Church

The Living Church: Convictions of a Lifelong Pastor by John Stott

This is an excellent book! As you might already know I am very intrigued by the Church. I love her, and I believe in her, and I serve her, and I am honest enough to acknowledge that she has flaws, and I care enough to try to fix them. So, I really enjoy a voice like Stott's speaking up about her. John Stott is an 87 year old pastor in London. He has written many works and has been a part of the ministry for almost 60 years!?! I admire the work he is doing now in what he calls the "major world" as he teaches and encourages young pastors in the global growing Christian church through the Langham Partnership.
http://www.langhampartnership.org/

This book from start to finish is filed with priceless wisdom. Stott has clearly thought through the different functions of the Church and has saturated his book with Biblical evidence for his emphasis... Actually, I think the man is saturated himself and this is an outpouring of his love for the word and the bride. This book was very refreshing to me because I myself am concerned for the western church and I know that Stott helped me to look back through history to envision the Church that Christ was willing to die for and that he has called myself and so many others to sheperd.

If you are looking for a solid book on the Church then I highly highly recommend The Living Church by Stott.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

John 6- Enjoying The Benefit

"I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval."

John 6 is a rough text. It causes most good church goers to cringe. We have a hard time fitting this into our idea of what Jesus was like. We see him as so loving and caring and inclusive. Always, including people and never pushing them away. Then we read John 6 and it shakes us to the core. Verse 66 says, "from this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him." Then we expect to find a verse that says, "but he went after them and begged them and pleaded with them to continue to follow," but there is no such verse in fact he follows it up by saying to those that remained, "are you going to leave too?"

He taught a message so hard that the nominal casual followers left because it was "too hard." And remember from verses 22-25 that they pursued him earnestly. So, I would conclude that they were more devoted than most people that I run into that take up a seat at a church building on Sundays. Yet on account of how hard it was they turned away. Following Jesus is not easy. It is as easy as believing on him but if you want to get closer to the King you have to enter through the courts humbly and with reverence. And those two virtues are not gained easily.

So here is what Jesus is saying to us this morning... "you are looking for me [for reasons that will not last]." Because you are hoping to receive the benefits. What are your motives today. The people sought Jesus out because he provided for them. I mean he fed 5000 of them with 5 loaves and 2 fish!? It was awesome!? But Jesus concludes that they were coming for the benefits and that doesn't sit well with him. So, he does what I would conclude any angry rabbi would do. He drives them off intellectually... Here is the issue: those people were more concerned with the benefits.

Here is a thought provoking quote from Dr. John Piper from his book titled God is the Gospel: "The critical question for our generation-and for every generation-is this: If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ were not there? And the question for Christian leaders is: Do we preach and teach and lead in such a way that people are prepared to hear that question and answer with a resounding No?"

Are you more in love with the gifts or giver. Do you love the things that God is blessing you with more than you love God? Do you come to Jesus for the benefits or for Him, the benefit? Is Jesus your treasure? Would you be willing to give up anything for him? Let alone would you be willing to give everything?! Would you trade your health to know him more intimately? Would you take a pay cut? What about close relationships with friends, would you be willing to give them up? What about giving up your favorite hobby if you knew it would get you more of Him? How many reservations do you have? How many excuses are flooding your brain right now? Racing in to justify worldly tendencies. O' that we would be a people that consider our lives rubbish compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Jesus!

John 6- In Pursuit

"The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone. ... Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus." John 6:22,24

Are you in pursuit of Jesus? These people upon realizing that Jesus wasn't around, they were willing to leave whatever it was that they had planned and pursue Jesus. They got in boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus. I wonder was it all of their days off? Were they bored so they sought out this God man? More realistically he was so compelling that their businesses simply did not open that day. Imagine empty kiosks in the towns while their salesmen sat at the feet of Jesus... and when he couldn't be found they pursued him. They knew that this was a big deal. Bigger than work. Bigger than chores at home. Bigger than dinner plans. People were pursuing Jesus. Imagine the repercussions from these couple days. What would happen if you simply didn't show up to work? Or School? Because you were in pursuit of something of more value than money and more valuable than education? Your parents would ground you for a month if you were that irresponsible...

But, I want to ask you... Do you love Jesus like that? Do you earnestly pursue him? Would you be willing to drop ANYTHING for him? Or do you simply try to squeeze him into your already full life? Are you willing to risk your reputation for him? Your job for him? Your friends for him? Because he says that, "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it (Matthew 10:37-38)." In other words you better love the author of life more than your life itself. You better be crazy about him or you are missing the point of your existence. I would love to see a youth group that is marked by a passionate and relentless love for Jesus. I challenge you to pursue Jesus. Drop everything and seek him today. Seek him out, get out of the house, go to a park, go to a place where you can be un-distracted, and sit at his feet. Kneel down and humble yourself.... and listen to Him when he speaks! Because what he says might not be what you expect!? (read next blog).

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Does Your Heart Break Well?

This morning I seemed to be flooded with emotions... Man, we live in a messed up world. I read an article about women confessing their instances of infidelity and what spurred them to do so. I heard about one of our students that was sexually abused as a child and the massive effects it has had on his life. I also thought long an hard about a sermon I heard while in Africa last January about our nearness to sin and how we are one step away from falling down in our faith(from 1 John)... And, I thought back on a meeting I had with a pastor last week who has served for many years and witnessed, first hand, ministerial failures and watched other pastors go through moral failures. I honestly was a little shook up this morning. I resolved that the best thing to do for my own soul and for those that I lead, is that I should just spend a lot of time with Jesus today in prayer and in the Word. I know that the school year is coming and we need to make a lot of things happen for our student ministry, but right now I am spending time with Him before I pretend to know His plan for the ministry.

He led me to Romans 8: 18-27... "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not only by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we await our adoption as the sons.... we wait patiently... the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not even know what to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will."

Our world is subjected to frustration on account of sin that the grace and glory of God will be magnified in the objects of his mercy(Romans 9)... Eventually the creation will be liberated from its bondage to decay, but for now we are experiencing the pains of childbirth. And while this is happening I myself am greatly affected. It makes my heart weak and overwhelmed to know that those sins and calamities are surrounding myself and my family and my students and yet I don't even know how to pray. Thank God for the Spirit that intercedes for us on behalf of others and on behalf of the saints!

And thank God "that he is working all things together for the good of those that love him and have been called according to his purpose... conforming us into the likeness of his Son... In all things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us! Neither death nor life, nor angels nor demons, neither present nor future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:28,29b,37-39)."

So, today I ask that you would join me in prayer. Take time to pray for the world around you. A broken and fallen world. Pray for your family and friends and coworkers because sin is crouching at their door... it is looking for those that it can devour. Pray for pastors that you know, that they would take a look at Romans 8 with blood earnest seriousness and pray with a fervor like never before at the plight of our world. I refuse to be dead to this. I refuse to shut my eyes to the real issues going on in our world and not take sin so insanely seriously. I am scared of sin. I am terrified by it. And I want to live as a conqueror.

God bind me to your ways. Lead me in righteousness. Don't let me fall. God I am prone to wander. I am prone to gravitate towards sin. Please don't let me fall into temptation. Make me dead to this world and the world dead to me! You are my treasure Jesus. You are my everything!

God be near to students like my friend... You are redeemer of all situations and I pray that you would give my friend perseverance... that as he limps through this life please give him a glimpse of the glory that will be bestowed upon him in eternity. Keep his head up. Keep his eyes fixed on you. Help him to persevere. Lord be near to the broken.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

John 5- Our Father is Always at Work, are You?

Jesus just finished healing a man... "[then] because Jesus was doing these things on the sabbath, the Jews persecuted him. Jesus said to them, "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working." (verses 16-17)

What we need to be keenly aware of is the fact that God the Father is at work today August 12th 2008 (or whatever day you happen to read this). He is at work to this very day. We also need to recognize that Jesus too is working! And without say, the Holy Spirit is at work right now. So, right now wherever you are you can be confident that it is not God's day off. It was the Sabbath day of rest but God is taking no breaks(verse 16). We are commanded and should take breaks but God is always up to something. Here is my concern, how aware are you of what God is up to? Can you even articulate what God might be doing today? I think most of us can go through a normal day of life without stopping to ponder this magnificent truth; God is at work today. When I think about that it makes me curious about what he is doing? It makes me wonder if I am doing anything that is joining in his work?

What are you doing today that proves that you are aware that God is at work and that you think the best way to spend your time is to join in his work? Is there anything in your schedule or the way that you are going to spend your time and energy today that proves that? Because, my prayer for you is that you can say like Jesus, "and I, too, am working. (verse 17)"