Winter Vacation

Not sure I’ve done this before, but I’m writing from my iPad to see if I can blog my way through some vacation highlights. We’re in Long Beach anticipating our week on a big boat with a few hundred people, ok, probably a few thousand. Looking forward to some extended time with Laurie, some good food and great sights. It’ll be great to spend the week with the Johnson family as they break us into this lifestyle of life on the sea.

Yesterday was an amazing day @Grace. I devoted some extended time to cast the vision for our church family for this new year. It was a great way to start 2012! I’m pretty sure the recorded sermon and brief notes are available on our website allaboutgrace.com

This may be the last post for the week, or I may find time to stay updated. Either way, Happy New Year and have a great first week!

Observations of a false teacher…

From our study in 2 Peter, I put a challenge out to our Grace Groups to make simple ‘observations’ from the first few verses on the false teacher.  Here’s what I came up with.

What’s said of the false teachers? V1-3

• Similar to false prophets of OT
• They WILL be among the church; sneak in
• They will operate secretly; deceiving
• They will bring in destructive heresies; this isn’t light stuff.
• They will deny Jesus (Christological confusion at best)
• They will bring destruction
• Upon themselves
• Swiftly
• They will be sensual; sexuality is exploited and perverted
• Others will follow their sensuality
• The truth will be blasphemed; truth takes a back seat to subjectivity, or experience
• They are greedy; never enough
• They will exploit the church
• They will lie; like Satan, the father of lies, the propagator
• Condemnation awaits them
• Destruction is in front of them

Go here to listen to the sermon and follow along with the Grace Group notes.

A Time to be Thankful and a Time to Grow

At Grace we’re studying 2 Peter.  A couple of weeks ago we saw where Peter instructed us to ‘supplement’ or ‘add to’ our faith. Clearly that’s a sanctifying faith. We’re not saved by doing these things. Rather, these things are a healthy reflection that we are saved and pursuing Christ-likeness.

“For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.” (2 Peter 1:5-7 ESV)

This past Sunday we considered what Psalm 107 teaches us about giving God thanks. Though it’s good and healthy to list the things we’re thankful for (a usual custom during Thanksgiving week!), it’s even better to give Him thanks because we are redeemed.

“Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!
Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
whom he has redeemed from trouble”
(Psalm 107:1-2 ESV)

His steadfast love [lovingkindness, mercy] is why we thank Him.  He has redeemed us and called us His own and now we are to SAY SO!

Use this Thanksgiving week to demonstrate your sanctifying salvation by adding to your faith, things such as brotherly love and even a little self-control! Wow, what a list for a family get-together.

However you spend your holiday be sure to give thanks to God for His Son, Jesus, who has redeemed us by giving himself in our place as the final payment for all-time for all sin!  We’ve been redeemed, so let’s say so.

Knowing God

One of the key themes in 2 Peter is going to be the knowledge of God. In the few weeks we’ll be studying this passage we’ll see how the knowledge of God is more than head-knowledge.  Though our knowledge starts with the data of God, who he is, how we can know he is real, and what he has revealed to us about himself, the real knowledge of God comes when we go from knowing ‘about’ God to actually knowing Him. To know him means to be in a relationship with him that is based on him and what he has done for us, through Jesus!  Peter’s use of the word knowledge is not just the data of God. It’s knowing God intimately.  Before you think this is just a ‘touchy-feely’ kind of sentiment, listen to the hard words that Paul gives us in Philippians 3:8-10

“I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith – that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death”

What does this passage say about how to know God?  There is nothing easy about this. What this means is that Paul would know Christ as he shared in the sufferings of Jesus.  You and I will suffer. Life involves brokenness and hurt, unfair treatment, disasters of nature and sin-induced trauma.  It can and will get difficult. But it’s through this difficult times that a follower of Jesus gets to know God in a whole new way.  A way that brings glory to God!

If you or someone you know is going through a difficult time of suffering right now, pray that God would make himself ‘known’ during this hard time.  In his grace, God reaches out to us in our sufferings and we know his peace and presence in a whole new intimate way.

God’s work continues.

This past Sunday we finished our 5 week series on Elijah. Standing Alone with God. We finished with the idea of Passing it On. God led Elijah to Elisha so the ministry could carry on. Today, I want to give this space to a blog I recently read for an added perspective.
Thanks to one of our Gracers for passing this on from Chuck Swindoll’s blog.

Mantle of Power
by Charles R. Swindoll
Read 2 Kings 2:12–15

Elijah’s no-death contract suddenly went into effect. Elijah, prophet of power—gone. Elisha, prophet of double power—here, ready, and about to be used greatly by his God.

When a man or woman of God dies, nothing of God dies. We tend to forget that. We get so caught up in the lives of certain individuals that we begin to think we cannot do without them. What limited thinking! When even a mighty servant is gone, God has seven thousand who have never bowed the knee to Baal. He has them ready, waiting in the wings. Classic case in point: Elisha. God always has a back-up plan.

Think about it. Through the ages He has had His men and women in every era to carry on His work. Never once has God been frustrated, wondering, What will My people do now that he’s gone? Now that she’s no longer with them? Our Creator-God is omnipotent. He is never caught shorthanded.

Elisha may have been momentarily surprised and stunned, but that didn’t last long. Remembering Elijah’s words, he reached down and picked up the prophet’s cloak. Claiming the power that now was his, he crossed back over the Jordan and began his own prophetic ministry. God’s plan never missed a beat. Exit Elijah. Enter Elisha.

We can’t help but wonder if, in the years to come, Elisha didn’t stop and study that old mantle, calling to mind those great days of the past when his mentor and friend stood alone, representing God’s presence and proclaiming God’s message. The memory of the older Elijah—a man of heroism and humility—served to strengthen the younger Elisha, whom God destined to serve in even greater ways.

There are times, to this day, when I call to mind my granddaddy, L. O. Lundy. His wise words of counsel still linger. His life of quiet, deep character sometimes seems so close to me I can almost feel his warm breath on the back of my neck. Yes, to this day I miss him, but the mantle of his memory spurs me on to greater heights and deeper devotion.

The good news is this: I will one day see him. And we, together, will worship the same Lord face to face, ” . . . and thus we shall always be with the Lord.”

Whose mantle have you received? And what will you do with its inherited influence?

Reprinted by permission. Day by Day, Charles Swindoll, July 2005, Thomas Nelson, inc., Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved.

Before the mountains…

Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting
you are God.
Ps 90:2

 

I love that this is the only recorded Psalm from Moses. Not that I wouldn’t have liked to see more, but that the one that he did pen, begins with creation.

Who wrote Genesis? Moses.
Moses wasn’t there, but somehow the Holy Spirit gave him the words. He is the one who tells the story time before the mountains were brought forth, or the earth even formed.

From everlasting…
…To everlasting
YOU ARE GOD

How comforting that is. Our God who we trust for eternal salvation and a place with Him for eternity…
He was there, He will be there. So, He is here now.

Crossing the line

I know it’s just an expression. But around here, it means something.  Often as I tell someone about the good news of God’s love and grace toward them, I finish by telling them they need to cross the line.  You know, like make a decision. Take a stand.  Do it.

The gospel is simple, not easy.  We are sinners. All of us. God made us, loves us, hates our sin. Jesus was sent to us by His father. God in the flesh. Jesus is all God, as is the Holy Spirit.  Jesus lived a sinless life. Died on the cross in my place. Took all my sin upon Himself.  He paid the price I would never be able to pay. He did that for me.  He came out of the tomb. Risen!  Death conquered.  He did that for me.

Then in His amazing grace, He brings that message to me.  And to you. We have only two responses. Reject it, or accept it. To reject it is pretty stupid actually.  It’s to tell God, thanks but no thanks, I got this.  Lot of people make that decision.  To accept it is to acknowledge the message as true. Jesus is God, He did die for your sins, and He did it all so you could be in a relationship with Him, just like we were created to be.  He loves you. Hates your sin. Our sin cost Jesus his life. But, after He shed his blood and died for our sins, He arose and now we can have true life with Him by faith in Him. Believing Him and the message God has now given us. Accept it. Repent of your sin. Confess you’re a sinner before God. That means tell God you get it. You’re a sinner and He’s our only hope, because He died in our place!

That’s it. Pray to God now. Tell him.  Acknowledge you’re a sinner before a holy God who loves you and has made a way for you to be reconciled with God. That’s through Jesus. He did it all for you.  Now, cross the line of faith.

Want to read about it? Romans 3:10-11, 21-23; 5:1-11; 6:23; John 3:16; 1 John 1:9; 5:13

A few more days

Today I got to spend a few hours painting.  I’m not a painter by trade, so for me, I can enjoy it and not touch it again for several years.  One of the things I like about painting alone is it’s easy to think and process, even as I listen to some good music.

As I was thinking of Zac on this day he would have turned 35, I heard two songs that seemed very appropriate. I tend to like most everything Third Day has done, but one of my all time faves is Cry Out To Jesus.  ”To everyone who’s lost someone they love long before it was their time, you feel like the days you had were not enough when you said goodbye… there is hope for the helpless, rest for the weary and love for the broken heart and there is grace and forgiveness mercy and healing, he’ll meet you where ever you are, cry out to Jesus!”

Matthew West came on a few minutes later “So I wait for the moment when you come for me…and I can’t stop thinking, just a few more days I’ll be going home, just a few more hours and I’ll be flying, it could be any minute now that you take me away, or maybe just a few more days. To You a day is like a thousand years, and only you know when the clouds will clear. So let me not forget.

I miss Zac. But his life and death remind me how short our time on planet earth is until Jesus either takes us home or comes to get us.  Really, just a few days. What we do each and everyday matters as we follow the Lord and bring honor to Him by telling others of His great and amazing love and grace.

I was encouraged.

Thank you dear God, for Zac and for today and for the joy of living a life that is granted by You.

Now I’ll go have some French Silk pie, for Zac.

A Growing Faith

If you missed Grace yesterday, you can hear the sermon here.

A few thoughts to think about during this week:

• God is both incomprehensible and knowable, yes, He’s THAT big!
• It all started with God: first 4 words Gen 1:1
• God, in His goodness revealed Himself to us through general revelation Ps 19:1-6
• God, in His grace has revealed Himself to us through special revelation; His Word and His Son!  Ps 19:7-14; Jn 14:6-7
• My faith will grow as I exercise it
• My faith is built on an everlasting GREAT God who loves me and gave Himself for me

And to apply it all:

• Am I believing God for what I’m about to do?
• By faith, what do I believe God is asking me to do?

Honoring First Responders

On Sunday September 11, 2011 our nation will remember that horrific day ten years ago. A day we all remember where we were, what we were doing and that terrible unsettled feeling of ‘what next’. On that day our church will choose to remember by honoring those that serve our community as first responders. There are many issues and complicated layers of issues that arose from the events of 9-11. One positive note is that we as Americans were reminded how fortunate we are to have men and women who serve us by providing protection, civil rest, and even going so far as to put their lives on the line each day they put on the uniform. We are grateful.

On that Sunday at Grace we’ll pause for a few moments and say “Thanks”.
If you or someone you know serves throughout Northern Arizona, please come and be our guest on Sunday, 9-11-11.

Grace Community Church meets at Sinagua Middle School, our regular service time is 10 – 11:30am.