The Rest of Your Life

This week my pulpit supply, Mr. Matt Walker, has been kind enough to help me out with the Pastor's Page as well. I am headed to a men's conference at Mo-Ranch, looking forward to a wonderful weekend, and this is an excellent way to start it off. I hope you are inspired by what Matt has to say. 

I have recently been looking for different paths for the Lord to take me on and here recently I have been truly blessed.  I prayed that God would lay down paths for me take and that he would lead the way.  I asked that he would help me in being successful in all aspects of my life.  I asked him to make me a father, husband, and a friend that would be pleasing to him.  I was reminded by what Jesus says in Matthew, ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  (Matthew 7:7)

We all look and search for things to make us happy.  We read books, listen to inspirational messages, and even try to have a positive thinking strategy.  There’s absolutely nothing wrong with any of these, but we need to realize that we are going to have trials and tribulations during this life.  During these times it becomes harder for us to maintain that level of positive thinking.  

Today, I want to take you on a journey through the book of Philippians.  Philippians was written by the Apostle Paul while he was in jail in Rome.  He is writing this letter to the church of Philippi.  Even though he is in prison, he feels happy when he thinks of what Christ means to him and of what the Philippians are doing for him.  If he can maintain a happy feeling in prison then certainly we can model after him.  As you read these verses and think I want you to remember to always rejoice in the Lord and to be content, whatever the circumstances.

Hebrews 12:2 says, Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Jesus went through what he did for the joy that was set before him.  I am reminded to what Paul writes in Chapter 1:21, For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.  When we truly grasp this and use this as the criteria, we always win.  God showed me the way.  God led me down that path and showed me where to find that joy.  We will find joy when we choose to focus in on Christ, his people, his work, and his faithfulness instead of circumstances. 

Blessings,

Matt Walker

The Word

The Word – OK, I promise, the last Robinson Crusoe installment! This time it involves Crusoe’s faith journey and his attempt to evangelize his servant, Friday.

Another thing I cannot refrain from observing here also, from experience in this retired portion of my life, how infinite and inexpressible a blessing it is that the knowledge of God, and of the doctrine of salvation by Christ Jesus, is so plainly laid down in the Word of God, so easy to be received and understood; that as the bare reading the Scripture made me capable of understanding enough of my duty to carry me directly on to the great work of sincere repentance for my sins, and laying hold of a Saviour for life and salvation, to a stated reformation in practice, and obedience to all God’s commands, and this without any teacher or instructor (I mean human); so did the plain instruction sufficiently serve to the enlightening this savage creature, and bringing him to be such a Christian, as I have known few equal to him in my life.

We make Christianity so hard sometimes. We fight over this stance or that stance. We attempt to turn our elections into Holy Wars. We write off whole segments of the population because their brand of Christianity does not agree with ours.

Granted, stands on many of these issues are important, and they may indeed be reflective of God’s will on one side or the other, oddly enough usually the side we support is the side that God is on as well! How fortunate for us! We end up arguing over the obscure points of Scripture, often to the abandonment of the clear teaching of God’s Word!

The truth is the Scripture, plain and simple, is given as a guide to lead us to Jesus Christ. It is not a weapon for one side to beat up the other. Jesus lays it out so clearly. When asked what the most important teaching in Scripture is, he responds “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” Even our love for self and neighbor comes after that. That's the greatest sermon there is, right there, wrapped up in less than 25 words. Oh, that we could just do it!

It takes us a long time to learn that only when we put love of Christ above all else, only then are we able to love ourselves, much less our neighbor! This does not mean that all our disagreements will go away. We will still have them because it is the living out of this life, the particulars, where we find ourselves at odds over and over again. It DOES mean that we learn what is most important, the unity God's seeks for us to have with sisters and brothers in Christ. It is this learning that glorifies our God and lives the Gospel out for all the world to see!

Pastor Craig

More Than These -

More – As I have noted in previous editions of this page, I have been reading Robinson Crusoe. The following excerpt comes from him writing about his prayers for deliverance.

Now I began to construe the words mentioned above, “Call on Me, and I will deliver you,” in a different sense from what I had ever done before; for then I had no notion of anything being called deliverance but my being delivered from the captivity I was in; for though I was indeed at large in the place, yet the island was certainly a prison to me, and that in the worst sense in the world. But now I learned to take it in another sense; now I looked back upon my past life with such horror, and my sins appeared so dreadful, that my soul sought nothing of God but deliverance from the load of guilt that bore down all my comfort. As for my solitary life, it was nothing; I did not so much as pray to be delivered from it, or think of it; it was all of no consideration, in comparison to this. And I add this part here, to hint to whoever shall read it, that whenever they come to a true sense of things, they will find deliverance from sin a much greater blessing than deliverance from affliction.

How often we have prayed for our light affliction to be removed. We have a stomach ache. We find ourselves in the midst of difficult financial circumstances. It’s too hot. It’s too cold. We’re bored. “GOD SAVE ME FROM THIS,” we cry. Yet, we fail to seek deliverance from that which really afflicts us most of all, our own guilt.

We seek comfort more than deliverance. “Do you love me more than these?” Jesus asks. Yes, we love him more than suffering! But, do we love him more than the deliverance from suffering? Now there’s a question to ponder! What would you give up, if you had to give up anything, to secure your salvation? We know the answer we should give; ANYTHING! EVERYTHING!

Actually, Christ demands we give up very little – only the guilt and the shame that we seem to hold onto with more passion than we seek to be delivered from it. To most of us Jesus says, “You can keep the house, the car, the investment funds, the career. . .The only thing I’m interested in is you. Give me yourself. Do you love Me more than yourself?”

Pastor Craig

Bright Sunday

The Pastor’s Page

Bright Sunday – The Sunday after Easter is typically know as Bright Sunday or Holy Humor Sunday and has it's roots in history. For centuries, in Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant countries, Easter Monday and "Bright Sunday (the Sunday after Easter) were observed by the faithful as "days of joy and laughter" with parties and picnics to celebrate Jesus' resurrection.

Parishioners and pastors played practical jokes on each other, drenched each other with water, sang, and danced. It was a time for clergy and people to tell jokes and to have fun.

The custom of Easter Monday and Bright Sunday celebrations were rooted in the musings of early church theologians (like Augustine, Gregory of Nyssa, and John Chrysostom) that God played a practical joke on the devil by raising Jesus from the dead. Easter was "God's supreme joke played on death."

Humor is the rule of the day, in good taste mind you. After all, you have to have a sense of humor to be in ministry. Last Sunday was some of our people’s semi-annual visit with us. We still consider them part of God’s Army. They just choose to serve in the covert forces.

There is the story about one of the Deacons at a Presbyterian Church who posted a sign next to the electric hand dyers in the restrooms. “Please press the button for a brief recorded message from the pastor!”

There is also the story of the Catholic priest who saw one of his elderly male parishioners walking along Main Street with a stunning young woman on his arm and a smile on his face. When the fellow came in for his appointment the next day, the priest said “You’re really going wild, aren’t you?” The guy said, “Hey, just doing what you told me to do: get a hot Mamma and be cheerful” “That’s not what I told you,” said the priest. “I didn’t tell you to get a hot Mamma and be cheerful. I said, ‘You’ve got a heart murmur. . . be careful.”

"Risus paschalis ¯ the Easter laugh," the early theologians called it.

Let the joy begin!

Pastor Craig

Persistence

Persistence – What have you had to work at for a very long time? Each of us have had something in our life that we have worked at and for to attain. Maybe you struggled academically in school, maybe you came from VERY humble means, maybe you overcame illnesses and injuries. A few of us might admit that the largest obstacle to overcome was ourselves!

I came across a saying this past week. In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins. . . not through strength, but through persistence!

This isn’t a motivational or inspirational message though. I do not intend to tell you that you can achieve the goal through hard work. No, today, I come to tell you that, with regards to your salvation, you, and I, have indeed been the obstacle. We find we are more often the rock than the stream. We didn’t have to wear God down until he was finally willing to save us. If anything, it is the other way around.

All which I took from thee I did but take,

Not for thy harms,

But just that thou might'st seek it in My arms.

All which thy child's mistake

Fancies as lost, I have stored for thee at home :

Thus The Hound of Heaven catches its prey. The “victim” finds out, after years of pursuit, that the hound sought its very best all along.

Fleeing from God isn’t just for non-Christians. Christians do it all the time. They may even be among the more severe of transgressors. God calls us to step out in ministry, and we let fear hold us back. God calls us to give sacrificially, and we worry about providing for our family. God calls us to commit the future to his hand, and we hold back because we question if he will give us the future we would want.

This God, who withheld nothing from us, giving up even his own Son, how could he not provide for us in all those things and so many more. Yahweh God chased the people he created through many years, finally stating his love for us in a way that cannot be denied on the cross of Calvary and on to the empty tomb!

Pastor Craig