Monday, December 31, 2007
Third Semester Reflection
If I could grade this semester overall I would give it an "A" kind of semester. I really enjoyed 2 out of my 3 classes. Old Testament and Hebrew were very interesting and I learned a lot. I think I had a real advantage taking both these courses at the same time. They intersected often and I found Hebrew to be helpful in Old Testament class. By far, Hebrew has been the best course I have taken thus far in seminary. The method of teaching really works for me. No paradigms to memorize...no flashcards. It was awesome! I enjoyed the memory work (Deut 6:4-9 as well as Jonah chapter 1) and I'm looking forward to using Hebrew in the future in ministry. That's about all I can say for this semester. I'm going to give some love to Dr. Tom and and his great teaching assistants for a job well done!
Friday, December 14, 2007
Amazing Grace, Amazing Video
Here is a link to an amazingly powerful video about God's amazing grace and power. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Background
To begin this series on my "theology," I think it's fair to tell a little of my denominational background. Today, I consider myself a "Wesleyan." I haven't always been a Wesleyan. In fact, I didn't really know what a Wesleyan was until a few years ago when I joined a Wesleyan Church in Wisconsin.
Growing up in northwest Iowa, I attended the local United Methodist Church through high school. When I went to college, I attended a Non-denominational church for a couple years as well as a local Baptist church for a few years. So, in a word, I guess you could say that I'm sort of a denominational "mut". Throughout the years of my life, I've never been a part of just one tradition.
And as I already mentioned, I now consider myself more firmly aligned with the Wesleyan denomination; however, in an interesting twist of theology, I attend a Reformed seminary. I have one foot in one tradition and the other foot in another. So, I'm at a point in my seminary education where I have to put words on paper as to what I believe theologically. And the purpose of these posts is to help sort out what I believe. Historically, Wesleyanism has been aligned with Arminianism. In my life, I've attended churches which also have been historically tied to some form of Arminianism. Are my beliefs today shaped by my background? Am I Arminian because I did not grow up in the Reformed tradition? So, what does it mean to be Arminian, theologically speaking? What does it mean, for that matter, to be Wesleyan? These are some of the questions that I must find a way to put in to words. These are the kinds of questions I'll do my best to address over the upcoming weeks and months. Up next...what is Arminianism? Stay tuned...
Growing up in northwest Iowa, I attended the local United Methodist Church through high school. When I went to college, I attended a Non-denominational church for a couple years as well as a local Baptist church for a few years. So, in a word, I guess you could say that I'm sort of a denominational "mut". Throughout the years of my life, I've never been a part of just one tradition.
And as I already mentioned, I now consider myself more firmly aligned with the Wesleyan denomination; however, in an interesting twist of theology, I attend a Reformed seminary. I have one foot in one tradition and the other foot in another. So, I'm at a point in my seminary education where I have to put words on paper as to what I believe theologically. And the purpose of these posts is to help sort out what I believe. Historically, Wesleyanism has been aligned with Arminianism. In my life, I've attended churches which also have been historically tied to some form of Arminianism. Are my beliefs today shaped by my background? Am I Arminian because I did not grow up in the Reformed tradition? So, what does it mean to be Arminian, theologically speaking? What does it mean, for that matter, to be Wesleyan? These are some of the questions that I must find a way to put in to words. These are the kinds of questions I'll do my best to address over the upcoming weeks and months. Up next...what is Arminianism? Stay tuned...
Friday, November 30, 2007
November 30
It's hard to believe that two whole months have gone by since my last post. I'll follow this post up with a short theological series of posts on why I think I'm Arminian. More to come on this soon...
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Preschool Wisdom
Our four-year-old never ceases to amaze her Mom and Dad. In a few short days, she will start preschool and in preparation for the big first day, she had some "homework" (coloring a couple pictures) to do. And when her mother told her that they were going to work on her homework together, our daughter responded ever so intelligently, "But Mommy, I can't do my homework...I don't have a laptop."
Friday, August 03, 2007
What I've Learned This Summer
As this summer draws quickly to a close, I want to express two of the many things I have learned about ministry this summer. The first thing I have learned is that if I want those whom I lead in ministry to be successful then I need to Clarify the Win for them. When we clarify the win, we all have a common goal to reach for, a common goal to strive for. The win for me in ministry is to transform lives - an unbeliever becomes a believer, or a follower of Jesus is transfomed more into the likeness of Christ.
Second, I have learned that it's extremely important to Replace Myself. I ought, if I'm not currently, to invest so much in to others and train those I lead so that they could do what I do in the event I no longer continue in my current position.
Thanks to Andy Stanley and his book 7 Practices of Effective Ministry for teaching me something this summer.
Second, I have learned that it's extremely important to Replace Myself. I ought, if I'm not currently, to invest so much in to others and train those I lead so that they could do what I do in the event I no longer continue in my current position.
Thanks to Andy Stanley and his book 7 Practices of Effective Ministry for teaching me something this summer.
Friday, July 06, 2007
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Home At Last
I am extremely pleased to announce that we have moved to our new home. After four weeks of painting and basement renovations, we passed our building inspections, and we have unpacked all our stuff. It feels great to have a place of our own to call home. I will load some pictures of the place just as soon as I can.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Summer Reading List
Reimaging Evangalism by Rick Richardson.
Dog Training, Fly Fishing and Sharing Christ in the 21st Century by Ted Haggard.
7 Practices of Effective Ministry by Andy Stanley.
No Greater Love by Mother Teresa.
And if I have time near the end I'll read Pilgrim's Regress by C.S. Lewis.
Dog Training, Fly Fishing and Sharing Christ in the 21st Century by Ted Haggard.
7 Practices of Effective Ministry by Andy Stanley.
No Greater Love by Mother Teresa.
And if I have time near the end I'll read Pilgrim's Regress by C.S. Lewis.
Friday, May 04, 2007
Sermon #2
I gave this sermon a couple weeks ago in preaching class from Revelation 2 - the letter to the church in Pergamum:
To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp double-edged sword. I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remained true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives. Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. Likewise you also have those who hold to the teachings of the Nicolaitans. Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirits says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give a white stone with a new name on it, known only to him who receives it.
Have you ever eaten food sacrificed to idols? Would you under special circumstances? Have you ever compromised your sexual purity? Ever been tempted to? Have you ever been led astray by false teaching? Ever heard the words, “No money down, no interest, no payments until two-thousand whenever?” I don’t know about you but I can’t think of a time when I knowingly ate food sacrificed to idols. And previous to marriage to my wife Jaclyn, I did compromise my purity. I am quite sure I have been led astray by false teaching in my life. And I have heard “no money down, no interest until only God knows when” thousands of times! Two-thousand years ago, Christians in Pergamum were asking and being asked the same kinds of questions. Some of these Christians were being duped in to believing that it was okay to eat meat offered in the name of Athena or Zeus the Savior or Caesar. They were convinced by their culture in to believing that it was acceptable by society’s standards to have sex with a prostitute or become one. They bought in to the ideas of false teachers. We too buy in to the ideas of false teachers, don’t we? We too have been led astray by the so-called “wisdom of the world.” When we listen to the culture around us, what does it get us? Someone please tell me what good has come from listening to society around us? I don’t know about you but I’m broke, tired, and frustrated. So I propose beginning today, this very hour that we should be resolute to no longer be led off course by the false teachers of this world. I propose that we overcome the false teachers and live life wholly as God intended. Jesus felt this idea of overcoming was so important to express that it is written to each of the seven churches. To him who overcomes I will give… To him who overcomes… The word “overcomes” (nikao) is a present active participle. I think a more literal and effective translation is “to the one who is presently and continually overcoming…” So the early Christians were, in a sense, to be in this continuous, ongoing, never under any circumstances ceasing process of overcoming. To him who overcomes… So, what then are we to overcome? What can we learn from these early Christians?
To give you a sense of what problem the Pergamum Christians were dealing with; the evangelist tells us that Jesus had a few things against them. Jesus said, “You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. Likewise,” he continues, “You also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.” Now, all of these things you have heard concerning food sacrificed to idols, committing sexually immoral acts, and following false teachings are not the problem in the church of Pergamum. These things I listed are symptoms of a greater problem. These are the manifestations of something much deeper and problematic. It won’t do us any good to try to alleviate the symptoms, if we don’t cure the underlying disease. So, let’s diagnose the problem and outline a course of treatment using a present context.
I think it’s fair to say that as we flip through the pages of our lives, we all have had our share of obstacles to overcome, and there is, however, one significant thing I think we all have in common, and it is living – if you can call it that – with debt. Raise your hand if you have debt of some sort to repay? I’m talking about credit card debt, a car loan, a student loan or any combination of the three? Okay, now raise your hand if you have a lot of debt? I’m talking about thousands of dollars that you have to pay back to Sally Mae, GMAC, or American Express? It is reasonable to say that most of us who have been to college and are in graduate school are carrying some type of debt. Now before we move any further, I want to be clear about something. I’m using debt as an example, but what if you don’t have debt? Then I challenge you to be transparent with yourself enough to ask – what am I personally struggling with right now that is separating me from the life God intends for me to live?
Is it anger?
Is it sexual purity?
What ever it is you need to fill in the blank if you are debt-free. And as we continue along, you think about your obstacle.
According to USA Today, in 2004, eight percent of college graduates across the board graduated with debt of $40,000 or more. The average college student graduated in 2004 with a debt of $19,000. Wow! Can you imagine a new graduate who just landed a new gig making real money for the first time ever in their life, probably making 30 – 35 thousand dollars a year and things are going their way until the day six months later when Citibank or Sally Mae comes a calling. And all of a sudden, the reality of debt repayment begins to sink in. Each month a check for $500 or more is dutifully made out to the lender for the next 15 to 20 years until the debt is paid off. After I graduated from graduate school in 2002, I started out with double the debt of the national average – I had $37,000 to repay. But, you know what? I believe we all have what it takes to over come this burden, to be released from its power over us, in order that we might live wholly the way God intended. I began to believe this after attending a financial seminar in February called Dave Ramey’s Total Money Makeover. Jaclyn and I attended this event in Grand Rapids because we were frustrated with the way that we were living paycheck to paycheck with little to no hope in sight that someday we might actually have money left over at the end of the month. Frankly, we were dying a slow, suffocating death. We couldn’t breathe financially. It’s hard to breath with a noose around your neck, isn’t it? We were desperate. So, we attended Dave’s seminar, and I learned one really, really, really big lesson that day that has changed my life. I learned that my debt was not the problem. I learned my debt was not the obstacle in which I must overcome. I learned your debt is not the obstacle in which you must overcome. I learned that debt is a symptom of a deeper disease. Now here it comes and don’t miss it. The disease is me. The disease is you. We are the disease in which we must overcome. I realized that day in February that I needed to change both my attitude and my behavior concerning money and debt. Somehow, somewhere during my early years, I learned that it was okay to take out loans to pay for cars, to pay for school, to pay for WHATEVER! “Good credit, bad credit, no credit” it didn’t matter because I could take out a loan and make payments for what ever I wanted. Somehow and from somewhere I learned to let society dictate how to live my life to the point where I was $37,000 in debt! Our attitudes and our behaviors need to be transformed if we are committed to living life as God intended. The apostle Paul knew this didn’t he? “I urge you brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies – your attitudes and behaviors – as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.“ Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. When Jaclyn and I left Grand Rapids that day, we were convinced that from that point on we were going to be different from the rest of the world. We were going to pay off our debts instead of living with them. We left with transformed attitudes. Society says debt is normal, we desired to be weird. We didn’t want to be normal anymore! Normal was broke, and we held on dearly to the promise that we could be debt free if we followed the prescribed treatment program.
Three treatment steps are prescribed for us to follow when we are surrounded by a seemingly gigantic obstacle that separates us from the life God intended us to live.
Treatment step #1 – do what the early Christians did – remain true to Jesus’ name. Jesus commends them for their faith in the opening – “You remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me…” The Christians in Pergamum held fast to their faith in the midst of society’s pressure — even persecution – and they remained true to Jesus’ name, and so should we.
Treatment step #2 – repent. Seek your Father’s forgiveness with a humble attitude. And then turn from your sin. Physically turn and move your body away from that which is separating you from your heavenly Father. Turn both your mind and your body – your attitude and your behavior – away from the sin.
Treatment step #3 – listen to what the Spirit says. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” Listen to the Holy Spirit of truth. Because you know Him, you will recognize His voice speaking to you, to guide you, to enable you, to encourage you to overcome.
So, we have diagnosed the disease and outlined a course of treatment. So what’s the prognosis? The prognosis is up to you. It would be really cool if I could stand here today to share with you that I have completely conquered debt in my life, but I can’t. But what I can share with you is that I am in the process of overcoming and since the Money Makeover this past February, we have paid my loan down to $28,000. I encourage you, my friends, to remain true to Jesus’ name……….to repent……….and listen to what the Spirit says so that you can continually overcome and that you may experience the life of freedom that God has intended. Amen.
To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp double-edged sword. I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remained true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives. Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. Likewise you also have those who hold to the teachings of the Nicolaitans. Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirits says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give a white stone with a new name on it, known only to him who receives it.
Have you ever eaten food sacrificed to idols? Would you under special circumstances? Have you ever compromised your sexual purity? Ever been tempted to? Have you ever been led astray by false teaching? Ever heard the words, “No money down, no interest, no payments until two-thousand whenever?” I don’t know about you but I can’t think of a time when I knowingly ate food sacrificed to idols. And previous to marriage to my wife Jaclyn, I did compromise my purity. I am quite sure I have been led astray by false teaching in my life. And I have heard “no money down, no interest until only God knows when” thousands of times! Two-thousand years ago, Christians in Pergamum were asking and being asked the same kinds of questions. Some of these Christians were being duped in to believing that it was okay to eat meat offered in the name of Athena or Zeus the Savior or Caesar. They were convinced by their culture in to believing that it was acceptable by society’s standards to have sex with a prostitute or become one. They bought in to the ideas of false teachers. We too buy in to the ideas of false teachers, don’t we? We too have been led astray by the so-called “wisdom of the world.” When we listen to the culture around us, what does it get us? Someone please tell me what good has come from listening to society around us? I don’t know about you but I’m broke, tired, and frustrated. So I propose beginning today, this very hour that we should be resolute to no longer be led off course by the false teachers of this world. I propose that we overcome the false teachers and live life wholly as God intended. Jesus felt this idea of overcoming was so important to express that it is written to each of the seven churches. To him who overcomes I will give… To him who overcomes… The word “overcomes” (nikao) is a present active participle. I think a more literal and effective translation is “to the one who is presently and continually overcoming…” So the early Christians were, in a sense, to be in this continuous, ongoing, never under any circumstances ceasing process of overcoming. To him who overcomes… So, what then are we to overcome? What can we learn from these early Christians?
To give you a sense of what problem the Pergamum Christians were dealing with; the evangelist tells us that Jesus had a few things against them. Jesus said, “You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. Likewise,” he continues, “You also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.” Now, all of these things you have heard concerning food sacrificed to idols, committing sexually immoral acts, and following false teachings are not the problem in the church of Pergamum. These things I listed are symptoms of a greater problem. These are the manifestations of something much deeper and problematic. It won’t do us any good to try to alleviate the symptoms, if we don’t cure the underlying disease. So, let’s diagnose the problem and outline a course of treatment using a present context.
I think it’s fair to say that as we flip through the pages of our lives, we all have had our share of obstacles to overcome, and there is, however, one significant thing I think we all have in common, and it is living – if you can call it that – with debt. Raise your hand if you have debt of some sort to repay? I’m talking about credit card debt, a car loan, a student loan or any combination of the three? Okay, now raise your hand if you have a lot of debt? I’m talking about thousands of dollars that you have to pay back to Sally Mae, GMAC, or American Express? It is reasonable to say that most of us who have been to college and are in graduate school are carrying some type of debt. Now before we move any further, I want to be clear about something. I’m using debt as an example, but what if you don’t have debt? Then I challenge you to be transparent with yourself enough to ask – what am I personally struggling with right now that is separating me from the life God intends for me to live?
Is it anger?
Is it sexual purity?
What ever it is you need to fill in the blank if you are debt-free. And as we continue along, you think about your obstacle.
According to USA Today, in 2004, eight percent of college graduates across the board graduated with debt of $40,000 or more. The average college student graduated in 2004 with a debt of $19,000. Wow! Can you imagine a new graduate who just landed a new gig making real money for the first time ever in their life, probably making 30 – 35 thousand dollars a year and things are going their way until the day six months later when Citibank or Sally Mae comes a calling. And all of a sudden, the reality of debt repayment begins to sink in. Each month a check for $500 or more is dutifully made out to the lender for the next 15 to 20 years until the debt is paid off. After I graduated from graduate school in 2002, I started out with double the debt of the national average – I had $37,000 to repay. But, you know what? I believe we all have what it takes to over come this burden, to be released from its power over us, in order that we might live wholly the way God intended. I began to believe this after attending a financial seminar in February called Dave Ramey’s Total Money Makeover. Jaclyn and I attended this event in Grand Rapids because we were frustrated with the way that we were living paycheck to paycheck with little to no hope in sight that someday we might actually have money left over at the end of the month. Frankly, we were dying a slow, suffocating death. We couldn’t breathe financially. It’s hard to breath with a noose around your neck, isn’t it? We were desperate. So, we attended Dave’s seminar, and I learned one really, really, really big lesson that day that has changed my life. I learned that my debt was not the problem. I learned my debt was not the obstacle in which I must overcome. I learned your debt is not the obstacle in which you must overcome. I learned that debt is a symptom of a deeper disease. Now here it comes and don’t miss it. The disease is me. The disease is you. We are the disease in which we must overcome. I realized that day in February that I needed to change both my attitude and my behavior concerning money and debt. Somehow, somewhere during my early years, I learned that it was okay to take out loans to pay for cars, to pay for school, to pay for WHATEVER! “Good credit, bad credit, no credit” it didn’t matter because I could take out a loan and make payments for what ever I wanted. Somehow and from somewhere I learned to let society dictate how to live my life to the point where I was $37,000 in debt! Our attitudes and our behaviors need to be transformed if we are committed to living life as God intended. The apostle Paul knew this didn’t he? “I urge you brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies – your attitudes and behaviors – as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.“ Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. When Jaclyn and I left Grand Rapids that day, we were convinced that from that point on we were going to be different from the rest of the world. We were going to pay off our debts instead of living with them. We left with transformed attitudes. Society says debt is normal, we desired to be weird. We didn’t want to be normal anymore! Normal was broke, and we held on dearly to the promise that we could be debt free if we followed the prescribed treatment program.
Three treatment steps are prescribed for us to follow when we are surrounded by a seemingly gigantic obstacle that separates us from the life God intended us to live.
Treatment step #1 – do what the early Christians did – remain true to Jesus’ name. Jesus commends them for their faith in the opening – “You remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me…” The Christians in Pergamum held fast to their faith in the midst of society’s pressure — even persecution – and they remained true to Jesus’ name, and so should we.
Treatment step #2 – repent. Seek your Father’s forgiveness with a humble attitude. And then turn from your sin. Physically turn and move your body away from that which is separating you from your heavenly Father. Turn both your mind and your body – your attitude and your behavior – away from the sin.
Treatment step #3 – listen to what the Spirit says. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” Listen to the Holy Spirit of truth. Because you know Him, you will recognize His voice speaking to you, to guide you, to enable you, to encourage you to overcome.
So, we have diagnosed the disease and outlined a course of treatment. So what’s the prognosis? The prognosis is up to you. It would be really cool if I could stand here today to share with you that I have completely conquered debt in my life, but I can’t. But what I can share with you is that I am in the process of overcoming and since the Money Makeover this past February, we have paid my loan down to $28,000. I encourage you, my friends, to remain true to Jesus’ name……….to repent……….and listen to what the Spirit says so that you can continually overcome and that you may experience the life of freedom that God has intended. Amen.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Sermon #1
This is the sermon I gave to my class on March 23, 2007:
Hear the Word of the Lord from the Gospel of Mark 8:27-38.
27Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?” 28They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” 29”But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ.” 30Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.
31He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
33But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”
34Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? 37Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 38If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
The Scriptures claim, particularly Mark’s Gospel, that if we are Christ followers, in some real way we all should expect suffering. We should anticipate trials and tribulations. Ironically, the Scriptures also tell us that only in our sufferings do we discover hope, community, and identity. We discover who we truly are in Christ in the midst of our sufferings. The gospel we believe is a gospel of suffering. It may NOT sell well—but it is far more authentic.
Jesus is on the move. He and his disciples have left Corazin, Capernaum, and Bethsaida for a two-day journey to Caesarea Philippi. While on the way Jesus asks them a couple questions about his identity. First he asks them, “Who do people say I am?” The collective response is mixed, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah and others one of the prophets.” It appears there is no clear consensus among the people about who Jesus is.
Then, Jesus turns the heat up just a little bit and asks a second question, “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered for the group, “You are the Christ.” But then what happens? Jesus rebukes Peter and the others and warns them not to tell anyone who he is! Why? Why would Jesus do that? Why would Jesus rebuke his disciples for offering up a correct answer? Why then would Jesus tell everyone to keep quiet? Probably because Peter was offering “lip service” to Jesus. Peter on behalf of the others confessed with his lips but in his heart he did not understand. Just like the blind man of Bethsaida whom Jesus healed – Peter and the other disciples’ vision is cloudy. Jesus knows his disciples don’t see him clearly in their hearts. He is still a mystery to them. So what better time than now to make their vision clearer? If Jesus is the Christ, what better time than now to tell everyone listening who he really is and what he’s going to do.
Jesus explains to his disciples that he must suffer and must be killed and after three days he will rise. Peter and the others are blown away by Jesus’ words. Did he just say what I think he said? Did Jesus just say that he’s going to suffer and be killed and then rise from the grave? I don’t know about you but I’m not so sure I want to follow this Jesus. I didn’t sign up for suffering and death! You can sense the plot thickening as Peter takes Jesus aside. All eyes are watching as Peter comes forward, “Time out, Rabbi. Timeout. Rabbi, what are you talking about? Surely you won’t be killed! Impossible! And what’s all this nonsense about rising after three days?!” And on and on Peter goes.
As I have been reflecting on these verses, I can’t help but feel that Jesus interrupts Peter. While Peter is talking to Jesus, Jesus turned and looked at his disciples and THEN he cut Peter off mid-sentence, “Get behind me Satan! You do not have in mind the things of God but the things of men.”
If we read between the lines here – what Jesus was really saying was, “YOU do not have in mind the things of God, but I do! Now, get back with the others and follow me because I know the way you and I are to go!” Lest there be any confusion, Jesus makes it abundantly clear that he knows the way. The proverbial line has now been drawn. Jesus then tells his disciples what they must do to follow him…Jesus is the Christ, and he has his mind set on the things of God.
Jesus said that anyone who comes after him must do three things –
Deny yourself;
Take up your cross;
And follow him.
How often have we heard the words, “deny yourself and take up your cross” and forgotten those words mean the first century equivalent of “I’m strapping myself into the electric chair.” An 18th century preacher and theologian from England, John Wesley said, “The denying of ourselves and the taking up of our cross is not a small concern. It is absolutely necessary, in the very nature, of the thing, to our coming after him and following Him; insomuch that, as far as we do not practice it, we are not his disciples. If we do not continually deny ourselves, we do not learn of Him, but of other masters. If we do not take up our cross daily, we do not come after Him but after the world, or our own fleshly mind. If we are not walking in the way of the cross, we are not treading in his steps; but going back from, or at least wide of, Him.”
Jesus commands his followers to follow him by demanding that they deny themselves and take up their crosses. Why should we walk in the way of the cross and tread in Jesus’ steps? Why should we walk in the way of suffering and follow Jesus? Because Jesus really is the Christ. Jesus really is the Son of God and he has his head, his heart, his hands, and his feet constantly pointed toward the things of God – he knows the way we should go in this life and if we put our faith and trust in him to lead the way, he will lead us to eternal life.
We are a room full of Jesus followers, and I believe that everyone here has experienced a season of suffering, deep loss, or hardship in life – where you shout at Jesus like Peter – wait a minute! I didn’t sign up for this!! You especially may feel this way if you are a Cubs fan or a Detroit Lions fan! Imagine if you were both!
Jesus invites each of us to follow him on the journey of life. He invites us to put him first in our lives. To take up our crosses and follow him through the great times – filled with joy and peace, and through the bad – filled with sorrow and suffering.
If we accept his invitation to follow him, he assures us that we are not alone in our journey. He leads us every step of the way because he is the living Christ –the Son of God – and he has his mind on the things of God and he knows the way we should go.
Hear the Word of the Lord from the Gospel of Mark 8:27-38.
27Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?” 28They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” 29”But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ.” 30Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.
31He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
33But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”
34Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? 37Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 38If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
The Scriptures claim, particularly Mark’s Gospel, that if we are Christ followers, in some real way we all should expect suffering. We should anticipate trials and tribulations. Ironically, the Scriptures also tell us that only in our sufferings do we discover hope, community, and identity. We discover who we truly are in Christ in the midst of our sufferings. The gospel we believe is a gospel of suffering. It may NOT sell well—but it is far more authentic.
Jesus is on the move. He and his disciples have left Corazin, Capernaum, and Bethsaida for a two-day journey to Caesarea Philippi. While on the way Jesus asks them a couple questions about his identity. First he asks them, “Who do people say I am?” The collective response is mixed, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah and others one of the prophets.” It appears there is no clear consensus among the people about who Jesus is.
Then, Jesus turns the heat up just a little bit and asks a second question, “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered for the group, “You are the Christ.” But then what happens? Jesus rebukes Peter and the others and warns them not to tell anyone who he is! Why? Why would Jesus do that? Why would Jesus rebuke his disciples for offering up a correct answer? Why then would Jesus tell everyone to keep quiet? Probably because Peter was offering “lip service” to Jesus. Peter on behalf of the others confessed with his lips but in his heart he did not understand. Just like the blind man of Bethsaida whom Jesus healed – Peter and the other disciples’ vision is cloudy. Jesus knows his disciples don’t see him clearly in their hearts. He is still a mystery to them. So what better time than now to make their vision clearer? If Jesus is the Christ, what better time than now to tell everyone listening who he really is and what he’s going to do.
Jesus explains to his disciples that he must suffer and must be killed and after three days he will rise. Peter and the others are blown away by Jesus’ words. Did he just say what I think he said? Did Jesus just say that he’s going to suffer and be killed and then rise from the grave? I don’t know about you but I’m not so sure I want to follow this Jesus. I didn’t sign up for suffering and death! You can sense the plot thickening as Peter takes Jesus aside. All eyes are watching as Peter comes forward, “Time out, Rabbi. Timeout. Rabbi, what are you talking about? Surely you won’t be killed! Impossible! And what’s all this nonsense about rising after three days?!” And on and on Peter goes.
As I have been reflecting on these verses, I can’t help but feel that Jesus interrupts Peter. While Peter is talking to Jesus, Jesus turned and looked at his disciples and THEN he cut Peter off mid-sentence, “Get behind me Satan! You do not have in mind the things of God but the things of men.”
If we read between the lines here – what Jesus was really saying was, “YOU do not have in mind the things of God, but I do! Now, get back with the others and follow me because I know the way you and I are to go!” Lest there be any confusion, Jesus makes it abundantly clear that he knows the way. The proverbial line has now been drawn. Jesus then tells his disciples what they must do to follow him…Jesus is the Christ, and he has his mind set on the things of God.
Jesus said that anyone who comes after him must do three things –
Deny yourself;
Take up your cross;
And follow him.
How often have we heard the words, “deny yourself and take up your cross” and forgotten those words mean the first century equivalent of “I’m strapping myself into the electric chair.” An 18th century preacher and theologian from England, John Wesley said, “The denying of ourselves and the taking up of our cross is not a small concern. It is absolutely necessary, in the very nature, of the thing, to our coming after him and following Him; insomuch that, as far as we do not practice it, we are not his disciples. If we do not continually deny ourselves, we do not learn of Him, but of other masters. If we do not take up our cross daily, we do not come after Him but after the world, or our own fleshly mind. If we are not walking in the way of the cross, we are not treading in his steps; but going back from, or at least wide of, Him.”
Jesus commands his followers to follow him by demanding that they deny themselves and take up their crosses. Why should we walk in the way of the cross and tread in Jesus’ steps? Why should we walk in the way of suffering and follow Jesus? Because Jesus really is the Christ. Jesus really is the Son of God and he has his head, his heart, his hands, and his feet constantly pointed toward the things of God – he knows the way we should go in this life and if we put our faith and trust in him to lead the way, he will lead us to eternal life.
We are a room full of Jesus followers, and I believe that everyone here has experienced a season of suffering, deep loss, or hardship in life – where you shout at Jesus like Peter – wait a minute! I didn’t sign up for this!! You especially may feel this way if you are a Cubs fan or a Detroit Lions fan! Imagine if you were both!
Jesus invites each of us to follow him on the journey of life. He invites us to put him first in our lives. To take up our crosses and follow him through the great times – filled with joy and peace, and through the bad – filled with sorrow and suffering.
If we accept his invitation to follow him, he assures us that we are not alone in our journey. He leads us every step of the way because he is the living Christ –the Son of God – and he has his mind on the things of God and he knows the way we should go.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Less than two days...
...until I deliver my first sermon ever. My nerves are firing at a rapid rate, my blood pressure is up, and my anxiety level has been raised to a whole new plateau. I'm preaching on Mark 8:27-38 - Peter's confession, "You are the Christ." Also where Jesus said, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me." This is a wonderful passage to preach on, however, my insecurities lie in a small fear of getting up in front of others. I was very active in high school drama, but I'm finding that this is a completely different situation where I haven't been able to draw upon my previous acting experience. I'll post my sermon after Friday!
Monday, March 12, 2007
Zambia Missions Team Blog
We have the privilege of sending a number of our congregants to Zambia, Africa, to work with Trust Orphans through World Hope for two weeks. The group leaves tomorrow morning from Grand Rapids and they have given us with a great blog to read all about how God is working in Zambia and how they themselves are being transformed by the Lord of all the nations. They have our prayer support and I hope they have an amazing life-changing adventure!
Friday, March 02, 2007
Bumper sticker read:
If going to church makes a Christian, then does going to the garage make a car?
Sunday, February 18, 2007
What I learned from Dave
My wife and I went to Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover in Grand Rapids a couple weeks ago. It was a great five hour affair, which I highly recommend. If you ever are given the opportunity to go -- GO!
Dave really challenged us and our beliefs about how money should be spent in order to get out of debt. We don't have a lot of debt, however we have one student loan. We have this incredible sense (which Dave talks about) of attacking the student loan with everything we've got until it's gone. This isn't an easy thing to do, but we're going to do it! We received our refund check from Uncle Sam and the whole amount minus a couple expenses went to the loan. It was incredibly painful to put thousands of dollars toward the loan but I know and I believe we are on the right path towards financial freedom.
Dave really challenged us and our beliefs about how money should be spent in order to get out of debt. We don't have a lot of debt, however we have one student loan. We have this incredible sense (which Dave talks about) of attacking the student loan with everything we've got until it's gone. This isn't an easy thing to do, but we're going to do it! We received our refund check from Uncle Sam and the whole amount minus a couple expenses went to the loan. It was incredibly painful to put thousands of dollars toward the loan but I know and I believe we are on the right path towards financial freedom.
Friday, January 19, 2007
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Monday, January 15, 2007
Celebrating a victory!
I should not forget to mention that I have been offered (and I accepted) a position as Pastoral Intern at engedi church! The journey leading up to this time was an incredible struggle, so I am absolutely delighted to serve at engedi!
Reflections while on retreat
Just this past Friday I returned from a week long retreat at Lindenwood Retreat Center in Donaldson, Indiana. I had a wonderful opportunity to retreat with my fellow classmates from WTS. I would like to share a couple things I learned last week that I hope to carry with me for a long time.1. My class has an incredible sense of humor. Never have I laughed so hard so often than this past week. And I thank God so much for all the hilarity!
2. God has infinite grace which I don't deserve, yet He willingly and lovingly extends His grace, so that I can find rest, peace, and reassurance in Him. His grace has stirred in my heart to extend more grace to others I am in contact with.
3. Celebrate life's victories!
4. Lastly, I think God is speaking to me to take a step in faith by fasting on a regular basis. I haven't done this in very, very long time (nor have I considered it), so this is a big deal for me. I think God has revealed a couple of things I need to work on and perhaps fasting would draw me to Him in such a way that these areas of improvement will begin to change.
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