Jacob's Well

Jesus and His disciples were midway through a long journey from Judea to Galilee. The Savior was very tired and very thirsty. The disciples went into town to buy food while Jesus sat at Jacob’s Well, waiting for someone to come along with a bucket and draw Him some water. Then she came along. The nameless woman at the well. She came during the ‘off peak’ hours, possibly to avoid the shame and ridicule of other women. She was the lowest of the low in the Israelite society. First off she was a Samaritan, which the Jews despised. Secondly, she was a woman, which the culture considered second class. Thirdly, she was a tramp, which the world rejected. She had already married five other men and was currently in an adulterous relationship.

After denying The Christ a cup of water, Jesus says to this women at the well, “If you know the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water (Jn 4:10).” In this one swift statement Jesus identifies her ignorance in who He is, the gift He offers and her need of it. Throughout the next several verses, Jesus reveals who He is (the Messiah), the gift He offers (eternal life) and her need of it (her sin). Then something wonderful and miraculous happens, something only God could do. The tramp believes! Into this glorious celebration, the disciples return from the town. Sadly they missed the divineness of the moment and awkwardly looked at the Jesus and the woman and thought to themselves, “Why (is Jesus) talking with her?” With their condescending stares, the woman gets up and returns to the town.



With the trampy Samaritan woman out of the way, the disciples offer Jesus some of the food that He sent them into town to buy. Jesus rejects their food saying, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work.” Jesus goes on to rebuke the disciples, telling them that the will of the father is to “harvest the crop for eternal life.” You may wonder as I have, “Why does Jesus speak so harshly to his disciples? They were just offering him the food that He told them to go buy!” Here is why I think Jesus was so righteously angry. The disciples had come and gone from the city with no harvesting, yet the women returned to the city, forgetting her shame and told everyone she could find about Jesus. Then she invited them to come back with her to Jacob’s Well and meet Jesus so that they too might believe. Because of her boldness, many there trusted in Jesus as their Savior. You see, the disciples were not doing the will of the Father, but the tramp was. I confess there are many days I live more like the devout disciples than the transformed tramp.

What about you? Which are you? Are you like the religious person who moves throughout the city, telling no one about Jesus and reaping no harvest at all? Or are you like the tramp? Have you encountered Jesus today? Have you realized the desperation of your need as sinner, the majesty of Jesus identity as Messiah and the grace of Jesus gift as eternal life? Jesus says to us, “I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for the harvest.” Go, reap the harvest, live not like the disciples, but like the tramp. Go, reap the harvest, because you are no longer a tramp, but the bride of Christ, precious, perfect and spotless in His blood.

Perseverance

When I was in high school I started hanging out with a ministry called Young Life. One of the leaders was a college student named Brian. I did not realize it at the time, but evidently every time I said hi to him I would punch him in the arm and every time I talked to him I would brag about my football achievements. As you can imagine, I was probably a pretty annoying and draining guy to hang around. Looking back, one thing amazes me…Brian never abandoned me. Even though Brian probably had plenty of college friends to hang out with and even though I was a bothersome, insecure, big-headed high school kid, Brian still befriended me, still pursued me and still loved me.
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to preach from Philippians 1:1-11. If you can recall, we learned that at the cross our heavenly Father forsook His perfect friendship with His Son Jesus, so that we could once again be made friends with God. I would like to think a little deeper on this issue with two questions.
1) Why did God have to forsake His friendship with Jesus? The Bible tells us that God’s standard for friendship with anyone is their perfect obedience to His Word. Needless to say, we have all failed at this, especially in the area of friendship. If you are like me, your selfishness has kept you from being a good friend to ‘difficult’ and/or ‘unbeneficial’ people. It is so much easier to care for people that encourage you or that somehow assistance you in achieving your goals. God had to forsake Jesus because Jesus took on our selfishness and he took on our friendlessness. Not only that, because of us, Jesus then incurred the most horrible punishment ever, separation from the Father.
2) Why should we persevere in one sided friendships (like Brian did)? In Philippians 1:6 Paul says that he is “confident of this, that (God) who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Paul was confident that the Holy God of the Universe, who forsook His most treasured possession to unilaterally begin a friendship with us, would also unilaterally perfect this friendship in us. That He would not only befriend selfish, friendless, difficult and unbeneficial people, but He would also never give up on selfish, friendless, difficult and unbeneficial people. The reason why Brian persevered in friendship with me, was because he understood that God had persevered in friendship with him.
So here is the challenge. Befriend and persevere with a stubborn, exhausting and difficult person, not because it is what God commands, but because it is what God did and is doing with you.

Joy

As many of you know, I am an avid Missouri football fan. This was elevated by my sophomore year of college when I attended a Missouri - Nebraska contest that was voted the college football game of the year. At the time, Nebraska had an 8-0 record, was ranked #1 in the country and had won the national championship 2 out of the past 3 years. Missouri on the other hand, had a 6-3 record and was unranked. With 7 seconds left in the game, Missouri was up 38-31 and Nebraska had one last chance to tie it from the 12 yard line. As time expired, the quarterback threw the ball into the end zone and as the ball reached the receiver, he was immediately hit by the Missouri defense and the ball shot down toward the ground. As you can imagine, the reaction of 70,000 fans was elation and joy. We began to rush the field to celebrate the most amazing win in Missouri history. However, our joy was short lived, the game was not over. Evidently, as the receiver was being tackled to the ground, he kicked the ball into the air (which for the record should have been a penalty) and another Nebraska receiver caught the ‘flea kicker’ to tie the game. In overtime, Missouri fought hard but ultimately lost the game. Needless to say, I saw a swing of emotions. What had been joy moments ago was now disappointment, anger and bitterness. In fact, I was so pathetic that I even entered into a mini depression and even now as I recall this story I have to remind myself that it was only a game.



Why did I lose joy after that football game? Because win or lose, it was a temporary joy, based on a changing circumstance. Now to a certain extent, it is healthy and honest to be disappointed. But there is another type of joy, it is an eternal joy, it is a deep seeded joy based on an unchanging circumstance of God. This joy is no secret and it is offered freely to all because it was purchased for you and for me at the cross. It is a joy of knowing that our deepest needs in life are met, forever. This unchanging joy floods our hearts as we realize our need for a Savior and that through the cross, we have been forgiven of our sins, accepted as righteous, adopted as a child of God and given a relationship with Jesus Christ. According to Galatians 5:22, this joy from Christ is given to all who have surrendered their life to Jesus, without exception and without changing.
So how about you? Would people describe you as a ‘joyful’ person? If so, why? If not, why not? How do we, in the changing circumstances of life, nurture the joy given to us by Christ? It is not by trying to become more joyful or by the power of positive thinking. The answer is even more simple than that. To nurture your joy you must prize Jesus above all else! You see, if we prize Christ above all else, then we not only cherish the One who makes us most joyful, but we cherish the One who is unchanging. We cherish the One who will never leave us nor forsake us.
So how about you? What are the treasures competing for your heart? Look at your planner and your checkbook. Is your treasure money, sports, peace, recreation, a lake house, morality, success, food, rest? What is it? Whatever it is, they are all changing and temporary, except for Jesus. Surrender your treasure to Jesus and make Him your treasure and your joy, because you first were His.
1 John 4:19 We love because He first loved us.

Redeeming Santa

Growing up I remember many cold December evenings when the Jackson family would pile into the van and sing Christmas songs while driving around aimlessly looking for Christmas displays. One of those songs that became very familiar to me was Santa Claus Is Coming To Town. Do you remember how it goes? You better watch out. You better not cry. You better not pout. I'm telling you why, Santa Claus is coming to town. He's making a list, Checking it twice; Gonna find out who's naughty or nice. Santa Claus is coming to town. He sees you when you're sleeping. He knows when you're awake. He knows if you've been bad or good. So be good for goodness sake!
I know that among Christian households there are various opinions on whether we should or should not teach our kids the legend of Santa Claus. I appreciate and respect the decision of many who choose not to speak of Santa because of their noble desire to preserve the true meaning of Christmas, which is Christ’s birth. With that said, I am writing this article mainly to those who choose to make Santa a part of their Christmas tradition.

Without doubt, Santa is not God, but then again, neither is a human father, an earthly king or a lion named Aslan, yet all of these can be used to help illustrate to our children the greatness of God in ways they can understand. I want to challenge you this Christmas to redeem the fictional legend of Santa Claus. The typical two-pronged theology of Santa says,

1. Santa is looking over you all the time ~ He sees you when you're sleeping. He knows when you're awake.
2. Santa gives gifts according to your goodness ~ Santa Claus is coming to town. He's making a list, Checking it twice; Gonna find out who's naughty or nice. Santa Claus is coming to town.

Sadly, this theology of Santa is also the world’s theology of God. Children often connect the mythical Santa to a real God by thinking, “God is watching, and He will reward me if my niceness outweighs my naughtiness.” I want to challenge you this year to redeem this fictional character of Santa so that he may mirror and teach your kids the character and love of the one true and living God. To do this, you cannot tell your children that “Santa gives gifts according to their goodness” but rather that “Santa gives gifts despite their naughtiness.”
If you think through this traditional Santa theology, it is actually very contradictory. We are told that Santa gives “gifts” to those that earn them by being nice, yet a “gift,” by definition, cannot be earned. You see, an earned “gift” is not a gift at all, but rather it is a reward. But because you are too naughty, God cannot give you a reward, because you have not earned it. Because of our sin God has to give you a gift, The Christmas Gift, and it comes in the form of a baby, His very own Son, Jesus Christ.

Rom 4:4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due…Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Enjoy your gift from God and have a very Merry Christmas

Dual Identity

My Own Worst Enemy is one of TV’s newest action thrillers. On its website, NBC explains that the show “explores the duality of a man who is literally pitted against himself” and asks the question, “Who can you trust when you can’t trust yourself?” In the show, Christian Slater plays a man with dual identities, Henry and Edward. “Henry is a middle-class efficiency expert living a humdrum life in the suburbs with his wife, their two kids, a dog, and a minivan. Edward is an operative who speaks 13 languages, runs a four-minute mile, and is trained to kill… Henry and Edward are polar opposites who share only one thing in common - the same body.”
While I have never actually seen the show, I have to admit that I can identify with the character because I too have a dual identity (No, I am not a secret agent on my days off…or at least that is what I want you to think). Then again, I am not the only one that has a dual identity; you do too, as well as everyone in your family, at your office and on your street. All people have the identity of being an image bearer of God, but all people also have the identity of being fallen, it is a dual identity which shares only one thing in common – the same body. Francis Schaffer described your dual identity as a glorious ruin.
First, you are glorious, because “God created man in His own image.” (Gen 1:27) Unlike the animals you have a unique spiritual component that is woven into the very fabric of your soul. This component allows you, and all men, to contemplate God, to make moral decisions, to exercise dominion over the earth and, most importantly, to have a relationship with Christ if you trust in Him.
Secondly, you are ruins, because your sin has corrupted every aspect of your life. It has corrupted your righteousness, your mind, your motives, your will, your tongue, your relationships with others and your relationship to God (Rom3:10-18). To put it simply, the affects of sin in your life are pervasive and they ruin your perfect glory as an image bearer of God.
Like Henry, as a person with dual identities, you are literally pitted against yourself. There is a war waging inside of you, a battle between the two identities for your thoughts, your actions and your heart. Such inner turmoil leaves us with this question, “Who can you trust when you can’t trust yourself?” The answer is simple, trust in Jesus, who is the perfect image of the invisible God and who wants to re-create you into His perfect image for all eternity.

UNASHAMED

When I was growing up, I was ashamed of many trivial matters, like when I wore generic shoes to school, or when my family used coupons to go out to eat, or when my mom wanted to give me a hug in front of my friends, or when my dad would wear knee high socks with his shorts.
That was what I was ashamed of then, but now I’m ashamed of much more serious matters, such as sin. Paul describes sin as “the things of which you are now ashamed.” (Rom 6:21) Personally, I’m ashamed of how I often fear man more than I fear God. I’m ashamed of the countless times every day I put my own needs ahead of others. I’m ashamed of the way I don’t serve my wife and kids as I should. I’m ashamed of how lazy I can be. I’m ashamed of how I seek first the kingdom of Dan instead of the Kingdome of God. And of course, I’m ashamed of the things I don’t want to share with you, because I’m ashamed of them.
The amazing thing about the Gospel is that it triumphs over shame. In a way, the Gospel takes us back to the Garden of Eden, before there was sin, in which Adam and Eve “were both naked, and they felt no shame.” (Gen 2:25) It was true that they were naked physically before each other and felt no shame, but what is more amazing is that they were naked spiritually before God and they felt no shame. God knew everything they had ever thought, said or did and yet they had no shame, because they were sinless.
Three times in the book of Romans, we are told that “everyone who believes in (Christ) will not be put to shame.” (Rom 10:11) Paul is reminding us that on the Day of Judgment, we will stand before God, completely spiritually naked. Nothing we have ever thought, said or done will be hidden from His knowledge and yet those who “believe in Christ will not be put to shame” because through Jesus sacrifice on the cross, your sins have been transferred to Christ. What is more, Jesus righteousness has been transferred to you. For those who believe, on that Day, God will look at you and He will see Jesus. He will look at you as if you had never, ever, ever, ever sinned and you will be unashamed.

Fighting Temptation

What temptation do you face on a daily basis? Laziness? Bitterness? Selfishness? Covetousness? Follishness? Faithlessness? Heartlessness? Deceitfulness? Greed? Gluttony? Gossip? Hatred? Rebellion? Sexual immorality? Judgmentalism? Lust? Pride? Or all of the above?
James 1:13-15 affirms a reality that we are all too familiar with, which is that in this life, you will face temptation and there is no way of completely escaping it. Even Jesus faced temptations from Satan when he was led out into the dessert by the Spirit (Mat 4:1-11). James goes on to explain that being tempted is not a sin, but fulfilling temptation does give birth to sin and sin to death. So the question I want to ask is this, “How can a weak and sinful man like me fight temptation?”
A great example of this occurs in Genesis 39, where Joseph is a servant to a high ranking political leader (Potiphar) in the most powerful country in the world, Egypt. Blessed by the LORD, Joseph becomes extremely successful and his master puts him in charge of all he has. Then, like a bad soap opera, the Potiphar’s wife gets a crush on Joseph and begins to seduce him. On many occasions she tries to lure Joseph into bed with her, and even though he is far from family and friends, time and again he fights temptation and refuses her invitation. You may wonder, “Where does a single, lonely, sinful man like Joseph get the strength to successfully fight temptation? I wish I had Joseph’s same strength.”
The source of Joseph’s strength is woven throughout Genesis 39 when it is mentioned not once, nor twice, nor thrice, but four times that Joseph’s success over temptation comes from God Himself. In 39:2,3,21 and 23 the same phrase is repeated, “The LORD was with Joseph.” Upon first discovering this, I wondered why God repeats Himself so many times, and then I realized, “God’s presence must be important, not just that, it must be life altering important as we fight temptation.” Here is the good news, if you trust Jesus death on the cross as a payment for your sins, you don’t merely get forgiveness from God, you get God! The all mighty, ever lasting and all powerful God is with you, whether you feel Him there or not! So in the midst of temptation, like Joseph you must acknowledge God’s presence, depend on His strength and ask yourself, “How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” God is with you right now and forevermore, remember it, proclaim it and enjoy Him forever.

Freedom

On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Second Continental Congress of the United States. It stated that the thirteen colonies of North America were now “Free and independent States” and “all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved.” After demanding freedom from the King’s “absolute Tyranny over these States,” the Declaration goes on to give over twenty-five indictments against the King, exposing his use of power to wickedly oppress and control the Americans for his own personal gain. In light of our history, it is right for us to take this 4^th of July to give honor to our forefathers, who boldly took a stand, so that we might have freedom to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” in this life.

Similar to our nation’s history, we have each been held under the wicked oppression of an evil dictator; his name is Satan. He uses his power to extend his own kingdom at our expense. But the good news is that Jesus has given freedom to those who belong to Him, and allowed our connection with the evil one to be “totally dissolved.” In John 8:36, Jesus Himself says, “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” The scriptures elaborate on this point by explaining that we have freedom from the penalty of sin, which is eternal separation from God, and we have freedom from the control of sin, which is slavery. Secondly, we have freedom to an eternal form of “life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.” We have the freedom of a spiritual “life” instead of death, we have the freedom of “liberty” to pursue righteousness instead of sin, and we have freedom for “the pursuit of happiness” which is one in the same as the pursuit of God.

Interestingly enough, on July 4^th, 1776, the Declaration was only signed by one man, the other 55 delegates didn’t start adding their signatures till almost a month later. This extremely brave man was John Hancock, who boldly declared with his famous signature, “No more tyranny! I demand Freedom!” At the cross, the one man, Jesus Christ, makes the same declaration for you and for me so that we might live a life of total freedom before a Holy God.

If you trust in Christ, did you know that you are free? Or have you mistaken Christianity for a burdensome treadmill of performance. You have been freed to worship, freed to serve, freed to obey and freed to fall more in love with the awesome and Holy God. If you do not know Christ, let today be your Independence Day: trust in the cross of Christ as your Declaration of Independence from Satan, and experience the freedom of knowing Christ.

Gal 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.

3 Money Principles

What does the Gospel have to do with how we handle our money? Everything! Believers are told that because we have been bought with the precious blood of Jesus, we are not our own and therefore everything we are and everything we have (including our money) is not ours, but rather it belongs to our new master, Jesus. Do you believe this? If so, here are three money principles to help you steward Jesus’ money, which He has entrusted to you.

Earn Money Honestly: (Eph. 4:28: Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands.) ~ Money can be earned dishonestly in a variety of ways, the most obvious being through corrupt activities such as stealing or profiting from immoral practices. More subtle and common ways include selling products with partial truths, rounding up time cards, using the company credit card for personal business, ducking out of work early, or surfing the internet and playing games while on the employer’s time.

Give Money Generously: (2Cor. 9:6-7: Whoever sows generously will also reap generously. (7) Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.) ~ Many times we mistakenly try to make financial generosity a dollar amount or a percentage. Contrarily, God demonstrates to us that generosity is an issue of the heart. In other words, it is not necessarily about how much money you give, but with what heart you give it. Sadly, many people in our community cannot give cheerfully because they are weighed down by the expenses of unwise living decisions. They have exhausted their funds by choosing to buy the nicest house(s), or the coolest car(s), or the biggest toy(s) that their finances can allow. Therefore, cheerful giving begins with a transformed heart that makes informed decisions.

Enjoy Money Powerfully: (Ecc. 5:19: Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them…this is the gift of God.) ~ How would you respond to someone who said, “God has given us the power to enjoy money!” I must confess that even though I am convinced it is good to enjoy God’s creation, (which He has given to us to steward), I often struggle to believe that it is also good to enjoy God’s money, (which He has also given to us to steward). Ecc. 5:19 instructs us that the secret to enjoying God’s money is in relying on God’s power to know that ‘wealth and possessions’ are not a god, but a gift from God.

1Tim. 6:17-19: As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. (18) They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, (19) thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

Pray Bigger

If we were honest, most of us would confess that our prayer life is not much more than updating God on the daily health and travel report. We tell Him who is sick, who is traveling and we pray for their physical safety. I believe that these should not be our greatest prayer concerns. In fact, I would argue that if these are your greatest requests before God, you have a misunderstood and shallow understanding of His miraculous Kingdom

There is a wonderful example of this in Mark 2 when some men bring their paralyzed friend to Jesus. Unable to get into the packed house, the desperate men climb on to the roof, open it up and then lower their buddy in front of Christ. I can imagine the electricity in the air as everyone silently waited to see if Jesus would miraculously heal this man’s physical body. What happens next may surprise you, it certainly surprised the crowed. Jesus didn’t give the man power to walk, but rather turns to him and said, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Jesus gave this man what he most needed instead of what he most wanted. The crowed was disappointed, no one cheered, no one was amazed and no one praised God, rather they replied with skepticism and accusations. In order to silence the critics, Jesus confirmed God’s forgiveness by telling the man, “get up, take your mat and go home.” Mark then tells us that the paralyzed man, “got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God.” What is wrong with this picture? The crowed wanted, cheered for, was amazed at and praised God for the lesser miracle. They merely wanted the man to walk. In contrast, Jesus wanted the greater miracle, which was to forgive this man’s sins.

In my life I have experienced many of God’s extraordinary miracles and provisions, so many so that I couldn’t even start to list them. Yet as I reflect back on them, I truly believe that they all pale in comparison to the single greatest miracle I have experienced, which is the forgiveness of my sins through the blood of Jesus Christ. I am further amazed at the ongoing miraculous work of God as He continues to be faithful to forgive this stubborn, proud and arrogant saint, while all the while continuing His unceasing dedication to conform me into the image of Christ. What a patient, loving and miraculous God we have.

I want to encourage you to stop praying in the shallow end. Why would you merely ask God to give a person travel safety or good health if they are dead to God? By God’s grace, I pray that once again you will find urgency in praying for the impossible (Mk 10:27). Start praying for your neighbors, your family members, your co-workers, your friends and your enemies. Pray that they would receive the miraculous work of the cross and experience the forgiveness of sins from an almighty, loving and holy God. Finally, do not become complacent to the miraculous in your own life just because it is assured in your heart and commonplace among your friends. If God has given you the grace to place your trust in Jesus Christ, then He has pardoned your sin, freeing you from it’s bondage and penalty. Live afresh in the strength and joy of our Savior, who miraculously says to you, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

How Bad is it? ... Really?

Last night Tricia and I watched a “Christian” movie. One of the major themes was that even though some people in the world are evil, people are basically good. Sadly, I have allowed myself to be brainwashed with a surplus of Christian material that tells me that sin is not that big of an issue, that I’m basically good and capable of doing good apart from God. We see such teaching in the vast majority of Christian resources for children, which merely encourage kids towards moralism, (i.e. be nice to your brother, share with friends, obey your parents etc.) The residue of this belief can also be seen in Christian worship music in which we tell God all we are going to do for Him. Even one of today’s most influential pastors, Rob Bell, explains in a video that God believes in us so much that He puts the fate of the church in our hands when Jesus says to the disciples, “Go and make disciples of all the nations,” (Matt 28:19.) (Read v18, 20 to see his error)

What is wrong with this picture? It is untrue. In the biblical narrative, other than Jesus, God does not use moral and capable people, but rather sinful failures. Among our heroes of the faith are Noah the drunkard, Abraham the liar, Moses the murderer, David the adulterer, Peter the denier and Paul the genocider. These descriptions typically are not given in children’s Bibles. However, the real Bibles tell us that we are sinful from conception, (Psalm 51:5), apart from God we are only evil all the time, (Gen 6:5), and if we claim to have no sin we make God out to be a liar, (1John 1:10.) Do you make God out to be a liar? There are indicators of such an arrogant heart, which I know from personal experience.

v Vagueness ~ You confess, “I am a sinner,” but don’t really believe it, you cannot describe particular sins to God, to yourself or to others.

v Apathy ~ You are indifferent towards a Savior because your sin is not that bad.

v Unforgiveness ~ You expect everyone to be perfect and understanding like you.

v Unconfession ~ You are not consistently asking your spouse or kids or parents to forgive you, because you are unaware of how you have ever sinned against them.

v Minimize ~ In prayer, (by yourself or with others), your list of confessions is much shorter than your lists of requests and praises.

v Consolidate ~ You unite all your sins into one particular sin that you struggle with. Therefore, when you conquer that sin on a particular day you deceive yourself into thinking you have conquered all your sins.

I want to share something with you because I love you and because you will not hear this from any place other than from God’s Word. No matter what the Christian movies, Christian music, Christian Children’s Bibles and Christian preachers tell you, your “sin problem” is much worse than you could ever possibly imagine. Both your sins of commission, (doing what is prohibited by God), and omission, (not doing what is commanded by God,) are abhorrent to your heavenly Father. Furthermore, your sins of commission and omission are found not only in what you do, but also in what you say and even in what you think. Such an understanding should lead us to cry out, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God- Through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Rom 7:24-25.)

Your deepest need is not to act better, but to be forgiven. Do co-workers, neighbors, friends and family perceive you merely as a good person, (like the Pharisees), or as a forgiven person who is broken by your sin and amazed by the unconditional love of God? You can’t fake this, it must be genuine. Hang out around those who see their own sins, pray diligently that God would show you more of your sins, confess your sins to others, (so they might share in your repentance,) and then confess your sins to God.

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins”

Confronting the Bondage of Consumerism

According to the American Banker’s Association, the average family today carries $8,000 in credit card debt. While you may or may not personally carry any debt, such a number exposes the culture of American consumerism in which we live and are influenced by. Unfortunately, this consumer mentality overflows into our marriages, friendships and churches. We view these relationships merely as a means of pleasing ourselves, and when they fail to satisfy, they become disposable, or at least unworthy of our effort. We approach them with the mentality of, “What’s in it for me,” rather than, “What can I give.”

I want to look specifically at how our consumer-driven hearts affect our Sunday mornings experience at New Hope. One of the ugliest fruits of consumerism I see in my own heart is an attitude which is more concerned whether or not the service is pleasing to me, rather than whether or not the service is pleasing to God. While such an attitude is extremely destructive, and indeed an occasion for repentance, I want to focus more on the consumerism that is evident before and after the service.

With one question, I want to briefly examine the fifteen minutes of your life directly after the benediction this past Sunday and see if we can identify any signs of consumerism that you may need to repent of and change. The question is simply this: “Who were you scanning the church for?” There are obviously many answers, but most likely, we would say our friends, or our family, or someone we needed to do business with, or the pastor, or maybe we just jetted for the door so we wouldn’t have to talk to anyone. Why do we all flee to our “comfort zones?” Because we are trained to be consumers and thus we are trained to fulfill our own desires above others’ needs.

I want to encourage you to change your vision before and after church by seeking out those that are new, those that are emotionally and spiritually needy, those that maybe you feel awkward around, those that have been here for three years but you still forget their name. Somebody, please seek out that guy standing by the hangers waiting for his wife to finish her conversation so he can leave. Step out of your “comfort zone,” stick your hand out to them, get to know them, invite them over to your house for a meal and love them as a person who is so precious to God that He would sacrifice His only Son.

Some times we try to excuse ourselves from reaching out to others: “I’m shy;” “I’m an introvert;” “I’m new here;” “I’m the one that should be pursued;” “I’m….;” And while all these things may be true of you, Romans 15:7 commands all of us, “Welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” Did you know that Jesus Christ left the ultimate “comfort zone” to pursue you? He traded the worship of angels to be spit on by men because He so passionately loves you and wants to welcome you into His family. Therefore we are commanded to glorify God by doing the same and by welcoming others into this family of Jesus Christ at New Hope.

I had a friend visit New Hope a few weeks back and I asked him, “Did anyone say, ‘Hi’ to you?” He responded very gently, “Only if I was in their way.” I am convinced we should never cease to be a church plant. What I mean is each of us should always feel the responsibility to reach out and to welcome others in order to build up Christ’s church. I’m also convinced that if we were obedient to Romans 15:7, we could eliminate the need for assigned greeters, because all of us would receive visitors “for the glory of God”. And finally, I’m convinced that we must be counter-cultural because we have been freed from the bondage of consumerism by a God who has provided for all our needs. He has done this by first reaching out to us with the most amazing display of love the world has ever seen, the Cross of Jesus Christ.

New Years Resolution Worth Keeping

According to one source, the tradition of the New Year’s Resolution goes all the way back to 153 BC when Janus, (a mythical, two-faced king of early Rome), was placed at the head of the calendar. One of his faces looked backwards into the past year, prompting the people to give gifts to others as restitution for their mistakes. The other face looked forward to the next year and it represented new beginnings.

It’s amazing how sometimes we mirror this ancient culture. In December we give presents, sometimes with the hope of rebuilding relationships, and in January we set out to make a new beginning by developing a New Year’s Resolution. We promise to ourselves that this year will be different, that this year we are going to kick that unhealthy habit. This year we will stop smoking, stop drinking soda, stop eating junk food, stop mistreating our family, stop spending so much money; this year we will stop….

Many times Christians do a similar thing; they use the New Year to dedicate themselves to a new, heightened life of holiness. We get caught up in thinking that the Jesus looking back into last year may be disappointed in me, but the Jesus looking forward into this year is going to be very proud of me, because this year I am going to stop this or that sin. Unfortunately, this is mistaking Jesus for Janus.

Simply put, the Janus type of “repentance” (A New Years Resolution) is turning away from a “bad habit”, which God calls “sin”. While this seems noble and appealing, it is counterfeit repentance because it is incomplete. Many of us are tricked into believing that the Christian life follows this model of merely trying not to sin. We focus our eyes on “the line” of morality, we toe up to it, trying not to cross over it, and we stand paralyzed, hoping we don’t disappoint God again. Unfortunately this is how many, if not most, Christians live their lives, including me sometimes. Let me ask you, is this how you live your Christian life? Just trying not to mess up? Consumed with trying to be righteous? If so, real repentance is absolutely liberating!

The Biblical form of repentance is much different because it is complete. Christian repentance is two-fold. The first part is similar to the Janus tradition, which is turning away from sin. However, the second part is exclusively Christian, it is turning toward God. In Galatians 5:16, Paul is confronting the sin of the Galatians when he gives us a hint of how liberating true repentance can be. Reading closely we see a command: “live by the Spirit,” followed by a promise: “and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” In other words, don’t put a target on your sins and don’t focus on “the line” of morality, rather turn your body around and pursue God. Don’t be consumed with righteousness but rather be consumed by God and the unyielding control of His Holy Spirit. He is the only hope we have to conquer the “desires of the sinful nature” (Gal 5:19-21) and bear “fruit” (Gal 5:22-23)

So if you make a New Year’s Resolution, please don’t vow to stop doing something, but rather resolve to be a God-chaser by yielding to the Holy Spirit as made possible to you by the blood of Jesus. Furthermore, renew this resolution every morning, because it is in this full repentance we find real freedom from the power of sin, enabling us to turn and run freely toward the real King, Jesus Christ.

Expectatations

On October 25^th at 8:40am Tricia and I had our second son Caleb John Jackson. What a wonderful gift from God he is. We are so thankful for the way God has healed him from his pneumonia and made him into a healthy little boy.

With the birth of both my sons, I immediately had some expectations for each of them. My hope is that both would be passionate pursuers of Jesus Christ, instrumental in the building up of His Kingdom and great football players. I even have their life planned out for them (hey, I didn’t say this is healthy). After being stand out quarterbacks at Preble High School, one will go to the University of Missouri and the other to the University of Wisconsin. All four years they will lead their teams to the playoffs and then will meet in the national championship game, each winning it twice. After that they will both play for the Packers and win a few Super Bowls while sharing the MVP trophy.

What do you think? These are realistic expectations right? O.K. before you encourage me to seek therapy, let me share with you about another father who had high expectations of his boy.

Many of you are familiar with how the Christmas Story began and what effect it must have had on Joseph. After finding out that his fiancé was impregnated by someone else, broken hearted and angry, Joseph decided to call off his wedding to Mary. Before he had a chance to announce this decision, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (Mat. 1:20-21) This message was further confirmed when the shepherds and Magi visited praising God for baby Jesus. Also when Jesus was presented at the temple and Simeon and Anna proclaim Jesus as the means of salvation for the gentiles and redemption for Jerusalem. My guess is that very early on in Jesus life, all these experiences led Joseph to have very high expectations of his boy.

Baby Jesus was not merely expected to lead the Packers to a Super Bowl win, but to do something far greater! While my expectations of my sons may be too high, I want to challenge all of us that our expectations of Jesus are probably too low! We often think of Jesus merely as a moral example (WWJD) and a ticket to heaven. However, this Birthday Boy is much more than that, He is Savior, Redeemer and King. Therefore He deserves our worship, gratitude and service every month of the year.

A Game of Inches

A Game of Inches

Football is called a game of inches because only a few inches can make the difference between winning and losing. In my short life I cant tell you how many times I have seen a football thrown a few inches too high or a running back stopped a few inches too short or a field goal that ended up a few inches too wide. If you remember just this past week, the Green Bay Packers found themselves four points down against the San Diego Chargers. With only a few minutes left to play the Pac drove down the field for the win and on two different occasions they came up a few inches short of the end zone.

When I hear the phrase, “A Game of Inches Super Bowl XXXIV.” the football game which first comes to my mind is You may remember it. Down by 7 points, with 1:54 left, the Titans started on their own 10 yard line and drove 80 yards down the field (That’s a lot of inches!). With 6 seconds left they snapped the ball at the Rams 10 yard line. As time expired, McNair dropped back and passed the ball to Kevin Dyson who took a couple steps and then was wrapped up by defensive back Mike Jones. As he went down, Dyson stretched the ball out towards the end zone but was a few inches short of the goal line, giving the St. Louis Rams their first ever Super Bowl Title.

Like football, Christian theology is often a game of inches. If we simply memorize a book of the Bible, or take Seminary classes, or read Christian books with really big words in it, or engage in deep theological discussions, but we fail to let that information travel a few inches from our head to our heart, we have lost.

Jesus parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14) is a perfect example of this. The Pharisee knew great amounts of theology and it led him to pride and arrogance. When he went to pray to God, he stood up to be seen by men and thanked God he wasn’t like others and then proceeded to tell God, and all who were present, about how he had performed for God. Then there is the wretched tax collector who knew little theology, but what he did know about the holiness and love of God deeply penetrated his heart. Rather than standing in front for recognition, he stood in back with humility and rather than exalting himself before men, in his brokenness he begs for mercy before God. Jesus then tells us that the tax collector was the one that “went down to his house justified.”

Which are you? Are you the performing Pharisee or the pleading sinner? Which would your family describe you as? The difference between a pleading sinner and a performing Pharisee is a few inches. Let the truths of God’s love not only penetrate your mind, but also your heart.

Why do we baptize babies?

One of the strongest proofs for why we baptize the children of believers is because of the continuity of the Old and New Testament. Baptism of the New Testament is the continuation of Old Testament circumcision (which was administered to children of the Covenant Community). Below is a helpful chart which gives some of the parallels.

Act 16:32-34 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. (33) And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. (34) Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.

(Act 16:15)
And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay." And she prevailed upon us.

(1Co 1:16)
(I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.)

Circumcision

Baptism

Col 2:11In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature,[a] not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, Represents: Cutting away of Sin & inclusion into the people of God (Israel) & a life dedicated to God Circumcision done by Christ: is Circumcision of the heart by the Holy Spirit; which transforms our heart Romans 2:29No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code.

Col2:12having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. Represents: Washing away of sin and inclusion into the people of God (the Church) & a life dedicated to God Baptism done by Christ: Baptism of the Holy Spirit by the Holy Spirit, which transforms our hearts. Mark1:8 I baptize you with[ a] water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

American Dream

September 2007 Tidings

Prior to leaving for the Monterrey mission trip, my father warned me to be weary of “Montezuma’s Revenge.” The term alludes to a Mexican Emperor from the 16^th century who was colonized by the stronger Western countries and is presently ‘getting back’ at these conquering nations. “Montezuma’s Revenge” is the unhappy consequences a visitor might endure if they choose to drink the un-sterilized water of Mexico. The “revenge” is a three day trip to the nearest bathroom, where the toilets have no seats and the used toilet paper has to be disposed of in a trash can. On August 4^th a group from New Hope traveled to Mexico for a mission trip. Besides un-sterilized water, we also had to adjust to leaving our homes, families, friends, air conditioning, nice ‘toys,’ favorite foods, showers, clean beds, i-pods, toilet seats and much more.

In leaving these comforts of home, I realized that I am often consumed with pursuing happiness in the “American Dream.” In the pursuit of happiness I have sought out the 2 story house, the white (or cedar) picket fence, the 2 car garage, the 2.5 kids, the lake house and the nice boat. In the pursuit of happiness I have sought to climb the corporate ladder so that I might have power over others. In the pursuit of happiness I have endlessly labored so that I might be loved by everyone. On this Monterrey trip, where we visited people who lived in houses made out of shipping pallets, God revealed to us that the “American Dream” of finding happiness by gaining possessions, power and popularity is actually an “American Lie.”

Jesus tells us to pursue happiness in a way that directly opposes the “American Dream.” As He sends out His 12 disciples, Jesus tells them that “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.”[1] J.I. Packer phrases it this way, “The way to find the happiness that God promises is not to seek it as an end in itself, but to forget oneself in the daily preoccupation of seeking God’s glory and doing His will.”[2]

If the American Dream is true, then it makes no sense that Mexico was one of the happiest times for me and for all who went on the trip. The reason we found happiness is because we were surrendering our life to the will and mission of Jesus Christ in Mexico as we should in America. For a week we stopped seeking our own happiness and we sought out God’s glory and power.

So what about you? Where do you pursue happiness? Has it worked or do you just become discontent again and pursue happiness another way? If you are like me all your pursuits have left you wanting more and so I want to suggest we try pursuing happiness Jesus way instead of the American way. Don’t fill your schedule this week with entertaining yourself and seeking happiness apart from pursuing His mission. Instead, surrendered all of your agendas, possessions and relationships to the King of Glory so that He might receive more glory. As you go to work or engage with others, do so not for your own happiness but in the pursuit of the glory and mission of God.

You want to finally find happiness? You want to finally find your life? Then it’s time to try something radical. Lose your life to Jesus today!

Full Bank Account

August 2007 Tidings

This past May much of my family came to St. Louis to celebrate my graduation from Covenant Seminary. They were very generous with both their presence and their presents. One sibling gave me some TGI Friday’s gift cards because He knows that although Tricia and I love to eat out, we are often too cheap to spend the money. During this weekend of graduation we also celebrated my step mother’s (Karen’s) birthday. Tricia made a beautiful card for her and we wrote a nice letter describing how much we appreciated her. As a present, we included in the envelope one of the $20 gift cards I had received for graduation. (Yes! I re-gifted! Remember, we are cheap).

About a month ago I got a call from my Dad because he was afraid that there had been some mistake. He told me that he and Karen went to TGI Fridays and got a very nice meal, but when they went to pay the bill, the $20 gift card only had $1.50 on it. Needless to say, I was busted and had no choice but to openly confess my re-gifting ways.

I often live like I only have a $1.50 in my spiritual bank account, and I think, “Sure it’s better than being broke, but then again it is only $1.50” To put it another way, I take for granted all the riches I have in Christ and I dilute the wonders of what I have received. At the worst, I am deceived into thinking that there is not much of a difference between now and when I was not a Christian, other than a list of rules and a Sunday morning service.

The good news is that despite how rich or poor we might feel on a given day, all who trust in Christ possess the full riches of being united to Him. What are these riches that belong to us? Paul explains that these riches include our redemption purchased by the price of God’s favorite Son. They include the ongoing forgiveness for our sin- riddled life. They include the ability to see the hope of glory to which we are bound. They include being strengthened by the Holy Spirit in our daily walk. They include intimacy with the living God by Christ dwelling in our hearts. They include the wisdom necessary to understand the mystery of God for our salvation. And they include the ability to be a blessing to others so that they too might enjoy the full riches of Christ.

If you have never experienced these riches, it is because you do not know Christ. Change that today by surrendering to Him and you will instantaneously inherit all the treasures of Christ. Unlike a gift card, our riches can never be exhausted or used up. All who are united to Christ are infinitely wealthy in Him and will forever be justified, pardoned, reconciled, adopted, strengthened, forgiven, and redeemed. So, whether your financial bank account is in the black or in the red, if you trust in Christ you are among the richest people on the face of the earth. Believe it because it is true, and live it because His generosity is unending.

Take Me To Your Leader

July 2007 Tidings Article

Summer is a time of many things for many people. For some it is a time of relaxation as they strike up the BBQ or head to the lake. For others, summer is a time filled with church activities, sporting events and summer jobs. For most, it is probably a mixture of both. For the Jackson family this summer has been a time of major transition. After six years, Tricia has hung up her librarian glasses and become a stay at home mom. After twenty years, I have finally finished formal education and have begun a new job. And after three years of living near family and dear friends in St. Louis, we as a family have moved nine hours north to Green Bay.

While all of these transitions are signs that God is blessing us, it is also a season in which He exposes more of the sinful motivations of our heart.

I’m embarrassed to confess that as I meet new people in Green Bay, (that probably includes you!) I am often trying to win their approval. I want to prove to them that I am capable to be the Director of Family Ministries and that I deserve to be followed. As I struggle with these motivations of my heart, I am reminded of one particular class at Covenant Seminary in which our professor shared with us what God had been teaching him in the book of John.

Dr. Skylar shared how when John the Baptist encounters Jesus he exclaims with joy, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!” The next day John saw Jesus again and shouted, “Look, the Lamb of God!” Hearing this, both of John’s disciples (the only two that were with him at the time), left and followed Jesus. Many days later, John’s remaining disciples reported to him that “the one you testified about (Jesus) is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.” As if to say, ‘your going to lose all your disciples to Jesus…what are you going to do about it?!’ In response John confesses, “I am not the Christ” and then tells his disciples, “He (Jesus) must become greater; I must become less.”

At the end of his devotional Dr. Skylar asked us to make a public confession by repeating John 1:20. For five minutes we awkwardly stood up one by one and repeated the confession that John the Baptist freely gave to all who asked. Unconvinced that this had sunk into our hearts, Dr. Skylar had us repeat the task a second time. Again, we went around the classroom and confessed to God, to each other and even to ourselves, that “I am not the Christ!”

Now you’re probably thinking, “Dan, I know you’re not the Christ.” I agree, that is plain to see, but if I understood that in my deepest heart, I would probably not be tempted to try and gain my own following.

What about you? Do you know that you are not the Christ? Be weird with me for a second. Say out loud to yourself (maybe even a few times) “I am not the Christ.” Go ahead, let your family overhear you say it; we can explain it to them later.

As you meditate on those words, what is your honest reaction? Do you seize up in fear as you recognize that you are not in control of your own destiny? Are you disappointed to find out that you are incapable of the work God has called you to? Do you feel a bit insecure because you are unworthy of being followed or worshiped?

As we see from John the Baptist, a true encounter with Jesus allows us to breathe a sigh of relief because Christ alone controls our destiny, because Christ alone transforms the work He has called us to and because Christ alone is worthy of being followed and worshiped.

Encounter Jesus for yourself today and trust Him with all of your life. And as you meet new people, direct them to Christ because He is the only One that is worthy of being followed.

“I am not the Christ,” but Jesus is. Praise God.