Words of Encouragement 10.01.2016

I received this from an email from one of my pastors at Grace EV Free La Mirada.

I’ve been greatly encouraged by Paul Miller in his book A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World. Here are a few stirring quotations:

"You need space to be together. Efficiency, multitasking, and busyness all kill intimacy. In short, you can’t get to know God on the fly."

"If you are not praying, then you are quietly confident that time, money, and talent are all you need in life. You’ll always be a little too tired, a little too busy. But if, like Jesus, you realize you can’t do life on your own, then no matter how busy, no matter how tired you are, you will find the time to pray."

"Get to bed. What you do in the evening will shape your morning.”

"We look at the inadequacy of our praying and give up, thinking something is wrong with us. God looks at the adequacy of his Son and delights in our sloppy, meandering prayers."

I always appreciate my Christian family sending out words of encouragement to inspire me and drive me to a deeper intimacy with the Almighty. I sent this out in a few text messages to other brothers in the faith and they were also encouraged. We can't do Christianity "on the fly."

It's impossible.

I've notice in my personal life the times I've experience the peace of God and the elation of His sovereign joy the most is when I can't get enough of His word, which causes me to contemplate His heart and mind in prayer. It produces an overflowing desire to love others through prayer and deed.

Conversely, the times when I am most stressful, irritated, and self-centered are the times when I am "a little too busy" or "a little too tired" to pursue God as I ought. The simple act of getting to bed at a decent hour so we can start the day in prayer and in His word is not overly complicated yet intricate because of the sinful nature. As a result, these reminders are essential in order to recalibrate our soul to what is proper and right. I thought it was worth posting here. Be encouraged and fight the good fight.

Sending Them Out

As my church goes through the gospel of Mark I'm constantly reminded how inexhaustible the Word of God truly is. The stories that are often "familiar" to me have been met with new insight, deeper conviction, and greater appreciation for men who rightly divide the Word. Here are a couple of quotes I found encouraging:

Regarding Jesus sending out his disciples to preach the gospel:

The sending of reluctant and timorous disciples into mission is, on the face of it, completely mistaken. Uncomprehending and ill-prepared disciples nevertheless typify believers in every age and place who are sent out by the Lord of the harvest. No matter how much exegesis, theology, and counseling one has studied, one is never "prepared for ministry." A genuine call to ministry always calls us to that for which we are not adequately prepared. It is only in awareness of such that the Christian experiences the presence and promise of Jesus Christ, and learns to depend not on human capabilities but on the one who calls and in the power of the proclamation to authenticate itself. - James Edwards

"This brief description," writes Eduard Schweizer, "shows how important the genuineness of the proclamation is. Everything, even the poverty and simplicity of the messenger, indeed even the courage to be rejected, must conform to the Word that affirms that God is infinitely more important than all else."

As a Christian, I find this encouraging. I mean, how could I not? Throughout the gospel of Mark the disciples struggled with trust and disbelief in Christ. I know I do in certain areas of my life. But I'm grateful for the grace that God gives us in that we don't have to have all together in order for Him to bless us or use us for His kingdom work. The proper response to that grace, however, is not acceptance of our short-comings and flaws but a desire to reflect God's character all the more. It should drive us to faithfulness for it's "His kindness that leads us to repentance."

Reading Service - The Gospel of Mark

Today at my church,Grace EV Free La Mirada, we had what we call a "Reading Service" which we simply read large portions of the book we plan on preaching/teaching through next. Most "Church Growth" people would say, "You can't just read the bible at your church. People wouldn't be in to that." I'm glad I attend a church that tells those type of people to "Go and kick rocks because we're going to do what we believe pleases God."

We read the first 8 chapters of Mark. In our ADD culture this might seem like a lot. But it give us (the congregation) the opportunity to exercise sustained focus, something we all disparately need. During the reading, I felt my heart awaken to the Scriptures. I blocked everything else out of my head and focused all my energy to listening to the reading, following themes within the passage, and attempting to connect theological truth in the larger narrative structure. It was powerful just to listen to the Word of God being read. It felt like "Letting the Lion out of the cage." There was zero commentating on the passage but it still ministered to my heart. It made me excited to read the gospel of Mark on my own as well as do my own study. I'm extremely grateful for moments like these that remind of the power of God's word.

Cherishing What Needs to Be Cherished

Throughout my time at Biola I never lacked the time for contemplative prayer or mediation on God's word. I used the homework assignments in my bible classes as an opportunity to do such things. As a result, my affections for the Lord constantly enraptured my heart. Making the transition to the next life stage, however, has proved difficult in terms of that same intense contemplative mediation on the things of God. We all have lives to live but my mistake is putting God on the "to-do" list when everything else should permeate from our relationship with God. Although I still read my bible consistently I often don't think about what I've read throughout the day like I use to. So here's my first step on changing that by writing some thoughts down on what I read this morning.

Psalm 66

16 Come and hear, all you who fear God,
and I will tell what he has done for my soul.
17 I cried to him with my mouth,
and high praise was on my tongue.
18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.
19 But truly God has listened;
he has attended to the voice of my prayer. (emphasis added)

This verse brought deep conviction in that I have to stop and wondered what iniquities have I cherished in my heart? Is it the pursuit of useless things and believing they are somehow useful? Are there things I've held onto without even realizing it? If I pray that the Holy Spirit would reveal those things to me the scary thing is, He might actually do it. But what's life without a healthy sense of fear. And the Lord has already answered my prayer about returning to a place of contemplation, which leads to delightfulness in the Lord. It will take some pain and discomfort to reestablish that discipline but what else am I going to do? He holds the Words of eternal life and in His presence is the fullness of joy. There's no other place I would rather be.

Grace Uncovered - Elder of Discipleship

The title "Grace" has a double meaning. First, it's the grace that Christ offers us for the salvation of our sins, "For by grace you have been saved and that not of yourselves, but it is a gift from God . . ." (Eph 2:8). The second meaning is my church Grace EV Free La Mirada (and Fullerton). I've been so blessed by my church and I believe the Lord has placed me there for a reason. No, the church is not perfect. It's filled with bitter, immature, dysfunctional people in dysfunctional families. However, despite that, I've met some of the most remarkable people, people whose faith in the Lord dwarf my own. My understanding of the purpose and function of Christ's bride, the church, has increased greatly by the example of these people. I thought to myself "Why wait for an outstanding man like Geoff Dykstra to die of cancer in order to pay respect to them." That's why I titled this series "Grace Uncovered" in order to uncover some of the most faithful and remarkable people I've met and share a bit of their story. I hope this series is well received.

In the future I hope to share with you more of my experiences being a part of this wonderfully imperfect church.

Jerrel Haugen has been an elder of our church for several years now. I even had the privilege of taking a class with him at Talbot. Jerrel works as the central plant operator at Biola University while doing ministry at our church. I love that most of our elders have “tent making” jobs. It really enhances their ability to minister to people because they haven’t forgotten the challenges of the “real world.” Jerrel has now officially been hired to be the Elder of Discipleship. That is a fitting title for a man who has been doing discipleship for years. I just wanted to highlight a few personal experiences I’ve had with Jerrel.

ELDER FOR GRACE GROUP SHEPHERDS

We have Grace Groups at our church. Other churches may call them Life Groups, Home Bible Studies, etc. It’s basically a small group of people from our church with co-leaders facilitating sermon discussion, fostering relationships, and making sure we meet the needs of individuals in the group. But there are times when the Grace Group leaders have questions and need help in knowing how to do those things I just mentioned well. That’s when Jerrel comes in. He meets with us, checks in on how we’re doing, and comes along side us through difficult situations we may run into. Jerrel makes you feel supported and cared for, and I’ve been a benefactor of his care many times.

ELDER PANEL

Before attending Grace EV Free La Mirada, I had always been at churches that heavily emphasized the senior pastor model where one dude basically calls all the shots. For a long time, I thought that’s how churches were supposed to function. Apparently there are other ways to structure church government. Who knew! An alternative structure from the senior pastor model is the plurality of elder(s) model (which Grace holds to).

One Sunday service, our elders had a panel where they answered questions from the congregation. During the session, Jerrel gave one of the many reasons for adopting this model, namely, to avoid the “personality cult” and “to protect the congregation from ourselves.” I’ll never forget that answer. What Jerrel meant was when there is only one person leading, the church tends to take on the personality of said person. What’s important to that one person becomes what’s important to the entire church. You tend to only get his hobbyhorses. So when he wears Hawaiian shirts, EV-ERY-ONE wears Hawaiian shirts. Hebrews 13:7 says, "Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith" (emphasis added). It says to "imitate their faith" not their style.

Upon further reflection, it’s absolutely liberating that I don’t have to be like the senior pastor in order to connect with people at church. I can just be myself. Jerrel empowers me to do just that. There isn’t any one person’s personality for the church to attach herself to. Since there isn’t any one person to attach yourself to, you can be yourself. What a novel idea! Where do I sign?

ONE-ON-ONE(S)

We’ve had coffee a couple of times and I’ve felt extremely blessed from his wisdom and encouragement. Where does he find the time? He has a job and family like all of us. I don't take the time spent with older and wiser men lightly.

In short, I’m extremely glad that the church has hired him and has given him more freedom to do what he’s been already been doing, namely pointing us to Christ as uses the gifts God has given him to minister to us.

Summer of 2013

This was a great summer for several reasons. It was a nice time to rest after having a difficult year, I hired a personal trainer for better and more efficient workouts, and bonded with my daughter. We also took several trips throughout the summer. My family and I went to Hume Lake where clueless teenagers run wild within the confines of a Christian camp, visited my buddy Dom and his family up at Monterey, and even went to Mammoth for the first time.

There were several other benefits of the summer months, but I just wanted to highlight the Mammoth trip for this year’s summer summary blog. The reason for this is not because a bear almost ate me (not making that up) but that the Mammoth trip was Dom’s college and career retreat for his church. He asked me to team teach with him by going through several chapters and themes in the book of Hebrews. I begrudgingly said, “yes,” sensing that it would take several hours of studying to prepare and even more energy to act mature and responsible during the retreat since I’d be viewed as a “leader.”

As I began the process of preparation for the teaching times, it wasn’t much of a surprise that I enjoyed studying the Bible since I . . . well . . . enjoy studying the Bible. What came as a surprise to me was that being a “leader” with Dom that weekend wasn’t as taxing as I thought it was going to be. It was actually quite enjoyable. I appreciated the opportunity to do so myself and to see how much Dom has matured as a man and spiritual leader. Upon further reflection, I find it simply comical that God would have us EVER leading a retreat. People who knew us during our teen years would know that a three-legged blind dog would have been better at leading just about anything else.

From what I hear, the people who attended the retreat were blessed and left knowing God better and understanding our roles in His grand master plan (whatever that may be). The retreat really had a duel purpose for me. First, of course, was my responsibility to teach the Word of God and minister to people. Yes, I counted that as one because they go hand in hand. Second, it was a great time to reflect on my personal journey of how far the Lord has brought me. Twenty years ago if you would’ve told Dom and myself that Dom would be a pastor someday and I would help him teach the Bible at a retreat we would’ve have said, “Give us some of whatever you are smoking.” Most people know we were “bad” kids. I won’t get into details but “bad” doesn’t really quite describe it. I’ve been truly blessed watching Dom’s life and mine continue to change and to see the power of the gospel in both our lives.

As it stands, I was extremely humbled by the opportunity and realize God continues to use the biggest jack@$$es to glorify His name- which is fine by me since that all but guarantees my usage for His kingdom.

Christmas Devotional – 2011

I realize this is late but I was busy. Besides, this is my blog and I have no deadlines. Enjoy.


During the holiday season we often think about family gatherings, shopping for gifts, and spending some time at church. While at church, we’re reminded of the “reason for the season,” namely, the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. During this time of year, what’s often overlooked in the birth of Christ is the “virgin” part. We could talk historically of how it was difficult for Mary and Joseph to reconcile this difficult concept or how fellow villagers would’ve started gossiping about the idea of a “virgin” becoming pregnant. Those things are clearly important to have us understand the setting of the narrative, historically speaking. But I want to focus on the bigger theological picture of what “The virgin birth of Christ” means to us today.

It was impossible for a woman to become pregnant without sexual intercourse. During the time of Mary and Joseph they didn’t have artificial insemination. This clearly was an act of God. “The virgin birth of Christ is an unmistakable reminder that salvation can never come through human effort, but must be the work of God himself.” The virgin birth was a symbol of God’s plan for salvation.

“But when the fullness of time came, God sent forth his son, born of a woman, born under the law that he might redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons” (Gal. 4:4-5).

If we go back even further to the Old Testament in the days of Micah the prophet:

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor gives birth and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites. He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And he will be their peace. When the Assyrian invades our land and marches through our fortresses, we will raise against him seven shepherds, even eight leaders of men. – Micah 5:2-4 (NIV)

“The point of verse 2 is Bethlehem is small. God chooses something small, quiet, out of the way and does something there that changes the course of history and eternity.” The reason is that man cannot boast in his personal merits but only in the glorious mercy of God. Furthermore, Micah contrasts little Bethlehem with the greatness of the Messiah in order to magnify God’s glory. So then, not only is the “virgin birth” of Christ impossible for man but the Lord makes the point of choosing the place, which man cannot boast of as well.

This is not the only time He does this in scripture. The Lord chooses “the elder to serve the younger” (Rom. 9:12). He chooses not a great warrior to defeat Goliath but a boy, David, who was also from Bethlehem. Does the boy choose a sword or a great hammer? No. He chooses a slingshot.

Understanding that everything is from God’s sovereign grace it would be silly of us to boast in any of our own merits. The implications of God’s sovereign grace are two-fold. First, as we’ve already mentioned, we must throw ourselves at the glorious mercy of God. By throwing ourselves at the mercies of God we are not boasting in ourselves but in the Lord. We know the merits have been given to us as a free gift.

27 Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. 28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. – Romans 3:27-28 (NASB)

So what happens to human boasting? A transformation takes place, which leads to human boasting, turning into gratitude and praise towards the Lord. This is worship, not with song only but also with our lives as well.

1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. – Romans 12:1 (NASB)

The second implication of God’s sovereign grace through the virgin birth of Christ is that the Lord keeps his promises. Throughout the OT the Lord promised hope in the form of the coming Messiah. He kept that promise and fulfilled it through His Son Jesus Christ.

12 When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, 15 but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 Your house and your kingdom shall endure before [c]Me forever; your throne shall be established forever. – 2 Samuel 7:12-16 (NASB)

This promise was given before the fall and exile of Judah. Micah knew of this promise and yet, he saw his people reject it and fall into exile. You can tell how firmly someone believes God’s promise by whether it gives him strength and hope when life caves in around him. Micah never lost hope. He knew God would keep His promise.

Clearly, the promises of God do not guarantee us freedom from physical harm in this life. But the Lord does promise for all who believe in Him ultimate salvation, which is salvation in the end. This ought to give us hope and strength for today as we seek out God’s glory and not our own. For He keeps His promises.

Let goods and kindred go,

This mortal life also;

The body they may kill:

God’s truth abideth still,

His kingdom is forever.

Thankfulness 2011

It’s that time for my annual “Thankfulness” list where I list things I’m thankful for in honor of Thanksgiving. Instead of writing out a list and explaining each item I’m going to do something different this year. During our list Grace Group (Home Bible Study) there was a reoccurring theme that came up of dealing with family tension during the holidays.

Some background: My perspective on the holiday season has changed throughout the years. Now that I’m a part of a wonderful, yet crazy, family I look forward to the holiday season. The only tension during family outings is the tension I cause, which happens to be pretty fun. I understand that it isn’t all fun and games for quite a few families. Growing up in a broken home without any type of real emotional connection or intimacy makes for a crappy holiday season- tension replaces harmony, awkwardness substitutes for stimulating conversations, and loneliness overtakes joy. Sometimes that’s just how it works in a Fallen world, but know God doesn’t want you to experience that.

Our church just finished preaching through the book of Colossians. The last sermon was fitting for addressing the very issues some of us face during the holidays. I’ll just give you the bullet points with some of my thoughts. The primary passage during the reflection service was Col. 3:12-17:

12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

1. Compassionate: "Bowels of Mercy" Love characterized by active heart felt mercy.
The “Bowels of Mercy” means mercy that is deep inside of you, turned out towards others. I can relate to this because it takes some serious digging for me to be compassionate. There are family members I just don’t want to show compassion to but that’s because I’m a jerk. So then, I need some serious “bowel” work.

2. Kind: Generous and warm-hearted, with a gracious, sympathetic disposition.
I think about my mom when I see or hear the word “kind.” She was “kindness” personified.

3. Humble: Considering others above ourselves and serving them. Not being overly impressed by a sense of your own self-importance. (Phil 2:3-8)
This was rather convicting because when it comes to people I generally don’t like I just avoid them. I never connected that attitude with a lack of humility or being too “self-important” to bother myself with people I don’t like or even people I don’t really know all that well. Humility reaches out to people, even the ones we deem unreachable.

4. Meek/Gentle: Tender, kind, and considerate; not cruel, ruthless, (might have missed some of this def.)
What a minute? We’re not supposed to be cruel?

5. Patient: Not easily provoked. Showing kindness to one who sins against you over a long period of time.
Regarding being patient, the part of the definition I get hung up on is the “over a long period of time.” How many times are we to forgive or put up with people’s non-sense? I wasn’t the only one. The apostle Peter asked the same question to Jesus (Matt. 18:21). Jesus replied with The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant, where it was clear you didn’t want to be that guy. Those who realize they’ve been forgiven much also forgive much.

6. Forbearing: to endure with others in difficulty of relationships. (1 Cor. 13:4-7)
What I said in #3.

7. Forgiving: Not exacting payment but freely and graciously treating someone better than they deserve. (1 John 4:10 and 1 John 3:16)
What I said in #5.

8. Thankful: Gratitude from the realization that all you are and have is from God. (Col 3:15,16)
Yes, so this blog comes full circle. This year the Lord extended my sphere of gratitude. I’m also thankful for the difficult relationships I have in my life because they’re all designed by God to help me be a servant extending the compassion given to me unto others. Everything comes from God, all of the wonderful blessings and the “apparent” bad that come into our lives. Either way, it’s all good.

The Book of Colossians

My church is going through a transition next week by moving to three services instead of two. Furthermore, we are starting a new series by going through the book of Colossians, which I'm extremely excited about. I'm always excited about anything the Apostle Paul writes. This got me thinking. I actually don't have a lot of commentaries on the book of Colossians. Maybe it's time I get a couple of more. Maybe even dust off some of my New Testament Greek study tools. In any case, it's going to be a wonderful time in God's word and I have high hopes for this up-and-coming series. So much so that I already listened to a sermon by John Piper in the first few verses.

The title of the sermon is The Fruit of Hope: Love. Here are some excerpts:

The question we are asking in the month of July is: What is the fruit of Christian hope?

Last week we answered that the fruit of hope is joy, because in Romans 12:12 Paul commands Christians to "rejoice in hope." In other words, God never commands a Christian to be happy if there is nothing to look forward to. But the gospel is the good news that there is always something to look forward to—something so good that any suffering that may be required of us will seem light and momentary by comparison (2 Corinthians 4:17). And since there is always a secure and happy future laid up for the Christian, the command remains in force: Rejoice always, and again I say, Rejoice!

Does Christian Hope Produce Love or Escapism?

You could read or listen to the rest of it here: http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/sermons/the-fruit-of-hope-love#/listen/full

Today's message . . . It teaches and shows that a strong confidence in the promises of God and a passionate preference for the joy of heaven over the joy of the world frees a person from worldly self-centeredness, from paralyzing regret and self-pity, from fear and greed and bitterness and despair and laziness and impatience and envy. And in the place of all these sins, hope bears the fruit of love.

I pray that through hearing the word of God, sitting under its' authority, and fellowship with the saints, the Holy Spirit would transform me into a more heavenly-minded person and less into the worldly-minded person I am. I believe this to be God's will and may my love for the things of God and God Himself grow as I am confident that He will answer this prayer.

Prayer Progress Report

As I mentioned at the beginning of summer, I made a goal to have a better prayer life, which usually means praying more. So how’s it going? I’m glad you asked. A couple of weeks ago our church elders challenged the congregation to fast before our Sunday evening communion service at church. The reason for the fast was to pray about being more prayerful. What? Pray about praying? It’s so simple it’s profound! Anyway, unfortunately I couldn’t partake in the church-wide fast because I had to attend my buddy’s wedding. Desiring to still participate, I decided to fast during the week leading up to that weekend. (I wasn’t going to fast during a wedding when Jesus Himself said that it wasn’t an appropriate time to fast. Wedding Time equals Party Time.)

An interesting experience happened during the week long fast (lunch only). The hunger pains were there but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. In fact, the hunger pains were a constant reminder of why I was fasting to begin with, namely, improving my prayer life and in so doing improving my relationship with God. Also, I tried to let the hunger pains remind me of God’s presence as well. This way, I didn’t really feel the need to quickly break my fast because I wanted that constant reminder to keep me from acting like a fool.

This experience stirred my interest on the subject of fasting, and I decided to reread John Piper’s book, “A Hunger For God” in order to have a better theological understanding of the topic. I won’t break down every component of the book here but just point out some things that helped me understand fasting a bit better and gave me a continued desire to add fasting as a spiritual discipline. Regarding fasting, Piper says, “The true mortification of our carnal nature is not a simple matter of denial and discipline. It is an internal, spiritual matter of finding more contentment in Christ than in food” (33). Piper goes on to say that it isn’t really about “not eating” either, because food is a gift from God. It’s about saying to the giver that, “You are more satisfying than the gift itself.” So then, fasting doesn’t always need to be about food (or a lack thereof) but simply denying yourself of good things for the ultimate Good Thing, God Himself.

Fasting isn’t often mentioned as a spiritual discipline today because it’s often associated with the mourning and sadness of the Old Testament. Although maybe true, Piper says, “The new fasting, the Christian fasting, is a hunger for all the fullness of God (Eph. 3:19), aroused by the aroma of Jesus’ love and by the taste of God’s goodness in the gospel of Christ (1 Peter 2:2-3)” (42). Fasting could include not watching TV, working out less, or abstaining from anything that you usually fill your time with to focus primarily on the Lord. Ultimately, “the new fasting is the fasting of faith . . . [and] faith is a spiritual feasting on Christ with a view to being so satisfied in him that the power of all other allurements is broken.”

I appreciate that Piper brought out the point about “faith” in fasting. Being a complete glutton myself, it took faith to move forward in my spiritual life in the area of fasting. It’s been an amazing experience that I hope more Christians will share. Truly believing that the power of Christ can break “all other allurements” is indeed satisfying.

The Summer of Prayer

It’s summer time! Oh wait. I have to teach summer school for the second straight year. Maybe I shouldn’t be that excited. Last year, I missed out on a vacation with the family to Mammoth, a beautiful place I’ve never been to. Sweet. Of course I had a close encounter with God while teaching nine boys with Autism. Go figure.

Despite teaching summer school again, I always have goals that I set for myself for the summer time (e.g., How much can I bench press? How high can I jump? How much can I improve my shot? How could I read the pick-and-roll better? How many books can I read off my “must read” list? How many people can I dunk on? Okay, I made that last one up but you get the point.).

I recently finished 2 Samuel and at the end of the book, king David angered the Lord for “numbering the people” (2 Sam. 24:1). The Lord sent a pestilence (an Angel) that killed 70,000 people. David admitted that he did something foolish (ya think?) and built an altar to the Lord. David then sought to purchase a sacrifice off a guy named Araunah. Araunah offered it to David for free but David said, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price, for I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God which cost me nothing” (24:24). The rest of the chapter goes:

David built there an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. Thus the Lord was moved by prayer for the land, and the plague was held back from Israel (24:25 - emphasis added).

I was, again, amazed that God could actually be moved by our prayers. In addition, my church is starting a preaching series on Prayer. So far, it’s been extremely helpful. My prayer life has always been inconsistent and at times, a downright struggle. So this summer, instead of having goals that really don’t mean that much in the eternal picture of things, my goal is to bolster my prayer life in a way that my soul will benefit as much as my body does from hours at the gym.

The elders of my church have done an outstanding job of teaching us about prayer. Instead of giving you an exposition on prayer right now, let me just tell you that it’s a struggle for me. If God weren’t real, there are still many benefits to being a Christian. There is a social benefit from meeting with people at church. There is an educational benefit from reading our Bibles. But if God weren’t real, then prayer makes no sense. At the core of my struggle is simply a lack of faith in believing that God truly hears my prayers and answers them (even though I don’t always like the answer).

I don’t know what bolstering my prayer life will look like or what “results” I’ll have. Maybe that’s the difficulty of it all. When I hit the weight room I not only see the results but I also feel stronger. I’ve gone through seasons in my life with rich prayer time but don’t “see” or “feel” any different. Maybe I’m not supposed to see or feel anything and simply believe that I’m honoring God with my prayer time. Even though I don’t have everything figured out, I know that through my prayer time, time in the Word of God, and listening to the sermons at my church it might all come to me. In the meantime, I’m just going to enjoy concentrating on praying for things I know I need to be praying for. And maybe that’s what it’s all about, simply enjoying that time with God and allowing your mind to meditate on things that really matter.

This may be especially true now that the NBA is headed towards a lockout and we might not even have a season next year. I even asked my wife, “What am I going to do if we lose the season to a lockout?” She replied, “Pay more attention to me or I’m locking YOU out.” Well then, without an NBA season I could simply devote myself to my wife, more prayer, and time in God’s word. Or maybe I’ll just pray that the lockout could be avoided completely. Either way, I know in the grand scheme of things that it’s the state of my soul and my relationship with Jesus is what matters, not the state of the NBA. Of course if the Lakers get Dwight Howard in a trade this summer, I’ll recant the previous paragraph.

A Tribute to Paula Jo Dinkins

The Dinkins family will always have a special connection with me because they are a missionary family from Thailand. That’s right, Thailand! I met Tim Dinkins at Biola University and even went on a mission trip to Thailand, Chiang Mai, with him and his sister Amber in the summer of 2005.

During that summer trip, we became closer and built a bond. It was funny to see how Thai-people reacted to a white guy (Tim) speaking to them in Thai with the expression that said, “I can’t believe I’m talking to a white guy in Thai” on their faces. Although we don’t talk regularly anymore, I know that Tim will always be that special Thai/White brother I never expected to have. Through Tim I met his wonderful parents, Larry and Paula Dinkins. They immediately fell in love with me and constantly encouraged me to pursue ministries and use the gifts that God gave me. They also built a great connection with my mother. Larry and Paula’s passion for ministering to Thai people was clear and evident. It didn’t matter if Thai people were in California or Bangkok, they were going to love on these people with the love of Christ.

When my mom passed away, I remember Larry, Paula and Tim attending the funeral and mourning with me. I had no doubts that they, particularly Paula, would be praying for my family and me constantly. Shortly after my mother’s funeral, I visited with the Dinkins family and we talked about the wonderful memories we had regarding my mom and the impact she had for the kingdom of God. I remember it like it was yesterday.

Recently, Paula Jo Dinkins passed away and vivid memories of my own mom returned. All the wonderfully shared moments I had with Paula also came to mind. Here is an excerpt of her life:

Paula Jo Dinkins, 59, passed into the presence of Jesus Christ, the Savior she loved and served, on March 30, 2011 after a nine-year battle with Multiple Myeloma (MM). Paula is the feminine form of ‘Paul’, and like the apostle we can say that she has fought the good fight, and has finished the course, and has kept the faith (2 Tim. 4:7). Now she has fully entered the joy of the Lord in very presence of God.

Dealing with MM is no small task. However, Paula Dinkins clearly did not “waste her cancer” but, by the power of the Holy Spirit, used it for God’s glory.

Paula truly “bloomed where she was planted” (even in difficult soil). Part of her coping mechanism was to keep her passions aglow as well as maintaining a keen sense of humor (Paula received the most humorous award her senior year in high school). She channeled her passions into her home church, local Thai churches, . . . monthly OMF prayer meetings, and a bi-monthly evangelistic knitting circle called, “Pearling with Paula.” Paula’s garden, handcrafts, and tea were other passions as she volunteered in the herb garden at the Huntington Library, painted canvases, designed stationary, and knitted masterpieces. In March, Paula reached the milestone of 600 visits to Curves, a place where she built relationships with many new acquaintances. She loved sharing Christ with strangers. On her final deputation trip to Dallas Seminary in early March she led a man on the plane to the Lord.

Paula was able to do this because she had a passion for the Word of God, which can be seen by the 35 personal Quiet Time journals collected shortly after her death. Larry Dinkins says this about his wife, “Paula introduced herself as the ‘Woman behind the man, the missionary wife and mother of four missionary kids.’ As her husband, I could not have asked for a more supportive and loving wife.” I hope the life of Paula will be an inspiration to all the young Christian ladies out there.

I had the opportunity to speak to Tim shortly after Paula’s funeral. It was no doubt a difficult time for Tim, as well as the rest of his family, but there was this sense of joy in him that I marveled at. When we saw one another we embraced each other like the good old college buddies we are. I didn’t say anything at first but simply looked at him, while firmly griping his shoulder in affirmation, with an expression that said, “I am extremely blessed to have known you as a brother in the Lord and your faithfulness this day builds my faith.” There was a slight pause to take in the moment, and then Tim told me, “Our mom(s) are talking about us in heaven right now.” I replied laughing saying, “Yes, they have a lot to talk about.” Realizing that they were hundreds of people waiting to talk to each family member, I kept it short and quickly moved to the reception area where they had all the food.

While I was cutting in front of the food line gathering everything I can while making it fit on the tiny plates they gave us, I was reminiscing about the direct contrast between a funeral of a Christian and the funeral of a non-Christian. Yes, we grieve at the loss of loved ones but not as others who have no hope (1 Thess. 4:13). As time passes and more loved ones pass away, despite the pain, it makes the return of Christ that much sweeter.

Possession and Joy

One of the most amazing passages, to me, is Isaiah chapter 61. Unpacking everything in this chapter would take too long for this blog so I'll only mention a couple of things. Throughout the first half of the book of Isaiah, there has been great judgment pronounced by the Lord to the nation of Israel. Historically speaking, “rebuilding the ancient ruins” was a great comfort to Israel since their city (nation) laid in ruin. Although the physically restoration comes in the form of Israel becoming a nation again, the spiritual promise to all of God’s people of becoming “oak(s) of righteousness” and “priest” and “ministers of our God” (v. 6) is of eternal value.

The imagery of restoration is that of wealth, possession, and affluence in verse 6b-7 also points to signs of not only prosperity in this present life but also for the one to come. If the pre-fall world and 2nd coming of Christ world show the same types of imagery of affluence for God’s people then it stands to reason that God wants to bless us in some capacity in order to catch glimpses of the eternal. This also further displays God's grace in kindness towards His people. Although sin ran rampant throughout the nation of Israel, it did not reign in God's deep desire to bless His people.

Another point in the opening chapter the Lord says, “For you will be like an oak whose leaf fades away or as a garden that has no water” (Is. 1:30) because of the unrighteousness and injustice practiced among them (1:21). But now we arrive to chapter 61, one of the most amazing passages of restoration and transformation from “an oak whose leaf fades away” to becoming “oaks of righteousness” (61:3). How is this possible? It’s possible because it is the Lord that does “the planting, . . . that He may be glorified.”

If you were to ask some of my close friends how to describe me they probably wouldn’t use the phrase, “oak of righteousness.” I’m fully aware of my shortcomings daily and, at times, it could get extremely frustrating. But remember, it’s the Lord’s work and He’s not done and He promises to finish and give us garments of “salvation” and “righteousness” (61:10) and the judgment due to us will be lifted. This of course is looking to the future work of Christ in the New Testament. But the fact that it is being mentioned here in the Old Testament, I find amazing.

In affirming that the Lord does the work in us in no way frees us from our personal responsibilities. In trusting divine sovereignty we do not neglect human responsibly. Oswalk puts it this way:

Most of us want God’s power for holy living while retaining a firm grip on the steering wheel of our lives. We would like to be “better” Christians but are unwilling to become bond-slaves. God’s awesome power to be loving when we are not loved, to be kind in the midst of cruelty, to be clean in the midst of filth, to be self-forgetful when everything around us says to “take care of yourself at all costs” is not available to those who would use it for their own ends.

Passages in the New Testament also confirm the tension between our acts and God’s power:

Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. (Titus 2:13-14)

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? (James 2:14)

May our conduct and works reflect the power of God that works within us.

A 2nd Job Part II of II

For Part I Click Here

Interestingly, people still come up to me and give me their condolences regarding my mom. They also tell stories about how wonderful she was for the community. She was an icon in East Los Angeles. Yes, I miss her very much. My sister has a picture of her in the office. The first couple of weeks it was difficult to see the picture because it was a reminder that she’s no longer here. But it’s also a reminder that her kids are keeping up the family business and are working together to do they best they can without her. I think she would be proud.

An unexpected opportunity to share the gospel has also come from going back to the store. I still have friends in the old neighborhood that come by. It’s been great to be able to share the gospel the way my mom did her last few years. Speaking of the gospel, isn’t it at the heart of the gospel to love the unlovable? Isn’t that what the Lord did with us, . . . though we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

The apostle Paul says, “I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise” (Romans 1:14 – NKJV). To be in debt means to owe someone something (e.g., mortgage, student loans, etc.), usually to a creditor. The Lord gave Paul grace so why, in this passage, would he call himself a “debtor” to Greeks and Barbarians? A clue in answering this question is in the first verse of chapter one where it says, “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God” (1:1 – NIV – emphasis added). Paul didn’t call himself nor did he set apart himself. It was God doing the work in Paul’s heart. Paul didn’t qualify for the grace of God nor did he do anything to be disqualified from the grace of God, “it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.”

The beauty of receiving God’s grace is not that we owe God anything but that it wipes out what we did owe by virtue of our sins. So then, the “debt” we now owe is to offer this amazing grace to other unqualified people, to the Greeks and Barbarians and selfish customers of our day. Understanding this grace we have received will show in how we greet and interact with people. If we understand grace we won’t cut our eyes towards people for their differences or selfishness, feeling like we “qualified” for God’s grace while they didn’t.

Now, putting hands and feet to this wonderful concept of receiving God’s grace while working at a 7-11 store in the middle of East Los Angeles means I will show patience and compassion for everyone, knowing that I didn’t qualify for the grace of God. No matter how moronically a customer behaves, I need to extend grace because I am a “debtor” to them. It’s not because they gave me anything but because “His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue.”

John's Lament

My buddy John Rinehart, whom I co-lead a Grace Group with, wrote a contemporary lament for today. It was read in last Sunday's worship service at our church. I wrote a lament when the Lakers lost in the 2008 Finals to the Celtics but I think John's lament over the state of our soul is slightly more elegant. I felt that it would be good to post it here and share it with all of you. So I share with you John's Lament:

Oh Lord, have mercy on us,
Not according to our righteousness, but your steadfast love
For we have sinned,
And all our evil ways are before you.

We are a people who love violence:
We entertain ourselves like men of old,
We’re amused by fighters, who act more like animals than like men.
We too would have rushed to the Coliseum in Rome to support the bloodshed,
Praising the strong for their victories and dismissing the weak without a second thought.
We don’t hate violence, in fact, in doesn’t even faze us anymore.
We watch movies filled with murder and bloodshed,
Our men think manhood is physical strength or sexual conquest, not holiness.
We find more men in the gym working on their bodies,
Than in church working on their souls,
Or in their homes working on their families.

Your wrath, O Lord is due on us, for we reject you at every turn.
You hate divorce and yet our hearts are so hard that over half of marriages end this way.
We treat it as normal and have whole professions and industries that accommodate it,
Some of us even get divorced again and again.
We twist your word when we don’t like it, excusing our sin and disregarding your truth.

“Not even a hint of sexual immorality” your Word says,
And yet it seems that there is not even a hint of sexual purity left.
It seems that everything that can be done, will be done,
And we are lost and blind without you.
Our promiscuity and sensuality is hatred toward our neighbors, not love.

We use and manipulate others for our gain, rather than serve and protect others for their pleasure.
We do not guard our hearts, but instead turn our ways to the right and the left,
Straying from your path,
Wandering from your way,
Going our own way,
Never giving thought to our end,
Never thinking that we’re sheep headed for the slaughter.
We distort your image, thinking it impossible that you might be a God of wrath,
Denying that we deserve judgment and that you, Lord, are sure to bring it.

O Lord, how we need repentance, reformation and revival.
Your people are dragged away by the currents of this world,
And the further we stray, the less we can hear or even remember your voice,
For you once called to us,
You once spoke to us,
You once convicted us,
And now our silence is full of noise, not full of your voice.

O Lord, your people flee from the cities of influence,
We run to the suburbs where land and homes entice us,
We want freedom and space, not truth and grace.
Your mission becomes our occasional hobby,
Instead of a lamp to our feet and a light to our path,
The light of your word is like a candle almost gone out.
We run after other counselors, not you, the Wonderful Counselor,
We take the advice of magazine editors, newspaper columnists and TV personalities,
While your Word collects dust.

We read little and think even less.
We avoid your calling and delegate ministry to professionals,
As if the priesthood of all believers was a bad theological idea.
We, like the Israelites, would ask you for a King of a Pastor who is omni-competent,
Or at least funny and mildly passionate about something.
We ignore our omnipotent King of Kings,
Not because we couldn’t correctly identify this title for Jesus on a Bible exam,
But because we fail to submit to you as you demand.
We resist the truth that you are King and we are not.
We lie in saying that we are Christians, when we won’t let Christ be King,
We won’t bend the knee to anyone, and so this ugly pride is everyone,
Which leads to our abundance of anger, complaining and strife.
We are a broken people wandering around in the dark,
Like sheep without a shepherd,
Made in the image of God,
And yet so repetitively scratching the itch in our souls with anything but truth,
The splinter cannot be removed without our Master Surgeon,
But instead we think our idols can heal,
Only to be left by them more wounded.

O God, have mercy on us, according to your steadfast love,
For the sake of your name, forgive our transgressions,

Forgive us for playing at our worship, worshipping our work, and working at our play,
We don’t keep your Sabbath,
We treat it like it was a good idea for people who didn’t have the internet,
But for us, we need to keep going.
We don’t trust you.
We don’t believe you.
We don’t know you.
We think your yoke is heavy, not light,
To follow you is a list of rules to keep, not a new life to lead.
The promise of your Holy Spirit was also for days gone by,
Not for our strength in the fight,
Nor for water when we’ve run dry.

We love to drink,
And are impressed to think,
Of what we carry in our hands
With no concern for the drunkenness of our land.
We love mirrors,
Because in them we see our gods,
The love of self,
Self-image and Self-help
Not self-discipline or self-control,
Self-esteem, not Christ esteem,
On whom do we lean?

For the one who walked the dusty streets,
And saw what had become of what was made,
Was not received, but instead was beat,
For speaking the truth and calling out spades.
So Lord, come quickly and save us from,
Your judgment and wrath which are to come.

Lord, without you we will be,
Punished for all eternity,
So please have mercy on our offense,
And lead our land to repentance.

Tsunami, Sovereignty, and Mercy

In light of the tragedy in Japan, I thought it would be good to reflect the Sovereignty and Mercy of the Lord. John Piper wrote an article titled: Tsunami, Sovereignty, and Mercy back in December 29, 2004 touching on the topic of natural disasters.

“The waves of death encompassed me, the torrents of destruction assailed me. . . This God—his way is perfect” (2 Samuel 22:5, 31).

After the loss of his ten children owing to a “natural disaster” (Job 1:19), Job said, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). At the end of the book, the inspired writer confirms Job’s understanding of what happened. He says Job’s brothers and sisters “comforted him for all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him” (Job 42:11). This has several crucial implications for us as we think about the calamity in the Indian Ocean.

1) Satan is not ultimate, God is.

Satan had a hand in Job’s misery, but not the decisive hand. God gave Satan permission to afflict Job (Job 1:12; 2:10). But Job and the writer of this book treat God as the ultimate and decisive cause. When Satan afflicts Job with sores, Job says to his wife, “Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” (Job 2:10), and the writer calls these satanic sores “the evil that the Lord had brought upon him” (Job 42:11). So Satan is real. Satan brings misery. But Satan is not ultimate or decisive. He is on a leash. He goes no farther than God decisively permits.

Click here for the entire article: Tsunami, Sovereignty, and Mercy

My wife's thoughts on Exodus 3-4

My wife recently shared her thoughts on Exodus 3 and 4 (through the bible reading plan) with our Grace Group (home bible study) and they were encouraged by her insight into the text of Scripture. So I'll post her thoughts here and hope you are equally as encouraged:


I have read through Exodus 3 and 4 many times in my life. In all honesty, I think that I usually approached the passage with a bit of self-righteous marvel at the fact that Moses would have the audacity to question God’s wisdom in choosing him to confront Pharaoh and lead the people out of Egypt. After all, didn’t Moses just witness God calling to him from a bush that was not consumed despite the fact that it was burning? How could he deny or doubt the power of God? As I read this same passage most recently, however, I saw more of myself in Moses than I have ever seen before as he offered up to God four different expressions of doubt about the wisdom of God choosing him for such a task.

The first expression comes in chapter 3, verse 10 as Moses asks God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” Moses is reluctant to do that which God has clearly called him to do because of doubts about his own qualifications or abilities. The second expression comes in verse 13 as Moses worries over what to say when the people of Israel ask who the God is who has sent him. The third expression is found in chapter 4, verse 1, when Moses questions God as to what he should say if the people do not believe the message God has given him. Lastly, in verse 10, Moses points out to God that he is “slow of speech and tongue” and has never “been eloquent,” essentially reiterating his first point about questioning God’s judgment in choosing him.

As I read this passage, I was confronted with the reality that as a believer, God has given to me a similar commandment to proclaim the Gospel in both word and deed. There is a world in bondage that needs to be delivered, and I am one of his chosen means for making that happen. I realized, though, that I have a tendency to defer to these same types of doubts and excuses when I feel apprehensive, reluctant, or even rebellious in doing what God has called me to do. Sometimes, like Moses, I wonder at God’s wisdom in choosing me and feel inadequate for the task at hand, especially when I feel called to share with someone who seems so far from ever believing. Sometimes I struggle over what to say about God and how to present him and the message of salvation to a people that have never heard or are hostile to the Gospel. I often fear that my efforts will be in vain. Like Moses, I sometimes feel “slow in speech and tongue” and have a tendency to
think of great things to say minutes or even hours later after the conversation is over. All of these excuses have lead to me pass up on opportunities that God has clearly given to me in the past. Needless to say, this realization has been rather convicting for me.

The encouraging part of the passage, though, is that God listens to Moses and has a response for each of his doubts. When Moses questions God’s wisdom in choosing him, God’s response is “I will be with you” (3:12) essentially reminding Moses that it not about Moses at all but rather about God proving his faithfulness through the impending deliverance for his people! When Moses asks God what name he should give to the people when they ask who sent him, God tells Moses to tell the Israelites that “I Am” has sent him. This name essentially serves as a reminder that God is the essence of all things, is complete in his character and his being, and is demonstrating his faithfulness to his people through their deliverance. When Moses expresses his doubt that the people will believe him, God offers to Moses several signs that will serve as proof of the message, the last of which is mentioned in 4:9- water from the Nile will turn into blood.
Thus, with each doubt that Moses expressed, God patiently offered a response that addressed Moses’ insecurities and excuses (and yet did not let him off the hook for the task at hand).

The responses that God gave to Moses in this passage can also serve as a comfort to people like me who sometimes struggle with feelings of inadequacy when it comes to sharing the Gospel message. Like Moses, I need to realize that it’s not about me at all, but rather God working through me to call people to himself. Thus, I need not let the concerns that I have about how I will be accepted or perceived to stop me from speaking boldly. When I struggle with what to say and how to present God (which sometimes seems like an overwhelming task when you think about all that God is!), I should be reminded that God has simply called me to proclaim his character. He is a faithful, loving, just, merciful, gracious, and jealous God who is in the businesses of reconciling people to himself, and that’s what I should be telling others. And, just like Moses, God has provided a sign for me- this time however, the sign is that of the blood of Christ, shed on the
cross.

In looking for something to offer to people as “proof” of the message, I need to look no further than the cross and proclaim that message boldly and with confidence.

No, Mr. President: John Piper's Response to President Obama on Abortion

My buddy Dom posted this YouTube clip of John Piper's response to President Obama's stance on abortion on his Facebook page. I reposted on my page thinking that it was a good exhortation for us Christians to think about. As I gave it some more thought, Piper's response struck a chord with me. What stood out to me was John Piper's anger. Now if you know anything about John Piper you know that he's passionate and being angry is nothing new. But what made it profound was that it was a display of godly anger.

The world thinks that anger is a negative emotion and in most cases, it is displayed in terrible, horrific, and ungodly ways. This made me think about things I get angry about, like my dogs not listening to me, losing pick-up basketball games, when the Lakers lose, when I'm stuck in terrific, or stuck in a class that I hate. You get the picture. But rarely do I display godly anger in these instances. It's probably because they're trivial things, things that really don't matter in the grand scheme of things.

This short YouTube clip is a rare occasion where anger is displayed in a God-glorifying manner. Killing unborn people created in the image of God should make us angry. I'm certainly not advocating blowing up abortion clinics but I am advocating standing up for what we believe in as Christians and not caring what the world may think of us, that is what true courage is.

From Blog to Blog

I mentioned before that our church started a bible reading plan. Actually, my buddy John Rinehart wrote the reading bible. He also came up with the idea of start a community blog, which we contribute on thoughts on what God is saying to us through His word. This way, we would hope to inspire others to continue to read the Word of God whether they follow the Reading Plan or simply read the bible on their own.

After taking a look at the roster of the blog - I must say that I feel honored to be among such great people who think well and articulate their thoughts even better. I would hope that this would help me in my personal bible reading and I grow along with my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

For the few of you who follow this blog, I will continue to write about life and all the fun that it brings. For those of you who would like to follow our thoughts on the Word of God here is the link:
http://itsallgrace.wordpress.com/

I've been blessed already since the blog has launched and I hope that others will be also. I am truly blessed with an amazing Body of Christ. It's both humbling and inspiring to see the people I attend church with grow in Christ. For we all play a role in each other's sanctification.

11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Ephesians 4:11-16

We Are All Witnesses

No I’m not talking about Lebron James. I think there’s been plenty written about him already, don’t you? I’m talking about being a Christian. And being a Christian means “We are all witnesses” to Jesus’ life and ministry.

I’ve often heard it said that, as Christians, “We are not commended to witness but to be a witness.” Really? Didn’t Jesus command, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt 28:19-20) and that making disciples involves witnessing (sharing the gospel) with people?

St. Francis of Assisi once said, “Preach the gospel. And if necessary use words.” I can appreciate the phrase and it’s emphasis on having Christian character. But if we end with simply having good character, then that’s not the whole gospel. Besides, St. Francis spent most of his time as the Dr. Dolittle of his age tending to his animals frequently.

It’s like our other champion slogan, “Christianity isn’t a religion but a relationship.” But didn’t Jesus do religious things like pray regularly and attend the synagogue weekly? I’m not saying Christianity is not a relationship with your Creator. It’s just both a relationship and a religion. In the same way that we are not simply to be witnesses but we are also to witness.

So we can emphasize the importance of personal character, which is a must, but we can also overemphasize it to the point that we never say anything about God in fear of not “being a good witness” because we feel we’re not perfect. This mentality is doomed for failure, much like “Country Strong" coming out this weekend. Jesus picked imperfect people to disciple and sent out imperfect people to make disciples. I think it’s okay if we’re not perfect.

For example, the other night I was playing basketball at the local gym like I have for several years now. I’ve been able to build pretty good relationships with non-believers throughout that time. It was my only access to non-believers during my Biola days.

Ray is one of the guys I have met at the gym. Ray is one of the best players I’ve played against. He’s a beast and one of the toughest guys to guard because of his strength and speed. We battle all the time and it’s fun. We text each other throughout the week making sure we’ll be at the gym. People there know I’m a Christian, and that I went to Biola University. No, my conduct on the basketball court may not show proper Christian character all the time but I’m working on it (it’s the Kobe-edge-cut-throat mentality). Interestingly, Ray “randomly” (I have randomly in quotes because it’s never random) broached the subject of God after we were finished playing one night. Everyone had left and we were just talking about life. He brought up the fact that he became a Christian as a teenager but still made mistakes along the way (join the club) but his church condemned him for the mistakes instead of encouraging him and pointing him in the right direction. He was a young man trying to find his way and willing to repent. The church he was attending, however, didn’t offer him much in the way of grace. He became bitter and eventually walked away from the Lord. Recently, however, he’s been having bad dreams, frightening dreams that have forced this rigid tough guy to his knees in prayer.

I told him that God is after his heart. He said, “I think demons are after me.” I replied, “God allows that sometimes for the greater good. In this case, the greater good is you coming back into the fold. You need to find a Bible-teaching church with good leadership. Forget about those bad experiences in the past. It’s time for a new beginning and God will give that to you in a moment if you’re willing to receive it.” As Ray stood for a second in silent contemplation, he nodded his head in agreement and said, “Yeah, I think I am.” I asked if I could pray for him on the spot. He said, “I would like that.” So a couple of guys who have battled throughout the years in countless basketball games in a public gym decided to pray. Yes, we are all witnesses.