"Where Have My Sins Gone?" 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

Posted by Danny

Friday, March 16, 2012

Three life-transforming words; liberation from the burden of my past in one simple statement.

"Such were…but…"

King David, a man a whole lot more like us than we are comfortable confessing, wrote it this way: "Remember not the sins of my youth or my acts of willful rebellion." Psalm 25:7

The downward pull of past failures continually haunted his memory. "For I know my transgression, and my sin is ever before me."  Psalm 51:3

So many are stymied in their desire to grow deeper in Jesus because of the unshakeable, unavoidable nagging regrets of sins past. The shameful images frequently appear in our rearview mirrors and effectively rob us of the joy and freedom of salvation; in fact, almost like those small letters across the bottom of the mirror, "Objects may be closer than they appear." (Why does a classic Farside flash into my mind right now? J)

With the continual downward tug of sins past eroding resistance to temptation and convincing many of their impotence for future Christian service, Paul writes words of both warning and encouragement. "The unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God." Sobering wake up! Then three life-transforming words: "Such were…but…" The hilarious joy of sins completely forgotten!

So, where HAVE my sins gone?

See you Sunday, Church!

Pastor Tom

Dagon Has Fallen

Posted by Danny

Friday, March 9, 2012

Hilarious idol stories. May I say, RIDICULOUS god narratives? If they were not true, they would be virtually impossible to believe. For instance…

Jacob's father-in-law is tweaked because his daughters, grandkids, and cheap-labor son-in-law are relocating without the common courtesy of saying "good-bye." He tracks them down and commands a thorough search of their properties because someone has "stolen his gods." How big is his god? His daughter successfully hid it under her skirt! Genesis 31

With an ancient John Deere (a pulling team of oxen), Gideon demolishes the community gods in one short night. When the perpetrator of the blasphemous assault is identified, the people rise up to avenge their gods. His father insightfully declares, "If he (Baal) is a god, let him contend for himself." Judges 6:31 Hmmm…novel thought there.

The bookmakers had the odds at 450 to 1, but after hours of desperate pleading and humiliating failure, Elijah taunts them. "Either he (Baal) is occupied (not multi-tasking well), or gone aside (time-out in the little boys room), or is on a journey (and left you behind), or perhaps he is asleep (exhausted from taking care of losers) and needs to be awakened (failure of internal clock)." 1 Kings 18:27

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Living a G-rated Life in a ‘Mature-audiences-only’ World

Posted by Danny

Friday, March 2, 2012

1 Corinthians 5:9-13

They pointed out her sin.  He pointed to her Savior.

Isn’t it painfully true that the sins in the lives of those around us appear to be so much viler and so much more visible?  The pride of our hearts assures us that such decadence is far beneath our failures.  What they are doing, I would NEVER do!

They had set their trap, made their move, and drug her--in judgmental self-righteousness--into the glaring morning sun.  They exposed the overexposed adulterous to the light of the Holy One. They would hear Him render a guilty verdict that would place Him in an inescapable corner…the conflict of the Law of Moses and the laws of Rome. The perfect snare.  How proud they were of their excellent plan!

“Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”  John 8:7

A little doodling in the dust and a pregnant season of silence, then the Holy One of God was alone with the fallen daughter of Eve.

“Woman, where are they?  Has no one condemned you?  Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”  John 8:10-11

How pious and self-righteous we become when we arrogantly draw attention to the despicable behaviors of those in the world that surrounds us.  The minor “mis-steps” of the members of the church seem so insignificant when contrasted to the unspeakable behaviors of outsiders.  It is easy to rise in judgment of the world while standing indifferently to our own sins.

“For what do I have to do with judging outsiders?  Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge?  God judges those outside.  Purge the evil person from among you.”  (emphasis added)

The mission of the Church is not to point out the sins of the world.  The mission of the Church is to point the world to the forgiving grace of the Savior!

See you Sunday, Church!

Pastor Tom

Sunday “left-overs” on Tuesday

Posted by Danny

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Giving is great when comprehension of grace is deep!

Hezekiah ascended to the Throne after a couple of decades of serious spiritual decay. Here’s the historical record…

• Uzziah is greatly blessed…until pride in accomplishments removes God from the throne of his heart and he seats himself in God’s place.
• The legendary King dies with the mark of God’s curse upon him and a son ascends to the throne. In personal piety, Jotham follows the Law of the Lord. But in practice, the King neither prioritizes worship no stirs the heart of his people to turn from idolatrous practices. His reign looks good in the performance side, but bad on the eternal plane.
• Then the wheels fall off! Along comes sixteen downgrade years under the influence of Ahaz. He not only ignores true worship at the Temple of the Lord, but he actually institutes idols into the routine of his life. He takes it beyond the pale of our imagination. He sacrifices his very own children LITERALLY on the fires of pagan idols! When times got tough, he raided the House of the Lord and gave its sacred properties as a bribe to God’s enemies. “In the time of his distress he became yet more faithless to the Lord…” 2 Chron. 28:22

The canvas is set, displaying the darkened skyline of ultimate decadence and an unbridgeable chasm of departure from the Lord – enter Hezekiah.  

He immediately sets out to return the heart of his people to the Lord. Both properties and people are consecrated again. Blood is shed and blood is applied as formerly defiled places and people are cleansed. The praise band cranks up its instruments and the worship team raises up their voices. “And they sang praise with gladness, and they bowed and worshiped. Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced over what God had prepared for the people, because the thing came about suddenly.” 2 Chron. 29:36 God had prepared carefully what His people were about to do spontaneously. The people had just witnessed the incineration of (in today’s dollars) a $22,750 offering! And the worship had only just begun…

By week’s end, the people of God, so enormously moved by the covering and restoring grace of God, gave offerings totaling $7,700,000. As they watched that entire gift rise to heaven in consuming smoke, they sang, they prayed, and they rejoiced. Giving is great when comprehension of grace is deep!

Cleansing Corinth from the Church 1 Corinthians 5:6-13

Posted by Danny

Friday, February 24, 2012

The evidence has faded away. No one entering the Sunday gathering, nor arriving for any weekday activity even notices it any longer; but at the time, they left their mark.

It was raining hard but Jerry and I were on a mission, so we ignored the weather. With rags in hand and a powerful chemical, we scrubbed away the message spray painted on the front of the church building. It took effort and time, but we felt that we had done the best we could do in light of the circumstances. Graffiti was erased. Some of our fellow churches were not so blessed. The same message painted on brick walls requires far more effort if it is to be permanently removed. Spray-painting a message on a church entrance is not appropriate; and rightfully, even the non-religious of our city would display a bit of indignation. Who would assault a church building and consider it acceptable to display such crude artistic effort?

This blue metal building is not the Church. It is, however, a facility resource where the Church regularly gathers. The Lord of the Church is far more concerned about what marks the gathered Church than He is about what graffiti message marks its housing. So while we take immediate and energetic action when the spray paint declares its message, we tend to give little attention when its members "mark" the true Church.

"Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple." (1 Corinthians 3:16-7) In seeing the Church, the Apostle was indignant, but those who were the Church were indifferent. "You are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Your boasting is not good."

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The Down-side Of Grace

Posted by Danny

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

1 Corinthians 5:1-5

Striking the balance between Legalism and Liberty is a continual challenge. As Dr. Tom Dworak would say in his Bible studies on grace, “It is far easier to live under law than to live under grace. Under law you have checklists to determine your behavior. Under grace you must study, reflect, pray and decide. Its always easier to have someone else do your thinking for you!”

As we move to the second major section of Paul’s correspondence with the Corinthian saints, we receive a “wake up” call regarding the abuses of grace. A brother has gone beyond the pale of moral latitudes and his brothers and sisters seem to interpret it as an amazing testimony of the covering breadth of grace. Paul issues a stern wake up call. “Because he is our brother and his lifestyle is distorting the purity of the gospel, step up to him and call him out on it. Challenge him to radical repentance!”

In reflection, our summary was:

Take it personally: As David prayed, we must pray, “Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts. See if there is ANY hurtful way in me and lead me in the everlasting way.” Our own hearts deceive us but they are an open book to Him! (Jeremiah 17:9-10)

Pray up and Step up: Non-involvement may seem the comfortable way but it is not the loving way. Care enough to personally prepare your own heart and then love enough to go. (Matthew 7:1-5)

Keep it private: Talk it over with God and no one else. He knows and it is He who turns the heart. Expect that grace will greet your going and that a heart will be turned toward home. (Matthew 18:15)

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The Down-side of Grace 1 Cor. 5

Posted by Danny

Friday, February 17, 2012

"I have never fallen into sin!"

That statement, boldly declared among the more that 45 men assembled, brought an uncomfortable hush to the room. Words like: ARROGANT, SELF-RIGHTEOUS, IGNORANT, certainly filled many minds. Such pride!

The context: At the opening gathering of a men's retreat, our host/coordinator had initiated a get-to-know-you activity. Andy personally introduced himself and added a brief bio of his spiritual journey. As each man around the room followed this template, a definite motif unfolded. Most of the men had a clear testimony of saving faith in Jesus Christ. But nearly everyone also included a statement that sounded a bit like this: "After I believed, I fell into sin. I fell into the kind of things I had been doing before I trusted Christ." Now, gratefully, we were spared most of the gory details, but salvation followed by falling back became a theme.

A gracious God effects a most gracious, rescuing gospel. He snatches from the binding grip of sin its helpless slaves and emancipates them to become servants of righteousness so they may joyfully pursue a new life of holiness. From the agony of bondage to the hilarity of freedom. One could rightly expect that every memory of past decadence would produce increasing repulsion. Who would ever want to go back?!

"But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin from the heart...having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness." Romans 6:17-18

Regrettably, so much like thankless Israel enjoying longed-for freedom from Egypt, slowly the painful memories were replaced by romanticized flashbacks. And they longed to go back.

"I have never fallen into sin." Then, following an appropriate pause for impact, our brother John added, "Every sin I have committed, I chose to do!" And the room was filled with conscience-convicted laughter that acknowledged that truth...

"What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?" Romans 6:1-2

See you Sunday, Church!

Pastor Tom

Glancing back as we move forward…faithNOTES on Tuesdays

Posted by Danny

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

There is an amazing word of hope for unsaveable sinners!

The reality of their saving faith is not in question.  It is an established fact.  “To those sanctified in Christ Jesus…” But the delayed maturing?  That, too, is an established fact.  With a loving but firm and direct letter, Paul sends correction their way.  He reminds them of the secret to their inevitable growing up.  “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”  1 Cor 1:9

He reminds them of three glorious truths:

1.     It is thru the scandalous grace of the Cross that God does what no other power can do…He saves certified sinners!  1:17-18, 23-24, 30-31

2.     Spiritually blind eyes are able to see with eternity’s clarity when the Cross of Christ is embraced.  2:7-8, 12-13, 16

3.     We are, both individually and corporately, a work of transforming grace…in process!  3:1, 7, 11, 14-16, 22-23

But then the paternal heart of their founding pastor is laid out on the page.  As he moves to addressing specific questions of living the Cross-centered life in a sin saturated community, Paul assures them that the firmness about to be revealed comes to them for their good from the very heart of one who truly loves them and is committed to them.

PATERNAL PASSION:

·      “I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as beloved children”  4:14

PATERNAL POSTURE:

·      “I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel”  4:14

PATERNAL PATTERN:

·      “I urge you, then, be imitators of me”  4:16

PATERNAL PURPOSE:

·      “For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power”  4:20

Let them, therefore:

REFLECT DEEPLY upon such saving grace

REJOICE GREATLY, for the penalty and the shame of sin has been removed

REACH OUT COURAGEOUSLY.  There is great news for every unsaveable sinner!

Press on, Church!

Pastor Tom

Changes to Faithnotes

Posted by Danny

Starting in March, we will moving Faithnotes into The City, our new communications tool. If you would still like to read and receive Faithnotes, please join the Faithnotes group in The City. If you haven't yet signed up for The City, you can do so this Sunday at the kiosk in the back of the Worship Center. 

BEST. JOB. EVER.

Posted by Danny

Friday, February 10, 2012

This opportunity might be the best job I have ever had!

Now, I do know a thing or two about jobs. High school farmhand. Gas station attendant. Factory line supervisor. Grocery department manager. Shopping mall custodian. Lighting technician (actually, just had security clearance in an aeronautic design center to go in and change fluorescent light bulbs J). Homebuilder. Floor covering installer. Youth pastor. Preacher. Youth pastor. Shepherd. As I said, I DO know a thing or two about jobs!

But THIS job sounds like a dream come true. I would be entrusted with the material assets of a great estate. I would have the freedom to manage those as I deemed to be the best. My task would be to distribute those resources in a manner that would cause them to increase while leaving a lasting impact through their usage. It was a heavier thing than simply keeping the stuff together. Investment for impact and increase was the goal. But to sweeten the offer even more, I would be given the complete freedom of setting my own salary! I could designate whatever portion of the owner's assets, I considered to be appropriate, to provide myself and my family a nice living wage. Now, isn't that the best job ever?

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Loving God More and Giving Him Less

Posted by Danny

Friday, February 3, 2012

"The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully." 2 Corinthians 9:6

They were called "set-aside acres" and he had field after field of them. After the morning service had ended, I was given directions to the home where I would be the dinner guest of one of the Elders of the host congregation. They had selected this particular house for my afternoon relaxation for one key reason. The home was just over the Nebraska line from the Wyoming community where I was preaching that weekend and Nebraska was playing in a televised game in Columbia, Missouri. My host for the game was an avid Nebraska fan and the only one in the Wyoming congregation who had the game coming into his television. So they gracious arranged for me to enjoy a great farm-cooked meal AND some great Husker football.

As I turned off the Wyoming highway onto the gravel county road, I was amazed at how many acres of land along both sides of the road appeared to be nothing more than weed beds. Mile after mile of untilled and unplanted fields surrounded me. Finally, following the sketched map in my lap, I turned off the gravel and into a long lane, driving up to a meticulously manicured farmyard. It was impressive for its orderliness and also for its absence of visible farm implements; not a tractor was in sight!

As we enjoyed home cooking, I inquired about all the unfarmed land around us. "I retired at an early age," my host said with a smile. "They actually pay me NOT to farm that ground! Those are called 'set-aside acres' and for conservation purposes I receive a check for not putting them into tillage." He lived on a beautiful farmstead and had a new career in a business in a neighboring community. Money for not planting.

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Grow2Go

Posted by Danny

Friday, January 27, 2012

Matthew 28:18-20 / Acts 1:8

Our mission is the "equipping of God's people THRU God's Word for doing God's work in God's world."

The Great Commission, simply stated is this,  "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." Matthew 28

His name is engraved on the memorial wall. But long before he lost his life on the fields of Vietnam conflict, he found his life by simple faith in Christ. His name was forever engraved in the Lamb's Book of Life.

My Mom would often restrict our playtime, probably for good cause. The kid next door seemed to be--at times--a bad "mix" for me. The neighbor's calves just begged to be ridden! And the out-building on the boundary line of our two properties was an incredible launch pad for early Super Man flights. If mischief had a logo, the images of Larry and Tom would have fit it well.

One afternoon on a day of creative energy burning, two neighbor boys got into a serious discussion regarding matters of life and death. The conversation ended with an eternal conversion. Having heard the good news of eternal life as a free gift offered to all who would believe, the time seemed right for a declaration of commitment. My childhood buddy and I knelt by my red American Flyer wagon and he "asked Jesus to come into his heart." We were only in the first grade…but one of us was a brand new baby. Larry had been born again!

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Unleashing the Church: Finding Your Fit and Blessing the Family 1 Cor. 12

Posted by Danny

Friday, January 20, 2012

Unleashing the Church: Finding Your Fit and Blessing the Family 1 Cor. 12

An insignificant village became the launch pad of world evangelism. Simply because of the faithfulness of one selfless saint!

In the hands of God, the seemingly unimportant becomes great. Such is the tale of one of the cities founded by one of Noah’s three sons. Thirty-five miles to the northeast of Jerusalem stands one of the world’s oldest seaport villages. Though hardly memorable for its own sake, the very mention of its name produces a flood of stories in the minds of those who read the Scriptures. Joppa!

Seeking to provide the finest materials the world had to offer for the construction of one of the world’s most significant projects, Kings David and Solomon imported cedar trees from the north nation of Lebanon. The logs were first placed into the sea and floated south to the seaport of Joppa where they were then transported 35 miles over land to Jerusalem. There they were milled for glorious adornment for the temple of the Living God.

Loving God but hating certified sinners, Jonah ran west when his commission from the Lord should have sent him east. From the ancient seaport of Joppa he boarded a ship for the 2600-mile journey to Spain.

Some three and a half centuries before the birth of Jesus, the booted heels of the warriors of Alexander the Great’s conquering armies struck the cobblestone pavement of the city of Joppa. By the end of the first century A.D. those same stones became a riverbed for the flowing blood of the 8400 Jews who were bludgeoned to death at the hands of the Roman army.

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Equipping For Serving

Posted by Danny

Friday, January 13, 2012

Back in the day, we called it "Going Cheap." Today I think it would be called, "Going Green." If you visit our home, you will notice that we live with lots of furniture bearing the "patina of life." Each well-worn piece has its own story to tell. (Linda worries that I will bore you by telling their story for them. :-)

We learned the value and promise of furnishing a home with reclamation pieces from the example and coaching of Pastor Moore. Our meager possessions, after five years of Bible college, were far from sufficient to outfit our first parsonage. But Pastor Dewey and his wife, Ruth, proudly displayed their amazing collection of beautifully restored antiques. Most were either hand-me-downs from church members or rescued from the trash before the refuse truck hauled them away. So thirty-eight years ago, Pastor Dewey taught us the basic principles of restoring the broken and discarded and making them useful for service.

The Household of God is well-furnished with the "patina of life." God has graciously and miraculously rescued, restored, refurbished and renewed lives that were broken and discarded. Paul describes these as "trophies of grace." God has taken what was no longer useable and "equipped us for His service." His grace is making us useful again. He is doing this work in His world through His Word in His Church!

In the corner of our living stands our pride and joy. The grand wardrobe cabinet has an amazing story to tell. We went northwest of G-burg to the Puhls' farm auction. The merchandise to be sold was remarkable for its age and its variety. We were optimistic that we would successfully outbid others for some select piece to "equip." We were wrong. The number of collectors and dealers present blew the prices out of the budget of this Baptist preacher. And the one piece we had set our hearts on shocked us the most. Bound together with bailing twine, nearly black because of its aged varnish finish, it attracted numerous bidders. Its price quickly blitzed $100 and it was finally sold to an elderly gentleman wearing bottle-top glasses. We concluded he simply did not know what he bought. Until...

Six months later we visited a neighbor's backyard barn. As the in-laws surveyed his inventory of restored antiques, Linda and I were stopped in our tracks. There stood the grand wardrobe cabinet. It was a gorgeous golden oak masterpiece, fully restored to its original beauty, but now with an incredible story to tell. Seeing our love for it, he offered it to us at a steal.

The household of the Lord, which is what we are as the Church, is marvelously furnished with reclaimed discards, masterfully reclaimed and restored. We who were totally useless are being mended for His glorious use. We are being "equipped."

"For we are His workmanship, created (recreated!) in Christ Jesus for good works..." Ephesians 2:10

We were going cheap...rather...we are going "green." In the corner of our living room today stands a masterpiece with its own story to tell!

See you Sunday, Church!

Pastor Tom 

You can tell them, "Pastor Tom says I don't have to go to church anymore!"

Posted by Danny

Friday, January 6, 2012

I think my record is 53. Understand that I am seriously IT challenged. I finally get the concept that perhaps my MacBook is running slow because of embedded 'cookies' and cleaning those out often restores power. But when my iPhone slowed, I had to turn to my 10-year-old granddaughter for help. With the double tap of the lower button, she began to close Apps. "Papa, did you know you had 53 Apps running? That is amazing!"

As we, the Faith Family, rapidly approach our 20th birthday (April 25, 2013), it seems appropriate to do a ministry "re-boot." We will no longer be considered adolescent but instead fall into the category of adulthood. As the years of our youth fade in the rear-view mirror, excitement grows as we lean forward to grab hold of those unique opportunities for which the Father has been preparing us. Now is the time to take inventory.

· Are we the Church He called us out to be?

· Are we faithfully doing all He has tasked us to do?

· Are we on mission?

· Are we as effective as His grace would cause us to be?

To prepare ourselves to passionately and purposefully seize our moment in HIS-story, we must pause to review our core values, reaffirm our foundational convictions and refocus our ministry endeavors. Over time, 'cookies' have become embedded and 'apps' which are no longer in use, remain in place. It's time to check the embedded cookies. Time for a double click and perhaps close some apps. Simply put, it is time for a ministry "re-boot." This is Faith Mission 2012!

We will look at the "who" and the "why" questions. We will declare again the clarity of our mission. Our corporate gatherings during the Sundays of January will be built around the theme, "I Am the Church."

Mission 2012: Reboot Faith!

So, go ahead and tell them, "Pastor Tom says I don't have to 'go' to church anymore!"

See you Sunday, Church!

Pastor Tom