10ThirtyOne To Glory

January 25, 2012

Reflection: It’s Not Where, But With Whom

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“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise.” ~Hebrews 11:8-9

As I read today from Genesis and a cross-reference passage from Hebrews (the passage quoted above), the Lord impressed this hard upon me… it should not be of our concern where we are going when God calls us to obey that gives us assurance of faith, but with whom is going with us: God himself. By faith Abraham obeyed. Not because he trusted he knew where he was going. It says, “he went out, not knowing where he was going.” No, he obeyed because he trusted in the one He knew who was going with him. That’s what mattered. Not where, but with whom is going with him. God. His faith was in God and His character. Oh, to trust Him more. It’s my prayer this morning and for our church today.

January 25, 2012

No Grey Anatomy of the Heart

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There are no “grey areas” when the Bible speaks about the heart- the central core of who you are. It’s pretty much black or white on its description of the heart. I subscribe to Tabletalk magazine, and I thought Sinclair Ferguson wrote an excellent article titled “A Catechism on the Heart“. Do we not as Christians want to have a heart for God? Then read Sinclair Ferguson explain below…

Sometimes people ask authors, “Which of your books is your favorite?” The first time the question is asked, the response is likely to be “I am not sure; I have never really thought about it.” But forced to think about it, my own standard response has become, “I am not sure what my favorite book is; but my favorite title is A Heart for God.” I am rarely asked, “Why?” but (in case you ask) the title simply expresses what I want to be: a Christian with a heart for God.

Perhaps that is in part a reflection of the fact that we sit on the shoulders of the giants of the past. Think of John Calvin’s seal and motto: a heart held out in the palm of a hand and the words “I offer my heart to you, Lord, readily and sincerely.” Or consider Charles Wesley’s hymn:

O for a heart to praise my God!
A heart from sin set free.

Some hymnbooks don’t include Wesley’s hymn, presumably in part because it is read as an expression of his doctrine of perfect love and entire sanctification. (He thought it possible to have his longing fulfilled in this world.) But the sentiment itself is surely biblical.

But behind the giants of church history stands the testimony of Scripture. The first and greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with all our heart (Deut. 6:5). That is why, in replacing Saul as king, God “sought out a man after his own heart” (1 Sam. 13:14), for “the Lord looks on the heart” (16:7). It is a truism to say that, in terms of our response to the gospel, the heart of the matter is a matter of the heart. But truism or not, it is true.

What this looks like, how it is developed, in what ways it can be threatened, and how it expresses itself will be explored little by little in this new column. But at this stage, perhaps it will help us if we map out some preliminary matters in the form of a catechism on the heart:

Q.1. What is the heart?
A. The heart is the central core and drive of my life intellectually (it involves my mind), affectionately (it shapes my soul), and totally (it provides the energy for my living).

Q.2. Is my heart healthy?
A. No. By nature I have a diseased heart. From birth, my heart is deformed and antagonistic to God. The intentions of its thoughts are evil continually.

Q.3. Can my diseased heart be healed?
A. Yes. God, in His grace, can give me a new heart to love Him and to desire to serve Him.

Q.4. How does God do this?
A. God does this through the work of the Lord Jesus for me and the ministry of the Holy Spirit in me. He illumines my mind through the truth of the gospel, frees my enslaved will from its bondage to sin, cleanses my affections by His grace, and motivates me inwardly to live for Him by rewriting His law into my heart so that I begin to love what He loves. The Bible calls this being “born from above.”

Q.5. Does this mean I will never sin again?
A. No. I will continue to struggle with sin until I am glorified. God has given me a new heart, but for the moment He wants me to keep living in a fallen world. So day by day I face the pressures to sin that come from the world, the flesh, and the Devil. But God’s Word promises that over all these enemies I can be “more than a conqueror through him who loved us.”

Q.6. What four things does God counsel me to do so that my heart may be kept for Him?
A. First, I must guard my heart as if everything depended on it. This means that I should keep my heart like a sanctuary for the presence of the Lord Jesus and allow nothing and no one else to enter.

Second, I must keep my heart healthy by proper diet, growing strong on a regular diet of God’s Word — reading it for myself, meditating on its truth, but especially being fed on it in the preaching of the Word. I also will remember that my heart has eyes as well as ears. The Spirit shows me baptism as a sign that I bear God’s triune name, while the Lord’s Supper stimulates heart love for the Lord Jesus.

Third, I must take regular spiritual exercise, since my heart will be strengthened by worship when my whole being is given over to God in expressions of love for and trust in Him.

Fourth, I must give myself to prayer in which my heart holds on to the promises of God, rests in His will, and asks for His sustaining grace — and do this not only on my own but with others so that we may encourage one another to maintain a heart for God.

This — and much else — requires development, elaboration, and exposition. But it can be summed up in a single biblical sentence. Listen to your Father’s appeal: “My son, give Me your heart.”

January 5, 2012

Resolution #1- Understand the European Financial Crisis

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I’m only teasing about the title. Slightly. But I’m sure your head goes spinning like mine does when reading any news article related to the European financial crisis dealing with the euro. And frankly, it’s not that pressing of a topic on my list of things to understand when I have kids to drop off at the bus stop, phone calls to make, and trying to find time to tally my own financial debt created by purchasing Christmas gifts. Plus, I’d rather enjoy the fine powdered sugar sprinkling of snow sent overnight that I see outside.

But then I perused the latest news and saw once again that Europe has been busy overnight as well. The latest from Bloomberg said that “France sold 7.96 billion euros ($10.2 billion) of debt, with 10-year borrowing costs rising in the country’s first bond auction of the year as credit-rating companies threaten to cut the nation’s AAA grade.” Does anyone know what that means? Please translate that, merci!

Final straw. It was at that point of frustration that I decided to devote only 10 minutes to settling this. So, I went to the source that is 1,000 miles wide with information and only 1 inch thick in depth with understanding: the internet.

Here are my results and hopefully it well help you in understanding the European financial crises. The first is from New York Times, and appropriately named, “Translating the European Crisis, in Plain English“. The other, which surprisingly references the New York Times article (I must have been on to something…), is from a Christian perspective prying into the moral and ethical causes of the crises and factors that influenced it. It’s called, “Productive for the Glory of God, Good of Neighbors“. And of course, Khan Academy, made honorable mention… But, he went beyond my 10 minutes.

In the midst of it all, praise be to God that He who is sovereign over all creation is sovereign over all nations. May we be good stewards. Now go outside and get those shoes muddy.

December 25, 2011

Merry Christmas!

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Merry Christmas!

From Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening devotional…

“For your sakes he became poor.”—2 Corinthians 8:9.

Th Lord Jesus Christ was eternally rich, glorious, and exalted; but “though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor.” As the rich saint cannot be true in his communion with his poor brethren unless of his substance he ministers to their necessities, so (the same rule holding with the head as between the members), it is impossible that our Divine Lord could have had fellowship with us unless He had imparted to us of His own abounding wealth, and had become poor to make us rich. Had He remained upon His throne of glory, and had we continued in the ruins of the fall without receiving His salvation, communion would have been impossible on both sides. Our position by the fall, apart from the covenant of grace, made it as impossible for fallen man to communicate with God as it is for Belial to be in concord with Christ. In order, therefore, that communion might be compassed, it was necessary that the rich kinsman should bestow his estate upon his poor relatives, that the righteous Saviour should give to His sinning brethren of His own perfection, and that we, the poor and guilty, should receive of His fulness grace for grace; that thus in giving and receiving, the One might descend from the heights, and the other ascend from the depths, and so be able to embrace each other in true and hearty fellowship. Poverty must be enriched by Him in whom are infinite treasures before it can venture to commune; and guilt must lose itself in imputed and imparted righteousness ere the soul can walk in fellowship with purity. Jesus must clothe His people in His own garments, or He cannot admit them into His palace of glory; and He must wash them in His own blood, or else they will be too defiled for the embrace of His fellowship.
O believer, herein is love! For your sake the Lord Jesus “became poor” that He might lift you up into communion with Himself.

December 21, 2011

“Up on the housetop click, click, click…” Who was St. Nick?

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The fab five family of mine have really enjoyed reading this article on “Who was St. Nicholas?” Highlights the man, myths, and, yes, mushrooms for gifts. Yep. Ever wonder where some of the folklore surrounding Santa Claus came from? The North Pole, chimney’s, stockings, and Kris Kringle… Hey, I thought this guy’s name was St. Nicholas?

Then enjoy the read… and please, no mushrooms as a gift.

October 31, 2011

Yes, it’s Halloween and… Reformation Day!

Posted by 1031toglory under Christian life, Church, Current Events, Martin Luther
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Yes, it’s Halloween and it’s also… Reformation Day! Last year, I dressed up as Martin Luther (head shaved like a monk and the whole shabang), but no promises this year!

If you don’t know what Reformation Day is, well then, if you’re a Christian, you better get to know your roots! It was on this day October 31st, 1517 that is credited as the unofficial start of the reformation of the church, the recovery of the gospel, and a call back for the church to stand alone on the authority of the Scriptures, when Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses (or concerns) to a church door (a common practice by the way for public community announcements).

Justin Holcomb from the Resurgence has a great overview of the 95 theses and the hammer heard around the world… Read it here.

So when the devil throws your sins in your face and declares that you deserve death and hell, tell him this: “I admit that I deserve death and hell, what of it? For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction on my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, Son of God, and where he is there I shall be also!”

— Martin Luther

October 31, 2011

Halloween: Receive, Reject, or Redeem?

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Very thorough post by the Resurgence on the origins of Halloween and good advice in helping you decide how you should respond as a Christian to this nationwide event. Here’s a quote from the article…

Halloween has an uneasy history with the church; Christians have not always been sure what to do with a holiday of apparently pagan origins. Is Halloween unredeemable, such that any Christian participating in the holiday will necessarily compromise their faith? Is it something Christians can participate in as a cultural celebration with no religious ramifications? Or is there the opportunity for Christians to emphasize certain aspects of our own faith within the holiday?

Read the whole article here.

September 21, 2011

When Blogs Fall Silent…

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It either means….

a) been busy

b) face-t0-face relationships won over the computer screen

c) studying the Word pulled me away

d) God’s been pursuing me

e) All of the above

I just circled “e”…

July 27, 2011

John R.W. Stott (1921-2011)

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John R.W. Stott, at the age of 90, went to be home with the Lord today. If you don’t know who he is, then you should read Justin Taylor’s brief, yet honoring, post commemorating his life.

July 21, 2011

Sun, Sweat, and Sandcastles

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We are back from Ocracoke Island, NC. Wonderful time. Some may know, that I paint and draw (the reason for all the art links to the right). I wanted to try something different in this post. I want to try painting with words. You can stop laughing now. You’re probably thinking “It was called creative writing in 5th grade.” Point taken. You can call it creative writing, paining with words, whatever… but I really want to call it a window.

Enjoy!

—————————————————————————————-

The ocean will not win. I’m skilled with my daughter’s sand toys. The sun will not win. I have my sunblock (30 protection, might I add). The sand will not win. I have my blankets lined up.

I am prepared.

A bumblebee floats by our beach umbrella. It thinks it’s a giant flower. Jackpot. Oh, how he is mistaken. Foolish bumblebee.

But I’m not by the umbrella. I’m by the water. Staring down the ocean wide and squinting. The ocean playfully winks at me with each reflecting ray of sunlight. I start to dig. Just give me a bucket and a plastic shovel, and sand can be no match. But I’m not making a sandcastle with gothic drip towers. I want something big. A foxhole. A fort. The kids cheer.

I will make them something they will be proud of when their older. As I begin, the seawater foam sizzles and playfully licks my heels. The sand crabs burrow, but the ocean tide does not fear. The tide is rising. It always does. It remembers. It remembers the Flood when it swallowed mountains and valleys. It breathes back and forth with each rising tide remembering what it once chewed.

I will not let the ocean win. Not yet.

Around the island, not too far from where I build, is a cove called Teach’s Hole. A pirate named Blackbeard made it his hideout. Now it’s his graveyard. Blackbeard kept the beard, but lost his head in a sword battle. At this same cove are rocks and pilings. It once supported a building. Who knows what. But now it slowly wears down with each corroding wave of water splashing against it. It changes color in the heat of the sun. And below in the pilings, where my kids walk with bare feet, are hermit crabs. Of course, three hitched a ride back home with us, while the others bought their time. They soon will be washed away.

But we’ll all be washed away eventually. I might not lose my head, but I’ll lose the color of my hair. I’ll be battered by each passing wave. My skin will change color, stretch, and submit to its battle with gravity.

But today my skin is prepared. The sun won’t win. Even while I dig and my back is exposed to the blistering rays. I have sunblock. But it somehow ends up burning us anyway, doesn’t it? And our wallets too. It’s amazing how expensive it is these days. Sunblock companies end up winning with a boat load of cash. But we’ll all revolt next year against the companies and boycott their sunblock. How won’t we get burned you say? We’ll buy beach umbrellas. A beach covered in umbrellas. Not one part of sand that does not have shade. Yes, I know. It won’t work. The Beach Umbrella company ends up winning. Who’s in control here?

Not me, and not any of us. We’re never really in control. I live now, but decay will catch me. I make sand forts, but I know the ocean tide is coming. So for now, until the day comes when I close my eyes and rest my bones in the Creator’s hands, I will make sand forts for my children. Other children. His children. His glory.

So I continue. Sand is flying everywhere. I’m digging faster than a sand crab. The sand won’t win against me in this hour. The man in green socks next to me thinks so too. I mean, why else would he be wearing green socks on the beach? He thinks sand won’t get in (but it does).

My muscles are aching now. Sweat and sand are mixing together. I feel like I have sandpaper in between my armpits. I have to wash off. The sand has won.

But the ocean will not.

Before I jump in the water, my wife shows me that she has won against the sun with her shield of white cream. But the ocean had won. Her bathing suit strap broke by a wave. I say, “that wave won’t bother me!” I heroically dive into the ocean.

With my sunglasses on.

The ocean swallows them and they are never to be seen again. I find out that many others in the water have surrendered their sunglasses to the mighty watery beast. The ocean has won. It is remembering the Flood. Oh how I was mistaken. I should have listened to the bumblebee. I can hear him saying, “Foolish human.”

I’m back to building the sand fort. Fort Bragg would be jealous. It is finished. We have tunnels, walkways, and three-tiered levels. Now we watch and play chicken with the ocean.

It is not intimidated.

The water comes up. The fort is safe. Again. The walls and tunnels hold. The children yell and laugh. The water rolls away. And then it comes again. With a vengeance. The ocean has won. The tunnel collapses, the walkways are flattened and all is left is a great sand dimple.

And three extremely proud and joyful children.

I will swim with the ocean, but only by rolling with the waves. I will live under the scorching heat of the sun, but I am aware I will be burned from time to time. I will live in sand walls, in fact, we all do. And they will one day be torn away. Only that soul that rests on the Rock and clings there like a barnacle can find safety from the coming Flood.

But till then, I swim far. Out to the deep. With one of my children. The ocean has taken our fort. It has taken my sunglasses.

But it will not take my child.

We laugh and play. The waves lick and slap our cheeks as we bounce over every rolling wave. Yes, the ocean has taken my sunglasses, but it has not taken my child.

Instead, it has given us memories. Thank you God.

June 23, 2011

God Speaking? There’s so much of it…

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“There’s so much land. Everywhere.” That was the response of a friend visiting the farm country land of what is known as Sussex County, Delaware. That was the only thing he could say as he looked out the car window, the warm summer air hitting his face. And that was probably the most intelligent thing to say as he drank in the vast flat farm land that extended for miles joining towering skies splattered with distant clouds. Of course, it’s probably what you would say too if you were from the forested area of Virginia.

It was my same response when I came to Delaware too. Farm land. Flat farm land. Vast flat farm land of green and gold that meets blue somewhere off with some winding country road. In the part of New Jersey (the “somewhat” garden state) where I previously lived and grew up, I had forests. Thick forests. Magical forests. And, of course, shopping malls. Department stores. Highways. Business complexes. And fast-food joints every stone-throw from a traffic light. So, yes, it was dense and with all these things in front of your eyes, it was difficult to see what was past it. Like land. Vast land. Maybe farm land and big skies. Welcome to Delaware. Now you can see.

Of course, what I’m writing about is more than just comparing Delaware and New Jersey. Or farm land versus forested land. Or densely populated commercial zoning. No. I’m getting at something and it’s this: sometimes we have so much in front of us we don’t see what’s behind it. Let me a bit more clear. Sometimes we have so much in front of us, like jobs, schedules, carpooling to sports, laundry, yardwork, dare I say, even church activities, yet forget what, or more accurately, who is behind it all. Yes. You know who I’m talking about. Our Creator. Our Maker. Our Sustainer. Our Sovereign One. The King of the universe. God.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” You say, “I don’t hear God speaking.” Yes He is. He is speaking. He’s speaking even though your job, schedule, carpooling, and laundry are right in front of you. Have you looked past it to see who is really there? ”The heavens declare the glory of God and skies proclaim his handiwork.” This is very much about stars and skies that speak. They speak a language that only points to the glory of One. God is speaking.

Christian, climb out of the hole you’re in. Look past the trees. Push back the limbs and leaves covering your view. Get out of the fantasy world you’ve created and step into the reality of God’s glory. Look at God’s world wide-eyed in wonder. Look at God’s written Word with craved hunger. God is speaking. The Son is speaking. ”And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Let His words sink deep. May He give you new eyes. And as you use these eyes, you might find yourself saying “There’s so much GOD! Everywhere!”

June 13, 2011

Knowing Truth and Loving Jesus

Posted by 1031toglory under Doctrine, Gospel, theology, Video
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June 6, 2011

FAQ’s on Great Commission Sunday

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In last month’s aLife magazine (C&MA publication), there was a very helpful article on frequently asked questions on Great Commission Sunday 2011. I have placed it below for you to read.

GREAT COMMISSION SUNDAY 2011

Frequently Asked Questions

By Office of Communications, C&MA

1) What is Great Commission Sunday?

Great Commission (GC) Sunday is a celebration of what God is doing through the worldwide work of The Alliance. The practice of giving sacrificially to build Christ’s Kingdom—in times of abundance and of scarcity—has been an Alliance distinctive from the very beginning. GC Sunday is an opportunity for the U.S. Alliance family to express its commitment to pushing back the darkness in the remaining unreached parts of our world.

2) What is meant by “pushing back the darkness,” and how will GC Sunday help accomplish this?

Pushing back the darkness is a term recently adopted by The Alliance to describe our strategy for the final chapter of world evangelization. It refers specifically to taking the light of Christ to countries with little or no access to the gospel. A portion of the funds received from the 2011 GC Sunday offering will be used to send Alliance workers to places like North Africa and North and Central Asia, where less than 1 percent of the population has heard the liberating truth of salvation through Jesus Christ.

3) I regularly support Alliance missions. Why should I participate in GC Sunday?

On behalf of the thousands of Alliance workers and churches throughout the world, thank you for your faithful giving! You are making a powerful difference in people’s lives. GC Sunday challenges us to come together as the Alliance family to help initiate something that will change the face of our world for eternity. It’s an opportunity not only for those who have long supported Alliance work but also for those who may not yet have been challenged to help build Christ’s Kingdom here in the United States and half a world away.

4) What if my church recently held its Missions Conference? Do I still need to participate?

GC Sunday complements your church’s Missions Conference. It demonstrates the Alliance commitment to make the gospel accessible to all people. In North Africa and North and Central Asia, access to the gospel is hard to find. A person can travel for weeks—even months—and never see a church or meet a believer. By participating in GC Sunday 2011, church members will maintain their “Missions Conference momentum” by helping to bring the Bread of Life to those living in spiritual poverty.

5) What about Alliance work in other parts of the world? Is it on the decline?

Not at all! Alliance workers and churches in Europe, the Middle East, West Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia and the United States continue to “push back the darkness” in urban centers, rural areas and well beyond their own borders. In these regions, the Church has been established and continues to grow and mature—all because, years ago, the Alliance family sent and supported pioneer workers who answered the call to take Christ deep into these spiritually uncharted territories. Today, North Africa and North and Central Asia are among the new frontiers for the gospel.

6) What are the C&MA’s current financial realities and how could GC Sunday impact them?

Since July 2010, we have struggled to meet our reduced budget. Great Commission Fund (GCF) revenues from churches have declined by nearly $1.6 million during the first eight months of the fiscal year compared with the same period in fiscal year 2009. We are currently projecting a GCFshortfall of more than $1.3 million.

Because we are committed to meeting our current ministry objectives, the “first fruits” of the GC Sunday offering will be applied to the current shortfall. The National Office and field teams continue to work feverishly to reduce operating expenses wherever possible. Once our current ministry funding obligations are met, the remaining funds will be used to push back the darkness in some of the most spiritually desolate countries in our world, including parts of our own.

Please use the enclosed envelope for your GC Sunday Gift, or participate through you local Alliance church.

June 6, 2011

C&MA | DNA

Posted by 1031toglory under CMA, Doctrine, Video
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God has richly blessed the C&MA with an amazing history to what it is today. It’s all about Jesus and obedience to the Great Commission he has called every fully-devoted disciple of Christ to make disciples, both locally and globally. I’m pleased that the C&MA has put together an excellent video series to be used in local churches to explain and rediscover the C&MA movement’s “Spiritual DNA”. Look for it coming soon to Atlanta Road Alliance Church! In the meantime, watch the promo video below.

May 26, 2011

A Day in the Life of C&MA Council

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“What’s ‘pushing back the darkness’”? asked a lady. The elevator doors closed. The cable lines began to whirl and so did my thoughts.

Welcome to a day chronicled of council life at the C&MA General Council in Kansas City, Missouri. This is my first attendance at a General Council so my wife and I were looking forward to it. We’re greatly appreciative that our local church made it possible for us to attend. Shout out to the Atlanta Road Alliance Church! So let the chronicled day in the life of C&MA Council begin…

Let’s just say that before I even touched my feet onto the berber carpet of my hotel room this morning out of bed, there were reports on the news that tornado’s were going to touch down on Kansas City. It was bound to be an interesting day, as it always is with God’s providence! But first things first, we needed to register for Council. After spending my quiet time with the Lord at 20 stories high from my room, and grabbing breakfast and coffee, we headed over to the convention center to register alongside the other C&MA workers who had their maps out getting their bearings.

The great thing about Council so far is that you meet many C&MA workers or should I say friends, or dare I say, well, family. That’s what it is. It’s similar to a giant family reunion (minus the giant spaghetti dinners). It’s a common threaded theme that’s woven through these type of events. For example, after we registered we ran into Andy Kerr on our way out. And as we we were talking, a friend of his he knew from Beirut, named Haytham stopped to talk with us. Small world.

Now, remember those tornadoes I mentioned? Well, in the middle of our conversation, a convention center worker walks past us and said we all have to go to the basement because of a tornado warning that is a real possible threat. Interesting. So, we all head down to the dark cavernous basement. But, it turned out to be okay because we talked with a convention center worker that we met earlier as we sat on the cold concrete floor. Soon we get the “all clear” and we head back to the hotel to plan our attack for the rest of the day, now that we have our Council schedule.

Council doesn’t officially start until the evening session at 7:00 pm, so we decide to get lunch at Jack Stack Barbecue by the famous Union Station and then head over to the WWI Museum. It’s Kansas City so we have to get something barbecued! We arrive and the welcoming aroma of native Ozark hickory smoke delivers on it’s promise of melt-in-your-mouth flavor of a perfect burnt ends barbecue. This beef had bark like an oak tree. And of course, I see Bill Schmeissing from our Mid-Atlantic District there. He couldn’t resist the barbecue too!

After lunch, we headed outside to a mix of sunshine and ominous dark and puffy clouds. We walked over to the WWI museum. To tell you the truth, I was blown away by this museum. I love reading about WWII, but I never knew that much about WWI. The museum, to say the least, was impressive and well worth the time to understand the nature and dynamics of the “war to end all wars”. Learning about the various threads of tension that existed before WWI erupted eerily sounded much like our times today. WWI was a dark time in Europe with trench warfare and new mechanized ways of fighting. But there is much to be admired and challenged by brave men that rose to the occasion to fight against the darkness and tyranny of a nation. Move your mind to a more spiritual context: Should we not, as Christians, be emboldened and passionate for the Great Commission that Christ has given to us to make disciples of all nations? Do we not have the “light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” to present to those lost in the darkness of their sin and self-justifying righteousness before God? To be continued…

We wrapped up our tour with the WWI museum and hiked uptown back to the Convention Center; back to the family reunion. The various ministry booths are now open so we decided to check those out. We ran into Jason Ostrander and talked with him for awhile on a range of topics (from short-term missions to how some people say “coupon” differently. It’s “coo-pon” not “cew-pon”!) We then moved on to meet some new people and talked with Peter Burgo, editor for Alife magazine (the C&MA magazine). They do a great job with the magazine and we checked out some of the new material they’re putting out for churches called “C&MA DNA”. We then floated around to some other booths, talked with others, and then decided we better find something to eat before the 7:00 session starts.

Starbucks made the cut. We head into the store, and of course, who do we meet? Todd and Debbie Adams, missionaries from Indonesia. My family and I had the wonderful privilege of having Todd stay at our home while he visited our church on tour. It was great to see them. Ironically, he was trying to call me to let me know that he finished the books I purchased for him, but it turns out he had the wrong number! I just couldn’t believe that he finished the books in that short time span!

After splashing down a granola with coffee so bold to make your chest hair stick out, we headed back to the convention center. And as you might have guessed, we met up with some more friends! Moses, Bill, Allen, Rob, just to name a few, and Dr. Corbin, our District Superintendent and his wife, Linda. In the midst of our conversations, we are told that the session is about to start. So, like a herd of cattle, we move into the large auditorium hall for the beginning of the first evening session. And of course, who sits behind us, but Mike Mercurio! Did I mention that he married my wife and I? Yep, he did. The session began with an A.B. Simpson re-enactment and it was great to see all the missionaries, chaplains, and other international workers carrying the flags in the beginning of the service. Ravi Zacharias spoke and he addressed pushing back the darkness from one’s own heart before we even look at pushing back the darkness in our communities, nation, and world.

One point in his address was observing the peace God brings in the midst of pain. He mentioned a verse that has stuck out to me and that I shared with my daughter Sam recently. It’s from 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” You see, our daughter Sam has been going through some testing for a medical condition that she will have for life. And the thing that has been asked from every person we have met throughout this day was how our daughter was doing. It was touching to hear how many people said they were praying. God’s grace in Jesus Christ truly is sufficient as He many times supplies it through His people. And this blessing flows from the fountainhead of the cross, including the blessing of Jesus’ presence ministered through His people. God may not take away the pain, but the wonderful abiding presence of Jesus Christ is sufficient enough to walk through it.

And now, it’s off to bed as I type these last words by my desk lamp. I close in remembering the famous quote by Sir Edward Grey on the eve of WWI. “The lamps are going out all over Europe. We shall not see them lit again in our time.” Yes, we must not forget that we live in a world in spiritual darkness, but we have the light of Jesus Christ.

So, come back to the lady on the elevator… “What’s ‘pushing back the darkness’”? asked the lady. The elevator doors closed. The cable lines began to whirl and so did my thoughts. The answer is not “what”, but “who” pushes back the darkness. It’s Jesus Christ.

10ThirtyOne To Glory – Pastor Dave's blog