Monday, July 14, 2025

What If?

 We live in a consumer centered culture. That culture is geared towards seeking to satisfy all of our fleshly desires. We purchase the products that do the best job of appealing to those desires. The culture knows how to appeal to flesh.  Sadly, tragically, so does much of the church.


Jesus made it clear that anyone who would come after Him must, "Take up their cross and follow Me." This is not a message that will get much traction in the modern church in America. Francis Chan makes some deeply challenging statements on this. He said, "Churches are too busy creating what people expect rather than actually pursuing what God commands......What if all the church had to offer was the Bible, the cup, and the bread?" 

"What if" indeed! Why do we think we need so many props and gimmicks? Why do we so willingly pander to the consumer spirit that is rampant in the church today? I get it, we need to minister to people in effective ways and we need to have ministries that are completely built upon Christ to do so. There's no denying that, but why is He seemingly not enough when trying to do so. How have we come to depend so much upon appealing to the senses rather than appealing to the heart, through His Holy Spirit?

The Bible, the cup, and the bread, seem like little to offer until we dwell upon what is involved in the offer. In the Bible, we offer the Living Word of God. Christ is the Living Word. We offer Christ and all that is found in Him. The fullness of His Life. The cup is the offer of His blood and the New Covenant that His blood covers us with. Grace, freedom, victory, and all the power found in His blood. The bread is the food, nourishment, fellowship, and community found only in Him and nowhere else. To have these is to have everything, and if we have everything, why do we think we need all the rest? Why do we feel we must offer Jesus and something else? Why do we think Christ needs additives?

There's a simple but powerful video series on social media that shows a young man sitting down in a sanctuary with an open Bible, ready to worship the Lord. It then cuts to various churches and the means they're using to hold the interest of the congregation. Some are absurd. Some are hilarious. Many border on blasphemy. I would not want to stand in the shoes of those who must give account for them.

The church that bases their appeal on the criteria Chan proposes takes a risk. Yet, is it really a risk if it is based fully upon the Person, Presence, and Power of the Three in One God,? Upon the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?  
May we, His church, His Body, dare to take that risk, which is really know risk at all when all we do flows out of Life, Presence, and Fullness. Jesus first, Jesus last, Jesus always.

Blessings,
Pastor O 

Friday, July 11, 2025

Satisfied?

 "Jesus Satisfies" was a popular saying when I first came to know Him in the late 70's. I saw it on bumper stickers and heard it in contemporary Christian songs of that time. The problem was that it didn't seem to be true in the lives of so many who claimed to be His followers....including mine. I don't believe it is so with me now, but I do believe it remains true for so many in the church. Why do so many of us who profess to be followers of the Author of Life live such decidedly unsatisfying lives?


I've heard it said that we live in a "culture of dissatisfaction." No matter where we are in our lives, we feel we need more, we need better. Good is not good enough, whether it's a job, marriage, or ministry. It's true that we need to strive for excellence, but this is not a problem of quality, it's a problem of the heart. Our hearts, mine and yours. It's a question of what it is that fills our heart. They're going to be filled with something. Will it be His Life and Spirit or that which is neither? Jesus can't fill a heart that longs for that which isn't of Him and never will be.

We need to hear the words of Isaiah 44:20, "The poor deluded fool feeds on ashes. He's trusting in something that can give Him no help at all. Yet he cannot bring himself to say, 'Is this thing, this idol that I'm holding in my hand a lie?' " What might it be that you hold in your hand today? Holding with all your might.
The perfect job, the great relationship, the perfect marriage and children. A ministry that is noticed and that gets you noticed. If such things fill our hearts then our hearts will never know satisfaction. They weren't designed by Him that they should. They were designed to find their satisfaction and fulfillment in Him alone. To have that means releasing our death-grip on the things we think will. They may bring us into some kind of life, but it will never be His life. We find our freedom when we dare to ask if what we're holding so tightly is really just an idol and a lie. 

It can be so hard to release lies and idols we have cherished for so long. They always hold out the promise of their bringing us the longing we crave, but it's a promise leading only to destruction. It only leads to an ever deepening dissatisfaction. Deeper unrest, deeper disappointment, and finally, total despair. 

What lie might you be holding to today? It may have started as a fresh and wonderful desire, but as time passes, you find it's become an obsession. One leading you further and further from Him. Ever farther away from the true satisfaction of the soul He created you for. He offers it now. He reaches for your hand, but to lay hold of Him you must release the lie you've been holding so tightly. It's a frightening step, I know. Will you do it? Will you let go of the lie?.......Jesus satisfies. Does He satisfy you?

Blessings,
Pastor O

Wednesday, July 9, 2025

Tomb Life

 John 20 focuses on two things; the resurrection and the tomb. In which do we "live?" Give some thought before you answer, and let's give some thought to the main human character here, Mary.


We first need to picture what her emotional and spiritual state must have been. The chapter opens with her walking in the dark towards the tomb. The tomb that held the body of her beloved Master, Jesus. In her thinking, she'd lost the One who'd set her free. She finds the tomb empty and then runs to tell Peter and John who come back with her. Again, they find the tomb empty. Peter and John leave, but Mary stays at the tomb...alone. She began to weep. I've learned that the Greek words used to describe her weeping are the strongest words for sorrow to be found in the New Testament. She literally unleashed a torrent of sorrow, anguish, perhaps even anger. Her Lord was not only dead, He was gone, and so was her hope. Then she saw something that Peter and John had not and would not; two angels sitting at the head and foot where His body had been. If that weren't wondrous enough, she then saw Jesus, though at first she didn't recognize Him. He was alive, not dead, and risen, not entombed. Her sorrow turned to joy. The death in her soul turned to life. Just as He'd promised.

Just as He'd promised: Verse 9 says that until they saw the empty tomb, they'd forgotten that the Scriptures promised that He would rise from the dead. Today, we need to learn the depth of His words and promises. Jesus Christ will do what He has promised He would. He has given His Word, and nothing, not even the darkest of circumstances, the most frightening of enemies, or the absence of all visible help, will keep Him from fulfilling His Words. Nothing...not even the grave. He said in Luke 24:44, "Everything written about Me....must all come true." It must.

In John 11, Jesus tells Martha, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in Me, though they die like everyone else, will live again. They are given eternal life. Do you believe this Martha?" Those who believe, who give Him their hearts, are give eternal, resurrected life....now. Not in its fullness, but we are given the power of His resurrected life. He promises it. Do you believe this, or are you still living in the tomb? Maybe today, like Mary, you're walking in the graveyard of this world, in the darkness, and you're feeling that hopelessness and despair closing in on you. He's not in the graveyard, and you needn't be either. He keeps His Word. What He promises to do and give, He does do and give. He gives resurrected life and He offers it to you now. Do you believe this? If you do, He calls you out of the tomb and into His life. Jesus left His tomb more than 2000 years ago. Are you ready to leave yours? 

Blessings,
Pastor O

Monday, June 30, 2025

Feelings

 "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." 2 Corinthians 10:5


Joni Eareckson Tada is truly a hero of the faith. She, as much as anybody I know of, has lived the life that has made her, "more than a conqueror." Recently I listened to her as she spoke about her great battles against depression. She said that there are times when her constant pain is so intense that she is tempted to, as Paul was, to "despair" even of life. She spoke not just of her thoughts, but of her emotions, and the power they held, as well as how the enemy works so effectively against us through them.

Emotions and thoughts are real, but they are often not the truth. As Tada said, "Depression, a product of mind and emotion, lies to you." We have become very much a feelings centered culture. We follow our emotions instead of His Words. That is a dangerous, even spiritually suicidal way of life. Our feelings and emotions may be real, but often, not the truth. His Word and Truth are more real and fully true. Feelings and emotions can enslave us and are powerful, but we can be free of their tyranny. We must take them to the cross, where, as Tada says, "their power over us is broken." 

We are not meant to follow our feelings and emotions, which so easily mislead us. Each of us can think of many instances when we acted upon them to our great regret. This is where Paul's exhortation in 2 Corinthians 10:5 is so powerful. In the leading and power of His Holy Spirit, we bring what we are feeling and thinking to Him, to His cross, and we "nail them" to it. We crucify the thoughts and feelings there. We "die" to their power over us and in exchange, take on the power of His Word. The power of His risen life.

There have been several times in my life where I battled deep depression and all the emotions that went with it. Because of it, I knew what it was to be held in the "miry clay" that David wrote about. There was help in counseling to a certain degree, but I found deliverance in my coming to Him in complete surrender, not only concerning the feelings and thoughts, but in the situations that gave rise to them. I'd been trying to control all of the situations and failed miserably. Freedom came when I repented of that, and at His cross, yielded it all to Him. 

Feelings and emotions will so often set themselves up against the knowledge of God. Living in the risen power of His Truth and Word will demolish their power and set us free from their tyranny. If you're living under their tyranny today, come to His cross. Nail them and their captivity to it. Live free, be free. Now.

Blessings,
Pastor O

Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Perfect Love

 I'm humbled by John 13, but, just how humbled am I? This chapter details Jesus' last meal with His disciples. So much takes place in the account, but nothing stands out like the detailing of Jesus washing His disciples feet. I, and most of us have seen the obvious of what Jesus is modeling; a willingness to serve in humility. Not seeing any task being beneath us. Service that is motivated by love. His love moving on and through us. 


There's one aspect of it that's easy to pass over. Judas Iscariot was also among those disciples. Judas, who had already agreed to betray Him. Judas, who seemed to hold contempt for many of His ways. Judas, whose heart Jesus knew, and whose actions of betrayal Jesus also already knew. Judas, whose dirt encrusted feet, Jesus took in His hands and....washed. 

The disciples were a human lot. They spent a great deal of time together. There were times of friction, disagreement, even open disputes. The Bible tells us it was so. Yet, they were bound together by their deep love and respect for their Master. All of them except Judas, and again, Jesus knew this. 

I don't think I would have a great deal of trouble washing the feet of Peter, John, James, and the rest. There may have been disagreements, but at heart was the bond that we shared. But Judas, who I knew despised me? He who sought to deliver me into the hands of my enemies. He who thought I was a great fool for the path I had chosen to walk and how I chose to walk it. Could I wash such a person's feet? Jesus did?

With His death rapidly approaching, His mind filled with apprehension about what He knew lay before Him, He could still give of Himself not only to the other 11, but to Judas as well. Judas, who was about to deliver the deep and painful blow of betrayal. Betrayal by one He loved. He took the dirty feet of the one who had hurt Him so deeply, and washed them just as lovingly as he did the other 11. Such wondrous love indeed. I hear the question of His Spirit to me. Does that same wondrous love abide in me? In the face of betrayal, mockery, rejection, even hatred, would I take the feet of my enemy, and in love, wash them? I want to believe that I would. I hope that I will, and I know it's what He calls me to. If you profess to be His, it's what He calls you to as well.

How do we answer that call today? Who has hurt us, used us, betrayed us. We can forgive them, but can we lovingly serve them? Where does anger and resentment still linger? Such feelings may be a "luxury" we allow ourselves, but He doesn't. The cross was His destination. It's ours as well. We can't really wash the feet of those who have hurt us most deeply apart from it. The cross is the symbol of the proof of His love and forgiveness. We cannot fully love and forgive apart from it. It is only by way of the cross that we may love and forgive those who in no way deserve that love. 

Corrie Ten Boom and her sister were sent to a Nazi concentration camp for hiding Jews in the occupied Netherlands. Her sister died there. After the end of the war, Ten Boom was at a Christian gathering when she, in shock, saw the man who was a guard at the camp. A man who had a part in the killing of her sister. He recognized her as well. He came to her and told her how Christ had come into His heart and life, transforming him. All she could feel was anger, even hatred. Her choice was to hold to it, or die to it. She chose death....at His cross. She chose forgiveness. Sometimes we think that's impossible, but at the cross, all things are possible. Even Perfect Love.

Blessings,
Pastor O

Monday, June 23, 2025

The Darkness

 Sometimes it's hard to find God. When we need Him most, He often seems to be absent. When we need to hear His voice, all is silent. We cry out, but there's no answer. Where is He? Doesn't He care? Has He abandoned us? In the midst of it all, everything seems to be getting worse. What's happening? Why is it happening? 


We've likely heard the saying, "God works in mysterious ways." We may have shared with others going through difficult times, but when it's us going through those times, we want answers. Answers that make sense. In His Word He's given us an abundance of promises. I've never found any that say He will make sense to us. He promised to bring us through fire and flood, to protect us in the midst of danger, to enable us to slay giants and cast mountains into the sea. He's promised to make us overcome all the power of hell, but He never promised to make us understand what He's doing in the meantime. He just promised that, if we would trust Him, we would "see His salvation in the land of the living." This is a scary lifestyle, but it's the one that will overcome the world.

David knew something of this. He knew a lot. In 2 Samuel 22:12, he writes, "He shrouded Himself in darkness, veiling His approach with dense rain clouds." Where was God for David? He was in the darkness. He was in the heavy rain. He could not be seen, but He was there. It often seems like this is His favorite place to dwell. His, but not ours. Yet He calls us into it. Do we dare to go? In Exodus 20:21 we read, "As the people stood at a distance, Moses entered into the deep darkness where God was." The people never knew Him as Moses did. They feared the darkness. It didn't make sense to them. They couldn't trust and therefore, they couldn't know. Today, in the midst of circumstances, in our place of darkness with all the approaching rain clouds, who do we more closely resemble? The people, or Moses?

We fear the unknown and nothing is more unknown to us than what we can't see. Yet into that unknown He calls us, promising that if we will obey and trust Him, we will know. Even more, that we will be delivered. David writes in 2 Samuel 22:17, "He reached down from heaven and rescued me, He drew me out of deep waters. He delivered me from my powerful enemies." David, like Moses, entered into the darkness, and in it, like Moses, found light. He found Him. We can too, but we must dare to enter in. If the storms swirl about you today, don't run. As they come upon you, dare to trust and enter in. You'll meet Him there. Your God. Your help. Your deliverance and your answer. He calls to you. Enter in.

Blessings,
Pastor O

Wednesday, June 18, 2025

He Is

 Have you ever noticed in the Gospel stories of Christ's miracles, there is oftentimes a great deal of chaos going on around Him as He works them. Noisy, pressing crowds. Wailing, grieving people. And an ever present mob of doubters and mockers. Have you also noticed that Jesus never pays attention to any of it? That He's never affected or limited by any of it? Chris Tiegreen speaks to this in a very powerful way. He writes, "None of this is the truth of the situation. He is." 


I like to look at all of this with the thought that, what we call reality, all that is happening in the natural realm, is ruled by a greater reality. Jesus Christ. We may be cowed by it. He is not. We may see every obstacle in the way of His working. He does not. We may be intimidated, even paralyzed by the situations and needs before us, but He never is. In all of it, we need to focus on these two words, "He is!" He is present. He is able. He is working. He is sovereign ruler over all of it. He is Lord. He is the truth of every circumstance and need. He is the solution, the answer, the One.

We can know this. We can even say we believe this. But, is this truth, this reality, so deeply ingrained into our spirits that we cannot be moved by all the things around us that try to make us believe that He is none of these things? As Tiegreen writes, "We can fear or we can believe. We can't do both. We have to pick one."

Today, in the midst of your need(s). Which do you pick? What is the truth of your situation, circumstance, need? The enemy has seemingly unlimited reasons for us to not believe that He is. There is only one reason for us to believe that He is. He has promised that it is so. Is the realization of His promise your reality?

Blessings,
Pastor O