"The Thing I Love About The Church"

You wanna know what I love about the church the most?

I think what I love the most about it, when I really think about it, is that no matter what is going on in my life or what I'm learning in God's Word, I can always find comfort among the church.

I'm talking not just the local church, but the universal church. I love that I can walk with believers in my local church, don't get me wrong. I love my church.

But what I really love, is that christians all over the world and I have a deep love for each other in Jesus Christ. Meaning that I meet a complete stranger and find out they're a believer, that there is this love that we have for each other. Christians you can understand this.

What else is cool is that, I can listen to guys like Matt Chandler, Mark Driscoll, John Piper and C.J. Mahaney and totally benefit from their teaching. That there is a bond that connects us even though I've never personally met these guys.

Even cooler, I can go back into history and read guys like Charles Spurgeon, A.W. Tozer, George Whitefield, St. Augustine and John Calvin and read their commentaries on the Bible.

I can go into the New Testament and learn from Peter, Paul, John and Luke.

And according to Hebrews 11, I can even find believers in the Old Testament.

I love being a part of the church. I love that we're not perfect, but Christ died to justify us. I love that everyone I named has/had faults, but the fact that we're all sold out to Jesus unites us.

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people but now you are God's people, once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."

I Peter 2:9-10

where have i been?

I haven't blogged in the longest time.

Even now though, I'm writing a blog about blogging, so does that even count?

I will blog away then.

Enjoy.

On Worship...

"Worship in the New Testament church is not simply practice for some later heavenly experience of genuine worship, nor is it simply pretending, or going through some outward activities. It is genuine worship in the presence of God himself, and when we worship we enter before his throne."

Quoted from Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology chapter on Worship.

"Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire."
Hebrews 12:28-29

Depression... (aka sad feeling time)

I have always kinda thought it was dumb when people would say that they were in a depression and would normally laugh at the prescription drug commercials advertising what i like to call, "happy meds", showing people doing awesome things like kayaking or repelling of the side a hundred foot cliff.

But now i find myself depressed for several different reasons which i won't go into because this isn't one of those kind of blogs and i am not one of those kind of blog writers who whine and moan about what sucks in their lives.

And that's always been my problem with depression. People who whine and moan and say, "Woe is me!" I've always been, "Well, stop being sad and be happy." Simple enough right?

Maybe not...

One of the things that has me down right now is that I'm just not sure what God wants me to do in life. I know he has called me to ministry, but as far as that, i don't know anything else. I'm asking him, "what do you want from me?" and receiving very little answer. This and a plethora of many different things has gotten my proverbial panties all up in a bunch.

But because of this i have engrossed myself with scripture and theology. Examples, you say? Fine, besides my normal daily bible study through Hebrews, i'm reading through a book dealing specifically with the doctrine of Christ, i'm watching a sermon series online going through the Song of Solomon and i'm also reading through the Gospels for fun. (yes, you can read scripture for fun!)

So, despite me feeling really crappy, i have decided to place my hope and trust, not in myself, but rather in Christ. I won't be rolling over in my self pity but rather glorifying Him who has beaten death, taken away my sin and will one day return to set up his kingdom on earth.

Well, i guess my opinion on "depression" remains the same. "Just stop being sad and be happy!"

Seems simple enough...

"Something worth writing about..."

It's been awhile since i have written anything on here. Mainly, just because i was busy with work this past few months. But also because i was working through some stuff in my faith. To be honest, i'm still working through it.

But i just noticed something that made stop and think.

Within the past week, i have the chance to share Christ with a jehovah's wittness, a mormon and a guy who said he felt like he was supposed to be a preacher, yet he didn't go to church.

The jehovah's wittness (jw) was a lady who saw me and my wife's kitchen table on craig's list and came to see it. Just through conversation we found out she was a jw and she found out we were christians. But there was no drawing of swords, no shedding of blood. I told myself i would wait to share the gospel until she came back to buy the table. She didn't.

The mormon i met at a youth group activity. He came with a friend. I found out about his faith because the mormons had been by this skating rink and left some mormon tracks behind. I noticed them and picked them up to give 'em a once over. He just happened to skate up and ask what i was looking at. I told him and he told me that he was a mormon. I was almost stunned and didn't know what to say.

The third person i met at the at&t place in the mall. While my wife was talking to her mother on the phone, i was talking to the guy behind the counter about where i worked and how i went to school to be a pastor. he told me he always felt like he was supposed to be a preacher. I asked him where he went to church and he told me he wasn't going anywhere and hadn't been in awhile. To which i said nothing.

Three different encounters put in place by God Almighty and i missed them.

How could i be so blind?

I was more concerned with selling my table than the first person's soul.
I was more concerned with skating than the second's.
I was more concerned with my phone coverage than the third's.

Oh, God! May you not turn your back on me for being so overwhelmed with my ownself. Please give me a burden for the lost! This is more a prayer than a blog. Please forgive me in not seeing the worth of these people's souls. If it were not for you love and grace, i would be no different than them. Father, i pray that you will lift up my head and show me your ways. "lead me in your truth, and teach me: for you are the God of my salvation; on you do i wait all the day." Psalm 25:5

To the multitudes that read this (heavy sarcasm) i pray that you will also hold me accountable and hold yourself accountable. Do not pass an opportunity to share Christ.

He wins...

there are times that feel darker than others.

there are times when it feels that all is lost.

there are times when the victory of the cross and the return of Christ seem so far off, somewhere only on horizon.

I know He wins, so why do i feel defeated? when will i wake up? When will i snap out of it?

God reigns.

he reigns over everything, everyone, everywhere, everytime, and all is under his control.

Oh, God how great is your love for me! There is nothing that can seperate me from that, not death, not life, neither angels or demons, present or future, nor powers or height or depth or anything in creation!

Praise God!

Age of Grace

We live in an age of Grace.

Through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ, the Father has taken us from an age of law and sacrifice to an age of grace. Through His sacrifice, we may freely come to Him.

It's so simple.

It clearly says in Romans chapter 10, verses 9 thru 13:

"that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”

All you have to do is believe that God raised Christ up from the grave and confess with your mouth that He is Lord and you are not.

God's riches at Christ's expense.

No longer must we shed the blood of an innocent lamb, for the Lamb of God has shed his blood for us.

We have hope in that. It is hope.

But, one day God's grace will no longer be freely given. A day of judgement awaits those who mocked and scoffed and blasphemed the goodness of our Lord.

A day comes when those who have rejected the Love of the Father will have sealed their fate.

God is love and so he must therefore be just. God is just so he must therefore follow through with his judgement.

And through this somber message, there is hope...

We presently live in an age of Grace.

I pray you believe in His goodness and accept what He has done for you.

"Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,
And you perish in the way,
When His wrath is kindled but a little.
Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him."

Psalm 2:12