I remember when I was a kid there were certain activities that just seemed like a lot of fun. Activities like playing football in the house, giving my dad a haircut while he wasn't paying attention, and giving my brother a swirly. And they were fun right up until I got "the look" from one of my parents. You know "the look"...we have all received "the look" from a parent, or a spouse. "The look" tells you that whatever you have just said or done that in the moment seemed like a brilliant, entertaining idea is not really as brilliant or entertaining as it was in your mind.
As we read through the scriptures we find that when people come face to face with God they encounter the divine version of "the look." When the prophet Isaiah, who was a very righteous man, encountered God in the Temple he cried out, "Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips." (Isaiah 6:6)
When Paul came face to face with Jesus on the road to Damascus the only thing that he could think to do was fall to the ground and hide his face so as to avoid making direct eye contact with him. (Acts 9:3-4)
When the Lord spoke to Job and his friends they realized that they did not know as much about God as they thought they did. (Job 38-41)
When Moses encountered God in the burning bush at first he was intrigued, but when he realized that he was in the presence of God the Bible says, "Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God." (Ex. 3:6)
When these men encountered a Holy God it highlighted the sin, mistakes, and shortcomings in their own lives. In other words they had received "the look." They experienced that moment where they realized that there were things in their lives that needed to change. They realized that certain thoughts, attitudes, or actions that are acceptable from a human perspective were not acceptable to God. As frightening or as painful as that might be I pray that we may all have that same experience. That we might have a moment of clarity where we come face to face with God and he reveals the areas in our lives that need to change. Going through the cleansing/refining process is never fun at the time. I don't think that I would ever choose to go through it, but each time I do I am always grateful for the changes God brings about. And then I wonder...why didn't I make this change sooner?
Ben Gores
High School Ministry Director
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Monday, July 20, 2009
False Messages
In 1820, there was a man in the region of New York near Palmyra by the name of Joseph Smith Jr. known for being a treasure hunter. He was known for being obsessed with finding and using occult seer stones to divine for buried treasure. Joseph Smith recalls an encounter in the woods near his home to pray and inquire of God which of all the Christian churches was right and which one he should join. In chapter 2 of his book titled The Pearl of Great Price, he tells us that while he was praying that “thick darkness” gathered around him. His tongue was held bound so that he could not speak and he was sinking into despair, ready to succumb to this “actual being from the unseen world who had such marvelous powers”, when all of the sudden there appeared over his head a pillar of light in which were two personages. He asked these personages, these beings of light, which Christian church was right and which one should he join. Here is the answer he claims to have received:
“I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all of their creeds were an abomination in his sight, and that all their teachers were corrupt.”
This moment in 1820 was the moment that opened the door to Mormonism. A messenger of light told an occult stone user named Joseph Smith that all Christian churches were wrong and that all the teachings of Christianity were an abomination.
If only Joseph Smith would have heeded the words of the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 11:4, 13-15:
For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.
God’s Word makes it clear that angels are messengers of the Most High, and I’ve also learned that these powerful messengers are sent directly from God to carry out His plans. I wonder how many of the world’s cults and false teachings would have been curtailed if they had checked the messengers words to Scripture? I wonder how many people have been deceived because “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light” just as he did for Joseph Smith? Are angels powerful? Yes. Is their primary purpose to deliver God’s important messages and carry out His plan? Yes. But as followers of Christ, we must always make sure the message of the messengers lines up with the one who sent the message.
Joshua Kirsch
Middle School Pastor
“I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all of their creeds were an abomination in his sight, and that all their teachers were corrupt.”
This moment in 1820 was the moment that opened the door to Mormonism. A messenger of light told an occult stone user named Joseph Smith that all Christian churches were wrong and that all the teachings of Christianity were an abomination.
If only Joseph Smith would have heeded the words of the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 11:4, 13-15:
For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.
God’s Word makes it clear that angels are messengers of the Most High, and I’ve also learned that these powerful messengers are sent directly from God to carry out His plans. I wonder how many of the world’s cults and false teachings would have been curtailed if they had checked the messengers words to Scripture? I wonder how many people have been deceived because “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light” just as he did for Joseph Smith? Are angels powerful? Yes. Is their primary purpose to deliver God’s important messages and carry out His plan? Yes. But as followers of Christ, we must always make sure the message of the messengers lines up with the one who sent the message.
Joshua Kirsch
Middle School Pastor
Monday, July 13, 2009
Fearfully & Wonderfully Made
As I sat down to tackle this week’s blogging question I had to take a moment and “put in check” my upbringing (conservative Christianity) and my pedigree (stoic Scandinavian) in order to really wrap my mind around the concept of “boasting” about human achievements and accomplishments. That’s not a natural thing for me to do. I tend to always want to boast about God and downplay the role of humanity.
But here is my best attempt to reflect on what God is teaching me through Joshua’s sermon on Sunday and as I study and reflect on the His Word this week through the summer devotional guide.
There are two ideas that come to mind when I reflect on the accomplishments and achievements of humanity and how they reflect on the greatness of the One who created us. The first comes from the life arena of modern medicine.
As many of you know, the past year has been a very challenging one for my sister. She was diagnosed with kidney cancer late last summer and has gone through a very long and difficult journey. However, by God’s grace she is surviving the battle and should enjoy many years of productive living.
As I look back over the past 10 months I marvel at all of the medical advancements that were used to save her life. When we learned that she had to have a kidney removed I was amazed that a person can live without one of their kidneys. When another tumor was discovered next to her spine the tumor was not only removed, the doctors also performed reconstructive surgery on her spine – with metal rods and screws – I couldn’t quite fathom it! As I think about the human ingenuity, knowledge and skill needed to perform all these medical procedures I am amazed at how God has created us and how humanity’s countless accomplishments are truly a reflection of God’s greatness.
The second arena of human accomplishments and achievements that teaches me about the greatness of the One who created us, is the way in which humans love and serve one another.
The past several days 20 individuals (high school students and adults) from the Woodcrest family have been ministering to the people of Belize, Central America. This group has shown the love of Jesus to people they had never met before by, performing manual labor, teaching vacation bible school, sharing their faith and countless other activities. While they may not define their accomplishments as “great” I see them as extra-ordinary and truly reflective of the One who created them.
Yes, God does deserve all of the glory for our world’s many great accomplishments and achievements – but when we rightly “boast” about these accomplishments they serve as a powerful reminder of His greatness.
Pete Parker
Executive Pastor
Woodcrest Church
But here is my best attempt to reflect on what God is teaching me through Joshua’s sermon on Sunday and as I study and reflect on the His Word this week through the summer devotional guide.
There are two ideas that come to mind when I reflect on the accomplishments and achievements of humanity and how they reflect on the greatness of the One who created us. The first comes from the life arena of modern medicine.
As many of you know, the past year has been a very challenging one for my sister. She was diagnosed with kidney cancer late last summer and has gone through a very long and difficult journey. However, by God’s grace she is surviving the battle and should enjoy many years of productive living.
As I look back over the past 10 months I marvel at all of the medical advancements that were used to save her life. When we learned that she had to have a kidney removed I was amazed that a person can live without one of their kidneys. When another tumor was discovered next to her spine the tumor was not only removed, the doctors also performed reconstructive surgery on her spine – with metal rods and screws – I couldn’t quite fathom it! As I think about the human ingenuity, knowledge and skill needed to perform all these medical procedures I am amazed at how God has created us and how humanity’s countless accomplishments are truly a reflection of God’s greatness.
The second arena of human accomplishments and achievements that teaches me about the greatness of the One who created us, is the way in which humans love and serve one another.
The past several days 20 individuals (high school students and adults) from the Woodcrest family have been ministering to the people of Belize, Central America. This group has shown the love of Jesus to people they had never met before by, performing manual labor, teaching vacation bible school, sharing their faith and countless other activities. While they may not define their accomplishments as “great” I see them as extra-ordinary and truly reflective of the One who created them.
Yes, God does deserve all of the glory for our world’s many great accomplishments and achievements – but when we rightly “boast” about these accomplishments they serve as a powerful reminder of His greatness.
Pete Parker
Executive Pastor
Woodcrest Church
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Jumper Cables for the Soul
Although the Holy Spirit is the member of the Trinity that we talk about the least (and perhaps the one that is the one that is most difficult to comprehend), the Holy Spirit gives me the greatest assurance of my faith. It is on days when I don't feel like acting like a Christian or on days when I don't have the strength to do the right thing that I find the Holy Spirit there to encourage and strengthen me. For me the most convincing arguments for the authenticity are the intellectual arguments. It is that I see the results of the renewing power of the Holy Spirit in my life. The Holy Spirit helps me to be a better person than I know I could ever become in my own efforts. Like Pastor Pete described for us on Sunday the Holy Spirit acts as the jumper cables for my soul when I need a lift. I can think of no better example than this week as I prepare to take a group of high school students to Central America on a missions trip. Every year preparing and leading our high school missions trip proves daunting task. But every year when I return it also proves to be one of the most rewarding, because the Holy Spirit is the one leading, guiding, and giving us strength. I trust that this year will be no different. Please pray for our Belize Missions team July 8-14 as we serve in the city of Orange Walk.
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