The Power of God

While the Jewish Leaders were questioning Jesus during the five days leading up to the Passover, the Bible tells us that some Sadducees came to Jesus and questioned Him.  Under the Jewish law, if a man dies without children, his brother must marry his widow. In this way he can raise a son and heir for his dead brother. This is called levirate marriage, and enables a man’s name to live on after his death and is recorded in Deut. 25:5-6.

Let me give you a little background of the Sadducees; The Sadducees are the Jewish ruling class. They are an elite group with an intellectual and sceptical faith. Their breeding, marriages, religion and politics are all geared to keep them in power.  While the Pharisees avoid all contact with Gentiles, the Sadducees are prepared to compromise with the Romans in order to have some influence in government. While the Pharisees believe in the resurrection of the dead and a future life, the Sadducees live for this life only.  In addition, they only accepted the five books of Moses as inspired from God.  They would often challenge the Pharisees to prove the doctrine of resurrection, but the Pharisees were rarely successful.

Now if you are like me, you may have wondered what this type of question had to do with whether or not Jesus is the Messiah and how a question like this would cause Jesus to stumble.  The Sadducees hope to show that resurrection is ridiculous and impossible. Supposing a woman has a number of levirate marriages. To which of the brothers will she be married in heaven?

While the line of questioning from the Sadducees may not have been a very strong line in our opinion, for them it was one of their most critical.  Therefore, Jesus response must have been a very tough pill to swallow.  Jesus said, ”   “You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God.  For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.  But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not heard I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.”

Once again Jesus words are so direct and to the point that His accusers have no rebuttal.  But to His words, the portion that challenges me the most is the first part.  “You do not understand the scriptures or the power of God.”  While I will admit that I do not understand all the scriptures, I can honestly tell you that I am studying.  I am learning new things each day and while I may never be able to understand them on this side of heaven, I press on!  However, it is the second portion of this statement that haunts me.  “You do not understand the power of God.”

The only way we as believers on earth can understand the power of God is that we must see it work in our lives and in the lives of people around us.  The problem is not always believing in the power of God, but allowing the power of God room in our life.  The more we deal with God, the more He reveals His power to us.  The more we experience God, the more we are introduced to His power.  The more we surrender to God, the more we witness His power first-hand.  Surrendering to God’s power is asking God to do the impossible.  Too many times we are able to explain away the things in our life, but how many of us can only throw our hands to the sky and say, “It was God!”  When was the last time you experienced the power of God?

This Easter season, allow for the power of God to work in your life.

Be Blessed,

Craig

…And to God the things that are God’s.

During the five days between Palm Sunday and the Passover Jesus was questioned more scrupulously than at any other time in His ministry.  As you may remember Palm Sunday was Nisan 10th.  The day the Jewish families selected a lamb (Ex. 12:3) to be their sacrifice.  During the next five days they would bring the lamb into their house.  The purpose of bringing the lamb into the house was for the benefit of scrutiny.  They would scrutinize the lamb and determine if it truly was unblemished.  If it passed and there were no faults with the lamb, it would be used as the sacrificial lamb for the entire family on Passover.

On Nisan 10th Jesus entered into Jerusalem at the praise of the people.  They proclaimed, “Hosanna to the son of David.  Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.”  As Jesus entered the city with the crowds shouting and rejoicing the Pharisees and the other Jewish leaders took notice and the scrutiny began.

In Matthew 22:17-22 it tells of how they tried to trap Jesus.  They asked about the poll-tax.  They said, “Is it lawful to give a poll-tax to Caesar?”  Jesus knew their hearts and their intent and asked for them to bring him a denarius (the coinage used to pay a poll-tax).  As Jesus looked at it He asked, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?”  The leaders responded, “Caesar’s.”  Then He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.”  After hearing this they were amazed and went away from Him.

While some may look at this and ask the question, “Are you giving God the things that belong to Him?”  I want to ask a different question.  When people look at your life, does it have the likeness of God?  Or, better put, “Whose likeness and inscription are on your heart?”  The first century believers were called “Christians” because they lived their life like Christ.  The term began as a derogatory term meaning, “little-Christ’s.”  They were called that because they resembled Christ and His inscription was on their heart.  Today, do you look like Christ or do you look like the world?  Would we be able to tell by examining the things you are giving to Him?

Be Blessed,

Craig

More lessons from Palm Sunday

In Luke 19 as Jesus reached the place where the road started down the Mount of Olives, all of his followers began to shout and sing.

Today, as you do life, how is your life shouting and singing the praises of Jesus.  I read in the paper today of a church that is protesting a fallen soldiers grave because they disagree with the war.  Stories like this paint a picture of the church and of Christianity that is 1.) not true and 2.) damaging to true believers.  However, the world has slowly began to associate groups like this with Christianity.  Why?  Because they have not seen enough truth to convince them otherwise.

The followers of Jesus shouted and sang His praises.  As we approach Palm Sunday and Easter, we should be singing and shouting the praises of our King.  We should rejoice that our lives are defined by the power of the cross not by our own actions.  Because of Jesus we are called righteous, holy, and child.  We are not called those things because of our actions or as a reward for good behavior.  We are called these things because Jesus gave himself as a sacrifice for us.

Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom – Psalm 145:3

Be blessed,

Craig

What a difference a week can make!

This week at HBC we are looking at Matthew 21:1-9.  Most interpret it as the Triumphal Entry of Christ.  It was the last time Jesus would enter Jerusalem in His earthly body. I want to look at it also Luke 19:28-40 in this post.

Now in Jesus day it was not uncommon for a hero to ride into town at the cheers of the people.  They would throw their coats to the ground and shout praises to their hero.  There are some differences herehowever; 1. Jesus was not decked out in his most regal uniform.  Many times when this happened it happened as the hero was returning from war.  He would wear his best military uniform in all its majesty and may even be adorned with a medal either given to him by the king or taken in battle.  Not Jesus, he wore simple clothes.  2. Jesus was not riding a great war horse.  He rode a young donkey.  It was a donkey that had  never been ridden, but it was a donkey.  I have never seen any one ride a donkey and think to myself, “how majestic.”  Even the name, “donkey” makes me almost laugh.  There is nothing king-like in riding a donkey, even if it has never been ridden.

Revelation talks about Jesus riding a white horse and leading a great army one day.  But this was not that day, so for Jesus a donkey would do.  After all, this battle was not going to be fought on a battle field, or a fortress.  It was and still is being fought in the hearts and lives of person on earth.

Jesus rode into Jerusalem and the people began praising Him.  The Bible tells us that they proclaimed, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”  Jesus was receiving His praise.  They had seen Him cause the blind to see, heal the sick, make the lame walk, bring the dead back to life and now they were praising Him as the hopeful Messiah who came to rescue them from the Romans.

In Luke 19:39-40 it says that some Pharisees came to Jesus and asked Him to rebuke His disciples.  They were afraid that the Romans would hear their cheers and think the Jews were causing a riot against the Roman government.  The Romans would have quickly sent in an army to squash the rebellion and the Pharisees did not want that. While the Pharisees did not like the Romans they had become accustomed to a very comfortable life under the Roman rule.  They had power, status, money and protection.  They may have been opposed to the Roman Empire, but they were not opposed to the life the Romans allowed them to have.  If a riot broke out, they would be in danger of losing all of that.  Jesus response was short and pointed.  He simply said, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

Did he just say that the stones would cry out?  Now many scholars have debated on the meaning of this passage.  I for one am naive enough to believe that Jesus meant the stones on the ground, on the sides of the mountains, all of creation itself!  Creation had been waiting for this moment.  This was the day the Creator had ordained that the Son of Man would be lifted up.  I can see creation now, waiting in anticipation for it’s moment.  As Jesus comes into the city, creation was prepared to shout and give praise to Jesus.  Why, because it was ordained to be that way.  God had ordained this moment in time at this place to bring praise to Jesus.  If mankind did not follow through with this moment, creation itself was prepared to step in.

There are times in creation where Jesus is to be lifted up and praised.  At those times, I challenge you to praise Him for all He is worth.  Don’t let creation speak for you because you were not paying attention or too embarrassed to give Him praise.  But when the time is right, shout!  He is worthy!  He is OUR KING!  In the next couple of weeks we will celebrate Palm Sunday and Easter.  In one weeks time the crowds go from proclaiming, “Hosanna” to “Crucify.”  What a difference a week makes!  What kind of difference is Jesus going to make in your life in the coming weeks?  From Palm Sunday to Easter, will you proclaim Him?  Will you just go about your normal routine?  Are they the same?  It is the time for the Son of Man to be lifted up!

Be Blessed,

Craig

The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Mt 21:9.

Check This New Software Out

New Web-Based Church Presentation Software

New church presentation software is coming out soon called Proclaim and it’s located here . Unlike all other church presentation software systems, this one will allow pastors, worship leaders, and worship team members to all access and add to the same presentation before it’s presented, and then use the same application to run the presentation during the service.
Look Here
To add to the excitement of the release of Proclaim, they are giving away $25,000 in worship resources in The Great Worship Resource Giveaway. They are going to have 100’s of winners of some of the best worship resources on the market. The giveaway is located on the Proclaim home page where you will see how to enter. You can also see all the prize partners there, listing out some great resources from companies like Planning Center Online, Graceway Media, Worship Leader Magazine, Centerline Media, Musicademy, Clover Sites, Christian Musician Summit, Luna Guitars, National Worship Leader Conference, and prizes from many more.
I’m excited about this new product Proclaim. You can see a video of the software on their site which gives a quick detail of how it will help worship leaders and ministry teams. Visit Proclaim online to see the video, and enter ‘The $25,000 Great Worship Resource Giveaway’.

Grafted into the True Vine

This past week was the first part in a two-part series about where I believe God is bringing us as a church.  In the past I have used phrases like, “we are called to be Christ’s Witness” and “make disciples.”  I believe those to be the two greatest priorities of the church today.  And while if I stand and say that in front of a group of people I may get a lot of people who shout, “Amen” and agree with me, few “regular Christians” understand how to do those things.

Sunday was a call to be a “witness” for Christ.  A long time ago I heard Tony Evans say that we are to be the “preview to Heaven.”  He was referring to a preview of a movie.  Like Tony, one of my favorite parts of going to the movie is to get there in time to see the previews for the upcoming movies.  They are typically the best parts of the movie they represent.  A good movie trailer can entice a crowd to want to see what the whole movie is about.  It can even cause an excitement for the upcoming movie.  What Tony Evans was saying is that we should live our lives in such a way that we represent the best parts of Heaven.  When people see us, they should want to see the rest of the movie.  They should want to learn more about our life and more about the hope that we have.  That is what Christ means by “be My witness.”

The Apostle Peter challenged us to be prepared to share that hope at a moments notice.  I love 1 Peter 3:15, “Set apart Christ as Lord in your heart that you may always be prepared to give a reason for the hope that you have in Christ Jesus our Lord, but do it with gentleness and reverence.”

How can we do these things if we are not grafted into the “true vine” of Jesus?  Where would we find the strength to persevere, take bold stands, rejoice in trials, worship Him in sadness, and to just put up with some people?  Let’s be honest, apart from His strength we are not equipped with that kind of power.  But when we choose to live attached to the “true vine” our nature is changed.  Our displeasure turns to joy, our resentfulness turns to hope, and our nature is changed.  That is the greatness we are called into!  We don’t have the strength on our own to “be Christ’s witness.”  However, when we allow our lives to be grafted into the “true vine” our lives are transformed.  We see things and people from a different perspective.  Our vision is no longer on this world, but it is centered on a Kingdom that is not of this world.  Do you want to be “Christ’s witness?”  You must start by grafting yourself into the “true vine.”  Wake up each day and make a commitment to tune your heart to the Heart of Christ.  When your kids are in a bad mood, or your co-workers become your trials, remember you were called for greatness.  Live for that greatness and allow the “true vine” to supply your strength, patience, wisdom, and perseverance.

The Eternal Fire

I was reading the other day in Leviticus.  I know what you are thinking already…why?  I sometimes like to read Leviticus or Deuteronomy to try and find some nuggets that I haven’t seen before.  Well, I was reading in Leviticus 6 and I came across this:

Fire shall be kept burning continually on the altar; it is not to go out.

It is actually in verse 13 and it is a command.  It is a command to keep the fire on the altar going at all times.  It is stressed because it is also mentioned in verses 9 & 12, so that is why it stuck out to me.  Why would it be mentioned three times?  Is God a pyro?  Does He just really like fire?  Is it really safe to have a fire going at all times in a tent?  I remember one time I wanted to start a fire in a tent and my dad got furious… wait, I’m getting off topic.  If you study the Bible for very long, you learn to look for things. Anytime you see something twice, there is usually an important meaning surrounding it.  If you see it three times, you can be assured it’s important.

God tells Moses three times, “Do not let the fire go out.” Why is it so important to God that the fire burn continually?  Why was this an issue?  As I looked at this I came away with several conclusions.

God kept the fires of the altar going all the time as a constant reminder to the people that forgiveness was final.  The priest would offer a sacrifice each day for the people and He wanted them to know that His forgiveness was eternal.  The constant reminder of the fire let the people know that their sin was dealt with eternally.  Each morning at the beginning of the day, the priests would get up and take away the ash heap and place new wood on the altar in preparation for that days sacrifice.  The sacrifice was for the people and their sin.  But not just their sin, it was also a symbol that God was with them; He was in communion with them.  When Israel was being led through the desert they followed a cloud by day and a fire by night.  God was in the cloud and the fire.  The fire in the Tabernacle represented His forgiveness and His presence.

Today in our churches we need a fire that will burn constantly.  We need a fire that will burn in our churches and serve as a reminder that God’s forgiveness is eternal.  We need a fire in our churches that families can come and draw from and take it back to their homes and offices and schools and spread light and hope in those places.  As the church becomes a place with constant fire, the children of God can borrow from the altar and fuel their families, their relationships and their lives with a consuming fire that cries out to Jesus as our Savior and Forgiveness.  Let’s not get bogged down in the entanglement of sin that discourages and wears down our desire to know God more.  Instead let’s carry our torches for all to see!  A torch that was lit in the sanctuary.  Church, that is your call!  Be that fire that will fuel God’s children to action and love.

Bold Prayer!

I spent yesterday afternoon with Matt and Lorraine.  For those of you that do not know, Matt and Lorraine they have accepted a call on their lives that many look on with a raised eyebrow.  Matt and Lorraine have three wonderful kids.  In addition to their birth children, they have adopted three kids.  While adoption is not confusing, the adoption of Chrissy caused some, even their own family to question their direction.  Matt and Lorraine felt that God was instructing them to adopt a young child that would medically not survive without some special intervention.  They adopted Chrissy from Serbia.  Chrissy is a beautiful little princess that after only 6 months has already developed a Texan drawl.

Chrissy’s medical condition:  “Chrissie is a miracle child, as she should have died within the first 2 days of life since she was born without a pulmonary artery or valves in her heart, amongst other defects, such as a large hole between the lower right and left ventricles of her heart. As we reported before, Chrissie is being kept alive by 3 God-made vessels (which none of the rest of the world has) which are working independently of her heart. Our hearts pump blood to our lungs to be oxygenated through the pulmonary artery and valves; since Chrissie lacks these, there is NO blood flow to her lungs from her heart. However, God created those 3 God-made vessels to work independently of the heart to pump blood to Chrissie’s lungs to be oxygenated. There’s also a large hole between the lower right and left chambers of Chrissie’s heart, which must be closed. I know there were some other issues with Chrissie’s pulmonary system, but I can’t recall all of the details. I just know that it’s a HUGE miracle to be able to repair all that is wrong, and I thank God for His healing hands in Chrissie’s life and for sending Dr. Mary Porisch (pediatric cardiologist) into our lives.”  (From Lorraine’s Blog)

They researched surgeons who would be willing to perform the surgery and met a lot of resistance.  When all hope was just about gone, they got a phone call from a doctor in San Antonio.  Dr. Mary Porisch and her team travel the world performing surgeries that most people would never attempt in the hope of giving children a chance at life.  Dr. Porisch considers her work as her contributions to missions on behalf of the Father.

Yesterday was  a tough day for Chrissy.  Her heart stopped for 45 minutes.  She is connected to an ECMO machine that is doing the job of her lungs and heart while her heart heals from the surgery and compressions.  Chrissy is fighting for her life.  But not just her life, she is fighting for the life of other orphans around the world who have been abandoned by their parents in countries where the medical field has not advanced to the point to keep them alive.  There are people in the United States who would love to adopt these babies, but the countries in which they live will not allow them to be adopted because they fell they are not worth the effort and will die anyway.  The world is watching as Chrissy fights on a bed in San Antonio, Texas.  Many are praying, many are weeping.  Me, I have been inspired by a 4 year-old Serbian born Texan.  I want to share the rest of her story with you.  If you want to read about it, go to Lorraine’s blog at http://www.allarepreciousinhissight.blogspot.com/ and join us in prayer for Chrissy.

Are you bold enough to pray for Perfect Healing?

Dead or Alive

Yesterday morning before church, I was studying and looking through the different stories of the resurrection as they were recorded in the Gospels.  I came across this in Luke 24:5, “Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead?‘”

Now I know most of you would contend that I should keep going and read the next verse.  The next verse is the fulfillment of the prophesy of Jesus resurrection.  That next verse is filled with the promise of hope and joy and greatness.  The next verse is loaded with doctrine and theology and a student of the Bible could spend a lot of time in the next verse.  However, the Spirit of God caused me to stop on verse 5.  “Why do you seek the living among the dead?”

I have been reading on twitter and other blog sites from around the country and from friends in ministry how excellent their Easter Services were.  Some talk about record numbers of noses that showed up.  Some talk about the strategies that were successful in getting people there.  Some are talking about the conversions that took place once people were there.  But yesterday morning before most services had met, God’s Spirit caused me to stop.  To reflect and to ask some tough questions of myself and the church.

You see for many people yesterday they were making their yearly ritual to attend a worship service.  Some were going to be with their family, some were going because it was Sunday, some were going because they had a “part” to play, and some were going because someone invited them to attend this “special” service.  There was probably even some that went because they were expected to be there or some that went because they wanted to worship the Father in Spirit and Truth.  Wherever, you may fall in these categories, you can’t deny that most were looking for life!  They may not have said that, they may not have even known that.  I mean most youth want boundaries in their life but I have yet to meet that one will walk up and ask for it.  We need life.  Now you can look at this from a physical or a spiritual view, but we all need life.

Physically, we need life to continue to… uhm, well…live!  It is a basic need.  Life sustains life.  If we don’t have life, we die.  Since the dead don’t tweet, who wants to be a part of that?  Spiritually, we need life to produce more life.  We don’t just need life to sustain our own spiritual growth, we need it to implant in the hearts of those who are dead to their own sins and shortcomings.  We need life in us to show it is possible to overcome the sins of this world.  We need life in us to be the witness for the One who came to give us LIFE!

“Why do you seek the living among the dead?”  Yesterday many people showed up at my church and your church and all God’s churches to find life.  They were looking for the living.  Did they find it?  Did they see life in your church?  Not just with you… but all over your church?  Did they find life?  Or did they walk away thinking, “I still haven’t found it.  Those people are as dead as I am; they just don’t know it.”  As I was saying, I have read all the glorious reports from friends and twitter friends in regards to how amazing their services were, but did the dead find life?  I am all for amazing worship.  I want it every Sunday.  I pray and cry for it Saturday night and even more so in my life on a daily basis.  (I must admit that some days are better for it than others.)  But what did they find?  Don’t just settle for, “Well, the Word of God was preached!  We made a big deal about Jesus.  If they missed that, we can’t help them!”  Why can’t you help them?  They were looking for life!  They aren’t always looking for it in a big show or production or cantata or performance or eloquent speech.  They were looking for life, what did they find?

be blessed,

craig

Do you enjoy waiting on God?

One of the most difficult things for anyone to do is to wait?  We have raised a generation that believes in instant everything.  Fast food, instant mashed potatoes, minute rice, instant mac and cheese.  All these things are designed to bring us what we want instantly.  I am guilty of this also.  In the recent primary elections I chose not to vote because the line looked too long.  Did you catch that; it “looked” too long.  I later found out the wait was less than five minutes, but it looked longer.  Think about all the things you do or don’t do because of the perceived time it takes you to do them.  Sometimes I choose not to iron my shirt.  I can just spray wrinkle releaser on it and shake it a few times and instant ironed shirt is ready for wearing!

Unfortunately this has spilled over into our spiritual life as well.  Just because our lives have sped up and our need for instant gratification has increased; God still operates and works in His own time.  The danger is that sometimes we believe that God is not answering us because He is waiting on us to act; so we act!  We do what we think God would want us to do.  Is there a sin greater than acting in God’s name without God’s blessing?  How bad is it God to do something claiming that it is God’s will, when it really isn’t?  What if your friends did things like that for you?  For example, they knew you wanted them to buy you lunch so they took your credit card and went down to Appleby’s and ordered a big lunch with desert all on your dime?  Would you be fine with that?  Would you say, “Well, I was going to take you to lunch anyway, thanks for doing it for me.” No you wouldn’t.  Because you know that sometimes the best part of buying someones meal is the time you get to spend with that person.

There was a mother who wanted to take her daughter to see a movie that was coming out.  She wanted to surprise her daughter with the tickets.  The movie was off of a bestseller book that the daughter had enjoyed for many years.  The daughter was so excited for the movie to come out.  The mother purchased tickets online early because she knew the cinema would be sold out.  She was anticipating the surprise of the daughter’s face as she handed her the tickets in the car on the way to the movie theater.  However, the daughter’s friend was able to get to tickets to a midnight showing on Thursday night and the daughter squealed with the excitement that she was going to get to go.  The mother let her go because she knew the daughter wanted it so badly.  The daughter got what she wanted and had a great time.  The movie was as good as she had hoped it would be.  However, the mother and daughter did not get to share the experience together.  They missed out on the quality time together and the ability of the mother to show her daughter how much she cared and thought of her daughter that she planned everything out in advance for her.

The danger is that we are not always willing to wait on God.  And while sometimes we may get what we want, we miss the greater blessing.  Abram and Sara wanted a baby so badly that they compromised in their hearts and Sarah gave Abram her maidservant to lay with.  The people at the foot of Mt. Sinai waited for Moses to come down and when he didn’t they made their own god to worship.  They missed an opportunity to worship the only True and Living God.

Then take into account Isaac.  He waited on his father forty years before his father found a wife for him and when he presented Isaac with Rebekah the Bible says, “Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and he took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her; thus Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.”  (Gen. 24:67)

Waiting on God may not always be the easiest and not waiting on God may not always lead to disaster.  But, waiting on God and not being blessed leads to growth.  It is the times when we are waiting and being faithful without the blessing that God grows us the most.  And when God does move; the blessing is greater.  Do you enjoy waiting?  Probably not.  I don’t know many people who enjoy waiting on anything.  But waiting on God leads to growth and great blessing.  It’s not easy, but most of the time I am able to look back and say, “God it was more than worth the wait.  Thank you for your faithfulness to me.”  Today I want to encourage you to wait on the Lord.  He has something incredible for you.  Are you willing to wait for His blessing, or are you contempt in your own?