Category: Pastor’s Notes

Article updates from the Pastors of Believers City Church, Menomonie, WI.

December 2, 2019 Believers Church

What’s your method?

Sometimes we need a reminder that the Bible is wholly and completely a message about God; who He is. It’s when we read it to discover Him that we gain true wisdom and understanding in this life; not because we gain Biblical knowledge but because we get God. Sadly a lot of the time we don’t read it to discover Him but to aid ourselves. In other words, we look through the pages of the bible so that we might gain temporary hope, situational comfort, or a means to a better life. With this in mind, it’s not a stretch to think we just might be putting the Bible and the power of God on par with self-help books and rehab programs. By reading the bible with that intention we come up short. God is NOT a rehab program. Neither God or scripture is a means to “self-help” betterment.

Is it working?

When we think of church this way, we invariably disconnect the living God from His teaching thus treating the Bible as a source for helpful advice, and the church as though it were some sort of self-help seminar… which might be why you’re struggling. It’s as though we’re soul-searching our way through Christianity hoping to find ourselves. It’s a misunderstanding of God and it’s why things never seem to get better for you. It’s why you wrestle with backsliding. It’s why you feel like God is powerless in your life. It’s why you think the Christians around you favor some people over others.

What’s missing?

Ephesians 1 reveals a huge list of the blessings of God toward us. It says, “He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing…” If you continue reading Ephesians you’ll discover that God did all that He did for us because of His great love, and abounding mercy and grace. The only contingency given in Paul’s letter is that these blessings are only given to those who are “in Christ”. It’s “in Christ” that His blessings mean something to us; because we’ve come to know Him. To know Him is to discover that he is love and that he has mercy and grace toward those who are His children. Mind you, Ephesians does NOT indicate more blessings for a more favored group of believers over a less favored group of believers. Additionally, Peter says we’ve [all] been “given all things pertaining to life and Godliness” and it is understood “through the knowledge of Him.”

If you don’t know the living God of scripture, you cannot even begin to understand what He does or why He does it. When you seek to know Him, that’s when the lights come on and understanding begins. And knowing Him (His ways and purposes) leads to loving Him with a growing heart of gratitude.

How does it affect you?

Giving thanks is an aspect of the life of a Christian that is often ignored or neglected. Or if it appears, it only shows up at times when we receive those things which seem to be a blessing or a benefit in the positive. Do you know the Bible commands thankfulness? …in all things (bad or good)? Ridiculous, right? (1Thess 5:18)

Additionally, speaking of the last days, Paul says, “men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,…”  Sounds about right… Don’t we often find these qualities even within the church today? Why are we like this?

Luke 17 recounts a situation with Jesus and 10 lepers that speaks to this idea. Luke 17:12-19 says,  “Then as Jesus entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. 13  And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14  So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. 15  And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16  and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. 17  So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? 18  “Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19  And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”

Do you do it or wait for it?

What does it take for you to be thankful as the Bible commands? One way is by intentionally stirring up your affections for God by taking time to talk to him and reflect upon everything he’s done; where he has brought you from. Or you can just march through your life and wait until you “feel” thankful. I believe this is the reason that Christians seem to have little gratitude. If you are waiting around to feel it, the only time you will feel it is in the positive times. And even in those times, you’ll rarely connect it to the hand of God. Instead, you will attribute it to “good fortune”, “luck”, or because we’re finally receiving some well-deserved or long-overdue attention.

If you are sitting around waiting for good, you might be waiting… for good. On the other hand, if we intentionally stir our affections for God by reflecting and remembering, we can begin to exhibit some interesting levels of gratitude even in the worst of situations.

Take some time out of your week to read and reflect upon Psalm 107. Tell me God isn’t good.

November 1, 2019 Pastor Jason Gilbert | Menomonie

What do people see when they look at us? Scripture tells us that we are God’s workmanship, His masterpiece, His poem (Ephesians 2:10). We are God’s letters of recommendation. But how do those around us actually see us? Would we be described as a masterpiece, an intriguing story, to be read and told to others? Or would we be depicted as a rough draft, as a ‘piece of work’, to be discarded in a recycle bin?

The first-century church in Corinth, like many of us, was sending mixed messages. The Apostle Paul reminded this church of:

  • The means God uses for communicating His message
  • The medium God uses for recording His message
  • The resulting effects of beholding His message

Paul’s instructions were left for us today, that we might be letters of recommendation to the world around us.

The means God uses for communicating His message

What means do we use to hear from God? Many of us hear from God through bible devotions, Christian books, journaling, memorizing scripture, and bible apps. We can distinctively hear from God through His word (Psalm 119:105, 2 Timothy 3:16). We find God’s word alone to be living and active (Hebrews 4:12).

But by what means does God use… to communicate to us? According to Paul, we are a letter… written not with ink, but with the Spirit of God… not of the letter, but of the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:2-6). God communicates to us, not through the letter (i.e. grammar, words, scripture, books, epistles), but through the Spirit.

Is it possible we are mistaking the means for the end? Jesus warned the Pharisees of searching the scriptures, but failing to see who the scriptures pointed to (John 5:39-40). Elsewhere, Paul warns of those who are always learning, but never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth (2 Timothy 3:7). Is our end goal to know scripture? To be proficient with the gospel? To practice correct biblical doctrine? Or is our end goal to communicate with God? To have communion with God’s Spirit?

Paul says such is the confidence we have… not of the letter, but of the Spirit. The Spirit is who gives us confidence in our relationship with God (Romans 8:16, 1 John 4:13), not our knowledge, our understanding, our biblical doctrine. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life (2 Corinthians 3:4-6). The Spirit is the means God uses to communicate His message.

The medium God uses for recording His message

What medium do we use for recording God’s message? Perhaps we use our bible margins, our journals, our memories, our phones, the cloud, etc. But what medium does God use… for recording His message?

Paul writes, “You yourselves are our letter of recommendation written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. And you show that you are a letter from Christ written not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts” (2 Corinthians 3:2-3). God writes his message on our hearts.

Why would God choose the human heart? No canvas is more contaminated, no backdrop more corrupt (Matthew 15:19). No environment is more fragile, with no storage more transient (Jeremiah 17:9). Yet God chooses to write his masterpiece in the most volatile of habitats, the human heart.

When the bible refers to the heart, it is referring to more than the organ. It is referring to the thoughts, feelings, middle, center; the entire mental and moral activity, including the emotions, reason, and will; the hidden springs of the personal life (Proverbs 4:23). God chooses to pen his poem on the medium of our hearts.

When hearing God’s message, where are we storing it? In our memory, in our thought life, in our journals, in the margins of our bible? Or do we allow God’s Spirit to inscribe his message into our hearts, our wants, our desires, our will? God wants more than our bodies, our obedience, our intellectual agreement. God wants the hidden springs of our personal life. Does our heart belong to God today? The heart is the medium God uses for recording His message.

The resulting effects of beholding His message

When we turn to the Lord, through the Spirit, in our hearts, the veil is removed and we experience freedom (2 Corinthians 3:16-17). We are freed from condemnation, guilt, shame, judgment, selfish desire, restlessness, and wantonness. We are feed to a new life provided by God, with patience and quietness of soul, being fully satisfied with the presence of God. Have we been liberated by this freedom today?

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image, from one degree of glory to another (2 Corinthians 3:18). Beholding refers to a prolonged gaze, not a quick glance, as to something remarkable with wide-open eyes. Where are we looking today? Are we looking on our phones, at social media, to relationships, to our careers, for approval, for success? The old hymn says,

Turn your eyes upon Jesus... 
Look full in His wonderful face... 
And the things of this earth will grow strangely dim... 
In the light of His glory and grace...

Are we beholding His glory, today? If the light is not getting through, it is because you are not looking at Him long enough. You do the beholding. He does the transforming. There is no short-cut. This comes from the Lord, who is Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Letters of recommendation

What will people read when they look at us as Christians? Will they see someone whose communicating with God’s Spirit? Someone whose heart is filled with His divine presence? Someone whose face is beholding the glory of God? Will they see someone being transformed… to reflect the glory of His image?

We are God’s workmanship… His masterpiece… His poem…

May we be His letters of recommendation… to be known and read by all…

October 1, 2019 Believers Church

A Section from the Conclusion

Through the journey of the wilderness, Israel mistakenly believed that they left Egypt behind when they left the country. Then, amid the exposing struggle of the wilderness, their hearts were revealed to be like Pharaoh’s, and they hardened their hearts against God. They did not become the kinds of people who could hear the Word, nor did they give themselves to ways of life that allowed them to walk with God. They were idolaters, and so like the idols themselves, they became people with eyes that could not see and ears that could not hear. They were becoming like the dead idols that looked alive but had no real life in them.

Today, we face a similar problem. It takes a certain kind of life to be a true listener of the Word of God. This does not happen at random, but demands that we give ourselves to the way of Christ. Unfortunately, we can neglect to consider how modern life and technology might hurt our ability to be listeners to the Word. We fail to consider how ways of living could hurt our ability to attend patiently to God’s calling on our lives. We forget that influence and popularity are not intrinsically good. We do not notice that we are becoming like the idols in our lives, and that the rituals of God’s family are boring and lack meaning for us. But this kind of numbing will always be the fruit of idolatry.

In our calling to be fruitful for the kingdom of God, we must discern the way of God (Eph. 5:10), so we must be the kinds of people who can discern this way (Heb. 5:11-14). The “from” and the “for” of our power need to align with God and his way, regardless of how savvy, sophisticated, or skilled we are. As we seek to thrive in whatever position the Lord has called us to, we can still seek to be skilled at what we do, as long as that skill is grounded in our abiding in Christ, and our purpose is oriented to God’s calling to love. In this sense, our skill is like our unblemished lamb that we lay before the Lord in offering to him. Sacrifice was never a mechanistic reality. God wasn’t waiting around for more dead animals. As the psalmist proclaims, “You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise” (Ps. 51:16-17 NASB). Our sacrifice is, in part, the mode by which we can come before God in repentance, trust, and abiding. Our skill, therefore, is the way we present ourselves to the Lord, and is the vehicle by which we abide in Christ and serve him. The focus is always on God, and the sacrifice is our means to partake in his work and live in the freedom of his presence. The more skilled we become, however, the easier it is to seek power from within; and the more fruitful our power becomes, the easier it is to seek power for control and our own glory, rather than God’s.

Power in weakness for love is power that bears fruit for the kingdom. Power in strength for control, used to achieve kingdom ends, will ultimately deceive us into thinking we’re living in the way of Jesus, when in fact we are living in the way from below. This power is the power of straw; it is the power that seems invincible, and then one day just disappears. Power in weakness works the opposite way. Power in weakness appears to be powerless in the face of this world and it may even be denounced as foolish within the church itself. We must be prepared to face opposition, rejection, and mockery. We must be prepared to be ignored and passed over for the promotions of “powerful people.” In these moments we ought to pray with Augustine: “Let the strong and mighty laugh at us, then, but let us weak and needy folk confess to you.” †

Getting Some Wise Advice

The above text is a section from the conclusion of a book I completed recently, called “The Way of the Dragon or the Way of the Lamb”. During the writing of the book, its authors (Jamin Goggin and Kyle Strobel) traveled various places to conduct interviews with many seasoned aged ministry leaders and pastors. Their focus was to consider how Christians and Christian leaders can undiscerningly default to worldly/humanly methods to attempt to build the kingdom. They hoped that the perspective of these wise Christians after years of walking with the Lord might have some insight. Each one revealed how easy it is for us to begin to rely on our personal skills, wisdom, and abilities to inch along the progress of Kingdom work personally and in the church. They talked about how easy it is to employ the strategies of the world to generate spiritual success.

In the text, I could really see the illustration of Israel’s post-exodus Egyptian-like tendencies and how that derailed their progress in the wilderness. See, we all struggle with internal elements leftover from our previous way of life. That’s not surprising to us, or at least it shouldn’t be. We are every one of us unfinished and imperfect in this life. Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not extending a blanket excuse for us to continue living in foolishness while thinking, “well, I guess that’s just who we are…” Instead, I’m hoping to bring to light the reality that the flesh will never produce righteousness, even with our best intentions. If we can acknowledge that fact and repent of those elements and tendencies, we can humbly re-engage God and begin again kingdom work in His power rather than ours. In all honesty, presuming ourselves to be smart enough and skilled enough to do ministry is to say to the Spirit of God, “Stand back, bro, I got this… I’ll come to get you when I can’t handle things myself.” It’s a mentality rooted in our western culture proclivity toward self-sufficiency and independence.

Abiding or Idolatry

The life-lessons expressed by the sages interviewed for this book (J. I. Packer, Dallas Willard, Marva Dawn, John Perkins, Jean Vanier, James Houston, and Eugene Peterson to name a few) all circled back to the slow and tedious means by which the kingdom is built; relationship with God by humbly submitting to and following Him… talking extensively with God and listening to Him and His word. The alternative is to live as Israel in the wilderness, just as it was expressed at the beginning of this article, “They did not become the kinds of people who could hear the Word, nor did they give themselves to ways of life that allowed them to walk with God. They were idolaters, and so like the idols themselves, they became people with eyes that could not see and ears that could not hear. They were becoming like the dead idols that looked alive but had no real life in them.”

How often do you talk with God about your life, ministry, and purpose? …even the stumbling blocks or roadblocks of your life that seem impossible? Or are your conversations with God more often reduced to pleas for His help to fix things or give you things? If the disciples are any form of example to us, we need to consider their day to day interaction with Jesus in comparison to ours. It’s the gospel call to all disciples to abide in Him. From that position comes peace, hope, purpose, direction… and power in love. For what? …the glory of God and His Kingdom alone. It’s not about focusing on making your life count, leaving your legacy, or being a good example to others. The fact of the matter is if you live your life for the glory of God, you will count, leave a legacy, and be a good example; all which are a legitimate side-effect of a proper Christian focus.

Spiritual Activity in the Flesh

This issue affects our lives in subtle and various ways. Compare the effect of a father who abides in Christ before the eyes of his children versus the one who “behaves as a Christian should” in order to be a good example to his children. Which one is correct or most effective? One is done in the power of God and the other in the flesh. Assuredly the one who “behaves as a Christian should” is more concerned about how he looks than being sincere. In fact, it seems God almost guarantees we’ll look like fools if we abide in Him. Compare the Christian who abides in God amongst the Christian community to take part in the work of God versus the one who tries to “do all he is supposed to do” and “struggles to live up to the expectations of God and the church” to gain a position, attention, or some payoff. Compare the one who abides in Jesus day-to-day submitting to the authority and direction of the Spirit versus the one who lives the way he lives so that he will be remembered after he is dead. Something that seems so honorable on the surface reveals fleshly roots that are so subtle and corrupting. There is such a great pull inside us to make something Godly into a work of the flesh. We can’t take credit for something God has done which is such a blow to our ego. And claiming credit for the work is to claim control of it.

The Doorway Out

Our hope in changing direction in this common-to-man problem is in abiding in God. I believe we all could use improvement in our personal prayer with God. In another book by the same authors, they expressed that, “prayer is not the place to be good, but the place to be honest.” I encourage you to join me as I seek to deepen my relationship with God; as I grow in my desire to abide in Him more consistently; not doing the activity of prayer but communing with God. “Here I am, Lord.”

† The Way of the Dragon or the Way of the Lamb: Searching for Jesus’ Path of Power in a Church that Has Abandoned It
by Jamin Goggin, Kyle Strobel – Paperback – January 24, 2017

September 1, 2019 Pastor Jason Gilbert | Menomonie

“This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

Psalm 118:24

As I rolled toward my nightstand, slapped the alarm off, grabbed my phone, and squinted my eyes open, this was the verse-of-the-day staring back at me.   A few minutes later I sat down with a latte, opened my bible, and read my devotions for the day, where the theme continued,

“It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night…”

“For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy. How great are your works, O LORD! Your thoughts are very deep!”

Psalm 92:1-2, Psalm 92:4-5

The subject of rejoicing and thankfulness continued as I read through Spurgeon’s morning devotional. God was clearly driving home his will for my day. I was off to a great start. It was going to be a really good day…

Reality

Then the day began… I looked at my email, prioritized my task list, and got to work, expecting a joy-filled day of serving the Lord with all my might… But by 10 am, I had made little progress. I was still working on my first task. New problems were coming in and my task list was expanding. The pressure was on… I needed to pick up the pace. After all, people were depending on me. Then around noon I received an email informing me someone was stepping down from ministry. They were leaving the church. I didn’t know how to fix this problem either. By 3 pm I was back to spinning my wheels on a task that should have been done by noon.

That’s when an unsuspecting brother approached me for some technical help. He was caught completely unaware of my inner turmoil. He could hardly get the words out before I lashed out at him for not being able to handle his problem without my help. A few minutes later, after he apologized, I discovered his dilemma was a result of my own work from a previous day. I had made his simple task of putting files on the church server literally impossible to do. Ah… Another problem to fix. A few hours later, as I rushed to close all the windows at church so I could get to a counseling appointment, I slammed my fingers in a window and explicitly mouthed out a profanity… I don’t think it was out loud. I hoped not. There were people outside below the window. After all, I’m a Christian, right?

Reflection

What happened? How can someone start the day so well… and end it in such a mess? Have you ever had that happen to you? Have you ever asked the question, “How did this happen?” at the end of a bad day? It is at the end of days like these that my mind recalls Jesus’ words,

“The spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Matthew 26:41

The Apostle Paul aptly puts it this way,

“For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing…”

“Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?”

Romans 7:18-19, 24

Have you ever echoed these words of Paul, loathing your own wretchedness? Sometimes we come to find that no matter the grandeur of spiritual influence we receive, our flesh remains just as wicked and wretched as it ever has been and ever could be. Even if we begin the day ‘in the Spirit’, we cannot expect any forthcoming good under the power and confidence of our flesh… no matter how good our intentions might be…Only God is good. We are not… We never will be… We never can be… at least in our flesh. Our only good is in crucifying our flesh and surrendering to God’s Spirit. Life has a way of showing us that… sooner or later… and often many times over.

“For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh…”

Philippians 3:3

Again I Say Rejoice

Where do we go spiritually at the end of a day like this? Do we raise the white flag in defeat, slink into our bed, cover our face in self-pity, and enter into a state of non-existence? Perhaps… Maybe that’s the best recourse. To count it all as refuse, right? We may end our days in discouragement and defeat. We may feel we have forfeited the race… or even been disqualified. But the next morning we roll over, slap at the alarm, wipe the sleep from our eyes, and start another day…

“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

Lamentations 3:22-23

We then sit down in our favorite chair, take a sip of coffee, crack open our bibles to read,

“For the LORD will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage…”

“Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!”

Psalm 94:14, Psalm 95:1-2

It’s hard to believe. For some strange reason of grace, God has given us a do-over. God has granted us yet another day… that we might learn what it means to rejoice and be glad in it. Though we had failed God, God has not failed us. Maybe this day we will find an even greater reason to rejoice, than the day before… Perhaps this time around we will have more appreciation, for the source of our joy. Maybe today we will be a bit wiser, in surrendering to the Spirit… and a bit more wary, of placing any confidence in our flesh. We have an opportunity to rejoice… again.

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”

Philippians 4:4
August 2, 2019 Believers Church

Just the way it is…

                You’re human, right? Good. Then you’ve probably experienced some of what I am about to write. In this world, things don’t always go as planned. A loved one dies. A pregnancy happens unplanned. A job comes to an end. A relationship turns sour. A terminal illness is discovered. A daughter becomes a victim of abuse. The money runs out. A house burns down. A friend becomes an enemy. Parents file for divorce. A son is found addicted to drugs. A spouse reveals an affair. A friend is exposed as a long-time liar.

                Most of us started out our lives with somewhat of a positive outlook and high expectations, but somewhere along the way, things ticked up a notch. This kind of stuff is the underbelly of life. Stating an obvious reality for himself, an older cousin of mine casually said, “I seem to find myself at more funerals than anything else lately.” With age comes difficulty. It’s entropy, by the strictest definition. Life is like a loaded freight train rolling downhill. It’s gaining speed and there is nothing you can do to stop it.

The unwanted guest

                There are times when we are deeply hurt by situations or other people. For Christians, our feelings can get stirred up and pointed at the people around us (whether they were involved or not), and sometimes even at God. In the midst of these issues (what are typical of the human experience in a fallen world), it is not uncommon for our hearts and minds to become clouded with all forms of trouble. Anger, envy, and bitterness all tempt us to welcome them into our lives with open arms. Unwittingly, we make space for this evil roommate which only exacerbates our situation. It is almost as bad as becoming roommates with Satan, himself. Why would we so quickly make a bed for these spirit-sucking freeloaders? Well, sadly, we do it because we believe we have justification for feeling the hurt we feel when life goes downward. In fact, we believe we’re being victimized and that we deserve better. Jesus said, in Matthew 5:44, “you have heard that it was said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” Indeed, we have! Where have we heard that? From our own voices.

                Have you ever felt a bitterness so deep that you’re hard-pressed to remember what it was like to not feel that way? When we experience hurt, especially in situations which are out of our control or in things that are deeply personal, we naturally push back, emotionally. When emotions take the wheel, they open up what we perceive to be a righteous defense, when in fact it creates vulnerability, instead. At that moment, we allow provision for sin to make his home in us. When that roommate moves in, he tends to keep us from moving on. He rents movies that feature a distorted version of what happened. He hangs framed photos of those who we blame. He tells us that we don’t deserve to be treated like that. And the more we listen to him, the worse it gets.

                I read a story online recently about a woman who said she had been bitter toward her mother for years. The most revealing note about her story was that even years after her mother’s death, the bitterness remained as strong as it was before.

“Bitterness is like drinking rat poison and waiting for the rat to die.”
– John Ortberg Jr.

“Uncontrolled temper is soon dissipated on others. Resentment, bitterness, and self-pity build up inside our hearts and eat away at our spiritual lives like a slowly spreading cancer.”
– Jerry Bridges

Facing the Truth

                Is it too extreme to say that there is absolutely nothing righteous about bitterness? Not according to Jesus. In fact, in Matthew 5:43-48, He says (in opposition to our own voices), “BUT I SAY TO YOU, Love your enemies… pray for those who persecute you… so that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven.” And this instruction comes on the back end of “turn the other cheek” and “go the extra mile” rather than using justifiable retaliation. Jesus calls us up from self-defense and personal wound-licking to (vs 48), “…be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect.” I know… that is a steep order.

                How is this even possible? Jesus modeled this directive when He was bleeding to death on the cross. At one point, in the middle of the pain that He was being subjected to, it became clear to Him that all of those who spat upon Him, punched Him, mocked Him, wrongfully accused Him, and tortured Him would face the reality that what they were doing was evil. At that moment, Jesus turned to the Father and said, “Father, forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing.” Didn’t those who were hurting Jesus actually know what they were doing? Yes, it was an intentional execution. Likewise, Paul was facing an uncertain difficulty which he wrote about in 2 Timothy chapter 4. In the middle of a trial, after a careful survey of the crowd, Paul realized his advocates had turned their backs on him. No one rose to his defense. He told Timothy, “At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! 17 But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me…”

Evidence that demands action

                Do you find yourself stewing about the same situation over and over? Do you hold imaginary conversations with someone in your mind? Do you replay a conversation over and over in your mind? Do you feel anger when you think of a particular person or hear their name? –it’s likely that you have allowed the unwanted roommate to live with you. Believe me, I’d love to tell you that your particular bitterness is permissible… perhaps you are completely innocent, yet hurt. I have my own grievances, friend. But no level of bitterness is considered righteous. So, maybe you have already told yourself (like a thousand times) that you just need to suck it up, get over it, and do what you are supposed to do. That method might get him out of your house for a little while but those freeloaders always come back, and when they do, it’s with a vengeance.

“If you’re a follower of Jesus but you feel distant from Him during this era of your life, if you’re having difficulty resting easy in His forgiveness, could it be because you’re blatantly refusing to let go of your animosity toward another person.”
– Lee Strobel

“Acrid bitterness inevitably seeps into the lives of people who harbor grudges and suppress anger, and bitterness is always a poison. It keeps your pain alive instead of letting you deal with it and get beyond it. Bitterness sentences you to relive the hurt over and over.”
– Lee Strobel

Dumping the freeloader

               To make progress in evicting this nasty roommate, you aren’t going to succeed through brute-strength, but surrender. Begin by talking to God. Jesus did, on the cross, “Father… forgive…” Paul, again in 2Tim 4, also found the Lord standing by him for strength. So, turn to the Lord and confess your sin. Pray for the Holy Spirit to help you overcome and forgive. Then, as Matthew 5:44 tells us, “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” I’m not telling you that this is easy. Far from it, but thank God that it’s this simple. Confess, forgive, bless.

“Bitterness imprisons life; love releases it.”
– Harry Emerson Fosdick

July 1, 2019 Pastor Tim Dodson | Menomonie

Entering the Mind

Maybe a person has to get to a certain age before such words become part of his or her vocabulary. Maybe one has to be closer to the end than to the beginning before such becomes an issue. But somewhere along the way the phrase “finishing well” began to matter.

I wonder when the issue of “finishing” began to roll around in Paul the apostle’s head. Did he see the end? Or did he just finally come to know his own heart? We know when he uttered those now famous words in his 2nd letter to Timothy he was chained up in a prison in Rome no doubt aware of the imminent end of his ministry life:

“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.”
2 Timothy 4:6–8

It seemed that through all that occurred in his life, Paul had already considered the matter. Maybe, just maybe, he had already put the matter to bed all the way back on that Damascus road. And maybe, like some of us, he thought about it every day of his ministry.

Throw in the Towel

Sadly, such thoughts do not come naturally in all of us. For just a couple of verses later, Paul remarked “Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica” – 2 Timothy 4:10. Demas was a fellow minister…dubbed a “fellow worker” in Philemon 24, who had served alongside Paul, and had apparently “thrown in the towel.”

And while we do not know what eventually happened to Demas, we do know that we never heard from him again. We also know that Demas was surrounded by some real credible people who, like Paul, went on to leave a legacy of ministry. By all measures, Demas had everything he needed to make good on what he started; a good teacher, godly committed friends, and sold-out fellow ministers. But despite things being stacked in his favor, Demas still apparently went down in flames.

We know very little else about Demas. But if he was like the rest of us, he no doubt had other plans as to how his life would play out. We all start this Jesus thing with more than the “best-of-intentions.” We all intend to not only “finish well,” we aim to do it all up in style. With a ribbon and everything. Nobody gets into this with plans to fail. Nobody wants to take a dive. 

“Always Faithful”

I am regularly reminded of the motto of the United States Marine Corps, a phrase we all have heard, the idiom Semper Fi. It is a Latin phrase that means “always faithful” or “always loyal”. I have read of countless stories and accounts of marines risking their own lives for other marines, even to bring home their body if lost in combat. Not to mention that these guys are serious fighters. I mean, what’s a man to think when he hears “excuse me, but there’s a bunch of marines outside…”  Let’s face it, these guys (and ladies) have some serious street cred.

Now my question, at least to me, just has to be asked: Where are the Christians? Don’t get me wrong, I’m soooo glad those marines are out there, and I think when they come home from combat they should get anything they need, and a lot of what they want. And I happen to think America is worth fighting for, not to mention a lot of other righteous battles around the world. But come on, we are fighting for GOD…and the whole of humanity¸ and is that not worth at least the same level of commitment and loyalty?

Now we cannot deny we as Christians have a formidable enemy. He is crafty and powerful, and means to do us great harm. But should that not call us even more so to the loyalty and commitment that is demanded of us? There is more than freedom at stake for us. EVERYTHING is at stake. And it takes so very little to distract us, and get us to run.

In the 2008 book, In a Time of War, involving 600 interviews with soldiers and their families, there is a story about one lieutenant who took over his first platoon just hours before he had to lead them in the invasion of Iraq. He said the following:

 “I don’t know what awaits us on the other side of that berm,” 22-year-old Joe DaSilva told his troops. “But I’ll tell you this. If I have to give my life for any of you I will do it in a heartbeat.”

Like-minded

I have spent my life seeking that kind of loyalty and commitment from fellow “troops.” Those who love their cause and their fellow servicemen with that kind of pledge. It’s not an impossible dream, for the pages of history are full of such “soldiers.” I want to be one, and I want to serve beside others.

One could try to explain it all, or make sense of what makes such a person “tick.” But one thing is for sure. There is nothing more important. Nothing higher. Nothing more imperative. It’s the same thing that takes a couple to their 50th anniversary, takes doctors to the craziest corners of the earth, and causes people to sail oceans alone and climb mount Everest. I guess you could call it passion. I call it love. And nothing drives a person like real and undying love.

Paul, it seems, loved His Lord. Further, he loved his fellowman. He even once said he would give his life…he would be willing to “be accursed,” if he thought it would redeem his brethren. But Demas did not. And he threw in the towel when things got rough.

I’m thankful for guys like Paul. He “finished well.” And for those of you who are willing to “go over that berm” into the unknown with me, well, semper fi…