Sunday, October 16, 2011

CHURCH

Have you ever worshipped in a different culture? My first experience of this was in the Navajo Nation in Northern Arizona. I remember the pianist, who was an elderly missionary, saying, “We sing hymns every week. I think they do it for me.” I have also heard many missionaries express a longing for their “church back home”. Some have sought to transplant their American church to their foreign land. I can understand this longing for what is familiar.

At the same time, I have seen missionaries of very different theological persuasions finding deep fellowship and rewarding worship in services that, by American standards, would be quite boring. Despite the off-key singing, poor amplification, overly hot environment, and clumsy sermon, they are thrilled to be together. Their time together actually empowers them to return to their work of leading people to Jesus. They long to get together next week, but they are content to live among the “heathen” for another week, knowing that people need to know Jesus.

In his book, Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes, “Jesus Christ lived in the midst of His enemies…For this cause He had come, to bring peace to the enemies of God. So the Christian, too, belongs not in the seclusion of a cloistered life but in the thick of foes.” Bonhoeffer understood that the end goal is not for Christians to meet together but for sinners to be saved. I am afraid that we often forget that.

It seems that we have it a little backwards. On the mission field we are trying to make church more like back home. Back home, church is the goal. We cloister ourselves among Christians at our Christian bookstores, coffee shops, and basketball leagues. The longer someone is a Christian, the fewer non-Christians they have as friends. Christian maturity is often viewed by every moment given to some church activity.

What if we reversed it and tried to make our churches here in America more like churches on the mission field. We would see church as a place in which we are refueled to continue the work of reaching the lost. We would be quick to overlook doctrinal differences in favor of treasuring our mutual love for Jesus. We would focus our Sunday discipleship programs on overcoming our personal obstacles to the gospel—isn’t that what sin, bad marriages, and poor parenting practices really are? We would address these obstacles not so much to make our lives more comfortable but to help us effectively reach a lost and dying world. Most importantly, we might live as though we are on the mission field.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Faith

I was thinking about how frequently we focus on success. Common sermons will help us have better devotions; show us how to pray more effectively; how to be better parents, employees, employers or witnesses. I think I often miss the point. It is just about trusting Jesus.

I do not mean for an unemployed dad to trust Jesus to provide a job. I mean to trust Jesus even if I do not get a job. Job seemed focused on success. He was so obsessed that he offered sacrifices in case his kids did anything wrong. When his trials came, he desperately wanted to know what he had done wrong. He could not find any error. he was convinced that he had performed his portion of the success formula. When he was crying out to God to know why, God did not answer his question. Instead God reminded him that He was worthy of trusting and was always involved. He invited Job to simply trust.

When I think about the Christian life in this way, it seems so simple. We are going through some hard times and God may not make it better. But that is okay. God never promised to remove all of my suffering. He promises that as I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, He will be with me. And in the end, isn't the nearness of God my good, Psalm 73:28?

Friday, July 29, 2011

Stand Between

STAND BETWEEN
By Vince Wood

Alone before God, under His wrath I would fall
Jesus please stand between
A homeless man with wife and child, a life of fears
Jesus please stand between
A friend says thank you with his eyes filling with tears
Jesus please stand between
Forgotten by the crowds I’m deserted by all
Jesus please stand between

CHORUS
Jesus please stand between
Me and the air I breathe
Me and the colors I see
Me and the praise I hear
Me and rejection I fear
Lord, I beg, stand between

BRIDGE
The good joins with the bad
The pleasant and the sad
They want to get my heart
To take it as their own
Whom have I in heaven
But You alone my Lord
On earth let there be none
But You who owns my love
Jesus please stand between

CHORUS
Jesus please stand between
Me and the air I breathe
Me and the colors I see
Me and the praise I hear
Me and rejection I fear
Lord, I beg stand between

Alone before God, under His wrath I would fall
Jesus please stand between
A homeless man with wife and child, a life of fears
Jesus please stand between
A friend says thank you with his eyes filling with tears
Jesus please stand between
Forgotten by the crowds I’m deserted by all
Jesus please stand between

CHORUS
Jesus please stand between
Me and the air I breathe
Me and the colors I see
Me and the praise I hear
Me and rejection I fear
Lord, I beg stand between

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Desperately Satisfied

There is a line that I really like from Michael W. Smith’s song, Breathe. He cries out, “I am desperate for you…” The picture of desperation is one that rightly reflects the depth of our dependence on Jesus Christ. I want to live my life with a keen understanding of my utter dependence on God for each breath that I breathe.

This morning, as I was praying, another thought came to me. My picture of desperation is usually one of a drowning man aware of impending peril. This morning I thought of the man in the boat. Both men are equally dependent on the boat but only one has already received what he needs and He is satisfied. Sometimes, I forget that I am desperate for God’s love and acceptance, and I already have it. I am like the man in the boat, thrashing about trying to find something to protect him from the depths.

Asaph said in Psalm 73:28, “The nearness of God is my good.” His struggle came when He thought his needs had been unmet. In the temple, he was reminded that all he needed was God and He had God. Paul in Philippians 4:12-13 puts it this way, “I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Both of these men found their desperate needs presently met in the God they loved.

I want to be filled with the knowledge that without God, I will perish and I am never without God. I want the rest in the boat, rejoicing in its sufficiency and thankful for its presence in my life.

Psalms 65:4
How blessed is the one whom Thou dost choose, and bring near to Thee,
To dwell in Thy courts.
We will be satisfied with the goodness of Thy house,
Thy holy temple.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

The Wrath of God

These ideas are still developing in my mind and have been since the 1980s when I listened to a sermon by John MacArthur on Romans 1:18.

The wrath or anger of God is usually considered to be like our wrath and anger. It is viewed as an emotional response to something we hate. What if God's wrath was not like ours? Isn't that what holiness means anyway?

The wrath or anger of God is His natural repulsion to all that is in opposition to Him who is alone good. It is not an emotional reaction intended to protect Himself or His glory (like He needs to be defended. What could possible threaten Him or His glory?) It is not an indignation to defend His honor. It is simply a repulsion expressed with the full and terrible power of His being against that which is outside of His own goodness. Light does not feel anger at darkness. it simply obliterates it!

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Return from Malawi


Dear friends, April 19, 2011

We are back from Malawi and settled into life in Melbourne. Honestly, we left a portion of our hearts in south eastern Africa. Our two weeks were filled with experiences of God’s grace as we each had opportunities to invest in others with the hope of the gospel.
Michael was able to serve in the clinic at African Bible College and found a renewed passion to be a medical doctor serving in Africa. He shadowed the medical staff and worked in the lab learning how to diagnose malaria. He saw Doctor Young unite the spiritual with the physical as she prayed with every patient she saw. Michael also used this time to draw near to Jesus. During this time, Michael was able to consecrate himself anew to Jesus and experience great confidence in God’s call. Even when he faced adversity, he responded in a humble trusting fashion. He also became convinced that the best school for his future call is Covenant College in Chattanooga, TN.
Michael spent a lot of time with Shea Dehnert. (Michael’s brother is married to Shea’s sister.) Michael and Shea knew each other before but on this trip they began to build a closer bond. It was good to watch their friendship grow. One day, they chose to watch a basketball game on campus. African Bible College Christian Academy, where Shea attends school, was playing their cross town rival. Only one referee was available. It was soon discovered that Michael is a certified referee in Florida and he was asked to officiate. So he is now an internationally experienced referee. He loved serving in this capacity.
Robin’s task was to help Julia, the teenage girl from our church who came with us on the trip. Robin and Julia served at the Academy each morning. They helped in a first grade class and the preschool. Robin also joined Julia on our trips to the Ministry of Hope Crisis Nursery where they played with and fed orphaned infants. It was beautiful to watch Robin exemplify Philippians 2:3-4, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves: do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” Robin cared for Julia, encouraged our team members, spent time helping Connie Dehnert, and found every opportunity available to serve those around her.
Vince mostly just preached. He preached fourteen sermons from Monday morning through Friday morning. He spoke on the topic of being “Set Free to Love.” We know that God calls us to love but we do not always love. Vince is convinced that our own desire to be loved and valued prevents us from giving ourselves in love to others. He discussed this dilemma and provided a call to live out Psalm 23:5, “my cup overflows.” God has given us more love than we need so that we can love others for Him. He also preached at Maula Prison from Matthew 11:28-30, inviting the inmates to find rest in Jesus.
On our first Sunday in Malawi we visited a Presbyterian Church in the city where a student from African Bible College was being installed as the new pastor. Pastor (Abusa) Tembo had served for nine years in the villages before receiving this call. Pastors from all over the central region of Malawi gathered for this celebration along with many of their members. Twenty or more pastors gathered around Abusa Tembo to bless him and offer him words of encouragement. He was challenged to keep the focus of his ministry on the gospel of Jesus. Choirs from each of the visiting congregations sang, several men preached, and every congregation was individually welcomed. The building was filled to capacity and several hundred gathered outside, sitting in the grass or peeking in through the windows to rejoice for Kafita Church and Abusa Tembo. The service lasted over five hours. Vince had more occasions that week to spend with Abusa Tembo. He is a very humble and dignified man who loves Jesus and the flock he has been called to serve. Please pray for pastor Tembo.
God blessed our trip. Now we are seeking to minister at Cornerstone Fellowship. The struggles of ministry continue to face us. The power of the gospel is still revealed as people trust God. We are grateful that God has honored us by calling us into service. There is a possibility that Vince could return to Malawi for two weeks in January to teach a block course at the college and maybe provide some counseling. Please pray about this opportunity.
How can we say thank you enough. You invested in a culture in desperate need of hope. Throughout Malawi you see ministries with hope in the name, Ministry of Hope, Hope of the Nations, Partners in Hope, etc. Malawi needs hope. By your support of us, we were able to enflame the hope of the future leaders in Malawi. Through the work of African Bible College men and women are prepared to lead this impoverished nation. We saw graduates of ABC who are now serving as leaders of the church, leaders of NGOs, and even in the government. God is using African Bible College to change Malawi. Your prayers and financial gifts helped to affect that change. Thank you!
In Jesus’ love,



Vince, Robin and Michael

Thursday, March 17, 2011

The Heart (an excerpt from Napkin Chats: Counsleing over Coffee)

And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:13
For years I have been afraid to work on an engine. Whether the engine is in my car or a lawn mower, I am nervous. I have discovered that my reticence is tied to my ignorance. I simply do not know how a combustion engine works. I do not know what its parts are or what they do. My ignorance leaves me unwilling to try to repair my engines.
In my years of pastoral ministry, I have found that a similar ignorance leaves God’s people in a state of disrepair. Many Christians, and even ministers, do not really understand how God has designed the human heart. We cannot articulate its parts and we do not really grasp how each part works. Therefore when faced with a significant struggle in our own life or the life of a friend, we do not know how to bring real change in their lives. Those who are aware of their ignorance refer the struggling friend to a ‘professional’ who may or may not know how to help.
As I think of my fear of working on an engine, I suppose it is good that I let someone else work on my engines. I could do some real damage if I tried to repair an engine while remaining ignorant of its proper working. In the same way, some Christians try to help people when they themselves do not know how the heart works. They offer counsel to hurting people but their counsel is based on an inadequate understanding of How God has made us. With this errant perspective, their counsel is doomed to failure. This leaves many Christians with the conclusion that counseling is of no use. They continue in their struggles, never finding the relief that God provides.
Ephesians 4:14-16 tells us:
As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
When God’s gifted leaders speak the truth in love, Christian individuals are empowered to stand firm and affect the world as salt and light. I am convinced by the scripture and my experience of seeing many Christians transformed, that we need to understand how God has made us. As we understand what the Bible says about the heart, we will be better able to impact this world.

The Heart:
Proverbs 4:23 says, "Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life." Notice how important the heart is to God. He says, from it flow “springs of life”, literally the issues of life. The word translated as “springs” comes from a root meaning “to go out.” The idea of a spring is that the spring is where the water goes out of the earth. The heart is the spring from which life flows out of us. Thus, it is of great importance to guard our heart. The Keil and Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament says, “before all that one has to guard…guard it [the heart] as the most precious of possessions committed to thy trust.”
The Scripture refers to the heart as man's mind, will, and emotions. It may refer to any one of these individually or any combination of the three.
In John 16:22, Jesus says to His disciples, “Therefore you too now have sorrow; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one takes your joy away from you.” Jesus says that the emotion of joy occurs in the heart. In Psalm 19:8 we read, “The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart…” Again it is the heart that experiences joy. Because the Lord is with him, David's heart is glad in Psalm 16:9. The king noticed Nehemiah's sadness of heart in Nehemiah 2:2. In Romans 9:2 Paul describes the grief in his heart concerning the lostness of his countrymen. The Bible places the emotions firmly in the arena of the heart.
The heart is also the place where the will resides. The Bible, somewhat frequently uses the phrase “hardened heart.” 1 Samuel 6:6 says, “Why then do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He had severely dealt with them, did they not allow the people to go, and they departed?” Pharaoh hardened his heart when he refused to allow Israel to leave Egypt. Pharaoh saw the signs demonstrating God’s power and yet he chose to resist God. This purposeful choice is called a hardened heart. Look at Psalm 119:112, “I have inclined my heart to perform Thy statutes forever, even to the end.” David inclines his heart to obedience. He makes the choice to obey God. That choice is an act of his heart. The heart involves both the emotions and the will.
The heart also refers to the mind. Luke 9:47 says, “But Jesus, knowing what they were thinking in their heart…” God brought the flood upon the world because He saw that in man, “every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” Genesis 6:5. In Psalm 119:10, David hides God's word in his heart so that he will not sin against God.
From these passages we can see that the Bible places the mind, the will, and the emotions in the realm of the heart. The greatest commandment, which is found in Deuteronomy 6:5, says, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." Mind, will, and emotions united in exclusive love for our God is the greatest objective of our existence. This is the whole-hearted love that we will learn to express during this study.

The Mind
Let’s begin with the mind. Ayn Rand was fond of saying that the mind is man's only tool for survival. Man lacks any instinct that would provide for his life. A lion has such a strong predation instinct that it will sometimes kill more than it can eat. Its instinct to hunt and kill is stronger than hunger. This predation instinct helps the lion to survive and thrive in this world. Man has no such instinct. Man is too small and slow to hunt. He can not run down a rabbit, let alone a deer. Even if he could catch the deer, he lacks the physical power to overwhelm and kill it. He can outsmart his prey. He invents ways of killing the deer from a great distance. By his mind he discovers how to find water and safe foods to consume. He learns how to plant and harvest crops by using his mind. God has given man a mind to enable him to survive in this world. Therefore, as we begin our close study of the heart, we begin by discussing the mind.
We have already discussed the fact that each of us is driven by our need for unconditional love and purpose. Abraham Maslow explained that man operates on a hierarchy of needs. Before we can begin to love or care for others, we must first meet our own personal needs. Every time we fly on an airplane we are reminded of the rightness of this apparently selfish tendency. On each flight the flight attendant reminds us that if the cabin pressure drops we must put on the air mask. We must first secure our own mask before helping others. The reason is that if we fail to secure our own, we become useless to others. Maslow saw the basic needs of man to be food, shelter, and clothing. We are trying to look a little deeper than Maslow looked when we see our ultimate needs as love and purpose. Even though we see different ultimate needs, the fact that these needs must be met in ourselves, before we can help others, is still true. Our mind continually analyzes our current situation and strategizes to assure that our needs are met.
We are designed by God to be needy, dependent creatures. Man's first sin was an effort to live independent of God. The devil introduced to Eve the idea that something she needed could be found outside of God and His commands. He even intimated that God was a boundary preventing her from finding fulfillment. When Adam and Eve believed the Devil and sought fulfillment outside of God, they brought sin to the whole human race. One of the effects of this sin is that now we all have a bent toward seeking love and purpose outside of God. Although we know God, we suppress that truth and seek to meet our needs through creation rather than the creator, see Romans 1:18-23.
The mind is where we think. We receive information, analyze that information, process that information in relation to other ideas we possess, and then we strategize about what to do with it. We may reject it as false, store it as potentially helpful, ignore it as irrelevant, or find ways to implement it for our benefit. All of this happens in our mind. Every day we are flooded with information. Some of it is so familiar that we process it instantaneously. We hear a quiet beep and immediately reach out to touch our alarm clock. We step into the kitchen and see our spouse or child and we respond instantly with “Good morning!” Sometimes we face new information. We step into the kitchen and there is a stranger standing at the counter wearing a black mask. This information is shocking and at first we do not know what to do. Quickly, our mind races to process this information. Instead of greeting the newcomer with “Good morning!” we may run away, or attack-whichever option we decide is more likely to provide for our need of safety. Our mind quickly devises a strategy and our body must then implement that strategy.
Every day we receive information that is false. The world around us is committed to personal safety and the accumulation of wealth. These become the counterfeit of being loved and valued. Unless we are ever vigilant we begin to adopt these values. When we do, we find it more difficult to account for God in our world. Surely the wicked succeed and many righteous are in grave need. We find ourselves in the same dilemma as Asaph in Psalm 73:25. Asaph was perplexed when he saw the prosperity of the wicked. The solution came when he entered the house of God and considered the end of the wicked. They would ultimately be destroyed. You see, Asaph was slowly seduced by his society to believe that personal safety and wealth were signs of success. When he took the time to contemplate His God, truth began to overcome the lies. He saw that, “the nearness of God is my good,” verse 28.
Just as Asaph had to fill his mind with truth in order to resolve the apparent injustice around him, we must actively fill our minds with truth. Romans 12:2 tells us, “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” Transformation occurs through our thoughts. Jesus says in John 8:32, “and you will know the truth and the truth will make you free.” Truth sets us free; truth that we purposefully put into our minds which frees us from failure and destruction.

The Will:
This freedom is not automatic. To experience it we must exercise our will. The will is the second element of our heart that we need to consider. After we have received information, analyzed it, and processed it in our minds, we strategize about what we should do. Then the will takes over. We choose the strategy that we think will be most successful and we act in faith on that strategy. We never act without our mind. I like to use the illustration that you cannot accidentally stand up. You may stand up when you should have laid down or stayed seated, but standing up requires a decision. In the same way, you cannot accidentally speak a coherent sentence. It may be possible for an accidental word to come out of our mouth. But communication requires the engagement of your mind and the determination of your will. You may speak falsely but you cannot speak accidentally.
Let’s look a little closer at the example of standing up to see the connection between the mind and the will. We may ask someone, “Why did you stand up in the middle of the movie?” “Because I thought it was over.” The mind processed the information based on the movie. It drew the conclusion that the movie was over. The mind established a strategy to leave the theater which required standing up. The will acted. This action was an act of faith that the mind had processed the information accurately and the strategy to leave the theatre was a sound strategy. So the embarrassed movie buff stood up.
The will believed certain propositions which were in error, but it is not the will’s place to analyze, but to believe. It is vital to remember that faith resides in the will-not in the mind. James tells us in 2:26, “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.” What he is pointing out is that what we really believe, we live out in our life.
If I were to sit in your living room and tell you, “I believe that I am a chicken.” You would not believe me. You would rightly conclude, “Then why are your seated in my living room carrying on a conversation with me? If you really believe that you are a chicken, you should act like a chicken. You should cluck and search for food with your beak, all the while avoiding people.” You see, you would compare my words with my actions. You would base your conclusion on my actions. You know that we live what we believe.
How do you know that? Each of us believes that water comes from the faucet. We demonstrate that faith every time we place a cup under the faucet and turn the handle. We each believe in gravity. We demonstrate our faith by placing our spoon underneath our Cheerios. Faith resides in our will. What we believe directs our life. What we believe is guided by our mind. We do not arbitrarily choose to act. We act in faith on what our mind has concluded is truth. Our mind may be wrong but our action proves our belief.

The Emotions:
The third area of our heart is the emotions. Probably the greatest confusion about our heart revolves around the emotions. For many, emotions are like sensors that discover hidden dangers in the situations around them. Others refer to being led by their emotions. Both of these concepts are inconsistent with the Biblical teaching about emotions. Emotions are not an active element of our heart that can sense problems, discover danger, or drive our thinking. Emotions are always a passive response to our thinking and the success of our volitional strategies.
Imagine placing a rattlesnake next to an infant. Will the newborn experience the emotion of fear? Of course not! Why not? Because the child does not know that the snake is dangerous. I have asked hundreds of people this question. All of them recognize immediately that the mind produces the emotion of fear regarding the rattlesnake. The emotion is a response to the thinking.
Let’s allow the infant to grow up. The infant is now a herpetologist who specializes in rattlesnakes. Will he be afraid? He will be cautious, but his years of experience with snakes will help him to anticipate the snake’s behavior and avoid a painful strike. He will carefully move away, fully aware that if he moves slowly, the snake will not sense danger and will therefore not strike.
On the other hand, if you put the snake next to me, I will be filled with terror. I am convinced that all snakes are malicious creatures that exist to sneak up on people and kill them with either their venomous bite or their creepy touch. My wrong thinking leads me to fear. My snake-loving friends assist me to overcome my fear of snakes by instructing me about snakes. They explain which snakes are venomous and the fact that even venomous snakes do not want to waste their venom on me since I am too big to eat. To the extent that I learn what they are teaching me (the mind) and believe it to be true, putting it into practice (the will), I am freed from the emotion of fear.

Summary:
The greatest commandment is found in Deuteronomy 6:5, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your might.” The heart includes our mind, our will, and our emotions. With our mind we process information and develop strategies to meet our deepest needs to be loved and valued. With our will we implement the strategies. And our emotions respond to our success in meeting our needs. When we remember that God is all that we need, and we choose to rest in Him by demonstrating love to those around us, we find real peace and joy. And that is a good thing!

About Me

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I have been a PCA pastor since 1993, having been a pastor in Arizona, Florida, Wyoming, Pennsylvania, and as the Team Leader for MTW’s work in Scotland. I am currently the Senior Pastor of Providence Presbyterian Church in York, PA. As a pastor, my desire is to help everyone I meet live out Psalm 73:25, “Whom have I in Heaven but You, and besides You I desire nothing on earth.” I love my Wife Robin, my two sons, Patrick and Michael and my daughter in law, Britney. I am firmly wrapped around the fingers of my granddaughters.

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