Four in the Fire

The Church Wreaks of Death

fourinthefire — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 13:38:21 +0000

So I walk into the church this morning and BAM!, I was smacked in the face with the stink of death. I first smelled it in the “youth basement” yesterday (Sunday) morning, but hoped that it wasn’t death, and went on about my business. Poor kids, they had to endure it while trying to hang out and study the Word together, probably hoping that it would either go away or someone would do something about it. Now here I am today, and I almost want to throw up because the smell has moved from the basement, down low where we could ignore it for the most part, into the main parts of the building. I could do something about it, but that would mean purposely taking action that would inevitably involve getting uncomfortable and dirty. For I am sure that the source of the stench is somewhere in the crawl space, close to the foundation. The smell will probably go away on its own. The carcass will remain, it just won’t smell anymore, and so we will forget about it for a while, out of sight (or should I say smell) out of mind. For now, I’ll just light a candle, and try to act like nothings wrong. I do have appointments with people at the church today, I hope they don’t smell it.

”And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.

‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. the one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

Revelation 3:1-6

Death and the Rest of My Life

fourinthefire — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 21:41:16 +0000

I was with a family today that lost a loved one. As a matter of fact, I was in the room when the final pronouncement was made. This isn’t the first time that I have been up close and personal with death. However, I had never experienced death in this way until I became a pastor. Sure I had been to funerals, even had family members of my own die. But until I was a pastor I had never been there when the moment actually came, I had never seen the process taking place. I’ll admit, it’s kind of a weird feeling when it happens. I can’t really explain my gut reaction. While on the one hand I feel grief for the family at their loss, I am also in shock I what I am witnessing…someone taking a last breath, one last sound, one last hug, all accompanied by a flood of tears at being in the person’s presence one last time. One last time…that’s it…it’s over…life on earth is done.

I am always reminded of Moses prayer in Psalm 90, “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom” (verse 12). To number my days…to consider that life is short…this could be my last day…could be my last moment…get a heart of wisdom…don’t waste my days…do things that matter…don’t be lazy…invest in people…invest in eternal matters…

Oh God, help me, I often waste my days. Please give me wisdom to know how to spend my time. May I not fall short in being a faithful father and husband and pastor. May I not get caught up in trivial pursuits. Give me energy and zeal to push hard today, because this could be it. May I love you more. May I love what you love. Thank you for my hope in Jesus Christ, that lets me rest in knowing that if today is it, then that’s okay, because I will be with you and you will take care of those I leave behind.

The Swimmers

fourinthefire — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 17:24:35 +0000

I would like to tell you a story, a modern parable if you will, that happened in a coastal town not too far way from here. It was a hot and sunny day and the beach was crowded. The beach was a popular vaction spot for families, with its white sand and clear blue water. It so happened that on this particular day a boy was swimming in the ocean and began to drown. The boy tried to scream for help as he gasped for air and thrashed in the water. The boy’s fate was obvious to anyone who happened to notice what was going on; he was going to die.

As the boy struggled for survival, four men noticed his peril. The first man looked for a moment and at first was so startled that he began to go in after the boy, even shouting out “HELP! The boy is going to drown!” But just as he reached the edge of the water, the man realized that he didn’t have on the proper attire for going in. As a matter of fact, he was wearing his favorite outfit and didn’t want to take any chances of getting it dirty or tearing it. Surely there was someone else who could save the boy.

Another man had noticed the boy as well and had had a similar initial reaction as the first man. However, as he reached the edge of the water and was just about to go in after the boy he too stopped. For he realized that if he was to swim out to where the boy was drowning, someone might make the mistake of thinking he was also drowning and try to save him. This would completely shatter his reputation of being a good swimmer, and at the next weekly “good swimmers” meeting he was sure he would get funny looks, and might even be labeled a “weak swimmer.” He knew the boy was in danger, but it was just too risky. After all he did have a reputation to keep up. He figured that there were plenty of other people with less at stake who could save the boy, and so he stayed on the shore.

There was a third man who noticed the boy and knew the boy’s fate if no one helped him. The man was with a large group of family and friends who also saw the boy. However, no one in the group went in to save the boy because it wasn’t their job, it wasn’t their role. No, they weren’t the “hands on” type, they were the cheerleaders and the supporters. At beaches with professional life guards they would send money to help pay for their services. They would give towels to those who went into the water to save people who were drowning. They would even shout words of acclamation and encouragement as one went out into the water on a “rescue mission,” as they called it. There were some in the group who upon seeing a need so close in proximity wanted to go in after the boy. But the leaders of the group reminded them of all the responsibilities that needed to be fulfilled there on the beach, and that there were others who could go in the water. And so the spark that might have turned into a blazing passion for “rescue missions” was quickly doused out with busyness.

Finally there was the fourth man, who also saw the boy’s danger. This man was really no different than the other three, he had on nice clothes, he was known as a good swimmer, and he took part in supporting other rescue missions. He even had the same itnitial reaction as the other three men. Yet when he reached the water’s edge there was no hesitation as he plowed into the surf and began quickly swimming toward the boy with all of his might. The man knew the danger the boy was in and what the outcome would be if no one reached him in time, and so nothing else mattered. For you see, it hadn’t been too long ago that this man had almost drown but had been pulled up from certain death. He never forgot what his rescuer had told him that day…”Just as I have rescued you, you go and rescue others.”

The fourth man and the boy are alive and well today. And not only does the man continue to rescue those he sees drowning, but the boy does so as well.

As for the other three men, they probably would have been better off thrashing and screaming in the water. At least then someone would have known they were drowning.

Elders, Bishops, and Pastors

fourinthefire — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 18:14:43 +0000

In our study through 1 Timothy at my church, I recently preached on chapter three verses one through seven. I have had some questions about the text and the topic of elders, so I am posting a few notes to give anyone who wants to dig a little deeper a head start. Hope you find this useful. Feel free to share your thoughts or other resources on the topic.

Notes on 1 Timothy 3:1-7

What is an “overseer” (or “bishop” in some versions)?

-break down the word = over/seer

= a man who exercises oversight (see 1 Timothy 2:11-15 for a starting point as to why this office is reserved for men)

The words “overseer” or “bishop”, “elder”, and “pastor” or “shepherd” (including the verb forms of these words) are used interchangeably (synonymously) in the New Testament.

-Titus 1:5,7; 1 Peter 5:1-3, Acts 20:28

Note: “Elder” is not a term used to speak only of older people in the church.

-Titus 1:5 compared with Titus 2:2-3

What are the functions of overseers/elders/pastors?

1 Timothy 3:2 – Teach

1 Timothy 3:5 – Manage household of God

Hebrews 13:17 – Keep watch over souls; Lead

Ephesians 4:11-12 – Equip the saints for ministry

Titus 1:9-11 – Work to protect the purity of the church

James 5:14 – Pray for the sick and distressed

1 Peter 5:1-3 – Feed, Lead, and Protect

Acts 6:4 – Devote themselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word (in line with the apostles here as compared to the men set apart to meet physical needs)

The New Testament Pattern: A Plurality of Elders In Each Local Church

Titus 1:5 – “elders in every town”

James 5:14 – “call the elders”

Act 20:17 – “sent for the elders of the church”

Acts 14:23 – “appointed elders in each church”

1 Timothy 5:19-20 – “an elder…the rest”

Qualifications of Elder/Overseer/Pastor

The qualifications for elders are listed in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 as well as Titus 1:5-9, with some differences in the lists. Neither list is meant to be exhaustive, but meant to point us to the traits that should characterize a man who is mature in Christ and fit for this position in the church. Most of the qualifications are self-explanatory, with “above reproach” being the summary qualification of the list.

Resources for further study:

“Elders and Leaders: God’s Plan for Leading the Church” by Gene A. Getz (Moody Publishers, 2003)

“The Deliberate Church: Building Your Ministry on the Gospel” by Mark Dever and Paul Alexander (Crossway Books, 2005)

Lessons from a 5 year old.

fourinthefire — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 22:03:15 +0000

Here are my daughter’s thoughts on what Christmas is all about (from a school assignment she did in class on her own)…

“12-4-09…Chistmas is not a balt geting stuf it is a balt Jesus birth day and giving stuf God let Mary hav Jesus so he cood di on the cros for are sins he did not hav to he cood let us hav a pushmit”

So simple a child can get it, yet the smartest of this world will stumble over what they think is foolishness.

Jesus…born to die, so we could live. Praise the Lord!

Family Christmas Ideas

fourinthefire — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 20:50:18 +0000

At our church we recently talked about God’s call/command/plan for Christian parents to teach their kids about Him. To help equip families who may be new to that, I thought it would be helpful simply to share with one another what we have done or are planning on doing to celebrate Christ and teach our kids this Christmas. What are the fun experiences, serious teachings, or devotional moments that you can share that may give some ideas to those parents who are seeking to disciple their kids during this season but don’t know where to start. I look forward to your responses and pray God blesses our efforts at being faithful parents and pointing our kids to Him.

Merry Christmas!

JUDGES: American Idols part II

fourinthefire — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 23:08:05 +0000

Often we hear imbalanced descriptions of God. One person continually points out God’s wrath and hatred of sin, another only talks about God’s love, grace, and mercy. While it is true that God is wrathful and God is loving, it is important to remember that BOTH of these are true of God if we are to have an accurate picture of who God is and of the gospel. God does hate sin and punish sinners, God does love people and forgive and give grace for salvation. In Judges chapter two, we see both God’s wrath and grace as He responds to the idolatry of the Israelites.

What was God’s response to the idolatry of the Israelites, the people He had covenanted with to be their God and they His people? God’s response to the Israelites idolatry was anger, anger that led to his “hand” being against them (vv. 12-13, 14-15, 20 – a.k.a. He would not drive out the people before them). God still has the same response to sin today, especially idolatry. Sin provokes God’s anger, and His anger leads to suffering. Ultimately those outside of Christ will experience the eternal suffering of God’s anger and wrath in hell forever. And remember, this is what all of us deserve. We have all earned God’s wrath (Rom. 6:23) because we have all rebelled against God and put other things in His place, whether someone, something, or ourselves.

But now go back to Judges chapter two and see God’s mercy. In verse 19 we see that in response to the people crying out for deliverance, God was moved by pity. And out of that pity, He chooses to act and show mercy by raising up Judges to deliver the people. He didn’t have to, He chose to. (Here we’re talking judges as in deliverers, not as in ”The People’s Court”.) God would raise up a judge and then use the judge in bringing deliverance from those oppressing the Israelites. He could have left them alone to suffer, but He didn’t. Here is a clear display of God’s grace to those who are sinners, who had broken their covenant with Him, rightly deserving His wrath.

But (and this is a pattern in the book of Judges) once the judge died the people would forsake God again, God would punish them through oppression, they would cry out to God again, He would raise up a judge to deliver them, the judge would die, and the cycle would start over. There was a problem, while the judge could deliver the people from external oppression, he couldn’t deliver them from the bondage of their hearts to sinful desires for things other than God. The human judge could do nothing to change their idolatrous hearts, he could not bring ultimate deliverance.

But that’s not the end of the story, for we are pointed to an even greater act of God in His mercy, the sending of His Son to be the ultimate deliverer, the ultimate judge. One who would redeem people from the slavery of sin at the cost of His own blood. Jesus Christ came not just to throw off external slavery and oppression, but to break the chains of the greatest slavery, the cruelest master, that man has ever known, sin.

Make no mistake, we are all slaves. Romans 6:16 says, “Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience which leads to righteousness?” In what particular way does sin manifests itself in your life? What particular sins dominate you? What do you worship? What do you idolize in your heart? We all know from experience that what we’ve seen in Judges is a real picture of how sin pulls us away from God, can control our lives, demands our affections, corrupts all aspects life, and in the end will bring destruction. But we don’t have to stay there, we can be free in Christ.

Thank God for mercy. Thank God for sending Jesus. Thank God that through faith in Jesus, we can be counted dead to sin, and be free, truly free to know and love Him.

Key passage: Romans 6

JUDGES: The Holy Spirit

fourinthefire — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 22:30:34 +0000

Greetings Wickland folks and anyone else reading this. God is teaching me so much through our study of Judges about Himself, the gospel, and how hopeless we’d be without Jesus (the Ultimate Deliverer). This week we’re going to be learning about the Holy Spirit. In preparation for Sunday I encourage you to look up as many verses about the Holy Spririt in the Bible as you can (use the concordance in the back of a Bible for help). What do these verses teach you about the Holy Spirit? What does He do? What does He want? Where is He?

I also challenge you to ask yourself these questions: When was the last time you really experienced the presence/moving/empowerment of the Holy Spirit in your life? When was the last time something happened and you knew it would not have happened had not the Holy Spirit been working? When was the last time you sought the presence/moving/empowerment of the Holy Spirit? Are you afraid of the Holy Spirit and what He wants to do in your life? Does talking about the Holy Spirit make you uncomfortable because it’s too “charismatic” or ”Pentecostal”? Do our worship services give evidence of the moving of the Holy Spirit? Why or why not? Does your everyday life and choices give evidence of someone who is walking by and being led by the Holy Spirit or someone who is gratifying the desires of the flesh?

Feel free to leave a comment.

Resources to help avoid JUDGES 2:10

fourinthefire — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 03:57:49 +0000

Remember Deuteronomy 6:4-7 and Ephesians 6:4. You’ve got to know and love God, know His word, and commit to be diligent in teaching your kids through words and actions, in both formal and informal settings.

Books:

“Teach Them Diligently: How to Use The Scriptures in Child Training” by Louis Paul Priolo

“Big Truths for Young Hearts: Teaching and Learning the Greatness of God” by Bruce A. Ware

“Shepherding a Child’s Heart” by Tedd Tripp

“Don’t Make Me Count to Three!: A Mom’s Look At Heart-Oriented Discipline” by Ginger Plowman

Please leave a response if you would like additional info. or have questions. May God bless you as you seek to fulfill your calling as a Christian parent.

JUDGES: American Idols

fourinthefire — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 21:18:25 +0000

We are worshippers…all of us… every human ever created. It is what we were created for, to know and worship the one true God. I like the way Louie Giglio says it in his book ”The Air I Breathe.” He says, ” Everyday, all day long, in every place you worship. It’s what you do. It’s who you are…You may not consider yourself a “worshipping” kind of person, but you cannot help but worship…something. It’s what you were made to do” (9). The question is who or what do you worship?

In Judges 2:6-3:6 we find that the people of Israel had broken their covenant with God and had begun worshipping the idols that the pagans of the land worshipped. Reading that passage and looking at how Israel’s idolatrous worship is described gives us some penetrating questions to probe our heart with and find out if our worship really is directed to the God of this universe or to something else. As you read, keep in mind that an idol doesn’t have to be, and in our culture typically isn’t, some statue of wood or stone that we keep locked up in a secret closet somewhere. Idols can be anything from money, to success, to sexual pleasure, to pleasing people and are kept in our hearts. Idols aren’t always things that are bad in themselves, you can idolize your family, your job, or even your church and ministry.

So how do you know if you worship something other than God? Look up the verses below in the book of Judges and ask yourself the questions that go with each one. Pay attention for repetition in your answers that could indicate what it is that you might be worshipping instead of God.

2:12-13 – they “abandoned” the LORD. Is there something in your life that you allow to pull you away from God? What keeps you from consistently making God first in your life? Why can’t you go to church? Why can’t you serve? Why don’t you give? Why can’t you spend time with God in studying the Bible and prayer? Do you notice any repetition in your answers?

2:11, 13, 19 – they “served” other gods. When you idolize something in your heart, your service to it will be seen in your actions and choices. You will give of your time, resources, emotions, etc. to please or get whatever it is you serve (for example, you worship money so you embezzle, you worship your reputation so you lie about your past, you worship leisure so you golf on Sunday mornings instead of gathering with the church). What directs your actions (influences your choices)?

2:12, 17, 19 - they “bowed down” to other gods. This bowing down is an expression of worship, adoration, and affection for something. What is it that you adore (love, have affections for) the most? What makes you happiest in life? What do you find yourself talking about the most when nothing else is going on? God or something else?

2:19 – they became “more corrupt”. When something is corrupt it is spoiled, ruined, and ultimately destroyed. Idolatry will effect all of your life as you seek to satisfy your desire for that idol rather than seeking to satisfy a desire to please and know God. What most influences your view of life (purpose, goals, etc.)?

So what do you worship? I’m not talking about on Sundays, but everyday. My prayer is that God will expose idols that we have been keeping in our hearts, that we will confess those to God, repent, cast them down, and seek to replace them with abandonment, service, and affection for the Lord. I’ll post again soon about God’s response to idolatry, but until then would love to know your thoughts.

Giglio, Louie. The Air I Breathe: Worship As a Way of Life. Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers Inc., 2003.