Crossover

Dear Friends and Family in Christ,

I hope and pray that your Memorial Day was a joyful one, albeit a wet one, as we enjoyed the company of our family. Thankfully, we were able to get in a family barbecue.

We give thanks and remember those who have given their lives in service to our country.

Today's Bible passage is John 5:19-29. We read in this passage about the close relationship that the Son enjoys with the Father and how out of that relationship flows the life-giving role of the Son. This life-giving power, in fact, flows as a result of the Son because just "as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself" (John 5:26). This is true because the Son has pleased the Father in all things.

In reading this passage as my devotional for today, the verse that drew my attention was John 5:24, the last phrase:

NIV John 5:24 "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.

As we celebrated Pentecost Sunday last Sunday, in the sermon I not only made mention of the fulfillment of the coming the Holy Spirit upon the early believers (and church), but I also mentioned John Wesley and his Aldersgate experience. In a certain sense, both the early church and John Wesley a "cross over" from "death to life". Although the early believers had seen Jesus, their faith had still not "come to life" in the way that it would after the coming of the Holy Spirit. And although John Wesley was living and "doing" the right things - Bible reading, praying, worshipping, etc. - his faith also had not yet "come to life" in the way that it would after his Aldgersgate experience (which was his experience with the powef of the Holy Spirit).

In both cases, a "cross over" took place if you will. One in which their faith took on a new dimension and a new level of discipleship. Obviously, in both cases there was a level of faith present that made them spiritually alive. But, to reach the potential that God desired for their lives required a "cross over" experience. A "cross over" experience that left behind "self-centered discipleship" and embraced a Christ-centered discipleship. You've probably seen the following graphic before:

Christ is the "bridge" that allows for the "cross over" to take place. When we embrace the cross of Christ, we leave behind a life of sin (the practice of sinfulness) and embrace a life of service to God.

What was your "cross over" moment? Do you need a "cross over" moment? Do you need a "cross over" moment in a specific area of your life?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, you are the perfect example of living a life that is pleasing to the Father. You also know my heart. Give me my "cross over" moment in that area of my life that I need it the most and empower me to walk obediently with you each day. In your holy name I pray. Amen.

By grace alone,

Pastor David

P.S. Pray for me (and Gilbert), as we travel to Annual Conference this week.

Beginnings

Good morning brothers and sisters in Christ!

"It's a great day to be alive!" (Some day I'll share the story behind that phrase)

Today's passage is Ephesians 4:17-32 where the Apostle Paul gave several words of admonition regarding how we as believers must live now that we have come to the saving knowledge of Christ. He covered a lot of ground as he mentioned several of the "sinful" attitudes that include our thoughts, words, and of course, our actions.

But, the Apostle Paul made an interesting statement after his introductory challenge that we should not live in the "sinful pattern" of the "Gentiles." The Apostle Paul stated in Ephesians 4:20:

Ephesians 4:20 You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. (NIV)

Ephesians 4:20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!- (ESV)

Ephesians 4:20 But that isn't what you learned about Christ. (NLT)

Ephesians 4:20 That is not the way you learned Christ! (NRS)

Somehow, this verse takes me back to the "beginning" of my "learning Christ." What are the "beginnings" of my (our) Christian journey? I mean, sure, what comes to mind are the countless hours I spent in vacation Bible school and Sunday school throughout my elementary and middle school years, not to mention youth retreats and weekly Bible studies. But also what comes to mind are those seasons in my life when I personally began to take my faith more seriously, when I began to really take to heart my desire to be and live as a disciple of Jesus Christ.

This season in my life began somewhere around the age of 18 or 19. Myself, along with other fellow "disciples" began to take our Bibles wherever we went, we would spend hours discussing Bible themes and tried to become as much involved in church as possible. There was a strong desire (and zeal) to invest time and energy in our Christian journey. This season of my life was no doubt formative in my Christian experience.

As the years went by, I noticed much of that "zeal" replaced with the "busyness" of "church life." Don't get me wrong, church life is essential. But that zeal to invest time and energy into the spiritual disciplines (Bible study, prayer, fellowship, works of justice and mercy, etc.) was now competing with career, meetings, social life, etc.

In today's world (more so), time has become ever so precious. If we're not careful, our agenda will consume our time before we know it and the day gone without us taking some time to listen to God through prayer and His word.

Somewhere I needed to recover that "zeal" from the "beginnings" of my Christian journey. It's not easy, but the time and energy invested in spiritual formation has certainly made the difference in my life. The beginnings of friendships, relationships, or marriage are full of zeal to enjoy time together. But somewhere in that process, that zeal can be compromised if we don't invest time and energy in strengthening and nurturing that relationship. The same is true of our formation and relationship with God.

May God give us the zeal to walk daily with Him and to make time each day to hear His words.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for this new week and for the desire that You place in my heart and mind to follow your ways. Help me to hear your voice each day as I pray and read your Word. In your Son's name I pray. Amen.

By grace alone,
Pastor David

Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing

Greetings and a good morning to each of you this day!

You might remember a couple of weeks ago the sermon dealt with "Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing." What was that "main thing." The passage was Matthew 28:16-20 and in that passage we find Jesus' command to "Go and make disciples..." In the sermon we were reminded that indeed the main thing is discipleship, which as you might imagine covers a lot of ground.

You'll recall that I asked: Why didn't Jesus say "Go and make teachers, pastors, evangelists, worshippers, church administrators, preachers, missionaries, committee members, etc.?" After all, isn't that what we really need to "do church"? People who know the structure of the church and can follow the program? Not really. Jesus knew that a person first needed to become a disciple, a serious follower and learner of God's ways, in order to effectively become a pastor, teacher, missionary, etc.

We need to become more and more a disciple, or learner, of God's ways. We have already mastered the "discipleship" of my ways. What we need to do now is align our ways with God's ways even if it means forsaking some of my ways, preferences, ambitions, etc. Jesus invested time and energy with his disciples so as to instill in them his ways - he must have done something right because the church in Acts grew and muliplied as new disciples were made. It must have been tough for Jesus as he dealt with 12 different men, personalities, preferences, temperaments, cultures, and backgrounds. But in the end, we see 11 transformed disciples who are now ready to serve Christ and lead others in God's ways. But it took an investment of Jesus' time and energy.

My garden is beginning to show signs of growth. Just about all of the plants are over 6 inches high (or in length). Some time in the next several weeks I'll expect to see signs of "fruit" on each plant. And, in about a month I should be able to enjoy my first "calabacita con pollo." And, hopefully, I'll have some watermelon as dessert. As I do, I'll look back and know that the time and energy spent on the garden was worth it.

True Christian discipleship is not automatic and does not happen without investing time and energy in the process. We make ourselves available to be shaped and formed by God's word to reflect God's ways. And when we do, we will see the fruit of our labor. We'll look back and know that our time and energy invested in God's ways was eternally worth it.

By grace alone,
Pastor David