October Newsletter Article

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20 NIV)

This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible.  I haven’t thought of it in a while and I was preparing for sermon and there it was.  For years I carried a nail on my dog tag chain with the inscription “Gal 2:20”, it was there to remind me that I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live.  This part of the verse is the most important because the first part sets up the second part of the verse.  Without the crucifixion of myself, Christ cannot live in me.  In fact I cannot even understand the last part of this verse.  Let me explain.  If I do not stand aside, if I do not get out of the way and yield myself or as the Bible says, “die to self” Christ cannot live in me.  If Christ cannot live in me, then I do not have faith in Christ and I cannot understand his love and how he could give himself for me. 

Having victory in the Christian faith involves having less of ourselves and more of God in our lives.  I can’t help but to think about how the prophet Isaiah talked about how God longed to hold the people Israel like a shepherd holding a new born lamb, with both arms and close to his heart.  Christ is the great shepherd and longs to hold us close to him.  But many times we fight to stand own our own.  I find the time I struggle the most are the times I put faith in myself and my abilities.  When we insist on standing on our own and not in faith, we are setting ourselves up for failure.  But even worse by doing so we cannot experience the realization of Christ love for us and the giving of himself for me. 

In America we have incredible freedoms.  We enjoy a level of prosperity most of the world cannot even image.  We can are free to travel, to assemble, to practice our religion without persecution.  We are free.  But freedom isn’t free it comes with a price.  I have an uncle I have never met, his name is Willard.  He served in the Korean War and died on Heartbreak ridge while serving in the Army.  I have read the letters we wrote home before his death and I have seen the flag given to my grandmother from his funeral.  I have also seen the fields of white crosses in England, where hundreds of Americans are buried for our freedoms.  Knowing of their sacrifice has given me a deep appreciation for the freedoms I have as an American.

I have lived as a Christian for many years and have had to learn to trust Christ with my life.  As I have given my life to him I have seen him work through me.  I have seen what faith in him can do.  I have seen him heal people, I have seen him change people forever me included.  I have experienced his love for me because I have allowed him to carry me.  I have victory and freedom in life because I know he gave his life for me.  I have freedom because of his sacrifice.  I have to sacrifice myself with Christ, so that other may experience the freedom

Musing

I like this word ‘musing’ it means absorbed in thought; meditative. I’m sitting in my office and I’m musing. So many things have happened over the last few months I don’t know where to start. Time has been a blur, cancer, school, oldest finishing school, church, people, family, o’my. I do feel like Dorothy in the Wizard of oz. One of the jobs of being a pastor is I get to deal out advice, people ask me for my opinion and I give it. They ask me about life, family, weather, whatever their need is. I have always done my best to give them a sound Biblical answers, I always try to leave out my personal opinion. I’m getting better at it as I go through the years.

One of my favorite passages of the Bible, Jesus talks about the man who builds his house on the rock and the man who builds his house on the sand. In this passage Jesus says, “the rain came down”. I tell people all the time the rain is coming, storms will happen in life; there is no way around them. How we weather those storms all depends on where we have laid our foundation. Here is where I have been lost. Advice is always good for everyone else, but you never expect for it to apply to yourself! So here I am once again getting a huge object lesson from the good Lord above.

I would like to think I have weathered the latest storm and have come out of stronger than I was going into it. I have learned to lean on God in new ways and the best thing of all I can share my experience with others. See this is another thing I have learned over the course of the last few months, is I don’t matter. The less I think about myself the better. I’m at my best when I am putting others ahead of myself. So I get to share how God carried me through this latest storm and He gets the glory. I get to tell other people in the middle of their storms, God will carry you and I know he will.

This has gotten too preachy and serious. So Let me share another story with you. Jackson the Chihuahua came to visit our house. He was running around nervously in our backyard. I come out and the dog freaked out at the sight of me, which never happens. I have always had a way with dogs. So I think I know what I’m doing, hey I have watched “Dog Whisper”. So I ask Sharon to bring the cute little dog over to me and put him in my lap. So she does, Jackson very quickly precedes to attack my hand. It happened so fast I thought I was dreaming. Reality sunk in when I realized his teeth where imbedded in my hand! I told Sharon, “he is biting me” and she came and got him. I didn’t think that little dog could hurt me, until I saw the blood running down my hand out of two little holes where his teeth use to be. In fact I’m sitting here right now still in awe he hurt me. I have asked the owner to bring Jackson over for another visit, but she has refused my request. It must have something to do with me saying, “Don’t worry about picking him back up”, at which case I can understand. So where is the object lesson in this ‘musing’. Life is going to happen, be it big life changing events or a little Chihuahua having your hand for lunch. So look down and see where your feet are planted, because the storms will come…

-ps

May 2009 Newsletter

May is here and the warmer weather is on the way. Everything is buzzing with life and God is at work in our church. We had over fifteen people come out on a “work day” to help paint and clean. Our church grounds got a much need makeover. Our crosses on the outside got painted so everyone can see them and the sanctuary also got some paint. We got to see a young lady come to know Christ and see her get baptized. Following the baptism, two more young people came to know Christ. Seeing God work in the lives of the people of our church is encouraging and exciting, He is a great and mighty God!

As some of you know I was diagnosed with cancer this last month. I remember just nine months ago my mother telling me she had cancer. I can still hear the tone of her voice, where I was and the silence that griped me following her words. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect a doctor to utter those same words to me. Hearing I have cancer sparked conversations with family, friends and the uncertainty of ‘not knowing’ of what was going to happen next. As I was reading my Bible that night, I was in the Psalms and I came across this verse, He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return. This verse hit me hard, in that I realized once again I am only here for a short time. We are but a breeze, we come and go like the wind.

So what is important? My family comes to mind, especially my mother and my wife in the month of May when we celebrate Mothers Day. My church family and friends I have made through the years. But all the love I have for my family and friends doesn’t compare to the most important relationship I have with Christ. He is the anchor of my soul and without Him I am lost. It is Christ who has carried me through the years, it is Christ who has walked with me and will help me through the storm I now face. Jesus tells us the storms will come in life and the reason we stand or fall will depend on where I have built my house. If I have build my house upon the rock of Christ, the windows may break, the house may rock and sway, but it will not fall. If I build my house upon the sand of self or of the world around me, my house will be crushed.

I have been greatly blessed over the last few weeks. The outpouring of love, support has been humbling and overwhelming. Through your prayers, cards and phone calls, God has reminded me of his constant presence in my life. My mother is a walking miracle. She has been completely cured of her colon cancer. I know God is going to do the same for me. God is good!

-ps

March 2009 “Newsletter”

March is here and thought of new life is in my heart. As winter fades, spring comes to life. As life awakens from its winter slumber, flowers bloom, plants will bud new leaves. This cycle gives me hope and encourages me. I say this because through the years I have seen this cycle many times and I know that no matter how dark it may get spring is just around the corner. In life we will experience winters, where the days are dark and cold. But we know soon spring will come and God will give us light and hope.

But for many people they will never experience that hope, because they do not know Christ. As a church we want to help people through their winters and share the warmth of Christ love. How can we do that? We do that by becoming missional in our thoughts and actions. We need to stop thinking about missionaries as being overseas in some exotic location and start to look at our neighborhoods as the mission field.

The church in North America is dying. We are in a steady decline because we have failed to understand the generations that are coming up. Jesus tells us to “Go and make disciples”. How do we proclaim the message of repentance and forgiveness of the cross to this generation? And why are we not reaching them? The answer to these questions according to Ed Stetzer in “Breaking the Missional Code”, “is the church in North America has forgotten its mission and it message. Many churches are not struggling to break the code; they seem simply to be trying to satisfy their own preferences. This is a long way from Jesus intent.”

As pastor of FBC Rocklin my primary goal is to reach people with the gospel. To proclaim Christ in the city of Rocklin, to see Christ become part of people’s lives, to see them transformed. We have to start thinking like missionaries; sharing Christ with others is what we have to be about. People are living in a dark world that only seems to be getting darker. But we hold the truth of hope and light in the person of Jesus Christ. Help share him today with someone!

-ps

FBC Rocklin Newsletter Article: February 2009

“Faith, of whatever variety, is increasingly viral rather than pedagogical. With people spending less time reading the Bible, and becoming less engaged in activities that deepen their biblical literacy, faith views are more often adopted on the basis of dialogue, self-reflection, and observation than teaching. Feelings and emotions now play a significant role in the development of people’s faith views - in many cases, much more significant than information-based exercises such as listening to preaching and participating in Bible study.”

The above paragraph was taken from a Barna Group study done recently that concludes half of Americans believe the Christian faith is no longer the religion of choice. Overall, 50% of the adults interviewed agree that Christianity is no longer the faith Americans accept as their personal faith. The study also observed Christianity in an America is less and less Biblically based. It has become a pseudo-Christianity that it is influenced by modern philology, psychology, eastern religions and whatever else feels good. I am reminded of what it says in the Bible: “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” (2Ti 4:3-4 NIV)

I am convinced we live in a time when knowing and understanding the Bible is of the utmost importance. Not only do we need to understand the Word, but we need to live it. Knowing the Bible and searching its depth with our whole hearts, strengthens us. It gives us purpose and direction and fills us with joy. Faithfully reading is not easy it takes time, so it has to become a priority in your life. Here is what I promise if you take up this charge. If you start to read and study the Bible you will see a change in your life, most of all you will become an influence on the people in your life. You will see God change people through you. If the Christian faith in America is going to mean anything to future generation we have to start seeing people coming to know Christ and Christians need to better understand their Bible’s. So join a Bible study, Wednesday night, Sunday morning. Find a reading buddy and start reading today. Let’s be a church that prides itself on knowing and living the Word of God. Start today!

It you’re someone who has read the Bible for years, look for opportunities to teach. We are in desperate need of teachers. We have needs for Jr. High School, College, and Young Adults. People who are coming to our church and are new to the faith need mentors. We need our mature Christians now more than ever to step up and do their part for the Kingdom. There is a place for everyone who is willing to serve. We have an obligation because the verse I quoted above starts with this, “In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: (2Tim 4:1 NIV). So help FBC Rocklin meet this charge and change Rocklin in the name of Christ.

Sermon: Glimpse of Heaven Mark 12:18-27

Have you ever had anything that was heavenly? I think of things I might consider heavenly. Smoking a brisket or a rack of ribs, in my smoker is heavenly. The smell of coffee brewing early on a chilly morning is heavenly. Sinking into my bed at the end of a long day can also be heavenly. But really those things are nice, I really enjoy them. What about the ‘heaven’ moments in life? Where you catch a glimpse of something magical, supernatural, something so special you cannot express it in words. Like the birth of a child and the first time you look down at them, lying there and they grab your finger…the moment you connect. The first time you fell in love, when you looked at her and you knew she was the one. Stepping out on a mountain top and seeing beauty overwhelming. Seeing someone you love and have prayed for truly given their lives to Christ.

But these moments are only fleeting, they are like a mist on a summers day. You always remember the feeling, the moment. In the Bible I think we also see ‘glimpses’ of heaven. Jesus is again confronted by another group of teachers called the Sadducees. In answering their question Jesus gives us a glimpse of heaven. Mark 12:18-27:

Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. "Teacher," they said, "Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and have children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died without leaving any children. The second one married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third. In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too. At the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?" Jesus replied, "Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. Now about the dead rising--have you not read in the book of Moses, in the account of the bush, how God said to him, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!" (Mar 12:18-27 NIV)

Here the teachers who don’t believe in the resurrection asking a question about the resurrection! In the Old Testament, if a brother died another brother would merry the widow and to produce children to care for her and keep the family line alive. The Sadducees only followed the first five books of the Bible and nothing else. So they didn’t believe in the resurrection or any life after death. So Jesus answers their question, he rebukes them for not knowing Scripture and for underestimating God.

Don’t we still underestimate God? We place him in boxes; we think he is like us. But nothing is impossible for God, nothing. He is all powerful! That is important because in the next line he says, “When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven”. First we have to recognize God has the power to raise the dead. He defeated death through Jesus Christ, the Bible says, “The last enemy to be destroyed is death. (1Co 15:26 NIV), Death has been swallowed up in victory." "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1Co 15:54-57 NIV).

The second part I have given a lot of thought too. “neither marry nor be given in marriage” Firstly marriage is the strongest bond of love we can experience here on earth. All through the Bible marriage is used as an illustration of the relationship between God and man. But here the bond is marred by sin, it is not perfect, it is broken because we are broken. In heaven we will recognize our spouses but the bond will be overshadowed by a new order. We will no longer be broken; we will be made whole again. We will be in the presence of God, we will live with God. There is nothing that can compare to that. It is this thought that should give us hope, it should drive us to live for Christ and to make him known to others. Let me further illustrate this thought.
Yellow is not my favorite color. But Vincent van Gogh saw yellow differently. This famous Dutch painter, sadly, abandoned his faith he had grown up with in a Christian home and sank into depression and destruction. By the grace of God, as he later began to embrace his faith again, his life took on hope, and he gave that hope color.

The best-kept secret of van Gogh's life is that the truth he was discovering is seen in the gradual increase of the presence of the color yellow in his paintings. Yellow evoked (for him) the hope and warmth of the truth of God's love. In one of his depressive periods, seen in his famous The Starry Night, you finds a yellow sun and yellow swirling stars, because van Gogh thought truth was present only in nature. Tragically, the church, which stands tall in this painting and should be the house of truth, is about the only item in the painting showing no traces of yellow.


But by the time he painted The Raising of Lazarus, his life was on the mend as he began to face the truth about himself. The entire picture is blindingly bathed in yellow. In fact, van Gogh put his own face on Lazarus to express his own hope in the Resurrection. It was this glimpse of heaven that changed van Gogh, it gave him hope. That no matter what happens here, there is going to be a day when everything will be made right. It is this thought that we can start painting yellow into our own lives, knowing we have a fresh hope and the hope of new beginnings.

Listen to how Jesus finishes this question: Now about the dead rising--have you not read in the book of Moses, in the account of the bush, how God said to him, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!" Jesus is telling us the key to all of this, it is what van Gogh grasped, God is not the God of the dead, but of the living…he is the living God, he is about life! We will raise again with him in heaven.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Rev 21:3-4 NIV)

The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. (Rev 21:23 NIV)

It is the glimpse of heaven in our lives that are there to remind us of things to come. They are there to give us hope in a dark world. In answering the question of the Sadducees, Jesus gives us a glimpse of heaven. He gives us a peek of things to come. But we will only see it if we are in relationship with Him, if we know Jesus.

My Wife

What can I say? We were married in Biscester England. It was a small town outside of Upper Heyford Air Force Base. We were both in the Air Force, young and everyone told us we would never make it. We were both too stubborn and bull headed. I can tell you through the years many of our ‘silly’ arguments ended with, you leave, no you leave, I’m not leaving”…So in reality our stubbornness as served us well. Being married to anyone can be challenge especially in a world that encourages you to always have it your own way. But it has been the tough times that have shaped our relationship. We made it through the storms and are stronger for it.

So what can I say about my wife. She is an incredibly lady, she is my best friend. I love the way she laughs, the way carries herself. I love the way she looks, especially in jeans. I love how she protects and cares for her “boys”. I love the fact she loves football and hot wings. I love her loyalty. I love to watch her work with special need kids, her patience and love for them is a gift. I love her faith in Christ and how she lives it out in front of others. God knew what he was doing when he put Sharon and me together. With my personality I can be a freight train, but after all the noise and whistles she stands her ground. She is amazing and she is a gift.
-s

Here it is

2009 and its half way through the month! I have realized I haven’t written on this blog since October. So what have I been doing with my time? Well I finished two more general education classes and I am enjoying the time between semesters. I have two classes left and I’ll be done with my degree. So I’m excited about that. But what I’m really excited about is FBC Rocklin. I came here two and half years ago and it was traditional Baptist church that was slowly dying. Since then we have made a lot changes, slowly. We have lost members and it has been difficult at times. But I have stayed true to the vision God has given me and we are being blessed. Last year we baptized eight people and we already have three more coming soon. We are seeing conversions and people lives being changed. It’s the most exciting ministry I have ever been a part of. But it has been filled with lots of ups and downs. I have to tell you there has been times have I thought about walking away from it all. But God has shown me incredible grace and love.
I have had a chance to play a small part in the larger work of Christ and I am grateful. I am going to start writing here and posting sermons.
-ps

Intolerance

I was been watching the news and I see how the media keeps bring up how the McCain/Palin rallies are becoming very hostile towards Obama. I’m told how intolerant conservatives are towards homosexuals. The list goes on and on, but I have never seen a yard signed defaced by conservatives. I’ve never seen conservatives using their middle finger towards opponents. I went to church this morning and we had two yard signs in favor of Proposition 8, the protect marriage amendment. One sign is gone and the other was cut to shreds. One of our church members carefully pieced the sign back together with tape and put it back out. I was checking the doors of the church to leave when I realized someone had spit all over one of back door windows.

All of this brings home a realized point. People in this country say they are tolerant, but it’s conditional. The condition is you believe what they believe. If you don’t then you’re allowed to say or to even vandalize and it’s ok, because you are the enemy. When you stand up for morals, your imposing you will on others. Bottom line I am becoming increasingly concerned. Where will this all lead? History has a way of repeating itself, and when one group starts being intolerant of another view, bad things start to happen.
Pray for our country, I think it’s time for the church to wake up and take notice. Things are changing in our country. I don’t want to be an alarmist, but something isn’t right.

-ps

The biggest issue….

I looked at the last post and I see a huge disconnect with the current world situation. I don’t know if it’s a case of being “totally” overwhelmed or just I’m tired of hearing about it. Either way the election, the economy, political mess in Washington, all of it has left an awful taste in my mouth. I look and for the first time in my adult life I am embarrassed by the way this is playing out. In all of that I hold hope in the American people. I know we hold the answers, we hold the means to see this through. The American people have time and time again worked its way through seemingly impossible situations.

I am beginning to think it doesn’t matter which party is in control of Washington, true change will not come until we start holding ourselves accountable. We need to start to take responsibility of our homes, our city governments and up the ladder. But it is going to have to start with you and me. I believe as Christians we need to start to live our faith and a more profound way, in the way Christ commanded us to. To live out Christ in us in front of a world that is lost.

A case in point is the homosexual issue. I was talking to a young man tonight and he was telling me why he supports gay marriage. He believed that it is the person’s right to determine what make him or her happy. Which brings the issue to point, who determines what is right and wrong? Is it the person in question who determines what is right or is there a “higher” law that governs the moral choices of man? As a Christian I hold that the Bible holds the final say on what is right and wrong. So for me I hold that God is the ultimate say on what is moral or immoral. For the people supporting and driving the homosexual agenda the issue is the same, only they want to determine what is moral or immoral.

The issue is so much more that just gay marriage, it is about whom has moral authority. I hope you read this and can see how dangerous it is when man governs moral codes. Because if man is the one to determine moral code what will be his foundation? Will it be grounded in what makes the individual happy? Or will it be based on the good of the whole and if that is the case, who will determine if it is in fact beneficial for the whole? History is littered with those who thought they held the key to moral judgment and discernment. The last century alone has given us a long and distinguished list. Marx, Lenin, Hitler, Pot, come quickly to mind.

We see the mess on Wall Street and the issue of the economy has been shifted to the fore front, but the biggest single issue may be one that will silently slip by. It is the one where a panel of judges and will help shape the moral future of our country.

-ps