Growing Hope

The Faith That Jesus Inspires - Luke 5.17-26 (Luke: The Ministry Of The Son - Part 6)

2012-02-13T10:12:00.001-05:00

“A Place Of Healing” by Joni Eareckson Tada

2012-02-10T20:55:00.001-05:00

I have long considered Joni Eareckson Tada to be one of my heroes of the Christian faith. It is common for Christians to wonder how their faith would fare under the weight of a devastating tragedy. Would we say, “Though He should slay me, yet I will serve Him” or would we rather “curse God and die.” Joni has for several decades given us a contemporary glimpse into the struggles of trying to faithfully serve the Lord in the face of enormous challenges. Most readers will be familiar with the story of how Joni lost use of her arms and legs as the result of a teenage diving accident. In the over forty years since that tragic day, Joni has sought to serve the Lord faithfully through writing, painting, speaking, and ministering to the needs of other disabled persons. As a result, she has tremendous insight into the working and will of the Lord for His people.

A Place Of Healing is Joni’s latest book and as the subtitle suggests, it is an attempt to wrestle with the mysteries of suffering, pain and God’s sovereignty. In the book, she reveals the ironic fact that she has for some time suffered debilitating pain that has hindered her and challenged her far more than her paralysis. Despite having asked difficult questions of the Lord before, the new enemy of chronic pain has motivated her to take up her pen and record how she has sought the Lord in the midst of this new struggle. The result is one of the most searching and inspiring books that I have read in some time. Through the ten chapters of the book, Joni shares the thoughts and reflections that have been brought powerfully home to her through her pain. The middle chapters of the book ponder questions such as: “What benefit is there to my pain?”, “How can I go on like this?”, “How can I bring God glory?”, and “How do I regain my perspective?” The book is chock full of testimonies, personal encounters and compelling illustrations that bring the deep biblical truths with which she is wrestling to life. The book is 215 pages long.

Here are some select quotations:

“You can’t teach suffering from a textbook. Sharing about suffering is like giving a blood transfusion … infusing powerful, life-transforming truths into the spiritual veins of another. And you can’t do that with words only.” (p. 25)

“Here at our ministry we refuse to present a picture of ‘gentle Jesus, meek and mild’, because we deal with so many people who suffer, and when you’re hurting hard, you’re neither helped nor inspired by a syrupy picture of the Lord … when your heart is being wrung out like a sponge, when you feel like Morton’s salt is being poured into your wounded soul, you don’t want a thin, pale, emotional Jesus … You want a battlefield Jesus.” (p. 31)

“We have gilded the real Jesus with so much ‘dew on the roses’ that many people have lost touch with Him … a sugar-coated Christ requires nothing from us – neither conviction nor commitment … it’s an image that lacks truth and power.” (p. 31)

“To this point, as I pen this chapter, He has chosen not to heal me, but to hold me.” (p. 35)

“The Bible simply doesn’t teach that God will always heal those who come to Him in faith. He sovereignly reserves the right to heal or not heal, as He sees fit.” (p. 45)

“He is the one who chooses the tools He will use to perfect His workmanship … Am I to tell Him which tools He can use an which tools He can’t use in the lifelong task of perfecting me and molding me into the beautiful image of Jesus?” (p. 67)

“It isn’t the hurts, blows, and bruises that rob us of the freshness of Christ’s beauty in our lives … it is the careless ease, empty pride, earthly preoccupations, and too much prosperity that will put layers of dirty film over our souls.” (p. 86)

“When you find yourself in chronic agony, life gets reduced to hours rather than days – and sometimes minutes and seconds … I need to know that God’s concern and care for me is literally breath by breath, heartbeat by heartbeat, moment by moment.” (p. 101)

“People suffering from debilitating injuries … aren’t your standard musical instruments … it takes special skill to bring music out of a broken instrument, and the one who does deserves recognition and glory. God is that one.” (p. 103)

“So many have tried to get me to say that my accident forty-three years ago was never part of God’s plan. That my paralysis was never His intention … I know differently. It was all planned long ago, and God brought it about in His perfect faithfulness. And because He allowed it and permitted it, because He has walked me through every moment of it, his plan has been marvelous for Joni Eareckson Tada.” (p. 197)

A Place of Healing is a book that will stretch you, encourage you, and touch you. The truth is that even those of us who do not suffer with paralysis or chronic pain have occasions to wonder how God could possibly use some of the challenges of our lives to accomplish something good. This book will aid the sensitive reader in gaining insight into that question.

A Picture Of Radical Change - Luke 5.12-16 (Luke: The Ministry Of The Son - Part 5)

2012-02-07T17:45:00.000-05:00

In The Presence Of Greatness - Luke 5.1-11 (Luke: The Ministry Of The Son - Part 4)

2012-01-31T16:28:00.000-05:00

Show Me The Work Of Jesus - Luke 4.31-44 (Luke: The Ministry Of The Son - Part 3)

2012-01-23T12:11:00.000-05:00

120122 Show Me The Work Of Jesus from Sam Hinkson on Vimeo.

"The Sermon That Went South" - Luke 4.22-30 (Luke: The Ministry Of The Son - Part 2)

2012-01-17T12:13:00.002-05:00

One Saturday At Nazareth 1st Baptist - Luke 4.14-21 (Luke: The Ministry Of The Son - Part 1)

2012-01-10T09:52:00.002-05:00

Desert Warfare - Luke 4.1-13 (Luke: The Coming Of The Son Of Man - Part 12

2012-01-03T07:59:00.001-05:00

Reasons To Celebrate Christmas - John1.1-5

2012-01-02T02:52:00.002-05:00

The Gift Of New Strength - Isaiah 35 (Under The Christmas Tree - Part 3 of 3)

2011-12-19T09:28:00.001-05:00

The Gift Of A New Day - Isaiah 9.1-7 (Under The Christmas Tree - Part 2 of 3)

2011-12-12T15:48:00.001-05:00

The Gift Of A New Plan - Jeremiah 31.31-34 (Under The Christmas Tree - Part 1 of 3)

2011-12-06T12:07:00.001-05:00

Thanksgiving ... The Day After - Psalm 103

2011-11-28T12:12:00.001-05:00

Jesus Our Brother - Luke 3.23-38 (Luke: The Coming Of The Son - Part 11)

2011-11-22T09:45:00.001-05:00

God Is Doing Something New - Luke 3.15-22 (Luke: The Coming Of The Son Of Man - Part 10)

2011-11-15T11:04:00.001-05:00

"Joseph's Lullaby"

2011-11-04T13:25:00.001-04:00

Heeere's Johnny - Luke 3.1-14 (Luke: The Coming Of The Son - Part 9)

2011-11-01T12:07:00.001-04:00

I Thought He Was With You - Luke 2.39-52 (Luke: The Coming Of The Son - Part 8)

2011-10-26T09:10:00.001-04:00

Can An Organization Be “Christian” At Vanderbilt?

2011-10-19T17:26:00.004-04:00

It has been a little over fifteen years since the proud day that I graduated from Vanderbilt University. My four years there were both challenging and enriching and provided me with concepts and experiences that have benefitted me ever since. As I write this, however, I find myself deeply troubled by a controversy that is currently brewing on Vanderbilt’s campus. The controversy revolves around a decision, made by Vanderbilt’s Office of Religious Life, to place several campus organizations on “probation”*. The probation came as organizations such as Graduate Christian Fellowship (a division of Campus Crusade for Christ), the Christian Legal Society and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes were informed that they could lose their ability to conduct activities on the campus unless they alter their constitutions in such a way as to bring them in compliance with the university’s nondiscrimination policy.

How have these organizations run afoul of the interests of nondiscrimination? The campus newspaper reports that, “The noncompliance issue is the same for all three groups. Each group’s constitution contains a clause which restricts leadership positions to individuals who share the group’s core religious beliefs.”** This is shocking indeed! Who would have thought that a Christian campus organization dedicated to biblical traditions and teachings would want to restrict leadership in their organization to … Christians! Associate Dean Patricia Helland said that the university administration initially instructed all of the organizations to remove the offending articles from their constitutions. Then they were confronted with an amazing alternative point of view. Ms. Helland relates that “People have come back to us and said ‘what do you mean? This is faith based. This is our values. If we change that, we are not who we are’, so what we’ve done is we’ve listened … We are looking at what all the issues are to make a decision.” *** Apparently, it had never occurred to the brilliant educators and administrators at Vanderbilt that having Buddhists, Hindus or atheists in charge of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes might actually cause people to question whether it really was Christian in any meaningful way. In all seriousness, it is hard to believe that anyone could be so oblivious on such an obvious point. Several members of the U.S. Congress seem to share my incredulity. Earlier this week, the congressional caucus on prayer sent a message to Vanderbilt’s President pointing out that, “Selecting leaders that best represent a student organization’s mission is not discrimination; it is common sense.”**

It appears that common sense is in precious supply on the campus of my beloved alma mater … or perhaps there is something a tad more insidious going on here. It seems likely to me that the school is much more troubled by the mission of these groups than that they are by their organization. I say that because there is a reason that Vanderbilt, a university that is almost 200 years old, has suddenly become so concerned about the organizing documents of on campus religious organizations. The university began reviewing the constitutions of all such organizations at the beginning of the year, after allegations surfaced last November that Beta Upsilon Chi (BYX), a Christian fraternity on campus, asked an openly gay member to resign due to his sexual orientation. The administration appears to favor a campus climate in which no distinctively biblical judgments can be made on such issues … even in private and voluntary religious organizations. Professor Carol Swain who teaches political science and law at Vandy shares my concern when she writes, “Evangelical Christians are increasingly under attack for their biblically-based worldviews … Universities and colleges around the country are increasingly seeking to impose secular ideology upon religious organizations under the guise of political correctness.”**** In short, there may come a day in which we have to proclaim the gospel to college campuses without being allowed on college campuses.

* The probation is officially called “being given provisional status”. This means that they can still carry on normal activities while their ultimate fate is being decided.
** http://www.insidevandy.com/drupal/node/18192
*** http://www.thecollegefix.com/post/9238
**** http://www.carolmswain.net/2011/09/vanderbilt-universitys-dangerous-flirtation-with-religious-suppression/

“Who Are You To Judge?” by Erwin Lutzer

2011-10-12T12:53:00.000-04:00

I recently finished reading Erwin Lutzer’s book, Who Are You To Judge?, which discusses how Christians can learn to distinguish between “truths, half-truths and lies”. It contains eleven chapters in which Lutzer explores the principles that should guide godly judgments. In the latter half of the book Lutzer demonstrates how these principles should be applied to making discernments about subject such as: false prophets, miracles, entertainment, appearances, fantasy and ghosts. He concludes the book with an appeal to his readers to aspire to Christ-honoring conduct and character. It is 247 pages long.

Here are some excerpts that I found most interesting or helpful:

“We have lost the ability to judge the world because we have lost the ability to judge ourselves. We affirm certain beliefs and then act as if they don’t matter.” (p.16)

“Our tolerance must be based on truth, just as much as our intolerance must be based on truth. In the end, our judgments must come down to truth questions. The problem is that we are often intolerant where we should be more tolerant; and often we are tolerant where we should be intolerant.” (pp. 22-23)

“According to a recent Barna survey, ‘only four out of every ten born again adults rely upon the Bible or church teachings as their primary source of moral guidance.’” (p. 41)

“We are commanded to judge teachings and conduct; we are commanded to judge sinful behavior and attitudes; but motives belong to God and are beyond the realm of our knowledge and jurisdiction.” (p. 48)

“Danger comes when doctrine divides people who ought to be together. But when it comes to the doctrine of salvation, it is much better to be divided by truth than to be united by error.” (p. 59)

“We must keep in mind that the Jesus we want is not necessarily the Jesus we need.” (p. 94)

“The power of Christianity is best seen in the gospel, not in physical miracles.” (p. 117)

“Your friends can only take you up to your potential; only your enemies can take you beyond it.” (p. 239)

This book is a good read for Christians who are trying to grow in the area of sharing truth in a loving way. In a society that is increasingly hostile to biblical truth claims, believers need to think through the legitimacy of what they believe and be prepared to graciously but firmly stand by those beliefs. This book helps guide the reader through that process.

Blessing Baby Jesus - Luke 2.21-38 (Luke: The Coming Of The Son - Part 7)

2011-10-10T09:45:00.001-04:00

Away In A Manger - Luke 2.1-20 (Luke: The Coming Of The Son - Part 6)

2011-10-03T09:45:00.001-04:00

Salvation Sings Through Silence - Luke 1.56-80 (Luke: The Coming Of The Son - Part 5)

2011-09-19T17:47:00.001-04:00

Looking Like Jesus

2011-09-14T15:47:00.001-04:00

“Are you Jesus?” That was the question posed to me by a bright-eyed 5 year old boy. I had just arrived at the apartment complex where he lived with his young mother and baby sister. This little family of three is like so many in our county: young, poor and plagued by the ongoing consequences of past bad choices. I was there because the mother had contacted Gilead in need of some help on their electric bill and I needed to take stock of their need. As I stood in at the door talking to the mother, her son poked his head out and asked if I was Jesus. His mom, embarrassed by the question, gently reprimanded him: “Don’t ask him that. You know who Jesus is.” I was amused by the question but sensed that something unintentionally profound had been uttered. I leaned down to him and told him that I wasn’t Jesus … I was just one of His friends.

Upon further reflection, however, I think that it is an excellent question for us to keep in the back of our hearts, “Am I Jesus?” Or to put it more delicately, does what I am doing look like Jesus? The Bible tells us that God’s children have been “predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8.29) To be conformed to His image implies that we will look like Him. If an image is a very good one it will even sometimes give the impression of being the original. The goal of our discipleship as a church, in fact the very reason we exist, is to pursue the life-changing power of the cross and empty tomb that transforms us from marred paintings to portraits painted by the Master’s hand. May we pray and hope that God’s handiwork is so evident upon us that many will be induced to wonder: “Isn’t that Jesus’s generosity? Isn’t that His courage? Isn’t that His passion? Isn’t that His patience?”

Doesn’t that look like Jesus?

An Artist Named Mary - Luke 1.39-56 (The Coming Of The Son - Part 4)

2011-09-13T11:58:00.001-04:00

Zeke's Big Day - Luke 1.5-25 (The Coming Of The Son - Part 2)

2011-08-29T17:47:00.000-04:00

Faith Made More Certain - Luke 1.1-4 (The Coming Of The Son - Part 1)

2011-08-23T12:43:00.001-04:00

A New Generation - Judges 2

2011-08-23T09:42:00.000-04:00

Longing For The “Good Ole Days”

2011-08-11T15:03:00.002-04:00

Even though the Bible declares that “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning”, (Lamentations 3.22-23) we still sometimes find ourselves feeling very “old” spiritually. We can remember the warmth of times when we sensed God’s presence more closely, the newness of learning certain truths about God and the fullness of former seasons of fervent prayer. But those memories can haunt us when we feel spiritually cold in the present. If we are honest, there are times when God’s mercies do not feel very new. The devotional below is an excerpt from Charles Spurgeon’s Morning By Morning in which he talks about how we are tempted to dwell on the mercies of the past rather than looking forward to God’s new mercies:

"How I long for the months gone by, for the days when God watched over me.” Job 29.2

Many Christians view their past with pleasure, but are dissatisfied with the present. They look back on days gone by when their communion with the Lord was the sweetest and the best they have ever known, but see the present as though it is clothed in a dark coat of gloom and dreariness. Once they lived close to Jesus, but now they feel that they have wandered away from Him, and find themselves saying, "How I long for the months gone by.” They complain that they have lost assurance of their faith, they have no peace of mind, they no longer find enjoyment in the ways of grace, their conscience has lost its tenderness, or they lack their former zeal to glorify God.

The causes of this sad condition are many. It can arise due to neglecting prayer, for a neglected prayer closet is the beginning of all spiritual decline. It can be the result of idolatry when the affections of the heart have been focused more on things on earth than on the things of heaven and God Himself. A “jealous God” (Exodus 20.5) will never be content with a divided heart, for He must be loved first and above all else. He will withdraw the sunshine of His presence from a cold, wandering heart. Or we may find the cause to be self-confidence and self-righteousness, for when pride is at work in the heart, self is exalted instead of being humbled at the foot of the cross.

Dear Christian, if you are not as you once were in “the months gone by," do not be satisfied with simply wishing for a return to your former happiness. Go at once to seek your Master, and tell Him of your sad condition. Ask for His grace and strength to help you to walk more closely with Him. “Humble yourself before the Lord, and He will lift you up” (James 4.10), and He will once again allow you to enjoy the light of His countenance. Do not sit down only to grieve and cry, for since the beloved Physician lives there is hope – more than that – there is a certainty of recovery for even the worst cases.*

There is both challenge and encouragement in Spurgeon’s words. We are to be thankful for God’s past provision and for memories of precious experiences of His goodness, but our greatest provision is always ahead of us. Philippians 3 reminds us that we are pressing on toward a heavenly prize. That is an upward goal. God always gives us more not less than we ask … He never gives us left over mercies. They are new every day.

* Look Unto Me: The Devotions of Charles Spurgeon.Zondervan (October 7, 2008). p. 224.

God's Expectations Of Our Affections - Matthew 22.36-40

2011-08-11T14:47:00.000-04:00

Calming Noisy Hearts - Psalm 131

2011-08-02T11:25:00.001-04:00

Getting Off Of The Kid's Menu - 1 Corinthians 3

2011-07-26T15:03:00.001-04:00

Seeing God’s Greatness Through Troubled Waters

2011-07-19T10:56:00.002-04:00

The following devotional is taken from Charles Spurgeon’s Morning By Morning. It reminds us that often the only way we can truly appreciate the greatness of God is as we behold Him in the tempests of life.

"The Lord our God has shown us His glory."—Deuteronomy 5.24.

“God’s great design in all His works is the manifestation of His own glory, and any goal less than this would have been unworthy of Him. But how is the glory of God to be manifested in such fallen creatures as we are? Man's eyes are not single-focused, for we continually have a view toward our own glory and too high an estimate of our own power; thus we are not qualified to behold the glory of the Lord. Therefore it is obvious we must step out of the way to make room for God to be exalted. This is the very reason He often brings His people into difficulties and trials, which He then uses to make them conscious of their own foolishness and weakness so they may be able to behold the majesty of God when He comes to deliver them.
Someone whose life is nothing but a smooth and easy path will see very little of the glory of the Lord, for he will have few opportunities for self-emptying and, as a result, will be unfit for being filled with the revelation of God. They who only navigate narrow streams and shallow creeks, know little of the God of storms, but they who are “merchants on the mighty waters" see “His wonderful deeds in the deep" (Psalm 107.23-24). Among the huge Atlantic-waves of bereavement, poverty, temptation, and reproach, we learn the power of Jehovah, because we sense the smallness of mankind.
Therefore, thank God if your road has been rough, for this is what has given you the experience of God's greatness and loving-kindness. Your troubles have enriched you with a wealth of knowledge not gained in any other way, for your trials have been the “cleft of the rock” where Jehovah has put you, just as He did His servant Moses, that you too might behold His glory as it “passes by” (Exodus 33.22).
Praise God that you have not been left in the darkness and ignorance that continuing prosperity may have brought you. Instead, through the great “furnace of affliction” (Isaiah 48.10) you have been given the capacity to behold the shining of His glory in His wonderful dealings with you.”*
May we cherish the opportunity to see the work and presence of the Lord more than we relish the comfort of having a trouble-free life.
* Look Unto Me: The Devotions of Charles Spurgeon. Zondervan (October 7, 2008). p. 201.

The Presence That Preaches - Psalm 46

2011-07-19T10:53:00.000-04:00

What Does A Father Do? - Ephesians 6.1-4

2011-06-20T16:00:00.002-04:00

“The Holiness Of God” by R. C. Sproul

2011-06-16T09:06:00.002-04:00

I just finished reading The Holiness Of God by R. C. Sproul. It has eleven chapters wherein Sproul makes observations on what it means for God to be holy and how that holiness affects those who truly encounter it. Examples include individuals such as Moses, Isaiah, Martin Luther and the apostle Peter. It is 265 pages and contains questions for discussion at the end of each chapter.

Here are some of the quotes that I found most interesting:

"The God we worship is the God who has always been. He alone can create beings, because He alone has the power of being. He is not nothing. His is not chance. He is pure Being, the One who has the power to be all by Himself." (p. 13)

"Only once in sacred Scripture is an attribute of God elevated to the third degree. Only once is a characteristic of God mentioned three times in succession. The Bible says that God is holy, holy, holy. Not that He is merely holy, or even holy, holy. He is holy, holy, holy. The Bible never says that God is love, love, love; or mercy, mercy, mercy; or wrath, wrath, wrath; or justice, justice, justice. It does say that He is holy, holy, holy, that the whole earth is full of His glory.” (p. 32)

“The more faithful preachers are to the Word of God in their preaching, the more liable they are to the charge of hypocrisy. Why? Because the more faithful people are to the Word of God, the higher the message is that they will preach. The higher the message, the further they will be from obeying it themselves.” (p. 41)

“The primary meaning of holy is ‘separate’ … things that are holy are things that are set apart, separated from the rest.” (pp. 46-47)

“Sinful people are not comfortable in the presence of the holy. People have an appreciation for moral excellence, as long as it is removed a safe distance from them.” (pp. 69 & 71)

“In two decades of teaching theology, I have had countless students ask me why God doesn’t save everybody. Only once did a student come to me and say, ‘There is something I just can’t figure out. Why did God redeem me?’ We are not really surprised that God has redeemed us. Somewhere deep inside, in the secret chambers of our hearts, we harbor the notion that God owes us His mercy. What amazes us is justice, not grace.” (p. 150)

“This is the essence of idolatry: replacing the reality with a counterfeit.” (p. 230)

It is surprisingly accessible and easy to read for a book on this subject. I highly recommend it. If time is a consideration, then the first four chapters are the most helpful.

Why I'm Grateful For You - 1 Corinthians 1.1-9

2011-06-15T07:41:00.000-04:00

Seeing The Bigger Picture - John 6.25-40

2011-06-02T11:11:00.000-04:00

Taking Heart In Tough Times - John 16.33 (Overcoming Adversity - 2 of 2)

2011-05-23T15:37:00.001-04:00

Giving Up Or Going On - Nehemiah 4.1-15 (Overcoming Adversity - 1 of 2)

2011-05-17T12:11:00.001-04:00

Motherhood ... With A Twist - 1 Kings 17

2011-05-09T12:08:00.002-04:00

Life, Liberty And The Pursuit Of Holiness - 1 Corinthians 6.12-20

2011-05-02T08:33:00.003-04:00

The Word Of Transformation - John19.28-30 (The Last Words Of Jesus)

2011-04-25T11:16:00.001-04:00

The Word Of Vindication - Luke 23.44-49 (The Last Words Of Jesus)

2011-04-12T10:51:00.000-04:00

The Word Of Salvation - Mark 15.31-34 (The Last Words Of Jesus)

2011-04-05T09:12:00.000-04:00

The Word Of Deliverance - Luke 23.35-42 (The Last Words Of Jesus)

2011-03-28T12:08:00.001-04:00

The Word Of Forgiveness - Luke 23.26-34 (The Last Words Of Jesus)

2011-03-22T16:34:00.001-04:00

Making The Most Of Our Adoption - Hebrews 2.10 - 3.1

2011-03-15T10:47:00.001-04:00

Our Giving, Going And God's Glory - Philippians 4.13-20 (New Orleans Mission Report)

2011-03-08T13:29:00.002-05:00

New Orleans Mission Montage

2011-03-03T17:50:00.001-05:00

We recently returned from a mini-mission trip to Metairie, Louisiana. The video below is a montage of some of our weekend.

The Security Illusion - Romans 8.35-39

2011-02-22T11:01:00.000-05:00

Turning Barrenness Into Blessing - 1 Samuel 1

2011-02-14T15:36:00.000-05:00

110213 Turning Barrenness Into Blessing from Sam Hinkson on Vimeo.

Walking Through Deepest Darkness - Psalm 23

2011-02-07T16:56:00.001-05:00

110206 Walking In Deepest Darkness from Sam Hinkson on Vimeo.

Praying With Your Eyes Open (Promising Practices 4 of 4)

2011-01-31T08:33:00.000-05:00

110130 Praying With My Eyes Open from Sam Hinkson on Vimeo.

Working On Our Worship (Promising Practices 3 of 4)

2011-01-24T08:42:00.001-05:00

110123 Working On Our Worship from Sam Hinkson on Vimeo.

The Blessing We Overlook (Promising Practices 2 of 4)

2011-01-18T09:56:00.002-05:00

110116 The Blessing We Overlook from Sam Hinkson on Vimeo.

Can I Really Be Godly (Promising Practices 1 of 4)

2011-01-11T20:25:00.001-05:00

110109 Can I Really Be Godly? from Sam Hinkson on Vimeo.

Televised Abortion And Its Aftermath

2011-01-10T11:36:00.005-05:00

MTV currently runs a program called "16 And Pregnant" which follows the ins and outs of teen pregnancy in the United States. A recent episode featured a young couple who make the decision to terminate a second pregnancy after already having had one child. The first link below will take you to an brief but excellent article written about the episode by blogger Denny Burk. The second will take you to the site where you can view the episode itself.

Click here for Denny Burk article

Click here for full episode of "No Easy Decision"

As I think about the situation of these young parents, I find myself asking what the response of God's people should be. It occurs to me that if there had been a strong, loving and sacrificial presence of Christ's followers in the lives of these teenagers then perhaps the outcome of their situation might have been different.

"Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'" Matthew 25.37-40

New Year 2011 - Deceptions That Derail Our Resolutions

2011-01-06T12:45:00.001-05:00

110102 Deceptions That Derail Our Resolutions from Sam Hinkson on Vimeo.

The Gift That Keeps On Giving - 1 John 4.7-21 (The Coming Of Jesus - Part 4 of 4)

2011-01-06T12:44:00.001-05:00

101226 The Gift That Keeps On Giving from Sam Hinkson on Vimeo.

When God Wants To Do Something Greater - 2 Samuel 7.4-17 (The Coming Of Jesus - Part 3 of 4)

2010-12-20T15:38:00.001-05:00

101219 When God Wants To Do Something Greater from Sam Hinkson on Vimeo.

Christmas Away From Home

2010-12-15T11:55:00.002-05:00

The Christmas of 2002 was a memorable one for me. I had just turned 30 (quite a milestone) and was now celebrating Christmas in one of the southern provinces of Afghanistan. It was a humble affair involving a couple of small gifts shipped in from Heather and the kids and a few exotically flavored tootsie rolls that had been provided to us from morale packages sent from the states. Of course, I would rather have been home with my wife and kids, but there were people in need of help in Afghanistan. The distress of that country required many of us to be away from our own homes and present with the Afghani people. In order to help them, we had to be where they were and experience many of the same conditions they experienced.

This is the way Jesus spent the first Christmas: away from home. The book of Galatians tells us that, “when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law.” (v. 4.4) It is remarkable that Jesus should be born under the law, because in His native land there was no need for such laws. He came from a land profoundly at peace and free from conflict and strife. Satan had no claim to heaven, no servants in heaven, and no influence over the hearts and minds of its citizens. What use could heaven have for laws meant to impress men’s hearts with the fact of their tragic separation from God? There is no such separation in glory. In a place of absolute perfection and virtue, what need would there be for sacrifices meant to remove sin and its effects? It is a corrupt and broken world which needs laws in order to restrain the darker impulses of it inhabitants. This is the type of world into which the only begotten Son of God was born. The distress of our home required Christ to be away from His home so that He could be present with us. We needed Him to come to our land and engage the enemy that we were powerless to dethrone. Jesus is “God with us”. He came to be with us in our country and to fight to liberate us from our accuser, our curse and ourselves. We do well to realize that Christmas is the celebration of the deployment of God’s liberation army in the form of a little baby.

As we are at home with friends and family this year many of us will remember loved ones, relatives and acquaintances in the military who will spend this Christmas far from home. It is appropriate that we do so, but let us not forget our Savior who was deployed to a distant war torn land to engage in a war that would ultimately claim His life so that He could, “free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” (Heb. 215) He left His home on Christmas so that we might be at home with Him forevermore. That is a gift worth celebrating.

White, Blue, Jesus & You - Matthew 2 (The Coming Of Jesus - Part 2 of 4)

2010-12-14T10:48:00.000-05:00

101205 White, Blue, Jesus And You from Sam Hinkson on Vimeo.

The Prince of Peace - Ephesians 2.1-18 (The Coming Of Jesus - Part 1 of 4)

2010-12-14T10:47:00.000-05:00

101128 The Prince Of Peace from Sam Hinkson on Vimeo.

Seeking Answers Through Hardships - Psalm 13

2010-11-22T08:10:00.000-05:00

101121 Seeking Answers Through Adversity from Sam Hinkson on Vimeo.

"When Love Takes You In"

2010-11-17T06:57:00.001-05:00

Sam - When Love Takes You In from Sam Hinkson on Vimeo.

Hopes & Dreams For Gilead - A Door Opening?

2010-11-10T15:35:00.001-05:00

First of all, I would like to apologize to all of you who had to endure the frosty conditions at Sunday morning’s worship gathering. I appreciate your faithfulness and assure you that the heat will be in working order by this Sunday. Additionally, I want to thank those who have labored over our heating and cooling system, both this last Sunday and at other times. It is often a thankless job, but I appreciate the effort and concern that go into it.

I also wanted to share with you a door that the Lord is opening for us. For the past three years, the pastors of Gilead, along with some volunteers from our fellowship have been assisting the Creekside Elementary Family Resource Council by providing after school homework help for kids in 4^th and 5^th grade. Additionally, we have assisted in the serving of meals for Grandparents day and Thanksgiving. We have done this because we know that God has a heart for children and no one is beneath His attention. We have also done this because it is intrinsically satisfying to take a child who normally struggles with homework and see him or her be able to make progress with a little attention from a patient adult. One boy that I helped with his math and history homework proudly reported to his mother that he had done all of his work. She told me that this was the first time that she could remember him being able to finish his homework. As you can imagine, it is good to be used in this way, and it is good to form meaningful relationships with kids who need it. Even so, I have always desired to be able to go even further and share the gospel with kids in our county.

As a result of this desire, I have for sometime been praying about the possibility of our church sponsoring a “Good News Club” at Creekside. A Good News Club is an hour long after school program that seeks to introduce unchurched children to the basics of the gospel. My desire is that the Lord will burden enough people at our church to participate so that we can reach kids who are not going to church anywhere on Sundays. Our intention is to launch the club in January and to run until school ends for the summer. I want to ask you to prayerfully consider helping out with this ministry, because it has the potential to change a child’s eternal trajectory. I believe that the Lord is opening a door for us and I hope that we will have the courage to walk through it.

To Bear Or Not To Bear - Galatians 6.1-5 (Veterans Day 2010)

2010-11-10T15:29:00.001-05:00

101107 To Bear Or Not To Bear from Sam Hinkson on Vimeo.

Don't Lose Heart - Hebrews 12.1-3 (Gilead Vision - Part 4 of 3+1)

2010-10-26T09:26:00.001-04:00

101024 Don't Lose Heart from Sam Hinkson on Vimeo.

Willing Or Whining - Numbers 13 & 14 (Gilead Vision 2010 - Part 3 of 3+1)

2010-10-18T21:52:00.001-04:00

101017 Willing Or Whining from Sam Hinkson on Vimeo.

Our Labor Of Love - Matthew 5.43-48 (Gilead Vision - Part 2 of 3)

2010-10-12T14:42:00.001-04:00

101010 Our Labor Of Love from Sam Hinkson on Vimeo.

Runaway Thanksgiving - 1 Corinthians 1.4-9 (Gilead Vision 2010 - Part 1 of 3)

2010-10-04T09:45:00.001-04:00

101003 Runaway Thanksgiving from Sam Hinkson on Vimeo.

Harvesting A Heavenly Garden - 1 Corinthians 15.35-58 (Heaven: The Ages To Come - Part 8 of 8)

2010-09-20T08:25:00.000-04:00

100919 Harvesting A Heavenly Garden from Sam Hinkson on Vimeo.

"Heaven Is The Face"

2010-09-20T08:24:00.000-04:00

Sam - Heaven Is The Face from Sam Hinkson on Vimeo.

The Return Of The King - Daniel 7.13-18 (Heaven: The Ages To Come - Part 7 of 8)

2010-09-13T17:27:00.001-04:00

100912 The Return Of The King from Sam Hinkson on Vimeo.

When We Finally Come Home - Ephesians 1.11-14 (Heaven: The Ages To Come - Part 6 of 8)

2010-09-06T09:24:00.001-04:00

100905 When We Finally Come Home from Sam Hinkson on Vimeo.

What Heaven Will Teach Us - 1 Corinthians 9.13-21 (Heaven: The Ages To Come - Part 5 of 8)

2010-08-31T08:36:00.000-04:00

100829 What Heaven Will Teach Us from Sam Hinkson on Vimeo.

I'll Fly Away"

2010-08-23T08:33:00.000-04:00

Gilead Worship - I'll Fly Away from Sam Hinkson on Vimeo.

The Difference A Day Makes - Matthew 25.31-32 (Heaven: The Ages To Come - Part 4 of 8)

2010-08-23T06:59:00.001-04:00

100822 The Difference A Day Makes from Sam Hinkson on Vimeo.

Until Earth & Heaven Are One - Hebrews 11 & 12 (Heaven: The Ages To Come - Part 3 of 8)

2010-08-17T10:15:00.001-04:00

100815 Until Heaven And Earth Are One from Sam Hinkson on Vimeo.

The Heart That Sees Heaven - Ephesians 1.18-21 (Heaven: The Ages To Come - Part 2 of 8)

2010-08-10T09:56:00.000-04:00

100808 The Heart That Sees Heaven from Sam Hinkson on Vimeo.

2010-08-05T15:31:00.002-04:00

This is Marc Martel, one of the lead singers of the group Downhere (which is one of my favorite groups). He is performing a classic song written by Keith Green who is one of my favorite song writers.

Knowing When To Give Something Away

2010-08-03T13:09:00.003-04:00

Last week our family returned home from a week of vacation. I went out to the garden to see how it had fared after a week of neglect and upon inspecting the zucchini plant I found the monster squash pictured on the left. Pulling it off of the plant required care because it could easily have taken the whole plant with it. Pastors have a hard time doing anything, even picking squash, without trying to find some spiritual message in it. The “parable of the zucchini”, however, was fairly obvious to me. It had spent too much time attached to the plant and had gotten too big to be of much use. By the time a zucchini has gotten as big as this one (almost 6 pounds) it is extremely seedy and often has a bitter taste. It served as a simple reminder to me of the importance of being used at the right time. Sometimes we fail to “pick fruit” at its proper time. We can hold on to an asset or an ability at a time when we should be “picking” it and serving it up for the greater glory of God and for the benefit of others.

Perhaps there is a person that you have been meaning to encourage, but you keep putting it off. Perhaps there is a ministry that you have been meaning to support or a prayer that you have been burdened to pray. As I reflect upon all of this I am prompted to pray that God will help us to be people who have a good sense of timing. As people scan the landscape of our spiritual garden may they not see any “big zucchinis”.

Is It Just Pie In The Sky - Genesis 3 (Heaven: The Ages To Come - Part 1 of 8)

2010-08-02T15:24:00.002-04:00

100801 Is It Just Pie In The Sky from Sam Hinkson on Vimeo.

Receiving Things The Right Way - Philippians 4.10-20 (Encouragement From An Inmate - Part 7 of 6+1)

2010-07-25T22:16:00.001-04:00

100718 Receiving Things The Right Way from Sam Hinkson on Vimeo.

The Pathway Of The God Of Peace - 11 July 2010

2010-07-24T16:16:00.000-04:00

100711 The Pathway Of The God Of Peace from Sam Hinkson on Vimeo.

Atheists Tell Us How To Sell Christianity

2010-07-16T16:01:00.004-04:00

In a recent USA Today article, Jim Henderson, a Portland pastor with a flair for the dramatic, recounts when he told his church that they were no longer required to “witness” to unbelievers: "I told the people in my church, 'I don't like evangelizing, and I know you hate it, so I've decided that I'm formally resigning from witnessing. You're all free to do so the same’, I said, 'I love Jesus, you love Jesus, and we all want to connect people with Jesus. But we're gonna have to figure out new ways to do it.' "*

Henderson’s new way was to go out and solicit the advice of atheists for how Church’s might better engage the unconvinced. And he got it. As a result he has coauthored a book with an atheist called Jim And Casper Go To Church and has launched a website with the same atheist friend called churchrater.com. The objective is to attempt to engage non-believers in a dialogue rather than in an argument in the hope that Christians can learn something from outsiders, and outsiders might give believers a hearing for the gospel.

Henderson was motivated to take this radical step because he felt like a used car salesman who was always trying to manipulate non-Christians into a “useful” conversation that might end up in a conversion. He also sensed that the old “sales pitch” of gospel tracts and declarations of absolute truth were just not that effective any more. He observed that more often than not that approach ended in sharp disagreements or cold indifference. I agree with Henderson that the way that the church has approached evangelism in my lifetime has been lacking and that the church has lost credibility with those outside of its walls. I have to take exception, however, to the notion that the solution to our evangelistic malaise is simply to engage in mutually edifying exchanges with skeptics where everyone comes away richer.

The fact is that powerless evangelism flows from a powerless life more than it does from a feckless method. Henderson, and many pastors like him, are right to see that Jesus is not simply a product to be sold or marketed, but neither is He simply a concept to be dialogued about. My fear for Henderson (and admittedly I do not know him personally) is that he may be trading one powerless misrepresentation of Christ for another. Jesus is Lord. The proclamation and sharing of the gospel flows naturally (both through word and demonstration) from the life of a person who is living under the Lordship of Christ. The question of our witness is not ultimately a question of method but of the governing principals and realities of our life. Is Jesus Lord of my money? Is Jesus Lord of my marriage? Is Jesus Lord of my work? Is Jesus Lord of my entertainment? These questions and many more like them have a direct impact on the power of our witness. Non-believers are not so much turned off by what we say and how we say it, they are turned off by the appearance that what we say seems to have had so little transformative impact upon our lives. It’s like a bald man extolling the virtues of hair tonic. He can use a hard sell or he can have a polite dialogue but whatever approach he uses his hearers are likely to question whether he really knows what he’s talking about.

When our hearts are glowing with love for the One whom we treasure above all things then our words, our dialogue and our lives will be redolent with the fragrance of God. May it be a pleasing aroma to the Lord and a cause for attraction to those who do not yet know Him.

*You can read the complete article at: http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/forum/2010-06-28-column28_ST_N.htm?csp=usat.me

2010-03-19T13:27:00.001-04:00

What God Is Building In Your Life [Psalm 48]
This is a meditation on the last 3 verses of Psalm 48. It challenges us to think about what kind of monument God wants to make of our lives for the next generation. It has special application for parents.

2010-03-19T13:18:00.002-04:00

What God Is Building In Your Life

This is a meditation on the last 3 verses of Psalm 48. It challenges us to think about what kind of monument God wants to make of our lives for the next generation. It has special application for parents.

Prayer For The New Year

2010-01-08T16:28:00.009-05:00

Those who know me well are aware of my love and admiration for Charles Spurgeon. I have frequently drawn encouragement and wisdom from his sermons and writings. I recently picked up a book called "Spurgeon On Prayer: How To Converse With God". It is a collection of some of his devotional writings on the subject of prayer. Below I have reproduced one of the devotionals from the book that I felt would be an appropriate way to open my articles for a new year.
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CONTINUE IN PRAYER

"Continue in prayer." (Colossians 4.2)

It is interesting to remark how large a portion of sacred writ is occupied with the subject of prayer, either in furnishing examples, enforcing precepts, or pronouncing promises. We scarcely open the Bible before we read, "Then began men to call upon the name of the Lord" (Genesis 4.26); and just as we are about to close the volume, the "Amen" of an earnest supplication meets our ear. (Revelation 22.20-21) Instances are plentiful.

Here we find a wrestling Jacob—there a Daniel who prayed three times a day—and a David who with all his heart called upon his God. On the mountain we see Elijah; in the dungeon Paul and Silas. We have multitudes of commands and myriads of promises.

What does this teach us, but the sacred importance and necessity of prayer? We may be certain that whatever God has made prominent in His Word, He intended to be conspicuous in our lives. If He has said much about prayer, it is because He knows we have much need of it. So deep are our necessities, that until we are in Heaven we must not cease to pray. Do you want nothing? Then, I fear you do not know your poverty. Have you no mercy to ask of God? Then, may the Lord's mercy show you your misery!

A prayerless soul is a Christless soul. Prayer is the lisping of the believing infant, the shout of the fighting believer, the requiem of the dying saint falling asleep in Jesus. It is the breath, the watchword, the comfort, the strength, the honor of a Christian. If you are a child of God, you will seek your Father's face, and live in your Father's love. Pray that this year you may be holy, humble, zealous, and patient; have closer communion with Christ, and enter oftener into the banqueting house of His love. Pray that you may be an example and a blessing unto others, and that you may live more to the glory of your Master.

The motto for this year must be, "Continue in prayer."

My hope is that the Lord will powerfully indwell our prayers this year and show Himself mighty to save, preserve, and prosper His people as we seek to bring honor to His Son. May we look back on this year as one in which God answered more prayers that we had ever seen before.

Current Troubles And The Need For Peace

2009-12-04T12:54:00.001-05:00

We are living in some turbulent days. Unemployment is currently at levels that have not been reached for decades. Our nation is in the midst of increasing commitment to the war in Afghanistan even as the prospects of a bright future for that country are far from certain. Our national leadership is currently engaged in momentous debates concerning the expansion of our national debt and the future of the American health care system. In the swirl of issues, arguments and predictions that surround these and a host of other issues, the average person can feel more than a bit overwhelmed and confused. Anxiety has become a constant companion to many parents, workers and business owners as many feel uncertain about the future. Many investors are seeking safety and security in the form of buying gold which has increased in value over 30% since July. There is, however, an asset that is increasingly precious to many because it is so rare. That asset is peace. We often fail to realize it, but what we are truly seeking in our investing, political action, therapy, counseling and religious activities is peace. The absence of conflict. The confidence that all is well and that all will be well in the future.

The truth is that ever since the fall of man we have been a people tossed and turned by fears, worries and guilt. God told Adam and Eve that in the day they ate of the fruit of the forbidden tree they would die. Physically speaking Adam and Eve lived many years after eating the fruit, but one thing died instantly in the moment that their eyes were opened: peace. A dread of the future began to hang over them. "What would God say?" "What would happen to them?" They heard God walking in the garden in the cool of the day. His presence, which previously had always been a delight and joy to them, was now a reason to run and hide. They were in conflict with God now and they knew it. Peace was gone and now there remained only fear and alienation. This is the world into which Jesus was born.

The Bible tells us that Christ came not only to bring peace but that He is Himself our peace (Ephesians 2.14). What this means is that when a believer truly has peace he or she has Jesus. This needs to be distinguished from the teachings of Jesus. There are many who have the teachings of Jesus but they do not have Him. Jesus invited the weary and burdened to come to Him. Not to a set of rituals based upon Him. Not to a religion spun off of His life. Jesus is not merely a pattern to follow in order to have peace. He is that, but He is infinitely more than that. Jesus is not merely the pattern of peace He is the presence of peace. In Christ, God was giving back to His people the peace that had been lost in the garden of Eden. The man whose birth we are currently celebrating would eventually give His life in order to bring His disciples back into the very presence of God. In Christ, our forgiveness is certain and our future is secure. This is the peace that He brings. This is the peace that He is. Let us give thanks to God for Jesus: the peace and presence of God.

A Thanksgiving Wish For Gilead

2009-11-20T12:30:00.002-05:00

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.*

I have borrowed the words of the apostle Paul above in order to tell you all how much I love you and how thankful I am for the responsibility and privilege that God has given me to be a pastor in this fellowship. I am sometimes struck by a sense of my own unworthiness for this calling and by a deep sense of gratitude for the fact that God continues to hold on to me. I find that my thanksgiving is always mixed with requests for more. More harmony. More openness. More ministry and more engagement of our world. I pray that God will make our love abound more and more. That He will increase our insight into one another and our depth of knowledge of His ways. That the seed of Christ’s life will be planted ever deeper into our lives and that it may bear increasing yields of goodness, mercy, joy and thanksgiving. That God will make us a blessing to our brothers, sisters, and neighbors.

In this sense, I am not merely giving thanks for the past but for the future as well. A future that has been purchased and secured for us by the sacrifice of Jesus. My thanksgiving wish this year is that God would work through us even more in the next year than He has in the last. I pray that we will have ever more reason to celebrate the changes that God has wrought and the wonders He has manifested in our fellowship with each passing year. And may all of this be to the glory and praise of God. That is a future worthy of thanksgiving.

* Philippians 1.3-11.

The Hope For Forgiveness

2009-11-13T13:45:00.004-05:00

I am convinced that there are few actions that are more difficult in life than the act of forgiving someone who has wronged you. I am not talking about the minor accidents and bumps of life that can be easily addressed by a simple, “I’m sorry about that.” I am referring to the things that make our emotional temperature rise. The things that make our chest tighten and our mind grow dark with anger. The devastating results of a lack of forgiveness can be seen all around us as we survey the landscape of broken homes, estranged parents, fractured friendships and even dysfunctional Churches. Ironically though there is something strangely comfortable and alluring to us about resentment and anger. To be sure no one sets out in a relationship seeking to be resentful or angry. Instead we hope to find joy, happiness and fun, but then someone says or does something wrong. Perhaps they say or do several things that are wrong. Then our hopes of joy and happiness come falling to earth as we slowly begin to realize, “This person can hurt me too” or “This person can and has let me down.”

The hurt, pain and consequences are real and sometimes profound. There is a part of us that demands that a price be paid for the wrong we have endured. This is where we are tempted to get cynical. Rather than believing in God’s power to renew relationships and to heal wounds, we content ourselves with the consolation prize of resentment. It hurts too much to hold out hope for reconciliation and so we settle for nursing our grudges and boldly prophesying that, “It’s never going to change.” What I have just described is one of many variations of the easy road. You don’t have to be exceptional or spiritually insightful to move toward cynicism, resentment and unforgiveness. Just throw the gear of your heart into neutral and the natural inertia of life will pull you to that unforgiving place. This is why we live in a world that is profoundly affected by the power of unforgiven wrongs. It was into this world that God sent His Son to demonstrate for us what the true dimensions of forgiveness look like.

Hebrews 9.22 tells us that “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” In other words a price must be paid to purchase forgiveness. We instinctively know this. That is part of what motivates our disappointment and anger when people hurt us. We know that the hurt is real and that it can only be removed by a real payment. Jesus is the payment, His is the blood shed, in order to pay the high price that true forgiveness requires. As believers, we have come to understand this and have come to look to the cross for confidence that we are truly forgiven. We have come to see ourselves as being forgiven, restored and reconciled because of the price that has been paid for us. We have begun to see our sins in the light of the cross, and, as a result, we refuse to give in to the voice of cynicism that says, “It’s never going to change”. We have hope for our future. We have hope for our change.

We need to learn to apply this same hope to the relationships that we have with others. To do for them what we have done for ourselves. To love them in the same way that we have loved ourselves, namely by believing that the blood of Christ can lead them to repentance, forgive them and make them new just as it has for us. This hope does not mean that we minimize the hurt, or call sin by a different name. It simply means that we never stop loving the offender and hoping for his or her restoration. C.S. Lewis describes this dynamic this way: “I remember Christian teachers telling me long ago that I must … hate the sin but not the sinner. For a long time I used to think this a silly, straw-splitting distinction: how could you hate what a man did and not hate the man? But years later it occurred to me that there was one man to whom I had been doing this all my life – namely myself. However much I might dislike my own cowardice or conceit or greed, I went on loving myself … In fact, the very reason why I hated the things was that I loved the man. Just because I loved myself, I was sorry to find that I was the sort of man who did those things. Consequently, Christianity does not want us to reduce by one atom the hatred we feel for cruelty and treachery. We ought to hate them … but it does want us to hate them in the same way in which we hate things in ourselves: being sorry that the man should have done such things, and hoping, if it is anyway possible, that somehow, sometime, somewhere, he can be cured and made human again.”* We know by faith that it is possible that "somehow", "sometime" and "somewhere" offenders can be cured and restoration can be made. We know that it is possible because Christ has made it possible and we have experienced that possibility in our own hearts. I pray that the Lord will give us the grace to be able to hold out this type of hope and forgiveness to those who have offended us. Perhaps when we realize how much we have been forgiven it will make the difficult task of forgiving others easier.

* C. S. Lewis The Joyful Christian (Simon & Schuster, 1977) p. 143.

Is There Hope For Marriage?

2009-08-20T12:46:00.007-04:00

The cover article for the July 13th edition of TIME Magazine headlined with this question: “Is there hope for the American marriage?” The article was written by Caitlin Flanagan, who is a columnist known for her ability to stir up controversy by pointing out some of the more disturbing and ridiculous aspects of American family life. In the article, Flanagan claims that one of her principal provocations for writing on the subject of marriage was the announced separation of Jon and Kate Gosselin. She says that she had come to have a mild sympathy and respect for the couple who were, in her words, “dedicated not to making themselves happy but to taking care of the cavalcade of children they had produced, they were laboring at something more significant than their own pleasure.”1 In light of the general decay of marriage in America in general, Flanagan found encouragement in the fact that Jon and Kate could stay the course under some extraordinary circumstances. It gave her hope, in a symbolic way, that perhaps marriage did still have some staying power as an institution. Then came the announcement that the Gosselins had filed for divorce. Flanagan subsequently watched as they were “catapulted to the forefront of trash culture” and began to “command more attention now that their union [was] broken than they did when it was intact.”2 This story, combined with the recent revelations of extramarital dalliances by South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford and former Vice Presidential nominee John Edwards, led Flanagan to do little soul searching on behalf of the United States and ask whether marriage has any real future in this country.

Her research led her to observe the following rather disturbing distinctive of family life in the U.S. :

“In the past 40 years, the face of the American family has changed profoundly. As sociologist Andrew J. Cherlin observes in a landmark new book called The Marriage-Go-Round: The State of Marriage and the Family in America Today, what is significant about contemporary American families, compared with those of other nations, is their combination of ‘frequent marriage, frequent divorce’ and the high number of ‘short-term co-habiting relationships.’ Taken together, these forces ‘create a great turbulence in American family life, a family flux, a coming and going of partners on a scale seen nowhere else. There are more partners in the personal lives of Americans than in the lives of people of any other Western country.’ … the intact, two-parent family remains our cultural ideal, but it exists under constant assault. It is buffeted by affairs and ennui, subject to the eternal American hope for greater happiness, for changing the hand you dealt yourself. Getting married for life, having children and raising them with your partner — this is still the way most Americans are conducting adult life, but the numbers who are moving in a different direction continue to rise. Most notably, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in May that births to unmarried women have reached an astonishing 39.7%.
How much does this matter? More than words can say. There is no other single force causing as much measurable hardship and human misery in this country as the collapse of marriage. It hurts children, it reduces mothers' financial security, and it has landed with particular devastation on those who can bear it least: the nation's underclass.”3
This final observation has particular resonance in light of the debates that surround social policy in the U.S. The vast majority of social services money4 that is spent by American government institutions is aimed at counteracting the corrosive effects of broken marriages and families. In other words, the government would save an enormous amount of money if marriages and families were more stable. The monetary impact, however, pails in comparison to the personal aftermath of broken homes. Flanagan points out that, “on every single significant outcome related to short-term well-being and long-term success, children from intact, two-parent families outperform those from single-parent households … in all cases, the kids living with both parents drastically outperform the others.”5 This should not be read as a prophecy that children in single-parent homes are all going to wind up with a substance abuse problem or in trouble with law enforcement, but it does indicate that broken marriages have definite consequences that must be faced honestly. This is especially true because, as Flanagan points out, it is becoming increasingly clear that affluence can not insulate families from the aftermath of divorce. Consider the following excerpt from her article:

“Few things hamper a child as much as not having a father at home … This turns out to be true across the economic spectrum. The groundbreaking research on the effects of divorce on children from middle- and upper-income households comes from a surprising source: a Princeton sociologist and single mother named Sara McLanahan, who decided to study the fates of these children with the tacit assumption that once you control for income, being part of a single-parent household does not adversely affect kids. The results — which she published in the 1994 book Growing Up with a Single Parent: What Hurts, What Helps — were surprising. ‘Children who grow up in a household with only one biological parent,’ she found, ‘are worse off, on average, than children who grow up in a household with both of their biological parents, regardless of the parents' race or educational background.’

The consequences for more-affluent kids tend to be far less devastating than for poor ones; they are less likely to become teenage parents and high school dropouts. But children of divorced middle-class parents do less well in school and at college compared with underprivileged kids from two-parent households. ‘There's a 'sleeper effect' to divorce that we are just beginning to understand,’ says David Blankenhorn, president of the Institute for American Values. It is an effect that pioneering scholars like McLanahan … have devoted their careers to studying, revealing truths that many of us may find uncomfortable. It's dismissive of the human experience, says Blankenhorn, to suggest that kids don't suffer, extraordinarily, from divorce: ‘Children have a primal need to know who they are, to love and be loved by the two people whose physical union brought them here. To lose that connection, that sense of identity, is to experience a wound that no child-support check or fancy school can ever heal.’"6

It is fascinating that an article with sentiments like these ever found its way onto the cover of TIME Magazine. It may indicate that there are serious concerns, even within secular publishing circles, about where our concepts of marriage are heading and what consequences those concepts may bring with them. Sadly, the Church’s failure to speak with clarity and live with conviction concerning the subject of marriage and family have given proponents of “alternative marital norms” reason to suspect that what Christians call a biblical view of marriage and family is really an arbitrary personal preference masquerading as a timeless mandate from God. May God give us both clarity and conviction to speak and live in such a way that others see that marriage, as God intends it, is something for which we can have enormous hope.

1 From Time article: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1908243,00.html
2 Same as above.
3 Same as above.
4 With the exception of eldercare.
5 See Time article above.
6 Same as above.

Hopes & Dreams For Gilead - Letting Our Light Shine

2009-06-25T12:00:00.007-04:00

When Jesus came to earth He intended to do more than establish a system of beliefs. He came to create a new way of living. Our beliefs and convictions are an essential part of the lifestyle that we have been called to live, but there is more to our discipleship than talking and listening. There is doing. There is living. There is lighting up a dark world. We live in a dark world that is full of things that grieve our hearts and the heart of God. The Bible teaches us that God had every right to leave the world darkened and dead, but He didn’t. Instead He sent His Son to light the flame of a new way of living life. We know this as living in Jesus. Jesus described of this “way” of living life like this: "You are the light that gives light to the world. A city that is built on a hill cannot be hidden. And people don't hide a light under a bowl. They put it on a lampstand so the light shines for all the people in the house. In the same way, you should be a light for other people. Live so that they will see the good things you do and will praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5.14-16 [NCV]) Jesus is not just speaking about thinking something; He is talking about being something. “You are the light of the world”, so let your light shine. Let the life of Jesus be evident in the way that you live your life. Jesus says that this “way” of living life will begin to shed light on … what? On what God is really like. The darkness of this world is because there are so many wrong beliefs about who God is and what He is like. People don’t see the real Jesus unless they see it by the light of the way that we live our lives. My prayer for Gilead is that we will ever be a gathering of true believers who cast light on who God is by the way that we live.

I want to praise God for one instance in which He has used us to shed light on Himself. Last Saturday, many of our brothers and sisters went to a local gas station to give a gift of gasoline to some of the patrons and to serve them by pumping their gas and washing their windshields. Our hope was that in so doing we could demonstrate the unmerited love and compassion of God to some people who need to see that about Him. We could have simply told them about God’s grace and love, but we wanted to go even further by showing them that grace. What a blessing it was to serve in the name of Jesus and trust that He would use our work to be a witness to the world. How encouraging it was to see fellow believers giving up precious hours out of their Saturday afternoon in order to “show” Jesus to some strangers.

One doesn’t always receive feedback on an outreach like this, but this week we received the following message from Wanda from Louisville:

“I want to thank you and your Church again for the warm welcome plus twenty cents off at a local E’town filling station on Saturday. I was on my way back to Louisville after stopping to visit my aunt at the nursing home when I knew that I needed a fill up before getting on the interstate. Before getting to the station I noticed the price per gallon. WOW! Yes, twenty cents cheaper than what I had been seeing since I left Green county earlier that day. Also, your Church members were very visible to anyone driving by or approaching.
Anyway, so I stopped because I needed gas. As I waited my turn, they explained their mission and task for the day. I really appreciated their time and effort to spread the word of their Church and fellowship. I’m sure that the youth were learning to step out into the world that day. I am sorry that I live too far to attend your Church as I am sure that you must be a friendly and loving Church.
Thanks again for this noticeable effort to spread the gospel. May God continue to bless your Church and membership.”

I hope that you find this message as encouraging as I did. This is just one of the many ways that God has been using our lives to light up the world, and I am excited by it. My prayer is that we will burn even brighter in the future. I don’t just want people to hear about our Father; I want them to see Him in us.

Religious Liberty Or Neighborhood Insanity?

2009-05-29T14:50:00.004-04:00

Pastor David Jones of San Diego County holds a Bible study in his home every Tuesday night for about fifteen people. This Bible study group has been grabbing national headlines over the past few days. Why? Because the County has informed him that the study constitutes an “unlawful assembly” that must either be properly licensed or discontinued. David and his wife Mary have been hosting the home based Bible group for about five years, but they recently received a visit from San Diego County officials who were responding to a complaint that his group was impeding traffic in the neighborhood and causing a fire hazard. According to Jones, the official asked some rather peculiar questions about the study group. A local news station relates the details of the interview as follows:

A county code enforcement officer visited the house and asked Jones' wife about the weekly Bible studies. “She said, `Do you say `Amen?" And my wife said, "Well, yes," Jones recalled. “And she said, `Do you say `Praise The Lord?’ She said, "Well, yes.’ What would that have to do with it?"

Chandra Wallar, the general manager of the County’s Land Use and Environment Group, was asked by the news station if these were really the kind of questions that County officials would ask. She responded that what the “officer was trying to do is establish what the use is so that we know what regulations to actually utilize.”* In other words, the County’s principle concern was that the Jones’s activity was drawing enough people to their home that it became a nuisance to one of the neighbors. The person who filed the complaint is anonymous so we have no idea whether he or she was motivated by general annoyance or by a more specific antipathy toward religion. Regardless of the complainant’s motivations, the County has proceeded to handle the situation in a clumsy way that has garnered nationwide attention. Based upon the evidence so far, this does not appear to be a case of government intentionally seeking to curb religious expression. Rather, it is an unfortunate example of our country’s increasing propensity to view personal conflict through the ridiculous prism of regulations and ordinances without any consideration of common sense principles of being a good neighbor. Wouldn’t it have been better for everyone involved if the person who had filed the complaint had been encouraged to simply talk with David Jones and let him know what the concerns were? If it was simply a matter of parking space, then surely the Pastor could have come to some compromise that would have satisfied everyone.

Instead an “investigator” was dispatched to the Jones’s house to see whether the assembly at their house could be described as an “unlawful use of land”. A citation was issued because the fact that Bible study participants said “amen” and “praise the Lord” obviously meant that a major violation of land use was occurring. Pastor Jones was subsequently informed that the whole mess could be cleared up if he would only apply for a “major use permit” that apparently makes it legal for him to “annoy” his neighbors with cars on the street. This nifty little permit would only cost the Pastor a few thousand dollars. Even if Jones came up with the cash for a permit, does San Diego County really believe that the person who made the complaint would be happy with the cars being parked on the street as long as he knew that the Joneses had paid a year’s salary to make it legal? I somehow doubt it.

As the case currently stands this is not at heart a religious liberties issue. (Although, if the ineptitude of County officials continues unabated it could soon become one.) Essentially, this is about neighbors who need to sit down and have a heart to heart chat about the Tuesday night parking situation and see if come mutually satisfying agreement can be reached. I doubt seriously whether the person who filed the complaint ever spoke to the Joneses about it, and it is unlikely that he ever will. Instead we are likely to see laws and litigation used where conversation and compromise should have been. Appealing to the authorities should be a method of final resort rather than the default method used to arbitrate disputes between neighbors. Only after personal contact and dialogue has been attempted and failed would it be time to seek redress in the courts and to appeal to the government. Let us pray that sanity will ultimately prevail in this situation and someone in the San Diego County government will become acquainted with this proverb: “If you and your neighbor have a difference of opinion, settle it between yourselves and do not reveal any secrets. Otherwise … you will never live down the shame.” (Proverbs 25.9-10 [TEV])

* http://www.10news.com/news/19595677/detail.html
* You can see an interview with the Joneses at this web address. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,522637,00.html

Hopes & Dreams For Gilead – Making "Necessary" Connections

2009-05-21T16:11:00.002-04:00

In my last post I told you that I had been thinking a lot about the kinds of relational connections that God wants His children to be making. In particular, I mentioned the importance of making “new” connections and “necessary” connections. You could also think of this as growing broader and deeper in the relational patterns in our lives. Last time I went to some length to describe what new connections are and why they are so important in the life of a Christian fellowship, but now I want to consider the importance of growing necessary relationships. A necessary relationship is one which you feel is deep and important enough that losing it would make a significant impact on your life. New relationships are important, but they naturally come and go. You can make countless new connections in a week or over a period of months, but they are by their nature relatively shallow. If someone is only growing broader in connecting then he or she will be like butter on a slice of bread: tasty but not terribly filling; or like a large but shallow pool in which you can do little more than get your feet wet. God not only wants us to have big hearts but deep hearts as well.

This depth of heart comes through necessary relationships with people to whom we are intensely devoted and with whom we are increasingly honest. One of the best biblical examples of such a relationship was that between Jonathan and David. Samuel tells us that, “the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.” (1 Samuel 18.1 [ESV]) Do you hear the depth of connection in this description? Jonathan and David felt that their friendship and brotherhood was necessary to them. Obviously, there will be few relationships in the life of a Christian that can be described in this way, but there should be some. My fear is that the majority of Christians have no brother or sister in their lives whose input and encouragement is necessary. Paul told Timothy, “I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy.” (2 Timothy 1.3-4 [ESV]) In those words you can hear the affection and devotion that these brothers had one for another. They knew one another and prayed fervently for one another and God used them to do incredible things for His kingdom. The early Church grew because believers were going new places in order to make new connections with new people, but it also grew because believers were making necessary connections with people that they had known for some time. That same dynamic continues to be relevant to us today. I am thankful for the relationships that I see growing inside our fellowship through our small groups, because I know that the Lord is using them to make our Church stronger and more fruitful. Even so, I desire for us to grow more in this area.

I do not want our fellowship to be a mile wide and an inch deep. I want Gilead to be a family where people can find new relationships that God wants to use to broaden them, but I also want it to be a place where people find necessary relationships that God uses to deepen them. I realize that making this dream a reality will require us to be daring and deliberate in how we come together. That is why we will be engaging in a LIFE Group emphasis in August that will serve as a challenge to us to grow deeper in our fellowship with one another. I ask you to be in prayer for this emphasis. Pray that the Lord will help us as we seek to open our hearts more to Him and to our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Hopes & Dreams For Gilead - Making "New" Connections

2009-05-08T11:53:00.004-04:00

The idea of making connections has been on my mind a lot lately as I have thought about the mission that God has for our fellowship here at Gilead. My desire for us is to spend the rest of this year intentionally focused on making broader and deeper connections with other people. The life of God is experienced in community and in relationships, and as such it requires believers to be constantly living their faith in relation to other people. When God wants to do something in the life of a particular person or a particular congregation, He does it through the contacts that they make with others. We mustn’t forget that God uses human communication and contact to transfer the truth of the gospel from one person to another. “But before people can ask the Lord for help, they must believe in him; and before they can believe in him, they must hear about him; and for them to hear about the Lord, someone must tell them.” (Romans 10.14 [NCV]) This verse is simply the Bible’s way of saying that human connections are essential to the spread of the knowledge and love of God. Our connections need to grow in two directions: new and necessary. I'll talk about necessary connections next week but right now I want to think a little about "new" connections.

When we think about the spread of God’s truth we often think of it in the newness direction. We traditionally call this evangelism or reaching out to someone new and sharing the truth of the gospel that is “new” to them. These new connections are ones that God often uses to introduce people to Himself. They happen whenever a believer moves out in faith and makes him or herself available for new intersections in life. This often means placing yourself in new situations. As an example of this the Pastors of Gilead and some of our members have been assisting Creekside Elementary School with and after school homework help program. We have done this to make new connections and recently we received a note of thanks from the Director of the schools Family Resource Center:

'Brothers Sam, Michael, and Bryan,
Guys you are so appreciated! Thank you for all your time and love you gave to the children in the homework help program. You all are a blessing to the children. The boys especially need a positive male role model. I am excited that you will be able to stay in touch with some of the children over the summer.
God Bless You and the work you are doing in our community,
Debbie

I am glad to say that this is just one of the ways in which God is reaching out through the members of our fellowship and making new and meaningful connections. I will be challenging you over the next few months to reach out even more and be bold in putting yourself in new situations. We are going to be handing out free coffee to vendors and visitors during the Springfest, we are going to be doing a gas station service project in June and a free car wash in July. Our GO Team will be making another round of community contacts this summer to try and welcome people who are new to our area. We will be reaching out through VBS in July and going on a mission trip to Princeton in September. I don’t know what the Lord will do through all of these efforts, but I do know that it will bring us into contact with people that the Lord wants us to meet. When God has a work that He wants to do in someone’s life He sends someone into their life to provide the knowledge, insight, or conviction that they need in order to see that work. I am thankful that you are ready to be sent.

American Christianity In Decline

2009-04-07T18:54:00.006-04:00

The latest newsstand edition of Newsweek magazine features a provocative article from the magazine’s religion editor, Jon Meacham, entitled “The Decline and Fall of Christian America”. Armed with results from several recent polls that gauge religious sentiments in the United States, Meacham argues that America is quickly moving toward a more secular future where societal norms and public policy will be shaped less and less by biblical concepts. Instead, he sees America as becoming a place where religion is increasingly private for most and increasingly unnecessary for many. In addition to analyzing poll results, Meacham also gives a thumbnail sketch of evangelical Christianity’s largely unsuccessful attempts over the last thirty years to make America a more “Christian” nation through political activism and popular elections. He celebrates these trends as he thinks that they will make the nation stronger and will make religion even more meaningful for the dwindling numbers who actually possess any religion. I found the article thought-provoking, and I want to bring a few of Meacham’s facts and statistics forward for consideration:

“… the number of Americans who claim no religious affiliation has nearly doubled since 1990, rising from 8 to 15 percent.”
“… the number of people willing to describe themselves as atheist or agnostic has increased about fourfold from 1990 to 2009, from 1 million to about 3.6 million.”
“The proportion of Americans who think religion ‘can answer all or most of today’s problems’ is now at a historic low of 48 percent.”
“… terrible economic times have not lead to an increase in church attendance.” *

As we contemplate facts such as these, we begin to get a picture of a land in which people want “spirituality” that has no authoritative strings attached. It is sobering to think that there are 2.6 million more atheists and agnostics in the U.S. than there were twenty years ago. Over the last twenty years, over two million people have decided that there either is no god or, at the very least, there is no god who makes any difference. Apparently, even those who believe in God are increasingly convinced that their pastor and Bible have little to say that can make any difference in the problems of the world. Even a financial crisis and predictions of looming economic doom have not induced people to seek answers at a place of worship.

I am not, for the moment, concerned with how we have gotten to this place. Nor am I idealizing America’s past because, for better or for worse, it is past and we do not live there any longer. Furthermore, I believe that hanging on to a misty-eyed reminiscence of “what used to be” will keep us from addressing the days that the Lord has given us in the present. Right now, we probably know or come into contact with one of the people represented by these numbers. The question we have to answer is what are we going to do in light of the fact that we live in a world in which people are increasingly isolated from one another and are principally looking to their own preferences in order to guide them spiritually. What is the Christian call? What is the Christian answer to this age? Jesus challenged His disciples to “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5.16 [NAS]) This passage contains some strong clues concerning how we are to engage our world with the transforming truth of the gospel. I will point to two.

First: The essence of what we have to communicate to the world is an intimate relationship with God. Jesus says that God is our Father and that He takes personal interest in the details of our lives. It glorifies our Father when people see the relationship that we have with Him and find it attractive. Our message is not that we have better ways of describing God; it is that we know Him better because of our relationship to Jesus.

Second: The way that we share this truth with outsiders is through community. Jesus said that our lights can shine in such a way that other people see our good works. The way to which He is referring is not merely a set of ethical rules to live by, but a pattern of shared life that only God’s family has. To be literal, every time you see the word “you” in Matthew 5.16 you should think, “y’all” (or “you guys” for those outside of the South). Jesus is not simply speaking to a group of individuals and telling them that they each need to set about tending to their own personal “light”. He is speaking to a community and telling them corporately to relate, share, and live together in such a way that outsiders see it and glorify the God of that community.

According to Meacham, fewer people today feel that the Church has answers to the pressing problems that real people have to face. I believe that the Body of Christ has something vital to share with our world. We need to realize, however, that the answers people need are not simply words about life but a way of living life. Our message is not one that can be conveyed by any one individual or even a group of "individuals". It has to be carried by a community. To quote High School Musical, "We're all in this together." Our message is a relationship communicated through relationship. I pray that God will help us to demonstrate this way with increasing love and power over the days that are ahead.

* All quotes taken from the Newsweek article “The End Of Christian America”. Article can be accessed at http://www.newsweek.com/id/192583.

When Your Efforts Seem Like Nothing

2009-03-27T14:14:00.004-04:00

“On October 17 of that same year, the Lord sent another message through the prophet Haggai. ‘Say this to Zerubbabel, to Jeshua, the high priest, and to the remnant of God's people there in the land: Is there anyone who can remember this house—the Temple—as it was before? In comparison, how does it look to you now? It must seem like nothing at all!’” (Haggai 2.1-3 [NLT])

Around 520 B.C., the prophet Haggai brought these words to Zerubbabel who was the governor appointed over Jerusalem by the Persians. Almost seventy years earlier the city of Jerusalem had fallen to Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon in a massacre of rape and pillage. The Bible describes the fall of Jerusalem this way,"The king killed the young men even when they were in the Temple. He had no mercy on the young men or women, the old men or those who were sick. God handed all of them over to Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar carried away to Babylon all the things from the Temple of God, both large and small, and all the treasures from the Temple of the Lord and from the king and his officers. Nebuchadnezzar and his army set fire to God's Temple and broke down Jerusalem's wall and burned all the palaces. They took or destroyed every valuable thing in Jerusalem. Nebuchadnezzar took captive to Babylon the people who were left alive, and he forced them to be slaves for him and his descendants ... The country was an empty wasteland for seventy years …” (2 Chronicles 36.17-21 [NCV]) It had been a bitter time for the children of Israel. They had lost their homes and livelihoods. All that was once familiar to them had been stripped from them as they were led, some mutilated and in chains, hundreds of miles away to the kingdom of Babylon to be slaves. Many had seen wives, children, husbands, and parents cut down by the Babylonian sword and, understandably, they had very little hope for the future. The prophet of those days, Jeremiah, had been fittingly referred to as “the weeping prophet”, for there were many reasons for despair and sorrow.

But now things were different for Zerubbabel, fifteen years earlier he had led the children of Israel out of their captivity and reunited them with their homeland. But he was dismayed at how the people, busied with the work of reconstructing their lives, had quickly forgotten the lessons that God had intended to teach through their exile. They built houses. They planted fields. They rebuilt and opened shops and trades that had once belonged to their parents. They sorted out, and in many cases bickered over, what land belonged to whom. The older people were thrilled to be back in their native land where they could show their children all the places about which they had told stories during the long years of exile. Zerubbabel had himself been swept up into the euphoria of having returned to Jerusalem, but an unsettling awareness had slowly made him realize that things were not what they had been when Judah was an independent state. Charred piles of rubble now lay humbly where the king’s palace, the city walls, and the temple of the Lord had once proudly stood. They served as constant reminders of the pillage, rape, and destitution of that miserable day seventy years past. Yet the children of Israel, consumed in the pursuit of new personal opportunities after their many years of waiting, seemed indifferent to how the center of Israel’s corporate identity lay in ruins. But the Lord was unwilling to let them ignore their past and sent the prophet Haggai to tell the people that they had become so busy about their own lives that they had forsaken the God who had delivered them from captivity

The Lord had spoken through the prophet Haggai and told the people that although they had taken great pains to live well, they had not concerned themselves with rebuilding the temple. As a result of Haggai’s message, the people had set about the temple’s reconstruction. The prospect of restoring Jerusalem to its former glory excited the people, and they looked forward to once again being able to worship God as He deserved. Rebuilding the temple, however, was a daunting task that required intense effort and yielded disappointing results that eventually discouraged the Hebrews. Many who had seen Solomon’s original temple watched with disappointment as the new temple was constructed, as they realized that this temple would pale in comparison to the majesty and craftsmanship of Solomon’s. It was against this backdrop that God began speaking through the prophet Haggai to encourage the people:

“But now take courage ... all you people still left in the land, says the Lord. Take courage and work, for I am with you, says the Lord Almighty. My Spirit remains among you, just as I promised when you came out of Egypt. So do not be afraid. For this is what the Lord Almighty says: The future glory of this Temple will be greater than its past glory, says the Lord Almighty. And in this place I will bring peace. I, the Lord Almighty, have spoken!" (Haggai 2.4-9 [NLT])

“It must seem like nothing at all!” It is possible that many of you feel this way about some aspect of your lives. You have seen the Lord do great things through you. You have aspired to accomplish great things for His name’s sake. You set about cleaning up the charred rubble of some past decisions in your life. But the going has gotten tough and the results seem small. You look at the work that you set out to do and the people you intended to reach and you think, “It all seems so small.” Perhaps you have made sacrifices for someone close to you or have extended yourself financially in order to reach out and you had great dreams of what success might look like. Right now, however, you are questioning the wisdom of your sacrifice and may be feeling as though you have accomplished little for God. My encouragement to you is the encouragement of Haggai, pluck up your courage and work with confidence that God has not called His children to futility or fruitlessness. I am sure that in your heart you sincerely believe in the commitments and the sacrifices you’ve made. However, I also understand that you sometimes feel discouraged by the steepness of the climb and the slow pace of progress. Brother. Sister. Church. “The future glory of this Temple will be greater than its past glory.” God is not done with you yet. His plan continues to unfold with you as an integral part, fulfilling the purposes that He has given you. Let this be an encouragement to you: the best is yet to come.