OT God vs. NT Jesus?
photo by jerebu

The other day, I was listening to a radio news program while driving.  The program mentioned how the outgoing governor of Mississippi, Haley Barbour, had pardoned some 200 people convicted of crimes.  In a sound clip, Gov. Barbour commented that many of these people he pardoned had earned his trust by working faithfully at the governor’s mansion.  He also mentioned that his actions were motivated by the Christian principle of forgiveness; everyone, he said, deserves a second chance.

You may or may not agree with his reasoning, but that’s not the issue that strikes me today.  The news program host then turned to a political commentator and asked her what she thought about Gov. Barbour’s application of religion to politics.  The political commentator’s response went something like this (a paraphrase, not a quote):

“I am not an expert on religion, but I have heard many people refer to the differences between the Old Testament version of God and the New Testament version of God.  The former is more about justice and punishment, while the latter is more about love and forgiveness.  The public conflict about Gov. Barbour’s pardons seems to reflect these differences.”

Friends, as biblical Christians, we must affirm this truth:  there are not two versions of God in the Bible.  God is one (Deuteronomy 6:4).  The Lord does not change (Malachi 3:6).  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).  While God may change his mind from time to time (Jeremiah 26:19, among others), his essential character remains the same throughout all history.

It is a mistake to say that the Old Testament God is different than the New Testament Jesus.  That idea damages the truth that in Jesus the fullness of God dwells in bodily form (Colossians 1:19).  It is not helpful to call the OT God judgmental and the NT Jesus forgiving, because then you can allow yourself to pick which one you want to believe in, depending on your circumstances.

Let us remember that the OT portrays God as forgiving (Jonah 3) and the NT portrays God as the ultimate judge (Romans 2:12-16).  God forgives and judges; this is his nature.

When we think about whether governors claiming Christian motives should pardon convicted criminals, we must resist the urge to appeal either to the “Old Testament God” or to the “New Testament Jesus.”  Issues surrounding conviction and forgiveness are much more complicated than we often make them.

My advice?  Practice obedience to God; speak the truth about his righteousness and justice; rehearse his forgiveness as often as possible.  And perhaps we should be more generous and understanding with our politicians and media commentators alike!

–Pastor David

Let’s Go Fishing

Fishing in January might be your thing – or maybe not.  But when Jesus called his first disciples to be “fishers of men,” he was calling them to a full-time vocation.  And this calling carries a sense of divine urgency with it.  What does this well-known story have to do with us and how we live our lives today?  Click below to hear Pastor David’s sermon from this week.

Listen now!

 

“Jesus Makes All Sad Things Untrue”
photo by Paul Nicholson

I enjoy reading church signs.   When I drive from place to place, I watch for churches, because the words on a roadside marquee often tell quite a bit about what’s important to a church.  Sometimes a church (like ours) will give a preview of the coming Sunday’s sermon; other churches will advertise upcoming events and programs.  Frequently, a church will put an encouraging phrase on its sign, and these are often the most interesting to me.

Recently, I passed by a church with this saying on its sign:  “Jesus Makes All Sad Things Untrue.”  In all fairness, I did not call or stop in at this church to ask what the sign meant.  So I don’t know how the church’s pastor has explained this statement or what the church people think of it.  But I wonder… does Jesus really make all sad things untrue?

Jesus certainly doesn’t make all our painful experiences unimportant.  No, life is hard – sometimes quite hard – and God never promised us that belief in him would turn into a carefree life.  In my own devotional Bible reading, I am going through the book of Job.  Often, I am struck by how human Job’s emotions are.  He experienced incredible loss and suffering, and if I were in his shoes, I might say words similar to his.  Faith is no magic rescue from hardship, even though our painful experiences can be redeemed by God to make us whole, strong, and able to help others through similar situations.

Jesus certainly doesn’t make our problems suddenly disappear.  If a loved one passes away, there is no going back; this sad thing will always be true.  If someone in our family or community experiences abuse or neglect of any form, a relationship with Jesus may not immediately fix everything.  If you are struggling to pay the bills and keep the lights on, God has promised that he will provide for all your needs (2 Corinthians 9:8), but you probably won’t win the lottery next week after praying about it.  Our problems are our own, and often they are very, very true.

So what could this sign mean?  Here are a few ideas:

  • Jesus can correct our self-image.  You may not like who you are; you may not think you are valuable to anyone or to God.  Jesus makes that sad thing untrue!
  • Jesus can provide hope.  You may not feel like the future is worth living for.  Jesus makes that sad thing untrue!
  • Jesus can help us love and be loved.  You may feel very alone, even if you are around people all the time.  Jesus makes that sad thing untrue!

Following Jesus is about redemption, hope, and transformation of life.  What sad things in your life can Jesus make untrue?

–Pastor David

Does Job Fear God for Nothing?

“Then Satan answered the Lord, ‘Does Job fear God for nothing?’” (Job 1:9)

photo by Buck Lewis

A few years ago, I was on an errand of some sort, and I found myself driving through the snowy side streets of inner-city Indianapolis.  In places, the snow was four or five inches deep, and for my light-weight, low-riding Honda, it proved to be impassable:   soon I was stuck in the middle of the road with tires spinning hopelessly.  As I began to rock the car back and forth (which is rather challenging with a manual transmission), I saw a stranger walking by.  A young man in his late teens or early twenties walked just behind my car.  I opened my door and asked him if he could give me a push, and I’ll never forget his response:

“I’ll push you for five bucks.”

I turned down the young man’s offer and finally got myself moving again without his help.  But the deal he proposed stuck with me:  I asked for a small, harmless favor, but he saw an opportunity to get something for himself.

“What’s in it for me?”  This is a natural (if selfish) question that nearly everyone asks sometime or other.  The most dangerous place for this question to appear is in our relationship with God.  And yet, if we’re not careful, the way we relate to God can be as selfish as the motives of the young man I met on that snowy street.

Are we in relationship with God for selfish reasons?  Do we serve God because of what we receive from him?  Think about how you pray:  what kinds of things do you pray for?  How often do you pray simply by giving thanks to God for who he is?  How often do you pray simply by confessing your sins to him?  I believe that many Christians pray mostly about their own needs and desires.  We tend to think of God as a divine vending machine that will dispense grace if we ask for it correctly.

This tendency extends beyond our prayer life, as well.  What motivates us to gather for worship?  Why do we give our tithes and offerings to God?  Why do we study the Bible and apply it to our daily lives?  If we do these things so that God will bless us in return, then we are in danger of being accused just like Job was.

In the first two chapters of the book bearing his name, Job is accused by Satan (whose name means “the Accuser”) of serving God with less than pure motives.  Job is incredibly wealthy and successful, and he has lived a blameless life.  But the Accuser challenges God to take away Job’s material blessings – his oxen, donkeys, sheep, camels, servants, and even his children – to see if Job will still serve God.

Would we worship and revere God for nothing?  Would we serve him if there were nothing in it for us?  Can we agree with the suffering Job, who remained true to God despite unspeakable losses?

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there;
the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away;
blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Youth in the New Year

As I sat this afternoon watching a gentle snowfall in my living room with the Christmas tree still beaming and the fireplace keeping us warm, I reflected how God had worked in our life and how grateful we are with his love and the plans He creates in completing His work.  Once again, I thank Mt. Haley for their support, their love and their generosity in having us as part of their family.  We were truly blessed with your Christmas gift that supports building a home in Guatemala for a family that has become very dear to us.

Our prayer requests for the upcoming year would be for the Winter Retreat  – that God might touch the hearts and minds of youth not only from Mt. Haley, but the youth and counselors from all over Michigan who will be attending.  This is Connie’s big week as she completes all the preparation for Winter Retreat and may you pray that she relaxes and rest after God’s work has been done.  We are expecting changed lives in the hearts of our kids.

Closely upon the heels of that request is for our annual mission to Guatemala beginning Saturday, January 28 through Saturday, February 4.  This will be our 5th year going to Guatemala to work with David Beam and the Shack Attack.  We will be working to build house #32 and worshipping, fellowshipping, praying and renewing friendships with people along an area called the “Tracks” in Guatemala City.  It costs a group $5000 to build a small cement house for a family in need and we pay for the transportation, food and lodging for the week.  We are not skilled laborers, but we are working with the people of the Tracks to improve a family’s life.  This has been one of Connie’s and my greatest blessings in life and we appreciate your prayers.

We will begin our “Jesus & the Sticky Questions” series on Sunday nights in January & February.  We are planning a Super Bowl party on Sunday, February 5th plus some other activities.  Our Spaghetti dinner was a super success despite the change in dates and we wish to thank everyone who participated and supported the youth.  We hope to have another gift card ordering time soon, so watch for that in the upcoming weeks.  Our next major event will be the State Youth Convention in May plus Connie and I are making plans to attend the International Youth Convention of the Church of God in Denver, Colorado this summer.  We hope the church might have some youth delegates. Something to pray about!

This month we hope to launch the Youth Prayer Partners ministry.  We hope to match a youth with a family in the church. (Other than those related to particular students).  We are strong believers in prayer and we hope to change our group, our kids and our church through prayer.  To pray is to change.  Prayer is the central avenue God uses to transform others and us.

We would base the Youth Prayer Partner ministry on these tenets for praying for a youth:

1.   Pray that they know God’s will for their lives. (Colossians 1:9)

2.   Pray that they would do God’s will in their lives. (Colossians 1:10)

3.   Pray for productivity in their lives. (John 15:16)

4.   Pray for them to have a growing relationship with God. (Philippians 4:11-12)

5.  Pray for them to have a right attitude. (Colossians 1:11-12)

6.  Pray for their families, their peer relationships, home and school. (Psalm 145:18 & Isaiah 41:10)

Thank you for another great month. May God’s blessings be with everyone!  Love God, Love Others.

In Christ,
Pastor Jerry

Another Year Older
photo by Aih

We celebrated Christmas Day in style this past Sunday with one of our largest-attended worship services of the year.  What a joy it was to be in the Lord’s house on Christmas Sunday!  In a sense, it’s a shame that this particular holiday (or “holy day”) falls on Sunday only once every several years.

I hope you had a positive experience during this season!  Tara and I had a very good Christmas week.  We shared Christmas meals with both sides of our family on consecutive days.  We gave gifts, sang songs, and consumed cookies – all the components that add up to make a pleasant Christmas experience.

On our way home the other day, though, I found myself wondering something.  We have just celebrated Jesus’s birthday once again (although, to be fair, we don’t know exactly which day of the year was his actual birthday).  Jesus is, in a sense, a year older.  (Although, to be fair again, Jesus is eternal; he has always existed as the second person of the Trinity, in fellowship with God the Father and God the Spirit since before the creation of the universe.)  If Jesus is now a year older, so to speak, then what might he be thinking and feeling?

Birthdays often produce introspective, reflective, and pensive feelings in us.  We marvel at how quickly time passes and, perhaps, evaluate whether or not the past year was “good.”  We might even look toward the upcoming year and the opportunities it might present.  Even if we celebrate our birthdays with family and friends, there comes a moment when each of us realizes, “I’m another year older.”

So Jesus is another year older.  We celebrated his birthday with a beautiful worship service.  After the celebration, though, we should pause to reflect:  our Lord is another year older.  How was this past year for him?  How have we, his disciples, grown in relationship with him and with each other?  How have we, his ambassadors to the world, worked to spread the good news of the kingdom of God to our neighbors?  How have we, his hands and feet, shown mercy, love, compassion, and kindness to those in need?  How has Jesus extended forgiveness, grace, mercy, and peace to us and those whom we know?

And then, the follow-up question:  in each of these areas, what opportunities lie ahead for the year to come?

–Pastor David