Monday Morning Widgets

I was watching the Today show this morning while eating breakfast and hear of yet another story of a child that went missing – this one a 2 year old boy. It seems to me that the story line was so familiar. The child disappears, the parent(s) go on camera pleading for their child’s return. Not too long afterward volunteers from across the towns gather together to walk every inch of the city. The heart of the collective community broken for this lost child. Day and night the volunteers search till there isn’t a square foot of the city that doesn’t have footprints.

No matter how often you hear these stories, your heart breaks. When a child goes missing, parents go looking. And that’s what God has done. There’s not a square foot on this earth that doesn’t have His footprints. He began searching the moment Adam and Eve made a choice and lost their way. He sent the nation of Israel looking. He sent his Son to “seek and save what was lost”.

Today He sends His church. We read yesterday in Acts 1:8 (Chapter 28 in The Story) where Jesus said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

The disciples go to Jerusalem and wait for the Holy Spirit to come. In the dramatic moment, the Holy Spirit invades the lives of Christ followers. Shortly thereafter this church of 120 swelled to over 3,000 believers.

it didn’t stop there. They devoted themselves to biblical teaching, fellowship, communion, and prayer (Acts 2:42). The first church was grounded and devoted to the Bible, to sharing in the needs of each other, and doing great things through the power of the Holy Spirit. No task at hand was too big for them to accomplish on their own. They needed each other. Mostly they needed God.

That hasn’t changed, has it? We still have the same commission to be witnesses for Jesus wherever we go… at work… at home… at the gym… on the weekend… at school… everywhere we are called to carry the name of Jesus. We are still called to the Word, to love each other, to share life, and to prayer. And we are still searching for those who have lost their way.

We are still searching because the Father still has children who are missing. So go to your Jerusalem and wait. God will bring you power as you serve Him there. Let’s not leave a square foot without our footprints.

-adam

Watching God move and change lives never gets old! Yesterday was one of those special days when the Spirit of God was moving and changing eternities. So absolutely awesome!

We talked about 4 different accounts of Jesus – one of them his conversation with Nicodemus.

Nicodemus came to Jesus at night. At night when no one would see him. At night when he wouldn’t have to guard how he acts less someone think he is drinking this Jesus koolaid.

Jesus understands the type of ‘secret follower’ relationship Nicodemus was hoping for and tells him, “You must be born again.” Jesus tells him you need an overhaul… not just some tweaking or adjustment. You need a new birth… a new heart.

It’s interesting that Scripture doesn’t say that Nicodemus drops to his knees and kisses the feet of Jesus! It doesn’t even say that he agreed with Jesus’ assessment.

I have watched how some people hear the Truth of Christ and they respond quickly and dramatically. Other times people hear the Gospel and they need some processing time.

We don’t hear from Nicodemus again in Scripture for quite some time. The next time we see him, he softly tries to support Jesus when he was on trial with the Sanhedrin. After being mocked that he is a friend of Jesus, Nicodemus backs down.

But he wouldn’t stay down for long. After Jesus is crucified, two men associate themselves with Jesus by honoring him and taking his body to a tomb. One of those two men – Nicodemus.

He was done hiding his faith under the cover of darkness. He now believed Jesus was truly the Son of God and he wasn’t afraid to let anyone know. He would deal with all the consequences of following Christ. Consequences at first appearance, but blessings of an authentic faith.

Many people desire dramatic conversion moments where the clouds part and voice calls them and they surrender their lives to Christ. For the most part, that doesn’t happen. It didn’t happen with Nicodemus. From Scripture, we don’t really know what was the turning moment. Likely it wasn’t a moment, but the course of many events. The important part is that he does eventually respond.

Here is a question for you, have you responded? Do you desire to follow Jesus Christ? You don’t need some dramatic moment in a church with a band playing your favorite song. You can respond right now. You can respond in this moment as you read this on Facbook and with an authentic desire move from being a fan to a follower of Jesus.

-adam

The last two Sunday messages (What if we went streaking? / The Bible Starring Jesus) had an overarching theme of the importance of knowing the Bible. Two weeks ago we asked, “What would it look like if we went on a hot streak spiritually like Israel did in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah?” Yesterday, we saw how the whole Bible is about Jesus and that it is important to know as much as we can intellectually and emotionally about our Jesus.

But here is the question. What would it look like if we really believed that the Bible was the most important book in the history of mankind? Where would it be? How worn would it be? Would it ever need to be dusted?

To say we would read our Bibles everyday would be obvious. To say we would learn more about the Bible in 3 months than we have our whole lives is expected.

If we left the house without our Bible, would we stop and turn around and go back like we do for our cell phone?

One of the most beautiful things to me is a well worn Bible. No, not the fancy stiff premium leather with engraved initials – I love the look of a Bible that has been prayed with, read in times of difficult circumstances, and times of wonderful moments.

A worn Bible is like a wonderfully used baseball glove – so much better than a new one! My current favorite Bible I carry with me is nothing fancy – in fact I bought it at Costco for $14 about 4 years ago. But it’s more than just any Bible to me. That Bible hast taken me through my preaching time at BCC, seminary, kids, and every moment that last 4 years has brought. All my favorite verses are highlighted. So many “aha” moments are stored in its pages.

Why don’t we treasure the Bible… treat it like the most important book it is… and wear it out with love and passion for Jesus that you need to buy a new one!

-adam

Is there a part of you that would love to risk it all? I’m not saying be destructive – but risk major changes in your life. Maybe it’s a career change, sky diving, climb a mountain, go back to school, getting a job, or running a marathon.

“I can’t do that! I can’t risk change like that!” We say things like that and frame them in words of “being responsible”. In reality it’s often more a case of fear and lack of trust in God.

As I grow in the knowledge of God I receive the courage to risk it all and the faith to let life fall. That is the sentence we were challenged to memorize yesterday.

Great courage – courage to risk your life coming before a king, walk into a fiery furnace, or fight a giant – comes from a growing and abiding relationship with God. How courageous are you? Do you see a correlation between your level of courage and your spiritual health?

Risk it all! I hear comments like, “I never see the hand of God. Cool God-things never happen to me.” How about you start risking for the glory of God – I promise you will see the hand of God all over!
-adam

Happy Labor Day!

Every week before Sunday service begins we pray that the Holy Spirit would move over the church and bring us to a place of worship and affection towards Him. Yesterday that was very evident and it was such a blessing to see God move so powerfully. To Him be the glory.

We heard the words of Haggai, “Give careful thought to your ways…” and recognized those words are as relevant to us as they were thousands of years ago. God desires, with a passion none of us could imagine, to be in a close relationship with you and me and He will stop at nothing to give us every chance to respond. That passion will include allowing difficult situations to happen to us to provide a wake up call.

Here is the question, “Do you need a wake up call?”

God wants to respond. God wants to be present and active in your life. It’s his greatest passion – the upper story of His creation.

Respond to the message of Haggai – respond to God. If we chose not to, we don’t need to dial 0 for the front desk attendant to schedule a wake up call… it’s already coming filled with love yet potentially disguised as difficult.

-adam

As we approach our annual baptism service, Dunked ’11, at Stoney Creek Metro Park, we have been getting questions on what baptism represents.

May this be the year that you choose to follow Christ with all of your heart. May this be the season that you acknowledge your faith in Christ. If you questions or concerns, I would love to talk to you. Some people desire baptism, but worry about other physical concerns or fears. Although we practice baptism through immersion – we can baptize people other ways if physical limitations are an issue. It is your heart desire that matters.

What does baptism represent? Why water?

www.gotquestions.org is an excellent resource online — here is a post they have about the symbolism of baptism:

-adam

Question: “What is the symbolism of water baptism?”

Answer:

Water baptism symbolizes the believer’s total trust in, and total

reliance on, the Lord Jesus Christ, as well as a commitment to live obediently

to Him. It also symbolizes unity with all the saints (Ephesians 2:19), that is, with every person in every

nation on earth that is a member of the body of Christ (Galatians 3:27-28). Water baptism expresses this and

more, but it is not an entrance into Christianity. Instead we are baptized

because our Lord commanded it and because we obey Him. “Go therefore and make

disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the

Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19).

Before we are baptized we must

come to believe that we are sinners in need of salvation (Romans 3:23). We must also believe that Christ died on

the cross to atone for our sins, that He was buried, and that He was resurrected

to assure our place in heaven (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). We then turn to Jesus, asking Him

to forgive our sins and to be our Lord and Savior, and the moment we do that we

are born again, our eternal salvation is guaranteed, and we begin to die to

ourselves and live for Christ (1 Peter 1:3-5). At this time we are qualified to be

scripturally baptized.

At the river, pool or baptismal font, we let

ourselves be completely immersed in the water. This symbolizes burial with our

Lord; we are baptized into His death on the cross and are no longer slaves to

self or sin (Romans 6:3-7). When we are raised out of the water, we

are symbolically resurrected—raised to our new life in Christ and to be with Him

forever, born into the family of our loving God (Romans 8:16).

The fact that baptism is not a

prerequisite for salvation is best seen in the example of a saved man who was

not baptized in water, the criminal on the cross (Luke 23:39-43). This self-confessed sinner came to

acknowledge Jesus as his Lord while dying on a cross next to Him, and he asked

for salvation and was forgiven of his sins. Although he never experienced water

baptism, at that moment he was baptized into Christ’s death, and he then was

raised to life by the power of Christ’s word (Hebrews 1:3).

Christians have been commanded to

be baptized, and we should do so out of obedience to, and love for, our Lord

Christ Jesus (John 14:15). Water baptism is the biblical method of

baptism because of its symbolic representation of the death, burial, and

resurrection of Christ.

If you would like to get baptized this year at Dunked ’11, contact Pastor Adam adam.groh@bcchurch.com or Pastor Pete peter.carlson@bcchurch.com

Waiting has got to be one of the hardest things to do.

When I was 10 years old all I wanted was a new box of Topps baseball cards! Some years later it was a car of my own. Years after that… you get the picture.

As I got older what I’ve wanted has become less material – and much more relational and opportunal (I don’t think that’s a word – but we’ll make it up). On one hand that sounds like a good thing (not gripped by material gain). Yet on the other hand it’s much harder because I can’t simply ‘buy’ what I want.

David was chosen by God to be the next king of Israel. What an incredible position to be entrusted with. Unbelievable.

Yet David had to wait. He had to grow… mature… deepen his dependence… strengthen his resolve…

We can read today and yell back thousands of years, “Don’t worry David – your time will come! You will become king!” David didn’t have that luxury. He waited and waited… and waited some 15 years or so.

To make it worse, Saul tried to make him wait for all of eternally by ending his life! So not only is he waiting – but also running for his life.

That is why those words from Psalm 59 absolutely amaze me. Even while David waits he trusts in a God he knows is good.

I wish I could honestly wait as well as David does. Instead I have to constantly convince myself that God’s timing is perfect… and He will show His hand in His perfect time.

And so as I wait I have an opportunity. As you wait, YOU have an opportunity. What’s the opportunity? Listen to this… you’ll get the idea! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6X71sXagUY

-adam

I’ve never stood before a judge to face charges before. In fact, I don’t recall ever standing before a principal, teacher, or boss and ever really been given a sentence of any sorts. That doesn’t mean I’ve never deserved it – just that I was never caught! Who me? I was a “good” boy. I was Mr. Brandt’s assistant in gradeschool Sunday School. Never!

They key to never getting in trouble is learning how to deflect the blame. This is an art I mastered as a kid and was able to blame many of my transgressions on my brothers. More times than not, this worked!

Before I incriminate myself, let me bring this back to what we learned yesterday.

God’s people kept putting themselves into a never ending cycle of disobedience, discipline, declaration of wrong, and deliverance. Judges like Deborah, Gideon, and Samson helped them find their way back to God.

What did the people do that was so bad they needed judges? Two things. First, they failed to put God first in their lives (Judges 1:28). And secondly, they did not teach their children to know God (JUdges 2:10). These two “sins” lead to their downfall and ruin.

Are you making the same mistakes they made? If so, you have a judge that can help you – Jesus. The bad news is you can’t fool him or blame your brothers. The good news is that when he “calls” you into his office after yopu’ve messes up, you will look up to see your judge’s face and see your Savior there.

-adam

When someone keeps telling you to “be strong and courageous,” you might suspect you are up against something big. And the Israelites were.

About to enter the land that had been promised them 600 years before, they had a giant-sized task awaiting them. Literally. Forty years earlier some spies had come back and told the Israelites that the inhabitants of the land were so big they felt like they were the size of a grasshopper in comparison. Fear took them captive without a battle and sent them off as a group to wander around in a wilderness where they took their chances against wild animals rather than face their giants.

They wandered so long that those who had grasshopper-sized faith died out. Forty years later their children were ready to take the land. They were physically no taller than their parents had been. The enemies in the land were no smaller than before. But the Israelites’ faith muscles had grown.

In the Toy Story movies that my kids watch daily, there are two heroes: Woody and Buzz. There were two spies who had reported the land was theirs for the taking. One of them, Joshua, is now the Israelites’ leader. He was courageous. Joshua reminds me of Woody. Since I’ve watched those movies so much, I have a line from Toy Story 3 at the end memorized. “Now Woody, he’s been my pal for as long as I can remember. He’s brave, like a cowboy should be, and kind, and smart, but the thing that makes Woody special is that he’ll never give up on you…” Courage and loyal are attributes that characterizes Joshua. God tells him three times in the first nine verses of the first chapter of Joshua: “Be strong and courageous.” He also reminds him “the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

My guess is you have a few giants in your life too. Some uphill battles that appear insurmountable. A task demanding more than you think you have to give. One too many things on your “to do” list than you have the time or energy to do. Unemployment is staring you down. Depression has a grip on you. Bills have raided your bank account and left it empty. An illness hovers in your life like a threatening storm. You’d rather just run and wander.

Instead, be strong and courageous. You have a Joshua that will lead the way. The New Testament equivalent of the name “Joshua” is “Jesus.” And he has promised to be with you always (Matthew 28:20).

Jesus knows how to lead you through battles. He had a few of his own while he was on this earth. Enemies attacking him with accusations (Mark 3:22). No home and no bed (Luke 9:58). Crowds and expectations pressing in on him (Luke 8:45). The religious establishment eventually insuring he was sentenced to a brutal death. (Mark 15:14).

Yet he took on the most barbaric giant there is, death, and lived to tell about it. He can help you do the same. You need only be strong and courageous in your faith. Be like Jesus… or Joshua… ok Woody too!

-adam

Every parent has been there. The trip ahead is long. The travel schedule is tight. You hit the road with a full tank, confident the plan you have crafted beats anything AAA could muster. But twenty minutes down the highway you hear a small, squeaky voice from the backseat. The artillery begins to bombard you. The questions.

Some you expected. Are we there yet? How much longer? Can we get something to eat?

The next barrage is unexpected. Where is that car going? Why does our dog get mad at us when we blow in his face but when we take him on a car ride he sticks his head out the window?

Every parent has been there. Questions from the backseat. You come to expect them. Every journey to a destination includes them. The same is true for the journey of faith.

Just like kids on a trip we get tired of the journey. We want to know when we can stop. We get tired of serving. We get tired of waiting. We get tired of the people we’re traveling with.

And we grumble. The Israelites did. They complained about the food, about the place they were traveling, and about their ‘driver’ Moses.

Grumbling does not set well with God. In fact, our grumbling can lead to our wandering. When offered the chance to leave Kadesh and enter the Promised Land, the Israelites listened to the fear-filled report from ten spies instead of the faith-full report of Joshua and Caleb.

Kadesh means “Spring of Decision” and it was time for one. They were in the right place to make the right decision. But the majority made the wrong one. The people wished they had died in the desert. So God told them they would get their wish. They would wander until the unbelieving generation died out.

And they did. They wandered in the Wilderness for forty years. And their children were impacted by their decisions.

The decisions you make affect those around you, just like the decisions the Israelites made at Kadesh. You can decide to grumble or be thankful. You can decide to turn away from God or turn toward God. You can decide to wander without purpose through life or follow God’s vision for your life.

Just don’t forget that those in the backseat will be affected by your decisions.