Monday Morning Widgets

Most pastors, since they work on the weekend, take Monday off. I’ve been trying to at least limit what I do on Mondays this month.
Today I went to a lake in Troy that I used to often visit to spend time in prayer and Bible reading. It was enjoyable time realizing the value of genuine wisdom as I read through the beginning of Proverbs. Beautiful morning… lawn chair… iced tea… and a Bible – fabulous!
Yet as time passed (I had 2.5 hours while Kaitlyn was in preschool), this family of geese started encroaching on my space. I don’t know how many acres that park is but of all the places for them to eat grass, it had to be near me! I yelled at the geese a few times, “Scram waterfowl!” Next I had a staring contest with the mother for a few minutes. The closer they came (10-12 feet) the louder their hissing became! Given that I was greatly outnumbered and it was the day after Mother’s Day, I moved so this mother and her babies could eat the grass around my anointed ground. I gave them some space until that mother was moving in on my iced tea (if she messed with that she would have had her last honk!). Eventually they moved on without any further incident!
“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— “that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” (Ephesians 6:1-3)
Right after Paul talks to husbands and wives in those famous verses of Ephesians 5, he moves on to talking to kids. Although the Greek word for “children” means those young at age, it can still apply to those of us who are much older and have children of our own. Honor your father and mother.
I must admit that I’ve heard those verses so often that I skim right over them. Yet they are mentioned numerous times (5 I could find quickly – maybe more), throughout Scripture.
It’s the day after Mother’s Day, but maybe we should honor our mothers every day and not just one day! After all, it’s for your own benefit, because moms know how to stare and hiss and move a grown man out of his chair!
-adam

Welcome back to the Monday Morning Widgets!

Yesterday we talked about the power of our words. James says, “Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body.” (James 3:5)

Later James says that our words can corrupt the whole person and even set our life on fire! What is he getting at?

In Proverbs, God mentions 7 things that He hates (Proverbs 6:16-19). You say, “God hates something?” Absolutely. The word “hates” means to consider personally offensive and to regard with enmity. In other words, those who do one of these things God hates are acting as God’s enemies! And two of the seven hateful things refer to our tongue – a “lying tongue” and “a false witness who pours out lies”.

Why does God condemn lying in such strong terms?

God hates lying because He is the Source of Truth. Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”

In dramatic contrast, Satan is called the “Father of lies.” (John 8:44) To quote one commentator, “When we lie, we are behaving more like the children of the devil than the children of God.”

God has a passion for Truth! In a world where truth is so sacredly rare, we need not add to our own destruction. Like we talked about yesterday with the Apostle Peter, in a moment we can go from telling truth to telling lies.

Christ-Followers are called to be truth-tellers in a world that “loves to live a lie.” (Revelation 22) Unlike many people you will run into this week, let’s “speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ.” (Ephesians 4:15)

You’re going to use about 16,000 words today – Honor Him with them today!

-adam

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