This weekend we had our ReFUEL Retreat [RR08]. Each year our teens gather together at Camp Lutherhaven for a winter break weekend.
This year our retreat was all about ‘getting deeper with God’. The image of a deeply rooted tree is something that appears often in Scripture and relates to our relationship with God. How do you know if you are growing spiritually? Here is a great article that asks 10 questions to ask to make sure you are growing spiritually.
Ned Anzers: God if you are real…why don’t you prove it?
If you were to draw a picture of God what would He look like? No one really knows what God looks like. Billions of people down through history have tried to paint God in the shape of an animal, as fire or water, in the stars or sun, as distant gods, inner gods, peaceful gods or fearful gods. Some even say there is no God. Almost everybody has a different view of God from each other. Wouldn’t it be nice if God decided to reveal Himself once and for all? Imagine what it would be like to see God, talk to Him, touch Him, sit down and eat with Him.
“Any one that has seen Me has seen the Father.” (John 14:1-14) Many thousands of people saw, touched, talked and ate with Jesus. They kept record of it so that people would know that God does exist. As we read the Bible people tell us over and over again, “God does exist. We know because we met Him.”
Couldn’t these people make this stuff up? Jesus never claimed to be God, did He? In fact…
Jesus claimed to be equal with God got people mad (John 10:30-33). He also puts Himself on equal terms with God:
These are stunning words from Jesus, but they are also dangerous words. It would be like going into Ross Aid Stadium and saying I am a Badger fan.
Anyone can claim to be God, can’t they? Yes. Muhammad Ali said, “I have wrestled with an alligator! I tussled with a whale! I handcuffed lightning, threw thunder in jail! Only last week, I murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalized a brick. I’m so mean, I make medicine sick! I am the greatest!” Ali knew that if you are going to talk this way that you better back it up or else you will be the laughing stock of the world.
He controlled the weather (Luke 8:24 “stopped a storm”, handcuffed lighting and threw thunder in jail)
Impressive, but that couldn’t it have been a coincidence? Sure. Yet everyone around Jesus agreed that He did amazing things. He feed 5000 people with a boys school lunch box, He walked on water, He cured sickness, paralysis, blindness, deafness, and brought the dead to life. When Jesus walked the earth, it was as if He owned the place. Well, He did create it (John 1:1-4).
Couldn’t He have tricked people into thinking He was who He was? What Jesus did were not tricks. There was no David Copperfield or CGI. Jesus enemies could not expose Him as a fraud. Jesus did not use His power for wealth, status, or fame. In fact, Jesus was prophesied about hundreds and thousands of years before He was born (where He was born, how He would die, etc.). He fulfilled every prophecy.
Jesus did what He did to prove that God exists.
I love rainy days. Why not jump in a puddle when you are already wet? Didn’t your mom tell you not to jump in puddles as a kid?
The majority desires to be told what to do; yet only a minority has no desire to actually do what they are told. It is a peculiar contradiction that leaves many floating without a purpose on a sea of self-devistation. Many have said, “I have committed my life to Jesus my Savior, but what do I do now?”
The answer is simple. It is simple, but not necessarily easy. You see simple rarely equals easy. That is why many have such a disparagement for simplicity. So, what do I do now? Listen and obey. Listen and obey what? God’s Word; hear and do what God says. This answer almost always produces a volatile response. It robs me of excuses. It breaks down my defenses. It leaves me completely vulnerable.
James 1:22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.
Dueteronomy 13:18 if you will listen to the voice of the LORD your God, keeping all His commandments which I am commanding you today, and doing what is right in the sight of the LORD your God.
Listen and obey, that’s it? Some ask for a formula or creative checklists take the heart out of the equation. We crave a formula. We want our 10 steps to spiritual success, 5 easy steps to an “on fire” relationship with God, 3 “P’s” for purity, and a quirky acronym for GOSPEL. I’d buy that because I desire a nice, safe, cute Christianity that is non-offensive and void of power. Rather just give me something measurable, something that I can get my hands around and then store on a shelf for a rainy day. Not! A rainy day theology means that I want my faith on stand by, just in case there is an emergency.
Sad to say, it doesn’t work that way. Following Jesus is not a one-size-fits-all proposition. Listening and obeying is risky. It leaves room for human error: Is it really God speaking to me? How do I know it is God not the spicy Indian food I ate the other day? This is the point: I can communicate with Him and ask questions, and He answers through the Bible. Hear, His voice is right at our finger tips in His written Word. Just listen and obey. Rarely is it all that complicated. We argue. We contemplate. We ask three friends if they think it was really God’s voice and the moment passes. We don’t obey. And we miss out on the divine.
Listening and obeying must be done. I cannot rely on someone to listen to God for me. It doesn’t work. In a world where everything is prepackaged, Christianity doesn’t seem to work. It is too difficult. Many are far too busy to do something so silly as listen. You cannot purchase God’s plan for your life at your local Christian bookstore. They don’t have it. He doesn’t come prepackaged. God knows the outcome of our obedience: Obedience changes the world, and disobedience perpetuates the ho-hum (Micah 6).
Ned Anzers: The idea of the Trinity seems farfetched. How can three persons be one God?
Though the word “Trinity” is not found anywhere in the Bible, the theology behind it is seen throughout. The Trinity does not follow logic, but we must understand that theology is not always logical. In mathematics 1+1+1=3, but in the Theology Proper 1+1+1=1. John Wesley once said, “Tell me how it is that in this room there are three candles but one light, and I will explain to you the Trinity.”
I believe in one Triune God, eternally existing in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections. (Duet.6:4). The Trinity is the doctrine that God is one essence in three co-eternal, co-equal persons (Mt. 3:13-17; Mt.28:19-20; Gen.1:1, 1:26; Jn.1:1, 20:28; Acts 5:3-4; 2 Cor.13:14).
The Bible clearly states that God is One (Ex.20:2-3; Duet.6:4; 1 Cor.8:4). I do not believe in Tri-theism (three separate Gods), but only one God. However, it is correct to say that there are three members of the Godhead. First, God the Father is God (Eph.1:3; 1 Cor.8:6). Second, God the Son is God (John 1:1-14; John 8:58; John 20:30-31; Phil.2:6-8). Third, God the Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-5; 1 Cor.3:16). The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are united together as One as is seen in the Great Commission (Mt.28:19-20) and the baptism of Jesus (Mt.3:13-17).
In conclusion, God eternally exists as three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and each person is fully God, and there is one God. Broken down, this amounts to three propositions: God is three persons. Each person is fully God. There is one God. In addition, it’s helpful to elaborate on the fact that when we say, “God is three persons,” we mean that he is not just one person, and that the persons of the Trinity are not to be confused. So we can also say: The Father is God. The Son is God. The Holy Spirit is God. The Father is not the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is not the Father. The Holy Spirit is not the Son, and the Son is not the Holy Spirit. The Son is not the Father, and the Father is not the Son.
Justin Taylor, Trinity 101. http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/869_trinity_101/
Earlier today I was craving a chili cheese burrito. So I decided to head over to Taco Bell for lunch. Why does TB always sound so good, but you hate yourself for days afterwards?
It got me thinking. Taco Bell is a lot like sin. Okay, weird, I know. Just trust me on this.
Sin is fun. In the moment, sin sounds like a good idea. Just like my idea of Taco Bell: I could not resist the hankering for an ooey-gooey chili cheesy burrito (by the way, is that real meat in there?). It tasted so good going down. Mmm, yummy. However, it wasnt but a few minutes later that I already started feeling yucky and questioning why I had made such an idiotic decision. So it is with sin. The after taste of sin is disgusting, unsatisfying and leaving you with an empty gut of guilt. You see, sin is worse than silly Taco Bell. The Bible says, sin separates us from God and that sin is a slap in His face to the satisfying joy He desires us to have (Rom.3:23; 6:23).
I might be thinking outside the bun on this, but God is so more satisfying than Taco Bell. There is no comparison. Psalm 34:8 says, “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man who trusts in Him.” When we do not satisfy our hungers with God it is like eating 10 bean burritos at one sitting and expecting to run a marathon immediately afterwards. It ain’t happening.
I am incredibly thankful that God forgives us of our sin, cleans us from all unrighteousness and is more satisfying to the soul than anything on this planet. I am also thankful for the guy at the bank who gave me a breath mint!?
We as human beings have questions. Big questions. Significant questions. Questions about life, God, and the future. As a pastor, I often get questions from people inside and outside our church. These questions are real and expect real answers. I will begin a series of blog-entries that show some of these questions and seek to provide them with biblical answers.
Ned Anzers: I think that the largest reason I believe in God is because I was taught to. If I were born in an Islamic, Jewish, or atheistic family I think it is safe to say I would be what I was taught. Surely this is not what God wants my faith in him to be founded. In the past I have asked myself why I believe in God and have found ‘answers’ but after deliberating on them I no longer feel they hold any weight. My question is this: Why do you believe in God?
This is a very good question. Can I ask you a question in return?
How is your belief in God different than your relationship with God?
To answer your question, I will give you both a short and a long answer.
Why do I believe in God? In short, I choose to believe in God. That’s my snapshot answer. If it is not satisfying I will try to give you a clearer panoramic picture of why I choose God. Actually, it is more like He chose me…
The long story:
I grew up in a home that believed and taught about God. We were Catholic (by title and church attendance). My priest baptized me as a baby, yet I don’t remember a thing because I wasn’t even old enough to eat smashed carrots. I went to Catholic mass every week because my grandparents took (and sometimes dragged) me there. I went to Catholic Sunday School (called Catechism), and had my first communion. We called ourselves Christians, but I had no understanding what that meant. I believed in God too.
As I grew older church became less satisfying. God was still real, but less desirable. There was this disconnect between God and me. God was like some cosmic grandfather that I never talked to or understood. He was like some story my family told me, but almost like He was an ancestral fairytale. Little did I know this was a very small and insignificant view of a very big God.
I was a troubled kid. I had an appetite for attention. I didn’t “feel” like I received it at home, so I was sort of a class clown around school. I was well liked by my peers. I was a friend to all kinds of people. I truly treasured the attention I received from my peers. When the attention would wear off, I would do something wild and crazy to get attention. It would draw a crowd and satisfy my tastes buds for a bit, but more often I would get into trouble.
My quest for attention led me to friends that were bad influences and not law abiding. I found myself doing things I never intended or desired to do just to be around people that I thought cared. These friends introduced and diverted my attention to girls, pornography and vandalism. Note: I was still involved in church and considered a rather good kid. Overall, inside and out, I was left feeling empty, lost, confused, full of questions, needing hope, and handicapped by my guilt. I was to the point of thinking suicidal thoughts. God seemed even more distant.
My parents took me to see a local psychologist. This ended up being a waste of money. The school enrolled me in special classes. The only thing this meant was getting picked up early for school by the short-bus. I was both embarrassed and frustrated with my life.
In junior high, my mom and step-dad moved. I lived further away from my dad, which really broke my heart. Life seemed like it couldn’t get any worse.
We started going to a different kind of church because my mom and step-dad were dissatisfied with the churches of their youth. I did what most kids do: went to church because I had to. There was something about this Wausau Bible Church that was different than St. Al’s. First, most everybody had a Bible. Second, most everybody was friendly. Third, most everybody talked about God or with God as if He was a close companion. This all seemed very strange to me. On the other hand, I was quite curious. We continued to go. We bought Bibles, even though I could not understand it. I got plugged into the youth group and learned new things about God that I never knew before.
I remember clearly some of the lessons from my junior high boys Sunday School class. Here are 3 that I challenged my thinking and ripened my heart:
Not only a weird story about a fat king, but a lesson on Idolatry. The people are testing God. God is ready to hear their cries and deliver, but there is a need for a deeper deliverance than they desire. They desire deliverance from their situation, when God desires they to have a spiritual Deliverer. This passage gave me a radical view of Gods purposes. I need Him. I need a Deliverer. I have idols in my life that have taken His place.
This song of David is a BIG picture view of life, not just reactive living. David is incredibly honest with God. He is living in a world of trouble [enemies, rejection, fear, etc]. Yet among all the trouble he is God centeredness [v.4, 14]. That is incredibly weird. I had to ask myself the question: when trouble comes where does my heart go? Not to God, but my attention in stuff or silliness that did not satisfy.
This passage hit me square between the eyes and stuck my heart with the present active benefits of God here and now. It showed me how a life without God is foolishness [vs.1-5]. I am victimized by my own foolishness. It showed me the power I have over sin in Christ [v.9]. The indwelling presence of God is given to do what He has called me to do. It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me…and gave Himself for me. It shows me the freedom of having a relationship with Christ [v.13-14]. I do not have to hide, live in shame, worry about exposure, because Christ forgives all my sin, weakness and guilt. No more fatalism.
I was left with God, I thought “I really didn’t know Him,” but ached in my heart to have a relationship with Him. I did not treasure Him, but knew only He could satisfy my loneliness and desire for attention. Instead of seeking His attention, I sought to put my attention on Him. It was then I fully understood I needed a Redeemer/Deliverer/Savior. I was lost, but now He found me. Thus, in July 1992, I humbled my view of self and my view of God. No longer did I believe in Him, but I began a relationship with Him.
Well, that’s the long version of His Story with me. Like you, I wonder what if I was born into a Hindu, Muslim, or Jewish family. Would I believe the Truth? Would God in His grace rescue me from a bogus view of God? Then I wonder, why did He choose me? All I can answer is, “Alleluia!!” I thank God that He did! I pray that I would be used to help others see God is real and that He desires a relationship with them.
I would encourage you to take ownership of your belief in God [Acts 16:31]. Take your parents teaching on God and make it your own.
Today, there is a lot of uncertainty in American (and the world): the stock market is devaluing, gas and food prices are skyrocketing, there is threat of terrorism, there is political distrust on a reckless scale, and the American pride/patriotism is becoming as distant as the American dream. There doesn’t seem to be any solution, only a worsening problem.
I am not one to use scare-tactics causing fear in the eyes of others about the future. Neither do I want to predict hell-fire or fatalism. I simply wanted to share a few articles I came across this week (thanks to Frank my local economist): The Rise of the Rest and Peak Oil: Life After the Oil Crash
What do we do? Is there any hope? Who or what is in control here? As said on the front cover of Douglas Adams’, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, “DON’T PANIC”. Here are…
4 Essential Truth’s to Know & Do:
1. I do not need to fear [Rom.8:15; Ps.27:1; Ps.56:3-4].
2. God is in control [1 Chron.29:11; Prov.19:21; Rom.8:28-29].
3. This is not the end [Acts 16:31; John 3:16].
4. Those who trust in Him will survive [Prov.3:5-6; Jer.17:7; 1 Tim.6:17]!!
We just finished our first ever week of Potawatomi Bible Camp. We had 51 campers!! What an answer to prayer to see the vision we [Dan Nave, Scott Tiede, and me] prayed about over a year ago come to fruition.
We were able to see God do some amazing things this week. Uncle Charlie of Children’s Bible Hour was our speaker. It was a joy to watch this aged man related to the kids. We had 3 campers begin a relationship with Jesus Christ as their Savior!! It made the week so worth it.
We had to end camp a day early because of the an issue with bats inside the cabins. We were told that the bats would not be a problem when we arrived earlier in the week. Sunday afternoon we had a larger work crew help clean the cabins and chase any varmints out of the cabins with great success. Campers arrived later on Monday afternoon. Monday night we had a few cases of bats in the cabins. Tuesday we plugged holes, but that night we again had more bats. In fact, there were more that 20+ bats in one of the cabins. We had a DNR naturalist come that afternoon that shared with us bats are harmless and are not the rabies-infested-beasts we claim them to be. Out of protection for the kids we decided it would best to let the kids go home early. No more guano!!
Lesson: It doesn’t take a week to see God work nor do bats and bugs distract His Spirit from impacting lives!! Praise the LORD for a great week of Camp!
The sea horse declares the glories of God. This unique creation gallops slowly near the shore with its tail twisting forward gripping seaweed. The seahorse is an amazing creation that describes a lot about our amazing Creator
The sea horse is incredibly unique. Its protective bony armor cleverly protects it from imminent danger. Its armor is so strong that it is almost impossible to crush a dried dead sea horse in your hands. Its tough skeleton is not a yummy or crunchy for predators.
The sea horse unlike all other fish in that its head is set at right angles to its body. It swims with its body held upright. It can bend its head down or up, but not from side to side. To most this would seem like a handicap, but the Creator in His amazing wisdom has designed the seahorse’s eyes to move independently, swiveling around in any direction to watch each side.
The sea horse uses its fins to swim vertically, and rises or sinks by cleverly altering the volume of gas within its swim bladder [w/o the use of Beano!?]. If this bladder is damaged, and it loses even a tiny bit of gas, it sinks to the bottom, where it will lie helpless until death.
The most unique characteristic of the sea horse, compared to all other animals in God’s creation, is that the male gives births to its young. The male sea horse has a kangaroo like pouch built into its armor. The female lays the eggs directly into this pouch, where the male fertilizes them. She may lay as many as 600 eggs. Once impregnated the dad-to-be swims off as the baby incubator. One or two months later he gives birth to tiny replicas of their parents.
The sea horse is like the platypus. As far as evolution is concerned: it presents an enigma that baffles and frustrates all theories that seek to disprove a Creator. It is easy to see when one looks at the sea horse that there is a Divine Designer.
What is a few bucks spent on gas, when you have a lifetime of memories from one road trip?
Over the weekend I traveled down to wild and wonderful West Virginia. I packed about 2 weeks worth into 5 days. I had many refreshing conversations with longtime friends while marinating on Gods rustic mountains.
A spectrum of feelings: I was refreshed by the glory of God’s creation. I was overjoyed to see moco feo, Ray & Tiff over good pizza and talks about God. I was embarrassed by a fender bender with “The Don’s” getaway vehicle. I was encouraged to be among the worshippers of Hilltop. I was stuffed with good eatin’ at Bob & Elva Jean’s. I was blessed to spend quality time being enamored with the most wonderful woman, her name is “beautiful.”
High gas prices can’t stop me from these memories.
Boundaries are necessary. Boundaries are practical markers that keep you out or keep you in. A boundary says, “I am not going there. I am not going to step over that line.” During a time of war boundaries are put into place to keep an enemy out or clearly mark the line of defense. Where I live the subdivision has created boundaries between the property lines. This is really only helpful when I am mowing the lawn!? In most all sports there are boundaries to be kept within the rules of the game. Boundaries are necessary.
There are boundaries in other area’s of life. Especially when it comes to relationships. A couple needs to set up boundaries to protect themselves from crossing over into territory that God has not allotted for them until marriage. There are certain boundaries that are not to be crossed: sex before marriage, and immoral touching or talking… these are clear from the Bible. There are other boundaries that are not so clear, but should be decided depending on the temptations and desires of the couple for the purpose of protecting their purity and integrity until that sacred day. So many couples do not even consider boundaries. This is a recipe for disaster. Not only is it not how the relationship is meant to be, but it also spoils the joy of waiting. Boundaries are necessary.
spreading the fame 