A Father's Prayer

Father,

Thank you so much for being You.  Thank you for loving me & saving me.  Thank you for providing me Your grace and mercy, for demonstrating Your love through Christ.  I stand in awe of You today more than ever before.  And yet I see that my need for You in all areas of my life are greater today than ever before as well.

Today, You allowed me to see my beautiful daughter go to her senior prom.  Just like You did a few years ago with my first daughter.  And in the process, You reminded me again how big You are, and how small I am.  I am nothing without You.  I am certainly not capable of being a man of God, much less a Godly father, without You.  Your leading.  Your strength.  Your love.  Your conviction in my life.

I still have so much to learn.  Teach me as only You can.  Help me to be a man who fears & obeys You, so that my boys will see what a man can do & be when God has complete control of his life.  Help me to be an encouragement to my daughters as they turn the pages of new chapters in their lives.  Most of all, help me be a husband that loves my wife passionately & builds her up in Christ every day.

Father, all this can only happen if I'm fully surrendered to You.  Break me.  Mold me.  Tear down the walls I've built and relied upon.  Renew my strength day by day.  Thank you for allowing me to be a part of what you're doing in my family.....and in the world.  But help them to know that anything & everything I am is because of You.

Pastor Randy

Wakefield Worship - April 1

Here is a preview of some of the songs for Wakefield worship on April 1.

He Reigns
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2pw3rJvif8

Forever Reign
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpUJkFmv8kE

How Great is Our God
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvXweftb7UU

See you on Sunday!

Pastor Randy

White Flag

As a worship leader, I listen to a lot of Christian music.  I've been waiting for the release of the new Passion CD, White Flag.  The title song is a great testimony of how we are to live for Christ:

The battle rages on
As storm and tempest roar
We cannot win this fight
Inside our rebel hearts
We're laying down our weapons now

We raise our white flag
We surrender
All to You
All for You

We raise our white flag
The war is over
Love has come
Your love has won

Here on this Holy ground
You made a way for peace
Laying your body down
You took our rightful place
This freedom song is marching on

We lift the cross
Lift it high lift it high

It's the words of the chorus that are important:

We raise our white flag
We surrender
All to You
All for You

We raise our white flag
The war is over
Love has come
Your love has won

As I meditate on these words again tonight, I'm reminded that there is no area of my life that God doesn't desire to control.  Catch that - God wants control over every area of my life.  That's what biblical worship is all about - giving everything to Him.  It means I have to raise my white flag and surrender all to Him.  We do this as an act of love and devotion to the One who gave everything for us.

Surrender doesn't put boundaries on things.  It doesn't say, God, You have all of this part of my life.  But I'll hold on to the rest.  He gets everything.  All of it.  For His glory.  For Him to be known through me.  Surrender lays ourselves open to Him completely and ready to be used as He sees fit.

So don't hold anything back.  Give it all to God.  Then watch Him do some incredibly awesome things.  True worshippers is what He is seeking - those who surrender all to Him.

Pastor Randy

Come Back at a More Convenient Time

I've been reading the New Testament with my students this year.  It has been great reading through the NT again, plus I've been able to bring our readings into class as devotions each day.  But the passages continue to speak to me personally at the same time.  Here are two examples.  One that I shared in class this week, and one that I will share when it comes up in the schedule.

Acts 16:  Paul & Silas in Prison

You probably know the story well.  Paul & Silas are in jail after Paul healed a girl with an evil spirit.  Read the chapter for more info.  Around midnight, Paul & Silas start praying and singing hymns to God, with the other prisoners listening.  Right there you see God using these guys to testify of Him, even in prison.  Anyway, there's an earthquake and the prisoners are freed - doors fly open, shackles fall off.  The guard of the prison is blown away by this and draws his sword to kill himself.

Paul calls out to the guy to stop, saying all the prisoners are still here.  The guard fell down, trembling before Paul & Silas, and asked how to be saved.  We all know this story, but notice what happened next in verse 32 - "Then the spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house."

I told my students that this is very significant in the story.  Wasn't the earthquake enough?  Wasn't the opening of the doors and releasing of the shackles enough?  God has demonstrated His power in a mighty way.  But Paul & Silas still took the man back to the Scriptures.  To me, this is significant.  Look back at the OT.  When the Israelites were freed from slavery, they saw God do a great miracle by parting the Red Sea.  What an awesome demonstration of God's power and provision for them.  Was that enough to keep them focused and faithful to Him?  Unfortunately, no.  Paul & Silas took this guard to God's Word, which never changes, is inspired and perfect, lacking nothing.  It also tells of a God who never changes.  My encouragement to my students - don't trust the ups and downs of this life, especially your emotions.  Don't wait on the big miraculous moments or base your faith on them, apart from the infallable Word of God.

Acts 24:  Paul & Felix

Paul is in trouble again with the Sanhedrin.  They're trying to figure out exactly what to do with him.  Plus, even while this is happening, he keeps giving testimony of his faith.  Felix is the Roman governor.  Paul has just finished giving his testimony again before Felix.  Felix sends Paul away to decide on his fate.

Later, Felix is with his wife and calls for Paul again.  He wanted to hear about Paul's faith again.  Paul started talking about three things:  righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come.  Now, these are some tough subjects to consider.  Felix becomes afraid and sends Paul away again.  Notice what he says here in verse 25 - "Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you."  I like how the NIV reads on this - "That's enough for now!  You may leave.  When I find it convenient, I will send for you."  Wow, that stings!  But unfortunately, Felix had the wrong motivation, expecting to get money from Paul.  More importantly, Felix kept hearing from Paul for a while, but ultimately Felix left office without responding to the Gospel message.

Those words from verse 25 are tough to read.  The original language indicates "convenient time" means "when it suits me".  As the NIV study notes say, this is what the Gospel is all about - God's power to change lives.  "The Gospel is not effective until it moves from principles and doctrine into a life-changing dynamic."

Along with the application to the Gospel, I believe we can see examples of how Felix's words can roll off our tongue in other ways.  It's as if we get to tell God when and how, rather than just saying "yes, Lord".  For the believer, righteousness, self-control, and judgment still apply to us.  We, too, may become afraid and turn away, or say "not now".  "Come back at a more convenient time."  Or worse yet, "when I find it convenient, I will send for You."

I praise the Lord for sending this part of His Word to me this week.  I needed it.  I might not have uttered these words, but my heart needed to be refreshed in obedience.  Maybe yours did, too.

Pastor Randy

The Greatness of Our God

It's been a busy week - but then, what's new about that in my life?  My tendency sometimes is to sound the retreat first.  But I'm always reminded about how big God is.  He has a plan that cannot be stopped for all of creation, and that includes me.

I heard this song sung in chapel this week at school.  I've heard it before, but I'm not sure I really focused on the text until this week.  It reminds me of the greatness of our God.  It also reminds me to spend my life to know Him more - and yes, to trust Him more.  I hope it encourages you as well.

Give me eyes to see
More of who You are
May what I behold,
Still my anxious heart.
Take what I have known
And break it all apart
For You my God, are greater still.

CHORUS
No sky contains,
No doubt restrains,
All You are,
The greatness of our God.
I spend my life to know,
And I'm far from close
To all You are,
The greatness of our God.

Give me grace to see
Beyond this moment here.
To believe that there
Is nothing left to fear.
That You alone are high above it all.
For You my God, are greater still.

No sky contains,
No doubt restrains,
All You are,
The greatness of our God.
I spend my life to know,
And I'm far from close
To all You are,
The greatness of our God.

And there is nothing
That can ever separate us.
There is nothing that can ever
Separate us from Your love.
No life, no death, of this I am convinced.
You my God, are greater still.

And no words can say, or song convey,
all You are the greatness of our God.
I spend my life to know,
And I'm far from close
to all You are,
the greatness of our God.

Pastor Randy

Jesus Hates Religion. Or Does He?

You've probably seen the video already.  It's into the millions of hits on youtube.  So, does Jesus hate religion?  Here are my "brief" thoughts on the video and the message it's trying to communicate.

First, I applaud and appreciate what I believe is the intent behind the video, and the guy who made it.  I agree with many of the messages in it.  I also appreciate the fact that it was made in a culturally-relevant manner, which certainly appeals to a younger audience, both students and adults alike.  I also very much like the primary message of the video - it's all about a relationship with Jesus Christ.  That will always be the hope of the Gospel - that we were dead in our trespasses and sins, and God sent His Son to be our sacrifice.  Without that relationship, we will be eternally separated from Him.  Praise God for His indescribable gift!

Here are some of my concerns.

1.  While I like that the video was made in a culturally-relevant manner, I'm concerned that younger people (in terms of age and belief) are already sold out to it without completely examining the content.  The video is well made, almost in a rapping style as a poem.  It moves very fast and makes it difficult to catch all the text well.  I encourage everyone to Google the text and study it for themselves.  Don't just accept something because it sounds right and is made in a way that relates to the culture.

2.  So what's so wrong with #1 anyway?  Well, I had the chance to preach on this a few weeks ago.  The idea is that while our methods can and must change, the message never does.  Paul tells the Corinthians that he has become all things to all people, so that some might be saved.  But Paul never did anything that contradicted Scripture.  I'm all for new methods to communicate the Gospel, including ways that are relevant to today's culture.  But we must ensure that the entire counsel of Scripture is maintained in everything we do.

3.  And about the entire counsel of Scripture thing - I don't believe Jesus hates religion.  He certainly came to change what religion is all about, and He certainly came to proclaim a message that went against the thinking and actions of many religious leaders.  Jesus spoke out many times in the Bible against the motives of these leaders.  But the issue here is not religion as much as it's about man's sinfulness, pride, self-righteousness, etc.  Man is the one who tries to make religion a gateway or path to God, based entirely on what he can do.  That's clearly not what the Bible teaches.  In this sense, it is about a relationship with our Savior.  We must be careful to evaluate the messages (and videos) we fully affirm in light of all Scripture.

4.  I'm concerned that someone who watches this video will get a negative perspective, and possibly a false justification, about the church.  I know the speaker says he's for the Bible and the church.  But many in our culture associate the church with rules and regulations.  They can be quick to associate those religious leaders from the Bible with today's church and its leaders.  Now, I'm not saying that every church in the US is doing everything consistent with the Bible.  But I do not want to give any more ammunition to those looking for justification to avoid church and the ministries of it, especially regular, small group Bible study.  Oh yes, and the accountability that comes with it.  If it's really all about a relationship, then a believer should crave the chance to grow in the Word and be held accountable.  Not to mention the chance to worship with other believers of like mind.  And it's what we are commanded to do in Scripture.

5.  The true Gospel will always drive us to obedience once that relationship exists.  It's not just about getting saved and waiting for heaven.  God desires us to walk in a manner worthy of Jesus.  That means we must follow the counsel of Scripture here, with its commands and instructions.  Some may watch this video and then be left to determine which commands and instructions should be followed, and which may be, say, optional.  You can't lump everything together into "rules".  I believe in the inerrancy of God's Word.  It is without error.  It is to be followed and obeyed.  Doing so pleases God, which is the main point of that relationship anyway.

Let me reiterate - I like the video overall.  I appreciate the intent and message it conveys.  I am convicted by several statements made personally.  I just want us to evaluate all we see and hear in light of God's Word and under the leadership and teaching of the Holy Spirit.  By the way, I've read a number of blogs the last couple of days that speak even more to the video.  Here are some links if you're interested:

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2012/01/13/does-jesus-hate-religion-kinda-sorta-not-really/

http://gospeldrivenchurch.blogspot.com/2012/01/jesus-was-religious.html

http://www.gracefamilybaptist.net/voddie-baucham-ministries/blog/christianity-religion-2012-01/


As for our family, I am thinking we will watch the video together as a family soon.  Then we'll spend a great deal of time talking about it.  I'm planning to print out the words for everyone to read through, so we can focus on the true message here.  I'm sure we'll all grow closer to the Lord through this.  I pray you will also.

Pastor Randy

Christmas and Those Who Suffer This Year

It's almost Christmas.  I am probably much like you, in that this is a very busy time of year.  I'm finishing up teaching and looking forward to a break.  I'm just getting past probably the busiest time of the music ministry year - musicals, special services, and more.  As usual, the stores remember me from years past as the guy who waits until the last minute to finish his Christmas shopping.  All in all, a fairly normal year.

But this year in particular, God is reminding me of a large number of people who are suffering at this time.  The holidays are not always a positive time for many, for a variety of reasons.  But my heart goes out to several families I know who are either suffering the loss of loved ones or are dealing with life-threatening illnesses right now.  Some of the family losses have occurred just in the last week, where tragedy has struck or long-term sickness and disease has claimed the life of a family member.  Plus, there are families I know who are struggling with financial concerns, job losses, family relationship stress, and much more.  My prayer for these families is that God will minister to them in a powerful way this Christmas season.  That may or may not take the form of more gifts under the tree.  It will most likely take the form of comfort, encouragement, peace and joy.

I, too, struggle at times during the holidays.  I can get too busy with all my responsibilities.  I also miss my parents who went home to be with the Lord seven years ago.  I miss being able to spend time with my brother and his family.  But God has blessed me beyond my greatest expectations.  He is providing for my needs and giving me everything I need, most importantly a relationship with Him.  The joy He gives outlasts anything else.

No matter if you're extremely happy about the holidays right now, or if you're struggling just to make it through today, the same God is on His throne and ready to encourage you.  The focus of Christmas is on Christ, our Lord and Savior who was wrapped in human flesh to pay a ransom for us.  Let the world say what it wants, but those who know Christ also know the truth.  To God be the glory for His indescribable gift!

Pastor Randy