Inevitable Transformation

            Transformation, according to the New Oxford American Dictionary is “a thorough or dramatic change in form or appearance.” [1] The promise of transformation is big business today, and I’m certain economic historians could verify for us that such has been the case throughout human history. Human beings are obsessed with change. At a very practical level most people want change. It may be the vehicle they drive, the home they live in, the job they work at, or even the appearance of their body that they want to see change. But these are merely surface level changes that serve to mask the even greater desire for internal change.

            There are those stubborn types who claim “they ain’t chang’n for no one.” I guess this perspective is fixed after years of justifying one’s own shortfalls, either that or a complete failure to recognize greater potential within themselves or within those around them. But, for the rest there remains within an unsettled component to our lives that longs for perfection, one might even say, eternal life. The ways in which people hope to obtain this perfection are endless. But, what each has in common is an image. This image, let’s call it a god or gods, represents the promise. In other words, the promise of perfection, of eternal life, resides in this image. This image becomes the object of the devotee’s worship and in time, the devotee is transformed into this very same image.

            Recently, in studying II Corinthians, I have had the blessing of thinking more deeply on a verse that has always fascinated me. The verse is 3:18, “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” This verse captures a truth about the destiny of our souls. Whatever we devote ourselves to, or whatever we worship, bears the image of what we ourselves will become. So, if through Christ we see God face to face, that is, if in our devotion to Jesus we come to know our Creator as He truly is, then we are destined to regain the likeness to our Creator that was lost at Fall of Man. (See Genesis 1-3)

            In contrast, if we remain in our deception, in our blindness, and we waste our days beholding the image of a thing temporal or the image of a thing created rather than that of our Creator, we are destined for destruction. We will have been transformed into an image infinitely more inferior than that of our original purpose.

Paul, writing in Romans 1:24-25 says, “Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.”

            In these two passages, II Corinthians 3:18 and Romans 1:24-25, the idea of transformation is implied. As human beings we have coded into our DNA the reality of our potential perfection. We long for transformation to recover what has been lost. We were made perfect. We were created in the image of our Maker and are restless until we recover that image. When we look to Jesus Christ, who is the exact image of our Creator, when we behold our image bearer then we are transformed, in time, into His very image. When we look to anything else we are transformed into an image that is not only false, but leads to our demise. Let us keep your eyes on Jesus, who is the Author and Finisher of our faith.

                                                                        Eyes on Jesus

                                                                        Pastor Gibbs

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[1] New Oxford American Dictionary 3rd edition © 2010, 2012 by Oxford University Press

Feasting on death

Immorality’s appeal is its dark promise to a quick pleasure. God’s heart must break for those tortured souls who make their living serving this diabolical pleasure. For they are locked within the fowl culture of rotting death. Those feasting at the altar of perversion feast on death. The promises offered by these criminal gods are designed to seduce their vacuous subjects to feast on the lives being offered on the altar of immorality.

From the mouth of babes.

Maybe I’ll be able to preach like this some day. Incredible!!!

 “Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord!” (Ps 31:24, ESV) 

It remains so counter-intuitive to wait when troubles arise. Our basic (base) instinct is to “do” something, anything. But that is the point! What can “we” do? After all, the simple fact remains that if we were able to rid ourselves of trouble we would never be in trouble to begin with. Simply put, trouble comes to us through the consequences of our actions or the actions of someone or something else. When we find ourselves in trouble our great weakness is exposed and this leads to fear. Fear then becomes the motivation for impotent action. 
God’s answer to us is simple, "wait on me." To wait requires trust. If God is able I will be safe. If God is willing I will be safe. Waiting on God demands that we trust that He is both able and willing. When this faith is present then we are made strong. “Be strong (in Him), and let your heart take courage..."

Discerning God’s Will

           In accessing the role I play as Pastor one source of tension that remains an inevitable challenge is trying to distinguish between real faith that leads to either change or contentment and lack of faith, which leads to destructive change, or lukewarm Christianity. Sometimes I feel led as the shepherd of this flock to move the congregation to greener pastures with the inevitable consequence that this will require the sheep to leave familiar surroundings and move ahead to a place unknown. Other times I feel led to encourage a spirit of contentment in order to protect the church body from rushing unnecessarily into trouble. Knowing the difference can be a daunting challenge. The consequences for neglecting to correctly discern “the will of God” will seemingly result in either, “putting God to the test” or promoting “lukewarm” Christianity.

           When the noise level about a potential building project increases the need for correct discernment should become the priority, not only of the pastor, but of every member as well. Opinions concerning the need to build on to our existing facility are wide spread. There are some in our church who feel that the time to increase the size and appearance of our existing building is now. To be sure, there are varying ideas and opinions as to what the size and scope of this project might be. On the other hand, there are some who don’t believe any building project is necessary until our current mortgage has been paid and even then it still wouldn’t be necessary. I’m also sure that some are not informed enough to have any opinion.

           So, what is “God’s Will?” Do we build believing that God wants to increase our capacity to minister to the membership of this church as well as this community? Or are we to be content and to do the best with what we have, resisting any action that might be motivated by a selfishly ambitious spirit? I will share two examples from Scripture, one to support the former and the other to support the latter.

           In Genesis 22, God commands Abraham, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love…and offer him there as a burn offering…” (22:2 NASB) Anyone reading this account could not fail to sense the deep conflict within the soul of Abraham. What God is asking Abraham to do is to trust Him to a degree he had never imagined, He is asking him to trust Him with the most important thing in his life, namely his son. As the story turns out, Abraham obeys, Isaac is spared and this is God’s blessing to Abraham, “16…because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 indeed I will greatly bless you…” (22:16, 17 NASB) Abraham received God’s abundant blessing, only after his willingness to give up everything in obedience to God.

           The comfort and familiar routines of our existing church experience can become a thing for which we develop a deep and affectionate love. When any action threatens to jeopardize the object of our love we get a sense of the tension that Abraham must have felt. However, if the action is being required by God then only two responses are possible: First, is the response of faith, as seen in Abraham, who, although no doubt conflicted, responded with trust. Second, is the response of fear, which would have, ironically enough, resulted in “saving” the thing loved, but only momentarily. In the end, had Abraham disobeyed, he would have had the temporary satisfaction of saving his son, the object of his love, but he would have, at the same time, missed out on experiencing the love of God and the provision of God that could only have been know through faithful obedience.

           The second passage is from Hebrews, “Keep your life free from the love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” (13:5 ESV) The meaning of this verse seems to me obvious. Within the sinful heart of every person lies the potential for greed. It would be a luxury to know that upon accepting a position to become the pastor of a church all potential to greediness or self-glory would cease to exist. However, no such status exists and like everyone else, pastors are as susceptible to envy and greed as anyone else. So there does exist the real possibility that a pastor, along with every church member, who is pushing the church to build a bigger building is doing so from a heart motivated by envy. The warning in Hebrews speaks to just such a spirit.

           So what are we to do? Are we, like Abraham, to be willing to take a great risk and obey God so that we might experience a deeper level of God’s grace and provision? Or are we to sit tight, check our motives and be content with the provisions God has given us? Honestly, until we are unified, I believe that our position must be to the possibility that either outcome might be God’s will. As a church we must be ready to surrender all to God when He asks. We must also be willing to remain content, waiting on God, even when this posture brings the charge of “unfaithful” by some. To know the difference, I guess is to believe that God is able to make us ALL aware when He desires us to move and when He desires us to be still. Either way faith in the power, goodness and provision of God remains paramount.

           Please join or continue with me in praying to our God about the future of our church. His Word reminds us that the Spirit of God does not bring confusion, “for God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.” (I Cor 14:33 NASB) His word also reminds us that God reigns from on high, “But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.” (Habakkuk 2:20 ESV).

                                   

                                                                        Seeking His Will

                                                                        Pastor Gibbs

Transforming Faith

Studying the book of James recently has confirmed in me a growing conviction that what God is offering us in Christ surpasses exceedingly the generic blend of Christianity on the shelves of most Christian storefronts. There is a rich vein of infinite value waiting to be mined by anyone willing to forsake all sources of security and venture forward into a life of transforming faith.

In verse 5 of the first chapter James informs those believers spread throughout the provinces of the Roman Empire, who undoubtedly faced a plethora of real problems; problems related to their spiritual lives, their political lives and certainly to their family lives, to simply ask God for the wisdom needed to live as He expected them to live within the context of their unique surroundings. What James unpacks in the following chapters is that many of the recipients of his letter were mixing the wisdom of the world with their perceptions of the Christian faith and finding it impossible to properly reflect the kind of lives indicative of the ONE who saved them. For example, consider this passage in James 3:13–17 (NIV84),

¹³ Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. ¹⁴ But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. ¹⁵ Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. ¹⁶ For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. ¹⁷ But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.

            James points out that the “wisdom” that is the default wisdom for all of us born in sin is demonic at its source and therefore fully motivated by selfishness. One can only possess the wisdom that comes from God, when God is asked and asked with the right intentions. (ch.4:3) Those intentions must desire the fruit of that wisdom, which is righteousness, love, mercy etc., (ch.3:17-18), to the fullest degree.

            In other words, James points out that the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ is much more devastating to our fallen nature than might be originally understood. God, in Christ, has not simply sent his Son to die so that we might experience a few special religious moments in this life and then go on to heaven. Nor did Jesus die for us to essentially live a pretty good life, try and keep our noses clean, treat others we agree with as best we can and hope it’s good enough to get us to the pearly gates. No, Jesus death is the death of me, the death of you, the death of all who desire to find their “new” life in Him. The death of my old nature fights vehemently against such a thing, but God will accept nothing less than the death of my old man.

            He desires righteousness in me, and not merely surface righteousness that is practiced among the good religious folks, but internal righteousness that is the outcome of a transformed heart. This is the righteousness that bears heavenly fruit, the kind of fruit that ministers to the orphan, cares for the widow; it is the fruit of a transformed character willing to forsake all to follow Jesus; the fruit that is ready and willing to pray for and even minister to our enemy. It appears to me that James is seeking to reorient his readers to the true nature of our calling in Christ, namely, Transformation!

            We have a few more studies in the book of James. I hope that you are finding the most resent messages as challenging and edifying as I have and that you are looking forward to what God will teach us as we conclude our study through this amazing book in the Bible. May all we do bring glory and honor to our LORD.

Seeking the Wisdom from Above,                           Pastor David Gibbs

A Banjo Doesn't Lie

My son is learning to play the banjo. He is in the early stages where the excitement of novelty leads to non-stop practice, but also reveals the noise of inexperience. There are moments as he practices, when a note or chord are struck true and the ensuing sound is pleasant. However, this truth quickly fades as the noise of error takes over. As my wife and I proudly listened to him struggle to find the truth, she commented, “An instrument doesn’t lie.” A very astute point! The joy of hearing pleasant tones of music, regardless of one’s belief structure, would seem to be a universal acknowledgement. It would not seem excessively presumptuous to say that every sane person enjoys music and although preferences may vary as to the genre, all people demand that their music be true. 

Why then does this reality that is a sine qua non for music fail to translate into other areas of life? Take, for example, the area of morality. If we were to listen to the dominant voices of society, we would be led to believe that immorality is a fluid reality, a thing always mutating according to the progress being made in its environment. Today’s loftiest voices seem to be saying that there is no “true” sound when it comes to the note of human behavior. The impact that these societal authorities are having is clear according to resent surveys. In a USA TODAY article Cathy Payne references a Pew survey which indicates that currently 60% of Americans say that homosexuality should be accepted. This number is up from 49% in 2007. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/06/04/homosexuality-acceptance-countries/2387943/ 

Why the increase? Why is the trend increasing in the direction of acceptance and not in the direction of disapproval? Some might claim that the answer to these questions lies in the reality that educated and cultured people are evolving away from the bigotry and narrow-mindedness of their petty ancestors. While those weak-minded schleppers refuse to accept the inevitability of sexual liberation, the free-thinking, nose raising elites sit and scoff. So who is right? Surveys simply reflect trends in the way people are behaving or thinking. Simply being on the majority side of an issue does not guarantee being right? It only guarantees that certain groups of people hold similar views. 

If we are to know the sound of truth we must acknowledge that it will certainly not manifest itself through information attained by surveys. It will not magically fall from the sky into the minds of a few spiritual, or for that matter, academic elites who will then manipulate the masses into naively following them. Truth is not going to be under the authority of a political party ready to serve its wishes. Truth will be manifest through the created order of things. It will be known through everyone and everything accurately reflecting the image of the Creator. Therefore, to know the truth in music or morality, demands a knowledge of its source, a source many throughout time have professed as God. 

The biblical writer of Hebrews identifies this source at the beginning of his letter, he writes, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.” logos4:CopyBibleVerses;ref=BibleESV.Heb1.1-4

Indeed, according to sacred scripture the source of truth was revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. Therefore, to know the truth is to know Him. The reality that the lines between right and wrong, morality and immorality are being progressively blurred is a sobering sign that the rejection of Jesus Christ, God’s own Son, continues with unabated passion still. The boldness at which He is rejected is as dominant today as it has ever been. The proud who refuse to humble themselves before Him seem to feel as though the more boldly and confidently they rebel, the more they can ease their troubled conscience. However, this is the ultimate practice in futility.

The good news for all who have humble themselves before God’s anointed ONE, who are  staying the course and who continue fervently seeking Him is that they are on the side of eternal truth. The ONE who has called us has also promised us that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life and that no one can come to THE FATHER, accept through HIM. (John 14:6) 

We can learn so much from the simplest things. A banjo, when played according to the truth, makes beautiful music. Even so, a human being, when reflecting the image by which she was made, makes a pure and beautiful life. 

Seeking the Sound of Truth,

Pastor Gibbs