The Legacy of a Building

Life is in a constant state of flux. The writer of Ecclesiastes reminds us that there is a time for everything, a time for change. Indeed, “there is a time to tear apart and a time to sew together” (3:7a).

This week our church building is experiencing change. The old North building is being torn down and hauled off in bits and pieces to its eternal resting home. It would be easy to see that old building simply as an eyesore needing to be removed; and I confess I have had nothing but satisfaction in my heart during the process of its demise. However, yesterday, as the old building was succumbing to the relentless onslaught of the backhoe I experienced a moment of grace. It occurred to me that the old building, snapping and crumbling before me, was the epicenter of the life of the Church, not many years ago. This building functioned as the sanctuary, the kitchen, the pastor’s office, Sunday school rooms, bible study space, and all kinds of fellowship. This building has witnessed hours of prayer, hours of laughter, hours of labor, hours of preaching and teaching, hours of study, hours of fellowship and hours of fun. Inside this building people came to know Jesus Christ as Savior, people were served and learned to serve, people learned to worship, people learned to pray, love and live. This building should be remembered as a temple of blessing.

Although, it is satisfying to see the old building fall down and make room for necessary progress and change, its “death” provides us with an opportunity to remember the approaching hour of our own death. It gives us a chance to consider if our own life will be remembered as having been a place, a temple, of blessing. On an appointed day our own bodies will succumb to the power of death and will begin the slow process of decomposition. Most people alive on that day will never give a thought to our death, much like most people having no idea that our North building has been torn down. We will fade from this world, making way for another generation, another era, and another time. The question we should ask then is what activities went on in our “building” during our life? Will the activities of our life impact those coming after us?

Although it was time for the north building to come down, in a strange way it leaves a legacy that will testify to its productive life. The very fact that the church remains and is growing is a testament to the fertile life that began in the North building. So, when each of us is called from this world to our eternal home, what legacy will we leave behind? Will those following after us have a clearer path to walk? Will they have a greater understanding of God? Will they have a better perspective as to what it means to serve others? When we are gone, most people will have never heard of us (just as most will have never heard of the North building), but will the content of our lives and especially of our faith, impact them, nonetheless?

“There is an appointed time for everything…A time to give birth and a time to die…” (3:1, 2)., It was time for the North building to come down. Progress is a necessary part of this life. However, though the building has “died” an abundance of life has sprouted from that old building that will bear fruit even into eternity. May this be true of each of us as well! May the fruit of our labors in service to our Lord continue to bless others long after we have left this world!

Serving Him,

Pastor Gibbs

Tullian Tchividjian: Allow Your Critics to Teach You | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction

Tullian Tchividjian: Allow Your Critics to Teach You Christianity Today A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction:

"Have you talked with your grandfather about this conflict? What would Billy Graham say about this?
I have talked to him about it on numerous occasions. His encouragement to me is simply, 'By God's grace, I've weathered many storms just like this, and if you submit to what God is trying to teach you, he will make you wise and humble and useful.'
In other words, don't become proud and self-righteous. Be teachable. And God will make you useful.
Don't become bitter, in other words. Allow even your most vocal critics, who may criticize you unjustifiably, to become tools in God's hands to teach you something. Emerge from this more of a gospel man, more of a God-centered man."

I love the response his grandfather, none other than Billy Graham, gives. "...submit to what God is trying to teach you, he will make you wise and humble and useful."

What great council! Submit to God!

Not, "I'll get some people together who will fight for you and we'll show those rebels, who's really in charge." No, he just gives the council that he has practices his entire life. Submit!

Thank God for Billy Graham

The Trial of Losing

Peace of mind is jeopardized anytime something of value is lost. Take, for example, what the loss of a purse or a wallet does to the owner. After the initial shock, hours are spent retracing steps, looking everywhere and through everything in hopes to avoid the painstaking efforts that inevitably lie ahead. The credit cards will need to be canceled, a new licence will need to be obtained, the difficult task of trying to remember what other important information has been lost will need to be accomplished. The entire ordeal makes for many hours of unpleasant existence. So, most people take necessary measures in order to avert such a disappointment. Efforts should be made to keep from losing items like those mentioned above, but there are "things," if lost, that would benefit, even bless us. In the loss (death is actually the best word) of these things, a Christian's life would begin to emerge and take on the fragrance of her Savior. Ironically, though, most Christians are engaged in sophisticated efforts to protect these self-acclaimed important things. By things, of course, I refer to those elements that are necessary to the existence of the alienated self, or the self determined to exists independent of God.

Romans chapter six illuminates the point. "3...all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death...5...if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; 7 for he who has died is freed from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him." (NASB)

The battle that every sincere disciple of Christ is charged to engage in is the battle against our "self." It is by faith, through trusting that our sinful self was crucified with Christ, that Christians are expected to live. The death of self does not automatically happen with the saying of a few words; Death to self is not accomplished following an intense, perhaps even lengthy, prayer of repentance of faith. Death to self has already happened in the death of Christ.What remains for the Christian is in recognizing or remembering, when he is tempted to behave according to his old sinful pattern, that he (the one contemplating sinning) has died with Christ and he now has a new life through faith in Christ. The crucified self will only "remain dead" when faith is exercised. Likewise, new life in Christ will arise only as faith in the risen Savior is employed.

This, of course recalls the original point: are we willing to lose our self. What is tough for the Christian is not parting with sin's consequences, what is tough is parting with sin. Christ is calling us to a new identity in Himself, an identity that is characterized by righteousness rather than rebellion, by holiness rather than sinfulness. Everyone must decide if losing self is worth gaining Christ. The immediate benefits to gaining Christ will not appeal to the flesh, but the spiritual and eternal benefits for choosing Christ will far outweigh our initial loss.

"For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain" ~Apostle Paul (Philippians 2:21 NASB)

“Peace with God!”
Of all the noble pursuits in life, like climbing Mount Everest or sailing around the world or even eradicating hunger and poverty, nothing compares to the pursuit of having peace with God. Think about it! If one actually does fulfill his ultimate goal, whether it is a physical challenge like climbing a large mountain or a humanitarian challenge like ending hunger, yet he completes the challenge without possessing peace with his maker, what has he actually gained? He has spent a good portion of his time, money and energy accomplishing something that ultimately fails to bring him enduring peace.
Consider the challenges that people face when peace is absent in everyday relationships. A husband and wife will experience extreme emotional challenges if peace remains elusive in their marriage. The toll will be more than either partner can afford if there remains an environment of constant friction. Eventually, the weight of that burden will permanently damage the marriage and except for the grace of God the couple will separate emotionally, spiritually and often times physically.
When the relationship between parents and children is characterized by strife and hostility the eventual outcome will be resentment, bitterness, anger, and ultimately a drifting apart. Children will seek out ways to keep themselves occupied so that they won’t have to be around their parents. While parents will often times do the same thing, or they will try to guilt the child into conformity, neither of which will result in a peaceful, enduring relationship. Lack of peace in the family unit is the most obvious example, but life can be just as difficult when peace in the workplace is absent. It keeps employees from wanting to go to work or when they are at work an employee will not be as productive if there is conflict with another employee or with a boss. The point is, pursuing peace with God is the most important thing that time, money and energy could ever be spent on.
When a person who has been estranged from God all her life, discovers that God has made peace with her, through His Son, Jesus, it re-orients her entire life. No longer is she wearing herself out trying to manage all of her different relationships and duties, trying to bring some sense of purpose and peace through her own strength. All of a sudden the peace she has with God spills over into all of her relationships. Even when the other member of a relationship acts unbecoming toward her, she is able to maintain a loving and caring perspective because her ultimate relationship with God is forever whole.
"THEREFORE, SINCE we are justified (acquitted, declared righteous, and given a right standing with God) through faith, let us [grasp the fact that we] have [the peace of reconciliation to hold and to enjoy] peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). " (Romans 5:1, AMP)
May God’s peace rule in your hearts and in your relationships!
Pastor Gibbs

Are we worth reading?

Pastor’s Pen

Are we worth reading?
Why would anyone want to read this Pastor’s Pen? That is the question that keeps popping into my head as I punch on these keys. Honestly, when I consider that people pay good money to purchase papers filled with words written by a stranger with an obvious talent this question becomes more glaring. So why press on? Two reasons I suppose; first, I press on partly out of duty. I chose to write an article every month for our church, and this month is no exception. I also press on because I discovered that writing and living for Christ have clear similarities.
People choose to read words organized on a screen or piece of paper because people desire experience. Good writing provides the reader an opportunity to experience something new, fresh, different, challenging or unique. The most gifted writers are those whose works draw readers back again and again because they believe that there remains more within the pages to discover. For example, I’ve read, “The Hobbit” several times and am always fascinated to discover new experiences within the story that I failed to see or was unable to see in my previous reading. The writing of an amateur, or one who is a writer in name only, leaves the reader less than satisfied, even empty. So, the work of a novice rarely gets read more than once, if at all, because there is no reward, nothing to experience, for the effort invested in the reading. To be truthful, it is a rather arrogant position that suggests that merely stamping words on a page or screen is all one needs to do in order to obligate others to read his stuff. A pastor might assume, “I’m the pastor of this church, the least the congregation should do is take the time to read my newsletter article. After all, I spent my precious time writing this article for them.”
Why should they? Is the precious time of the poor congregant who reads the article going to be well spent? Will the life of that person be edified; will that person experience something new within the reading, something that they have never experienced before? If the answer to either of those last two questions is not a resounding yes, then no writer should expect any reader to invest in his writing, no matter how long it might have taken him to write it. Readers deserve to experience something worthwhile from every work that they choose to read.
The analogy to the Christian faith is very simple. What do people experience when they read the life of a Christian? When a curious observer looks into the pages of a Christian’s life will he read something of value, something unique, something that stirs the soul and protests against the daily grind of mediocrity?
What a joy it would be to discover that a number of people read this article, were inspired as a result and anticipated, with great joy, the next publication. But, if the only things I offer the reader are words on a page then hope as I may, I should never expect such an outcome. People are looking for real content; content that is unusual to the barrage of the daily, emotionless experiences of life. Since this is true of writing how much more so for the Christian life?
Scripture defines Jesus as THE WORD OF GOD in the flesh (John 1:14). Although the depth of this truth is infinite, the least that may be said is that Jesus, through his unique life, revealed to the world the very content of the word of God. He did not come to be lifeless words on a dull page leaving every reader untouched, but He came to be the very content and meaning of the Word of God lived out in the day in day out grind of every day Jewish life. His was a life rich in meaning, full of flavor, profound in experience and redemptive in confrontation; in short, His is a life worth every minute reading over and over again.
The life of every Christian ought to possess a brightening reflection of His life. A Christian’s life should also be one that is worth reading, worth studying, worth considering over and over because it is one of content and purpose.
Seeking to write and live with the content of the Person of Christ,
Pastor Gibbs

No God Like You

Pastor’s Pen

Now that the Samuel Center has been officially dedicated, our first meal officially planned, served and enjoyed it is time to take a deep breath and express our gratitude to God. Of course, there always remains work to do, but at this point it is good to be able to say, “Thank You Lord for Your perfect faithfulness. Even during those times when Your people might have been tempted to doubt the fulfillment of this project, You never doubted or reconsidered. You were always ready and able to move the project forward, from the dream and idea stage, onward to the commitment stage, and finally to the completion stage. As we turned to You, as we trusted You, so You proved Yourself to be faithful. This fellowship is humbled by Your mercy toward us and for Your grace that fills us. Thank You!”
Scripture bears witness to a beautiful prayer of dedication offered by Solomon, before the entire assembly of Israelites, for the Temple that was built. “O Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing loving-kindness to Your servants who walk before You with all their heart, who have kept with Your servant, my father David, that which You have promised him; indeed, You have spoken with Your mouth and have fulfilled it with Your hand as it is this day.” (I Kings 8:23-24 NASB)
In the beginning of this prayer Solomon acknowledges three things about God, as well as one thing about those blessed by God. First, he acknowledges that God is supremely unique. God is alone at the top of the deity ladder; indeed He is the only true deity. Second, Solomon testifies that God is faithful. God fulfills His promises of mercy and blessing. Finally, Solomon resolves that God is jealous. That is, God desires that His children keep Him as the object of their love. God does not want to share the devotion of His people. Because He knows that if they love Him with all their hearts, so they will love others too. This last acknowledgment about the character of God segues into the one point that Solomon makes concerning the duty of humans. God’s creatures, who have been created in His very image and likeness are to look to God first, are to love God more than anything, and are to desire nothing more than the friendship and companionship of God. Every human of whom this kind of devotion is true is in the position to reap the bountiful harvest of God’s blessings.
The new addition of First Baptist, Towanda, in terms of physical size and material glory, is nothing compared to the elaborate Temple built by Solomon, perhaps the most glorious building in the world at that time. Yet, we trust in the same God, we depend on the same God, and we build for the same purpose. As a testimony to these truths let us worship God by acknowledging that the vision behind our building was generated by the Spirit of God. The motivation to move forward by faith was provided by the same Spirit, the perseverance to finish the project issued from Him also, and it will be God’s Holy Spirit who will lead us in the future. Why? Because, like Solomon, we understand that God alone is SUPREME, He alone is FAITHFUL, and He alone is JEALOUS for His people’s love.
As it is with the building of a physical structure, like the Samuel Center, so it is, with the building of a spiritual temple. Scripture testifies that, not only is our individual body to be a temple of the Holy Spirit, but the assembly of believers consisting of the church, is as well. God has promised to bring to perfect completion, for His perfect glory, the life of every Christian while bringing perfect completion to the church as well. May we look to God as the ONE who is faithful to fulfill His promises; may we know God as our only true God; may we love God more than anything else; and may we desire his friendship above all others.
Blessings,
Pastor Gibbs

My Defense

Psalm 38:13-14 reads "But I, like a deaf man, do not hear; And I am like a mute man who does not open his mouth. 14 Yes, I am like a man who does not hear, and in whose mouth are no arguments." (NASB).

This is my condition before God. I am a man who continues to discover that his strength is insufficient, even helpless against the enemies of my soul. Verse 15 summarizes my hope, and the hope of all whose faith is in God, "For I hope in You, O Lord; You will answer, O Lord my God."

So when temptation proves greater than my ability to resist, it is not inner strength that I call upon, but God; when the voice of the adversary persistently promotes my failure and weakness, I call not upon my successes, nor do I refer to my spiritual resume, I do not form an arguement in rebutal, but I call upon my Savior, in whose life my own life is found, I call upon Him who is my strength and my justification.

There are so many enemies of the Christian faith, enemies outside, as well as inside, seeking to devour and destroy. Would the Christian defend himself or argue his case alone? Not if he hopes to prevail. The Christian must learn that her defense is to humbly depend upon the mercy and means of God, her Savior. Children of God, are not called to defend themselves, but are called to defend the faith; the very faith that teaches us to trust God for all things.

A place to unload

I begin with a quote from Rene Descartes that was on my iGoogle page this morning, "If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things." The initial reading of this bold statement was like hearing fingernails being pulled across the chalkboard for the first time. What is he talking about? Me...doubt...never! And if Descartes's intent was to create and leave within the heart and mind of his students an immortal sea of doubt, then he must be challenged. (however, I confess I know little of Descartes and what the context for this quote was, but it is a great starting point for this blog...so my apologies to Rene if I have misused...)

What I am able to use from this quote is the reality that it conveys, namely, that to finally embrace a truth often times comes through a great struggle of the soul first. To give an example, the unconditional love of God is well known and widely accepted. Many people who believe in God would not disagree that God loves people without condition. However, this intellectual paradise one enjoys may be transformed to resemble a labyrinth of darkness when the reality of suffering, either one's own or that of someone else, is staring them in the face. The question explicit or implicit becomes, "does God still love?"

Faced with any number of trials, like, death, emotional or physical pain, loneliness, depression, rejection, persecution or fear, is it not a simple leap for the "believer" to wonder how the "unconditional lover" not to mention the all-powerful God, could stand by without seeming to care. It is at these moments when doubt rears its head and the one tormented will either leap into the abyss of despair or to the pathway of faith. Despair tosses out hope altogether and confines its prisoner to a mechanical existence void of any real meaning or choice; faith, however, grabs what priceless jewels its hands can hold, jewels mined from the word of God and jewels received from the generous hand of those who have labored, in that same word. The more the hands of faith carry the stronger and larger they become. It is this faith that rests itself on the proven reality that God does indeed love unconditionally, and doubt is rejected as unfounded, even during an almost unbearable current experience.

So will we doubt? Only if we are determined to, not only discover the truth, but to become one with the truth. God is not merely interested in our intellectual faith, which is a faith that can believe certain truths without those truths ever being seriously challenged. To become one with the truth demands that our belief in truth come up against great odds (Think David & Goliath)only to prevail. The trial of our faith will either, reinforce true beliefs, or deconstruct faulty ones. Either way, at the end of the day it will be our faith in the truth of God that is crowned victorious because a temporary season of doubt brought the truth into clearer focus.

First blog

Today, in the presence of the Master, I have created my first blog entry. Hope you enjoy my future ramblings.