Read: Luke 2:5-7 (Jesus birth)

Do you know what an oxymoron is?  An oxymoron is when you have two words side-by-side that seem to be contradictory, but describe one idea.  An example of an oxymoron is “Jumbo Shrimp.”  Though this is a real thing, it seems silly because “Jumbo” means “big” and “shrimp” means small.  Another apparent oxymoron is “Baby Jesus.”  “Baby” has the notion of a dependent thing that is very young.  Jesus (the Bible tells us) is God Himself, dependent upon no one and existing eternally.  That said, Baby Jesus really came into the world when He was born at Bethlehem.  This really happened because God wanted us to get to know Him and be with Him forever.  Jesus fully identified with our existence, living through everything we have lived through . . . including childhood!  Ultimately, Jesus’ real birth made it possible for Him to really die on the cross to really forgive us from our sins.  Really.

Question of the Day:  What do you find most remarkable about the Christmas story?

On Sunday, October 16, 2016 at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a sermon based on Romans 14:13-23.  This message was part 4 in the “Walk in Love” sermon series.  The sermon audio is included below for you to listen to or share.

 

To download the audio to listen offline, click on the link below:

Walk in Love part 4

 

To listen to the audio online, use the media player below:

We love stories of change, don’t we?  Stories like this:

Growing up in the 1950’s in rural Kenya, little Charles faced many hardships.  His family was living in extreme poverty and had little options for improving their situation.  At an early age, Charles parents left him in pursuit of a better life, leaving him in the care of his aunt who was struggling to raise children of her own.  With little options remaining, Charles walked many days, headed toward Nairobi in pursuit of a better life. 

At the age of 16, Charles found a Friend who would never leave him alone . . . the Lord Jesus Christ.  Charles trusted in Christ as His Savior, securing His eternity, though his earthly life still felt very fragile.  Charles worked hard and the Lord gave him favor, allowing him to run a string of business successes together, making Charles a multi-millionaire. 

One day, Charles was moving through town, seeing the many faces of the street children who dominated the city.  He was struck by the fact that he was once in their position and he felt the Lord would have him do something in response.  Dr. Charles Mulli, together with his wife, sold much of their businesses and property and opened a home for street children.  Nearly 12,000 kids have come through their program —  learning about Christ as well as life — while being cared for by the personal sacrifice and vision of Dr. Mulli.

When asked what was the secret of his success and the motivation for his life, Dr. Mulli answers clearly:  “It is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

We love stories like that don’t we?  I recently heard Louie Giglio share this story and I was mesmerized by every sentence.  From the streets to the penthouse back to the streets to save the lives of thousands of kids.  What is not to like about this story!

When we hear a story like this, however, one thing that often gets lost is a sense of time.  You can read about Mulli’s life above in just a couple of minutes . . . but his life took 40 years to take him from birth to riches . . . and another 30 years to move from the first kid he received into his care to the 12,000th.  In our summary stories, we sometimes forget the “in between” times.  Because of this, we often get impatient with the “clocks” for change in our own stories.

We want the benefits of change without delay.  Like a “life lottery” we want to go from rags to riches in a moment . . . forgetting that most everything valuable is built a day at a time.

As Christians, (in a real sense) we have all won the “lottery.”  When we embrace salvation by the grace of God through the work of Jesus Christ, we immediately pass from death to life.  We immediately are given all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly places.  We immediately are endowed with the Holy Spirit.  In an instant, we are forgiven (for more details on all these blessings look at Ephesians 1 and Colossians 2).  Because of the instant nature of our eternal blessing, we sometimes expect a similar quick process in all areas of our lives.  Some examples:

• We know God has gifted us for ministry, but it seems to take years for us to find the right “role” for us to fill.
• We know God has given us the ability to resist temptation, but we still are tempted by some of the same sins today that we were tempted by 5 years ago.
• We know God can use the power of the Gospel to bring salvation to a friend or family member who has not yet trusted in Christ, but we grow weary as they persist in unbelief.

When our desire for change is immediate and God’s timeline is process, we can grow impatient. We often want to time God with a stopwatch, when in fact, He is using a calendar.  Many of God’s great works take time.  Though we read their stories in the Bible in just a few sentences, the stories are years in the making:

• It was 80 years between Moses’ birth and him taking his role as God’s prophet in Israel.  This path to leadership was marked by failure (murder), isolation (in Midian), and doubt (“I can’t speak very well on my own, how will I speak for YOU?”)  80 years.  We get impatient in the checkout line at the store . . .
• It was 15 years between David’s anointing as King and his coronation as King.  In between he literally ran for his life from the jealous rage of King Saul.
• It was 14 years between the Apostle Paul’s salvation on Damascus Road and his first missionary journey.  In between 3 years were spent in the desert, and another decade was spent back in Tarsus making tents.

We live in a world that can make coffee in a Keurig in less than a minute, but God is brewing something far deeper inside of us.  He is preparing us for glory, His glory, and the process normally takes years.

Another example of the extended process of change that God uses is seen in the life of the early church concerning ministry to Gentiles.  As you may know, the early Christian movement was birthed out of Judaism.  After all, Jesus Himself was a Jew (as were His 12 disciples.)  But when Jesus ascended into heaven, He gave His disciples a great commission – to go into ALL THE WORLD (not just the Jewish parts) and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20).  Jesus followers were to be His witnesses among those in Jerusalem, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).  In a moment, Jesus sent His disciples on a mission to the Gentiles, but did they get it?  Not really . . . at least not fully.

The Holy Spirit arrives in Acts 2, and the apostles begin sharing the Gospel in the Spirit’s power everywhere they go . . . but they still had a proclivity to focus on the Jews.  In fact, men as prominent as the Apostle Peter avoided Gentiles (at least in his social interactions).  Of course, this was not what Jesus intended . . . so He gave a vision to Peter in Acts 10 telling him that he was NOT to segregate from the Gentiles any longer.  Moments after that vision, he is escorted to Cornelius’s house, and Peter shares the Gospel with this Gentile, and watches as the Holy Spirit falls in a demonstrable way on this Gentile and his household.  This was an amazing moment . . . but was 15 years (15 YEARS!!!!) after the Great Commission was given.

Surely this would mean that Peter and the disciples truly “got it” and adjusted their Jewish-centric perspectives . . . but alas, that is not the case.  5 years after the experience with Cornelius (20 years after the Great Commission was given), Peter and the other Apostles still struggled with their relationship with Gentiles. 

Galatians 2:1-14 and Acts 15:1-21 show us that the acceptance of Gentiles and their inclusion in the church (as Jesus predicted and commanded) was a process that took at least 20 years to fully implement . . . and the struggle that existed between these two groups (Jew and Gentiles) was still alive and well all the way through the New Testament times (Paul even referred to it in Romans 14 . . . a book he wrote nearly 30 years after the Great commission was given . . . 10 years after the events of Galatians 2 and Acts 15.)

And make no mistake . . . there was MUCH at stake in Galatians 2 and Acts 10 and Acts 15.  What was at stake was the inclusion in non-Jewish people in the blessing of God.  This is BIG STUFF.  We might want God to work EXTRA FAST in this situation, given what was at stake . . . but God still took a few decades to shift this culture. 

So what does this tell us?  Sometimes the change God is bringing about in our lives takes longer than we would like.  Sometimes it seems slow to us.  Sometimes we can grow impatient.  Thankfully, though, God does not grow impatient with us.

God is at work writing a novel in our lives, not a short story; He is making a mini-series not a commercial.  We are saved in a moment, but He grows us over a lifetime. 

What are the areas of your life where you are desiring to see Him work?  Where are you growing impatient with the pace of change in His program?  Do you feel like you are alone at this pace?  Do you feel like it should be happening faster?

If this is the case, remember the people in the Scripture.  See how God’s timing is longer than ours, and take heart.  Though we may be currently discouraged, remember – the story is still being written.

When people see you coming, what do they do?  Do their faces light up with enthusiasm, or do they run in the other direction?  For the most part, people’s responses to our appearance fall somewhere between these extremes.

In the first century, a man named Saul created quite an impression.  Early in his life, Saul exhibited a high level of intensity in his practice of the Jewish faith.  Saul was so zealous for his beliefs, he persecuted those who did not share his exact point of view — including the very first followers of Jesus Christ.  Saul described his life in those days this way,

“I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it.” (Galatians 1:13)

Because of this reputation, you can imagine many Christians who would have feared Saul (at least at some level) during this era of his life.  But this early “zealous” era would not be the defining period of Saul’s life.  In fact, this era would end up serving as the prelude to the real story of Saul’s life.  By the end of Saul’s earthly life, he would have a name change (from “Saul” to “Paul”) and Christians everywhere would:

“glorify God because of him.” (Galatians 1:24)

So how does this kind of life change happen?  How does someone go from “fear” to “glory” in just 9 verses?  The answer is found in Galatians 1:15-16a:

“but when He who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son to me, in order that I might preach Him among the Gentiles . . .”

In this verse, Paul (formerly Saul), under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, lets us know the secret of his changed life.  In fact, the same pattern he describes is the power that can change our lives as well:

• Change begins with divine intervention.  “But when He . . .”  The first step in this process of change was NOT Saul doing anything.  It was God doing everything.  God reached down into time and got a hold of Saul’s heart.  God had an “intervention” with Saul on the Damascus Road (see Acts 9), and it was God’s initiative that led to Saul’s change of heart.  The same is true with us.  In order for our lives to change, God must initiate and lift the “veil” so that we can see Him (2 Corinthians 3:12-16).
• Change was the plan from the start.  “. . .who had set me apart before I was born. . .”  God’s plan for Saul was always to become Paul.  God has prepared a process by which to mature each of us in His image.  Ephesians 1:5, Ephesians 2:10, Philippians 1:6, and 1 Thessalonians 4:3 (among many other verses) remind us that our change and growth in Christ have been God’s plan all along.
• Change is a gift.  “. . . who called me by His grace . . .”  Jesus does not wait for us to earn God’s favor.  Instead, God’s favor is given to us as a gift.  This is the idea of “grace” — a gift we do not deserve and can never repay.  Our salvation, and the change that follows it are a product of God’s character, not a reward for our’s.  (see Romans 5:8 and Ephesians 2:8-9).
• Change is connected to Christ.  “. . . was pleased to reveal His Son to me. . .”  The hope Saul/Paul had was connected intimately to Jesus Christ.  It was Jesus who Paul saw on the road to Damascus – the same Jesus who had died on the cross for the sins of the world, and raised from the dead to demonstrate His authority, power, and true identity.  Our dead lives need resurrecting . . . that is why our only hope is connected to the Man who conquered death.  (see also Colossians 1:27).
• Change in us leads to blessing others.  “. . . in order that I might preach Him among the Gentiles.”  We are blessed by God, changed by His grace, in order to be a blessing to others.  Abram demonstrated the pattern in the very beginning (Genesis 12:1-3), that God’s plan is to bless the world through His followers.  Our lives are changed in Christ, and we remain on this earth in order to point others to Him so that Jesus might change their lives as well.  The life change Christ brings is not selfish . . . it flows through us to bless others.

Saul became Paul, the one who incited fear, encouraged worship.  This level of change is desired by most all I know — in our lives and in the lives of those we know.  This kind of change needs Divine power . . . it needs God Himself.  Thankfully it is available to all through the person and work of Jesus Christ.  Do you know Him?

 

This morning, I had the opportunity to teach in “The Avenue” . . . Wildwood’s high school ministry.  Below is a summary of some thoughts I shared with them from Galatians 1 . . .

I recently purchased an airline ticket to go see a friend in Atlanta.  The ticket cost me something to purchase and secured transit to a place I wanted to go . . . but until the day of my travel, the ticket is of little use to me.  I don’t wake up every morning thinking about that airline ticket.  I simply live my normal life, knowing that the ticket is there when it is my time to travel.

In some ways, we view the Gospel like this airline ticket.  We see the Gospel as our ticket to salvation.  Sure it was costly (Jesus died on the cross for our sins) — and absolutely, it secures the way for us to get where we want to go (heaven).  In this respect we are thankful for the Good News of Jesus Christ, but all too often, we only consider the FUTURE benefits of the Gospel, and forget its application to our PRESENT situation.

The Gospel does not just change some things, it changes all things.  Let me say that even more clearly – the Gospel changes ALL THINGS:  our past, our present, and our future.

By the time Paul picked up a pen to write a letter to his friends in Galatia, the Christians in that area had already begun to minimize the impact of the gospel.  As Paul says in Galatians 1:6 –

“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel”

What was this different gospel?  It was “man’s gospel” according to Paul as Galatians 1:11 indicates –

“For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel.”

What is man’s gospel?  While it is not fully spelled out in the text, it appears to have been some expression of the gospel that affirmed how Jesus changes our FUTURES, while minimizing His work in our PRESENT.  To say it another way, man’s gospel may allow Jesus to save us in the end, but our progress in the Christian life is only a result of our own good works, not Gospel power.

This picture summarizes some of the differences between man’s gospel and Jesus’s gospel:

Man’s gospel (which is really no gospel at all), sees our ultimate salvation as Christ’s work, but the Christian life as our work.  This version of the Christian life sees our day to day lives as some kind of a tribute to Jesus, but not a supernatural/dependent relationship with Him.  In a sense, man’s gospel makes much of us, but little of Christ.  It focuses on our performance, not His provision.  It is something we do to impress others, not something that He does through us to serve others.  Man’s Gospel is all about us.  Many people describe the Christian life in these terms.  We know Jesus saves our souls tomorrow, but today is lived out by our grit and determination.  Paul writes the letter of Galatians to let all of us know that the Christian life is NOT man’s gospel . . . it is Jesus’ Gospel, and has a radical impact on our past, present, and future.

Paul tells us His personal life story to help us see the impact that the Gospel had on his everyday life in 1:13-24.

• Jesus’s Gospel impacted Paul’s past, enabling him to be forgiven for the sinful deeds he had done (1:13-14).
• Jesus’s Gospel impacted Paul’s present, equipping him to be faithful to His calling to share Christ with a lost world (1:16-24).
• Jesus’s Gospel impacted Paul’s future, establishing him as a recipient of salvation (1:4-5).

The rest of the book of Galatians goes on to explain how you and I can tap into the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our present.  The fact that the Gospel changes everything is GOOD NEWS, because there are many things each of us want to see change in our own lives.  We want to love others more, sin less, and live a life of more eternal consequence.  Jesus offers GOOD NEWS and lasting change in these areas through His provision in our lives.

The Gospel truly changes everything.  Take a few moments this week and read the book of Galatians (the entire book is only 5 pages in my Bible . . . you could read it every day this week with less than a 15 minute investment of your time each day!)  Together we will see how the Good News of Jesus changes not only our tomorrow, but today as well.

 

On Sunday, September 4, 2016 I preached a sermon at Wildwood Community Church.  This message was the fourth and final part of the “Aim” sermon series and was based on Romans 12:14-21.  Below are a set of questions for personal reflection or group discussion related to this sermon.

 

Sermon Questions:

1. Read Romans 12:14-21
2. When someone hurts you, what are ways you sometimes try to “get even” with that person?  How does your normal response contrast with Paul’s directives in this week’s passage?
3. Do you find it easier to “rejoice with those who rejoice” or to “weep with those who weep?”  Why do you think these commands are given to followers of Jesus Christ?
4. From 12:17-21, Paul gives several commands to followers of Christ about how they should respond when they are hurt by others.  Which of these statements by Paul is most challenging to you?  Is there a particular relationship where God might want you to put this truth into action this week?
5. What reasons do we sometimes give for why we should NOT be expected to follow the commands given in these verses?  Are your excuses valid?  Why or why not?
6. What applications did you take from this Sunday’s sermon?

To access these questions in pdf format, click here.

Wildwood Community Church Radio Ad (Airing on OKC stations and Pandora in the month of August 2016):

Wildwood Radio Ad

 

Do you ever feel as though you are surrounded by bad news?  That, no matter where you look, there is something else to be fearful of or anxious about?  World events, politics, illnesses, and wars press us on one side, while our own failures and mistakes (and the consequences that follow) seem to squeeze us from the other.   Like Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo in the original Star Wars movie, we feel like we are in a trash compactor, being crushed by the weight of the things around us.  Can you relate?  We need a new hope!

When we are hard pressed between our past and our present we can wonder if there is any hope for our future. It is natural for us to ask this question.  Thankfully, God has provided us an answer!

God has made a way for us to overflow with peace, hope, and joy.  This is truly remarkable because all of us reading this live in a world that wants to make us disappointed, depressed, and fearful.  In Jesus Christ, however, God offers us a living hope.

Because Jesus died on the cross for our sin, we can have the peace of forgiveness.  Because He rose from the dead, we can have the joy of a new life.  Because He has promised to return to the earth one day, we can have hope of eternity.

Life is not perfect.  It is hard, and we will struggle.  But we come together as believers in Jesus Christ, reminding each other to continue to believe in the peace, joy, and hope that is possible through Jesus.

Join us at Wildwood Community Church as we find our hope in Jesus Christ together.  We gather for worship each Sunday at 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00 at  1501 24th Ave. NE in Norman, OK.

 

 

 

For generations, Christians have gathered weekly for worship services . . . a majority of these services have met on Sunday mornings.  Many of us have grown up with this ritual being a normal part of life.  Even for those who did not grow up going to church, worship attendance on Sunday mornings is at least culturally familiar.  Because this practice is so familiar to us, we sometimes forget exactly WHY we gather on weekends for worship at all. 

When we fail to remember why we gather, we begin to allow many competing agendas to crowd our calendars and rearrange our priorities so that regular church attendance becomes an optional exercise. 

Additionally technology has made it possible to sing along to the latest worship songs in your car via Spotify and listen to the best preachers in the world via podcasts — and this can be done ANYWHERE and at ANYTIME . . . and can even be done ALONE.  Furthermore, modern churches (including Wildwood) can sometimes look like a cafeteria where there are many options and classes of what to do when you are at church that (often replace) the Sunday worship gathering. 

In the midst of our activities, have we asked the question:  why do we come together each Sunday? 

Beginning this Sunday (July 24) at Wildwood Community Church, we will be launching a new series called “Come Together” that will provide some perspective on why it is important to continue to gather with other Christians regularly for corporate worship services.  In this series, we will help provide biblical perspective for why we should continue to come together as a church family each Sunday.

This week we will be looking at Ephesians 2:19-22 together in part one of “Come Together.”  Read these verses between now and Sunday, and make plans to join us in our 9:30 or 11:00 worship service.  See you there!

On Sunday, May 15, 2016 at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a message from Romans 8:31-39.  This message was the seventh and final part of the “Spiritual Life” series.  Below are a set of questions related to the message for further reflection or group discussion.

 

Sermon Questions:

1. Read Romans 8:31-39
2. Paul spends the first 8 chapters of Romans describing the Gospel of Jesus Christ – how sinful people can be saved by the grace of God through what Jesus has done for us.  Paul ends this section with a series of questions (found in Romans 8:31-39).  What do you think Paul is trying to demonstrate by asking and answering these questions?
3. Stop and think for a moment about what Paul says in these verses.  He says “God is for us,” “He wants to graciously give us all things,” “He justifies us,”“He will not condemn us,” and “He will always love us.”  This would be encouraging news from a friend or family member.  However, these attitudes are from GOD HIMSELF.  How does hearing these truths encourage you to trust God more with your life?
4. What are some of the things in your life that seem to “defeat” you?  In what way are you “more than a conqueror” over the things you struggle with today (see 8:37)?
5. These verses point us toward the idea that Christians are “eternally secure” in Christ – their salvation cannot be lost.  Have you ever stopped to think of the security you have in your relationship with Christ?
6. What stood out to you most from this message/passage?

To access these questions in pdf format, click here.

 

Read: Mark 14:3-9

What is something that costs one year of your salary to buy?  For some it might be a Lego set or a scooter (the total earned through allowance or a lemonade stand).  For others, it might be a new car (of varying degrees of luxury).  Still for others it might be a house.  What could you buy for one year’s wages?  In the week before Jesus’ death on the cross, Mary (sister of Martha and Lazarus – see John 12:1-5) anointed Jesus head with expensive perfume . . . perfume that would have cost about one year’s wages to buy.  Mary poured the entire flask of this perfume on Jesus’ head the week before His crucifixion.  Some disciples (led by Judas Iscariot — again see the parallel account in John 12) rebuked Mary for her extravagant gift, thinking it bad stewardship.  Jesus, however, accepts her offering as an anointing for His imminent burial.  Though Mary probably did not pour the perfume on Jesus thinking of His burial, Jesus knew exactly where He was headed.  The love, devotion, and generosity of Mary is held up by Jesus as an example for all His followers to emulate.

Question of the Day: Mary’s gift flowed out of her love for her Savior . . . and the Man who raised her brother from the dead!  What are some things God might be prompting you to do out of your love for Jesus this Easter season?