Personality cults, immoral behavior and its acceptance, civil lawsuits, wild church services, making a mess out of communion, not grasping what church is, spiritual gifts misunderstanding and abuse, reliance on human wisdom above Gods’ word, a me first mentality, and major doctrinal confusion is what you would have found in the church of Corinth. The Apostle Paul wrote a lengthy letter to address and correct this collective ball of worms of Christian error and misbehavior eating holes all through the fabric of the Corinthian church, and continues to do so to the body of Christ even today.There are four root causes to church messes:#1. Sign seeking (1 Cor. 1:22-25) – Every church has sign seekers, those who think a powerful and hopefully miraculous experience will bring about strong and devotion to Christ, and at the same time prove their spiritual superiority. It’s a dead end. It has never worked, if it had then the Israelites who walked through the parted Red Sea would have been one of the most devoted and spiritual people who ever lived. But just week’s later the thrill had worn off and they danced and partied away from the God of the ten plagues, of the parted sea, of marvelous provision, and of fearsome glory, and exchanged him for a molten calf crafted from their own earrings.#2. Human wisdom enthusiasm (1 Cor. 1:22, 30, 2:1-13) – Every church has them as well, those who overestimate our immense capacity for reason, for science, for rationality. Unchecked this capacity coupled with human depravity leads to the kind of pride that dismisses the supernatural, doubts the wisdom and promises of God’s word, and dares to dismantle God himself. There is no less pride to be found here than in sign seeking, it simply exchanges pride in a portfolio of experiences for walls lined with books. Ultimate, eternal, and saving wisdom cannot be found even in the best and most brilliant efforts of the depraved human mind and spirit but only through God revealing himself, supremely through Christ, and our submission to his revelation.#3. Living according what is “Natural,” according to the “Flesh” (1 Cor. 2:14-16) – This is a temptation to all believers; it assumes that one can believe in Christ and not change. It believes that Christ is good for salvation but we are sufficient for Christian ethics, Christian morality, and Christian behavior in and of ourselves. This discounts the depth of human depravity, overestimates our capacity for goodness, orients itself too much on what we are accustomed to and what our culture deems right, and leads to constant conflict because everyone needs to agree with me or else they are wrong.#4. Spiritual Immaturity (1 Cor. 3:1-20) – In some ways this is an outgrowth of #1, 2, and 3, but it is root of its own. Maturity is never automatic, if it was then parenting is a waste of time, as would be books about character building, seminars on values, and the study of history. Maturity is acquired, learned, and practiced, it doesn’t show up overnight. Maturity submits itself to wisdom, knowledge, values, habits, thinking, and ways that are mature. Christian maturity does not form itself through extraordinary experience, or through great human wisdom and intelligence, or through innate humanness or cultural superiority, no Christian maturity is based on a faith submission to the written revelation of God, the Scriptures, the Bible. In doing so the spiritual maturity Paul speaks of does not discount the power of God to do the miraculous, neither does it put the mind out of gear, nor does it diminish our capacity to find wisdom, but it does not trust any on their own and so submits all of them to the eternal counsel of God’s word.However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"-- 1 Corinthians 2:9 (NIV)To God be all glory. Love you, Pastor Hans
A Spiritual Hearing Test
To whom shall I speak and give warning that they may hear? Behold, their ears are closed and they cannot listen. Behold, the word of the LORD has become a reproach to them; they have no delight in it. Jeremiah 6:10 (NASB)How’s your hearing? Especially when it comes to hearing God? I know, I know, it is easy to claim to have heard from God, it is quite another thing to actually have ears that are capable of listening to God. For the former all you have to do is say some words, for the latter you have to actually address your ability to hear.Our physical ability to hear is impacted by host of things, trauma, genetics, illnesses, and age (No one told me that by middle age I would all but lose my ability to grow hair, except of course in my ears which all of the sudden are able to grow hair as quickly and as dense as a patch of bamboo. And how far does sound carry in a thick forest?).What affects our spiritual ears, our ability to hear God?
- Apathy. Not wanting to, not caring to hear from God. We don’t pay much attention to what we do not care about. We listen so much better to what is important to us.
- Age. When we are young we are unfamiliar with the ways God speaks. As we get older it is not just unfamiliarity but also more and more things/“hairs” that impede and muffle God’s voice.
- Filters. We develop filters through which we hear: cultural and sub-cultural filters, political filters, personal filters, religious/philosophical filters, interest filters, love and hate filters, and such. This filtering process limits God to speaking on only certain frequencies, on the channels we like, on the content we approve. It is tough to really hear God when we are busy censoring him.
- Bones. Our ears don’t work well when we are mad, angry, bitter. When we are at odds with God it is difficult to hear him, when he allows the fire to burn us, evil to touch us, pain to torture us, injustice to cheat us, grief to strike us, or the inexplicable to happen to us or those who deeply care about without any good and satisfying explanation. It is so tough to hear while picking a bone.
- Answers. There are few, if any, questions when we have all the answers and the more answers we have the more we usually talk and the less we listen. The more answers we have the more we claim to have it all figured out, the more we have all figure out the more we think others should listen, preferably to us, including God.
- Noise. Try having a conversation at a rock concert, when the TV is blaring, with someone who has head phones on, in a crowded room. Try talking with someone who’s filled with worry, always in a hurry, constantly interrupted, or stuck in the trivial. Not to speak of some of things you read above under “bones.”
- Inflexibility. Listening to God, being in a relationship with him requires faith and faith requires flexibility. In speaking to us God invites us to adjust ourselves, our lives to him. We like to have it the other way around, that’s why the more opinionated we are the less flexible we become. (I can already hear some objections, calls for theological clarification, but remember the topic of this p-note is listening to God.)
Oh how much I want you and me to be good at listening to God, to what he said through his Son Jesus Christ, when he speaks today by the Holy Spirit. Our lives are so much richer when we hear, when we know how to listen, especially to God."He who has ears, let him hear." Matthew 13:9 (NASB) To God be all glory. Love you, Pastor Hans
The Cardboard Box
I don’t know how the small cardboard box ended up at the youth yard sale raising money for camp, but it did. Cristy brought it to the office; it was leaking ashes, someone’s ashes. No urn, no burial, not even a deliberate sprinkling of the ashes at some meaningful or beautiful spot. They just got picked up in the standard box, were stashed somewhere, and finally where scooped up with a bunch of other no longer wanted stuff and taken to the yard sale at the church. No takers though, some stranger’s ashes are not what people are looking for.What a contrast it was to Lodgie’s memorial service held in our church’s sanctuary while the yard sale wrapped up in the parking lot. People came from far and wide, wept, gave glowing eulogies, played beautiful music, sang their hearts out, gave praise and glory to God for her life, her influence, her contribution, and her love. Brought together by her death they lingered long afterwards to reminisce, to remember, to comfort each other. There was no obscurity here, no carelessness, to Lodgie’s family and to us our church family that would have been unthinkable, she was too precious, too valuable, too much of a blessing.I knew Lodgie. I have nothing but speculation about the individual in the cardboard box. However, I think the chances of your remains ending up in a dusty, uncared for, standard box at a yard sale are greatly diminished if you live a life that pleases and honors God. We reap what we sow, “Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith” Galatians 6:7-10 (NLT).Death, our mortality, should cause us to think, should cause us to make better, wiser, and eternally significant choices, “A good reputation is more valuable than costly perfume. And the day you die is better than the day you are born. Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties. After all, everyone dies— so the living should take this to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us. A wise person thinks a lot about death, while a fool thinks only about having a good time” Ecclesiastes 7:1-4 (NLT). I don’t think the family of the person in the cardboard box heeded the advice Solomon, it might have been because of what s/he did or did not sow, but we really don’t know. What we do know is that you and I have limited time to do good, to love, to bless, to please and honor God, and then we face the reality of Hebrews 9:27-28, “Just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him” (NLT). Where and how we end up depends on our choices, whose wisdom we follow, and whose power we trust. Lodgie left no doubt, the person whose ashes were in the cardboard box at the youth yard sale, who knows. I know where and how I want to end up, that’s why I trust and follow Jesus Christ.To God be all glory. Love you, Pastor Hans
A Finger in the Flab
“Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly. Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” 1 Timothy 4:7-8 (NLT)Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2 (NLT)There is a good chance you won’t like this pastor’s-note (p-note) very much, it sticks a finger into your flab. Most of us are much more familiar with abundant flab than with tight buttocks or abs. We know we should, we know we could, and we know we’d be better off if we would, but we don’t, and we won’t and the result is flab, weakness, illness, ungodliness.Flab does not surrender easily, it is relentless, it keeps coming back. So you have to work to get rid of it and you have to work to keep it away. To win against flab you got embrace ugly words: discipline, exercise, daily, good habits, commitment, pushing yourself, denying yourself. That’s why we look for alternatives, the two minute exercise routine that will offset even the biggest burger and fries, the exercise machine that will overcome gallons of soda, the pill that will make you skinny, fix the diabetes, and gets rid of wrinkles, the electronic gadget that will give you muscles while sitting in your easy chair. Collectively we spend millions trying to bypass the ugly words, we keep listening to the lies of the flab while getting flabbier still.Our guts, chins, thighs, and butts are not the only things that can get flabby. We can be mentally flabby, spiritually flabby. Dare we, in just one pastor’s note, to stick a finger in that flab too? Let’s. Same aversion to dirty words: discipline, exercise, good habits, commitment, pushing yourself, denying yourself. Same search for a magical and quick fix. Same result, more, abiding, limiting, useless, ungodly flab.I hate to say it, but a p-note a week will not make you spiritually strong. P-notes make for great for great flab-pokers, but if you want to get rid of the flab at some point you have to embrace discipline, daily exercise, good spiritual habits, lifelong commitment, pushing yourself, denying yourself. The amount of flab or lack thereof is in direct proportion to how much you embrace the words flab considers dirty, useless, obsolete, and threatening.Both fit body and a sharp mind are enabling, the same is true about godliness. In fact God makes it clear that the most important thing to exercise, to keep from being flabby is godliness. You can get your body-fat down to 2 % and be a mean self-centered person. You can be sharp as a tack mentally and be proud and arrogant. You can be fit and sharp and be utterly godless. But if we train ourselves in godliness we will deal will gluttony, we won’t stay ignorant, and we will deal with hubris. Godliness benefits the entire person but never to selfish ends.Before I remove my finger from the flab, let me ask you, “How flabby are you? How flabby is your body? How flabby is your mind? And above all how flabby are you when it comes to godliness, to Christlikeness? And when will that change?”To God be all glory, Pastor HansP.S. I am aware this p-note could easily be understood in our culture which is obsessed with youth and certain kind of ideal body image. The question is not who we are in comparison to others and certain cultural norms, but rather who we are in comparison to who God has made us and for what God has enabled us, namely to be men and women who worship him and Jesus Christ and who whose character and behavior is godly trough and through.,
Letting Go
Take a look at your hands and ask yourself, “How good am I of letting go.” Now pick up two things, one with your left hand and one with your right. Keep holding those two items as you go to the kitchen to make yourself a cup of tea or coffee. (Email me with the outcome of this exercise, dergermanshepherd@gmail.com).We hold onto things with more than just our hands, our minds and hearts know to grasp and not let go every bit as our hands, maybe even better. It doesn’t really matter what we use to hold on to something, as long as we hold on to one thing it limits us, or completely prevents us, from grasping or doing something else.My brother, who was a pain specialist, once told me that after a while our nerves will hold onto pain even if the source of the pain is removed. Have you ever had to pry your fingers off something you had hold onto for a long time? Letting go can be very hard, even painful, especially if we have held onto something for a very long time, if what we have held onto was very heavy, if what we have held onto is very important to us. I don’t want to hold onto things that will damage me, that will deform me, that will cause pain long after something is past, that will prevent me from laying hold of better things.“⌊My goal⌋ is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead. Not that I have already reached ⌊the goal⌋ or am already fully mature, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus” Philippians 3:10-14 (HCSB).Real maturity and Christlikeness are impossible without knowing what to let go and what to hold onto. I hear the Apostle Paul saying, “I let go of everything that would prevent me grasping everything God, through Christ, has for me. So I have to learn to be good at letting go.”How good are you at letting go? What do need to let go? What “worries, wounds, wrongs, weaknesses, and wishes” (Eric Rees) do you need to let go?Before you finish this p-note can I encourage you to get a Bible, find Philippians and read both chapter 2 and 3 (or maybe all of it), then sit down, look at your hands again, and then have a conversation with God about what he would have let go of.To God be all glory, Pastor Hans
A Complaint Examination - When Spiritual Liberation Stalls
Then they set out from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the people became impatient because of the journey. The people spoke against God and Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this miserable food." Numbers 21:4-5 (NASB)The new car smell was long gone and there was nothing fundamentally wrong with the car, it was in good shape, dependable, and most importantly - it was paid for. But he couldn’t count those blessings, all he could see was the miles on the odometer, the stains on the seats, the few scratches here and there, and all that it was missing compared to a new car. So finally he even convinced his wife with all his car negativity, surely a new car would bring relief and happiness. In fact it brought more stress, the payments and increased costs stretched the budget to the “constant worry” level. It didn’t take long for the negativity to return.“What were you thinking? Why did I ever go along with that? I loved the old car!” the wife accused.“Oh now it’s all my fault! I seem to remember you signing the papers too!” he snarled back, before storming out.The liberation of the ancient Israelites had slowed to an agonizing taxing crawl. They found themselves on another detour, this time a long march around the kingdom of Edom, which wouldn’t allow them to use the Kings Highway. It didn’t take long for their inclination towards pessimism to resurface. In their grumbling against and accusation of God and Moses they did what negative, complaining pessimist do – twist the facts.The facts were they had not died, they had not starved, nor had they run out of water. There was fresh food every morning and God had just supplied enough water from a rock for every person and all of their livestock. The truth was that they were on this detour because of their own dumb and faithless choices. They already would have been where God wanted them to be if they had trusted God more than their fears, if they had surrendered to God instead of their constant negativity, foolishness, and sinful ways.Lying to themselves was not enough. The clincher was their utter ungratefulness, “We loathe, despise, detest this miserable food.” What should have been a daily source of thanksgiving and praise was turned into a spoiled complaint and self-indictment. There was nothing wrong with the food, nor with God and Moses, their faithfulness, their goodness, and their patience was impeccable.Too many stall out with God, in following Jesus Christ. Not because there is anything wrong with God and Christ or because preachers are telling lies and mislead, but because somewhere along the journey of spiritual liberation in Christ there is a failure of faith followed by a twisting of the facts expressed in negativity and thanklessness. The Christian life, a life with God, is not just a quick moment of faith resulting in liberation from sin; it is also a lifelong devotion to faith on the journey. “So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. ‘For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay. And my righteous ones will live by faith. But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.’ But we are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction. We are the faithful ones, whose souls will be saved” Hebrews 10:35-39 (NLT). This is what the generation Moses led out of Egypt never learned. May you and I learn and be different.To God be all glory, love you, Pastor Hans
Salad Bars, Smorgasbords, and Potlucks
Do you like salad bars? Smorgasbords? How about a good old-fashioned potluck? As a preacher I can do potlucks blindfolded, salad bars don’t get me too excited, and I don’t remember the last time I was at a smorgasbord, although I loved them when I was younger. You know the drill, get a plate, survey the offerings, and fill your plate with everything you love while bypassing the things you don’t like.Growing up my oldest brother loved it when my Mama asked him to dish everybody up. He knew exactly what each one of us didn’t like, so, accompanied with a stupid grin, he would heap our plates with the stuff we didn’t like while quoting the rule, “Was auf dah Tisch kommt wird gessa!” (What’s put on the table will be eaten).How do you approach God? Jesus Christ? Church? The Bible, God’s word? Are all three of them something you loved when you were younger but now you have developed a more discerning palate, a more selective taste when it comes to spiritual things? Do you get out your plate and fill it with all that you love while bypassing what’s not to your liking? Have you shifted to a different cuisine altogether?How do like God? Cuddly and warm? Spicy or just a tiny hint? Loving or just? As the main dish, or side dish, as a dip, or as “but hold the …?”Jesus Christ, do you consider him as a “got to have it,” or “I have to be in the mood,” or “yuck”?What about church? Only if you have to, when it gets scooped onto your plate whether you like or not, but preferably not? Are you the food critic every time you show up?“Oh the Bible, please only the sweet things in it?” “No, just the low calorie stuff, I hate that bloated feeling, some things take forever to digest.” “I have several food allergies, so I have to be very careful what I eat.”The truth is the living God cannot be dished out in portions to our liking, religion can be but God and Jesus Christ cannot. The truth is that my Mama was more like God than my oldest brother (sorry Michael). He delighted in making our lives miserable (he’s changed), she delighted in keeping us alive, in us being well fed, and seeing us grow. She didn’t just give us what we liked (although she often did), she gave us what we needed. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” Matthew 4:4 (ESV, emphasis mine). The truth is when you treat God, Jesus Christ, the church, and the Bible like a salad bar, smorgasbord, or potluck you end up with eclectic and empty spirituality, or with a flabby Christianity with plates full of what we like, yet far from what God and Christ would have us to be; or you become a mere critic of God, and of his Son Jesus Christ, and of his church, and of his word.Allow me to put something on your plate from the Bible, something not all that tasty, but something we need as we try to cope with barbarism, terrorism, evil, enemies, and hate, "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” Matthew 5:43-45 (NIV). “Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice” Proverbs 24:17 (NIV). “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” Romans 12:21 (NIV).To God be all glory, love you, Pastor Hans
The Most Important Meal
Six days of ordinary and way day of fancy, that’s how I grew up. From Monday through Saturday we ate simple meals, nothing fancy, but on Sunday we had soup, salad, roast, or tongue, or rotisserie chicken, or something else of my Mama’s kitchen wizardry, all followed by desert. In the late afternoon that was complimented with Kaffee (coffee) und Kuchen (cakes and other various baked delicacies). Which one of the meals during any given week was the most important? Which one was one was unimportant? I can tell you to my four brothers and I the vote for most important would have been for Sunday, hands down, no contest. However, invariably we needed food on Monday, on Tuesday, on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. There wasn’t a day when food was not important, when we did not get hungry. In fact most everything in our house was eaten, leftovers did not last, and almost nothing was thrown out. Every meal fed us, helped us to grow, enabled us to function, gave us energy, sustained us.We were lucky enough, blessed, to never go hungry; we always had something to eat. I do not remember a day without food, my parents made sure of it. My Dad worked his tail off; my Mom was frugal, grew a garden, canned, juiced, baked and cooked. I don’t remember ever worrying about food.So what is this pastor’s note about? It’s about spiritual food, reading, hearing, studying, and meditating on the word of God. Jesus said “People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” Matthew 4:4 (NLT). You and I privileged to live without any shortage of God’s word. It is available to us, in print, audio, electronic forms, and at churches everywhere. Now when is the word of God more important, on Monday, or Tuesday, Wednesday, …, or on Sunday? Of course it is important every day if we want to be strong, if we want to grow, if we want to be wise, mature, godly, Christlike, all that God means for us to be. Sunday might be the day for the fancy meal the preacher had time to cook up all week, it might be the highlight, soup, salad, main course, desert, Kaffee und Kuchen, but come Monday the spirit, soul, and mind will need to be fed as much as the stomach and body.My grandson cannot feed himself yet, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to eat every day. He can’t even open the refrigerator, but the day will come when you can’t keep him out of it. On his way from having to be fed to becoming a fridge raider he will make messes, spill things, look awkward handling eating utensils, but he will get there. He will get there not because he has just one fancy meal on Sundays, but because he is eating daily, because he pays attention to the needs of his stomach and body, because he will have had lots of practice. How many of the meals will he remember? Very, very few, but he will be a product of all that he has eaten. We are a product of all that we have eaten, all that we eat.So what is this pastor’s note about? It is about encouraging you to daily read, study, and meditate on the word of God, the Bible. It is about Monday through Saturday and the fancy meal on Sunday (or some other day you regularly attend church). It is about paying attention to what Jesus said is absolutely important. It is about being strong in spirit, soul, mind, and body. It is about growing, become mature, being godly. It is about being able to feed yourself. It is about starting and being committed to daily read, think upon, and living the word of God. O, I hope you do.To God be all glory, Pastor HansP.S. If you need help getting started please contact me.
Blessed Are Those Who Mourn - Michael Brown, James Foley, Dr. Amevo Adedavoh
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Matthew 5:4 (NIV)Michael Brown is dead, shot by a police officer. James Foley is dead, beheaded by a jihadist. Dr. Ameyo Adedavoh died after she contracted Ebola when she had to physically restrain an infected patient, American-Liberian Patrick Sawyer, who wanted to leave the hospital. We only know about them because they made the news but along with them scores have died whose names we will never know, precious only to those who loved and knew them or maybe to no one at all.There is no shortage of opinions on the death of Michael Brown, on James Foley, on the Ebola epidemic. There is no shortage of outrage, anger, propaganda, political agendas, and rhetoric. There is no shortage of onlookers, head-shakers, and “what is the world coming to”-ers. There is no shortage of anger, hatred, and violence. What is missing are the mourners, those who weep, those whose hearts are moved, those who feel the brokenness, the senseless, the loss.If I am not careful my observation about the lack of mourning is just my clever tack to have a novel non-involved opinion. Am I mourning? Is the death of Michael Brown causing me to mourn? Am I grieved that there is still a big gap between the treatment of people with different colors of skin? Do I weep over the fact that our police chiefs see a need to assemble military like forces to keep the peace? Do I open my heart to feel the loss of countless Muslims who, like James Foley, have suffered through senseless violence, war, corruption, sectarianism, and religion run amuck? Does my heart hurt so much I dream of better for black teenagers, radical Islamists, and disease stricken, impoverished Africans? Am I willing to plead their cases on my knees before God? Am I willing to get out my check book? Am I willing to turn my back on meaningless talk and opinionating and instead mourn openly, publicly?“Blessed are those who mourn.” There is no blessedness in anger, in violence, in injustice, in poverty, in oppression. There is no blessedness in apathy, on-looking, commentating, disengaging.“Blessed are those who mourn.” We don’t mourn over things we do not care about, we don’t feel their loss. The Prophet Jonah was rebuked by God because didn’t care if 120,000 little kids along with their families got wiped out, but cried and grieved over the loss of his air conditioner (Jonah 4).“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Mourners know how to help. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV). The Greek word for comfort paints the picture of coming alongside, the very word Jesus used to describe the Spirit of God (John 14:16-17). No wonder calls us blessed when we are willing to mourn, we act like him when we do.To God be all glory, Pastor Hans
Leaky Pipes
One ten foot section has no less than seven patches, and that does not count all the other patches/fixes on the waterlines underneath our church building. All of these patches were meant to be temporary, but some of them are years old. The problem is that someone got a “good deal” on some cooper pipe that is the wrong grade, cheap doesn’t always pay. Somebody else put in a hot water heater for the kitchen but didn’t think about electrolysis and improperly connected different metals. Finally beyond the frequent fixing of leaks and talking about permanently fixing the problem we really haven’t done what needs to be done, until we do it is merely a matter of time before the next leak. Maybe you have a ten foot section in your life that continually springs leaks and sports numerous patches from the past? Maybe you have things that are incompatible connected to each other that will cause problems as long as you refuse to disconnect them and start over doing it right? Maybe you too know exactly what needs to be done but never get beyond the temporary fix and talking about really addressing the problem? Maybe the spots of the next leaks and breakdowns are already beginning to show? How are your spiritual water pipes? According to God they are problematic, “all have sinned” (Romans 3:23), they are leaky, the wrong grade, and faultily connected. They are continually decaying, held together by temporary patches, doomed to completely fail. They are a testimony to procrastination, misplaced priorities, bad habits, and a stubbornness that refuses to address the problem according to the knowledge, wisdom, and word of the Master Plumber. An Old Testament parallel is God’s indictment of the ancient Israelites, “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water” Jeremiah 2:13 (NIV). Godlessness causes us to leak the most precious substance of them all, life.To permanently address the problem we need to first of all be connected to God the right way and that is only possible through God’s Son Jesus Christ, “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” 1 John 5:11-12 (NIV). Then we need to let the Master Plumber replace the old leaky pipes with new pipes that won’t leak even under pressure. We need our life to be re-piped with holy habits, right attitudes, and godly wisdom based on God’s standards and codes found in His word, the Bible, “…learn from me (Jesus Christ), for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (no leaks there)” Matthew 11:29 (NIV). How I pray our stubbornness, shortsightedness, procrastination, and pride will not keep us from finally letting God have a go at our pipes leaking life.To God be all glory, love you Pastor Hans
Easter Questions
Easter QuestionsHow long can you live without breathing? – Minutes.How many days can you live without water? – Days.How long could you live without eating anything? – Weeks.How long can you live without Jesus? – Both milliseconds and years.You and I exist from moment to moment only because the entire universe, every atom and particle, is sustained by the power of Christ, “For everything was created by Him (Christ), in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and by Him all things hold together” Colossians 1:16-17 (HCSB, parenthesis mine). On the other hand you and I can ignore, deny, or be against Jesus our entire lives, till our very last breath.What has been the most important day of your life? – The day of your birth? Some other significant day? The day you became a believer in Christ?What has been the most significant event all of human history? - Easter, Jesus Christ, incarnate God, conquering sin and death on a Roman cross, his corpse sealed into a tomb, and risen from the dead three days later. God, through the life of his Son, loving you and me at an unimaginable depth and offering forgiveness, reconciliation, redemption, a place in his family, and eternal life to sinners like you and me. There is no more incredible and significant event in all of history.If you are scratching your head saying, “I don’t know?” or if you profoundly disagree consider the words of the Apostle Paul, “The message of the cross (Easter) is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. As the Scriptures say, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.” So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense. But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God” 1 Corinthians 1:18-24 (NLT, parenthesis mine).My son is a diabetic. He needs insulin to live. He can complain, wail against the unfairness of it, summon his philosophical and theological objections, but that will not change a thing about his condition. No one is making him take his insulin, watch his diet, and adopt the lifestyle of a diabetic, but if he wants to live, if he wants to be well, he will. He can ignore his doctor, play Yoyo with his blood sugar, and drink or bathe in sugar, but he will not be able to escape the consequences that come with that. He can be offended, he can deceive himself into thinking it is all a bunch of …, but none of that diminishes his need for insulin.You and I are sinners; sinners need the cross of Christ, the power of Christ to save them. The cross of Christ is not meant to offend, it is not foolishness, it spells hope and life. None of us will escape the consequences of our sins, none of us can conquer death, no one will survive the scrutiny of God’s judgment, and no one will live in the presence of Almighty and Holy God except through Jesus Christ.“Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?" John 11:25-26 (NASB)Happy Easter, love you, Pastor Hans
The Community of the Rested
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV) Many claim to believe in Jesus. Many testify that they have asked Jesus into their heart (even though nowhere in the Bible are we compelled to do so). Many claim to have received some form of Christian baptism. And many testify to awesome spiritual experiences they have had as believers. But why is there so much turmoil, so much anxiety, so much heaviness, such a lack of souls at rest and of lightness among Jesus followers and in his church?If the church is made up of those who have “come,” who have slipped into Jesus’ “yoke,” who are “learning from him” then this rest and lightness should be evident, not just in us individually but also in us collectively. We are not just the community of the saved (true as that is), but also the community of the delivered, and the community of those being changed by the power of God. The church is not just a self-help group, or recovery group, or social action group, or a charity, or a service club, or a patriotic organization, or a political action committee, or a community organization (although it/we might be engaged in any or all of these). The church is a community of once tired and weary people who have come to Jesus and found forgiveness without having to work for it, found redemption without paying for it, found reconciliation instead of condemnation, found justification though guilty. And that makes it, or should make it a super happy and grateful bunch. Amen!Some are quick note, “What about repentance Hans?” Well, when Jesus says, “Come to me ..,” and someone turns to and comes to him with all of their baggage isn’t that an admission that life is not working out without him, that you need him, that he has what that person has not? But when do we celebrate? When do we butcher the fatted calf? When do we rejoice with someone who has come to Jesus and found rest, because rejoicing should follow repentance?After pastoring our church for almost thirty years I still love being part of it, I still look forward to us coming together, I still imagine what it will be like if we who have come to Jesus learn even more from him – we’ll be more at rest, we’ll experience even more exquisite peace, we’ll walk even lighter in a world that remains heavy. What will it be like among us when we learn to love even more like Jesus, when we learn even more to serve others like Jesus, when we learn think and act ever more like Jesus? All I know is that I want to be part of it with you.To God be all glory, love you, Pastor Hans
2013, A Reflection
2013, A ReflectionIn our memories many years fade into blur because they are marked by ordinariness, uneventfulness, a measure of tranquility, and an absence of evil and pain. There is blessedness in that kind of quietness, in life being good. 2013 has not been that kind of year for Susie and I. It has been a year of incredible highs, like the birth of little Shaheed Junior, ministry in Tanzania, a Frei brother reunion, a cancer-free medical report for Susie’s mom, visiting Betsie in Boston, Hansi and Amanda expecting their first child, Susie’s Mom Beverly being cancer free, our nephew Philip surviving being pinned under a tree with mere scratches, our daughter Andee living through an accident at her school, and my brother Michael making it through a major brain tumor surgery without the loss of any functions.Of course both Andee’s accident, Phillips incident, and Michael’s operation were lowlights that turned into highlights because of their outcome. They could have been tragic. They were panic moments that turned into praise and gladness. In those moments God held out his protective hand, and we are so grateful. Grateful God led Phillip out of the deep valley of depression. Grateful that Andee was not hurt any worse than an injured left hand and that her hand is healing. Grateful that Michael’s tumor was found and that his doctors are optimistic.I wish that this were all, but this year God allowed deep darkness, crushing sorrow, and the inexplicable into our lives. Shaheed hurt his son, almost killed him, and permanently damaged him. Little Junior is now a beautiful little boy with a very damaged brain. Shaheed is in prison for many years and maybe the rest of his life. I do not have the words to convey the darkness and pain of all of this, it swept like a tsunami across our souls and hearts. All we could do was to cling to the lone tree standing in the torrent, our Lord Jesus Christ.Susie and I have been praying for God to reveal more of himself to us. If God is truly infinite then there is infinitely more to discover. We have been praying for God to make us more like Christ. We have asked to be used by him in our family, our church, and our community. And in response God has given a year of extremes, of utmost heights and lowest lows, of being stretched beyond what we asked and imagined. Strangely enough in all of this we have not found less of God but more, we have not felt abandoned but kept, and even in our confusion our trust in God has grown, and we are able to say, “Amen,” to words the Apostle Paul penned long ago: “It started when God said, "Light up the darkness!" and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful. If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That's to prevent anyone from confusing God's incomparable power with us. As it is, there's not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we're not much to look at. We've been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we're not demoralized; we're not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we've been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn't left our side; we've been thrown down, but we haven't broken” 2 Corinthians 4:6-9 (MSG). So, Susie and I rejoice in the faithfulness and abiding presence of Christ throughout 2013 and are confident he will anchor us in 2014 as well.We thank all of you who have prayed with and for us, have cared for us, and took the time to love on us and wish you a blessed New Year.Hans and Susie
Signs and Doors - knowing God's will and making godly decisions
Signs and Doors,Often people try to figure out God’s will, make decisions, based on signs or “opened or closed doors.” There is no question that God can direct us through signs and He certainly can open and shut “doors.” However, on its own a signs or doors approach is a rather fickle way of discerning God’s will and making godly decisions.It is possible to designate almost anything as a sign, “God, if you want me to buy this car have the salesman wear any color shirt but green.” “Lord, if you don’t want me to buy this car make the loan application not go through.” Even better yet do the wide open sign approach, “Father God (might as well use real spiritual language) just give me a sign if I should/should not …..,” and then determine what is a sign after doing what you wanted, which has the benefit of being able to claim divine guidance and approval. And if we don’t like the outcome of the first sign there is always the follow up sign to go to.When it comes to signs we need to take into account that God isn’t the only one who can produce signs. We can produce our own. The devil, the great tempter and deceiver, is good at signs as well, in fact I think he would wholeheartedly endorse us using the above mentioned sign strategy. Beyond ourselves and Satan, people around us will often chime in and confirm our “sign.” We are naive if don’t think that signs can be arbitrary, misleading, or outright deceiving.The dangers with the open/closed door approach are similar to the sign method. If we like what is behind the door in question is a small crack enough for a definite “Yes?” It certainly is enough to begin prying the door open. Kicking in the door and then declaring it open is an option as well. If the door seems tightly shut checking for a back door to make really sure can’t hurt, can it? What if I don’t like what lies behind the open door and really want what is behind the closed one? If I continue to knock will it eventually open (a favorite strategy of children)? And are we supposed to walk through every open door and capitulate in front of every closed door? Satan opened the door to all the “kingdoms of the world and their glory” (Matthew 4:8-9) to the Lord Jesus Christ, but with an entrance fee.All too often what lies behind the signs and door method of discerning God’s will and making decisions is laziness and an undisciplined spiritual life. When the Apostle Paul talks about open doors is in connection with gospel and the work of Christ’s kingdom, not purchases, relationship decisions, career choices, wants, etc. Signs and open/closed doors are no substitute for faithfully living for God, knowing the written word of God (the Bible), incorporating the values of God into our lifestyle and decisions, investing ourselves in the kingdom of God, loving the presence of God, practicing the love of God, and growing a heart that beats for God. These require diligence, developing godly habits, and making decisions that bring our lives and hearts into conformity with all God has already told us concerning His will. Until we navigate by the signage God has already posted, until we step through the doors God has already opened, and until we respect the doors God has lovingly closed seeking signs and pleading for doors to open or close is anything but spiritual and wise.Can I encourage you to take a few minutes and take some honest inventory in regard to how you make decisions? How big of part do signs and open/closed doors play in your discerning of God’s will in making decisions? Are there some decisions you need to revisit and change because they do not square with God’s will and word? List three things you need to continually practice to grow in your ability to know God’s will and make godly decisions.To God be all glory, love you, Pastor HansPS. I asked God to give me a sign as to whether or not the church should double my salary. Right after that the phone rang. Not quite sure if I could trust that I asked God to not let the phone ring until I got to the end of this pastor’s note. It didn’t, and a bird flew right up to my office window, perched itself, and just looked at me. Right then I had complete peace. So I am placing the doubling of my salary on the upcoming business meeting agenda.PSS. If I ever say something like the above and am serious about it that would be the right time to fire me and look for another pastor.
… you will...
“… you will be My witnesses …” Acts 1:8… “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.” But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? Romans 10:13-14 (NLT)
“Will you tell the truth and nothing but the truth?” the court clerk asked. “I do,”I replied, but I was nervous as heck, not because I had anything to hide, butbecause in a courtroom I feel like a fish out of water and because what happens ina courtroom is serious stuff. It was that day, the defendant was being accused ofmurder. I am not sure why I was there, because I didn’t witness the crime. I thinkthe defense wanted to use me to create some doubt in the jurors, but the districtattorney saw right through it. I never did hear how the case ended.
“You will be my witnesses,” Jesus told his followers, so that all the world mightknow the truth, so every man, every woman, every child might walk out of thecourtroom of God (the judgment of God), be saved from eternal judgment, andbe set free. That’s serious business, even more serious as someone being accusedof murder.
So what do we as followers of Jesus, as Christians, give witness to? Jesus. We give witness to the fact that Jesus lives, that He is God’s Son, that He lived sinlessly, that He died on a cross, that He was buried for three days, that He arose from the grave, conquering sin and death, that He ascended into heaven to plead the case of sinners in the courtroom of God, that everyone who calls on His name will be set free because He paid the penalty for our sins which is death and hell, and that He will return in glory and power to gather all those who have placed their faith and trust in Him and followed Him.I grew up in a church where the importance of witnessing (that’s what witnessesdo), was no longer considered important. The preacher didn’t think so, theleaders didn’t think so, and the people in the pews didn’t think so. Every SundayI looked at a live-sized carving of a crucified Christ hanging on a real cross rightthere in the middle of the old Lutheran church, at the back wall in the choirsection behind it there was a carving of the empty tomb with angels sitting infront of it. But no one told me how badly I needed the Jesus of whom these worksof art told. I needed a witness to tell me.6000 Miles from that place God in his providence allowed me to attend a littleChurch in Greeley Hill, the building couldn’t compare to what I was used to butthere were witnesses, the Pastor, his wife, the deacons, and Pat Jenkins and JackMauney. Pat would often rise to and give public testimony of Jesus Christ andhow he saved her and was alive and active in her life. Jack let me hang around hissmall car repair business, took me to town and fed me whoppers and milk shakes,let me drive his old pickup, opened his home to youth activities, and he toldme about being saved, calling on Jesus’ name, and my need for Him. They werewitnesses. God used their testimony to change my life and destiny.Jesus said the Holy Spirit would empower us (subpoena) us to be Christ’switnesses, lets answer the call, too much is at stake.To God be all glory, Pastor Hans
Examining the Insides
June 5 2011When my doctor noticed my age he thought it would be a good idea to look at the insides of my intestines, “Just to get a baseline,” he said, but I didn’t particularly care about how he smiled. On the way out I was handed a prescription for valium and an instruction sheet. Last week, with the appointment fast approaching I actually read the instruction sheet and my first reaction was to cancel the appointment. I should have, but I didn’t. So today is preparation day, which means a clear liquid diet, drinking a bottle of citrate of magnesia to clean things out, a fleet enema for breakfast tomorrow, and of course the valium so I will be “relaxed’ for the video session scheduled for 8:00 AM tomorrow morning. I suppose in our culture this is the how you are initiated into the second fifty years of life.Of course my hope is that the doctor will do his thing and tell me that I am clean as whistle on the inside, but at the same time if there is something to be found I pray he will find it and be able to fix it. But there is more inside of us than organs, muscles, bones, nerves, glands, and piping of various kinds. There are things inside us no x-ray, no scan, no lab test, no scope can detect. There is the heart that pumps he blood, but there is also the “heart” that contains and shapes our character, our motives, our morality, our aspirations, our world view, our love and hate, our values, pride, will, thoughts,and depravity, - the heart that is me, that is you.That heart lies beyond the best physicians’ skills to examine, to evaluate, and to cure. The only one who knows its true condition is God, his assessment, "The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that no one can figure out. But I, GOD, search the heart and examine the mind. I get to the heart of the human. I get to the root of things. I treat them as they really are, not as they pretend to be" Jeremiah 17:9-10 (MSG).To scope, to examine our hearts ourselves God recommends we put it under the light of his word, the scriptures, it allows us to see what he sees, “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable” Hebrews 4:12-13 (NLT).To cure our hearts we must acknowledge its true condition, admit our complete inability to fix it ourselves, and allow God to do a healing, changing, saving work through Jesus Christ, “He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed. Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls” 1 Peter 2:24-25 (NLT).To God be all glory, love you, Pastor Hans
Weed Eaters and Bibles
May 1 2011My weed-eater (also known as a string trimmer) is down. Nothing crucial, I amwaiting for the parts to restore it to health. The only bad thing is that spring isnot a good time for a weed-eater not to work. However, I have observed weed-eaters and the truth is they much rather just sit around or hang on a wall than eatweeds. In fact, if left to themselves they’ll never eat a single weed. Talk about notliving up to your name. Actually a weed-eater cuts down weeds really well whenI, or you, put it to work. I am sure weeds are perfectly fine with weed-eatersconfined to garages and sheds, they love being unattended to. For weeds to takeover one has to do absolutely nothing.As if the weeds proliferating in our yards were not enough there are also spiritualweeds. Jesus once told a parable to illustrate the fact that God is trying to geteveryone’s attention so they will live a life that has eternal purpose and will honorhim. For some, Jesus said, weeds are the problem when it comes to responding toGod, "The seed cast in the weeds is the person who hears the kingdom news, but weeds of worry and illusions about getting more and wanting everything under the sun strangle what was heard, and nothing comes of it,” Matthew 13:22 (MSG).Few things are as effective as the Bible (God’s written word) in dealing withspiritual weeds. But just like a weed-eater hanging in a garage you and I won’tbenefit from our Bibles sitting on the coffee table or being stuck on a shelf.Spiritual weeds will happily keep growing, chocking out all God wants to grow inour lives.In order for a weed-eater to be an effective tool in your hands you have to followsome basic steps:1. Get if the wall.2. Put gas in it (make sure it’s a fuel and oil mixture if it is a two stroke).3. Put cutting string in the trimmer head.4. Start it up (wear ear-plugs and goggles, long pants are advisable as well).5. Go to where the weeds are and go to town (you can have the stringer running butswinging it across the asphalt of your driveway will not only make no differencewhen it comes to the weeds, but it will also make you look really silly).In order for the God’s Word (the Bible) to be an effective tool against spiritualweeds there are some basic steps as well:1. Put it in your hand and open it (the Gospel of Mark is a good place to start).2. Start reading it with an awareness that God is trying to speak to you.3. Don’t read past any place that captures your attention or causes you to ask aquestion. Stop, and ask yourself what God is pointing out to you and how youneed to respond. If you have a question look for, and don’t rest until you find theanswer.4. Look for anything God clearly tells you to do or not to do, as well as any generallife principles and or clear instructions of doing things God’s way.5. Immediately apply to your life anything that God has clearly instructed you todo or cease doing (you can spout Bible all over the church or anywhere else but ifyou don’t put into action what you were told the weeds will continue to grow andyou will look like the guy swinging his weed-eater across the asphalt – silly).To God be all glory, love you, Pastor Hans