In Pursuit

The Story Isn't Over

2010-04-26T07:27:00.001-07:00

This week is the last in our seven month journey through scripture called "The Story." We've seen the power of God reveled in his creation. We've seen the faithfulness of God through the Exodus. We've talked about the anger of God at his people's disobedience. We've seen His passion for his people through the prophets.

Then we saw the story come to life, and we read about God becoming flesh. We read about His love, His mercy, His grace all played out in the life and death of Jesus.

The last few weeks we've followed the story of the church from Pentecost, through Peter and eventually Paul's ministry.

The only question that is left is "What's next?" When we reach the end of the book of Acts, and "The Story" is over, is the story really over? Is that then of God's work in the world? Is that the end of His story?

The book of Acts has 28 chapters chronicling the work of God through the church, but it ends kind of abruptly. It doesn't tie everything up in a nice little bow. It doesn't give us a Hollywood ending...it doesn't seem to finish anything.

I once heard a preacher share a sermon entitled "Chapter 29." His point? We are chapter 29. God's story is still being told and shared and worked out through the church today. The work of the spirit is not done. The work of the church is not finished. God's story isn't over.

We are part of that story. What is our chapter going to look like?

Big Red Tractor

2010-04-12T07:04:00.000-07:00

In 30 A.D. the church was started through the miraculous gift of the holy spirit. God came and filled a group of ordinary men with extraordinary power. They did great things, and the world took notice. The church turned the world on its head.

In 2010, the world largely ignores the church. We are classified as right wingers, hypocrites, preachy, intolerant and a dozen things. When the church is in the news these days, it is usually for a scandal. What has changed? What is different?

Francis Chan has put together a great little video that I think raises some really challenging questions. It's well worth your five minutes. Let me know what you think.

Faith

2010-02-02T13:22:00.001-08:00

Make sure you're staying up on your scripture reading

As you read through the New Testament, you cannot help but be amazed at the things Jesus does. He's giving blind men sight. He's healing ladies that no one else knows what to do with. Cripples are walking. Lepers are being made clean. The deaf are hearing. Crazy, amazing things are happening.

There is no doubt that the power of Jesus is on full display in these stories, but He's not the only one being featured. There is another common theme. These people had great faith. They touched His robe. They believed He could do great things. They trusted Him. They often believed in Him because they had nowhere else to turn. So they bet the house on Him. And they were not disappointed.

That's not how we live today. We like security. We have regular doctors appointments to prevent illness. We have financial planning to help with the rainy days. We even predict the weather so we won't be surprised by those rainy days (ok...maybe that one doesn't work quite as well). We like to be in control.

So faith becomes a luxury. Certainly we believe in Jesus, but we don't always feel like we need Him. We don't have to bet the house on Him. And if He doesn't come through for us, we have a back-up plan.

I wonder if we miss out on some of the glory and splendor of faith because we lack the desperation of these people. I wonder what it would be like to be caught up in a situation where you had to have Jesus. What would it be like to have no fall-back position? What if Jesus was our only hope?

What would faith look like then? What might Jesus do for you?

Josh

Obey

2010-01-25T11:56:00.000-08:00

Make sure you read today's scripture.

I've always found these kind of stories interesting. Jesus meets these people in scripture. They are sick. They are crippled. They've lost someone to death. Life is not how they would have planned it, and Jesus has compassion on them. His heart goes out to them. He wants to help, and so He does.

Then He says the craziest thing. "Don't tell anyone what I did for you." Jesus knows that the more attention He draws, the sooner problems will arise, so He asks them to be quiet. He asks them to keep His story to themselves.

Christ was clear in what He expected, but they couldn't help it. They don't do what they were told. They are so excited, so amazed, at what has happened that they have to tell everyone.

I can't help but compare that to our current state of affairs. Christ was clear with His expectations for us too. He told us to go and tell everyone about His story. To share His message with everyone we encountered.

But we don't do what we are told either. So often we sit quietly and keep it to ourselves. They were so excited that they couldn't hold it in even when they were told to. We're so complacent we don't speak up even when we're told to.

I pray that God would fill all of us with the kind of excitement and boldness that this man had. The kind that doesn't know how to stop talking about Jesus.

Josh

Family History

2010-01-19T09:03:00.000-08:00

There are a lot of ways I can show you my family history. I can introduce you to my parents (I'm far too much like my dad to be anything but his son). I can show you a birth certificate. I have pictures and videos of everything from little league baseball to the first sermon I preached. It is easy for me to prove to you who I am and where I come from.

Jesus didn't have it quite that easy. When you claim to be the Son of God, a birth certificate seems a bit inadequate (even if it was etched in stone). So do family photos (or drawings?).

And that is the journey the gospels take us on. It is the journey of discovering who Jesus is and what He came do. There are parables, miracles and mysterious teachings. He calls himself The Son of Man, the light of the world, the bread of life and a dozen other things, but it all comes down to one simple question. Who is Jesus?

Does He have the authority to clear the temple? The power to heal? The right to forgive sins? Is He the Son of God?

Because if He is...then that changes everything.

Josh

Disciples

2010-01-14T08:02:00.000-08:00

The readings this week are particularly hard to read. Think about the things Jesus expects of his disciples.

If we don't hate our family (or love Him immensely more than our family) we "CANNOT" be a disciple.

If we are not willing to give up everything we have in order follow Christ. If we aren't willing to sacrifice it all for his sake, then we "CANNOT" be his disciple.

If we won't carry our cross (be willing to die spiritually and physically) for his sake, then we "CANNOT" be his disciple.

It doesn't say it will be hard to be his disciple. It doesn't say we won't be one of the best disciples. It says we can't be his disciple. We can't follow him. We can't bear his name.

In essence, it is impossible to follow Jesus halfway. Either you are willing to give up everything for him, or you cannot follow him. It's an all or nothing sort of thing. No middle ground. No half-way. No gray area. You are either in or your out.

When Jesus called Peter, James, John and Andrew, He didn't ask them to give up their Sundays and a few hours each week. They left their jobs and families to follow Him. When He called Matthew, he didn't ask him for a weekly tithe and to sing in the praise team. He asked him to leave behind his financial security and social status. They left everything to follow Jesus.

It's not easy to read, but its true. Jesus wants everything or nothing at all. The only question is are you in or are you out.

Josh

Temptation

2010-01-05T12:19:00.000-08:00

I like the story of Jesus' temptation a lot, but it has a tendency to lead us down a dangerous path. We read his story. We empathize with his temptations. And we try to apply it to us. "Satan is tempting me," we say. "The devil is fighting me hard on this one," we utter.

And maybe it is true sometimes. There are probably times when Satan really does attack God's people and try to pull them in to sin. But not always. Much of our temptation comes from a place even scarier than Satan. It comes from inside us.

"Each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed." - James 1:14

We are broken people. Sin messed us up bad. It messed up our hearts. It messed up our heads. It messed up our world. We were never made to desire evil, but we do. We are broken, and we *want* to sin. Our own evil desires drag us down the path toward sin. Satan had to tempt Jesus, because Jesus wasn't broken. But us, we find sin all on our own.

Perhaps this is why scripture doesn't talk about cleaning up our lives. It doesn't talk about making us better. It doesn't talk about improvements. It talks about newness. It talks about starting from scratch: tearing out the old and building the new. We are so broken, that we cannot be fixed...but we can be made new again, and it is in that newness that we have the ability to stand up to temptation.

It is when we are made like Christ, that we can send our temptation (and Satan) running for the hills.

We Cry Out

2009-10-26T08:25:00.000-07:00

I love the book of Judges, and I hate the book of Judges. I love it because it speaks so clearly to the human condition. I hate it because it speaks so clearly to my condition.

"After Ehud died, the Israelites once again did evil in the eyes of the LORD. So the LORD sold them into the hands of Jabin, a king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth Haggoyim. Because he had nine hundred iron chariots and had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years, they cried to the LORD for help."

This short passage sums up the entire book. The people do whatever they want. Things get bad...then they cry out to God. Notice what this passage doesn't say.

It doesn't say that they wanted to follow God, so they cried out to Him. It doesn't say they loved the Lord, so they cried out to Him. It doesn't even say that they remembered how good God had been to them, so they cried out.

It says things got bad. The enemy had a big army and was mean to them. Life got tough, and when they couldn't take it anymore...they cried out. It was a prayer of desperation. A prayer of panic.

That sounds way too familiar. It sounds a lot like a church who waits until things are falling apart to have prayer meetings. It sounds a lot like Christians who wait until they lose their job to get serious about God. It sounds a lot like us.

We often cry out not because we want to, but because we have no other options. God wants to be so much more for us than a 9-1-1 phone call. Might we know that God answers our cries, but also learn that He wants to help us even when things aren't that bad. Might we learn to cry out in good times too.

Josh

Move On

2009-10-15T08:33:00.000-07:00

"Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on."

That is God's message to them as the stand at the Red Sea. By all logic, they are trapped. There is an ocean and in front of them and army behind them. There is no way. They think they are going to die.

And with all the odds stacked against them, God says "move on." The God who brought them out of Egypt, who delivered the plagues, who had given them sign after sign was still with them. He wanted them to move on, because he had things taken care of.

The Josh version of the Bible might read like this:

"Even after all we've been through together you still doubt me. After all I've shown you, your ready to throw in the towel? Do you really think this problem is too big? Do you really think I can't handle it? Quit your whining, keep moving forward and trust me to take care of it."

Maybe that's a lose paraphrase of Exodus 14:15, but I think its an accurate one. Life is full of obstacles and trials. There are times you feel trapped. Times you feel outnumbered. Times you feel like there is no hope. But God is always going to be bigger than the obstacles in front of us. He is always going to be stronger than the armies pursuing us.

And sometimes we need to be told to stop whining and move on. The old hymns puts it this way "'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, And grace will lead me home."

Josh

Tomorrow

2009-10-13T07:38:00.000-07:00

John Ortberg writes about today's passage in a powerful way. This is my paraphrase of his thoughts.

Here's what happens.

God sends a plague of frogs to Egypt. They are everywhere. Outside, inside, in the water, in the beds, in the stoves. EVERYWHERE.

God sends Moses to Pharaoh with a simple message. Let me and my people go sacrifice and pray to God, and the frogs will go away. Then Pharaoh utters the dumbest word in scripture. Tomorrow.

Pharaoh knows what is right. He knows the way out of his problem. He need only tell Moses, do it now. Lets get things settled right now. Let us get right with God in the here and now. Instead, he says "tomorrow." He would rather spend another day with the frogs than do what God has asked of him.

Why do we do that? Why do we choose to put off getting right with God? Why is it that we would rather do the right thing tomorrow than right now? What is it about human nature that makes us utter that word?

Scripture reminds us "Now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation." (2 Cor 6:2)

Let us seek to get right and stay right with God now. Not later. Not next week. Not when we have more time. Not even tomorrow.

Josh

Credited to Him

2009-09-28T08:53:00.000-07:00

When you go to college, you can "test out" of certain subjects. You take an exam to prove you already know the class material, and then they give you "credit" for a class you never took.

Occasionally a bank will make an error. They put money in the wrong account, or misread a check and someone's account is "credited" with money that isn't theirs.

In the workplace, a boss is often praised for the hard work of his subordinates. If he's a bit selfish, he might take "credit" for their work.

There are dozens of more examples of someone getting credit for something they didn't do or earn or deserve, but none of them measure up to this.

"Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness."

Notice that it doesn't say he was righteous. It doesn't say he became righteous. It just says God gave him credit for being righteous. Because of his faith, Abraham was seen as righteous.

God still does that for us. Ain't that cool?

Josh

Be sure to keep up with The Story by clicking here

What We Know

2009-09-25T07:24:00.001-07:00

The truth is, we don't know a whole bunch about Noah. We don't know what his parents were like. We don't know where he went to school. We're not sure if he liked sports, music or pizza. We don't even know what his job was. We don't know any of the things you normally know about a person.

In fact, his story in scripture spans only four chapters (not like Moses, Abraham or David who get dozens of chapters). The details are pretty scarce. God told him a flood was coming. So he built a boat. Through that boat, God saved humanity and every kind of animal. Noah got off the boat. God made a promise with a rainbow.

That's the story. It's short and to the point. It doesn't contain any unnecessary details. But there is one thing we know about Noah that is really important.

"Noah did everything just as God commanded him." - Genesis 6:22

Noah was obedient. He did everything God asked of Him. Not just some of it. Not even most of it. All of it.

I pray someday that could be written about me. How about you?

Josh

A Rapid Descent

2009-09-21T08:36:00.001-07:00

I'm amazed at how quickly it happened. In Genesis 1 everything is perfect, and no sin has entered the world.

By Genesis 3 (a hundred years or so) man has sinned and creation has been shattered.

By Genesis 4 (150 years) the first murder has occurred.

By Genesis 6 (1000 years) the author writes this "The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time."

In one thousand years humanity had gone from perfection to only thinking evil. That's the effect sin had on the world. That's how badly damaged we have become. Sin didn't just mess us up a little, it shattered our souls.

That's why the grace of God is so important. Because we aren't a little messed up...we are disfigured beyond recognition. We are a long way from the people we were created to be.

And only by the grace of God can we make it back.

Josh

The Fall of Man

2009-09-18T06:43:00.000-07:00

It is our greatest weakness. It is the place where temptation takes hold and drags us down. The downfall of so many great men and women is tied to a singular shortcoming. Our egos.

It is our ego that causes us to say "that could never happen to me...I would never cross that line" and so we don't flee from temptation, we don't set up boundaries...and we fall.

It is our ego that causes us to think "I have to do what is right for me...I have to look out for number one," and so we miss opportunities to love people the way Jesus loved them.

It is our ego that makes us feel "That doesn't really apply to me...that rule is for other people," and so we break the rules.

It is our ego that causes us to say "At least I'm not like that person," and so we condemn others, justify our actions and feel good about our sin.

It is ego that led Eve to eat the fruit. It is ego that leads us to ignore others. It is ego that pulls us toward selfishness. It is ego that makes us think we are above the rules. It is ego that drags us into sin.

No wonder scripture says:

"Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up." - James 4:10

and

"So the last will be first, and the first will be last." - Matthew 20:16

and

"For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." - Matthew 23:12

Might we learn to pray the same prayer as John the Baptist "He must become greater; I must become less." (John 3:30)

Josh

Don't forget to read todays scripture.

In His Image

2009-09-15T14:12:00.000-07:00

I love this part.

He made the birds of the air according to their kind.

He made the fish of the sea according to their kind.

He made the beasts of the field according to their kind.

That means he made dogs to be like dogs, cats to be like cats, eagles to be like eagles and sharks to be like us.

But humans? He made us in his image.

He made us to be like Him. To love like Him. To be holy like Him. To live like Him. To choose like Him. To have relationships like Him.

How cool is that?

In the beginning

2009-09-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time...

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

In the beginning...

These phrases have a tendency to conjure images of fairy tails and legends. They put us in the mood for a good story about princesses, evil witches, and powerful Jedi's. They are the kind of phrases that start the best stories.

This too is a fantastic story. It has everything you need. There are battles, miracles, failures, successes, and great plot twists. There are great heroes and evil villains. It has a perfect climax and a wonderful resolution. It really is a great story.

The difference is, everything depends on this story. If the Story of God (as found in scripture) is true, then that affects everything we do with our lives. We have no choice but to devote ourselves to God.

If it isn't true, then most of us our wasting our time. We have spent a lot of time and energy following a God who isn't real.

I happen to believe its true. And for a lot of really good reasons.

That means this is the beginning of the most important story any of us will ever read. I hope you are ready.

Josh

The Power of Story

2009-09-11T08:38:00.000-07:00

There is incredible power in story. Story reveals truth. Story helps you relate. Story explains purpose. I know that most of you work jobs that are about facts. I know that most of you were raised in a culture that likes "Just the facts ma'am." But I think deep down, most of us long for stories. We like movies with good plots. We read fiction books. We get caught up in goofy TV shows.

We like story. Even in our personal life.

Don't just tell me that your mission trip was life changing, tell me a story about the people you helped. Don't just tell me that you have the best spouse in the world, tell about the time she made your day. Don't just claim that you are proud of your kids, tell me about their latest football game. Life is full of stories, and we love to hear them.

I think God knew this (actually...since he designed us...I'm pretty sure he knew this). There is a reason why the majority of your Bible is written in story format. God didn't want to just tell you that he loved you, he wanted to show you how much. He didn't want to just claim to be powerful, he wanted you to have examples of his power. So he gave us His story.

I hope you can join us this fall for our series about the story of God. Be sure to check out the daily scripture readings, our audio sermons and these random thoughts often.

Josh

Eccl 12 - Purpose

2009-02-04T07:12:00.000-08:00

Eccl 12 - BG.com

"Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man."

This is the verse that brings everything home. This is the verse that makes the book with reading. Up until this point, every chapter has been a bit depressing. Meaningless, meaningless, meaningless. Pleasure is meaningless. Money is meaningless. Education is meaningless. And on he goes. Nothing we can pursue in this life has any real significance. They might be enjoyable, but they do not give us purpose.

The conclusion? Obey God. Worship Him. Fear Him. That is your purpose.

What is the second purpose? There isn't one. That's it. Following God is all there is. That is the WHOLE purpose of man. Nothing more and nothing less. We were created with one purpose in mind; we are to fear God and obey Him.

Why do we try to make something so simple, so complicated?

In Christ,

Josh

Ecclesiasties 11 - The Unknown

2009-02-03T11:55:00.000-08:00

Eccl 11 at BG.com
As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother's womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.

We get pretty full of ourselves. We think we're smart. Our scientists tell us that they have the world figured out. We have theories and hypothesis about everything from electrons to supernovas. We study, we learn, we think we have it figured out.

The truth is, we know very little. We're not sure how DNA really works, at best we can guess. We certainly don't get the weather (have you ever checked a 5-day forecast for Ohio?). The truth is, we know very little about the world.

We know even less about God. The people who stand up and claim to know all about God are full of it. God is infinite. Omnipotent. Magnificent. Immutable. And lots of other big words too. The best we can do is pursue Him. Strive for Him. Learn about Him. Know Him better tomorrow than we do today. But we will never "get Him." He is too big for us to fully understand. We cannot ever know Him completely. He is beyond my ability to comprehend.

And I don't know that I would want to follow a God who wasn't. I like that God is that big. I like that there is always more to learn. I like that I don't understand everything. That's what makes Him God.

In Christ,

Josh

Two Things

2009-02-02T10:20:00.000-08:00

Two things

1) We are almost done with Ecclesasities (thank goodness...I mispell it every time I type it), so we need a new book to read through. Suggestions? Thoughts?

2) I thought now would be a good time for you to share questions about other things you are reading. If you have come across something else in your Bible Study, I'll try to play Bible Answer man. We did this a while back, and had some good questions...so shoot them again.

Have a great day,

Josh

Eccl 10 - Proverbs

2009-02-02T09:19:00.000-08:00

Eccl 10

I have to be honest...there isn't a whole lot about this chapter that jumped out and hit me in the head. There wasn't a single phrase or idea that was particularly moving, but I do like the list of proverbs. There is just a simple list about being careful, being wise and not getting yourself into trouble. So today, just a simple question. Which of the proverbs did you like the most?

Josh

Eccl 9 - Wisdom

2009-01-30T07:09:00.000-08:00

Eccl 9 - Read along

"The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded than the shouts of a ruler of fools"

There are a lot of stupid people in our world. I meet them everyday. People with ideas and biases built on weak logic or one fluke experience. People who make decisions that make no sense. People who have no right to be in charge of anything, and yet they are. They drive like idiots. Hold up lines at the store. Speak loudly and boldly about things they don't understand. There are a lot of stupid people in this world, and I spend far too much time listening to them.

There are also a lot of really wise people in our world. I meet them everyday too. They usually speak softer and humbler. Experience has taught them how to make good decisions. They move slower and gentler, but with greater purpose. I have a lot to learn from them. I need to spend more time with them. I need to listen to them.

Who are some wise people in your life? What have they taught you?

In Christ,

Josh

Eccl 8 - No One Knows

2009-01-29T07:02:00.000-08:00

Eccl 8 - read along at BG.com

"Since no man knows the future, who can tell him what is to come?"

No one knows the future, but we all try to predict it. That's what weather man do when they forecast tomorrow's snow (notice how often they are wrong?) That's what financial consultants do when they invest money. Its what we do when we start laying out our five year, ten year and fifteen year plans. We try to predict and plan how the future will unfold.

There is nothing wrong with being prepared, but when we live our lives for a future date, we miss what God has given us today. We don't know what will happen tomorrow. We don't know what will happen this afternoon. What if we missed our last opportunity to be generous or kind? What if we missed our last opportunity to love someone or help someone? What if we are so focused on tomorrow that we miss the opportunities to enjoy God today?

In Christ,

Josh

Eccl 7 - Broken

2009-01-28T07:57:00.000-08:00

Read Eccl 7 at bg.com

I have to be honest...there was a large part of me who wanted to write about

"I found one upright man among a thousand,
but not one upright woman among them all."

Something about how women are always messing things up...and there aren't any good ones, but I chose not to. :)

Instead, the next verse jumped out at me.

"This only have I found:
God made mankind upright,
but men have gone in search of many schemes."

God made us to be upright. He made us to do right things. His design was perfect, and his plans for us were grand. We were created to look like, act like and be like Him.

But we have chosen to to chase after a lot of other things. We have messed everything up. We live in a broken world because we have broken it. Divorce, murder, theft, gossip, anger and more. These things are the result of men pursuing other schemes. The pain and hurt in our world exists because we have broken it.

It makes you long for the day when things will be set right. It makes you long for the "new heaven and new earth." It makes you long for the day when God will restore everything as it was intended to be.

He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!"

-- Revelation 21:5

In Christ,

Josh

Eccl 6 - A Harsh Criticism

2009-01-27T07:38:00.000-08:00

Eccl 6 at BG.com

"All man's efforts are for his mouth, yet his appetite is never satisfied."

I'm not sure what to make of this. I want to disagree. I want to argue that we are above working solely for own satisfaction. I want to believe in the goodness of man. I want to say that we work for the benefit of others, for the glory of God or for some other noble reason.

But I don't think I can. I think if we are brutally honest with ourselves, we have to admit that Solomon has a point. Most of what we do is to satisfy ourselves. We buy nice things for ourselves. We take jobs that make us happy. We even look for relationships that benefit us. Tragically, many even use God as tool to get what they want. Far too often our motivation for decisions is personal satisfaction...and yet our appetite is never fulfilled. We never have enough...so we keep looking.

I hope you can see by now where Ecclesiastes is heading. There is a place to find meaning...there is a place to find satisfaction...it just isn't in the pleasures of this world. It isn't in anything we can find for ourselves...because those things just leave us wanting more.

Josh