Pastor's Reflections

Getting Marriage Right Quiz 4

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Jeff) — Fri, 30 Sep 2016 13:00:00 +0000

Pastor’s Blog

September 30, 2016

This time find your answers in the ESV translation!

Ephesians 5:15-33 (English Standard Version) (click here for NIV, or Living Bible or The Message renderings)

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

First Corinthians 7 (English Standard Version) (click here for NIV, or Living Bible or The Message renderings)

Principles for Marriage

7 Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” 2 But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. 3 The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4 For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. 5 Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

6 Now as a concession, not a command, I say this.[a] 7 I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another.

8 To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single, as I am. 9 But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

10 To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband 11 (but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife.

12 To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. 13 If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. 14 For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. 15 But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you[b] to peace. 16 For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?

Live as You Are Called

17 Only let each person lead the life[c] that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches. 18 Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? Let him not seek circumcision. 19 For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God. 20 Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. 21 Were you a bondservant[d] when called? Do not be concerned about it. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.) 22 For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ. 23 You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men. 24 So, brothers,[e] in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.

The Unmarried and the Widowed

25 Now concerning[f] the betrothed,[g] I have no command from the Lord, but I give my judgment as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy. 26 I think that in view of the present[h] distress it is good for a person to remain as he is. 27 Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek a wife. 28 But if you do marry, you have not sinned, and if a betrothed woman[i] marries, she has not sinned. Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that. 29 This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, 30 and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, 31 and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.

32 I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. 33 But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, 34 and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. 35 I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.

36 If anyone thinks that he is not behaving properly toward his betrothed,[j] if his[k] passions are strong, and it has to be, let him do as he wishes: let them marry—it is no sin. 37 But whoever is firmly established in his heart, being under no necessity but having his desire under control, and has determined this in his heart, to keep her as his betrothed, he will do well. 38 So then he who marries his betrothed does well, and he who refrains from marriage will do even better.

39 A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. 40 Yet in my judgment she is happier if she remains as she is. And I think that I too have the Spirit of God.

Getting Marriage Right Quiz 3

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Jeff) — Thu, 29 Sep 2016 13:00:00 +0000

Pastor’s Blog

September 29, 2016

Now find your “answers” in the Bible paraphrase called “The Message”

Ephesians 5:21-33 (The Message)

Out of respect for Christ, be courteously reverent to one another.

Wives, understand and support your husbands in ways that show your support for Christ. The husband provides leadership to his wife the way Christ does to his church, not by domineering but by cherishing. So just as the church submits to Christ as he exercises such leadership, wives should likewise submit to their husbands.

Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church—a love marked by giving, not getting. Christ's love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant with holiness. And that is how husbands ought to love their wives. They're really doing themselves a favor—since they're already "one" in marriage.

No one abuses his own body, does he? No, he feeds and pampers it. That's how Christ treats us, the church, since we are part of his body. And this is why a man leaves father and mother and cherishes his wife. No longer two, they become "one flesh." This is a huge mystery, and I don't pretend to understand it all. What is clearest to me is the way Christ treats the church. And this provides a good picture of how each husband is to treat his wife, loving himself in loving her, and how each wife is to honor her husband. Ephesians 5:21-33 (MSG)

I Corinthians 7:1-40 (The Message)

To Be Married, to Be Single . . .

7 Now, getting down to the questions you asked in your letter to me. First, Is it a good thing to have sexual relations?

2-6 Certainly—but only within a certain context. It’s good for a man to have a wife, and for a woman to have a husband. Sexual drives are strong, but marriage is strong enough to contain them and provide for a balanced and fulfilling sexual life in a world of sexual disorder. The marriage bed must be a place of mutuality—the husband seeking to satisfy his wife, the wife seeking to satisfy her husband. Marriage is not a place to “stand up for your rights.” Marriage is a decision to serve the other, whether in bed or out. Abstaining from sex is permissible for a period of time if you both agree to it, and if it’s for the purposes of prayer and fasting—but only for such times. Then come back together again. Satan has an ingenious way of tempting us when we least expect it. I’m not, understand, commanding these periods of abstinence—only providing my best counsel if you should choose them.

7 Sometimes I wish everyone were single like me—a simpler life in many ways! But celibacy is not for everyone any more than marriage is. God gives the gift of the single life to some, the gift of the married life to others.

8-9 I do, though, tell the unmarried and widows that singleness might well be the best thing for them, as it has been for me. But if they can’t manage their desires and emotions, they should by all means go ahead and get married. The difficulties of marriage are preferable by far to a sexually tortured life as a single.

10-11 And if you are married, stay married. This is the Master’s command, not mine. If a wife should leave her husband, she must either remain single or else come back and make things right with him. And a husband has no right to get rid of his wife.

12-14 For the rest of you who are in mixed marriages—Christian married to non-Christian—we have no explicit command from the Master. So this is what you must do. If you are a man with a wife who is not a believer but who still wants to live with you, hold on to her. If you are a woman with a husband who is not a believer but he wants to live with you, hold on to him. The unbelieving husband shares to an extent in the holiness of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is likewise touched by the holiness of her husband. Otherwise, your children would be left out; as it is, they also are included in the spiritual purposes of God.

15-16 On the other hand, if the unbelieving spouse walks out, you’ve got to let him or her go. You don’t have to hold on desperately. God has called us to make the best of it, as peacefully as we can. You never know, wife: The way you handle this might bring your husband not only back to you but to God. You never know, husband: The way you handle this might bring your wife not only back to you but to God.

17 And don’t be wishing you were someplace else or with someone else. Where you are right now is God’s place for you. Live and obey and love and believe right there. God, not your marital status, defines your life. Don’t think I’m being harder on you than on the others. I give this same counsel in all the churches.

18-19 Were you Jewish at the time God called you? Don’t try to remove the evidence. Were you non-Jewish at the time of your call? Don’t become a Jew. Being Jewish isn’t the point. The really important thing is obeying God’s call, following his commands.

20-22 Stay where you were when God called your name. Were you a slave? Slavery is no roadblock to obeying and believing. I don’t mean you’re stuck and can’t leave. If you have a chance at freedom, go ahead and take it. I’m simply trying to point out that under your new Master you’re going to experience a marvelous freedom you would never have dreamed of. On the other hand, if you were free when Christ called you, you’ll experience a delightful “enslavement to God” you would never have dreamed of.

23-24 All of you, slave and free both, were once held hostage in a sinful society. Then a huge sum was paid out for your ransom. So please don’t, out of old habit, slip back into being or doing what everyone else tells you. Friends, stay where you were called to be. God is there. Hold the high ground with him at your side.

25-28 The Master did not give explicit direction regarding virgins, but as one much experienced in the mercy of the Master and loyal to him all the way, you can trust my counsel. Because of the current pressures on us from all sides, I think it would probably be best to stay just as you are. Are you married? Stay married. Are you unmarried? Don’t get married. But there’s certainly no sin in getting married, whether you’re a virgin or not. All I am saying is that when you marry, you take on additional stress in an already stressful time, and I want to spare you if possible.

29-31 I do want to point out, friends, that time is of the essence. There is no time to waste, so don’t complicate your lives unnecessarily. Keep it simple—in marriage, grief, joy, whatever. Even in ordinary things—your daily routines of shopping, and so on. Deal as sparingly as possible with the things the world thrusts on you. This world as you see it is on its way out.

32-35 I want you to live as free of complications as possible. When you’re unmarried, you’re free to concentrate on simply pleasing the Master. Marriage involves you in all the nuts and bolts of domestic life and in wanting to please your spouse, leading to so many more demands on your attention. The time and energy that married people spend on caring for and nurturing each other, the unmarried can spend in becoming whole and holy instruments of God. I’m trying to be helpful and make it as easy as possible for you, not make things harder. All I want is for you to be able to develop a way of life in which you can spend plenty of time together with the Master without a lot of distractions.

36-38 If a man has a woman friend to whom he is loyal but never intended to marry, having decided to serve God as a “single,” and then changes his mind, deciding he should marry her, he should go ahead and marry. It’s no sin; it’s not even a “step down” from celibacy, as some say. On the other hand, if a man is comfortable in his decision for a single life in service to God and it’s entirely his own conviction and not imposed on him by others, he ought to stick with it. Marriage is spiritually and morally right and not inferior to singleness in any way, although as I indicated earlier, because of the times we live in, I do have pastoral reasons for encouraging singleness.

39-40 A wife must stay with her husband as long as he lives. If he dies, she is free to marry anyone she chooses. She will, of course, want to marry a believer and have the blessing of the Master. By now you know that I think she’ll be better off staying single. The Master, in my opinion, thinks so, too.

Getting Marriage Right Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Jeff) — Wed, 28 Sep 2016 16:06:00 +0000

Pastor’s Blog

September 28, 2016

Find your “answers” in these Bible Passages, this time in the Living Bible Paraphrase

Ephesians 5:21-33 (Living Bible)

Honor Christ by submitting to each other. You wives must submit to your husbands’ leadership in the same way you submit to the Lord. For a husband is in charge of his wife in the same way Christ is in charge of his body the Church. (He gave his very life to take care of it and be its Savior!) So you wives must willingly obey your husbands in everything, just as the Church obeys Christ.

And you husbands, show the same kind of love to your wives as Christ showed to the Church when he died for her, to make her holy and clean, washed by baptism and God’s Word; so that he could give her to himself as a glorious Church without a single spot or wrinkle or any other blemish, being holy and without a single fault. That is how husbands should treat their wives, loving them as parts of themselves. For since a man and his wife are now one, a man is really doing himself a favor and loving himself when he loves his wife! No one hates his own body but lovingly cares for it, just as Christ cares for his body the Church, of which we are parts.

(That the husband and wife are one body is proved by the Scripture, which says, "A man must leave his father and mother when he marries so that he can be perfectly joined to his wife, and the two shall be one.") I know this is hard to understand, but it is an illustration of the way we are parts of the body of Christ.

So again I say, a man must love his wife as a part of himself; and the wife must see to it that she deeply respects her husband—obeying, praising, and honoring him.

Ephesians 5:31-33 (TLB)

I Corinthians 7:1-40 (Living Bible)

7 Now about those questions you asked in your last letter: my answer is that if you do not marry, it is good. 2 But usually it is best to be married, each man having his own wife, and each woman having her own husband, because otherwise you might fall back into sin.

3 The man should give his wife all that is her right as a married woman, and the wife should do the same for her husband: 4 for a girl who marries no longer has full right to her own body, for her husband then has his rights to it, too; and in the same way the husband no longer has full right to his own body, for it belongs also to his wife. 5 So do not refuse these rights to each other. The only exception to this rule would be the agreement of both husband and wife to refrain from the rights of marriage for a limited time, so that they can give themselves more completely to prayer. Afterwards, they should come together again so that Satan won’t be able to tempt them because of their lack of self-control.

6 I’m not saying you must marry, but you certainly may if you wish. 7 I wish everyone could get along without marrying, just as I do. But we are not all the same. God gives some the gift of a husband or wife, and others he gives the gift of being able to stay happily unmarried. 8 So I say to those who aren’t married and to widows—better to stay unmarried if you can, just as I am. 9 But if you can’t control yourselves, go ahead and marry. It is better to marry than to burn with lust.

10 Now, for those who are married I have a command, not just a suggestion. And it is not a command from me, for this is what the Lord himself has said: A wife must not leave her husband. 11 But if she is separated from him, let her remain single or else go back to him. And the husband must not divorce his wife.

12 Here I want to add some suggestions of my own. These are not direct commands from the Lord, but they seem right to me: If a Christian has a wife who is not a Christian, but she wants to stay with him anyway, he must not leave her or divorce her. 13 And if a Christian woman has a husband who isn’t a Christian, and he wants her to stay with him, she must not leave him. 14 For perhaps the husband who isn’t a Christian may become a Christian with the help of his Christian wife. And the wife who isn’t a Christian may become a Christian with the help of her Christian husband. Otherwise, if the family separates, the children might never come to know the Lord; whereas a united family may, in God’s plan, result in the children’s salvation.

15 But if the husband or wife who isn’t a Christian is eager to leave, it is permitted. In such cases the Christian husband or wife should not insist that the other stay, for God wants his children to live in peace and harmony. 16 For, after all, there is no assurance to you wives that your husbands will be converted if they stay; and the same may be said to you husbands concerning your wives.

17 But be sure in deciding these matters that you are living as God intended, marrying or not marrying in accordance with God’s direction and help, and accepting whatever situation God has put you into. This is my rule for all the churches.

18 For instance, a man who already has gone through the Jewish ceremony of circumcision before he became a Christian shouldn’t worry about it; and if he hasn’t been circumcised, he shouldn’t do it now. 19 For it doesn’t make any difference at all whether a Christian has gone through this ceremony or not. But it makes a lot of difference whether he is pleasing God and keeping God’s commandments. That is the important thing.

20 Usually a person should keep on with the work he was doing when God called him. 21 Are you a slave? Don’t let that worry you—but of course, if you get a chance to be free, take it. 22 If the Lord calls you, and you are a slave, remember that Christ has set you free from the awful power of sin; and if he has called you and you are free, remember that you are now a slave of Christ. 23 You have been bought and paid for by Christ, so you belong to him—be free now from all these earthly prides and fears.[a] 24 So, dear brothers, whatever situation a person is in when he becomes a Christian, let him stay there, for now the Lord is there to help him.

25 Now I will try to answer your other question. What about girls who are not yet married? Should they be permitted to do so? In answer to this question, I have no special command for them from the Lord. But the Lord in his kindness has given me wisdom that can be trusted, and I will be glad to tell you what I think.

26 Here is the problem: We Christians are facing great dangers to our lives at present. In times like these I think it is best for a person to remain unmarried. 27 Of course, if you already are married, don’t separate because of this. But if you aren’t, don’t rush into it at this time. 28 But if you men decide to go ahead anyway and get married now, it is all right; and if a girl gets married in times like these, it is no sin. However, marriage will bring extra problems that I wish you didn’t have to face right now.

29 The important thing to remember is that our remaining time is very short, and so are our opportunities for doing the Lord’s work.[b] For that reason those who have wives should stay as free as possible for the Lord;* 30 happiness or sadness or wealth should not keep anyone from doing God’s work. 31 Those in frequent contact with the exciting things the world offers should make good use of their opportunities without stopping to enjoy them; for the world in its present form will soon be gone.

32 In all you do, I want you to be free from worry. An unmarried man can spend his time doing the Lord’s work and thinking how to please him. 33 But a married man can’t do that so well; he has to think about his earthly responsibilities and how to please his wife. 34 His interests are divided. It is the same with a girl who marries. She faces the same problem. A girl who is not married is anxious to please the Lord in all she is and does.[c] But a married woman must consider other things such as housekeeping and the likes and dislikes of her husband.

35 I am saying this to help you, not to try to keep you from marrying. I want you to do whatever will help you serve the Lord best, with as few other things as possible to distract your attention from him.

36 But if anyone feels he ought to marry because he has trouble controlling his passions, it is all right; it is not a sin; let him marry. 37 But if a man has the willpower not to marry and decides that he doesn’t need to and won’t, he has made a wise decision. 38 So the person who marries does well, and the person who doesn’t marry does even better.

39 The wife is part of her husband as long as he lives; if her husband dies, then she may marry again, but only if she marries a Christian. 40 But in my opinion she will be happier if she doesn’t marry again; and I think I am giving you counsel from God’s Spirit when I say this.

Getting Marriage Right

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Jeff) — Mon, 26 Sep 2016 17:37:00 +0000

Pastor's Blog

September 26, 2016

Check out these passage from the Bible for the “answers” What do they tell you?

Ephesians 5:21-33 (NIV)

“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church-- for we are members of his body. "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." This is a profound mystery--but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.”

I Corinthians 7:1-40 (NIV)

Concerning Married Life

7 Now for the matters you wrote about: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” 2 But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband. 3 The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4 The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife. 5 Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt youbecause of your lack of self-control. 6 I say this as a concession, not as a command. 7 I wish that all of you were as I am. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.

8 Now to the unmarried[a] and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do. 9 But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

10 To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. 11 But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.

12 To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her.13 And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. 14 For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.

15 But if the unbeliever leaves, let it be so. The brother or the sister is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. 16 How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?

Concerning Change of Status

17 Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them.This is the rule I lay down in all the churches. 18 Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should not be circumcised. 19 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing.Keeping God’s commands is what counts. 20 Each person should remain in the situation they were in when God called them.

21 Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so. 22 For the one who was a slave when called to faith in the Lord is the Lord’s freed person; similarly, the one who was free when called is Christ’s slave. 23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of human beings. 24 Brothers and sisters, each person, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation they were in when God called them.

Concerning the Unmarried

25 Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy. 26 Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for a man to remain as he is.27 Are you pledged to a woman? Do not seek to be released. Are you free from such a commitment? Do not look for a wife. 28 But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.

29 What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not; 30 those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; 31 those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.

32 I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs—how he can please the Lord. 33 But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife— 34 and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband. 35 I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.

36 If anyone is worried that he might not be acting honorably toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if his passions are too strong[b] and he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning. They should get married. 37 But the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion but has control over his own will, and who has made up his mind not to marry the virgin—this man also does the right thing. 38 So then, he who marries the virgin does right, but he who does not marry her does better.[c]

39 A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord. 40 In my judgment, she is happier if she stays as she is—and I think that I too have the Spirit of God.

Blessed to Be a Blessing - Fall Theme 2016

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Jeff) — Fri, 23 Sep 2016 13:00:00 +0000

Fall Theme 2016

BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING

Genesis 12:3

September 23, 2016
Jeff Lampl

9/25 Beyond Ourselves

Meet people whose lives have been changed by Christ.

10/2 – 11/6 Marriage

A 5 week series for married couples and single people including interviews of couples of all ages. Topics include;

‘The Secret’ . . . ‘Godly Tantrums’. . . ‘The Purpose’ . .’Who is this person’? . .‘The Power’ . . . ‘Sex’. .

10/16 Is Christianity Credible?

One Week only, Sunday 10/16. Bible Scholar David Marshall will preach at both services on the believability of Christianity. His goal is to both strengthen the faith of believers and to present Christianity to skeptics in a way that will help them consider Christianity on its merits.

Dr. Marshall will also teach at ‘Life Café’ on Wed. evening 10/19 and on Saturday morning 10/22 at 9:00 and 10:30. Topics: Jesus and Other religions, Is Jesus a Myth?, and Can the Bible be Believed? There is no charge for his teachings and childcare will be provided.

I am hoping that you will attend each of these teachings not only so that you grow in your confidence and ability to explain your faith to skeptics, but also so that you will take this opportunity to invite skeptical friends who might be open to discovering that there are solid answers to their questions and doubts.

Dr. Marshall’s calling is to provide a solid, rational and historically grounded response to the groundswell of those who are questioning the credibility of Christianity

Dr. Marshall’s newest books are How Jesus Passes the Outsider Test: The Inside Story, Jesus is no Myth. Just click on the link to purchase.

Read more about Dr. Marshall:

Dr. Marshall is a Christian scholar and founder of the new East West Center for Christian Thought in Seattle. He worked for 15 years in East Asia as a missionary and educator. He labored to awaken the Asian church to the needs of young women caught in the sex industry, researched Chinese culture, and studied theology at China Evangelical Seminar. He then taught at Siebold University and Nagasaki University in Nagasaki, Japan, his wife's hometown.

Dr. Marshall is author of seven published books, on China and Christianity, world religions, the Gospels, and the New Atheism, as well of articles for Christianity Today, Books and Culture, Touchstone, and other magazines, and editor of Faith Seeking Understanding: Essays in Memory of Paul Brand and Ralph Winter (William Carey Library).

Marshall has a doctorate from Oxford Centre for Missions Studies, and MA and BA degrees in China-related topics from the University of Washington in Seattle. He has debated skeptics including Dr. Richard Carrier, John Loftus, Dr. Robert Price, and Dr. Phil Zuckerman, and has spoken at leading churches in America, and also in Canada, Great Britain, and many countries of East Asia. He blogs at christthetao.blogspot.com.

He writes that, “The truth of the gospels lies at the heart of the Christian faith. But in recent years, their historicity has been challenged in works that have been granted tremendous media attention”

Jesus is No Myth answers these challenges by analyzing "forensic" evidence for the trustworthiness of the gospels, helping Christians and unbelievers recognize the dynamic, revolutionary character of the stories of Jesus, why they are deeply credible as historical sources, and how they have changed the world.

For the past 35 years, Dr. Marshall has been studying three vital questions: "What has the Gospel done for humanity?" "Can the gospels be trusted?" His previous book, How Jesus Passes the Outsider Test: The Inside Story, which focused on Christ and other religions, was compared by some reviewers to Mere Christianity and Orthodoxy.

Book Reviews

Jesus is No Myth (just out)

Dr. Craig Blomberg (Denver Seminary):

“David Marshall presents a rare combination of forms of expertise . . .

Support for the credibility of Christianity can be found here that

is available nowhere else. A must read. ”

Dr. Timothy McGrew, Chair of the Department of Philosophy

at Western Michigan University:

"Full of fresh insights, penetrating analysis, and dry wit – t

he section on the Baal Shem Tov alone is worth the price of the book –

and some of the best material from the rich storehouse of the history

of apologetics."

Order here

How Jesus Passes the Outsider Test: The Inside Story, 2015

"David Marshall unlocks a wealth of wisdom . . . This book is a treasure chest. Read it and you will be enriched." Miriam Adeney, Seattle Pacific Missiologist:

"At one point, I was thinking to myself: "I can't remember the last time I enjoyed reading a book this much." (And I read a lot.) Then I remembered that it was when I read Chesterton's Orthodoxy. Quite honestly, I think this book even surpasses that for me." Brad Cooper:

"For some time now, Christianity’s cultured despisers have claimed that the Christian faith fails the so-called outsider test for faith. In this delightful riposte, David Marshall demonstrates the opposite is the case: Christianity, of all faiths, is most adept to pass this test. Nor is this a dry academic volume: Marshall presents his case with rhetorical wit and the cosmopolitan vision of a true world citizen. A must have for any apologist."

Randal Rauser, Canadian philosopher:

"Marshall’s undertaking is breath-taking in its scope, as he brings together an amazing array of factual evidence from history, literature, religions and an unbelievable diversity of other sources in a brilliantly woven case that effectively invalidates the skeptical claim that people of faith live in a `closed door’ universe that could never survive the rigorous intellectual scrutiny of the `Outsider Test’. Marshall is uniquely gifted as a writer – his careful scholarship, depth of insight and logical analysis is matched only by his illustrative genius as he skilfully blends inspired prose and vivid imagination in a much-needed, readable counter to the contemporary assault of the new atheists. This is a book you will not want to put down once you begin to read it, and a `must-read’ for any thoughtful follower of Christ. It has immense value both as a apologetic and pastoral tool - to help demolish obstacles to faith among genuine skeptics, and to encourage the weak and equip the strong within the community of faith." Ivan Satyavrata, theologian, Chairman, Kolkata Mission of Mercy:

"An engrossing historical tapestry laden with insight . . . Read on and be enriched!" Don Richardson, author, Peace Child and Eternity in Their Hearts:

"In the earliest days of the church there was a skeptic named Celsus whose works have been lost, and whose name would be forgotten had not Origen written his important rebuttal, Contra Celsus . . . Much as Celsus has become a footnote to Origen, I suspect (skeptic John) Loftus is destined to become a footnote to Marshall . . . an outstanding read by a terrific storyteller, broad in scope, great in depth." Tom Gilson, Thinking Christian blog:

Faith Seeking Understanding, 2012

Philip Jenkins, Penn State historian:

"David Marshall has gathered a really distinguished array of contributors, who have all thought deeply about faith in its global context, and the different essays work wonderfully well together. The book makes a splendid memorial to two truly great individuals, Paul Brand and Ralph Winter."

Nicholas Wolterstorff, Yale philosopher:

"What makes the collection especially fascinating and valuable is the individuality and particularity of the stories -- a concrete testimony to the fact that the Christian intellectual life takes many forms."

The Truth Behind the New Atheism, 2007

Ralph Winter, founder, US Center for World Missions: "Spectacularly argued, spectacularly written, and even more spectacularly timely."

Rodney Stark (author of The Rise of Christianity and For the Glory of God) "A wonderful revelation that unreflective, blind faith is most prominently displayed these days by the "new atheists"

Paul Griffiths, Warren Chair of Catholic Thought at Duke Divinity School, "Dennett's and Dawkins' arguments are given a full and fair showing, and their strengths acknowledged, which makes all the more impressive the fact that only tumbled fragments of their atheistic edifice remain by the time Marshall is done."

John Lennox, Oxford University mathematician, philosopher of science, "I am enjoying (it) immensely . . . I am sure it will be a great help with my own thinking on the subject."

The Truth About Jesus and the "Lost Gospels": A Reasoned Look at Thomas, Judas, and the Gnostic Gospels, 2007

Craig Blomberg: "Marshall's work introduces the real historical facts as effectively as any work in print today. Learned but very readable, wide-ranging in coverage, and even tinged with self-effacing humor, this book sets the record straight."

Jesus and the Religions of Man, 2000.

Frederica Matthewes-Green, of Christianity Today: "David Marshall takes cultural analysis several levels deeper, and in prose that is several levels higher, than we've come to expect. The result is not only enlightening but also a great deal of fun to read."

David Leshana, President Emeritus, Seattle Pacific University: "Very well done . . . This book should be read by all who . . . are preparing for ministry in an increasingly multicultural world."

Leslie Keylock, professor of Apologetics, Moody Bible Institute (retired): "Carefully reasoned and beautifully written by a man who has read widely . . . One of the finest books on world religions I have read in a long time."

Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "Learned, urbane, and refreshing."

True Son of Heaven: How Jesus Fulfills the Chinese Culture, by David Marshall, 1996.

Richard Sherburne, S. J., Marquette University scholar of Tibetan religion: "I read (the) entire book last night -- really found it hard to put down. A wonderful job of de-europeanizing Jesus."

James Hudson Taylor III, founder, China Evangelical Seminary: "An amazing piece of writing."

Don Richardson, author, Peace Child, Eternity in Their Hearts: "An exciting read!"

Tony Lambert, China researcher, "Showing deep, original thought, the author challenges the assumption that God and Christ are totally alien to the Chinese tradition, and writes a modern book on Christian apologetics in the process . . . Stimulating and provocative."

Wright Doyle, Global China Center, "It seems to me that Marshall has followed in the footsteps of C.S. Lewis, who told us that are desires are to weak, not too strong; and of Blaise Pascal, who urged Christians to show how lovely, how utterly delightful, is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The True Son of Heaven presents us with effective contextualization of the Christian message without dilution of its essence . . . Marshall’s style, both poetic and colloquial, requires a translator of the very highest skill in both English and Chinese to render the beauty and subtleties of this fine work."

Going to the Polls - How would Jesus have us think about Marriage, Family and Education?

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Jeff) — Mon, 19 Sep 2016 14:55:00 +0000

Going to the Polls

Election 2016

How would Jesus have us think about

Marriage, Family and Education?

Monday, September 19, 2016

Jeff Lampl

“These are the commands . . . . God directed me to teach you . . . so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God . . . and so that you
may enjoy long life.. . be careful to obey so that it may go well with you . . .

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.

Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates.”

Deuteronomy 6:1-9

What do moms, dads, guns and schools have to do with one another?

The Bible presents to us a God-ordered world, structured around the building block of in-tact families consisting of a mom and a dad who are married to each other for life and who take responsibility for raising their children to know and love God. Marriage (the trinity of God, husband, wife) is given by God as God’s human picture of Himself (the Trinity of Father Son and Holy Spirit). In Jesus’ day education took place primarily in the home and consisted of loving God, teaching children how God’s world functions and training them to be partners with God in the operation of God’s world.

Fast forward a few thousand years to 21^st century America where parents blame bad schools and bad teachers for their child’s ‘bad education’. Although schools are good things generally speaking they can only be as successful as the families from which the students come.

It looks to me like Chicago has a problem with bad schools, shootings (3,000 shot so far this year alone), fatherless homes, youth unemployment and poverty. I find it difficult to imagine that a new jobs program will help much if children grow up in homes where mom has no husband and the children do not have a dad, who teamed with mom, will teach, love, and train them in the fundamentals of life. I find it difficult to imagine that better schools can ever do a job for which, generally speaking but still importantly, in-tact families are suited.

So, what’s the answer? If government can help at all perhaps it and we together could begin to imagine and dream.

What if we were to put on the Jesus Lens and imagine what educating our children would look like as Jesus would want it to look? Some of the following “what ifs” are beyond what a government can do, but they are not beyond what our children’s primary teachers, eg. their parents and grandparents, can do.

· Imagine a government that valued and became incredibly creative in strengthening the family, valuing and promoting the value of dads sticking with moms as husband and wife in a home where children would be loved, trained, taught, valued and given values that will help them be able to succeed in school and hold jobs.

· Imagine our children growing up with the understanding that God is real and life apart from God is foolish to attempt.

· Imagine parents, grandparents, and teachers comfortably telling our children that sex is a fusion of self-giving souls and that God intends it for marriage where it will be holy, not just a physical act, and where men become husbands and then fathers who are there for their children for the rest of their lives

· Imagine understanding marriage and subsequent fatherhood and motherhood as a visual of God himself, if not explicitly at least implicitly.

· Imagine our children knowing that cloning and the taking of human life from the ‘womb to the tomb’ are acts that tamper with the sacredness of every human life because God is the father of every human life.

· Imagine our children being taught by parents and grandparents and teachers that human beings are people with souls, people who are holy objects, not just as people who exist to make me happy or get in my way.

· Imagine our nation’s children understanding American citizenship as a responsibility to love and respect others including our enemies.

· What if our children had the knowledge, not just belief, but knowledge that the value of a human being is not in what they contribute to society? Rather it is in their value to God as their father.

· Imagine our children growing up in homes and schools being taught that foreign policy is not just about what works for America but also about America making the rest of the world work better too.

· Imagine our children growing up know that work is about far more than earning money to live on, rather work is what I am made for, it gives us dignity. It is partnering with God to build a society that is a blessing to others be it at McDonalds or DuPont

· Imagine our children being trained to be able ask themselves is my “cell phone use and social media use making me more connected or less connected to actual human beings. Am I more or less lonely.? Am I kinder and more about helping others or am I more isolated and self-centered?

· What if our children knew the difference between shopping that is fun and useful and shopping that degrading?

· What if our children were to learn that beauty is a real thing and that it is not in the eye of the beholder, rather beauty is that which communicates an awe inspiring, humbling awareness of God

· What if our children were to study physics, and chemistry and literature and poetry, all with the knowledge, not just belief, but actual knowledge that God is the maker and sustainer and operator of every physical law in the universe and therefore finds it impossible to consider the study of science apart from the make and sustainer of science.

These are all God questions: questions that Jesus summarized with the most important way to know anything in the universe. And that way is not first and foremost information sharing but it is by loving god and loving others. Doing those two things is the path to the real world and to the information we need to live in it.

As we go to the polls in November, ask these questions;

· Which candidates for president of the United States or for school board director and everyone in between define education in the ways described above?

· What policies might further opportunities for this kind of education?

· What policies would strengthen the family, strengthen the value of marriage and strengthen the possibility that children grow up with a father and mother committed to them and to each other for life? Which candidates know that this kind of education is first and foremost the job of parents and not the job of the state or of the church.

· Knowing however that most families won’t do this, even Christian ones, what does that mean for funding public schools, or providing vouchers for school choice, or for strengthening private schools, Christian schools and charter schools?

· How can we Christians lead the way in praying for our schools and teachers, mentoring students, involving ourselves in sports and activities as people who know that real knowledge is not judged by test scores, rather it is judged by knowledge of God

Review of Heart to Heart Sunday Message

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Jeff) — Fri, 16 Sep 2016 15:30:00 +0000

Pastor’s Blog

September 16, 2016

Jeff Lampl

This is what GOD says, the God who builds a road right through the ocean,

who carves a path through pounding waves. . . .

"Forget about all that. That’s nothing compared to what I’m going to do.

For I’m going to do a brand new thing. See, I have already begun! Don’t you not perceive it?”

Isaiah 43:18-19

On Sunday I shared my heart for you, the CLC family, for God and for the future of our church. One of the songs we sang was 10,000 Reasons, one of my all-time favorite worship songs (currently it is my favorite). And I noticed how perfect the first verse was for this message. Here it is;

Bless the Lord oh my soul

Oh my soul

Worship His Holy name

Sing like never before

Oh my soul

I'll worship Your Holy name

The sun comes up

It's a new day dawning

It's time to sing Your song again

Whatever may pass

And whatever lies before me

Let me be singing

When the evening comes

Here’s a review of what I said in Sunday’s Message.

If you weren’t here, you can listen to it here

I began the message by reading Acts 2:42 – 3:10 and explained how those verses were in my view an exact description of how God brought me into His Kingdom. I was like the beggar who was noticed, offered Jesus, helped to his feet, found himself praising God for his new life and then I entered the Acts 2 description of the new kind of community formed by Jesus called “the church”. It was awesome. Over the following 8 years connected in that kind of church I saw with my own eyes God “adding daily those who were being saved”.

Kathy and I then came to New London Presbyterian Church as pastor and the Lord just kept adding to His church, to this new kind of community of people who were following Jesus. That continued for decades, even leading us to move to Saginaw Road to build the Christian Life Center.

However, over the last six years instead of continual numerical growth we have experienced the opposite. We moved to our new location here on Saginaw Road based on projections of continued attendance and giving growth, but actual attendance and giving have decreased. Obviously this trend has caused me and others a great deal of soul searching!

Now, after years of soul searching, and to be perfectly honest, a whole lot of self-doubt, I have simply found myself returning to what I know. What I know is that Jesus is no less alive today than He was in our previous decades together. For a follower of Jesus there just isn’t any room available for worry, fear or excessive ruminating over what might be, might have been, or what isn’t. Intelligent assessment is important. But once assessment is done and whatever needed corrections are made, it is then time to remember and re-enter the reality of the Gospel which is that Jesus is at every moment making all things new. Personally I am so, so grateful that God has brought me back to His reality that He is leading his church and it is that reality has me as excited as I have ever been about his future for His Kingdom in and through CLC.

So, what now? First, the future for the work of God in and through CLC is unlimited. “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what the Lord has prepared for those who love him” 1 Cor. 2:9. Therefore as of 9/11/16 I see a brand new season of vibrant, exciting, life-giving, community and outreach in and through CLC. As each of us is willing to be a blessing to others we will find ourselves blessed beyond measure.

Second, this new season will include succession planning, which means that your leaders and I are also preparing for my successor and for an excellent and uplifting transition to the next pastor. I am not tired, I am still as enthusiastic and energized about Jesus and his church as ever and I am certain that my time here is not done. It will most likely be years before an actual succession takes place, but we are preparing now for whatever God has planned. No, I am not moving to Fiji, and no, I am not being nudged out by anyone. The elders actually like me! And I love them. But this next new season of ministry will be one, not only of a new work of God, but also one that is positioned to grow, not stall, when the baton is passed to a new pastor.

The really, really big thing, though, the biggest thing of all is our hearts for God.

There is only one thing needed for this next season and that is for you and I to be able to be all in with God. This new season will mean that each of us “offer ourselves as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God” Romans 12:1. This requires each of us to “take up our cross and follow Jesus”. It requires us to pray Jesus’ prayer, “not my will, but Yours be done”. It means transitioning from the church being a place that you hope will bless (benefit) you, to the church becoming a place in and through which your goal becomes to bless others. It means saying to God, to Jesus, “my life is yours, show me how to serve you and I’ll do it”. It means saying to God, “show me how to be ‘all in’ as a servant in and through the CLC family”.

When God has a church family like that, the blessings flow. It’s simple really, when we live to give away Jesus and his blessings rather than to seek them, it is then that we are blessed. When we seek blessings first, and then seek to serve as a second thing, we will never find ourselves truly blessed. That’s just how God works. It’s Life 101.

So, here's my suggestion for how to say to God “I’m in with you God, and I’m in with CLC”.

First play and sing along with Matt Redman as he sings 10,000 Reasons (lyrics below). Feel the incredible way that God has blessed you with his Life, with Life itself. Do this until your gratitude to God overwhelms you.

Second play the song Wake up (lyrics below) Read the words, then sing them with the recording. Make this song your commitment to become not a seeker of blessings but a giver of them to others. Make this your “I’m in” commitment to Jesus.

Third, enter into this new commitment daily, paying attention to all the ways that God prompts you to act and intervenes to bless you.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21 (NIV)

10,000 Reasons Wake Up

Bless the Lord oh my soul We have seen the hope

Oh my soul of your healing

Worship His Holy name Rising from our souls

Sing like never before is the feeling

Oh my soul We are drawing close

Your light is shining through

I'll worship Your Holy name Your light is shining through

The sun comes up

It's a new day dawning Wake up, wake up, wake up

It's time to sing Your song again wake up all you sleepers

Whatever may pass stand up, stand up

And whatever lies before me

Let me be singing Stand up all you dreamers

When the evening comes Hands up, hands up

Hands up all believers

Bless the Lord oh my soul Take up your cross, carry it on

Oh my soul

Worship His Holy name All lthat you reveal

Sing like never before with light in us

Oh my soul will come to life

I'll worship Your Holy name and start breathing, 'cause

You're rich in love here we stand our hearts are

And You're slow to anger yours, Lord not our will but yours

Your name is great be done, Lord (3x-4x)

And Your heart is kind

For all Your goodness

I will keep on singing

Ten thousand reasons

For my heart to find

Bless the Lord oh my soul

Oh my soul

Worship His Holy name

Sing like never before

Oh my soul

I'll worship Your Holy name

Bless You Lord

And on that day

When my strength is failing

The end draws near

And my time has come

Still my soul will

Sing Your praise unending

Ten thousand years

And then forevermore

Forevermore

Bless the Lord oh my soul

Oh my soul

Worship His Holy name

Sing like never before

Oh my soul

I'll worship Your Holy name

Bless the Lord oh my soul

Oh my soul

Worship His Holy name

Sing like never before

Oh my soul

I'll worship Your Holy name

Yes I'll worship Your Holy name

I'll worship Your Holy name

Sing like never before

Oh my soul

I'll worship Your Holy name

Jesus I will worship Your Holy name

Worship Your Holy name

Home Groups

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Jeff) — Thu, 15 Sep 2016 13:00:00 +0000

Home Groups

Megann Graf

Thursday, September 15, 2016

Last Sunday kicked off our Fall series called “Blessed to be a blessing.” Pastor Jeff challenged us to not only think about the season that we are in, but also to look ahead for what comes next. We were challenged to live out the blessings we receive as believers in Christ and to share those blessings with those around us.

In my walk, I have found that being connected with a home group has been a blessing to me in so many ways. I have a group of people who I know have my back in prayer and support. We share joys and sadness together. I have laughed with these people, cried with these people and laughed until I cried! (It’s safe to say, we do have a good time together!) We come from all different walks of life. We sometimes disagree on things. We probably raise our kids differently. But, we have one common factor, and that is our belief. And not just that, but the desire to grow closer to Christ and to be in fellowship with other believers. Despite all our differences, we have come together in amazing ways to help others in need and also to help each other. Sometimes, when you focus on blessing others, you are surprised with an amazing sense of blessing back.

If you are not in a home group, but have been considering joining one, or feeling a small tug to get more connected, then let this be your encouragement to plug in. This Sunday, after the second service, there will be a luncheon for those interested in joining or home group. If you can’t make it then, there is also a box to check on the tear off in the bulletin where you can let us know you’d like to find a home group. There are lots to choose from, covering all kinds of topics and meeting at many different times during the week. In a life full of unknowns and curve balls, it’s a great way to get connected!

Election 2016 How would Jesus have us think about Global Warming?

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Jeff) — Wed, 14 Sep 2016 13:00:00 +0000

Election 2016

How would Jesus have us think about

Global Warming?

Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Jeff Lampl

“be responsible for . . every living thing”

Genesis 1:28

“The whole creation has been groaning”

Romans 8:22

It is hard to argue the fact that all of creation is God’s creation, that God created everything both animate and inanimate, hat he did so out of love, and that every atom, rock, animal, and human being matters to him.

Nature is not simply a resource given for the benefit of human beings, rather we are created by God to love God’s creation, manage it, and steward it into a vibrant place where humans and nature live in a flourishing harmony.

When Jesus comes back He will return not to take us away to someplace else called heaven, rather he will come back bringing Heaven with him in order to restore the entire earth to what it was first intended to be, a world in which God and creation are merged. The bible calls this future accomplishment of Jesus the “New Creation”.

How do you treat nature? Is it simply there for your convenience and to service your needs? Or do you treat it reverently as God’s. The bible talks of creation as something that is alive, and which is groaning (suffering) at the hands of those of us (all of us??) who misuse it.

“For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” Romans 8:19-22 (NIV2011)

Every choice we make environmentally is a God choice, either to honor and love God’s creation or to deplete it and treat is as if it’s just there to service our felt needs.

Do you view nature as a disposable resource or as God’s life giving source of beauty and energy and as having intrinsic value?

Regardless of the scientific claims of global warming skeptics or believers, it seems to me that Christians are expected to take any warnings of human caused climate change seriously, not just because what we do now impacts our childrens’ future but because caring for the sustainability of our planet is a Christian’s mandate.

“Lord, prevent us all from labeling the environment as a “liberal” cause,

rather, Lord, help us to grow more and more into

an understanding of how it must be

my cause, because I am living in

your world, not mine

Amen”

Life Cafe - Beginning Tomorrow Night, 9/14!

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Jeff) — Tue, 13 Sep 2016 13:00:00 +0000

Beginning Tomorrow Night, 9/14!!!

Tuesday, September 13, 2016
Jeff Lampl

Listed below are maybe the best set of Class, Group and Study Offerings we’ve ever had at Life Cafe!

Discipleship: The Great Adventure Dr. Gary Arntessoni

Parents with Young Children Mike and Laura Woodin

Entrepreneurial Missions Ed Harshaw, Marianne Knox
and Duffy Sample

The Meaning of Marriage LK and Nancy Jordan
(begins October 2)

Life’s Healing Choices Jeff and Kathy Lampl

Constitution Alive Chris Wolfe

Beginnings Dr. Gary Arntessoni
(begins in November)

Real People/Real Faith Women’s Study Theresa O’Conner

Stand in the Light Cancer Support Diane Perekupka
(begins in January)

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work."

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NLT)

Light Meal and Fellowship

6:15 pm

Classes and Studies

7:00 pm

Discipleship: The Great Adventure Dr. Gary Arntessoni

Learn to live more fully and deeply in the reality of God. Learn to let your new life in Christ frame your life, relationships, actions and thoughts, making you in the process a brand new person.

Parents with Young Children Mike and Laura Woodin

Meeting alternate Wednesdays, this vibrant group shares the joys and challenges of parenting young children while seeking to apply God’s principles to their parenting

Entrepreneurial Missions Ed Harshaw, Marianne Knox
and Duffy Sample

Do you want to serve God somehow but don’t know how? This class may be for you. You’ll find help in understanding your heart and gain tools in knowing how to pursue serving God

The Meaning of Marriage LK and Nancy Jordan (begins Oct 2)

Few things on earth bring more joys or more challenges than marriage. Whether newly married, married for 50 years or single, there is no one who cannot benefit from doing marriage better or preparing for it more thoroughly

Life’s Healing Choices Jeff and Kathy Lampl

Do you find yourself stuck in habits, hurts or hang-ups that are damaging your relationships, attitudes toward life, your joy? Using the Beattitudes of Matthew 5 we will explore how God seeks to set you free.

Constitution Alive Chris Wolfe

Find out how the American Constitution was created based on Christian principles and why those principles are so foundational for a functioning democracy.

Beginnings Dr. Gary Arntessoni
(begins in November)

New to CLC? This class is for you. You will spend four weeks getting to know CLC, each other and how the Gospel forms us and grows us in this local church family

Real People/Real Faith Women’s Study Theresa O’Conner

What does real faith look like? How did the real people of the bible, living a real life, cope and even thrive because of the Gospel coming to life in them?

Stand in the Light Cancer Support Diane Perekupka
(Begins in January)

There’s no other way to put it. Facing cancer is hard. But in facing it you can learn that God is there and that He has much to teach you, not least through the experiences of others.

See you Tomorrow night!!!!

Election 2016 - 9/11 Edition ISIS, Al Qaeda, and War

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Jeff) — Mon, 12 Sep 2016 13:00:00 +0000

Election 2016

9/11 Edition

ISIS, Al Qaeda, and War

Monday, September 12, 2016
Jeff Lampl

"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,"

Matthew 5:43-45 (NIV)

“Every war has the heavy burden of showing how it is an act of

loving one’s neighbors and loving one’s enemies”

Miroslav Wolf, Yale Divinity School

Radical Islam wants to kill us, yet I can’t find any wiggle room around Jesus’ command that Christians love their enemies.

How then do we love the Taliban, ISIS and Al Qaeda? Should we just send them cookies and watch them kill us and others while we pray?

The world that presents itself to us is gray rather than black and white and sometimes the best we can do is to choose the lesser of the evils available to us. Personally, I yearn to support leaders who, if they choose to go to war, do so reluctantly, with regret and with an understanding that killing is an evil, but with the humble admission/prayer,

“Lord forgive me for this sin, this war, that I am about to lead our country into. It appears to me to be the least of the bad options available. If there is another option available to me, I want with all my heart to know it.”

I would love to have leaders who do not gloat over the killing of Osama bin Laden, rather grieve that he was overcome by the demonic powers of evil that had overcome him and led to the deaths and grief and so many other people including his own death. I want leaders who never use the term “collateral damage”, rather recognize that every life lost is precious to someone including to God.

Finally, though deadly force can be deemed ethically justifiable, even in a Christian ethic (see “Just War Theory”), it will never be the means through which God’s New Creation will be ushered in. God’s Kingdom on earth will not be achieved by a jobs program, globalization, democracy, socialism, capitalism, secular social justice initiatives . . . or any of the other human efforts to usher in a golden age. God’s new world will finally come only through Jesus, his love, and yes the world wide church of Jesus Christ, taking up its cross and loving its enemies unto death.

I hope that you take time to watch this 3 minute video which jolted me into the radical nature of Jesus’ call to me and to all of us to love our enemies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSv4vBcFyvo

Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds."

John 12:24 (NIV2011)

From Pastor's Heart

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Jeff) — Fri, 09 Sep 2016 13:00:00 +0000

Pastor’s Blog

Friday, September 9, 2016
Jeff Lampl

Dear CLC Family,

On Sunday, 9/11, I am looking forward to just talking to you, heart to heart, about where we are and where we are going. We are entering a new season in the life of CLC and there’s lots to talk about. Hope so see you at 9:00 or 10:30!!

Jeff

KidZone is just beginning its brand new curriculum, the Gospel Project, and our Jr. High Youth ministry, Outbreak Uprising, meets in the 2^nd floor Auditorium at 10:30 on Sunday.

A Pretty Neat Picture of God’s Heart for Every Church

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship,

to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.

All the believers were together and had everything in common.

They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.

Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.

They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,

praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.

And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

Acts 2:42-47 (NIV2011)

Election 2016 - How would Jesus have us think about Immigration?

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Jeff) — Wed, 07 Sep 2016 13:00:00 +0000

Election 2016

How would Jesus have us think about

Immigration?

Wednesday, September 7, 2016
Jeff Lampl

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in . . . 'I tell you the truth,
whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Matthew 25:35, 40

How is it that Angela Merkel, Germany’s Chancellor, led Germany to assume moral leadership in Europe by taking in hundreds of thousands of (mostly Syrian) refugees only to rescind the invitation and close their borders?

Merkel grew up in what was a communist controlled East Germany as the daughter of a Lutheran Pastor. I am guessing that her experience as a politically oppressed person herself influenced her. I am also certain that her Christian upbringing taught her that a fundamental of Jesus’ teachings is that we must clothe, feed, take in, the “stranger”.

It is worth noting that God initiated the salvation of the world with Abraham’s family who were impoverished, politically oppressed refugees escaping a brutal life and seeking a new life for themselves in the Promised Land. In fact, Jesus was himself a political exile and refugee.

“Out of Egypt I called my son” Matthew 2:15

It is also worth noting that Jesus’s story about final judgment is not addressed to individuals but rather to “nations”. It has often been noted that God’s ultimate judgment of America will be based on our treatment of the ‘stranger’?

Why then did Angela Merkel’s Germany reverse course? Germany discovered that it could not assimilate all those people effectively. Many of the young male refugees have been a danger to young women and of course some members of ISIS were probably among the immigrants. Those and many, many more problems have arisen. So many that just a day or two ago, Merkel lost to the anti-immigration Party in the “primary” election of her home state.

My take? I think Merkel’s initial move to give a home to displaced people was a Jesus move. Sharing what we have with those who have less regardless of nationality is a theme which runs through the Old Testament and is lifted up high by Jesus. And, whatever danger, inconvenience or suffering that doing so causes us is a price that Jesus led the way for us in paying. He wants us to take up our crosses for the “stranger”.

Why don’t we and other nations take in more immigrants? Although I am fully aware of the rational objections, frankly I don’t think those are the real reasons. It’s more likely that most of us, not least among whom am I, are like the Washington DC elite, who, when faced with where to put their quota of immigrants, placed them in a lower middle class area outside the buffered confines of their pristine neighborhoods. But how can I complain, when I want to be no more inconvenienced than they? As Jesus spoke of the judgment of nations he spoke he gave us this measuring stick

'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine,
you did for me.' Matthew 25:40

“Father, give us ears to hear and eyes to see. In particular, Lord, remind us that judgment starts with the house of the Lord. May each of us lead the way in our sphere of influence to model personal sacrifice for those who need drink, food, clothing and a place to lay their heads. Make our hearts become more and more like yours. Amen”

Election 2016 - Don't Surrender Your Witness

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Jeff) — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 13:00:00 +0000

Election 2016

Don’t Surrender Your Witness

September 6, 2016

Jeff Lampl

Have you ever noticed. . . .

. . . that people do not agree everything especially during election season?

. . . that lots of people not only have different opinions on candidates and issues, but that
they have strongly held ones?

. . . that and that many people love to tell you their opinion whether you want to hear it or
not?

. . . that many of these opinions are expressed in mean, disrespectful, insulting ways?

. . . that many of the worst offenders are Christians?

"God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:17 (NIV)

“Respect everyone, and love your Christian brothers and sisters. Fear God, and respect the king.” 1 Peter 2:17 (NLT)

“when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

John 12:32 (NIV)

As I look back on the four messages that I finished on Sunday about how Jesus should guide us as we go to the polls, I am now more convinced than ever that. . .

. . .this election season offers each of us a unique opportunity to be noticeably different, to witness to a different kind of reality in the world.

What if, during all the angry, mean spirited, accusatory political debates and pontifications that take place at work, at home, at parties or wherever . . .what if non-believers encountered Jesus followers who engaged others with a spirit of curiosity, respect, love, gentleness, desire to learn, a penchant for listening, a confidence in God that does not need defending, and an optimism for the future (because Christians are, after all, optimists – Jesus is risen from the dead and the world will be set right. This cannot not happen).

What if Christians (you) were seen by others as one who is a calm realist (the reality being that God is making all things new and will complete the job), one who is informed and enters into dialog intelligently, able to discuss issues, but in a way that others notice that you feel no need to be defensive, that you, unlike everyone else, don’t have to push your opinion, or refute a mischaracterization, or put down a candidate.

What if others saw you, a believer, referring to our president as ‘President Obama’ rather than calling him by his last name with body language intended to communicate your disapproval? What if others saw you verbalizing the positives in each of the candidates for elected office rather than being quick to point out what you don’t like? What if we Christians were to lead the way in following Jesus by blessing the world rather than condemning it John 3:17? What if we followed Peter’s advice, given in a politically contentious atmosphere, to respect everyone including our elected leaders 1 Peter 2:17? What if each Christian saw his or her primary mission during this election season as that of drawing people to Jesus, influencing them with respect, love, listening, and caring about them personally, rather than pushing our opinions? What if each of us would remind ourselves that our opinions don’t matter much but our influence for Christ does?

What if we actually believed the Bible enough to obey it, taking, for example this command to heart;

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:29-32 (NIV)

Lord forgive me for my critical spirit, disrespectful thoughts, demeanor, body language and words toward those whom you have specially chosen, or have at least allowed, to be our leaders in our nation’s’ capitol, in our state legislatures and on our school boards. I want instead to witness to the reality that Jesus is comfortably on His Throne, that all things are being made new, and that nothing on earth can derail that. Please allow that reality to permeate my thoughts and words. So that others may come to know You as Lord and Savior. Amen”

What Does Jesus Say about Work?

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Jeff) — Mon, 05 Sep 2016 13:00:00 +0000

What Does Jesus Say about Work?

Labor Day, 2016

September 5, 2016
Jeff Lampl

Jesus and His Dad at Work

In the same way, let your light shine before others,

so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Mathew 5:16

Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required,

and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more. Luke 12:48

His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.

You have been faithful over a little;

I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.' Matthew 25:23

Why Workaholism can be the Worst Kind of Laziness

When Jesus speaks of work, he addresses it in the context of serving God. He speaks of not wasting one’s talents, working in such a way that others are attracted to God, working in such a way that the smallest jobs matter so that we grow to have the capacity to further God’s Kingdom. He relates work to God and to our purpose on earth as God’s partner in creating a flourishing world for all of God’s creation (a mandate given to human beings in Genesis 1:28 and 2:15)

So, how can working hard be laziness? When I stay late at work because I want to get ahead because of my own ambition rather than witnessing to my colleagues that my life’s priorities center not around work, rather around my life with God, with my spouse and my children, I am being spiritually lazy. I’m investing my energies disproportionately.

When I rely on myself, asking God to “bless my mess”, rather than beginning my work by giving it to him and following his lead, I am being spiritually lazy. Doing so is a form of idolatry, thinking I can handle this part of my life without God. I am playing God.

Jospeh Pieper writes that approaching work without a centeredness in Christ and his purpose creates in us a “roaming restlessness of the spirit”. Nothing we do that way is ever enough. We’re never satisfied and we’re proud that we’re not satisfied. We proudly think that we’re virtuous in our pursuit of more and better. He notes that work is not the ceaseless activity of capitalism, rather it has to do with cooperating with the God given purpose for which you were created, cooperating with God as your director and empowerer, and recognizing that your work has dignity insofar as it working “as to the Lord’. When it is work simply for more money, or for more accolades or for more power it has lost its dignity, and you’ve lost dignity as well.

Personally I have fallen into this kind of laziness (acedia) in a variety of ways. Sometimes I’ve stayed at work late rather than go home, because it’s easier to be at work than home with the kids during the 6:00 “dead zone” of the day. That’s avoiding my call (the real work of God is my call, my calling, and that call is also to my home). I have viewed work through the lens of ambition and desire for recognition, both of which are a form of avoidance, a laziness insofar as I have, during those times. avoided the time needed with God to repent and recalibrate. I have worked (much, much, much too often) weeks without a Sabbath. It is simple laziness to avoid the difficult work of doing nothing for a day a week other than to be present to God and to loved ones. Work is simply easier than that. Rest is hard. Prayer is hard. Simply being there for others is hard.

I could go on and on. But you get the picture. Do you suffer from acedia (the word our church “fathers” used for spiritual laziness of the heart)? Could your workaholism be simple laziness? Talk to Jesus about that and see what he says to you. If you don’t like what he say, don’t be lazy. Listen.

“Lord, those who have known you and listened to you over the last two millennia since you arrived on earth, died for our sin and rose from the dead, have so much wisdom for us. Help us, Lord, is this world of “what have you done for me lately”, in this world that tells me my value is only in my utility, help us to practice the hard work of

stopping long enough for you to get a word in edgewise.

Amen”

Alexandra Begins 5th Grade - From Jesus Hope of Romania

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Jeff) — Fri, 02 Sep 2016 13:00:00 +0000

Alexandra Begins 5^th Grade!!

September 2, 2016

Jeff Lampl

Dear CLC Family,

Please take the time to read the letter from CLC Family Members, Jeanne and Steve Cowan who now live in Ireland for another year or so and who are our lead connection to Jesus Hope of Romania. Their letter and the details following all concern Alexandra pictured above. I send you their letter, a thank you letter from JHOR, a summary of Alexandra’s last few months and a bio of the life background from which she was rescued, with the belief that your prayers make a difference and with the thought that some of you might want to help in some way. God bless, Jeff

From Steve and Jeanne

Hi Everyone,

Below you will read about Alexandra and Florin, a brother and sister rescued by God through Jesus Hope of Romania from a horrible ‘home’ life.

Steve and I were there that weekend when they came to the orphanage. It was a miracle. God has done so much in their lives.

I do know they are very grateful for the help that CLC has given to allow Alexandra to have these new hearing aids. They will be stimulating her auditory nerves and hopefully allowing her to hear something.

We had been working with a team over here (Ireland where we are now living) of audiologist specialists as well and I hope to take one of them with me to meet her in person in Romania on November 18 so that they can continue to follow up this process.

If this hearing aid does not work then the only thing left would be an implant. So we are praying for a miracle. Again thank you goes to all the generous hearts and people who have given to make this possible for Alexandra to have a better life. May they be blessed know that they are touching a life in such a wonderful way.

Blessings to you all.
Jeanne and Steve Cowan

From the JHOR Leadership

Dear friends and partners in the ministry

Jeanne Cowan has told us that $900 is to be wired through Assist International for Alexandra's hearing aid.

Thank you so very much! You have no idea how needed this money was and how much we appreciate it. The doctors have highly recommended this new device for Alexandra, which is supposed to improve her chances of perceiving sounds. Some of the costs are covered by her health insurance but we were still short of what is a significant amount for us. So this donation of $900 is truly a gift from above and a sign of God's wonderful provision and kindness.

We will keep you updated on how things go with Alexandra and we are also sending you now some more information about her situation in general (her background etc). We are not sure how familiar you are with the specifics of her case.

Once again, thank you! And may God bless you abundantly!

With love and appreciation,

Eliza,

Ligia,

& Laurentiu

from the JHOR office

Eliza-Eunice Făt

Executive Assistant - "Jesus the Hope of Romania"

e-mail: assistjhor@gmail.com

Ligia-Iunia Dugulescu

President - "Jesus the Hope of Romania"

ligiadug@hotmail.com

Rev. Laurenţiu Timiş

Executive Director - "Jesus the Hope of Romania"

timis1976@yahoo.com

www.isussperantaromaniei.ro

Alexandra’s Bio

A few highlights from Alexandra’s life in the past few months

Alexandra's life and speech are continually changing for the better, step by step, with every speech therapy session she goes to. At the end of May, she went on a trip to Serbia, with her classmates from the School for Hyperacusis Children. It was the very first time she went on a school trip.

This has been quite an accomplishment, since she was able to express herself and get around in a completely new place. She was also very nervous because it was the first time she ever left the country. We had her passport issued, because otherwise this would not have been possible. She had a great time with her friends, even though they all use sign language to talk to each other.

Alexandra is very dedicated to her speech classes and the results are visible. She has made visible progress. She is able to pronounce more often and better several consonants (such as s, t, g), which are uttered from the throat.

Alexandra is still among the first students in her class. She will finish the 4th grade soon (at the end of June) and will be in the 5th grade, beginning with September 2016.

If in the very beginning Alexandra was a shy girl, who kept to herself most of the time, now she is a happy, outgoing person - all because she can express herself better and better. She is so glad that the people around her can understand her.

As she is about to start school soon, we will keep you updated on how she is doing.

Thank you!

“Lord Jesus, thank you for the worldwide Body of Christ,

that through your Spirit you choose to rally hundreds maybe thousands of believers

around one little girl, because that one little girl matters to you. Amazing!

Amen”

A Pastor's Blessing....

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Jeff) — Tue, 30 Aug 2016 17:08:00 +0000

Back to School Special

A Pastor’s Blessing to Parents, Grandparents,

Students and their Teachers

August 30, 2016

Jeff Lampl

At the end of Sunday’s Message about how Jesus would have us educate
our children in “how to do life”, I prayed four prayers of blessing, one each for

grandparents,

parents,

students re-entering school,

and also a blessing for their teachers.

I will keep these prayers in front of me as the new school year starts.

Perhaps you will want to do the same

A Prayer of Blessing for Grandparents

“I bless you with the love of God in Jesus Christ. I bless you with the heart of Jesus for your grandchildren. I bless you with the ability to give to your grandchildren the knowledge that God is real and that whatever your grandchildren study in school, knowledge of God is the first thing to know about that subject and all other subjects, be it science, math, reading, art, relationships with others, or life choices. II bless you with the ability to know and see beyond appearances, that whatever appears to be happening with your children and grandchildren, God is not finished with them or with you. I bless you with the conviction that God is the hound of heaven and that every prayer that you utter for them is heard and acted on in the throne room heaven. Amen”

A Prayer of Blessing for Parents with Children in School and in College

“I bless those of you who are married with the knowledge that your marriage is holy and is the most powerful conveyor of the reality of God that you have to give to your children. I bless those of you who are not married with the knowledge that God is working every angle to give your children exactly what they need. I bless every parent with the stamina and perseverance to pray your hearts out for your children, that they know God and build their lives on Him as the most fundamental reality of their lives. I bless you with the reminder that you have your children only for a short time but that short time will set the course of their lives forever. And I bless you in the name of Jesus Christ with the time energy and ability to train your children in the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ and of the Holy Spirit through reading the bible with them, through praying with them and for them and through their seeing how real God is in your lives. Amen”

A Prayer of Blessing for Teachers, whether Public, Private or in Churches

I bless you with the knowledge that God has entrusted you with his most prized possession, his children. I bless you with the knowledge that because Jesus is alive in you, when you show up to work and the children come to you, that is Jesus saying through you to them “let the children come to me, do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” I bless you with the knowledge that every day that you arrive in your classroom, you are arriving on Holy Ground. I bless you with the holy fear, joy and honor that comes with being chosen as a conduit of the Love of God to children who might otherwise never know that they are treasured, loved, cherished and given a holy purpose for their lives. What an honor. I bless you with the stamina to stay prayed up daily, and the stamina to love and train when it’s hard and the courage to persevere when all progress is visible only to God. Amen”

A Prayer of Blessing for Students as you begin your School Year

“I bless you with the knowledge that God is real, that God is the beginning and end of all knowledge. I bless you with an ever increasing awakening to God’s reality in your science classes, in your math classes, in your literature classes, in your art, health, physical education and practical arts classes. I bless you with the deep and solid knowledge that you matter to God, that God has given you a purpose for your short time on planet earth. I bless you with the reminder that the deepest and most solid and most satisfying joys in your life are found by seeking to live right at the center of God’s will for your life. I bless you with the insight to discern the difference between what is from God and what is not. I bless you with friends who love God and love you. And I bless you with the incredible almost unsurpassable gift of being God’s blessing to those around you. I bless you with knowledge that your sins cannot separate you from the love of God in Jesus Christ, nor your doubts, nor your fears nor discouragement. I bless you with the promise of God that nothing, absolutely nothing on earth can separate you from the love of God in Jesus Christ, who prays for you, who is available at every moment to guide you and who is there at every turn whether you are aware of Him or not. Amen”

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Jeff) — Mon, 29 Aug 2016 15:53:00 +0000

Election 2016

What Would Jesus have Us Think, Believe and Vote?

August 29, 2016
Jeff Lampl

Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap (Jesus) in his words. They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians.

"Teacher," they said, "we know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are. Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"

But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, "You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax."

They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, "Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?" "Caesar's," they replied. Then he said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."

When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.

Matthew 22:15-22 (NIV)

In the above passage the Pharisees (Israel’s ‘Tea Party’) teamed up with the Herodians (Israel’s party of compromisers) to bait Jesus into making a mistake. If Jesus had agreed that paying taxes to Caesar (who claimed to be a deity) was a correct thing to do, he would be accused by the Jews of blasphemy. If he had said he was against paying taxes he would be accused by the Romans of subversion.

How does that help as we go to the polls in November?

First, it seems that Jesus would tell us that a good citizen of Heaven is also a good citizen of earth. Christians are not separatists. Believers are to be a blessing to others and that includes participation in society. Taxes, though frequently wasted and misused, support the functioning of a flourishing society.

Second, Jesus didn’t answer in black and white, with a yes or a no. Christians live in a world where we must learn to adhere to the teachings of God and Jesus Christ in less than perfect ways. Rather than trying to ask ourselves WWJD (What would Jesus do) we must learn to ask ourselves, “What would Jesus have us do” given the realities of our circumstances. Life is much more gray than black and white. That requires applying John 16:15 and Matthew 10:16 to our decision making.

Notice that Jesus could have said, “Wait a minute, I’m Lord not Caesar. Follow me above all else” (the party of the Zealots would have been all in on that). Jesus did not elevate Himself or take sides. It’s almost as if Jesus is affirming our constitution’s establishment clause which forbids the establishment of any one religion as a state religion for our nation. He must have known how badly Christianity would fare when it found itself in the corridors of power in the coming millennia. We Christians must remember Jesus ‘consistent teaching that our job is not to rule, but to serve.

Finally, further on this same chapter of Matt 22, Jesus gave us the summary of the entirety of the teaching of the Bible

'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. Matthew 22:37-39

As we prepare for the November elections we would do well to ask ourselves what Christian value do we want our new leaders to pursue? What is the Jesus Lens? Is it capitalism, or socialism, or democracy, or TPP, or Protectionism, or Interventionism, or . . . . ? Jesus gave us none of those, rather he gave us the value of Love. In short the Christian value is that I love God more than my country and I love others more than myself.

Question: How can I allow this “Jesus Creed” to overlay my thinking about who I vote for and how I think about all the issues that our country faces?

“Lord help me to think, see, act, believe, and hope all through the Lens of the’ Jesus Creed’, the Great Commandment of loving you and loving others. May I approach my participation in society not through the lens of republican or democrat or independent or ethnicity or self-interest rather through the lens of Jesus.” Amen

Back to School Sunday!

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Jeff) — Fri, 26 Aug 2016 15:37:00 +0000

Back to School Sunday

8/28

Friday, August 26, 2016
Jeff Lampl

Sunday’s worship (8/28) will focus on what Jesus would have us do about the
educating of our children. How does Jesus define education?
What would he have us do as students, parents,

grandparents and as members of our Community?

How did public education start in America and what was its purpose?
Is education’s purpose to develop skills for entering the work force?
Is it preparation for earning the income necessary to live?

Or is it fundamentally something else?

Who should the educators of our children be? What kind of schools should we seek?
What is the role of the Christian Family in the training of our children, and in influencing the direction of the schools of our communities and of our nation?

Finally, what do the following scriptures tell you about the nature of education,

both as Jesus would have it and as it is today?

The Shema (Hear!)

“These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, 2 so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. 3 Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you.

4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:1-9

Life on the Rock

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law. Matthew 7:24-27

What lens are you using?

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Jeff) — Thu, 11 Aug 2016 16:43:00 +0000

What lens are you using?

August 11, 2016

Megann Graf

Pastor Jeff talked about using our “Jesus lens’” to look at the upcoming election. What if that’s not enough?

What if this isn’t election advice? What if it goes beyond? As I sat on my front porch yesterday, sulking and being miserable, because things that afternoon had not gone my way, it hit me. It hit me and humbled me. I was looking at my life through the wrong lens, and I knew it. No wonder I can’t see politicians in a positive light, if I’m having a hard time seeing my life in a positive light. It’s easier to complain sometimes, to look at all the bad. I want to see things through MY lens, you know, the one where everything goes my way and I am always right. But, oh how distorted it is. And, when I sit, looking through that lens on too long, things get blurry and confusing. It’s not the right lens. It never lasts long enough.

I have to look through a different lens. The only one that will not fail is His. It’s the lens of God that allows me to see the beauty in the messes, the joy in the sorrows, and allows for gratitude in all things. It is only through this lens, that I can feel peace and feel happiness because I can SEE God. I can see Him in everything and everyone around me.

So, here was my take away from Sunday’s message, and my porch revelation yesterday. It was to switch my lens and look for the good. Look for 3 good things about each of the candidates. Look for 3 good things in my home. Look for 3 good things in each of the children. See them. Acknowledge them. Seeing the bad is easy. It’s easy, because it’s in all of us. It’s hard, because deep down we know that if the world saw us from the outside, and focused only on our worst things, it would be awful. We are changing, through Christ, from the inside out. And, our outsides won’t be perfect on this earth.

What if Christians got this? What if we lived this? How would this country be better? How would this campaign season be better?

Think about those answers, and think about the lens you’re looking through. Maybe you need a new one too.

Filtering

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Jeff) — Fri, 05 Aug 2016 14:00:00 +0000

Filtering

Friday, August 5, 2016
Jeff Lampl

Do you filter your faith through the Lens of being a republican or a democrat or an independent or an environmentalist or your ethnicity or your sexuality or your social status or . . . ?
What if Jesus overturns everything you think? What if filtering what you believe through the Lens of Jesus means that everything you've always thought is wrong?

"Lord, I look forward to learning more about what it means to view the world, my politics, my voting choices and all my presuppositions about right and wrong through the Lens of the life, death and resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ. Amen"

Jesus is in My Boat. Now What?

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Jeff) — Thu, 04 Aug 2016 12:35:00 +0000

Jesus is in My Boat. Now What?

Thursday, August 4, 2016

Blog by Megann Graf

I don’t know about you, but I was comforted by the disciple’s response to Jesus in their boat. (Mark 4:35-41)

The disciples were the people who literally left their old lives and followed Jesus. They physically walked with Him. They audibly talked to Him. They made a pretty bold choice to decide to commit their life’s work to spreading the gospel. And yet, when they hit a storm, they were saying “Jesus, why the heck are you sleeping? Why aren’t you doing anything.” Okay, those weren’t their exact words, but they’re pretty close. Even the disciples had doubts. They were human. They came to a storm, and they still had that “oh crap” moment of wondering what was going to happen and why Jesus wasn’t running out to save them.

Ever have one of those moments?

Ever wonder why it seems like Jesus is sleeping during your storm?

I have. I do.

And yet, Jesus was with them. And when they came to Him, the first thing He did was calm the storm. The very first thing he did was calm their storm. Now, he didn’t transport them to another time and place. No, they were, in fact, still in the same body of water. They weren’t completely out of danger, but he calmed the waves that were crashing around them. He gave them that peace of knowing that He was in control. And then He asked them “why are you so timid and fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”

These were the men following Him and watching Him heal people and listening to his teachings. They had behind the scenes footage of the Son of God! I guess it wasn’t unfair of him to question why they had such distrust. And I find it interesting that this little snippet of scripture doesn’t end with the disciples looking around at each other and saying, “oh right, we’re with Jesus, we’re good.” No, it ends with them in awe and fear saying “who is this man that even the wind and the waves obey?” They were speechless.
If Jesus is in our boat, we’ve got to trust Him. We have to believe that he will calm the storm, even if the storm he calms, is simply the one we have in our hearts. Because, most likely, we will still be “out to sea”, so to speak. He might not take away the circumstance we are in. But, He will calm our storm. And, I have experienced moments where I am in the middle of something that doesn’t seem right, and yet, I have peace. I can’t explain it. I am somewhat in awe, and a little fearful of what is still to come, and yet the waves are not swallowing me up. I believe that is Jesus in my boat. I wish I could say that I never question God. I do in so many things. And yet, deep down, there is this thing called faith. It pulls at me and begs me to trust. It’s that gut feeling that tells me that what is going on is so much greater than me. I am so small, and He is so big. The fact that he’d even be in my boat is amazing. I’m sure I’ve taken him up some rivers he’d rather not see. But there He was, in my storms, in my boat. And He’s in yours too.

Going to the Polls

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Jeff) — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 13:06:00 +0000

Going to the Polls

Wednesday, August 3, 2016
Jeff Lampl

"Jesus is Lord"
Acts 10:36

What would it look like if Christians filtered their politics through their faith rather than filtering their faith through their politics?

What does it mean that Jesus is both Creator of the earth and everything in it and also Lord (CEO and COO) of earth and all that happens on earth? What does it mean that God's definition of Goodness must be filtered through Jesus' life of teaching the meaning of goodness by feeding the hungry and healing the sick, and then demonstrating goodness by dying on the cross for his enemies and then, exercising the greatest power on earth, by rising from the dead?

How does the answer to this question shape your votes on Election Day? How would Jesus have you think about the issues? How does a Jesus following believer think about health care, foreign policy, "America first", abortion, same sex marriage, immigration, the economy, free trade and all the rest? Does Jesus shape your thinking or do you follow a god which you have created in the image of your presuppositions?

Beginning this Sunday we will address these questions and more. See you at 9:00 or 10:30! Bring a curious friend!!

Forgiveness

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Jeff) — Mon, 25 Jul 2016 15:20:00 +0000

Forgiveness

Monday, July 25, 2016
Jeff Lampl

“Joseph’s brothers made plans to kill him . . . then sold him as a slave”

Genesis37:18, 28

"I am Joseph, your brother whom you sold into Egypt! But don’t be angry with yourselves

that you did this to me, for God did it! He sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives.

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good”

Genesis 45:4-5, 50:20

Getting from Genesis 37 to 50:20 didn’t happen by Magic. It took the long painful process of forgiveness. Forgiveness is what changes the past, changes the future, changes you, breaks the chains of bondage and transforms those whom you forgive before your very eyes (and not necessarily in the way that you might think) (read more)

So, how did Joseph get from chapter 37 to chapter 50?

Step one: Joseph allowed himself to experience fully the first stage of forgiveness which is to face what happened, experience it, feel the pain, rage against it, feel the desire for vengeance, recognize that his brothers did not deserve to be forgiven. Until we experience the fullness of the suffering of an injustice done, we are not ready to give forgiveness. Stage one requires seeing the betrayal for the evil that it is. Then and only then are we ready for stage two.

Step two is Spiritual Surgery. It is painful but it is a chosen pain. It is the pain of choosing to move ahead with forgiveness. We do the surgery of cutting away the betrayal from the betrayer. We separate out the person from the action. Joseph was able (after gut wrenching agony, weeping and wrestling with the desire for revenge) to see his brothers as people apart from what they did to him. In doing so his brothers were transformed in his mind from powerful people who ruined his life by what they did into weak people who needed him. They needed him, not just for food, but also to set them free from what they did and free from living in the shadow of his condemnation. Joseph now saw his brothers not a powerful, but as weak and needy. He was now ready and able to meet their need.

Step three completes the miracle of forgiveness. This step reflects the heart of God and every father yearns for it to happen in his children before he dies. Jacob, Joseph’s father, saw the step happen for his children and it allowed him to die in peace. What is this step? It is the step that happened when Joseph was able to say to his siblings, “I want to be your brother again”. It is the step of reconciliation. This is God’s endgame for humanity, His whole family united together in Him. This is the endgame of forgiveness. In having completed all three steps in the forgiveness process, the miracle of life transformation takes place. Forgivers become new creatures in Christ, person in whom God dwells, persons who are conduits of God’s grace and salvation to others.

I hope you take the next 8 minutes to watch this video of an horrendous injustice and how the cop and the victim worked through all three stages of forgiveness to become, through Christ, a microcosm, of God’s endgame for the world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0A3sWCPpOE

Joseph's Story

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Jeff) — Thu, 21 Jul 2016 15:07:00 +0000

Joseph's Story

Megann Graf
Thursday, July 21, 2016

I think that control is probably the biggest battle we face as Christians. No one likes to feel like they’re not in control, and yet, to rely on Christ we must relinquish our control to allow His will to be done. It’s not an easy thing to do. I actually find it pretty amazing that nowhere in the story of Joseph is he found complaining. He’s thrown into a pit and left to die, and yet no mention of him questioning why. Then Joseph makes his way to the palace to work under Potiphar, and then is accused of raping Potophar’s wife and is thrown into jail. No complaints.

Now, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that I think that Joseph HAD to have had, at the very least, some thoughts about how all of this was VERY unfair. He had to have been human enough to think, “why the heck does this keep happening to me.” But, we never hear any of this. We never see a mention of any of those thoughts. So my question is “why?”

Here is what I do know. After Joseph is sold into slavery after his brothers abandoned him, it says in scripture, “The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered…” When he was thrown into jail it says, “But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him…” And later, when he was let out of prison to interpret the dreams that the King had, he made it known to the King, “I cannot not do it (interpret the dream), but God will give Pharaoh the answers he desires.”

The story we are told never strays onto the path of complaining, even though there are several events happening where complaining would be well understood. The story holds on to the fact that, even though horrible things were happening, God was there. He never left Joseph, even in his trials. He knew the plans he was setting up for him, and Joseph remained faithful to see them fulfilled.

It’s so easy to let our story stray to one of complaints. Trust me, I’m no example of getting it right on this one. My story is one where complaints sometimes take over the main point of the story. I want to be in control, and I want to question why things are happening, to me and to others. There are a lot of injustices in our world today, a lot of reasons to question and complain. What we learn from Joseph is the reason why we have to let them go. If Joseph complained, that wasn’t the highlight of his story.

God could not have used Joseph and elevated him to the level that he did, had Joseph not trusted Him. Joseph could not have received the peace he received or given the forgiveness that he gave at the end, had he not trusted in what God was doing in his life. The most beautiful part of this story, is the freedom that is not only given to Joseph, but the freedom he then gives to his family, when at the end he say to them, in Genesis 50:19-20 “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”