Final Day: Why Am I Here?

I missed yesterday's post.  This is not because God suddenly decided not to speak to me through anything yesterday, but because after almost a week of living out of a suitcase and being in a constant state of "what's next" it begins to wear on a person.  So, yesterday's post was left undone.  But today is a different day.

We leave tonight to head back home.  Our time here this year is over and it's gone much faster than expected.  We have three hours of VBS this morning, chores and cleanup after lunch, and then we drive to Hot Springs, SD for some R&R before heading home.  We should be in around midnight (Mountain Time).   Because of this I thought I would add one final entry about Pine Ridge and my experiences here from this year.

Yesterday I met up with an old friend, Jay Moon, from Sioux Falls Seminary (SFS).  Jay was my professor of missions and outreach.  Each year he brings a group of students from SFS to immerse them into the Native American culture.  It is a learning experience so that they might better understand how to bring Christ into that culture without destroying that culture.  The idea of the white man destroying a culture for the "sake of Christ" is no more evident than in the Native American culture.  Back in the day the white man and the church began to systematically drive the Indian out of them.  It didn't work.  All it did was create thicker walls that are extremely difficult for the church today to get past.  Jay is trying to teach the students he brings out here about these walls and how to best get beyond them to embrace the culture that was created by God, but misdirected away from him by sin (i.e. - sun dances, pow-wows, sweat lodges, etc.).

On the other hand, we come down here to preach the Gospel on our own.  There is very little native involvement, though at one time there was significant work done together.  We do not immerse ourselves into the culture and though we strive not to bring the "white man's religion" with us we make very little effort to understand the walls that have been built up.
What Jay and his team are doing and what we are doing are good, but inadequate.  Jay's team doesn't bring the salvation message with them.  They are there to learn.  We bring the Gospel message, but are not purposely learning about the culture.  Yes, Christ is sufficient, but that is no excuse to not embrace and learn about a culture.  Yes, it is good to learn about a culture, but that is no excuse not to purposely bring the Gospel message in all you do.

So, this brings up a very simple, but deeply intimate question.  Why am I here?  This is a question that not only I need to answer on this trip, but in every situation I find myself.  Why am I here at Pine Ridge?  Why am I the pastor at a church?  Why do I work where I do?  In other words, why has God placed me in the situation or place that I currently find myself?  We may think we know, but do we truly get all that Christ has purposed for our lives in the here and now.  Am I missing a huge chunk that He is desiring for me to get?  Am I only seeing half the message?

So, why are you where you are?  What is God's purpose for you here?  Are you glorifying God by preaching His Gospel to the people around you with your words and actions?  Are you getting into the lives of the people around you, their history and experiences, so that you can better understand how to serve, love, and preach the Gospel to them? 

Our lives are greater than the here and now.  God has an eternal purpose for us here.  Are we living for that eternal purpose?

Jesus My Glory

I LORD GOD,
Thou hast commanded me to believe in Jesus;
      and I would flee to no other refuge,
   wash in no other fountain,
   build on no other foundation,
   receive from no other fullness,
   rest in  no other relief.
His water and blood were not severed
   in their flow at the cross,
   may they never be separated in my creed
      and experiences;
May I be equally convinced of the guilt
      and pollution of sin,
   feel my need of a prince and savior,
   implore of him repentance as well as forgiveness,
love holiness, and be pure in heart,
   have the mind of Jesus, and tread in his steps.
Let me not be at my own disposal,
   but rejoice that I am under the care of one
   who is too wise to err,
      too kind to injure,
      too tender to crush.
May I scandalize none by my temper and conduct,
   but recommend and endear Christ to all around,
   bestow good on every one as circumstances
      permit,
   and decline no opportunity of usefulness.
Grant that I may value my substance,
   not as the medium of pride and luxury,
   but as the means of my support and stewardship.
Help me to guide my affections with discretion,
   to owe no man anything,
   to be able to give to him that needeth,
   to feel it my duty and pleasure to be merciful
      and forgiving,
   to show to the world the likeness of Jesus.

            (from The Valley of Vision)

Day 3: Where is Your Idol?

Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:21

The verse above is commonly quoted by many Christians that I know, but do we truly read this verse to ourselves?  A treasure is extremely valuable and many of us would jump at the chance to buy a treasure chest full of jewels that are sold at the right price.  The parables of the hidden treasure and pearl are perfect examples of this concept.  In both parables the men sell all of their possessions to buy a precious and priceless item.  Jesus uses these parables to explain the worth of the kingdom of Heaven.  Or even more specifically he is explaining the worth of himself.  Jesus is the kingdom of Heaven and his worth is greater than everything we own.

Hopefully we would all agree to the concept of Jesus' worth.  But do we agree more through our words or our actions.  Now, I'm not one to say that we should sell all of our possessions, but what is Christ was asking us to do sell our most prized possession.  If we agree that Jesus Christ is priceless then we should eagerly be willing to give that one item up that always seems to get in the way of living our lives as if Christ is priceless.  I'm talking about idols.  Everyone can have an idol.  It doesn't have to be something expensive.  It can be a relationship or a material possession.  It can be vanity or pride.  What is the one thing that if Christ asked me to give it up for his sake that it would cause the most pain?

Throw your idol into the fire.  Yes, it will be painful, but in the end isn't the cause of Christ and his call on our lives worth it all?

You don't feel that you have an idol?  Just let me say this: As children of God we are called to obey our Father in every area of our life.  We are to live our lives with God's mission in mind at all times.  What's God's mission?  His mission is to glorify himself in all things.  What is that one thing in your life that is not glorifying God?  Are you willing to get rid of that one thing?  Where is your idol?  What do you need to do to give every area of your life over to him?  Now, those are some deep questions that will dramatically change your life.  And maybe even change the lives of people are you who do not know the worth of Christ.  That's living on mission for God.

Day 2: Who Is God?

                              In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
                                                       Genesis 1:1

Today was the first day of Vacation Bible School here at Pine Ridge.  VBS here is much different that any that may happen at our home church.  Most of the children who attend our home church VBS at least have a basic knowledge of the Bible and Jesus.  If you ask them to turn to Matthew 10:5 they can probably find their way to the passage eventually with very little help.  But here on the Rez biblical knowledge is hard to come by.

Jerry and I taught the teenagers today and as far as biblical knowledge and foundation it was very minimal.  So, we started from the beginning: what the Bible is, how to find a passage in the Bible, why we read the Bible, etc.  Our lesson this morning was focused on creation and the Creator.  And the best place to start on this topic is in the beginning.

Genesis 1:1 is very clear.  "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."  In the beginning God was.  He was not born and he will never die.  He was here before time began and he will be here when time is ended.  And everything that is in this world was created by God.

It is very easy for me to go to church each Sunday morning, spend time daily reading scripture and praying to God, and focus my energy on the ministry of God at FBC.  But how many times have I been in awe before God where I cannot say a word because of his awesomeness.  When I pray to God do I remember that this God I'm speaking to has been around forever?  He's been around before forever even began.  This is the Creator of the universe that because of Christ I can have a personal, intimate relationship with him.  And this God who created all things can take time out of his day to care about and for me.  This small human on a small planet in a giant universe and he cares about me.  How awesome is that?

When we explained the concept of God's foreverness (my term) to these teenagers their eyes told the story of what was happening in their minds.  It was inconceivable to them that this would be true.  But it is true.  And I know this God and he knows me.  Why?  I will never truly understand.  Other than the fact that I am his and he has saved me.  I am his child because of his Son.

My hope is that not a day goes by that his awesomeness and my relationship with him do not bring me to my knees in praise and worship of his great name.  He is God and I am his.  Thanks be to God.

Day 1: Who Needs to Hear?

When you're on the Rez you're on a different time and mindset.  This was no more apparent than the 11:00 worship service this morning.  Nothing ever really starts on time here, but when 11:30 hit I began to feel that this time something was different.  At 11:35 I was pulled aside by a team leader and was told that the pastor was caught up with an issue and wouldn't be able to lead the service.  Would I be willing to step in?  Of course, because I am a pastor, it made perfect sense to approach me.  And I agreed to help out.

Now, if a situation like this arose at home (even just starting the service forty-five minutes late let alone the pastor not showing up) many people in the service would either leave or complain.  But not on the Rez.  Everyone was sitting quietly and enjoying each other's company while they waited for the service to begin.

When the service finally did start we sang three songs off of youtube.com and I shared the story of Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus.  To close the service we opened the floor to share how God changed us on our road to Damascus.  We shared for over twenty-five minutes and the number of roads God met us on was amazing.  From abuse and divorce to the death of a loved one and recovery from addiction, God is a mighty God who saves us from this world and our sin.  And no matter the road God meets us on we who believe are all children of Christ.  Heirs together in his promise of salvation and redemption.

When was the last time you shared your being saved on your road to Damascus?  Have you ever shared that story?  There are many around us who God may be calling us to tell His story in our lives.  Are you willing to answer that call right now?

Want to read about Paul's conversion?  Read Acts 9 for yourself and see what Christ did to this man who would become the tip of the spear of missions work for Christ and the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world.

Pine Ridge

This week I am at Pine Ride, SD preaching the gospel message to the children of the reservation through a VBS. My hope is that I will write a post each evening to share what God is teaching me through this experience. My hope is to express the work of God at Pine Ridge who have never been to this culture. He is at work here and I plan to join him in that work. To him be the glory.

Can I Divorce God?

³⁸For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation,

will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38-39 (ESV)

The website ehow.com gives an easy four step process on how to divorce your parents.  There are a number of reasons why you may need to proceed with this drastic step: "abuse, neglect, abandonment, parental drug abuse, both of your parents being in prison (especially if they won't get out until after you turn 18), or exploitation of you by your parents."  The interesting thing about this procedure is that though it removes the legal authority of the parents over the child it does not change the reality that the child is still the offspring of the parents.

The sections preceding this verse are important to gain the deep understanding Paul is trying to convey.  Throughout chapter eight Paul uses words such as "adoption" and "heirs" and "children of God" to describe the elect (those saved by God's elective grace through faith).  We (the elect) are children of God.  We are heirs with Christ of the inheritance received by Christ.  We are adopted into the family of God by Christ's payment of our debt.  And once we are part of the family of God we cannot be taken from that family.  We cannot divorce God and act like it never happened.  Who would want such a move, anyway?  Who would want to be removed from the love of God once they have tasted the sweetness and joy of that love.

Paul makes it clear.  The is nothing in all of creation, including ourselves, who can remove the elect from the love of God in Christ Jesus.  Nothing.  Nadda.  Zilch.  We are his for eternity.

Now that should give us peace.

Union With Christ

O Father,
Thou hast made man for the glory of thyself,
   and when not an instrument of that glory,
   he is a thing of nought;
No sin is greater than the sin of unbelief,
   for if union with Christ is the greatest good,
   unbelief is the greatest sin,
   as being cross to thy command;
I see that whatever my sin is,
   yet no sin is like disunion from Christ by unbelief.
Lord, keep me from committing the greatest sin
      in departing from him,
   for I can never in this life perfectly obey
      and cleave to Christ.
When thou takest away my outward blessings,
      it is for sin,
   in not acknowledging that all that I have is of thee,
   in not serving thee through what I have,
   in making myself secure and hardened.

Lawful blessings are the secret idols, and
      do most hurt;
   the greatest injury is in the having,
   the greatest good in the taking away.
In love divest me of blessings that I may glorify
      thee the more;
   remove the fuel of my sin,
   and may I prize the gain of a little holiness
   as overbalancing all my losses.
The more I love thee with a truly gracious love
   the more I desire to love thee,
   and the more miserable I am at my want of love;
The more I hunger and thirst after thee,
   the more I faint and fail in finding thee,
The more my heart is broken for sin,
   the more I pray it may be far more broken.

My great evil is that I do not remember
      the sins of my youth,
   nay, the sins of one day I forget the next.
Keep me from all things that turn to unbelief
   or lack of felt union with Christ.

                           from The Valley of Vision
                   

Albert Mohler on the Marriage Revolution

This is from Denny Burk's blog.  Check the rest of it out here.

Albert Mohler has an opinion piece in tomorrow’s Wall Street Journal about the moral revolution we have been witnessing concerning homosexuality. Speaking of evangelicals, he rights,

We cannot accept the seductive arguments that the liberal churches so readily adopt. The fact that same-sex marriage is a now a legal reality in several states means that we must further stipulate that we are bound by scripture to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman—and nothing else.

We do so knowing that most Americans once shared the same moral assumptions, but that a new world is coming fast. We do not have to read the polls and surveys; all we need to do is to talk to our neighbors…

It is now abundantly clear that evangelicals have failed in so many ways to meet this challenge. We have often spoken about homosexuality in ways that are crude and simplistic. We have failed to take account of how tenaciously sexuality comes to define us as human beings. We have failed to see the challenge of homosexuality as a Gospel issue. We are the ones, after all, who are supposed to know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only remedy for sin, starting with our own.

We have demonstrated our own form of homophobia—not in the way that activists have used that word, but in the sense that we have been afraid to face this issue where it is most difficult . . . face to face.

My hope is that evangelicals are ready now to take on this challenge in a new and more faithful way. We really have no choice, for we are talking about our own brothers and sisters, our own friends and neighbors, or maybe the young person in the next pew.

There is no escaping the fact that we are living in the midst of a moral revolution. And yet, it is not the world around us that is being tested, so much as the believing church. We are about to find out just how much we believe the Gospel we so eagerly preach.

The Groaning Within Me

"And not only the creation, but we ourselves,

who have the firstfruits of the Spirit,

groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons,

the redemption of our bodies."

Romans 8:23 (ESV)

Each day we turn on the television, computer, or radio we are bombarded with the reality of a fallen world.  Ungodliness, hatred, greed, selfishness, and death pervade every aspect of the human race.  This is the reality of the legacy of Adam and Eve.  And yet in the middle of all this fallenness is a group of people who, though just as fallen, have been redeemed and made fellow heirs with Christ.

Creation "groans" for its redemption.  It "waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God" (Romans 8:19).  And along with creation the heirs of God groan inwardly for the second coming of Christ. 

On June 10th a group of seven from our church will be heading down to Pine Ridge Reservation to hold a Vacation Bible School for the children of the community.  Most of these children have no hope because they do not have Christ.  Standing in the middle of a large group of children who have no hope makes my groaning come to a crescendo.  Christ, come back.  Bring all people to yourself.  Renew my body.  Renew my inmost being.  Renew this fallen world.
But I must wait patiently.  For God does not move because I ask him.  He moves because it is his time to move.  He has set the time of his return since before the beginning of history.  It will not change because I ask.

So, as I wait the redemption of creation and my body, I will serve him with all of my being.  I will love the children of Pine Ridge.  I will share with others the work Christ has done within me.  And I will wait.