The Joy Found in His Increase

“For many years Sir Walter Scott was the leading literary figure in the British Empire. No one could write as well as he. Then the works of Lord Byron began to appear, and their greatness was immediately evident. Soon an anonymous critic praised his poems in a London Paper. He declared that in the presence of these brilliant works of poetic genius, Scott could no longer be considered the leading poet of England. It was later discovered that the unnamed reviewer had been none other than Sir Walter Scott himself!”  (Dr. Gary Collins in Homemade, July, 1985)

The disciples of John the Baptist became so concerned over the increased popularity and influence of Jesus they feared the ministry of John would be over-shadowed.  In response to this John gives a beautiful reply: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).  John was not about self-exaltation.  He was about exalting the Messiah.

Join us this week as we dive into John 3:22-30 to learn what it means for Jesus to increase in our lives while we willingly and joyfully decrease.  May the Spirit of God guide us into all truth through His Word and may we be prayerfully prepared to encounter the greatness of Jesus our Christ.

Striving to know Christ and make Him known,

Pastor Mark

Pushing Us to Our Source

“The first American Thanksgiving didn't occur in 1621 when a group of Pilgrims shared a feast with a group of friendly Indians. The first recorded thanksgiving took place in Virginia more than 11 years earlier, and it wasn't a feast. The winter of 1610 at Jamestown had reduced a group of 409 settlers to 60. The survivors prayed for help, without knowing when or how it might come. When help arrived, in the form of a ship filled with food and supplies from England, a prayer meeting was held to give thanks to God.” (Today in the Word, July, 1990, p. 22.)

It seems strange to talk of Thanksgiving in the middle of a South Dakota winter, but for disciples of Christ our thanks is not given only one day a year.  As with that first group of settlers so long ago, trials push us to give thanks to our God.  Though it may be difficult to find the little joys in the midst or after a trial in life, joys do exist.  Sometimes they are obvious, as with the settlers in the story above, and sometimes they are difficult to find.  But joys do exist and when found they should bring great thanksgiving to the one who provides them.  God!


Over the past several weeks our focus has been on trials, troubles, and tribulations that come upon us in life.  We have seen how the Apostle Paul has responded to trials and what God’s Word has to tell us about why those trials come.  This week will be different.  The passage this week, Acts 28:11-16, teaches us where the trials and troubles of life should push us: to our Source.


May God prepare us this week as we hear the truth of His Word and may that Word mold and shape us.  May we be prayerfully prepared to meet the Spirit of Truth as we gather as His church.

Trouble

Over the past number of weeks we have studied the trials and tribulations which Paul has had to face.  And yet through it all he never wavered from his calling from God nor from trusting in God’s promises.  His response to trials is a wonderful example of faith and trust for the disciple of Christ.  We all understand that trials, tribulations, and troubles will come our way, but the harder question to answer is why these troubles happen.  After all, being disciples of Christ should mean an easy life, right?

I recently picked up a book titled Tortured for Christ by Richard Wurmbrand.  It is a very short account of his life as a believer in Communist Soviet Union and from which an excerpt is below.

“I worked in both an official and underground manner until February 29, 1948.  On that beautiful Sunday, on my way to church, I was kidnapped from the street by the secret police.

“Many at a time were kidnapped like this.  A van of the secret police stopped in front of me, two men jumped out and pushed me into the vehicle.  I was taken to a prison where I was kept secretly for over eight years.  During that time, no one knew whether I was alive or dead.  My wife was visited by the secret police who posed as released fellow-prisoners.  They told her that they had attended my burial.  She was heartbroken.

“Thousands of believers from churches of all denominations were sent to prison at that time.  Not only were clergymen put in jail, but also simple peasants, young boys and girls who witnessed for their faith.  The prisons were full, and in Romania, as in all Communist countries, to be in prison means to be tortured.

“The tortures were sometimes horrible.  I prefer not to speak too much about those through which I have passed; it is too painful.  When I do, I cannot sleep at night.”

From the seemingly annoying troubles of life to the deadly, God’s people over the past thousands of years have come face-to-face with the reality of this fallen world and that world’s hatred of God and His people.  What is the purpose behind such atrocities? 

This week we will study Acts 28:1-10 and read about not only the trouble in which Paul once again finds himself but also the joys which come about through that trouble.  And how that joy comes from trouble may surprise us.  May God prepare our hearts this week as we dig deeply into His Word and Truth.

Life-changing Experience

I just recently returned from an amazing experience at the Desiring God Conference for Pastors.  And all that I have learned would not fit in this tiny blog.  But I do want to lay out one specific truth that was revealed to me.  I haven't been enjoying the presence of God in my life.

What is joy, anyway?  Here is a great definition.  Joy is a deep, durable delight in the splendor of God which ruins my joy for anything else.  My relationship with God has been focused on beating my body into submission because I wasn't doing what I was suppose to do in order to be close to God.  There was no joy in it.  I wasn't basking in the greatness and glory of God.  I was forcing myself to do the right thing.  Or at least trying to do the right thing at which I usually failed.  "You can't work for joy when you don't work from joy."

This experience has been a life changing, ministry molding, faith increasing experience that I would recommend to anyone I meet.  So, here is my final question for you.  Are you enjoying your relationship with God?  Or are you focused on everything else but the presence of God?  Answer that question and you will find where your heart stands.

My Joy and Glory

1 Thessalonians 3:7-8 (ESV)
". . . for this reason, brothers, in all our distress and affliction we have been comforted about you through your faith.  For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord."

What is my motivation for doing this job?  What is my motivation for staying focused on Christ and His work in my life?  Why do I continue to believe in Christ as my Savior and Lord?  Why do I live?

There are a number of answers for all of these questions: I'm called to be in ministry, I love helping people grow in Christ, I couldn't do anything else, I like the flexible hours, I like working with people, etc.  But Paul gives an interesting answer.  Why do Paul, Silas, and Timothy live?  Because those they lead to Christ "are standing fast in the Lord."

No one would argue whether Paul had a difficult life or not.  He truly understood what persecution was and what it was like to survive it.  But Paul, in essence, says that all the trials, troubles, persecution, "distress and affliction" were worth it because of the faith of the believers in Thessalonica.  He tried and tried to see those believers again but was prevented in seeing them because of the work of "Satan."  But when Paul found out that they had been standing firm in the faith he rejoiced by saying, "For you are our glory and joy" (1 Thesssalonians 2:20; ESV). 

Now, there is a danger in taking this passage the wrong way.  Isn't Christ to be given the glory and not us?  Yes.  Are we to find our glory and joy in those around us?  Yes.  Paul is not putting himself and his glory first in this passage.  His main focus is on the work of Christ in the believers.  But because those believers stayed firm in the faith, rejecting the temptations of the "tempter" Paul can rejoice and find his glory and joy in their faithfulness to Christ.  Christ is still the center of it all.

Where is my joy found?  I can give the normal Sunday School response, Jesus.  But that seems like it should be an obvious answer.  Do I find my joy and glory in those God has used me to have a more authentic relationship with Christ?  I can tell you that when I hear from individuals in this church who desire to be more authentic, real, and relational in their faith it does my heart good.  When someone writes me a note or makes the effort to tell me that the words I spoke in a sermon or Bible Study had an affect on them it does my heart good.  Not because I'm such a good pastor or speaker, but because God is using my simple words to do a profound work.  Those people are my joy and glory because their faith is focused on the glory of God.  Amen and amen.