OK, sorry I have not been on to blog in forever(OK, a week). I went back to work this week and we put in some longer days to get the job done on time. My knees are just about to quit on me, as we have done flooring all week long. I have bad knees as it is, but this week was a killer.
Our 4 year old daughter has also been sick. She had a high temp for a few days and is now getting better, but still not up to speed. The nights have been short and often interrupted, so we hope to catch up on sleep this week.
Now, I have no right to complain, as I know a few people that will read this have had a more hectic week than I did. I was challenged at men's group why I had not been writing, and after considering it more, I enjoy writing and the time spent in the Word, but if preparing for this blog is going to keep me from being the husband, father, and man God wants me to be, then I will not feel bad about choosing. Our family devotions and my personal time with God comes before the internet. Hopefully, I will be better about my scheduling from now on and still be able to write a few times a week while fulfilling the other obligations of my life. So, I am sorry, but not that sorry.
We have Bible study tomorrow night and will be talking about the attributes of God. We will also be opening up for questions. There is a newly married young man that has many questions for us to help him answer from Scripture. Well, that is what we are here for, in part, so we will be using tomorrow to help him with the questions he brings up and then see where we get in the lesson.
I am not one that gets all wound up in following the plan carefully. I would rather have a plan but be willing to scrap it if the need arises. If God is working in the heart of this man or anyone else that attends, I want to help them find the truth from the Word of God. What a privilege and responsibility to have this group. It has been a blessing so far, and we are excited to see how God works through the ministries we work with.
Good News Club on Tuesday was good. We are still praying for more kids, but are enjoying those that come. Sara had our kids and a friends 3 kids on Monday evening, they had a great time and she is looking forward to having them in our home weekly. We are still inviting those we meet to this group. I sent an invitation for the whole family to the family we did the flooring job for, too. They have 2 young ones. It would be great if the carpentry work we do brings more unsaved folks to our little group. Keep praying about that.
Men's group saw a new face this week, as we invited a friend to join us. It is so encouraging to see God working in the hearts of those we have contact with. I see God moving and working every place I go lately. I hope He continues to lead in my life, and that I am obedient to follow wherever that leads. We have a great group and I think there will be great changes bringing us all closer to the Lord from this setting.
So, that is where we are this week. I will write more later, but need to get the kids off to bed and ready for work in the morning. Have a great day, all.
Mark
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Video added
I added the actual video for "new again" on the bottom of this page. If you scroll down to the bottom of the screen you can see the video streamed from "God Tube" a service that hosts Christian content video, an alternative to You Tube, which also has a lot of questionable content. I am not advocating for either service, but the God Tube site is safer for family viewing. I hope you enjoy it.
Mark
Mark
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Whose standards are we using?
Colossians 3:1-17
I was asked to speak at prayer meeting this week, and since I usually speak on something that God has shown me this week, I decided to write it down and those who read this blog will also benefit from it. I consider it a privilege and responsibility to teach accurately from the Word of God. It keeps my perspective correct when I stop thinking about "looking stupid" or "was that OK?" and keep my eyes fixed on proclaiming God's Word for His purposes.
It is this subject that I will be addressing today. It is easy to get mixed up in what people expect from me, who will approve or disapprove of what I do and say. While I do consider and respect those around me in the assembly, still I have but one person to glorify, God. Encouraging other believers and showing them things that are encouraging from the Bible is great, and has its place, but sometimes the Lord lays it on our hearts to show them truths that may cause them conviction, stress, or anger. Many would lay aside any difficult teaching because they fear man's approval, but the standard we need to look to is God's, not man's.
If we expect to be used of God to proclaim His truth to all people, we cannot just pick and choose the nice encouraging passages to speak on, but be led by the Spirit of God to what He wants us to say. I am one, like most of us, that generally likes to be liked, and sometimes I have avoided certain truths in order to make someone like me more, or to avoid them disliking me altogether. I also am able to speak the truth when it is hard to do so, when I know someone will be offended and maybe choose to not talk to me anymore. I need to work on my consistency in this area.
This is how it has been with my personal witnessing experience. I have been rejected, blown off, and made fun of for what I believe in and share with others. I have family members that, even though I shared the truth in love for the right reasons, have avoided me and will not return correspondence with me. I would rather they be happy with me, and not have to confront them, but the truth is if you love someone, you would not avoid talking with them about life's most important subject, that being salvation and where they will spend eternity. Still, I know that it must be said. I am getting off topic, so let's get back where we started.
In my pursuit to speak the truth from God rather than make people feel better, I sometimes have to speak to fellow Christians also. I have been spoken to in the past, and have experienced the right way and the wrong way to be chastised. God makes it clear how we need to prepare ourselves, not just jumping out in anger at a brother, but with clarity of mind and a heart truly seeking restoration, seeking what the Lord wants rather than what I want.
In order to be used to bring a brother back into fellowship, I must first get myself right with God. It would be hypocritical for me to be living in sin and try to correct others. So, when I see a brother living apart from God's will for them, it is not easy to approach them. The approach must be one of love, for the purpose of seeking restoration with God. It can never be a selfish desire to be proven right, or feel "holier-than-thou" but instead reaching to help another up.
Man's standards will never live up to how God wants us to live. If we want to know how to raise our children, we need to seek the truth from the Bible. If we want to know about finances, we need to consult the Word. If we want to know how we should deal with problems, sin in the church, modesty, or a host of other subjects the best and most complete source we have is God's word to us, the Bible. 2 Tim 3:16 tells us that "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness" I notice that we are not told to use the Word for revenge, proving ourselves right, or anything else, but only to show God's standards as the benchmark.
This is a principle that is far too often misused. I mentioned earlier being chastised the wrong way. Let me explain a bit with a story. Suppose someone didn't like the way I dressed at church, that it was much too casual. At the time, I didn't own anything that would be considered appropriate, but instead of trying to help me, they just wanted to let me know that I was somehow a lower class of Christian for not having enough money to buy nice clothes. While I do think it is a good idea to look presentable at the church services, it makes me think that if a homeless person, or a family burned out of their home came to the service that they would be spoken to in the same way. I have seen this happen, and it sickened me. Being high and mighty and judging someone based on their clothing is not God's standard, but man's.
A more Biblical example could be a brother in the church, who refuses to put off lying. He doesn't think anyone is hurt by a simple little white lie. You may begin to question anything this person says, their motives and why they feel like they need to fabricate stories or lie. Are they in need of acceptance, are they covering up something in their past? Maybe, but the point is still the same. The Biblical standard is "You should not bear false witness" Exodus 20:16 and "all liars will have their place in the lake of fire" Rev 21:8 Sin is sin, and we need to help each other stay out of the Devil's trap, and keep our eyes on the Lord.
The approach needs to be one of honestly looking to help your brother be restored, not to make them look bad, but should be done privately, with God's standard as our standard. None of us will be perfect this side of heaven, and we need to be honest with ourselves about that. Matthew 18 outlines how we should approach others, and you can read that independently, but what I wanted to stress mostly is that we should use God's standards, not man's. God has given us His Word to show us how we should live. I have to be careful sometimes myself not to impose my preferences on anyone else, but also to be faithful in searching my own life that I am acceptable to the Lord. After all, that is who we are to living for, and in the example of.
With God's standards, set forth in His Word as our standards, we will not have to fear what people will think. We can stand firm knowing that God is the judge, and we should judge ourselves according to His standards. We can know that no matter what may come, if we are following God with all our hearts, using His word as our guide, we have the peace that comes with a right relationship with God, and with His Son that gave His own blood to buy us back from the debt of sin.
In Acts 5:29, when Peter and the apostles were brought in with the charge of preaching about Jesus, Peters answer should show us the example "We must obey God rather than man" Couldn't have said it any better myself, that's for sure.
I was asked to speak at prayer meeting this week, and since I usually speak on something that God has shown me this week, I decided to write it down and those who read this blog will also benefit from it. I consider it a privilege and responsibility to teach accurately from the Word of God. It keeps my perspective correct when I stop thinking about "looking stupid" or "was that OK?" and keep my eyes fixed on proclaiming God's Word for His purposes.
It is this subject that I will be addressing today. It is easy to get mixed up in what people expect from me, who will approve or disapprove of what I do and say. While I do consider and respect those around me in the assembly, still I have but one person to glorify, God. Encouraging other believers and showing them things that are encouraging from the Bible is great, and has its place, but sometimes the Lord lays it on our hearts to show them truths that may cause them conviction, stress, or anger. Many would lay aside any difficult teaching because they fear man's approval, but the standard we need to look to is God's, not man's.
If we expect to be used of God to proclaim His truth to all people, we cannot just pick and choose the nice encouraging passages to speak on, but be led by the Spirit of God to what He wants us to say. I am one, like most of us, that generally likes to be liked, and sometimes I have avoided certain truths in order to make someone like me more, or to avoid them disliking me altogether. I also am able to speak the truth when it is hard to do so, when I know someone will be offended and maybe choose to not talk to me anymore. I need to work on my consistency in this area.
This is how it has been with my personal witnessing experience. I have been rejected, blown off, and made fun of for what I believe in and share with others. I have family members that, even though I shared the truth in love for the right reasons, have avoided me and will not return correspondence with me. I would rather they be happy with me, and not have to confront them, but the truth is if you love someone, you would not avoid talking with them about life's most important subject, that being salvation and where they will spend eternity. Still, I know that it must be said. I am getting off topic, so let's get back where we started.
In my pursuit to speak the truth from God rather than make people feel better, I sometimes have to speak to fellow Christians also. I have been spoken to in the past, and have experienced the right way and the wrong way to be chastised. God makes it clear how we need to prepare ourselves, not just jumping out in anger at a brother, but with clarity of mind and a heart truly seeking restoration, seeking what the Lord wants rather than what I want.
In order to be used to bring a brother back into fellowship, I must first get myself right with God. It would be hypocritical for me to be living in sin and try to correct others. So, when I see a brother living apart from God's will for them, it is not easy to approach them. The approach must be one of love, for the purpose of seeking restoration with God. It can never be a selfish desire to be proven right, or feel "holier-than-thou" but instead reaching to help another up.
Man's standards will never live up to how God wants us to live. If we want to know how to raise our children, we need to seek the truth from the Bible. If we want to know about finances, we need to consult the Word. If we want to know how we should deal with problems, sin in the church, modesty, or a host of other subjects the best and most complete source we have is God's word to us, the Bible. 2 Tim 3:16 tells us that "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness" I notice that we are not told to use the Word for revenge, proving ourselves right, or anything else, but only to show God's standards as the benchmark.
This is a principle that is far too often misused. I mentioned earlier being chastised the wrong way. Let me explain a bit with a story. Suppose someone didn't like the way I dressed at church, that it was much too casual. At the time, I didn't own anything that would be considered appropriate, but instead of trying to help me, they just wanted to let me know that I was somehow a lower class of Christian for not having enough money to buy nice clothes. While I do think it is a good idea to look presentable at the church services, it makes me think that if a homeless person, or a family burned out of their home came to the service that they would be spoken to in the same way. I have seen this happen, and it sickened me. Being high and mighty and judging someone based on their clothing is not God's standard, but man's.
A more Biblical example could be a brother in the church, who refuses to put off lying. He doesn't think anyone is hurt by a simple little white lie. You may begin to question anything this person says, their motives and why they feel like they need to fabricate stories or lie. Are they in need of acceptance, are they covering up something in their past? Maybe, but the point is still the same. The Biblical standard is "You should not bear false witness" Exodus 20:16 and "all liars will have their place in the lake of fire" Rev 21:8 Sin is sin, and we need to help each other stay out of the Devil's trap, and keep our eyes on the Lord.
The approach needs to be one of honestly looking to help your brother be restored, not to make them look bad, but should be done privately, with God's standard as our standard. None of us will be perfect this side of heaven, and we need to be honest with ourselves about that. Matthew 18 outlines how we should approach others, and you can read that independently, but what I wanted to stress mostly is that we should use God's standards, not man's. God has given us His Word to show us how we should live. I have to be careful sometimes myself not to impose my preferences on anyone else, but also to be faithful in searching my own life that I am acceptable to the Lord. After all, that is who we are to living for, and in the example of.
With God's standards, set forth in His Word as our standards, we will not have to fear what people will think. We can stand firm knowing that God is the judge, and we should judge ourselves according to His standards. We can know that no matter what may come, if we are following God with all our hearts, using His word as our guide, we have the peace that comes with a right relationship with God, and with His Son that gave His own blood to buy us back from the debt of sin.
In Acts 5:29, when Peter and the apostles were brought in with the charge of preaching about Jesus, Peters answer should show us the example "We must obey God rather than man" Couldn't have said it any better myself, that's for sure.
Monday, March 17, 2008
In case anybody has any bright ideas...
I wanted to let you all know what this little handout looks like. Sort of a personal gospel tract. I don't want to let an opportunity slip, so I incorporated a tract that I wrote into the invitation to Bible study. Those who never come will still have the truth in their hand. I could hand out a tract along with the invite, but figured this would work fine. Often conversations are cut short with people that are in a hurry or at work, so this gives yet another tool for them to learn about the gospel. So, the text of the invite is below with the back side following:
Home Bible study at Mark and Sara’s
We meet on Mondays from 7-8pm
Kids Bible lesson w/snack provided
Whether you are a Christian, or just interested in knowing more about God and the Bible, this study is for you. We would like to get to know you and help you learn more about God from the Bible. Bibles provided free of charge for those who want one.
Directions- call Mark or Sara at 354-8919
From Route 1 Thomaston: turn onto Route 131(oyster river road) at Stubby’s. Go up 131 about 1.1 miles and turn right onto Anderson Road. After 100 yards, turn left onto Cedar drive,
we are the 4th house on the left.
From Route 90, Warren: turn onto Route 131 (oyster river road) follow 2.2 miles. Take a left onto Anderson Road. After 100 yards, turn left onto Cedar Drive, we are the 4th house on the left.
The text on the back is as follows:
Man is separated from God by sin. Sin is anything we do that is against God’s laws. We cannot get to God because God cannot allow sin in His presence. Only Jesus Christ, God’s son, was perfect and could bridge the gap between us and God. If we believe that Jesus paid for our sins and repent (turn away from our sin) He will forgive us and allow us to live with Him in heaven for eternity. If you have done this and want to learn more, Read your Bible daily and pray. For more information, visit www.mwtb.org/pages/quiz.php
The back also has these pictures, which I tried to link together, but didn't work on blogger. On the invite it looks a bit neater than this.
So, I just thought I would share that. If you are interested in using the actual format for your own Bible study, let me know and I will send you the actual file. Until next time, keep sharing the gospel with those you meet. May the Lord richly bless you in His service.
Mark
Home Bible study at Mark and Sara’s
We meet on Mondays from 7-8pm
Kids Bible lesson w/snack provided
Whether you are a Christian, or just interested in knowing more about God and the Bible, this study is for you. We would like to get to know you and help you learn more about God from the Bible. Bibles provided free of charge for those who want one.
Directions- call Mark or Sara at 354-8919
From Route 1 Thomaston: turn onto Route 131(oyster river road) at Stubby’s. Go up 131 about 1.1 miles and turn right onto Anderson Road. After 100 yards, turn left onto Cedar drive,
we are the 4th house on the left.
From Route 90, Warren: turn onto Route 131 (oyster river road) follow 2.2 miles. Take a left onto Anderson Road. After 100 yards, turn left onto Cedar Drive, we are the 4th house on the left.
The text on the back is as follows:
Man is separated from God by sin. Sin is anything we do that is against God’s laws. We cannot get to God because God cannot allow sin in His presence. Only Jesus Christ, God’s son, was perfect and could bridge the gap between us and God. If we believe that Jesus paid for our sins and repent (turn away from our sin) He will forgive us and allow us to live with Him in heaven for eternity. If you have done this and want to learn more, Read your Bible daily and pray. For more information, visit www.mwtb.org/pages/quiz.php
The back also has these pictures, which I tried to link together, but didn't work on blogger. On the invite it looks a bit neater than this.
So, I just thought I would share that. If you are interested in using the actual format for your own Bible study, let me know and I will send you the actual file. Until next time, keep sharing the gospel with those you meet. May the Lord richly bless you in His service.
Mark
Spreading the Word
In the last week here at the Cowperthwaite home, we have been praying and searching more than usual, and that is good. We need to remember that the best we can do as humans is still nothing compared to what God is able to do through us if we are willing to follow. With the absence of participants to our Bible study, we have decided to continue and just reach out further in our "fishing" for lost souls.
I printed up some cards to hand out personally to those we get to meet at the grocery store, Walmart, and just out and about. Often, we get a chance to talk to someone for just a minute or two and the conversation is abruptly halted due to any of a dozen reasons. Mostly, the cashier at the store has a job to do, and I feel that we need to continue, so what do you do? We printed up the invitations to our home Bible study on 1/6 sheets of paper. It is easy to carry in a shirt pocket and when someone seems interested in learning more about God, we can hand them our phone number, directions to the house, and a short invite to the study.
Along with inviting neighbors to come, we are also going to be encouraging those who are Christians in the area to come and help us reach out. We can get in the Word together and also encourage them to share the gospel with those that they reach. This could multiply exponentially, if that is how the Lord wants it. We must be willing and available to speak the truth of Jesus and salvation to everyone we meet. We cannot be ashamed, but bold and remember that those we meet are not just blank faces, but faces of those headed to hell for eternity without the Savior.
Just at Walmart yesterday, we saw someone who used to come to youth group here, that is not regularly in church, and not living like they should be. We also were able to contact a young lady that used to live with us and invite her and her new husband to the group. They are both saved, but are not in church often either. I don't honestly know where they stand, but you can bet I will know by the end of the evening. We invited them over for supper and Bible study, and they are coming!
So, as you may be able to tell, I am very excited to be able to be used in whatever way the Lord sees fit. There are behind-the-scenes issues with those we talked to lately that we may be able to help with. Those that come will also be encouraged to invite people, multiplying our ability to reach others. As one family, we only know so many people, but one more family coming can invite their friends and coworkers. We need not work one dimensionally, but continue to reach out until everyone we meet has heard the truth. That should be our goal, should it not?
So pray that those who come will be honest with God about where they need to be, what they need to do, and pray that we will be able to encourage them through the Word of God. I will post more about what happens tonight. Please continue in prayer that some of the neighbors that did not respond last week will come tonight. That will be our prayer also.
Mark
I printed up some cards to hand out personally to those we get to meet at the grocery store, Walmart, and just out and about. Often, we get a chance to talk to someone for just a minute or two and the conversation is abruptly halted due to any of a dozen reasons. Mostly, the cashier at the store has a job to do, and I feel that we need to continue, so what do you do? We printed up the invitations to our home Bible study on 1/6 sheets of paper. It is easy to carry in a shirt pocket and when someone seems interested in learning more about God, we can hand them our phone number, directions to the house, and a short invite to the study.
Along with inviting neighbors to come, we are also going to be encouraging those who are Christians in the area to come and help us reach out. We can get in the Word together and also encourage them to share the gospel with those that they reach. This could multiply exponentially, if that is how the Lord wants it. We must be willing and available to speak the truth of Jesus and salvation to everyone we meet. We cannot be ashamed, but bold and remember that those we meet are not just blank faces, but faces of those headed to hell for eternity without the Savior.
Just at Walmart yesterday, we saw someone who used to come to youth group here, that is not regularly in church, and not living like they should be. We also were able to contact a young lady that used to live with us and invite her and her new husband to the group. They are both saved, but are not in church often either. I don't honestly know where they stand, but you can bet I will know by the end of the evening. We invited them over for supper and Bible study, and they are coming!
So, as you may be able to tell, I am very excited to be able to be used in whatever way the Lord sees fit. There are behind-the-scenes issues with those we talked to lately that we may be able to help with. Those that come will also be encouraged to invite people, multiplying our ability to reach others. As one family, we only know so many people, but one more family coming can invite their friends and coworkers. We need not work one dimensionally, but continue to reach out until everyone we meet has heard the truth. That should be our goal, should it not?
So pray that those who come will be honest with God about where they need to be, what they need to do, and pray that we will be able to encourage them through the Word of God. I will post more about what happens tonight. Please continue in prayer that some of the neighbors that did not respond last week will come tonight. That will be our prayer also.
Mark
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Reverence in worship
Passages to read-Acts 2:42,1 Cor. 11:17-34, Isaiah 6:3,5 Psalm 96:9, Matt 26:26-30, Mark 14:22-26, Luke 22:14-20
I was reading "His Dying Request" today, a collection of writings about the Lord's supper, and the true act of worship. I have read this before a few times, and recently purchased some copies to give to folks that I thought would learn from it. It is a collection of writings from preachers and authors such as H.A. Ironside, C.H. Spurgeon, Charles Stanley (not the TV preacher) and David Dunlap(the man who sent this to me). It covers a lot of ground in a short number of pages, but remains centered on the theme of communion and worship, and all that it means.
Growing up in a typical Baptist church, communion was something we did monthly or quarterly, a routine you got used to. It was scripted, bland, and never explained very well to the uninitiated. As a child, I was told that it was our way of remembering Christ's sacrifice of His body and blood. That was as far as it ever went.
As I continued in church over the years, I always had the same thoughts on why we did this service, and never took it very seriously. I just took the little cup and bread or cracker that was passed and did what everyone else did. We waited for the preacher to tell us when to eat and drink, and heard the same verses over and over. There was no worship, just ceremony. As with many things, I have learned that the way you understand a thing has a lot to do with how you perceive it. Since I was never told what it truly meant, or that it was a reverent time to spend in quiet contemplation of what it was that Jesus really sacrificed for me, it just became a background, something we do once in a while, but not the focus of the service. Wow, was I missing out!
A friend told me yesterday of a Christian who thought that if Jesus was to walk in the room and talk to him, that he would want to give Him a hug and would have all kinds of questions for Jesus. Well, I hate to tell this person, but if Jesus were to walk into a room I was in, I would be immediately falling on my face in worship and awe of who He is. I think the modern gospel approach to things has given people the false assumption that Jesus is "your buddy" or "a great friend" to hang out with and ask all your probing questions about the meaning of life. Well, I would say that if you don't know that we were created to bring glory and worship to God, and not to have all our questions answered, then you are missing the boat.
The attitude I had going into the communion service was just that. Jesus was a friend, someone who did a great thing for me, and so I am grateful. While that is true, the love of God in sending Jesus to die for me is the greatest gift I could ever receive, there is also the unavoidable truth that Jesus is completely God, holy and righteous, and worthy of praise and glory. This does not conjure up images in my mind of someone to play catch with or chat about the weather. Jesus is not your buddy, He is to be your Lord and master.
We need to remember that when we take the bread and the cup, we are taking part in the breaking of the body of Jesus. We are taking part(symbolically) of the blood of Jesus. Just as baptism is symbolizing our part in the death to ourselves, and our life through Christ, these emblems are not to be taken lightly. We should be concentrating on the center of our worship, the Lord Jesus and His atoning sacrifice.
It is also a time of rejoicing, knowing that because of what was done at Calvary, we are able to take part in this feast of life. A gentleman I know uses the term often, and it is very fitting "blood bought" means that we are purchased possessions of God. Jesus paid for our sins and imputed His righteousness to those who believe on Him and make Him the Lord of their lives. This could only be accomplished by the spotless "Lam of God who takes away the sin of the world" This is not some light hearted thing, but the rejoicing that comes over one who is brought back from death and offered eternal life.
In closing, I would like to challenge those who have taken this service lightly, to read the passages of the "last supper" and those dealing with how Jesus told us to remember Him. Try to see what it was He was showing the disciples. Jesus knew they would easily be distracted by life, and forget what it was they were supposed to be living for. The early church met and broke bread together regularly, and spent time in worship, true worship. They held in reverence what it meant when Jesus allowed Himself to be arrested, beaten, persecuted, and killed though He Himself knew no sin. They knew, as we should also know, that we could never have earned favor with God because of our sin. That should be a sobering thought to anyone who understands it.
I hope this isn't confusing anyone, and I would welcome questions. I would also like to recommend the book "His dying request" by David Dunlap. You can get one from his website, http://bibleandlife.org
Have a great Lord's day tomorrow.
Mark
I was reading "His Dying Request" today, a collection of writings about the Lord's supper, and the true act of worship. I have read this before a few times, and recently purchased some copies to give to folks that I thought would learn from it. It is a collection of writings from preachers and authors such as H.A. Ironside, C.H. Spurgeon, Charles Stanley (not the TV preacher) and David Dunlap(the man who sent this to me). It covers a lot of ground in a short number of pages, but remains centered on the theme of communion and worship, and all that it means.
Growing up in a typical Baptist church, communion was something we did monthly or quarterly, a routine you got used to. It was scripted, bland, and never explained very well to the uninitiated. As a child, I was told that it was our way of remembering Christ's sacrifice of His body and blood. That was as far as it ever went.
As I continued in church over the years, I always had the same thoughts on why we did this service, and never took it very seriously. I just took the little cup and bread or cracker that was passed and did what everyone else did. We waited for the preacher to tell us when to eat and drink, and heard the same verses over and over. There was no worship, just ceremony. As with many things, I have learned that the way you understand a thing has a lot to do with how you perceive it. Since I was never told what it truly meant, or that it was a reverent time to spend in quiet contemplation of what it was that Jesus really sacrificed for me, it just became a background, something we do once in a while, but not the focus of the service. Wow, was I missing out!
A friend told me yesterday of a Christian who thought that if Jesus was to walk in the room and talk to him, that he would want to give Him a hug and would have all kinds of questions for Jesus. Well, I hate to tell this person, but if Jesus were to walk into a room I was in, I would be immediately falling on my face in worship and awe of who He is. I think the modern gospel approach to things has given people the false assumption that Jesus is "your buddy" or "a great friend" to hang out with and ask all your probing questions about the meaning of life. Well, I would say that if you don't know that we were created to bring glory and worship to God, and not to have all our questions answered, then you are missing the boat.
The attitude I had going into the communion service was just that. Jesus was a friend, someone who did a great thing for me, and so I am grateful. While that is true, the love of God in sending Jesus to die for me is the greatest gift I could ever receive, there is also the unavoidable truth that Jesus is completely God, holy and righteous, and worthy of praise and glory. This does not conjure up images in my mind of someone to play catch with or chat about the weather. Jesus is not your buddy, He is to be your Lord and master.
We need to remember that when we take the bread and the cup, we are taking part in the breaking of the body of Jesus. We are taking part(symbolically) of the blood of Jesus. Just as baptism is symbolizing our part in the death to ourselves, and our life through Christ, these emblems are not to be taken lightly. We should be concentrating on the center of our worship, the Lord Jesus and His atoning sacrifice.
It is also a time of rejoicing, knowing that because of what was done at Calvary, we are able to take part in this feast of life. A gentleman I know uses the term often, and it is very fitting "blood bought" means that we are purchased possessions of God. Jesus paid for our sins and imputed His righteousness to those who believe on Him and make Him the Lord of their lives. This could only be accomplished by the spotless "Lam of God who takes away the sin of the world" This is not some light hearted thing, but the rejoicing that comes over one who is brought back from death and offered eternal life.
In closing, I would like to challenge those who have taken this service lightly, to read the passages of the "last supper" and those dealing with how Jesus told us to remember Him. Try to see what it was He was showing the disciples. Jesus knew they would easily be distracted by life, and forget what it was they were supposed to be living for. The early church met and broke bread together regularly, and spent time in worship, true worship. They held in reverence what it meant when Jesus allowed Himself to be arrested, beaten, persecuted, and killed though He Himself knew no sin. They knew, as we should also know, that we could never have earned favor with God because of our sin. That should be a sobering thought to anyone who understands it.
I hope this isn't confusing anyone, and I would welcome questions. I would also like to recommend the book "His dying request" by David Dunlap. You can get one from his website, http://bibleandlife.org
Have a great Lord's day tomorrow.
Mark
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Update, sort of..
I know many have written or called wondering how our Bible study last night. We had a good time talking about the Lord, and being challenged about following wherever He leads us. Unfortunately, Justin, Sara, and I had the discussion alone. No one showed up. What a sad state of affairs this brings to my attention.
With personally handed invitations to 100 homes, we got exactly zero people that came. No kids, no adults, no nothing. I don't know what to say, and that is why I had not written about it yet. I have been busy this morning and we are praying to see where to go from here. One option would be to invite more the same way, another would be to ratchet it up a notch and step on more toes. Another approach could be to visit the same homes and try to get people to talk about why they rejected the idea of a Bible study. We need to be in the Word and in prayer about how to reach our neighbors for Christ. The thought of them heading for hell is sobering, and motivating.
I think it comes down to a society that is so self involved that they do not care about anything else. When one lives their life to please themselves, the idea of being accountable to a morally upright God is scary. Selfishness trumps reponsibility for most people.
I know God is not done with us, in fact He is just getting started, and I know that we will be faithful in preaching the Word to whoever will listen. I have handed out tracts, personally talked with people, invited them to church, invited to our home, and nothing seems to work better than the other techniques. If God is not working in the heart of men, they will not come seeking Him.
Psalms says "There is none that seeks after God" That is a scary thought, but it also makes me believe that nothing I do could ever bring one soul to salvation. I can only open myself up as a broken vessel, willing to be molded into the image God has for me. My prayer is that He
will keep me in His will, molded into His image. I so desperately want to share the truth with people, and I feel that God was rejected, not us. I would be OK with rejection, but when someone turns their heart away from God, there is nothing I can do to fix it. Keep up the prayer, we need it, the world needs it.
Fired up all the more
Mark Cowperthwaite
With personally handed invitations to 100 homes, we got exactly zero people that came. No kids, no adults, no nothing. I don't know what to say, and that is why I had not written about it yet. I have been busy this morning and we are praying to see where to go from here. One option would be to invite more the same way, another would be to ratchet it up a notch and step on more toes. Another approach could be to visit the same homes and try to get people to talk about why they rejected the idea of a Bible study. We need to be in the Word and in prayer about how to reach our neighbors for Christ. The thought of them heading for hell is sobering, and motivating.
I think it comes down to a society that is so self involved that they do not care about anything else. When one lives their life to please themselves, the idea of being accountable to a morally upright God is scary. Selfishness trumps reponsibility for most people.
I know God is not done with us, in fact He is just getting started, and I know that we will be faithful in preaching the Word to whoever will listen. I have handed out tracts, personally talked with people, invited them to church, invited to our home, and nothing seems to work better than the other techniques. If God is not working in the heart of men, they will not come seeking Him.
Psalms says "There is none that seeks after God" That is a scary thought, but it also makes me believe that nothing I do could ever bring one soul to salvation. I can only open myself up as a broken vessel, willing to be molded into the image God has for me. My prayer is that He
will keep me in His will, molded into His image. I so desperately want to share the truth with people, and I feel that God was rejected, not us. I would be OK with rejection, but when someone turns their heart away from God, there is nothing I can do to fix it. Keep up the prayer, we need it, the world needs it.
Fired up all the more
Mark Cowperthwaite
Monday, March 10, 2008
Why is the "old gospel" not good enough anymore?
Luke 12:49-53, Matthew 10:16-39, Matthew 6
I have pondered an article that I read recently and have come to some conclusions. I don't think churches anywhere seek to intentionally misrepresent the truth of God's Word, but nonetheless, it seems that is happening more and more today.
The contemporary church, with it's new gospel (not the truth according to God's Word) is too scared of offending someone to tell them the truth about God's judgment and hell. Only the love is preached, but that is only half the story. Jesus said in Luke 12:49"I have come to cast fire upon the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!" That doesn't sound like a "love gospel" but rather the hard truth of what we, as sinners deserve.
I see Jesus telling the disciples that they will be abused, mocked, beaten, jailed for His sake. They counted it a privilege to endure suffering for God. I know I often think of persecution
as a bad thing, which it is not.Rather God has used Christians wholly dedicated to Him, enduring many hardships, to include time in prison for preaching the gospel to work about His glory. I don't think it is possible to get thrown in jail for the sake of the gospel in this country! We must still "cause a great commotion" as in Acts 19:23(thanks for the verse, Chadd) as those early disciples did. The message of sin and our inability to earn our own salvation is not one of comfort or tolerance, but one of being set apart from the world, bought by the blood of Jesus. It is not always the easy path, but it leads to righteousness.
Matthew 10 doesn't paint a very pretty picture for those preaching the prosperity gospel, or seeking to reach the lost without telling them what they are "signing up for" It is not all about forgiveness and grace. Those are very integral parts, but there is also personal sacrifice, surrendering your whole being to the Lord, which are first on the priority list. The word Lord does not lend itself to self fulfillment, but only to blessings that are given when we give ourselves completely to His service.
Matthew 6:33 is often misquoted as "blah blah blah, and all these THINGS will be added unto you", but the qualifier is that we "Seek FIRST His kingdom and his righteousness, then all these things (necessities like food and clothing) will be added unto you."
If we seek the world's approval and not the Lord's then He is not the Lord of our life, and we will never get to His righteousness. We will be stuck in the temporal, looking for something more and never seeing that what the passage is about is surrendering all, not gaining things of the earth.
Mark
I have pondered an article that I read recently and have come to some conclusions. I don't think churches anywhere seek to intentionally misrepresent the truth of God's Word, but nonetheless, it seems that is happening more and more today.
The contemporary church, with it's new gospel (not the truth according to God's Word) is too scared of offending someone to tell them the truth about God's judgment and hell. Only the love is preached, but that is only half the story. Jesus said in Luke 12:49"I have come to cast fire upon the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!" That doesn't sound like a "love gospel" but rather the hard truth of what we, as sinners deserve.
I see Jesus telling the disciples that they will be abused, mocked, beaten, jailed for His sake. They counted it a privilege to endure suffering for God. I know I often think of persecution
as a bad thing, which it is not.Rather God has used Christians wholly dedicated to Him, enduring many hardships, to include time in prison for preaching the gospel to work about His glory. I don't think it is possible to get thrown in jail for the sake of the gospel in this country! We must still "cause a great commotion" as in Acts 19:23(thanks for the verse, Chadd) as those early disciples did. The message of sin and our inability to earn our own salvation is not one of comfort or tolerance, but one of being set apart from the world, bought by the blood of Jesus. It is not always the easy path, but it leads to righteousness.
Matthew 10 doesn't paint a very pretty picture for those preaching the prosperity gospel, or seeking to reach the lost without telling them what they are "signing up for" It is not all about forgiveness and grace. Those are very integral parts, but there is also personal sacrifice, surrendering your whole being to the Lord, which are first on the priority list. The word Lord does not lend itself to self fulfillment, but only to blessings that are given when we give ourselves completely to His service.
Matthew 6:33 is often misquoted as "blah blah blah, and all these THINGS will be added unto you", but the qualifier is that we "Seek FIRST His kingdom and his righteousness, then all these things (necessities like food and clothing) will be added unto you."
If we seek the world's approval and not the Lord's then He is not the Lord of our life, and we will never get to His righteousness. We will be stuck in the temporal, looking for something more and never seeing that what the passage is about is surrendering all, not gaining things of the earth.
Mark
Dealing with conflict the right way
Matthew 18
When I was a child, we attended a few churches. My parents attended a church for years that was planted by them and a few other families. They met at the Odd Fellows Hall in our home town. After moving to a new building, and a few years, there were problems with the pastor(I won't go into that) and there was a church split. As a 5 year old, all I remember is adults yelling at each other, name calling, and angry parents. This is no way to teach children how to live like Christ, and even though I have more knowledge now, I believe that both sides were wrong in many ways. I saw people so determined to be proven right that they disregarded any Biblical example of discipline in the church. Instead of coming to a brother who was at fault with the intent of restoring him, I saw people attacking each other, and ruining the name "Christian" in the town.
At the ripe old age of 5, I was told how bad certain people were, and how right we were. While the argument was partially based in truth, it was more about pride and anger than righteousness being demonstrated. In my adult life, some of these people that I was told were wrong(and may have been at the time) taught me much about forgiveness and letting go of the past. After all, we are all sinners desperately in need of forgiveness. None of us deserve to be called "sons of God" of our own accord, but only through the purchase of blood can we be counted among the righteous.
I can say that, because I know that in my own life, I have had to commit Psalm 51 as a prayer or repentance for my attitude towards my family in Christ. I needed to get myself right with God and stop struggling with people so much. I was so busy being "right" that I couldn't see how wrong my attitude was. In my attempt to follow God, I disregarded His pattern for how to deal with my problem.
Once my heart was in the right place, I realized that my job as a man of God
is to reach out to the brother in a fault with the intent of restoring them
in the Lord. Often, I see that this is hindered by my own pride, but we must
lay down our pride and get on with God's work.
My intent is not to drag up old troubles, but instead to point out that this is an area God has used in my own life. Sometimes, as we have experienced lately, we can become too comfortable as a church and we must work to make it right. Some things still need to be done on my part, and I will leave the rest up to God. What I need to do is reach out in love to restore that relationship, and that is what I intend to do.
I have been working on this, and there are more bridges to rebuild, but as we are all part of the same body, we must work together to bring about God's will, not worry about our will so much. Other Christians, no matter if they have offended us or not, are not the enemy, but the family God gave us and God will not give up on them, so I should not either. Our goal should be to bring us together, not throw rocks from across the road!
I don't want my children to think of our relationships with other Christians the way I recall my childhood examples. We should rather come alongside and help each other along, not kick them while they are down. After all, we are family, right? RIGHT!
When I was a child, we attended a few churches. My parents attended a church for years that was planted by them and a few other families. They met at the Odd Fellows Hall in our home town. After moving to a new building, and a few years, there were problems with the pastor(I won't go into that) and there was a church split. As a 5 year old, all I remember is adults yelling at each other, name calling, and angry parents. This is no way to teach children how to live like Christ, and even though I have more knowledge now, I believe that both sides were wrong in many ways. I saw people so determined to be proven right that they disregarded any Biblical example of discipline in the church. Instead of coming to a brother who was at fault with the intent of restoring him, I saw people attacking each other, and ruining the name "Christian" in the town.
At the ripe old age of 5, I was told how bad certain people were, and how right we were. While the argument was partially based in truth, it was more about pride and anger than righteousness being demonstrated. In my adult life, some of these people that I was told were wrong(and may have been at the time) taught me much about forgiveness and letting go of the past. After all, we are all sinners desperately in need of forgiveness. None of us deserve to be called "sons of God" of our own accord, but only through the purchase of blood can we be counted among the righteous.
I can say that, because I know that in my own life, I have had to commit Psalm 51 as a prayer or repentance for my attitude towards my family in Christ. I needed to get myself right with God and stop struggling with people so much. I was so busy being "right" that I couldn't see how wrong my attitude was. In my attempt to follow God, I disregarded His pattern for how to deal with my problem.
Once my heart was in the right place, I realized that my job as a man of God
is to reach out to the brother in a fault with the intent of restoring them
in the Lord. Often, I see that this is hindered by my own pride, but we must
lay down our pride and get on with God's work.
My intent is not to drag up old troubles, but instead to point out that this is an area God has used in my own life. Sometimes, as we have experienced lately, we can become too comfortable as a church and we must work to make it right. Some things still need to be done on my part, and I will leave the rest up to God. What I need to do is reach out in love to restore that relationship, and that is what I intend to do.
I have been working on this, and there are more bridges to rebuild, but as we are all part of the same body, we must work together to bring about God's will, not worry about our will so much. Other Christians, no matter if they have offended us or not, are not the enemy, but the family God gave us and God will not give up on them, so I should not either. Our goal should be to bring us together, not throw rocks from across the road!
I don't want my children to think of our relationships with other Christians the way I recall my childhood examples. We should rather come alongside and help each other along, not kick them while they are down. After all, we are family, right? RIGHT!
Catching up with old friends- well not THAT old!
We took the opportunity last night to visit a church we used to attend in the area. We have not been there in 3 years, but many of the same faces were there, along with some new ones. The services have changed a bit, become more modern with laptop overhead slides, more choruses and less hymns. I enjoyed seeing friends that we have not gotten to fellowship with in some time, and I am reminded how blessed we are to have such a large family, this family of God.
A friend from our men's group attends this church and it was good to see him in his church, and see how God is using him. It is also encouraging to see how much he is growing. He had the chance to teach adult Sunday school this past week and the week coming. From what I was told, he did an excellent job portraying forgiveness. I was told many were moved by the message he brought.
I am reminded that it is not always in the "worship service" that the most encouragement is brought to God's people. Worshiping the Lord together truly is the ultimate act believers can do. Unfortunately, the methodology of many churches is not conducive to true worship, but rather to get people excited and get the blood flowing to their feet. While it is great to praise the Lord, this is not worship in the Biblical sense. Instead of supposing I was the first(not by a long shot) to notice this trend towards secularizing the church.
"There are many who know God, but never glorify Him as God, because they never worship Him with love. They go to church regularly, and sing psalms and hymns; but their hearts have never adored the living God with living love. Without the fire of love, no incense will ever rise from the censer of praise. " C.H.Spurgeon
Worship is not giving ourselves entertainment, as many churches seem to think. Worship is about communicating praise to God. It is our act of showing God how much we appreciate and honor all He has done for us. Only when we empty ourselves of our own desires and goals and concentrate on remembering the sacrifice and redemptive work of Jesus Christ can we truly begin to worship. I did enjoy the sermon, and notably with Easter season upcoming, he was talking about this very thing, the sacrifice of our Lord for sin.
I also got to reconnect with a brother in Christ that I have not talked to in depth in a while. It seems God is also working in his life in many ways. What an encouragement to see others on fire for God. It is never a lonely road when you have others to bear your burdens and encourage you in the Word of God.
It was good to catch up, but I don't think I will wait so long next time to reach out to those brothers and sisters and be encouraged by them also. We are a family, and too often we don't act like one.
A friend from our men's group attends this church and it was good to see him in his church, and see how God is using him. It is also encouraging to see how much he is growing. He had the chance to teach adult Sunday school this past week and the week coming. From what I was told, he did an excellent job portraying forgiveness. I was told many were moved by the message he brought.
I am reminded that it is not always in the "worship service" that the most encouragement is brought to God's people. Worshiping the Lord together truly is the ultimate act believers can do. Unfortunately, the methodology of many churches is not conducive to true worship, but rather to get people excited and get the blood flowing to their feet. While it is great to praise the Lord, this is not worship in the Biblical sense. Instead of supposing I was the first(not by a long shot) to notice this trend towards secularizing the church.
"There are many who know God, but never glorify Him as God, because they never worship Him with love. They go to church regularly, and sing psalms and hymns; but their hearts have never adored the living God with living love. Without the fire of love, no incense will ever rise from the censer of praise. " C.H.Spurgeon
Worship is not giving ourselves entertainment, as many churches seem to think. Worship is about communicating praise to God. It is our act of showing God how much we appreciate and honor all He has done for us. Only when we empty ourselves of our own desires and goals and concentrate on remembering the sacrifice and redemptive work of Jesus Christ can we truly begin to worship. I did enjoy the sermon, and notably with Easter season upcoming, he was talking about this very thing, the sacrifice of our Lord for sin.
I also got to reconnect with a brother in Christ that I have not talked to in depth in a while. It seems God is also working in his life in many ways. What an encouragement to see others on fire for God. It is never a lonely road when you have others to bear your burdens and encourage you in the Word of God.
It was good to catch up, but I don't think I will wait so long next time to reach out to those brothers and sisters and be encouraged by them also. We are a family, and too often we don't act like one.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Lamb chops- headed to a plate near me
With the completion of the push cart today, It is on to the next project. Okay, so the thing doesn't exactly have brakes yet, and needs to be "prettied up" a bit. The kids want to paint it and make it look spiffy. I am all about functionality, not looks, so I don't care what they paint it like. I do have to put on the brakes before they take it down the road, but not bothering with that until the weather is a bit better.
So, we have been talking about a sheep this spring. We have the land, grass, and housing to work with. Virginia would love to have her own pet since she really misses the dog. The dog ran off over a year ago, so I don't expect to see him come back. Besides that, I prefer to let our animals know that they are expected for dinner, and I don't have a craving for dog just yet.
We plan to get a male lamb that is weaned, and ready for pasture. He will no doubt be pampered a bit. We could have 2, or just let the sheep chase the chickens around, as they will be sharing a fenced in area. I would like to raise him(or them) until they are large enough to butcher and eat this fall. That is the plan, and Virginia is fine with eating her pets, usually chicken, but rabbit would be fine with her too.
It has rained for the whole day, which is better than the frozen mix we expected. I am excited about this Lord's day, as I have not seen the new baby born to a family at chapel. We also love the time in the Word of God and the fellowship. May write a bit later. Hope all is well. Tonight, I will be counting sheep, or maybe lamb chops as I drift off to slumber.
Mark
So, we have been talking about a sheep this spring. We have the land, grass, and housing to work with. Virginia would love to have her own pet since she really misses the dog. The dog ran off over a year ago, so I don't expect to see him come back. Besides that, I prefer to let our animals know that they are expected for dinner, and I don't have a craving for dog just yet.
We plan to get a male lamb that is weaned, and ready for pasture. He will no doubt be pampered a bit. We could have 2, or just let the sheep chase the chickens around, as they will be sharing a fenced in area. I would like to raise him(or them) until they are large enough to butcher and eat this fall. That is the plan, and Virginia is fine with eating her pets, usually chicken, but rabbit would be fine with her too.
It has rained for the whole day, which is better than the frozen mix we expected. I am excited about this Lord's day, as I have not seen the new baby born to a family at chapel. We also love the time in the Word of God and the fellowship. May write a bit later. Hope all is well. Tonight, I will be counting sheep, or maybe lamb chops as I drift off to slumber.
Mark
Building projects
We have been busy rebuilding the house, throwing out old stuff, giving away, donations. We also divided off a new room for the kids a few weeks ago. They love their new room and we found it was more spacious than we thought it would be.
Yesterday, we started working on a push cart. Nathaniel always wants to build something, and his latest idea was a push cart. Picture a go cart, but without the motor. A sporty looking wagon, possibly. It will be light enough to push up and down the hills here, and we are currently looking for wheels. I am thinking something fairly light, not as light as wagon wheels, more like front tires of a riding mower. Maybe wheelbarrow tires, maybe from a dolly, haven't decided yet.
I have no inclination to get anything else that requires gas to run. The kids have a lot of fun playing with each other, not needing to run off alone. This they can use to help each other and get some good exercise, too.
The steering is always the difficult part. Anyone can nail together a frame and rear wheels, but the front steering is the hard part. You want to steer from the passenger compartment, not just from outside, so a swivel wheel doesn't work. A stationary arm with fixed wheels is the idea. So, when we get the wheels picked out, we still have some work to do.
We will be inheriting Sara's dad's old riding mower. It looks in hard shape with no hood, and some other dings and dents, but it is a solid tractor. It runs fine, just had a few minor collisions from a few inexperienced drivers,lol. So, Grampa said Nathaniel could have it if he took good care of it, which I know he will.
For Nathaniel, this is a dream come true. A real live motorized vehicle to use. Now, his primary job is to mow my lawn, haul our trailers with grain, etc. but he also will be able to earn money mowing other people's lawns. He can scour the neighborhood looking for work. He also must pay his own expenses. This is going to be a great opportunity to learn more about business and hard work, while being able to reap the rewards of a job well done.
At 12, he is a small boy, but willing to work. He has taken care of most of the chicken duties for 2 years now, and loves to take care of sick or injured birds. He has a heart for animals and loves to be able to help. I find the more he stays away from the TV and video games (which are both scarcely used here) the better he does. He is a great kid, and has the makings of a young man that will be a great asset to this family.
Well, that is the latest here, maybe later I will talk about the impending import of sheep to our mix. We have been studying more and more, and the time of year is coming soon to get going.
Mark
Yesterday, we started working on a push cart. Nathaniel always wants to build something, and his latest idea was a push cart. Picture a go cart, but without the motor. A sporty looking wagon, possibly. It will be light enough to push up and down the hills here, and we are currently looking for wheels. I am thinking something fairly light, not as light as wagon wheels, more like front tires of a riding mower. Maybe wheelbarrow tires, maybe from a dolly, haven't decided yet.
I have no inclination to get anything else that requires gas to run. The kids have a lot of fun playing with each other, not needing to run off alone. This they can use to help each other and get some good exercise, too.
The steering is always the difficult part. Anyone can nail together a frame and rear wheels, but the front steering is the hard part. You want to steer from the passenger compartment, not just from outside, so a swivel wheel doesn't work. A stationary arm with fixed wheels is the idea. So, when we get the wheels picked out, we still have some work to do.
We will be inheriting Sara's dad's old riding mower. It looks in hard shape with no hood, and some other dings and dents, but it is a solid tractor. It runs fine, just had a few minor collisions from a few inexperienced drivers,lol. So, Grampa said Nathaniel could have it if he took good care of it, which I know he will.
For Nathaniel, this is a dream come true. A real live motorized vehicle to use. Now, his primary job is to mow my lawn, haul our trailers with grain, etc. but he also will be able to earn money mowing other people's lawns. He can scour the neighborhood looking for work. He also must pay his own expenses. This is going to be a great opportunity to learn more about business and hard work, while being able to reap the rewards of a job well done.
At 12, he is a small boy, but willing to work. He has taken care of most of the chicken duties for 2 years now, and loves to take care of sick or injured birds. He has a heart for animals and loves to be able to help. I find the more he stays away from the TV and video games (which are both scarcely used here) the better he does. He is a great kid, and has the makings of a young man that will be a great asset to this family.
Well, that is the latest here, maybe later I will talk about the impending import of sheep to our mix. We have been studying more and more, and the time of year is coming soon to get going.
Mark
Chick update
Well, our chicks are doing just fine at the 2 week old mark. In all actuality, they are 17 days old since they were in the mail for 2 days. Nathaniel is planning on ordering the same type later on in the year after the brooder is freed up. The layers are feathering out pretty well and starting to look less like fuzz balls and more like chickens. This is sort of the "ugly stage" when they look half naked. They also are running around all the time, scurrying about, scratching up the litter.
From the brooder, they will be heading to the chicken tractor we used a few years ago. I don't need to build them their own coop, as most of them are replacements for the 3 year old layers that we got from the egg farm. I will, later in the spring, build an addition to the coop for the bantams, as Virginia will be tending them as her own chore. The bantams will be our mothers, hatching eggs and being more like pets than livestock.
The logistics of an addition are my next puzzle to solve. I would like the bantams to be able to free range, but would also be able to have private space when they want to hatch and raise chicks. They may run in the normal population usually, and then be set aside when we want chicks. Things to think about later, I guess.
That is the latest. I will post later about plans with the kids. Busy, busy, busy!
Mark
From the brooder, they will be heading to the chicken tractor we used a few years ago. I don't need to build them their own coop, as most of them are replacements for the 3 year old layers that we got from the egg farm. I will, later in the spring, build an addition to the coop for the bantams, as Virginia will be tending them as her own chore. The bantams will be our mothers, hatching eggs and being more like pets than livestock.
The logistics of an addition are my next puzzle to solve. I would like the bantams to be able to free range, but would also be able to have private space when they want to hatch and raise chicks. They may run in the normal population usually, and then be set aside when we want chicks. Things to think about later, I guess.
That is the latest. I will post later about plans with the kids. Busy, busy, busy!
Mark
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Challenges from a friend. We should all get them
I received this email from a friend about my last blog concerning our neighborhood Bible study.
"Dude- you are singing that song as a ??? how great is our God??
You have set an expected cap of 30. What if God decides to send
you 200- 2 per house? Not probable- but then our God is awesome
in power and not held to mans limitations
Eph 3:20"now unto Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly
above all that we ask or think, according to the power that
worketh in us.'"
My response was as follows (asking permission also to quote the email, which he granted)
"Expectations are far from limitations. I would be willing to knock out the walls and meet every night of the week if God blesses that way. We are being optimistic expecting 10 from the statistics. But as you remind me, God does not read the statistics. He makes the rules and if He chooses to use us in the lives of that many people, I will be buying 200 books and Bibles. I was thinking about ordering more, but we are able to get them in 3-4 days if we need to. I have set aside 3 whole shelves in the hall book shelves for Bibles and books to give away.
You keep praying, and so will I ,that the revival of Warren, Maine and surrounding areas will start in my home. What a blessing that would be! What proof that God is wanting to work in this way and through personal contact in homes I am so excited."
As you can tell by the tone of our messages, we are honest and up front with each other. This fellow is a member of our men's Bible study and accountability doesn't quite tell the whole story. We don't pull any punches with each other, and we hold ourselves and each other to a pretty high standard. I don't know about anyone else, but I need to be reminded that just getting by in the Christian life is not nearly good enough.
We need to be moved by God and encouraged by others to keep pressing forward for Christ. We don't want to wimp out on what God wants for us. We know that our God is capable of doing more than we could ever imagine. I pray that He chooses to use us in a great and mighty way, but only as it brings honor and glory to HIM, not any of us.
With the whole remodeling going on, I don't know how much I have said on the blog, so here is the skinny. We recently moved out of half our house to make way for traveling missionaries or teachers of the Word of God to stay with us. We have sleeping room for a whole family and are going to be putting in a kitchen for longer stays. We have a 1900 square foot home and are living in about 800 of those feet. We have thrown out a lot of the stuff that clutters our lives and made room for missionaries(or people needing temporary place to stay) and also dedicated 1 room for Bible studies.
We are able, if the need arises to double this room and make a room about 12x22 for a meeting place. If we outgrow those rooms, seating about 20 each, or 45-50 in the larger room(sans divider) we can knock out a few more(non load bearing walls) and have room for 60. We could literally house a whole church here if God shows us that is what He wants. I know this sounds crazy, as the movie says "If you build it, they will come" I don't know if that is exactly true, but I can tell you that if you don't invite people in, or make room for them to come, they sure won't come. Being available for anything God brings our way is mandatory. We are willing to see how He moves.
We have no plans for a home church per se, but would rather supplement the assembly we meet with on Sundays and Wednesday evenings with evangelistic and discipleship studies meeting in our home a few nights or more a week. We also have room for a Good News Club to meet in the living room while the adults meet in the other end of the house.
We are encouraging others to reach out to their neighbors in this and other ways. How many people have never heard the gospel right in our home towns? They don't just show up at church often, but after someone reaches out and warns them of the impending doom that they face every day that they choose to live on their own, and neglect God.
They are not condemned for ignorance of God, but for their sin. Many have not rejected Jesus knowingly, but rather are ignorant. There is no payment we can make or any other way to be forgiven except through Jesus' sacrifice for sin, so we must tell them of their eternal destiny without Jesus as their savior. If we don't tell them, how can we say we love our fellow man? If you love someone, you wouldn't sit back and watch them walk to their death when we could offer them help. We have a responsibility and I have finally got the blinders off and realized that I must start about God's work while there is still time.
So, now that you all know I have lost my mind, you can get back to praying for those who have been invited to our home study. We are so excited to get to meet and witness to these folks that drive by our home daily. It seems we are more disconnected from our neighborhoods than I remember being a kid. People don't walk or just visit very often. This is a good chance to turn the tide in the right direction.
Now, who is next in line to reach YOUR neighbors for Christ? Don't let the blessing go to someone else. Don't neglect your responsibility, as I have for far too long. Learn from my disobedience. I wish someone had told me long ago, but there are few who are willing to step out and speak up. We are not to be ashamed of the gospel, and if you are keeping quiet, afraid of people being offended or looking down on you, it certainly seems that the light is being "hid under a bushel" Be not ashamed, but be bold. Get out of the shadows and walk in the light. It is the time to get moving, and there is no room for bystanders on this road.
In earnest prayer for the lost,
Mark Cowperthwaite
"Dude- you are singing that song as a ??? how great is our God??
You have set an expected cap of 30. What if God decides to send
you 200- 2 per house? Not probable- but then our God is awesome
in power and not held to mans limitations
Eph 3:20"now unto Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly
above all that we ask or think, according to the power that
worketh in us.'"
My response was as follows (asking permission also to quote the email, which he granted)
"Expectations are far from limitations. I would be willing to knock out the walls and meet every night of the week if God blesses that way. We are being optimistic expecting 10 from the statistics. But as you remind me, God does not read the statistics. He makes the rules and if He chooses to use us in the lives of that many people, I will be buying 200 books and Bibles. I was thinking about ordering more, but we are able to get them in 3-4 days if we need to. I have set aside 3 whole shelves in the hall book shelves for Bibles and books to give away.
You keep praying, and so will I ,that the revival of Warren, Maine and surrounding areas will start in my home. What a blessing that would be! What proof that God is wanting to work in this way and through personal contact in homes I am so excited."
As you can tell by the tone of our messages, we are honest and up front with each other. This fellow is a member of our men's Bible study and accountability doesn't quite tell the whole story. We don't pull any punches with each other, and we hold ourselves and each other to a pretty high standard. I don't know about anyone else, but I need to be reminded that just getting by in the Christian life is not nearly good enough.
We need to be moved by God and encouraged by others to keep pressing forward for Christ. We don't want to wimp out on what God wants for us. We know that our God is capable of doing more than we could ever imagine. I pray that He chooses to use us in a great and mighty way, but only as it brings honor and glory to HIM, not any of us.
With the whole remodeling going on, I don't know how much I have said on the blog, so here is the skinny. We recently moved out of half our house to make way for traveling missionaries or teachers of the Word of God to stay with us. We have sleeping room for a whole family and are going to be putting in a kitchen for longer stays. We have a 1900 square foot home and are living in about 800 of those feet. We have thrown out a lot of the stuff that clutters our lives and made room for missionaries(or people needing temporary place to stay) and also dedicated 1 room for Bible studies.
We are able, if the need arises to double this room and make a room about 12x22 for a meeting place. If we outgrow those rooms, seating about 20 each, or 45-50 in the larger room(sans divider) we can knock out a few more(non load bearing walls) and have room for 60. We could literally house a whole church here if God shows us that is what He wants. I know this sounds crazy, as the movie says "If you build it, they will come" I don't know if that is exactly true, but I can tell you that if you don't invite people in, or make room for them to come, they sure won't come. Being available for anything God brings our way is mandatory. We are willing to see how He moves.
We have no plans for a home church per se, but would rather supplement the assembly we meet with on Sundays and Wednesday evenings with evangelistic and discipleship studies meeting in our home a few nights or more a week. We also have room for a Good News Club to meet in the living room while the adults meet in the other end of the house.
We are encouraging others to reach out to their neighbors in this and other ways. How many people have never heard the gospel right in our home towns? They don't just show up at church often, but after someone reaches out and warns them of the impending doom that they face every day that they choose to live on their own, and neglect God.
They are not condemned for ignorance of God, but for their sin. Many have not rejected Jesus knowingly, but rather are ignorant. There is no payment we can make or any other way to be forgiven except through Jesus' sacrifice for sin, so we must tell them of their eternal destiny without Jesus as their savior. If we don't tell them, how can we say we love our fellow man? If you love someone, you wouldn't sit back and watch them walk to their death when we could offer them help. We have a responsibility and I have finally got the blinders off and realized that I must start about God's work while there is still time.
So, now that you all know I have lost my mind, you can get back to praying for those who have been invited to our home study. We are so excited to get to meet and witness to these folks that drive by our home daily. It seems we are more disconnected from our neighborhoods than I remember being a kid. People don't walk or just visit very often. This is a good chance to turn the tide in the right direction.
Now, who is next in line to reach YOUR neighbors for Christ? Don't let the blessing go to someone else. Don't neglect your responsibility, as I have for far too long. Learn from my disobedience. I wish someone had told me long ago, but there are few who are willing to step out and speak up. We are not to be ashamed of the gospel, and if you are keeping quiet, afraid of people being offended or looking down on you, it certainly seems that the light is being "hid under a bushel" Be not ashamed, but be bold. Get out of the shadows and walk in the light. It is the time to get moving, and there is no room for bystanders on this road.
In earnest prayer for the lost,
Mark Cowperthwaite
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Meeting the neighbors- finally!!
As you all know by now that have read more than one of my posts, I am being challenged about evangelism. Along with our Good News Club at the school, we also talk one on one with people we know or meet. We pass out tracts and I have even done door to door witnessing with a friend.
What I have seen in every avenue is that people tend to shy away from you when you mention the things of God. Is this a good reason to avoid talking about the Lord? NO WAY! I see that Jesus promises those that follow Him will encounter mocking, threats, persecution, maybe jail, stoning or death(check out how the apostles and disciples made out.) So, if the worst I have to endure is a little mocking in my quest to share the love of Jesus with the world, I guess I can handle that.
What I had never thought of before, nor heard from any of my evangelistic training, was the idea we enacted recently. There are a few schools of thought about witnessing. Some people think their testimony, the way they live, and wearing a "Jesus rocks" shirt or the like is the way to go. Others pass out gospel tracts in passing, or leave them in mail sent out, magazines in the store. This is a good way to get tracts to people you may never meet. Some go door to door talking to people about God, although most modern Christians think this is somehow beneath them(when we went, we were looked down upon by some Christians we met) Still others will invite someone to a church event or service, but never speak the words of truth personally.
Since I spent years in a few of the above methods, I feel I can speak honestly about these methods, but I had never encountered anyone that invited me to their home. Mormons go out as young men and have small apartments. They want to come into your house and make appointments to come back. The zeal is there, but people seem to be freaked out by this. People don't want to invite you into their home so you can judge them and see their dirty home or kids acting up. I have seen this many times.
Jehovah's Witnesses do about the same, but really steer the conversation to what they want to tell you, directly after asking you if you want any of your own questions answered. People are put off by this condescending attitude and feel like they are talking to a vacuum cleaner salesmen(not that that is a bad thing to be)These cults spend much time and money investing in folks, who are far more dedicated that most modern Christians, and have a corner on the market, some would say. The most unfortunate part of this is that they are telling lies, half truths, and bringing false teaching into the homes of those who let them in.
So, as Christians, we have tended to shy away from the in home gospel presentation. I would see the reasoning behind this, but I think we just have it all backwards. This idea was one that I would not take credit for, nor do I think we are even close to the first who have done this. In fact, the early church started in just such a way. Those who were learning about Jesus, following the disciples and early teachers, met in homes and on the street. Since Maine is known for foul weather this time of year (and most other times of year, lol) we decided to go door to door with invitations.
The invitations are being handed out door to door to my neighbors. This could work with any area, urban or suburban, farm country, or wherever. We typed up a simple invitation that explained we were starting a study of the Bible, introductory in nature, and inviting only our neighbors. We will meet for an hour or so in the evening once a week and if you bring the kids, my wife and sister in law will be having a Good News Club for them at the same time. You don't have to let me in your home, and then have to hope that I will leave. We invite them in, and those that God is working in the hearts of, will come. We will be giving them a study guide and a Bible to keep for free. All they need to do is show up. You get to meet your neighbors, the kids can have fun, and you can leave whenever you want.
There is something special about this approach that I never considered before. Here we come, a couple of men wandering from house to house inviting people. We don't want to come in, impose, or be rude. We just want to meet those who live nearby and invite you. Usually, when we knock on the door and ask if we can come in and talk about God, we get the door slammed in our faces, or a polite "no thanks" or any of a dozen rejections.
When someone comes up and says "Hi, my name is Mark. I am your neighbor and I would like to invite you... " they are totally disarmed. I can't be a threat or a whacko, I do live just down the street. I am just being neighborly. I am not trying to barge in, but invite you to my home to meet my wife and children. I won't be asking for money, but giving you things for free. I may even invite you to dinner to get to know you better. People just go from "go away" to "hey friend" in an instant. I am so encouraged.
Now, we have a lot of praying to do. Our first meeting is next Monday. We will be praying, along with many others, that the Holy Spirit works in the hearts preparing them for the message of salvation. We have committed to the labor, and asked the Lord to provide the harvest. No matter what happens, we know we are available and willing to follow our Savior and Lord. If we are made fun of, lose work, have rocks thrown at us, I don't care. We are confident that God is in this work, and He alone is able to bring it to fruition. Please be in prayer with us that the unsaved will come and learn the gospel message. Prayer truly makes a big difference.
Obviously, we want them all to come and stay and learn about God, Jesus, sin, and salvation. We also have to be realistic in our expectations. We set aside 2 nights a week for this study. Monday is the night we scheduled, and if more come than we can meet with on Monday, we set Thursday aside if we need to split the group up. We are ready to meet with 2 or 30. We will be happy with whatever number the Lord sees fit to send us.
We got the message out, met our neighbors, and invited them to come talk to us. We put out 100 invitations to 100 homes. We assumed 1 person per 10 homes would come. More would be fine, less would be OK too. We would prefer more, but God is responsible for working in the hearts of those we met.
I will be posting next week about how this works out. Until then, please put us on your daily prayer list. Or rather, keep those we talked to in your prayers. We know that there are many we talked to that are not saved. We know there will be some that will come and be saved. We plan to follow up with another 100 homes this summer. We will also be inviting folks to church with us and following up with discipleship classes. There is revival coming, and I want to be in on God's plan to bring it about. What a pleasure to serve our Lord and Savior.
Mark 16:15, Matthew 28, Acts 2:36-47 are great references for this post.
What I have seen in every avenue is that people tend to shy away from you when you mention the things of God. Is this a good reason to avoid talking about the Lord? NO WAY! I see that Jesus promises those that follow Him will encounter mocking, threats, persecution, maybe jail, stoning or death(check out how the apostles and disciples made out.) So, if the worst I have to endure is a little mocking in my quest to share the love of Jesus with the world, I guess I can handle that.
What I had never thought of before, nor heard from any of my evangelistic training, was the idea we enacted recently. There are a few schools of thought about witnessing. Some people think their testimony, the way they live, and wearing a "Jesus rocks" shirt or the like is the way to go. Others pass out gospel tracts in passing, or leave them in mail sent out, magazines in the store. This is a good way to get tracts to people you may never meet. Some go door to door talking to people about God, although most modern Christians think this is somehow beneath them(when we went, we were looked down upon by some Christians we met) Still others will invite someone to a church event or service, but never speak the words of truth personally.
Since I spent years in a few of the above methods, I feel I can speak honestly about these methods, but I had never encountered anyone that invited me to their home. Mormons go out as young men and have small apartments. They want to come into your house and make appointments to come back. The zeal is there, but people seem to be freaked out by this. People don't want to invite you into their home so you can judge them and see their dirty home or kids acting up. I have seen this many times.
Jehovah's Witnesses do about the same, but really steer the conversation to what they want to tell you, directly after asking you if you want any of your own questions answered. People are put off by this condescending attitude and feel like they are talking to a vacuum cleaner salesmen(not that that is a bad thing to be)These cults spend much time and money investing in folks, who are far more dedicated that most modern Christians, and have a corner on the market, some would say. The most unfortunate part of this is that they are telling lies, half truths, and bringing false teaching into the homes of those who let them in.
So, as Christians, we have tended to shy away from the in home gospel presentation. I would see the reasoning behind this, but I think we just have it all backwards. This idea was one that I would not take credit for, nor do I think we are even close to the first who have done this. In fact, the early church started in just such a way. Those who were learning about Jesus, following the disciples and early teachers, met in homes and on the street. Since Maine is known for foul weather this time of year (and most other times of year, lol) we decided to go door to door with invitations.
The invitations are being handed out door to door to my neighbors. This could work with any area, urban or suburban, farm country, or wherever. We typed up a simple invitation that explained we were starting a study of the Bible, introductory in nature, and inviting only our neighbors. We will meet for an hour or so in the evening once a week and if you bring the kids, my wife and sister in law will be having a Good News Club for them at the same time. You don't have to let me in your home, and then have to hope that I will leave. We invite them in, and those that God is working in the hearts of, will come. We will be giving them a study guide and a Bible to keep for free. All they need to do is show up. You get to meet your neighbors, the kids can have fun, and you can leave whenever you want.
There is something special about this approach that I never considered before. Here we come, a couple of men wandering from house to house inviting people. We don't want to come in, impose, or be rude. We just want to meet those who live nearby and invite you. Usually, when we knock on the door and ask if we can come in and talk about God, we get the door slammed in our faces, or a polite "no thanks" or any of a dozen rejections.
When someone comes up and says "Hi, my name is Mark. I am your neighbor and I would like to invite you... " they are totally disarmed. I can't be a threat or a whacko, I do live just down the street. I am just being neighborly. I am not trying to barge in, but invite you to my home to meet my wife and children. I won't be asking for money, but giving you things for free. I may even invite you to dinner to get to know you better. People just go from "go away" to "hey friend" in an instant. I am so encouraged.
Now, we have a lot of praying to do. Our first meeting is next Monday. We will be praying, along with many others, that the Holy Spirit works in the hearts preparing them for the message of salvation. We have committed to the labor, and asked the Lord to provide the harvest. No matter what happens, we know we are available and willing to follow our Savior and Lord. If we are made fun of, lose work, have rocks thrown at us, I don't care. We are confident that God is in this work, and He alone is able to bring it to fruition. Please be in prayer with us that the unsaved will come and learn the gospel message. Prayer truly makes a big difference.
Obviously, we want them all to come and stay and learn about God, Jesus, sin, and salvation. We also have to be realistic in our expectations. We set aside 2 nights a week for this study. Monday is the night we scheduled, and if more come than we can meet with on Monday, we set Thursday aside if we need to split the group up. We are ready to meet with 2 or 30. We will be happy with whatever number the Lord sees fit to send us.
We got the message out, met our neighbors, and invited them to come talk to us. We put out 100 invitations to 100 homes. We assumed 1 person per 10 homes would come. More would be fine, less would be OK too. We would prefer more, but God is responsible for working in the hearts of those we met.
I will be posting next week about how this works out. Until then, please put us on your daily prayer list. Or rather, keep those we talked to in your prayers. We know that there are many we talked to that are not saved. We know there will be some that will come and be saved. We plan to follow up with another 100 homes this summer. We will also be inviting folks to church with us and following up with discipleship classes. There is revival coming, and I want to be in on God's plan to bring it about. What a pleasure to serve our Lord and Savior.
Mark 16:15, Matthew 28, Acts 2:36-47 are great references for this post.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Ephesians 2- we can't earn it, folks
Text for today: Ephesians 2
As I sit and ponder the sacrifice of Jesus for the sins of the world, sins He never committed, nor had any responsibility to cover, I wonder what it is that makes so many "Christians" think that we can do anything to deserve forgiveness and eternal reward.
The first verse starts off with a bang"You has He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins". That sets the stage pretty well for what we brought to God's table while seeking His favor. We have nothing to offer. Why were we dead? Well, we see pretty quickly thereafter that we "walked according to the course of this world" which we know what the "world" means. We all readily admit, before salvation, that we were guilty as charged.
I notice at this point that even the church in Ephesus, that Paul is writing to here, needed to be reminded that they did not deserve the pardon Jesus bought for them at Calvary. When we observe the elements of the Lord's table weekly, this thought permeates all of my mind. I could never deserve forgiveness, no matter how good I acted, no matter how many poor people I clothed or fed, no matter how many people I gave a ride to, or donated food to. This is all good, but would never pay back the debt of sin and bridge the great divide between sinful man and a holy and righteous God. That is a sobering thought.
Verse 4 brings us some brighter days, "God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us" even when we were dead in our sin, unable to gain a breath of life, Jesus came and "quickened us together" with Him. In my Bible the end of verse 5 says in parentheses "by grace are you saved" Talk about an understatement. We don't deserve to SEE heaven, or look upon the God that created us, but He loved us enough to reach down and offer His only Son for me.
God allowed Jesus to leave paradise, to be born in a human body, and live for 30+ years, all to fulfill the plan that was put into action so many years before. God knew Eve would blow it, and Adam would follow. God knows all, and to suppose that this took Him by surprise is to doubt the sovereignty of God. With this knowledge, God still created Adam and Eve and allowed them to make their own minds up, and thus began the grace that God has shown us all until the present day, and which, through the sacrifice of Christ, will last for eternity.
The promise of verse 6-7 just goes to show the depths of the mercy of our Lord. Verse 8 reminds us again that we could not earn or deserve anything, but God's gift is free. To suppose that we could earn God's favor through works, verse 9 knocks us off our high horse again and even reminds us that we would try to take credit "lest any man should boast" How dare we even attempt to take credit for salvation!
We are again reminded from where we came in the following verses and verse 13 really sums it up well. "But now, in Christ Jesus, you who sometimes were far off are made near by the blood of Christ" nothing else could bring us before God's throne. Nothing else could pay the debt.
"He is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of partition between us" Jesus broke the barrier down for us. The veil was torn in two at the moment of Jesus death, signifying that we had direct access to God through the Son, and Jesus is still our intercessor with the Father. Prayer is directed to the Father, but only by way of Jesus can we approach the throne of grace.
What a thrilling passage reminding us always of what it means when we take the bread and the cup at the Lord's table. I wanted to share this yesterday at chapel, but due to a string of seizures, I could not speak very well. Still, I know God knows my heart, and maybe I will be able to share this here so that others will realize how crucial the remembrance of Jesus body, broken and spilled out for us, truly is. For those who have seen "communion" as I had for years, as a ceremony that is about me getting right with God, I pray that you look deeper into the scripture and see that the act of worship is only possible as we empty ourselves of what we desire in the flesh, and pay homage to the Savior that was wounded, beaten, and died to pardon us.
I pray that this has been an encouragement, but also a challenge, lest we ever forget what it is we celebrate at the Lord's table. And don't forget that the best part of all is that Jesus didn't just die, but He rose from the grave, defeating death forever. We have the promise not only of forgiveness and salvation, but of life eternal if we only truly believe and receive this gift of life. When we offer ourselves on the altar of God, wholly committed to His work and seek His will for our lives, we are promised not only salvation, but eternal reward, and we certainly don't deserve that.
What an amazing story! What an encouragement Paul gives to his friends in Ephesus. And what a challenge to never forget, never take for granted the time we come together to worship. I would encourage anyone interested in true worship and the reality of the Lord's table, please find a copy of "His dying request" and read it prayerfully and with an open and honest heart. It is a short book, but it helped open my eyes to what I was missing in my Christian walk.
I need some sleep, I may write again tomorrow. Please email me with questions or comments.May God richly bless as you continue serving Him.
Mark
As I sit and ponder the sacrifice of Jesus for the sins of the world, sins He never committed, nor had any responsibility to cover, I wonder what it is that makes so many "Christians" think that we can do anything to deserve forgiveness and eternal reward.
The first verse starts off with a bang"You has He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins". That sets the stage pretty well for what we brought to God's table while seeking His favor. We have nothing to offer. Why were we dead? Well, we see pretty quickly thereafter that we "walked according to the course of this world" which we know what the "world" means. We all readily admit, before salvation, that we were guilty as charged.
I notice at this point that even the church in Ephesus, that Paul is writing to here, needed to be reminded that they did not deserve the pardon Jesus bought for them at Calvary. When we observe the elements of the Lord's table weekly, this thought permeates all of my mind. I could never deserve forgiveness, no matter how good I acted, no matter how many poor people I clothed or fed, no matter how many people I gave a ride to, or donated food to. This is all good, but would never pay back the debt of sin and bridge the great divide between sinful man and a holy and righteous God. That is a sobering thought.
Verse 4 brings us some brighter days, "God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us" even when we were dead in our sin, unable to gain a breath of life, Jesus came and "quickened us together" with Him. In my Bible the end of verse 5 says in parentheses "by grace are you saved" Talk about an understatement. We don't deserve to SEE heaven, or look upon the God that created us, but He loved us enough to reach down and offer His only Son for me.
God allowed Jesus to leave paradise, to be born in a human body, and live for 30+ years, all to fulfill the plan that was put into action so many years before. God knew Eve would blow it, and Adam would follow. God knows all, and to suppose that this took Him by surprise is to doubt the sovereignty of God. With this knowledge, God still created Adam and Eve and allowed them to make their own minds up, and thus began the grace that God has shown us all until the present day, and which, through the sacrifice of Christ, will last for eternity.
The promise of verse 6-7 just goes to show the depths of the mercy of our Lord. Verse 8 reminds us again that we could not earn or deserve anything, but God's gift is free. To suppose that we could earn God's favor through works, verse 9 knocks us off our high horse again and even reminds us that we would try to take credit "lest any man should boast" How dare we even attempt to take credit for salvation!
We are again reminded from where we came in the following verses and verse 13 really sums it up well. "But now, in Christ Jesus, you who sometimes were far off are made near by the blood of Christ" nothing else could bring us before God's throne. Nothing else could pay the debt.
"He is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of partition between us" Jesus broke the barrier down for us. The veil was torn in two at the moment of Jesus death, signifying that we had direct access to God through the Son, and Jesus is still our intercessor with the Father. Prayer is directed to the Father, but only by way of Jesus can we approach the throne of grace.
What a thrilling passage reminding us always of what it means when we take the bread and the cup at the Lord's table. I wanted to share this yesterday at chapel, but due to a string of seizures, I could not speak very well. Still, I know God knows my heart, and maybe I will be able to share this here so that others will realize how crucial the remembrance of Jesus body, broken and spilled out for us, truly is. For those who have seen "communion" as I had for years, as a ceremony that is about me getting right with God, I pray that you look deeper into the scripture and see that the act of worship is only possible as we empty ourselves of what we desire in the flesh, and pay homage to the Savior that was wounded, beaten, and died to pardon us.
I pray that this has been an encouragement, but also a challenge, lest we ever forget what it is we celebrate at the Lord's table. And don't forget that the best part of all is that Jesus didn't just die, but He rose from the grave, defeating death forever. We have the promise not only of forgiveness and salvation, but of life eternal if we only truly believe and receive this gift of life. When we offer ourselves on the altar of God, wholly committed to His work and seek His will for our lives, we are promised not only salvation, but eternal reward, and we certainly don't deserve that.
What an amazing story! What an encouragement Paul gives to his friends in Ephesus. And what a challenge to never forget, never take for granted the time we come together to worship. I would encourage anyone interested in true worship and the reality of the Lord's table, please find a copy of "His dying request" and read it prayerfully and with an open and honest heart. It is a short book, but it helped open my eyes to what I was missing in my Christian walk.
I need some sleep, I may write again tomorrow. Please email me with questions or comments.May God richly bless as you continue serving Him.
Mark
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