One of my fondest childhood memories is recalling our church body getting emotionally charged up by singing the traditional hymns.  I always liked the iambic pentameter-type writing, the simple harmonies, and especially the emotional rush I got from being part of that collective spirit. The piano was often out-of-tune; the organist would play her share of “colorful notes” and take liberties with the printed rhythm (sorta Charles Ivesian, if you get my drift 🙂 ), but none of that ever distracted from our zealous praise and worship.  I still find myself mentally singing, or if alone in my car, BELLOWING out those time-honored hits!

But today I find myself not only drawn to the emotional impact of singing those hymns, but enlightened by the incredible power and truth of the words.  Each of those hymns can stand alone as a mini-sermon in its own right.  Let’s take for example one of my favorites; “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”.

What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and grief to bear!  What a privilege to carry, everything to God in prayer!

O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear. All because we do not carry,, everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations?  Is there trouble anywhere?  We should never be discouraged, take it to the Lord in prayer.

Can we find a friend so faithful, who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness, take it to the Lord in prayer.

To drive home the power of the first sentence, I will turn to John 15:13: “Greater love has no man than this: to lay down his life for his friends.”  That display of faithfulness was the ultimate depiction of Jesus’ love for us, but it was also God’s plan “even before the world was created” (Ephesians 1:4).  God knew our weakness even before he created us, so his plan from the beginning was to provide a sacrificial lamb to pay our sin-ransom so we could spend eternity with him. Notice that there was nothing we did to make ourselves worthy and acceptable in God’s eyes, but it was what Jesus did on our behalf that sealed our salvation.

When we make the decision to accept God’s Gift of Grace, we become a new creation, as explained in 2Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, anyone who is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old is gone (meaning we are no longer slaves to our sin nature), the new has come. (we now have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to empower us to live the life God has called us to live as followers of Jesus Christ.)

Think about the power of that truth.  Now that we are in Christ, we inherit everything that resulted from Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. We are sin free; we are forgiven; we are worthy and acceptable in God’s eyes; we are grafted into his family as his Child; we are the righteousness of Christ because we inherited His glory; we are heir to all the promises and covenants in the Bible, and we are “heir to every blessing in the spiritual realm.” (Ephesians 1:3).  But the gift doesn’t stop there. Because we are in Christ, and Christ is in us in the form of the indwelling Holy Spirit, we can make the same proclamation Apostle Paul made in Galatians 2:20: “I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”  Therefore, we are no longer slaves to our sin nature.  We have been set free!

Galatians 5: 17-21 explains it this way: “The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants.  And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires.  These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict. When you follow the desires of your sinful nature your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin.”  Apostle Paul ends this litany with the following warning, “Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God!”  (my underline)

Now let’s look at the stark difference between living “in the Spirit” as opposed to following our old sinful nature.   “But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce in us:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”  Apostle Paul’s capstone here is, “…but those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.” Galatians 5:22, 6:8

Now let’s look back at the hymn to see the rest of the truth in verse 1.  “All our sins and grief to bear,” and “O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we often bear”.  Jesus told us in Matthew 11:28-30:  “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you.  Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light.”  When we are yoked to Jesus, it is not about us carrying the load; it’s about the Holy Spirit empowering us with his power to carry the load.  This gift is from our loving Father so we can rise above our circumstances and the world around us. Ephesians 2:10 explains it this way: “For we are God’s Masterpiece.  He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can now do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

Let’s look at verse 2 of the hymn.  “Have we trials and temptations?  Is there trouble anywhere?”  Absolutely!  We live in a fallen world where the truth of God’s Word is challenged and marginalized at every opportunity.  And we live in a culture that has turned its back on God. Unfortunately, the fallibility of human wisdom reigns. So while we look at the Gospel of Grace as “the very power of God”, to those who do not have the Spirit in them, “it seems foolish”…like a fairy-tale. (1Corinthians 1:18)

“But we should never be discouraged because we can take it to the Lord in prayer.”  God’s salvation plan is absolutely perfect.  Our eternal destiny is sealed because we are in Christ, and the indwelling Holy Spirit empowers us to rise above this world to become the person God created us to be. When we follow his plan, we bring honor and glory to Him through our choices..

So, “have we found a friend so faithful… who will all our troubles share?”  Absolutely!  Jesus Christ, who came not only as our Redeemer, but also to give us a new life that is characterized by freedom through the Holy Spirit.  Only when we understand who we are in Christ and grasp the truth of that new identity can we begin to experience both the promised rest and the abundant life. (I encourage you at this point to scroll back a few paragraphs to once again compare the stark difference between a life directed by our sin nature, and a life directed by the Holy Spirit.  Then ask yourself, “What is the source of my life?”)

The good news is… “Jesus does know our every weakness”, that’s why, as his followers, we are already declared victorious in this world.  As Jesus stated in John 16:33: “In this world you will have trouble. But fear not for I have overcome the world.”  That truth is reinforced in 1 John 4:4:“He that is in me (Holy Spirit) is greater than he that is in this world.” (satan)  As I’m sure you can see…Jesus has done it all, but because of our identity in Christ, we too are victorious.  We just have to know it, believe it, accept it, and choose to live our life to the fullest as a victor!  Oh, what a friend we have in Jesus!  Amen.

Feel free to respond to this post, and please “like” it and share it with other social media friends.

May God Bless ya…

Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)

 

 

 

Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers…Isn’t it interesting, or amazing, or baffling  how “life” can get in the way of things, even things we revere and hold dear, like praying?  And the truth is, we’re all vulnerable, regardless of how “seasoned” we think we are. That slight veering “off course” is so subtle, it can go unnoticed for awhile. But eventually we become aware that something is different; something is missing in our life, so we start searching for that missing piece in the “peace and serenity” puzzle. Such was the case for Pam and me last week as we drove home after spending our 12^th anniversary weekend at Lake of the Ozarks with dear friends, Lisle and Danie.

Our conversation began like this: “Well, how would you sum-up our first twelve years together.” Once we enumerated the pluses, we both agreed that “something” was missing, so we started to look for answers by dissecting how our life has changed in the past year. Here is what we concluded: because Pam (with my support) made a decision not to let her new job with Monsanto interfere with her personal time to read, study, pray and power-walk, she committed herself to getting up at 4:00am so she could get it all done and still be at work at 7:30am. That, however, means going to bed at 8:00pm.

I, on the other hand, get along quite well on 61/2 -7 hours of sleep, so I’m up until 10-10:30 almost every night.  But I have to admit, I do treat myself by sleeping in until 5:00am. (Old newsboy habits die hard.) 🙂 When Pam gets home from her walk, I’m on my walk with Cliff and Glenn; when I get home, she’s in the shower; when she gets out of the shower, I’m at the gym, etc.  The point is, we both allowed our “new” life schedule to edge out our prayer time together, and that’s what has been missing.  While individual prayer is necessary and meaningful, praying together as a couple and inviting Him into the midst of our relationship is like braiding a rope with three strands rather than two strands.  That rope becomes virtually unbreakable.  Consequently, even though I had another thought in mind for today’s blog, I was drawn to revisit the power of prayer because it is indispensable to our growth as followers of Jesus Christ.  So let me define “prayer” as I intend to use it in this writing. I believe prayer is a conversation between God and me, and that conversation can take place anytime, anyplace, and under any circumstance.

One of the reasons for Jesus’ coming to earth was to demonstrate for us how to live-out the Word of God.  John 1:14 tells us: “The Word became flesh (human) and lived among us.” He did this as the Son of Man, which means he took on the lowly form of man, living as a human being and experiencing the world as a human being, but still maintaining his Deity (oneness) with God.  In John 14:9, Jesus said to Philip: “Philip, don’t you even yet know who I am, even after all the time I have been with you?  Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father…” And in Philippians, 2:6-8 we are told: “Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form.  And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal’s death on a cross.”

Nothing was more profound in Jesus words than his exalted dependence on the Father.  For instance, John 5:19-20 tells us: “I assure you, the Son can do nothing by himself.  He does only what he sees the Father doing.  Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.  For the Father loves the Son and tells him everything he is doing…”  And again in John 5:30, Jesus said: “But I do nothing without consulting the Father.  I judge as I am told.  And my judgment is absolutely just, because it is according to the will of God, who sent me.  It is not merely my own.”  Luke 22: 41-44 shows Jesus’ humanness (fear) as the Son of Man, yet his unwavering obedience to the Father: “He walked away (from the disciples) about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, ‘Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me?  Yet I want your will, not mine.’ Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him. He prayed even more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.”  And again, when Jesus prayed for Lazarus to come out of the tomb, he prayed out loud so the crowd would know that his power came from God.  John 11:41-43 tells us: “Father, thank you for hearing me. You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so they will believe you sent me.’  Then Jesus shouted, ‘Lazarus, come out!”

Since God created us (his Proudest Creation) for a relationship with himself, nothing pleases him more than when we come to him in prayer. And nothing accelerates the growth of that relationship more than frequent, persistent prayer because God wants to be part of our lives. He was very clear in Jeremiah 29:11-14 where he offered this promise, then told us how to receive it: “I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you, not to harm you, plans to give you a future and a hope.  In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me when you seek me.  I will be found by you.”  Notice the keyword “wholeheartedly”.  God knows the state of our hearts.  When our hearts are soft and committed, we have his attention and his smile.

When Jesus’ disciples asked him how to pray, he gave them this model.  Let’s look at the model and analyze it as we go.

1. Adoration: worship and praise:

Our Father, who art in heaven – The God Jehovah, Creator of the universe who resides in heaven, also wants us to come to him relationally, as “Abba Father” (daddy). Jesus made this possible.

Hallowed be your name – Majestic, Honored, Glorified

2. Thanksgiving:

Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven –  God’s Kingdom came to earth in the form of Jesus and is expanding today as more accept his Gift of Grace. But we are still awaiting the return of Christ and the re-establishment of the holy city, the New Jerusalem where everything will be His will.

3. Petition: Make our requests known to God

Give us this day our daily bread – providing for both our physical needs and spiritual needs

And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive others who trespass against us – pointing to our relational need.  We are to forgive others just as God has forgiven us

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil – God never tempts us, but we count on him to be our shield and protector as we “live in the shelter of the Most High and find rest in the shadow of the Almighty”. (Psalm 91)

4. Doxology: Closing…again recognizing His magnificence

For your’s is the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory forever.- A mirroring of the immutable Trinity which will last forever.

The more we pray and grow in our relationship with God, the more joy-filled our life becomes.  Apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 4:6-7: “Don’t worry about anything, instead pray about everything.  Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.  If you do this you will experience God’s peace.”  And again in Thessalonians 5:16-18, Paul tells us: “Always be joyful. Keep on praying.  No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is Gods will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

So what do we deduce from all of this?  Clearly God wants us to be active in our part of this desired relationship, and dependence on him is the trigger that opens windows of heaven for the blessings to flow.  It’s all about humility and the state of our heart.  This is summed up in James 4:10: “When we bow down (come humbly) before the Lord and admit our dependence on him, he will lift us up and give us honor!”   No doubt God has made his intentions clear.  He wants us – all of us – to spend eternity with him, Jesus and all other Christ-followers in Paradise.  The choice is yours!

Feel free to respond to this post, and please “like” it and share it with other social media friends.

May God Bless Ya…

Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers… Pam and I had the opportunity to spend this past weekend with our dear friends, Gaines and Sandy, at the House of David in Fairland, Oklahoma as we celebrated Yom Kippur together. The House of David “is where Jew and Gentile are united as one man in Messiah”, and what a marvelous experience it was to be in the midst of such a loving, compassionate and committed congregation of Judeo Christians for two days. And to heighten the experience for me, I was honored to be able to fill in for Gaines by sounding the shofar (with about 40-50 other formidable shofar players) at the Friday evening service. That was my first experience with the beast, but I have to admit – in my most humble and objective opinion – I gave a rather impressive “toot”! On Saturday we participated in the solemn immersion ceremony, a time to leave the old woes behind and commit to a new beginning, and Rabbi, Curt Landry, masterfully led us through that Spirit-filled process. It was incredibly moving.  In between events, we enjoyed our host’s spectacular home on Monkey Island, which overlooks Grand Lake, as we bonded and shared our love for Jesus with our friends, includings new friends we met that weekend.  I gotta tell ya…there is no bond greater than that.

No doubt a weekend like we experienced gets us pumped up and excited about who we are in Christ, but it also saddened me when I think of how many people are lost simply because they don’t know the Truth. So many people feel that their own measure of goodness is “good enough” to qualify them for eternal life.  Others hold on to the erroneous idea that if God really is a loving God, then everyone will go to heaven.  Or maybe they just don’t believe that there is such a thing as Hell. “Hell”, they say, “is something the church just made up to keep its flock in line.” (I have to admit, in my previous life that was one of my favorite displays of ignorance as I tried to defend the gospel of Presgrave.) Or maybe some have bought into the culturally popular belief that there are many ways to heaven. On whatever erroneous belief people choose to base their thinking, our culture is fulfilling the fate found in Hosea 4:6, “My people will perish through lack of knowledge.”

As a non-denominational pastor, I (we) believe that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God. That does not mean literal, it means “without error.”  In other words, everything that is there is supposed to be there. (Since God’s plan for his Proudest Creation (us) was a relationship with himself, he knew that in order for us to enter into that relationship, he would have to reveal himself to us so we could choose to enter into that relationship.) The Bible was his means of revealing himself to Man, and speaking through Prophets was his means of communicating, as stated in 2 Peter 1:20: “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophets themselves or because they wanted to prophesy.  It was the Holy Spirit who moved the prophets to speak from God.”  And in 2 Timothy we are told that “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives.  It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right.  It is God’s way of preparing us in every good way, fully equipped for every good thing He wants us to do.”  In other words, in the Holy Bible God reveals what he says, what he thinks, what he says and thinks about us, what his standards are, what his promises are, and how we can achieve or attain those promises.  But in order to experience these truths, you first have to open the Book.

God revealed through the Bible his standard for us coming into his presence (eternal life).  First Peter 1:16 tells us: “For he himself has said, ‘You must be holy because I am holy”, and holy means to be set aside for a sacred purpose, to be sin-free.  In other words, we can’t be stained with sin and expect to enter the Kingdom of Heaven because sin spreads, contaminates, destroys and kills.  If you doubt that, just look at the world we live in today.  And remember, this world started out as Paradise.

But the Good News can be found in Romans 5:6,10: “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time to die for us sinners.  For since we were restored to friendship with God by the death of his Son, while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be delivered from eternal punishment by his life “  Romans 8:1-2 confirms this: “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. The power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you through Christ Jesus from the power of sin that leads to death.”

God showed his unconditional love by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. He gave Mankind from Creation to 2017 years ago to wrestle with the issue of Sin (living with the focus on “self” rather than on God), but instead of becoming victorious through our own effort, we became utterly helpless to overcome, as revealed in Romans 5:6 above. God knows we’re weak; we’re only dust.  That’s why Ephesians 1:4-5 tells us: “Long ago, even before he created the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.  His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ.  And this gave him great pleasure.” In other words, His plan was always to provide a Savior to do for us what he knew we could not do for ourselves. How’s that for a loving God?  And all we have to do is accept his Gift of Grace!

And concerning the subject of Hell, Jesus talked more about Hell and Satan than any other writer in the Bible.  In fact, Jesus himself was tempted three times by Satan when he was in the wilderness. And in John 8:44, when Jesus was talking to unbelievers, he described the Devil: “…He was a murderer from the beginning and has always hated the truth.  There is no truth in him.  When he lies, he is consistent with his character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”   And in John 17:15, Jesus prayed for his disciples “not that they be taken out of this world, but that they be protected from the evil one.”  In Luke 10:14, Jesus told his disciples, “I have given you authority over all the evil schemes of the Devil…No harm will come to you!”  And in Revelation 20:10: “Then the Devil, who betrayed them, was thrown into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet.  There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”  And here’s the bad news…anyone who has not accepted God’s Gift of Grace can expect to join Satan and all other unbelievers in the pit, because as we are told in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death.”  (spiritual death…eternal damnation-not eternal life)

And concerning the popular myth that there are multiple avenues to heaven; I believe that is espoused by those who are puffed up with pride and believe that they are sufficient without the help of God.  In other words, they have been seduced by the same lie that Satan used to bait Eve in the Garden: “your eyes will be opened…you will become just like God” (Genesis 3: 5) , which loosely translated means, “you can be your own god.” And make no mistake, that thought is irresistible to our human nature, which doesn’t want to submit to anything…especially something that is in the supernatural realm.  But Jesus was aware of this prideful attitude when he stated in Matthew 7:13-14: “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate.  The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who will choose the easy way.  But the gateway to life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it.”  Then Jesus went on to reveal THE way to eternal life in John 14:6: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”  To those whose hearts are hardened to the Truth, this last verse is the most challenging verse in the entire Bible!

So you might be asking yourself, “Why would anyone not accept God’s Gift of Grace?”  Well, the answer is clearly presented in John 3:19-20: “The light from heaven came into the world, but they loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. They hate the light because they want to sin in the darkness.  They stay away from the light for fear their sins will be exposed and they will be punished.”  That, my friends, is about as clear as it gets.  But if you are wondering, “where would I find the truth?”  “Jesus told his disciples, ‘If you follow my teachings you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32)  All you have to do is open the Book and start reading the four Gospels.

Feel free to respond to this post, and please “like” it and share with other social media friends.

May God Bless Ya…

Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)

 

 

Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers…I’ve spoken many times about how fortunate I feel to be part of Grace Church  St. Louis, a grace-oriented church led by pastor Ron Tucker, who is anointed to bring the Gospel of Grace to life for today’s culture.  Week after week he IS ON, and I keep experiencing more “a-ha” moments!  Even Scriptures I have read numerous times before come to life with a new radiance.  For instance, yesterday’s message was built around the parable of the soils, but as I heard Ron present it, it clarified some ideas I had been nurturing for awhile about the resistance of our culture to the truth of God’s word.

So many times I see the scenario that took place in the Garden of Eden playing out in today’s culture.  The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (worldly teaching and worldly philosophies) is exalted, and man still falls for the same lie that seduced Eve at that fateful encounter. Genesis 3:1-6 presents this picture: “Now the serpent was the shrewdest of all the creatures the Lord God had made. ‘Really?’, he asked the woman. ‘Did God really say you must not eat any of the fruit in the garden?’ ‘Of course we may eat it’, the woman told him. ‘It’s only the fruit from the tree at the center of the garden that we are not allowed to eat.  God says we must not eat it or even touch it, or we will die.’ ‘You won’t die!’ the serpent hissed. ‘God knows that your eyes will be opened when you eat it. You will become just like God, knowing everything both good and evil.’ The woman was convinced.  The fruit looked so fresh and delicious, and it would make her so wise!  So she ate some of the fruit. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her. Then he ate it too.”

So let’s examine the above scenario.  Satan, “the father of lies” (John 8:44), immediately cast doubt by asking Eve a question that misstated what God had actually said. Then he went on to discredit God’s motive for directing them away from the tree in the center of the garden, while at the same time offering the hook that is irresistible to our human nature: you won’t need God, you can be your own god. And notice that satan always wraps the temptation in an alluring manner, making it virtually impossible to resist: “The fruit looked so fresh and delicious, and it would make her so wise!”  And also notice how quickly Eve was willing to pass on to Adam the pleasurable experience of submitting to “self”.. He couldn’t resist either. So as this clearly portrays, nothing is more appealing to our human nature (sin nature) then believing we can be self-sufficient…that we can be our own god!

Remember…when God created Adam and Eve, they were spiritually connected to Him.  They wanted for nothing.  God was their provider; he gave them dominion over the earth, and it was Paradise.  But that spiritual connection was severed when they became disobedient to his directive, “do not eat from the tree at the center of the garden.”  That directive was not to keep something from them (as satan insinuated), but it was for their own well being.  As long as they ate from the Tree of Life (God), perfection continued.  But by choosing to partake of the knowledge of good and evil, they chose spiritual death over spiritual life. And that’s the condition of mankind today.

As heirs of Adam, we are born spiritually separated from God. “And why is that?” you might ask. Well…Adam could only pass on to future generations what he had, and he had no spiritual connection to pass on.  Now as dire as that sounds, there is still hope.  That connection can be restored any time we want to restore it, but remember…man severed the connection, so man has to initiate that restoration.   “And how do we do that?” you might ask.  It’s as simple as saying, “God help me.  I can’t do this without you!”  It’s admitting our own insufficiency and being willing to turn to Him as our source of strength.  That’s how I did it on April 21, 2000, and my life has been forever changed.

But that’s the rub that has existed between man and God since the fall. When we’re in charge of our own show, we can be our own god, and nothing strokes our pride more than that.  If given the choice – and after all, God gave us free will – man will always choose independence over submission, which translates into my will over obedience.  Apostle Paul is very clear in Galatians 5:19-21 when he tells us what we can expect when we follow our own desires: “sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin.  Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will never inherit the Kingdom of God.”

Unfortunately our culture today is becoming darker and darker because we have exalted human wisdom and teaching over God’s Word.  To believe in, and to stand on our faith, often puts us in peril as we become the subject of mockery, ridicule and even legal action.  To the intellectual mind, we are laughed at as being naïve, boxed in, or brainwashed by religion. They look at the Scriptural truths on which we stand as being outdated and  too confining.  After all, this is the age of tolerance and acceptance:  “Who are you to tell me what is right or wrong?”

Unfortunately again, the hearts of the people who have bought into the teachings and philosophies of this world have been hardened to the truth of God’s word, as stated in Isaiah 6:9-10: “You will hear my words, but you will not understand; you will see what I do but you will not perceive its meaning.  For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes so their eyes cannot see. Their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.”

Now let’s turn to Jesus’ parable of the soils as found in Matthew 13:4-8.  “As a farmer scattered seeds across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath and the birds came and ate them.  Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock.  The plants sprang up quickly but they soon wilted and died because the roots had no nourishment in the shallow soil.  Other seeds fell among the thorns that shot up and choked out the tender blades. But some seeds fell on fertile soil and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted.” This is Jesus’ explanation of that parable: (vs19-23): “The seed that fell on the hard path represents those who hear the Good News about the Kingdom and don’t understand it.  The evil one comes and snatches the seed away from their hearts.  The rocky soil represents those who hear the message and receive it with joy.  But like young plants in such soil, their roots don’t go very deep.  At first they get along fine, but they will wilt as soon as they have problems or are persecuted because they believe the Word. The thorny ground represents those who hear and accept the Good News, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares of this life and the lure of wealth or status, so no crop is produced.  And the good soil represents the hearts of those who truly accept god’s message and produce a huge harvest, thirty, sixty, even a hundred times as much as was planted.”

This is a profound parable and it alerts us to the reality of the obstacles that stand in the way of the seeds not taking root. Not only are we called to carry the message of the Good News, but it is also vitally important that we stress the importance of watering the seed through staying in the Word, discipleship, participating in Bible studies, and becoming a member of a church.  Equally important is turning away from the sources of worldly pollution and focusing on anything that contributes to spiritual growth.

Let me close with these three Scriptures.  Philippians 4:8-9: “Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right.  Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable.  Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” 1 Corinthians 18: “I know very well how foolish the message of the cross sounds to those who are on the road to destruction.  But we who are being saved recognize this message as the very power of God. As the Scriptures say: “I will destroy human wisdom and discard their most brilliant ideas.” Romans 12:2: “Do not confirm to the patterns of this world but be transformed into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.”   Unfortunately, those three Scriptures are contrary to our culture’s way of thinking and doing today, but the truth found in those Scriptures will lead to our desired transformation.

Feel free to respond to this post, and please “like” and share it with other social media friends.

May God Bless Ya…

Dan Presgrave, (a;k.a. Pastor Dan)

Good Day, Meetpastordan Readers… I am really excited about this presentation.  I was at a T4T Bible study earlier today, and the facilitator had chosen for his topic the same topic I had been thinking about for this coming week’s blog.  After a spirited discussion, I left there committed to coming home and starting to write immediately.  The title says it all!  I mean, “Who doesn’t like to receive a gift?”

So let me ask you two questions.  If I told you I had a map to a hidden treasure worth millions of dollars, and that I was willing to give this map to you, free of charge and with no strings attached – and all you had to do was go retrieve the gold. Would you accept the gift?  Or suppose I told you that I would build your dream house wherever you wanted it, and all you had to do to get it was to accept the gift.  Would you do it?  I suspect those two questions are probably no-brainers.  Of course you would.  Why wouldn’t everyone accept such an amazing, dream-fulfilling offer?

Granted, those two offers are pretty exciting, but they are in the natural realm, meaning they are here and now and will be tangible when you retrieve them. But God offers a gift that is even more astounding, gargantuan, and mind-blowing than the gifts above.  No doubt we are now talking about the spiritual realm, but the reality of this gift is…it will never change, fade, rot, decay, or diminish in value. And as an added bonus, it will last FOREVER!

God’s free gift never stops giving.  For instance, when you accept it, these things happen: You are immediately saved, meaning your sins are forgiven (you will not experience judgment), and you have just inherited eternal life.  This solidifies your eternal destiny.  And for us still living in this fallen world, we receive the indwelling Holy Spirit to empower us to rise above our environment, our circumstances, and our “lot in life” to become the person God created us to be. As it says in Ephesians 2:10: “We are his Masterpiece!  He has created us anew in Jesus Christ so we can now do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

In addition to all of that, we are now worthy and acceptable in God’s eyes; not because of anything we did or didn’t do, but because of what Christ did for us on the cross.  He paid the penalty for our sins.  That’s why we face no judgment.  (Our slate is wiped clean because we are covered with the blood of Jesus.) We are grafted into God’s family; we are now a child of God. We have a new title; we’re now a saint (a believer) rather than a sinner.  That’s a very important title because even though we will continue to fall short of God’s glorious standard, because we are believers, the Bible tells us there is no condemnation for our shortcoming. (Our Father just wants us to keep focused on our continued growth, and to continue marching down the path of sanctification, becoming more Christ-like with every step.) We are now heir to every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm, and we are heir to every promise in the Bible.  How’s that for hitting the jackpot?

That paragraph is summed up perfectly in 2 Peter 1: 3-4: “The more we grow in our knowledge of Jesus, his divine power gives us everything we need for living a godly life.  He has called us to receive his own glory and goodness!  And by that same mighty power, he has given us all of his rich and wonderful promises.  He has promised that we will escape the decadence all around us caused by evil desires, and that we will share in his divine nature.”

But you might be saying to yourself, “I’m a good person.  I go to church every week; I say my prayers; I volunteer at the local hospital; I give money to help the poor.  And I would say, “That’s great, admirable, and impressive! And I’m sure God is pleased that you do those things.”  But now let me ask you this question.  “Why do you do those things”?  Is it to earn favor with God? Do you think he will love you more if you do this? Is it to be pleasing to yourself and/or to those who see what you’re doing?  If your answer is “yes”, it means you are still living under the Old Covenant.  You are still trying to earn God’s favor through your actions.  God expresses his disdain for this approach in Hosea 6:6: “I don’t want your sacrifices, I want your heart.  I don’t delight in your burnt offerings, I want you to love one another.” (For more insight on the subject of being good, I would like to recommend a short book by Andy Stanley entitled,” How Good is Good Enough?” It’s a great, straight-forward read.)  🙂

Now let me ask you these questions.  Do you ever gossip? Do you ever lie? Do you ever take the Lord’s name in vain?  Are you ever envious or jealous?  Do you ever value the world’s teachings over God’s Word?  If you can honestly answer “yes” to any of these questions, God’s Gift of Grace is your only answer.  And here is why I say that. All of these questions are rooted in our sin nature, which includes anger, jealousy, hatred, fear, guilt, shame, remorse, bitterness, anxiety, depression, immorality, impurity, sensuality, strife, envying, carousing, lying, cheating, stealing, etc. etc. As you can see, all of these character defects have their root in our mind, our emotions and our will. When these defects fill our mind and our heart, the result is never pleasing to God. Why?  Because all of these defects are rooted in self-centeredness rather than God centeredness, and that’s what keeps us separated from God.  That, in fact, IS the definition of Sin!

Apostle Paul states in Galatians 2:21: “For if we could be saved by keeping the law, then there was no need for Christ to die.”  But God gave us from Creation to 2017 years ago to try to overcome the issue of Sin through our own effort, and Romans 5:6 reveals how we fared: “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time to die for us sinners.”  How’s that for an indictment?  Clearly man proved himself incapable of overcoming his sin-nature.

But because God is a loving God, he always intended to do for us what he knew we could not do for our self. His plan, even before the world was created (Ref. Ephesians 1:4), was to provide a Redeemer to pay the ransom for our Sin, therefore making it possible for us to join Him, Jesus and all Christ-followers in Paradise for .ETERNITY

But in God’s world, the standard is perfection.  In 1Peter 1:16, it is stated: “You must be holy (set aside for a sacred purpose; sin free) because I am holy.”  In other words, if you are stained with sin, you cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Why? Because sin spreads, contaminates, destroys, and kills.  Revelation 21:27 is explicit about this: “Nothing evil will be allowed to enter…only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.”  Other Scriptures that reinforce this are: “I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)  “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”  (Romans 6:23)

For those who do not accept God’s Gift of Grace (Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior), they will experience separation from God and will face eternal judgment.  Without Jesus, our Sin will separate us from eternal life in Paradise and all the wonders that await us there.  As it says in 1 Corinthians 2:9: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind can conceive the things that God has prepared for those who love him.”  So remember…this Gift is available to anyone who will accept it, regardless of who you are or what you have done.   “For God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son, so that whoever believes in him will not perish, but will have eternal life.”

This is THE gift, and it is the difference between a life that is filled with joy, peace, serenity and confidence, or one that is filled with strife, anxiety and fear.  Eternally it is the difference between death and salvation.  The choice is ours to make.

Feel free to respond to this blog, and please “like” and share with other social media friends.

May God Bless Ya…

Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)

 

Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers… I had a blog ready to publish this morning, but as I was giving it a final perusal, I was immediately drawn to another topic that seemed timely, and certainly worthy of presentation in light of what has gone on in St. Louis for the past few days. I was just minutes from pressing the publish button to share “The Gift”, but instead I will write today about the antithesis of God’s Gift of Grace in a blog that I will appropriately call, “Human Nature At Its Worst”. I chose that title because in God’s manual – appropriately titled The Bible (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth), the term “sin nature” has been appropriately translated by our culture into “human nature”.  Both terms have the same meaning, which is “focusing on self”, but as you can see, the term “human nature” is much more politically correct because it packs considerably less sting!  For instance…”Well, yes I did cheat on my wife, but you have to understand, I just wasn’t getting what I needed at home”; or, “Well, I did fudge a bit on my income tax, but after all, the government gets enough of my money as it is.”  Our human nature always finds a way to justify pursuing what it wants.

Back before the November election, I wrote a number of blogs in which I referred to a Liberal Progressive Agenda (LPA). I don’t want to drag all of that material up again, other than to say that I believe the agenda is still alive and well and that it is wrapped in evil. I will tell you momentarily why I say that, but first I want to digress for three minutes and invite you to hear an inspired presentation by the late, great, Paul Harvey, who fifty years ago gave us a glimpse into the headlines of today with awe-inspiring accuracy.  This is a perfect introduction to what I am about to write.  Click here.

For the past few decades there has been an insidious movement festering in our country, progressing at a patient, methodical pace and with a very clear goal in mind.  And that goal has been to fundamentally transform America.  At the heart of that movement is the exaltation of human wisdom over God’s wisdom, and a big government that we will come to depend on as our provider. Even though the last election slowed down the speed of this endeavor, it certainly did not bring that movement to an end, as was witnessed in St. Louis this past weekend.

Let’s look at Genesis 3:1-6 to see how Satan deceived Eve by appealing to her “human nature”. The serpent, the shrewedest of all creatures, asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat any of the fruit in the garden?” (a lie, but it cast doubt)  Then he went on to tell her, “God knows that your eyes will be opened when you eat it. You will become just like God, knowing everything both good and evil.”  (You won’t need God; you can become your own god.)  “The woman was convinced.  The fruit looked so fresh and delicious and it would make her so wise. So she ate of the fruit.” (Notice that Satan wrapped the temptation in an irresistible way, as he always does.)  So too does the LPA.

There are many examples of the LPA that I have written about before, but for today’s message I want to focus specifically on the demise of our family structure, the politicalization of the Constitution, and  the exaltation of human wisdom over Godly wisdom.  Jonathan Cahn, in his best-selling book, “The Harbinger”, makes two powerful statements that capture the state of our culture today.  He said,  “As God was expunged from American life, idols came in to fill the void; idols of sensuality, idols of greed, of money, of success, comfort, materialism, pleasure, sexual immorality, self-worship, self-obsession. The sacred increasingly disappeared, and the profane took its place.” And again he stated, “America was founded on prayer. Therefore, the removal of prayer from its public life was a central part of its fall from God. A nation that turns away from prayer will ultimately find itself in desperate need of it.”

Just as Satan is the great deceiver and the father of lies, so is the power behind the LPA.  Much of their style is right out of Saul Alinsky’s playbook, “Rules for Radicals”, and here are some quotes that may startle you.

• “To gain the peoples trust a new organizer must show a intense anger over some issue.  Expressing love for the community accomplishes nothing.  It is only a sign of meekness.  Anger, on the other hand, unites the organizer with the people in a common cause.  It builds faith, faith in the ability and power of the organizer to bring change.”
• “The organizer’s job is to inseminate an invitation for himself, to agitate, introduce ideas, get people pregnant with hope and a desire for change and to identify you as the person most qualified for this purpose.”
• “Power is the reason for being of an organization. Power and organization are one and the same. When those in the status quo turn and label you an agitator, they are completely correct, for that is, in one word, your function – to agitate to the point of conflict”.

The largest training center for Socialist activists in the United States is a community organizer training institute in Chicago called The Midwest Academy.  Once their training is complete, organizers go to wherever they are most needed, which is seldom back to their own community.  The Alinsky method for doing that is to stir the pot and get people really mad about something.  Then present yourself as the best hope for improvement and change.”

Now let’s superimpose what we just read over last weekend’s disturbance in St. Louis and in surrounding communities. A verdict was delivered concerning a shooting that was met with anger and frustration from some factions of our community.  They vowed to protest, which is their legal right, and many turned out to voice their opinion.  However, the LPA agitators ramped up that protest.  I say LPA agitators because just like Ferguson, it was no happenstance that many (hired?) outsiders were transported to Saint Louis to capitalize on the mood of the protestors, and to whip them up into an aggressive frenzy that resulted in destruction of property and many injuries. We have seen it so many times in the last year that it is almost expected, and even worse…tolerated. What a sad commentary on our society right now.

But going back to Jonathan Cahn’s comments, we are a society that has expunged God from our midst, and without that moral compass, we look a lot like the Israelites in the wilderness before God gave them civil law, moral law, and His standard all wrapped up in the 10 Commandments.  And just like the Israelites even after they received the Law, we too find the Commandments too confining, so we look for idols and excuses to appease our human nature.  When we are focused on “self” and getting what we want, our emotions, our mind, and our will produce these character defects: anger, jealousy, hatred, fear, guilt, shame, remorse, bitterness, anxiety, depression, immorality, impurity, sensuality, strife, envying, carousing, lying, cheating, stealing, etc.etc. When your heart is filled with these feelings, nothing good ever results.  All of those character defects have their root in evil, and what we saw this weekend was the acting out of those feelings.

One very successful tactic of the LPA over the years has been to chip, chip, chip away at the fundamental pillars of our society (ie. the Constitution, our Christian beliefs and our sense of reality.) The Constitution, much like the Ten Commandments, is viewed by many as too confining and out of date.  I personally cringe when I hear it referred to as a living, breathing document that should be updated in order to be relevant in our culture. The wisdom of our Founding Fathers has certainly withstood the test of time, and we need those fundamental, moral and legal truths to guide us when we have liberal judges who are too quick to try to reinterpret these monuments for political purposes.  There is no shortage of name-calling aimed at those who still revere that document’s brilliance.

Ten years after the removal of prayer and Scripture from our schools, the legalization of abortion became the law of the land in 1973, and over 58 million babies have been killed.  Since that time there has been a steady assault on Christian values and Christian teachings by the LPA.  The Ten Commandments have been removed from public buildings; Christian holidays and symbols have been under assault; Christian pastors and Christian business people have come under attack for standing on their religious principles; and what was sacred is now mocked and ridiculed, and what was profane is now basking in the spotlight.

Unfortunately the LPA has a huge support system when it comes to changing our sense of reality. When it comes to numbing down and dumbing down our culture, the entertainment industry and the media are more than complicit.  The traditional family structure is being challenged by the “new norm”;  the definition of male and female has radically changed and anatomical body parts is no longer a determining factor. Sex, violence and the supernatural (not Godly but demonic) has overtaken the airwaves, theaters and gaming industry. The more we are exposed to these graphic presentations, the more numb our senses become to good vs.evil and right vs.wrong. Instead of being washed by the blood of the Lamb, we are immersed in a blood that is perpetrated by evil.

Unfortunately I don’t think the solution to our core problem is just a political solution or legal solution.  I think we are facing a spiritual problem that has resulted from our churches and our culture drifting away from God’s way and his principles.  I believe it is time for the churches to step up and boldly proclaim the truth of God’s word without compromise.  I believe our culture is in desperate need of, and in search for, something that will fill that preverbal “hole in our collective soul”.  When our minds and hearts are filled with the teachings of Jesus, this is what results: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  This happens when we are God-centered rather than self-centered.

Feel free to respond to this posting, and please “like” and share with other social media friends.

May God Bless Ya…

Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)

`

Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers…Today’s blog will be a bit of departure from my usual format.  This will be more of a personal testimony, and here’s how that developed.  I was on my pre-dawn walk with Glenn and Clifford, and  feeling a bit “out of juice” as I contemplated this morning’s blog, when all of a sudden – it was as if I woke up a second time!  I couldn’t help but laugh out loud, because as much as I have written about turning to the Holy Spirit as our source of wisdom, strength, courage, patience, insight, etc., here I was totally wrapped-up in ME, such as…I gotta come up with the title, the subject, the perspective, etc.  I wish I could honestly say this was a rare occasion, but I’m still prone to look inside myself first for answers.  All I can say in my defense is…I too am in the process of sanctification that I often write about, and while I’m getting better, I ain’t there yet!” But the good news is, once I came to my senses and turned to my source of strength, I began to get clarity for today’s posting.

More than once I have made the comment that John 8:32 perfectly describes my story; it encapsulates my transformation from a proud atheist to a believer: “Jesus told his disciples, ‘If you follow my teachings, you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” Back in my BS period (before sobriety and before salvation), I thought I had all the answers. I believed I was quite self-sufficient and on my way to bigger and better things, which  was of course, evaluated by worldly standards. But unfortunately the Gospel of Presgrave proved not to be as solvent as I had thought, and I ended up in a very dark place.  But the flip side of that coin is…the teachings of Jesus Christ (the Truth) did, as promised, set me free.

So as I was drawn to the above Scripture this morning, I also felt led to the words I got a few weeks ago when I was trying to add lyrics to a tune I have been humming. (welcome to my dog-walking creativity) 🙂  I wanted to add words to that tune that would express the joy I feel about being in Christ, so here is what is most likely verse one.

“Jesus, you are my Savior…Jesus, you are my Lord   There is none other like you…you are the living Word   You came to pay my ransom…you came to set me free   Your blood gave me new life…I’m a transformed Me!  (likely followed by a second and third verse and a coda)

Prior to salvation, I proudly rejected references to Christianity and the church because I saw hypocrisy in both.  But all of that changed when I accepted an invitation from a friend, who was also in my recovery program, to be his guest at Grace Church St. Louis.  I was wrapping up my nearly three year exploration of Eastern and New Age religions when he caught me at a weak moment. He told me he found something at Grace that he hadn’t found in other churches, and that got my attention.  Since I still hadn’t found what I had hoped to find in my search for answers, I acquiesced.

That morning changed my life. For the first time I heard the Gospel of Grace presented in a clear, concise, yet powerful way, and I couldn’t wait to hear and learn more. So before I left church that morning, I stopped at the bookstore and bought a Bible (NLT) with the intent of going home and comparing the Scriptures listed in the church bulletin with what I heard Pastor Ron preach that memorable day.  While I was excited, I wanted to be sure nothing was exaggerated or left out in that morning’s message.  I was immediately convinced and hooked!

Once I opened my mind to learning the truth, I couldn’t get enough.  I joined Bible studies, engaged Spiritual mentors, asked a lot of questions until I was satisfied that all my answered were grounded in Scriptural truth, then I read and studied and read and studied some more!  In 2008 I became an Ordained Pastor, and from that point on, the reading and studying has only intensified.

The more I learned about Jesus paying the ransom for my Sin, the easier it became to accept him as my Savior.  But the more I learned about him as the Son of Man, the Son of God, his ministry, his total dependence of the Father (“I do only what I see the Father do”, John 5:19), his unwavering stance on the Truth, and about his love, compassion, forgiveness and service to his fellow man, the easier it became to accept his as my Lord as well.  And because everything he did modeled the truth of God’s Word (“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” John 1:14), it was also easy to accept him as the living Word.

The whole Gospel of Grace exemplifies God’s love for Mankind.  Because he created us for a relationship with himself, God had to give us something that no other member of the animal species had.  And that would be free-will, or a brain for rational thinking, so we can choose to enter into that relationship with him.  But because he is a majestic God, possessing qualities of Omniscience, Omnipotence, and Omnipresence, Ephesians 1-4,7 tells us that even before he created the world and man, he had a plan for our redemption: “Long ago, even before he created the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be worthy and acceptable in his sight. He is so rich in kindness that he purchased our freedom through the blood of his Son, and our sins are forgiven.”

You see, God knew that his proudest creation would turn away from his will to follow his own will, and he also knew that we were too weak to overcome the dilemma of SIN through our own effort. Therefore he always planned to do for us what he knew we were incapable of doing for ourselves.  His plan was to provide THE Sacrificial Lamb, Jesus Christ, to pay the ransom for our sin so we could qualify to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

I Peter 1:16 tells us: “I am holy, therefore you must be holy”, meaning set aside for a sacred purpose; to be sin-free. If you are stained with Sin, you cannot enter the new Kingdom of Heaven because sin contaminates, spreads, destroys and kills. If you doubt that, just look at the world around you. Therefore, since Man is incapable of living a sin-free life, Jesus is the ONLY answer because his blood washes away our sin and leaves us white as snow.  So now, since we are in Christ, we qualify to pass through the “pearly gates”. As stated in John 14:6: “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

All of this is available to anyone who accepts God’s Gift of Grace.  1 Corinthians 5:17 tells us: “You are a new creation in Christ.  The old has gone (our sin nature): the new has come.”  (Holy Spirit) Now we are capable of becoming the person God created us to be, as professed in Ephesians: 2:10: “For we are God’s Masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ so that we can now do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Notice that our designation moved from “his proudest creation” to “his Masterpiece”)

Because of God’s awe-inspiring plan for our Salvation; and because of Jesus unconditional love for us; and because of the the Holy Spirit’s power to equip us to become the person God created us to be, how can I not look for just the right words to describe the joy I feel about being in Christ.  Once I finish my “masterpiece”, perhaps I’ll add ledger lines to one of my blogs and share with you the musical line that accompanies the words, or better yet…perhaps Symphony #1: “The New Covenant!”  Who knows???  Remember…I never thought I would write my first blog. 🙂

Feel free to respond to this post, and please “like” and share with other social media friends.

May God Bless Ya…

Dan Presgrave  (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)

Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers…Happy Labor day to Y’all.  I know today represents different things to many people.  For the students it is one less day in the school week; for some people it is a time of celebration with parades, speeches and athletic events; and for many it is a time of family activities, especially the traditional BBQ; but for all of us, it marks the end of summer.  If you look at the history of Labor Day, it was created by “the labor movement” in the late 19^th century and became a federal holiday in 1894.  Observed on the first Monday in September, Labor Day pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of the American worker, and celebrates with a day “free from labor”.

History from a different perspective tells us that “Labor Day”, a day of rest, was part of Creation and was observed on the seventh day “when God rested from his work of creation.” (Genesis 2:3)  No doubt that is an example that was given to us to follow.  Jesus gave us yet another perspective on “rest” when he said in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”  That perspective is not about parades, BBQ’s, speeches, or even family events.  It is about finding peace and serenity from the toils and stresses of life, and using that time to draw closer to God.

In the spirit of Labor Day, I am going to use this time to rest and enjoy my peace and serenity.  Therefore, I am going to stop writing at this point and repost my very first blog.  Enjoy your “day of rest”, and I’ll be back next week.

Today Is a New Beginning

Well, My Friends….today is already a glorious day, and its only 6:00 am!  I just walked in the house from my morning walk(s); first through beautiful Laurel Park with Glenn (a handsome golden retriever/chow mix) and Cliff (an adorable, ornery sheltie); then a longer excursion through our neighborhood with the love and joy of my life, Miss Pam (my wife).  That is the entire Presgrave family and I thank God each day for blessing me so richly.  But today is uniquely different in another way; it is 69 degrees right now IN ST. LOUIS on JULY 29, 2013.  Wow!  That indeed is a treat!!

But as I sit down in front of my computer with a fresh cup of hot coffee, I am well aware that the new activity that really makes this a special day for me is preparing to write my first blog.  I am looking forward to these postings each Monday, because I love sharing messages that are positive, up-lifting and encouraging.  Today I am able to share messages of that nature, but that was not always the case (as you will see if you peruse my website, www.meetpastordan.com).

Because of the journey I have been on for the past thirteen years and my willingness  to embrace change,  I  have  been blessed today with a life that is happy, joyous and free.  Since I have been given a “second chance at life”, I CANNOT help but share that good news with anyone who will listen. Through this journey I learned about me and about life. But today instead of trying to hide it, I take responsibility for who I was, but now proudly proclaim who I am in Christ.  That’s the way it works…. “we believe that a power greater than our self can restore us to sanity” (Step II of the 12 Step Recovery Program), then we reach out to share our experience, strength and hope with others.

Today my focus, and the focus of my website, is about enhancing the quality of people’s lives.  I am both thrilled and privileged to be a “hope dealer” today.  As the psalmist David proclaimed in Psalm 92, vs.4 “you thrill me Lord, with all you have done for me!  I sing for joy because of what you have done for me”   The truth is….that freedom and joy is available to anyone who has the courage to “go for it”!

Is there anything that is keeping you from living life to the fullest?   If yes…Take the plunge! 

I’m already looking forward to next Monday’s posting!!

May God bless ya,

Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)

 

I stand in awe of God Jehovah of the Holy Bible.  He alone is the pathway to joy, peace, serenity, and freedom.  Every other religion in the world, and unfortunately, some Christian denominations as well, still emphasize “our works” to make us right with God.  What a tragedy.  Christ came to set the captives free, and to give us an abundant life.  Notice that both promises – “to set the captives free” and “to give us an abundant life” – are predicated on the first two words, “Christ came”.  God’s plan was always (even before the world was created) to provide a Savior to do for his proudest creation (US) what he knew we would be incapable of doing for ourselves.

So why is accepting this gift from a loving God who wants an eternal relationship with us so difficult?  Could it be that it is too simple?  Does it challenge us to accept something so simple, especially since “we” are way too smart and complicated for that plan?  “My therapist” you say, “who has a PhD, and if that weren’t enough, an XYZ behind the PhD to show post doctoral work, well… even he still can’t figure me out!  So that just goes to show you, that I’m way too overburdened, complicated and broken for something as simple as “just believing!”  So goes the thinking of the fearful mind, the doubtful mind, the clouded mind, and the intellectual mind.

Apostle Paul tells us he that he struggled with the same dilemma in the first century: “I know very well how foolish the message of the cross sounds to those who are on the road to destruction.  But we who are being saved recognize this same message as the very power of God.  As the Scriptures say, ‘I will destroy human wisdom and discard their most brilliant ideas. God’s way seems foolish to the Jews because they want a sign from heaven to prove it is true.  And it is foolish to the Greeks because they believe only what agrees with their own wisdom.  So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.” (1Corinthians 1: 18-19; 22-23) Let’s face it, nothing is more challenging to our human nature (or our sin nature, as the Bible calls it) than submitting to something greater than ourselves, especially something that is beyond our five senses and in the spiritual realm. And therein, I believe, lies the problem.

Let’s review for a moment the Old Covenant and the Law, with the understanding that the Law was the heart and soul of the Old Covenant.  The original intent of the Law was threefold.  First, it was civil law. The Israelites had been in bondage to Egypt for four hundred years, so when they finally experienced freedom, there was utter chaos in the wilderness. Therefore, God called Moses to join him on Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments (a.k.a. theLaw). If the Israelites would follow these ten steps, there could be order and civility among the people. But it was more than civil law, it was also God’s standard. He wanted us to live in obedience to these commandments. And the final reason for the Law was to prove Man’s inability to live according to this standard through his own effort.  Apostle Paul stated this emphatically in Galatians 2:21: “For if we could be saved by keeping the law, then there would be no need for Christ to die.”  But we proved, without a shadow of a doubt, that we were “utterly helpless” to keep the Law and save ourselves. (Ref. Romans 5:6)

The issue that keeps Man separated from God is SIN (all caps for emphasis).  And the definition of Sin is living separated from God’s will.  In other words, if we are focused on “our will” rather than on God’s will, we are “living in Sin”.  So under the Old Covenant, there was a sacrificial system set up to atone for our sins, using the blood of animals to cover those sins.  (So your next logical question might be, “Why was blood needed to cover our sins?”  The author of Hebrews answers that question in 9:22: “In fact, we can say that according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified by the sprinkling of blood.  Without the shedding of blood, there could be no covering [or future forgiveness] of sins.”)

Bear in mind, this system was only to be in place until the coming of Jesus Christ, the Sacrificial Lamb who’s one time sacrifice would pay the price for the sins of Mankind!  In fact, even God himself stated through two prophets His disdain for this old system: “I am sick of your sacrifices”, says the Lord. “Don’t bring Me any more burnt offerings! I don’t want the fat from your rams or other animals.  I don’t want to see the blood from your offerings of bulls and rams and goats.” (Isaiah 1:11) and “I want you to be merciful.  I don’t want your sacrifices.  I want you to know God.  That’s more important than burnt offerings.” (Hosea 6:6)

So now let’s compare the Old Covenant  (before Christ’s sacrifice) with the New Covenant  (after Christ’s sacrifice).  Under the Old Covenant, people tried to earn God’s approval and acceptance by being obedient to the Law. But It didn’t take long to discover that the Law is contrary to our “sin nature.”  The religious leaders at the time, the Pharisees, recognized this dilemma, so in their attempt to help the people be more successful in their failing effort, they added an additional six hundred man-made rules and regulations to help them stay in compliance with the “Big Ten.” The end result was total bondage to the law and a prevalence of guilt, shame and remorse.

But the Old Covenant came to an end when Jesus Christ said from the cross, “It is finished!”  This was the final sacrifice, and his shed blood didn’t just cover our sins…it washed away our sins. So when we accept Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf by inviting him to be our Lord and Savior, we have accepted God’s Gift of Grace.  We didn’t have to work to get it, and we certainly could not earn it through our own effort. But this was God’s plan, as stated in Romans 10:13: “For anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” and Acts 4:12: “There is salvation in no one else! There is no other name in all of heaven (or on earth) for people to call on to save them.” JESUS!

The whole Salvation process is summed up in John 3:16: “For God so love the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but will have eternal life.”  Notice that there is only one requirement for salvation: to believe in him.  Once that happens, we are immediately transformed.  2 Corinthians 5:17 describes this: “We are a new creation in Christ: the old has gone (we are no longer slaves to our sin-nature); the new has come”. (indwelling Holy Spirit)  Now we are ready to begin the process of growing more Christ-like. This is described in 2 Peter 1:3-4: “The more we grow in our knowledge of Jesus, His divine power gives us everything we need for living a godly life.  He has called us to receive His own glory and goodness! And by that same mighty power, He has given us all of His rich and wonderful promises.  He has promised that we will escape the decadence all around us caused by evil desires, and that we will share in His divine nature.”

So you might be saying to yourself, “Wow! I can’t do that. I can’t imagine myself becoming more Christ-like.”  And I would say, “I agree with you. You can’t”. But the good news is…God also knew it. That’s why He gifted all Believers with the indwelling Holy Spirit. The Spirit empowers us to rise above our circumstances and our environment to become the person God created us to be. He gifted us with this supernatural power so we can claim the victory that is already ours.

Notice this differece between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. The Old Covenant left the people in bondage to The Law, so guilt, shame and remorse still prevailed.  The New Covenant, however, is the pathway to joy, peace, serenity, and freedom.  But you might be asking, “But aren’t we still expected to obey the Ten Commandments.”  And I would answer, “Absolutely!”  But today our motivation for obeying God’s Law is different.  Because we made a decision to accept God’s Gift of Grace, we are in Christ, and therefore are worthy and acceptable in His eyes. Today our motivation for bringing honor and glory to God is not to earn his favor, but it is our way of saying “Thank You” for Your plan for my salvation!

Let me close with this Scripture from Ephesians 2:10: “For we are God’s Masterpiece.  He has created us anew in Christ Jesus so that we can now do the good things he planned for us long ago.”  And now that we are in Christ, the focus is not on “Me”.  Therefore I am capable of doing the good things God planned for me long ago.  That’s the simplicity of being in Christ.  It’s a matter of us getting out of the way and allowing the Holy Spirit to be our guide, our comforter, and the one who will lead us into all truth.   (Let all of that sink in!) 🙂

Feel free to respond to this posting, and please “like” and share with other social media friends.

May God Bless you abundantly…

Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)

Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers…Thanks to all of you who read last week’s blog and took the time to respond.  It is much appreciated.  I always encourage that, even when your perspective is different from mine.  I like to look at this as a small group, or a discussion group if you will, because I believe that it is this setting that fosters personal growth. This is where questions get asked and answered; it is where different perspectives can lead to bigger, clearer pictures.  I guess that is why teaching and counseling suits me better than preaching.  I like the banter and the challenges that can come from the interaction.  I believe that unless questions get answered to one’s satisfaction, our faith can be stymied.  And my idea of a satisfactory answer is the one that is firmly grounded in Scriptural truth.  I guess that is why I try to minimize the personal perspective in my writing, but instead present many Scriptures as the foundation for my perspective.  Having said all of that…feel free to respond with questions or statements.  🙂

Today I want to tackle a subject that I choose to call the “dilemma of Mankind”, and that subject is SIN. (all caps are just for emphasis…however, when “Sin” is capitalized, it is a noun and refers to our state of being, such as “living in Sin”.  When it is referred to as “sin”, it is a verb and describes an action.  So think about this…are we a Sinner because we sin, or do we sin because we are a Sinner?  Hummm…

On the sixth day, “when God created animals…livestock, small animals and wildlife, God saw that it was good. Then God said, ‘Let us make people in our image to be like ourselves. (The plural form is used to designate the Trinity)  They will be masters over all life – the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the livestock, wild animals and the small animals.  So God created people in his own image; God patterned them after himself; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:24-27)  By creating us in His own image, God had to give us something that no other species in the animal kingdom had, and that would be a brain for rational thinking.  All other animals live by instinct; Man has a brain so “WE” can make rational choices such as entering into a relationship with Him, or reflecting His glory by choosing to be in line with his will.

So here’s what transpired after the creation of Man. In the Garden of Eden, this perfect world where Creation began, God put two trees in the middle of the Garden with this proclamation: “You my freely eat any fruit in the garden except fruit from “the tree of knowledge of good and evil”. If you eat of its fruit, you will surely die.”  (Genesis 2:16-17) What we must see in this story is that as long as they chose “the tree of life” (staying obedient to God), his provision for the original inhabitants was more than sufficient.  It was paradise; everything was perfect, and God’s proudest creation wanted for nothing.  The only requirement was “don’t eat from “the tree of knowledge of good and evil” (which represents the “world” – which represents evil.)  As the story goes, Eve was seduced by satan (who was cast down to this world after the rebellion in heaven) when he offered her the same lie he offers our world today: “If you eat from this delicious fruit (teachings of this world), your eyes will be opened.  Then you won’t need God; you can be your own God.” (Genesis 3:4-5)

So here is the truth. With our ability to make choices (or exercise our free-will), we either choose good (the tree of life  – God’s plan) or we choose evil (our plan).  Notice that the original sin was taking the focus off of God and putting it on “self”.  Eve was seduced by the idea that she could be self-sufficient; that she could be in charge; that she could be her own god.  That’s what the world offers, and the author of that offering is still the “father of lies” himself, satan. (John 8:44)  As long as the focus is on “self”, we are living to honor “ME” rather than honoring God, and therin is the chasm.

Was God surprised when Man chose to turn from His plan to follow his own plan?  Absolutely not!  God’s omniscience is displayed in Ephesians 1: 4,10-11: “Long ago, even before he created the world (and Man), God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.  And this is his plan: At just the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ – everything in heaven and on earth.  Furthermore, because of Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us from the beginning and all things happen just as he decided long ago.”  It is very important to see this point: the ones who were chosen long ago are the ones who are in Christ; those who were willing to accept his Gift of Grace. God’s plan from the beginning was always to provide a Redeemer to do for us what he knew we would not be able to do for ourselves.

Man had from Creation to 2017 years ago to wrestle with the dilemma of Sin.  And how did we fare?  Romans 5:6 is explicit in its detail: “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time to die for us sinners. The right time for God to implement his plan was when we were utterly helpless to save ourselves.  That indictment leaves little doubt about our inability to overcome our sin-nature through our own effort, and it also answers the question asked at the beginning…we are Sinners (separated from God), therefore we sin by our very nature.

God created Man for a relationship with himself. Not just a here and now relationship, but he wants us for an eternal relationship.  But here is the rub: God hates sin because sin spreads, contaminates, destroys and kills – AND,” the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23)  And since His standard is perfection, he said “you must be holy because I am holy”. (1 Peter 1:16)  In other words, we can’t get through the pearly gates to spend eternity with God, Jesus and all other Christ-followers if we are stained with SIN, and no amount of our best effort or good works will make us clean  As the song goes…”nothing but the blood of Jesus can wash away our sins”, but even more exacting, Jesus himself said in John 14:6: “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  This leaves no doubt. Salvation is named Jesus.

Let me close with the story of Jesus healing the Leper.  Jesus had just finished his famous “Sermon on the Mount”, and when he came down from the hillside, a huge crowd was following him.  “Suddenly a man with leprosy approached Jesus.  He knelt before him and said, ‘If you want to, you can make me well again.’  Jesus touched him, ‘I want to’ he said.  ‘Be healed, and instantly the leprosy disappeared.”  (Matthew 8:1-4)  At that time, people with leprosy were outcasts.  They had to live alone, outside the city, and maintain a certain distance from other people.  The disease was a slow growing bacteria that affected the skin, and nerves outside the brain and spinal cord and manifested itself in disfiguring skin sores and lumps and bumps.  For Jesus to reach out and touch the infected man definitely got the crowd’s attention, but the instant disappearance of the disease was even more astounding.  Josephus, a secular writer at the time of Jesus, referred to lepers as “walking dead men.”

But the good news for us today is…what Jesus did for the leper, he can do for our spiritual disease of “SIN”.  We too are walking dead men, but God in his gracious kindness has provided a way for us to be restored to spiritual health.  It is a free gift that is available to anyone who is willing to do what the leper did;  “bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on him.” (James 4:10) Jesus is anxiously waiting to touch your heart and restore you to spiritual health.

Today can be your day of Salvation.  It can happen by earnestly praying this simple prayer. “Dear Jesus… I know I have been living outside your will…I know that I have been displeasing to you…but I want to change to become the person you created me to be… I know I can’t do it without you…Please come into my heart and lead me down the path you want me to follow.  In Jesus name, Amen!”

Feel free to respond to this posting, and please “like” and share with other social media friends.

May God Bless Ya…

Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)