Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers…I hope you enjoyed my annual Memorial Day presentation last week.  But now we’re back on schedule, and the purpose is to present the Gospel’s from the different perspective of the authors so you can get a grander, clearer picture of Jesus. On May 22^nd I wrote “Who Is This Jesus?” as an introduction to this five week series, so if you haven’t read that, I would encourage you do so because of the background information and history presented.

Matthew’s Gospel ended a 400 year silence from God.  The last prophet in the Old Testament was Malachi, who’s writing is dated approximately 430- 420 BC.   So why this silence from God?  Well…he said what he had to say in the Old Testament, and he was waiting for the perfect political and religious intersection to set the stage for the intended work of his Son.  That time came when the Jews were unwilling subjects to the Roman Empire. Even though they were allowed to worship freely and had limited authority in overseeing their own affairs, they dreamed of more.  They wanted once again to be the powerful nation they were under the reign of King David.

They were anxiously awaiting the prophesized Messiah, who they thought would be a powerful warrior and would free them from their bondage to the Romans.  Jesus never met that expectation, even though he fulfilled all the Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament. “How could a carpenter’s son be the Messiah, the people asked?  And the religious leaders hated him.  The Pharisees, the legalists of their day, demanded strict obedience to the laws and traditions – even though they didn’t always live up to such standards themselves. They couldn’t accept Jesus’ disregard for their rules and regulations or his harsh words for their hypocrisy.  And the Sadducees, who were the rationalists of the day, saw Jesus as a rebel rouser who they feared might attract the attention of the Romans, thus minimizing their own influence.  The only thing the two sects agreed about was the necessity to silence Jesus.  Together they convinced the Romans to crucify him.

As you continue this reading, I strongly suggest following along in your own Bible.  This is only a structural outline, intended to peak your interest, as I highlight the three sections of Matthew’s Gospel and use selected Scriptures to accentuate each subsection. This is only intended to shed light on, and to clarify, Matthew’s, and the other Gospel writers’, perspective. To do more could take this to “thesis” or “dissertation” proportions, and there are already plenty of those. 🙂  (I will present this Gospel, and certainly John’s, in two parts)

Matthew’s audience was specifically the Jews, (written approx. 60-65 AD) and his salutation is unique in his attempt to accentuate Jesus’ ties to the Jews. Not only does he refer to him as the Messiah, but also as the son of David and the son of Abraham. What follows is a presentation of Jesus’ genealogy to prove his claim to those two titles.  Then we find the first section of his Gospel, The Birth and Preparation of Jesus, the King.  (1.18-4:11)

1A.The virgin birth is important because Jesus Christ, God’s Son, had to be free from the sin-nature passed on to other human beings by Adam.  Because he was born of a woman, he was a human being; but as the Son of God, he was born without any trace of human sin. Jesus was both fully human and fully divine.  Matthew refers back to Isaiah’s prophesy 700 years before the event: “Look! The virgin will conceive a child.  She will give birth to a son and he will be called Immanuel (God is with us.) (1:23)

1B. John the Baptist prepares the way for Jesus.  “Repent!  Turn from your sin and turn to God because the Kingdom of God is near.” (3:2)   Isaiah had spoken of John when he said, “He is a voice shouting in the wilderness: ‘Prepare a pathway for the Lord’s coming! Make straight a path for him.” (3:3) John, like Isaiah, called the people to action; he wanted them to turn from their sin and turn to God.

1C. Jesus came to John to be baptized in the Jordan River.  As soon as he came up out of the water, heaven opened and a dove descended upon Jesus and a voice from heaven spoke:  “This is my beloved Son, and I am fully pleased with him”, thus confirming Jesus’ Deity.

1D. Then Jesus was led out into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted by Satan.  After forty days and nights, when Jesus was exhausted and hungry, the Devil came and tempted him three times by appealing to his physical need (hunger), his emotional need (security), and his psychological need (significance, power and achievement.)  Jesus rebuked the Tempter by standing on the truth of God’s word.

The second section of Matthew’s Gospel is about Jesus’ Message and his Ministry. (4:12-25:46) There are seven subsections, beginning with 2A . Jesus Begins His Ministry.  This section opens with Jesus selecting four Disciples: Simon (called Peter), Andrew, James and John. They traveled throughout Galilee teaching in synagogues, preaching the “Good News” and healing many.  Large crowds followed them, so Jesus presents his “Sermon on the Mount” (5-7), contrasting the teachings of heaven with the teachings of the world.  In the 8 Beatitudes, Jesus points out the traits he was looking for in his followers.  This is what he taught them, and what they will inherit:  Blessed are the poor in spirit; they will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven: Blessed are those who mourn; they will be comforted: Blessed are the meek: they will inherit the earth: Blessed are those who hunger for justice; they will be filled:  Blessed are the merciful; they will receive mercy: Blessed are the pure in heart; they will see God: Blessed are the peacemakers; they will be called children of God: Blessed are the persecuted; they will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.  He also taught about the Law, anger, lust, divorce, revenge, loving our enemies, prayer, forgiveness, money, worry, judging others, the way to heaven, and building on a solid foundation.

2B. Jesus Performed Many Miracles. (8:14-17): “When Jesus arrived at Peter’s house, his mother-in-law was in bed with a high fever. Jesus rebuked the fever and it left her. That evening many demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus.  All the spirits fled when he commanded them to leave; and he healed all the sick. This fulfilled the word of the Lord through Isaiah, who said, ‘He took our sicknesses and removed our diseases.” And again in 8:23-27: “Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples.  Suddenly a terrible storm came up, with waves breaking into the boat.  But Jesus was sleeping.  The disciples went to him and woke him up, shouting, ‘Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!  And Jesus answered, ‘Why are you afraid?  You have so little faith.’ Then he stood up and rebuked the wind and waves and suddenly all was calm.  The disciples just sat there in awe.  ‘Who is this?’ they asked.  ‘Even the wind and waves obey him.”

2C. Jesus Teaches About the Kingdom. 10:38: “If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine.  If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give it up for me, you will find it.”  11:2-5 tells us: “John the Baptist, who was now in prison, heard about all the things Jesus was doing.  So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, ‘Are you really the Messiah we’ve been waiting for, or should we keep looking for someone else?’ Jesus told them, ‘Go back to John and tell him about what you have heard and seen – the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor. And tell him: ‘God blesses those who are not offended by me.” 11:25 tells us: “Then Jesus said: ‘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.”  Jesus also taught using parables (earthly stories with heavenly meaning): “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field.  It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants and grows into a tree where birds can come to find shelter in its branches.” (13: 31-31)

I will continue next week with 2D, Jesus Encounters Different Reactions to his Ministry, and wrap up the Gospel of Matthew.

Please feel free to respond to this message, and please “like” and share with other social media friends.

May God Bless Ya…

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

I know I said last week I was going to continue  a series entitled “Who Is This Jesus” , beginning with Matthew’s perspective, and presenting each of the other three Gospel writers’ perspective each successive  week.  However, this is Memorial Day, which is one of my favorite holidays, and I would be remiss if I didn’t share my Memorial Day thoughts.  So I will continue with the Gospel presentations next week, beginning with Matthew.  Therefore, I hope you all have a great Memorial Day celebration with family and friends, and please take a moment to ponder the true meaning of this very important day.

I love America.  I believe in America.  I believe that even with all its issues facing our great country today – including the short-comings of our culture, America is still the greatest country the world has ever seen.  And when I think of the men and women who stepped up to serve in the Armed Forces in times of peril, many who never returned home to their families or loved ones, I always get a lump in my throat and a sense of pride about who “WE” are as Americans.  My father served in WW II; I served in the Vietnam era; and I am enclosing a video clip later that summarizes horrors of war as seen through the eyes of my long time hero, Colonel Arnald Gabriel.

Here is a familiar quote that packs a wallop in its truth.  “The only two people who have ever volunteered to sacrifice their life for the benefit of others were Jesus Christ and the American soldier.”  Wow!  And what was their common purpose?  So that others could be set free or remain free. Jesus’ sacrifice freed us from the bondage of sin; the American soldier’s sacrifice keeps us free from tyranny and oppression, which illuminates the statement, “Freedom isn’t free!”

Jonathan Cahn, messianic Rabbi, history scholar and best-selling author of The Harbinger, makes an interesting observation when he compares  our country with ancient Israel.  He states, “No doubt Israel was blessed from the beginning: first as a people group because they were descendants of righteous men (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob), then later as a nation, delivered from bondage to the most powerful nation at that time – Egypt. God chose to show his power through Israel because it was the smallest and weakest of nations.” 

Then he goes on to say, “America was the only other nation to receive such a blessing”.  And why was that?  Cahn continues his thoughts, “because this was a nation founded on prayer and built on Judeo-Christian principles. Therefore America would rise to heights no other nation had ever known. Not that it was ever without fault or sin, but America did aspire to fulfill its calling.” And what was that calling, you ask? According to Cahn, “To be a vessel of redemption, an instrument of God’s purposes, a light to the world. It would give refuge to the world’s poor and needy, and hope to its oppressed. It would stand against tyranny. It would fight, more than once, against the dark movements of the modern world that threatened to engulf the earth”.

The United States declared its independence in 1776, adopted the Constitution in 1787, added the Bill of Rights in 1791, and was clearly recognized as a world power by 1798.  In light of world events at that time (ie. the effects of the French Revolution), religious persecution was rampant in Europe.  America was that light on the hill; that bastion of hope for all people seeking freedom…freedom of worship, or just freedom to fulfill their dreams…to be all they could be.

An inscription at the base of the Statue of Liberty identifies America’s purpose.  It was taken from a sonnet, The New Colossus, written by Emma Lazarus in 1883 and reads: “Give me your tired, your poor; your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. The wretched refuse of your teeming shore; send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the Golden Door!”  Liberty’s image is one of strength, majesty, and hope.  It is visible in her eternally raised right arm which carries the torch of freedom.  Holding aloft a light that never fails, she represents hope to the hopeless, welcome to the poor, and courage to the meek. Facing outward toward the ocean, her lamp is a beacon on stormy seas, drawing to her shores, those from afar who seek a better life.  For these, and for countless others who embrace her message, the Statue of Liberty represents the Golden Door.  It is the passageway to liberty and freedom from oppression that is the promise of America – a land, a people, a way of life.

For Americans, freedom is our most precious possession.  “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” is a well-known phrase in the United States Declaration of Independence. The phrase gives three examples of the “unalienable rights” which the Declaration says has been given to all human beings by their Creator, and for which governments are created to protect.  It is the protection of those rights that have inspired brave men and women to answer their country’s call .

I mentioned earlier a video clip that features my life-long hero, Colonel Arnald Gabriel.  I know Colonel Gabriel as the commander of The United States Air Force Band in Washington D.C. but as you will see from the video, in World War II he served as a combat machine gunner with the famed 29th Infantry Division in Europe. On June 6, 1944 he went ashore at Omaha Beach with Easy Company, 116th Infantry, 29th Division.  He received two Bronze Star medals, the Combat Infantry Badge, and the French Croix de Guerre.  This man, and all who served this great country, should be our heros today.  They bring this phrase to life: freedom isn’t free.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152384981199627&set=vb.801829626&type=2&theater   turn volume up

My hope and prayer today is that as Americans, we will have the courage to do anything and everything possible to protect our freedoms from enemies –  both foreign and domestic. As Americans, we must never let the sacrifices of these brave men and women be in vain. I hope you’ll take time today and thank a veteran for their service, then take time to thank God for blessing our great nation.

Happy Memorial Day, and may God continue to bless America.

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

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

Good morning, Meetpastordan Readers…As I pointed out in a FB note I sent out last Tuesday, I was in New Orleans Monday, and I left my computer with my friend, Jerry to clean up and rebuild after I was hacked the day before I left  for the Big Easy.  I had intended to write a blog on Tuesday when I got back, but with the new passwords and security measures, it took me three days to get into word press to publish my blog.  By then it was the weekend, so I decided to wait until today.  I’m glad I did, because I am headed in an entirely different direction today that I would have last week.

I have been thinking and planning for awhile about writing a series entitled WHO IS THIS JESUS?  Since that is the capstone on which the whole religion of Christianity is built, I’ve discovered over the years that “who Jesus really is” is as baffling to many believers as to non-believers.  While most know “about” Jesus, few have an intimate relationship with him that can only come from understanding not only the “who”, but the “why” and the “how” of this multifaceted character.  But I was moved to start this series now, because at Grace Church-St. Louis Pastor Ron Tucker began a series entitled “Jesus in the Gospels”, a study from four vantage points.  Therefore, I will combine what his series tells us with the approach I planned to take, and hopefully the end result will be a new way of seeing Jesus, Son of David; Servant of God, Son of Man, and Son of God.  Hopefully “your eyes will see the king in His beauty” (Isaiah 33:17), and the one who “satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness.” (Psalm 107:9).

So let’s start with the “why”.  Ephesians 1: 3-5,9-10 tells us very clearly and succinctly: “How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Christ.  Long ago, even before he made 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.  God’s secret plan has now been revealed to us; …”at just the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ – everything in heaven and on earth.”

So even before he created the world (and mankind), God – being omniscience — knew that man was going to turn away from His way and pursue life according to his own plan.  God also knew that he would have to let his proudest creation wrestle with the issue of SIN according to our own strength in order to prove to us our own insufficiency and our need for a Redeemer. Therefore, he gave us from Creation until 2017 years ago to rely on our best effort, but instead of conquering mankind’s continuing dilemma (dealing with Sin) , Romans 5:6 tells us in very plain terms how we fared: “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.”  How’s that for an indictment?  And what was “just the right time”?  When we were utterly helpless to help ourselves!  So God, in his loving kindness, implemented his plan that was in place even before the world was created.

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives.  It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.” (2 Timothy 3:16)  God spoke through Prophets from Genesis into the New Testament telling of his plan that was created long ago.  The Old Testament books in the Bible (all of them written between 1450 BC and 430 BC) contained hundreds of prophecies about an “anointed one” (“Messiah” in Hebrew) who would arrive in their future. The Messiah would “deliver” or “save” all the Jewish people, bringing them to paradise or heaven. Terms used by the prophets when referring to the Messiah include Sacrificial Lamb; Shepherd, and Branch of the Lord.  1Peter 1:10-11 tells us: “This salvation was something the prophets wanted to know more about.  They prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you, even though they had many questions as to what it all could mean.  They wondered what the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance about Christ’s great suffering and his glory afterward.  They wondered when and to whom all this would happen.”  Bear in mind the Jews were looking for a Messiah to release them from their bondage to the Romans, while in fact, Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was for the salvation of all mankind.

I intend to break this presentation down into different perspectives presented by each of the authors of the four Gospels.  All were intimately connected to Jesus.  Matthew (Levi) is the first Gospel writer, and his manuscript was written approximately 60-65 AD.  (The dates of the Gospel writing is very important because all of these manuscripts were written within one generation after Jesus resurrection.  That adds to the credibility of the writers, because there were many eyewitness who could speak out against what they wrote if it were in error.)  Once he was a despised tax collector, but his life was changed by this man from Galilee.  Matthew wrote his Gospel to his fellow Jews to prove that Jesus is the Messiah prophesized about in the Old Testament and to explain God’s kingdom.  Key Verse: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them.” (5:17) Matthew presented Jesus as the Son of David, who connects Jesus with the Throne of Israel.

Mark, actually John Mark, was not one of the twelve disciples, but he served as Peter’s right-hand man and personal secretary, and he accompanied Paul on his first missionary journey. (This Gospel was written between AD 55-65) The facts contained in this Gospel most likely came from his time and interviews with Peter, but his perspective is to present Jesus as a servant.  Mark’s target audience was the Christians in Rome.  Mark presents a rapid succession of vivid pictures of Jesus in action – his true identity revealed by what he does, ie. more miracles and displays of power, and not necessarily by what he says.  Jesus is a servant on the move.  The Key Verse is “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (10:45)

Luke is unique as a writer in many ways. He was a doctor by profession, serving as Paul’s personal physician, and the only Gentile writer in the New Testament, giving us both his Gospel and the Book of Acts.  (His Gospel was written around AD 60)  The book opens with a detailed account of the birth of Jesus.  Dr. Luke, as though he were the attending physician, provides most of the details surrounding this blessed occasion.  With a divine Father and a human mother, Jesus entered history as God in the flesh.  The purpose of his writing is to present an accurate account of the life of Christ and to present him as the perfect human and Savior: the Son of Man.  The Key Verse is:  “Jesus said to him (Zacchaeus), ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too, is a son of Abraham.  For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost.” (19:9-10)

The previous three Gospels are referred to as synoptic Gospels because they contain basically the same content but from a different point of view.  But John’s Gospel differs greatly in content and approach.  He presents Jesus as preexistent, “In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (1:1) and as the Son of God.  (This manuscript was written approximately 85-90 AD)  His purpose is to conclusively prove that Jesus is the Son of God and that all who believe in him will have eternal life.  His audience was New Christians and searching non-Christians.  Key Verse: “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.  But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”  (20:30-31) Jesus is the light of the world because he offers resurrected life to all who believe.

Next week I will start with the Gospel of Matthew and examine the “hows” and the mystery of this Divine being called Jesus.

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

May God Bless Ya…

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

Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers… I would have had to been asleep at the wheel to have missed the prompting for this week’s blog.  Sometimes, as I have said before, I have to ask the Holy Spirit to lead me to the appropriate topic that will bring honor and glory to God because my “topic tank” seemed to be empty… but not so this weekend.

On Saturday, Pam and I joined some friends to attend an off-Broadway play entitled “Men Are From Mars and Women Are From Venus”, based on the book by John Gray.  It was extremely funny and entertaining, and as you might expect, extremely “worldly”.  But the crux of the topic was spot on!  Not to seem totally redundant, but men and women are inherently wired so differently, unless there is some understanding of this REALITY, confusion and conflict is unavoidable.  And in our microwave-oriented culture (meaning an immediate gratification oriented culture), when that confusion and conflict does arise, it’s becoming easier to “bail” than to work on a solution. “Wow!  What happened to him/her?  I never saw this coming.  I thought he/she loved/respected me.  This isn’t what I bargained for.  I’m not going to put up with this ‘stuff!”  So then the justification begins, and it becomes just like what we read about in the Hollywood tabloids.  “I deserve better than this!”

But on Sunday, I attended Grace Church-St. Louis where Pastor Ron Tucker is presenting this series: “What the Bible says about Relationships.”  Yesterday’s topic was “Love and Respect”, based on the book by the same title by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs.  His own summary of the book states: “The marriage relationship is built upon the fact that the ‘primary emotional needs’ for men and women respectively, are that men need respect and women need love, just like they need air to breathe. Without love, she reacts without respect; and without respect, he reacts without love. Therefore, misunderstandings in communication are expressed using simple metaphors to illustrate that men express through a blue megaphone and hear through a blue a blue ear-piece while women use a pink megaphone and hear through a pink ear-piece.”  So much for modern-day “research”.

Now let’s look at the way God sees the marriage relationship.  In his eyes this relationship is a microcosm of His relationship with us.  “We love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)  In the beginning, meaning in Genesis 1-2, God declared, “It is not good for man to be alone.  I will make a companion to help him”. (Notice the word is companion/partner, not slave!)  “So God created people in his own image; male and female he created them.”  And he charged them with this task, “Multiply and fill the earth and subdue it.  Be masters over all the fish, birds, and animals.  ‘At last!’ Adam exclaimed.  She is part of my own flesh and bone.  She will be called ‘woman’ because she was taken out of man.  This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.”  This is the answer to the mystery of marriage… the two becoming one.  When they are separated, neither man nor woman is complete.

In the New Testament the marriage relationship is compared to the relationship between Christ (the Bridegroom) and his followers (the Bride).  Notice this is an extension of 1 John 4:19 above.   Ephesians 5:21-30 explains this union. “…you will submit to each other out of reverence for Christ.  Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord, for the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church body, of which he is the Savior.  Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.  Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy and clean, washed by baptism and God’s word.  He did this to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.  In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 

I can’t tell you the number of times I have heard these all-important lines taken out of context and misquoted to support some God-forsaken agenda.  Therefore I took the liberty to boldface and underline at will to emphasize the truth contained therein.  Bear in mind that Apostle Paul was talking to believers, “God’s holy people in Ephesus, who are faithful followers of Jesus Christ. (Eph.1:1), not to unbelievers!  Therefore, the term “submit” is not meant to infer any kind of servitude.  Rather, it is something that is done out of reverence and respect for the husband, who in this case is leading his household (followers) in a Godly way.

When the term “love” is used in this context, it is always in reference to Agape (unconditional, self-sacrificial) love.  That is what Jesus expressed when he went to the cross for us “while we were still sinners.” (Romans  5:6)  Husbands, when you love your wife with that same self-sacrificial love and express it in your attitude and deeds, it fills your wife in a way that allows her to show you the respect you so desperately need. That sets up this cycle: the more you put her first and show it with your words and deeds, the more she wants to fulfill your needs; the more she fulfills your needs, the more you want to show her the love she needs; the more she fulfills your needs, ta da, to da… “Well”, you say, “that sound good in theory, but how do I do that?”

Here’s how.  First it begins by asking God to be at the center of your relationship. Let’s face it…living up to the example of Agape love as presented in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 is impossible:  “Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.  Love does not demand its own way.  Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of wrongs.  It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.  Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance.  Love will last forever….”  To accomplish this through our own effort …no way!  Why?  Because we have an adversary (satan) who gets right in the middle of these marital disputes and convinces us to dig in and hold our ground.  After all, “I deserve to have it my way!” or “I hate him when he treats me like dirt.  I’ll never let him touch me again!  These thoughts always bring out our worst words and actions.

So let’s stand on this Scriptural truth.  “God is faithful.  When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it.”  (1 Corinthians 10:13)  And that way out is the Holy Spirit, given to us when we accepted His Gift of Grace so we can make choices that bring honor and glory to him.  He knows we’re only dust, and that we are no match for satan.  But when we call on the indwelling Holy Spirit to give us His wisdom, courage, strength, insight, patience, perseverance – whatever it is we need to bring honor and glory to Him, his word says he’ll hear and answer our prayer.  It’s all about us getting “self” out of the way and calling on the Holy Spirit to work through us so we can become the person he created us to be long ago.  That turns a contentious encounter into a God- pleasing encounter.  All honor and glory be to God!  Amen.

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

May God Bless Ya…

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

Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers…Have you ever noticed, in a moment of enlightenment, that the answers you were searching for were right before your eyes all the time, but for some reason you kept stepping over them? If you’re honest with yourself – and I know you are – you know exactly what I mean.  Last night I was asking the Holy Spirit to direct me to the topic for today’s blog, and it was very quiet.  Again on my walk this morning, still nothing.  So when I sat down at my desk in front of the keyboard and asked the same question, the answer came quite clearly: “Dude…yesterday you were expounding more than once about the value of fundamental principles and the need for repeating and reinforcing them! What’s wrong with that?  If it was worthy of so much attention yesterday, why not share it today?”  Daahhh…I could only smile and shake my head. How did I miss the obvious…again?

In my Christian counseling experience I have learned one undisputable truth, and that is…the answer is always the same.  Whether someone is struggling with addictions, relationship issues, anger issues, self-esteem issues, gambling, pornography – whatever the issue might be,  the answer IS… realizing what our identity in Christ really means, and the power that comes with that identity.  Now I realize that may sound too simplistic to some readers; “one size never fits all”, you exclaim, but in this case it does!

Since we are all living in this fallen world – both believers and non-believers – “stuff happens”, to slightly misquote a popular worldly phrase.  That’s life, right?  But the answer to “life’s issues” is how we respond – or react – to them, and depending on what tools we have in our “coping with life” toolbox, that pretty much defines our behavior.  For instance, the unbeliever’s action regarding relationship issues, low self-esteem, anger, jealousy, disappointment etc. are most often “reactions” because  when “self” is being challenged or threatened, the most important thing at that moment is protecting the image they want to portray.  In virtually every case, fear in one form or another is usually the motivation  behind this behavior.  When we talk about living in these “fleshly” bodies, we are referring to actions and reactions that developed to protect or satisfy “self” when living independent of God.

As a nonbeliever, you are in this world and “of this world”, meaning you have assimilated the patterns and customs of this world and have bought into its teachings, stresses and values. Apostle Paul cautioned against this in Romans 12: 2: “Don’t conform to the patterns and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.  Then you will know (and only then) what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.” (my edit)

Now that I have defined what the answer is NOT, let me focus on the value of fundamental principles as stated in the title.  First and foremost, we serve a loving God (“God is Love”, 1 John 4:8).  God created us for a relationship with himself, and not just a here and now relationship, but an eternal relationship.  But since mankind proved itself “utterly helpless” (Romans 5:6) to overcome the issue of SIN (Romans 6:23), God sent his only Son to pay our sin ransom (with His blood) so we can partake of eternal life in Paradise that is promised to all who are in Christ.  Not only does God’s Gift of Grace seal our eternal destiny, but his salvation plan is so perfect that it includes a gift to empower those of us who are still living in this fallen world to rise above our trials and tribulations to become the person he created us to be.  And that gift is the indwelling Holy Spirit, whose purpose is to empower us to bring honor and glory to God through our thoughts, words and deeds.

Ephesians 2:10 defines the last sentence in the paragraph above: “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.”  “Now” is very important in that Scripture because before we were in Christ, we were totally focused on doing the things we wanted to do, not the “good things he planned for us long ago.” 

Being in Christ means that the moment we say we accept Him as our Lord and Savior, we are immediately “justified” with God.  To be “justified” means we are made right in God’s eyes because we are covered with the blood of Jesus.  We are immediately grafted into God’s family; now we’re his Child: our sins are forgiven; now we qualify for eternal life: we’re heir to all the promises in the Bible: we’re heir to all the blessings in the heavenly realm.  But of utmost importance to those of us who are still living in this corrupt and broken world, we have the indwelling Holy Spirit to do for us what we proved from Creation to 2019 years ago we were incapable of doing for ourselves.  2 Peter 1:3-4 tells us: “As we know Jesus better, 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 might power, he has given us all of his rich and wonderful promises.  He has promised that you will escape the decadence all around you caused by evil desires and that you will share in his divine nature.”  How is that for assurance?

So here is why I say the answer is always the same.  Jesus told us, “In this world you will have trouble.  But fear not! I have overcome the world.”  (John 16:33)  Bear in mind, if Jesus has overcome the world, so have we because we are in Christ and Christ is in us (in the form of the Holy Spirit.)  We are already victorious…we just have to know that truth and hold on to that truth!   1John 4:4 tells us that “He that is in me (Holy Spirit) is greater than he that is in this world.” (satan)  The indwelling Holy Spirit is what gives us His wisdom, power, courage, strength, patience, perseverance, whatever it is we need, to rise above and escape the decadence of this world.  (as referenced in the paragraph above) We are empowered to do this so we can bring honor and glory to God through our choices..

In the third paragraph above, I talked about fear being the motivator for many of our ungodly behaviors: fear of insecurity; fear of unworthiness; fear of powerlessness; fear of being exposed.  Bear in mind, “God didn’t give us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of love, power, and self control.”  (2 Timothy 1:10)  But when our motivation from being in Christ is bringing honor and glory to God through our choices, or desiring to become the person He created us to be, God’s gift of the Holy Spirit  empowers us to achieve those goals.  Nothing is more pleasing to God than bringing to life the truth of James 4:10: “When we come humbly before the Lord and admit our dependence on him, he will lift us up and give us honor.”  That’s exactly what we are doing when we get out of the way and call on the Holy Spirit to do for us what our human nature prevents us from doing: resisting addictive behaviors; loving our neighbor when they are down-right unlovable; forgiving those who have wronged us; living a life of honesty and integrity.

To sum this up…2 Peter, three paragraphs above, tells us we have been given “everything we need for living a godly life.”  That’s why we have been given the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit.  God wants us to succeed in this fallen world.  He wants us to be the light of Jesus in the darkness.  We’re in Christ!  We just have to rely on and use the power (the indwelling Holy Spirit) that comes from that identity.   When we do, one size does fit all.

Feel free to respond to this message, 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… Last week Pam and I had the opportunity to vacation in Florida.  We traveled the Gulf Coast from Clearwater south to Venice visiting with friends, real estate agents, and spending two days and nights at Velencia Lakes to get a feel for that property.  It was particularly awesome, but we’re still open to new discoveries.  I had prepared a blog to go out automatically last Monday, but obviously I set it up wrong.  I’ll hold that one in reserve because I have a completely different idea about what I want to share today, and I want to dedicate this to my dear friend, Rick.

Isn’t it interesting that when we meet someone for the first time, the conversation usually revolves around our profession, where we’re from – and maybe even why we’re here, where we went to school, our family, and sometimes, but rarely, we might even have a chance to mention our faith; “I’m Lutheran, Presbyterian; Methodist, Catholic”, etc.  All of this gives us a chance to present the image we want the other person to see, but it doesn’t open the door to who we really are.  In other words, we have no idea what is really going on inside the other person. To get from that level of acquaintance to a real friendship takes an investment of time and desire.

In the culture in which we live today, there are a lot of faulty “success” equations that have captivated our mind.  For instance, in the book, “The Sensation of Being Somebody, Maurice Wagner points out some of these misconceptions: a good appearance plus admiration equals a whole person; star performance plus accomplishments equals a whole person; a certain amount of status plus the recognition we accumulate equals a whole person; success equals happiness, and conversely failure equals hopelessness. “Not so”, he says.  “These equations are no more correct than 2 plus 2 =6.”  It is not what we “do” that defines “who we are”; it’s actually “who we are” that defines what we “do.”  But in today’s culture, that statement is often looked at as upside down.

Let me explain.  By worldly standards we have to keep up with the constantly changing culture in terms of the latest fads, fashions, changing values and morals in order to be considered “hip” or “with it.” To stand against this changing tide takes incredible knowledge of The Truth and courage, because one can expect a barrage of demeaning  labels such as “racist”, “bigot”, “xenophobe”, “masagenoist”, or  “homophobe”.  The truth is…the current culture, which claims to be tolerant, is particular intolerant with those who hold opposing views and have the courage to stand for something contrary to their way of thinking.  And truth be told, the stress and turmoil that comes from participating in this worldly “rat race” often results in what our medical profession has labeled “psychosomatic illnesses”.

So our choice is to decide where we want to find our identity.  Do we want our identity to be defined by the shifting shadows of the world, or do we want to find our identity in the immutable standards found in God’s Kingdom?  In God’s Kingdom, there is only one equation, and it is: Me + Christ = fulfillment, joy, purpose, peace and serenity.  As one who was totally sold out to the worldly way of thinking for the first half of my life, I‘ve experienced living the “lie”. In my quest for fulfillment, happiness, and purpose, my life was my job, alcohol, drugs, women, and more and more material things as I tried to fill that preverbal “hole in my soul”. But all of that was temporal.  There was always “something” missing.

On April 21^st of 2000, I finally hit my bottom.  I was caught on tape and finally saw myself as others had been portraying me – but I wouldn’t listen or believe them.  But that day became my first day in a recovery program, and it was also my first prayer after a thirty year drought.  “God help me stop drinking.  I know I’m killing myself and I know I can’t do it without your help.  Please help me.”  Nothing more ceremonious than that, but I haven’t had a drink of alcohol or used any drug since that memorable moment.  Needless to say… that got my attention, but even more important, it started me on the quest of searching for answers to the “whys”, “hows” and “ifs” of my experience.  In 2002 I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, and in 2008 I became an ordained Pastor.

Neil Anderson, author of “Victory Over The Darkness”, states that God’s will for our life is two-fold.  First is to accept his Gift of Grace (Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior); and second is to begin growing in the knowledge of Jesus Christ: who he is, why he came, what he did for us; and what he will continue doing for us right here, right now.  Jesus promised his disciples – and that includes us today who are in Christ – that he would not leave us as orphans.  He told us he would ask the Father to send the Holy Spirit (the essence of Jesus Christ) who will live in us to be our counselor, our comforter, our guide who will lead us into all Truth. The Holy Spirit will also empower us to become the person God created us to be.  God gave us this gift because he knows we are still living in our fleshly bodies; that we are living in a fallen world; and that we have a formidable foe who is hell-bent on shipwrecking our efforts to become more Christ-like.  But God’s plan for us already includes victory over this darkness!  Just keep reading. 🙂

1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us: “…God is faithful.  He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it.  When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it.”  That way out is the Holy Spirit empowering us with God’s wisdom, courage, strength, insight, patience, perseverance, whatever it is we need, to be victorious over the trial or tribulation.  Two scriptures that totally support this are: 1 John 4:4 “But you belong to God, my dear children.  You have already won your fight with temptation because the Sprit who lives in you is greater than the spirit that lives in this world.”   And nothing is more pleasing to God than when we bring James 4:10 to life:  “When you (we) bow down before the Lord and admit our dependence on him, he will lift us up and give us honor.”

Because we are in Christ, we’re in!  We inherit everything Christ did on the cross on Good Friday, and we inherit the eternal life to which he rose on Easter Sunday.  To fully understand the power and freedom we have from being in Christ, allow me to enumerate:  our sins are forgiven (Christ paid our ransom from spiritual death); we inherit eternal life (because Christ rose to eternal life); we have the indwelling Holy Spirit (so we can become the people God created us to be right here, right now); we are grafted into God’s family (we are now His child too); we are the righteousness of Christ (not because of anything we did, but because of what Jesus did for us); we are worthy and acceptable in God’s eyes (because we are covered by the blood of Jesus); we are heir to every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm; we are heir to every promise and covenant in the Bible.  How’s that for strikin’ it Spiritually rich???

The prerequisite for the indwelling Holy Spirit is being in Christ. Once we’ve accepted Him as our Lord and Savior, this is God’s gift to us so we can bring honor and glory to Him through our choices, and so we can become the person he created us to be.  When either of these two purposes motivate us, we say “Holy Spirit, empower me with YOUR wisdom, power, perseverance, courage, insight, patience, eyes to see, ears to hear” – whatever it is we need to honor God with our choice.  James 4:10 above says he will honor this request.

So the choice is yours.  Do you want to live by the standards, teachings and turmoil of this world, or do you want the simplicity of adhering to God’s equation:  Me + Christ = fulfillment, joy, purpose, peace and serenity…oh yes, and for eternity!.  I found it to be a no brainer!

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…The Easter season is upon us.  And unlike the Christmas Season, this season gets almost no attention from today’s culture, the media or the merchandise mongers.  In fact, outside of the church setting, I don’t know if I’ve heard anyone even mention the upcoming event.  Christmas gets top billing, not because it’s Christ’s birthday, but because our culture has turned the event into a shopping, buying-mania, and even our economic health is predicated on the amount of money being spent on the newest, latest, greatest fads or gadgets.  But Easter… not so much pomp and hype.  Come to think of it, I haven’t even heard about an Easter parade.  But for those of us who know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we know this is the beginning of the week that changed the world.

We are told in Ephesians 1:3-5,9-11:  “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.  God’s secret plan has now been revealed to us; it is a plan centered on Christ, designed long ago according to his good pleasure.  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 and inheritance from God, for he chose us from the beginning, and all things happen just as he decided long ago.”

From the verses above, it clearly talks about God’s “plan” and how all things happen just as he decided long ago.  Then Matthew 25:34 tells us that God’s plan for us is eternal, that it will keep playing out even after the world ends: “Then the King will say to those on the right. ‘Come you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”

So let me propose a scenario.  Let’s look at God’s “plan” as an eternal morality play of good vs. evil.  We are born into it, and we become participants in the play, unbeknown to us, and contribute in one way or the other by the choices we make.  Bear in mind, God is not only omnipotent and omniscience, but he is also Sovereign.  Therefore, his eternal plan is playing out just as he foresaw it long ago, and we, as the players, are contributing to it by the (free-will) choices we make.

So let’s look at the original Easter week and see how people played out their roles.  On Palm Sunday Jesus, sitting on a donkey, rode victoriously into Jerusalem.  The town was bursting at the seams with eager Passover visitors hoping to get a glimpse of him.  I suspect all of them had heard of him by this time, and perhaps some had seen, or possibly even experienced, his miracles.  But no doubt the people were ready to see their hero because when they heard the news of his impending arrival, throngs of exuberant visitors took palm branches and went down the road to meet him.  They shouted, “Praise God!  Bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hail to the King of Israel.”  (John 12:13)  This just goes to show you that an exuberant crowd can change its loyalty very quickly.

The Jewish leaders were concerned about Jesus being there and becoming the center of attention.  The Roman soldiers were concerned about Jesus being there and the likelihood that the crowds could get worked up in a frenzy, perhaps even creating a disturbance.  Bear in mind, the Roman soldiers didn’t take kindly to putting down disturbances.  So let me propose another scenario.

Do you suppose the Roman authorities might have approached the Jewish leaders with this proclamation: “This city is packed with Passover guests and we know this Jesus of yours is a rebel -rouser. The last thing we want is to have to put down a civil disturbance.  Therefore, it will be your responsibility to make sure things don’t get out of hand.  Keep an eye on him.  Keep him secluded.  Because if a riot does break out, we are going to close down the Temple and there will be no Passover celebration.”   Could you imagine the fear this would have put in the Pharisees?  The thought of Passover being cancelled!  What could be worse?  “

So, how do we get Jesus out of the way to be sure he doesn’t cause any trouble”, they ask among themselves. “I know”, comes the answer.  “I’ve heard about that one disciple; I think his name is Judas.  He might be vulnerable if we offer him a bribe.”

Now at an event this big, we can always count on one uninvited guest showing up.  And that would be the Prince and power of this world, satan.  And what an opportunity for him.   In fact, this looks like it can be his finest hour.  He had already primed Judas for the taking.  John 13:2 tells us: “It was time for supper and the Devil had already enticed Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to carry out his plan to betray Jesus.”  “Luke 22:3 tells us “he went over to the leading priests and captains of the Temple guard to discuss the best way to betray Jesus to them.”  This is a perfect example of one of satan’s most insidious methods of deception: putting his thought in our mind and allowing us to think it is our thought . Who knows?  Maybe Judas thought he was doing the right thing to save Passover.

For those of us who have seen “The Passion of the Christ”, the brutal torment Christ experienced on Friday of that week gives us a glimpse of the horrific pain and suffering he had to endure on the cross as he took the sins of the world upon himself to pay the ransom for OUR sins.  When Christ said “It is Finished” (John 19:30) , his death brought an end to the Old Covenant.   But the New Covenant doesn’t begin until Easter Sunday, when Jesus broke the bonds of death by walking out of the tomb.  I’ve included this very powerful presentation of these events. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cikenKl92Og

You see…God’s plan was always for Jesus Christ to do for us what we proved we were “utterly helpless” of doing for ourselves.  Because God is loving, merciful and full of grace, he did whatever had to be done so that we might spend eternity with him, Jesus and all other  Christ-followers.  This Gift of Grace is available to anyone who will accept it, “regardless of who we are or what we have done.” (Romans 3:22)  While many in this world are ignorant of this truth and have no idea who God is, let alone who Jesus is, our charge is to carry forth this Easter message and to pray for those who are still lost.

I’d like to close with Apostle Paul’s eloquent Easter message found in Romans 3:23-25.  “For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard.  Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty.  He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins.  For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God’s anger against us.  We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us.”  As we play out our role in God’s eternal morality play, my prayer is that we all will commit our self to standing for good, and sharing this message of love, hope and salvation with someone we know who is still suffering.

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

May God bless you abundantly, and Happy Easter to one and all.

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

Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers…I have written many times before about the need for developing a platform of faith.  This platform is made up of individual planks which contain Scriptural truths on which we can stand when facing trials and tribulations, satanic assaults, or self-doubt. It is from these Scriptural truths that we develop a sense of confidence, courage, and strength that comes from knowing that we are clothed in the Armor of God.  And we add more and more planks to our platform of faith as we grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ and experience the truth of his words coming alive in us. As Jesus told his Disciples, “If you follow my teachings, you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”

The unique quality that sets Christianity apart from every other world religion is that our criterion is based on “faith” rather than on works.  So what is faith?  Hebrews 11:1 tells us “it is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen.  It is the evidence of things not yet seen.”  In every other religion, the goal is to earn god’s acceptance and favor by one’s deeds.  We, however, are told, in Hebrews 11:6: “It is impossible to please God without faith.  Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”   And again in 2 Corinthians 5:7 we are told to “walk by faith and not by sight.”  In other words, we are to stand on the Truth of God’s Word and be obedient to it.

Today I would like to talk about two fundamental planks that are indispensable in any platform of faith.  If we stood firmly on these two truths alone, think of the courage and security we would have when facing any challenge.  The first plank can be found in Deuteronomy 31:6 when Moses passed to Joshua the leadership for taking the people into the Promised Land:  “Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid.  The Lord your God will go before you.  He will never leave you nor forsake you.”  That verse is restated many times throughout the Bible because that truth is so powerful. Think about it. If that verse were firmly rooted in our heart, how would it affect how we go about our daily business?  Knowing that God will go ahead of us – that he will never leave us or forsake us – should give us incredible confidence and security.

God was referred to above as “one who rewards those who seek him”. Our reward for diligently seeking him is becoming aware of his will for our life, and his first order of business for us is to accept his Son, Jesus Christ, as our Lord and Savior.  When we do this, we are given a new identity.  We are in Christ, meaning we inherit everything Christ did on the cross.  At this point our eternal destiny is sealed because our sins are forgiven and we now qualify for eternal life.  But the good news for us who are still living in this fallen world, is that we also inherit the Holy Spirit who empowers us to rise above the world around us to become the person God created us to be –right here, right now.  Notice that the Holy Spirit doesn’t solve our problems for us, but rather he empowers us when we call on him to give us wisdom, insight, courage, strength, patience, perseverance, etc. – whatever it is we need to bring honor and glory to God by our choices.  The Holy Spirit  – the essence of Jesus Christ living in us – responds by meeting our need(s).  Just as God (in the form of the Holy Spirit) was with Joshua , so is the Holy Spirit with us today.

The second Scripture that is indispensable in our platform of faith can be found in Luke 1:37 in response to Mary’s question to the angel Gabriel, “But how can I have a baby?  I am still a virgin.”  Gabriel’s answer to Mary was, “Nothing is impossible with God.”  Wow!  How’s that for a firm foundation on which to stand.  What more could we ask for? God, the omnipotent, omniscience, omnipresent, Alpha and Omega, Creator of the Universe, Godhead of the Trinity is in my corner.  And not only is he in my corner, but He wants a personal relationship with ME!  In fact, he wants to use ME to further his Kingdom here on earth.  But you say, “I can’t do that.  I’m not qualified.”  Well, truth be told, you wouldn’t be the first to say that.  But keep in mind…God’s in the remakin’ business and the miracle business.

When God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses wasn’t thrilled with the idea.  In fact, Exodus 3 and 4 list five excuses Moses gave for disqualifying himself from the job. 1. I’m not good enough (3:11); 2. I don’t have all the answers (3:13); 3. People won’t believe me (4:1); 4. I’m a terrible public speaker (4:10); and 5. I’m not qualified. “Please, anyone but me.”  (4:13)   Needless to say, God doesn’t always call the qualified ones, but he always qualifies the ones he calls. Also notice that he does whatever it takes to get our attention, or to get the job done. For instance, the Red Sea nor the River Jordan presented a problem for those carrying a staff.

Then there was Jonah, who when called by the Lord to go to Nineveh to proclaim His judgment against the city, went the opposite direction to Joppa where he hoped to find a ship that would take him further away from the Lord. Needless to say, the Lord had to do what he had to do to get Jonah’s attention, so three days and three nights in the belly of a fish did the trick. After the fish spit up Jonah on the shore, he went to Nineveh and the whole city turned from their sin and turned to God.

Then there was Saul, the quintessential Jewish Pharisee who maintained such strict obedience to the Law that he was never accused of any fault.  And  zealous?  Yes!  He harshly persecuted the followers of Jesus Christ. In fact, he was on his way to Damascus to bring back more Believers in chains when he had a radical encounter with Jesus Christ.  “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 8:4)  From that moment on, Saul’s life was never the same.  In fact, he became Apostle Paul and wrote 2/3 of the New Testament and carried the message of Jesus, the risen Messiah, to the Gentiles.

The purpose of these few examples is to show that God Jehovah of the Bible is Almighty, all-powerful, and nothing – absolutely nothing – is impossible with him.  Yet this same Majestic God is filled with love, forgiveness, mercy, grace, compassion, kindness, tolerance and he wants a personal relationship with each of us.  Even before he created the world he had a plan in place for our salvation.  You see, God honored his choice to give us free will from Creation to 2017 years ago.  At that time, after we proved ourselves to be utterly helpless to overcome our sin-nature, God implemented his Gift of Grace, as described in Romans 5:6. “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.”   All we have to do to accept his free Gift of Grace is believe that he is God and that he is the rewarder of those who put their faith in the Truth of His Word.  This is summed up in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but WILL have eternal life.”  Notice that the only requirement for eternal life is belief in Him, and this gift is available to anyone.

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… when Pam and I were out walking “the boys” this morning, one of my favorite childhood hymns invaded my mind.  By the time we got home, I believe I had recollected the words from all three verses.  Without fail, whenever one of those hymns captivates my thinking, it’s always a joyful experience.  It’s a flash-back to my church in Crooksville, Ohio, and I can see and hear our congregation jubilantly belting out those “oldies but goodies.”  While we were no threat to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in terms of pitch, right notes, rhythm, blend or balance, our enthusiasm could not be bridled!  I believe I started last week’s blog with a similar narrative because I also referenced a hymn for that blog. But the powerful message presented in these few verses really stirs up my emotions.  In my youthful days, it was about picking out the alto and tenor parts and fitting those notes into the musical fabric, but today it’s all about the words.

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father, There is no shadow of turning with Thee,
Thou changest not, Thy compassion’s, they fail not,  As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.                             (refrain)                                                                                                                                                                                                 Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided,  Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest, Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.                                                (refrain)                                                                                                                                                                                           Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth, Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide,
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,  Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!                        (refrain)

One reason Christ- followers can stand firmly on the Word of God is because one of the majestic qualities of God Jehovah is his “immutability”.  That’s a “churchy word” meaning that God and his Word does not change!  This was clearly stated by Jesus and recorded in Mark, 13:31: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will last forever.” That’s why we can develop and put our faith in Him because his faithfulness to us is never shaken, as verbally portrayed in vs. 1 and in the refrain above. Even nature proclaims his faithfulness in vs. 2, and our strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow bears witness in vs. 3. This faithfulness is our stability in this unstable world.

As a Christ-follower, our faith develops as we begin to experience the truth of these Words changing our life from the inside out, meaning it’s a “heart change”.  And faith, “that confident assurance that what we hope for is going to come to pass; the evidence of things not yet seen” , (Hebrews 11:1) is what sets our belief system apart from every other world religion. Every other belief system is about earning God’s favor through works. But our belief tells us “it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.” (Hebrew 11:5-6)

Our reward comes from our relationship with Him.  The more we seek and come to know God, the easier it is to accept his majestic qualities, such as omnipotence (all powerful); omniscience (all knowing); omnipresent (everywhere at once); alpha and omega (no beginning or end); Godhead of the Trinity; and Creator of the universe.  While we cannot logically wrap our finite minds around such “qualities of grandeur”, what we do know is that God did not mislead us about his personal qualities of being a loving, merciful, gracious, kind, forgiving, compassionate Father because he was willing to sacrifice his only begotten Son so we could join him in an eternal relationship.   Therefore, through his faithfulness and through his Love, we come to realize and accept his majestic qualities.

With such a rock on which to stand, it is clear why our “source of strength for today and our bright hope for tomorrow” (Vs. 3 in the hymn above) comes from God.  For those of us who are in Christ, it’s easy to say, “How do those who don’t know what we know get along in the world today?”  I think the continuing rise is addictions, broken families, suicides, violence, corruption, intolerance, and hatred answers that question. THEY DON’T!  Our society is morally and spiritually bankrupt, and if people continue to seek relief from any other source of strength than Jesus Christ, they are settling for a counterfeit solution that will never provide a lasting solution .   So what is the answer?  We Christians…Christ-followers, are the answer.

Apostle Paul addresses this same conundrum in the first century.  “Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.  But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him?  And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?  That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news”!   (Romans 10: 13-15)  Jesus also gave us a commission before he left the earth.  He said in Matthew 28:18-20):  “I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth.  Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Teach these new disciples to obey all the commandments I have given you.  And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

So… we know the Truth.  But it isn’t enough for us just to know the Truth.  Our commission is to share the Truth with those who are lost and suffering.  Our culture isn’t teaching this truth.  Our media isn’t teaching this truth.  Our schools aren’t teaching this truth.  Most families aren’t teaching this truth. Our calling is to be Jesus’ light in this dark world; to let his love shine through us.  Don’t forget what it means to be in Christ.  2^nd Peter 1:3 tells us, “As we grow in our relationship with Jesus, his divine power (Holy Spirit) gives us EVERYTHING we need for living a godly life.”  Our charge is to call on the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom and courage so we can share the truth of the Good News with those who are still suffering.  Jesus has set us free. Now let’s pay it forward by sharing the Truth that can set others free!

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

May God Bless Ya

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

Good Morning Meetpastordan Readers…When I opened my eyes at “0-dark:30 hour”, one of my favorite childhood hymns was resounding in my mind, taking me back to my Evangelical United Brethren Church days.  “All to Jesus I surrender, all to Him I freely give. I will ever love and trust Him, in His presence daily live. I surrender all; I surrender all; all to Thee my blessed Savior, I surrender all.”  I loved singing the hymns, but I have to admit that I was much more interested in picking out the alto and tenor parts than I was is listening to the message of the lyrics. But today…Wow!  I am amazed at how succinct, yet powerful those words are.

Three weeks ago I mentioned that I was in prayer asking for guidance concerning a topic for that particular day, when I got a download of topics that was going to last me for the month.  Well, this is week three of that “topic jackpot”, so I suspect this hymn was to remind me of today’s message…and remind me it did!  That hymn perfectly encapsulates today’s topic.

In God’s eyes, the principle of “First” cannot be ignored.  Let’s start with his Law.  Not surprising, the first Commandment is “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from Egypt, the place of your slavery. You are to have no other god(s) before me.”  And just so you don’t miss it, the first Commandment is restated in the second Commandment: “Do not make idols of any kind, whether in the shape of birds or animals or fish.  You must never worship or bow down to them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will never share your affection with any other god!”

In other words, God wants to be first in our lives, and he’s made it quite clear that he’s not interested in sharing our attention or affection with any other “god”.  Now just to be crystal clear, a “god” is anything that replaces Him as first in our life, and it can take the form of our money, our job, striving for power and prestige, more bigger and better material “things”, relationships, addictions, etc.  “Wow”, you say, “That’s impossible.  I can’t do that!”  And you would be right.  It’s against our human nature to surrender to something we don’t know about, can’t see or can’t touch.

But God has made it clear to us that “if we will seek him, we will surly find him.” (Jeremiah 29:13)  And once we have come to know God, it doesn’t take long to figure out that his will for us is two-fold.  First, that we accept his Gift of Grace – Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior; and second, that we continue to grow in our relationship with Jesus.  It is in this process of becoming more Christ-like that our life begins to change and the blessings start to come.

Because God is a loving God and we are his proudest creation, he delights in blessing us. And he displayed how much he wanted to bless us when he implemented his plan for our salvation, and that was in place even before the world was created.  Romans 5:6 describes this scenario:  “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.”  Notice that God didn’t wait for us to clean up our act to be ready for redemption.  No indeed!  This is the perfect example of his unconditional, unending, unfailing love for us.  We had proven to him from Creation to 2017 years ago that we couldn’t do it ourselves, so he “gave his only begotten Son” (to pay the price for our sins), that whoever would believe in him would not perish, but have eternal life.”  Notice the qualification for this gift…”that whoever would believe in him”.  No “ands” or “buts” attached to it. It’s all about belief and trust.

When God gave the 10 Commandments to the Israelites, those ten laws were given as civil law.  Remember the Israelites had been in bondage to Egypt for four hundred years, so once they were given freedom and were wondering around in the wilderness, they had no idea how to live as a self-governing community. Chaos prevailed.  So God gave these Commandments to Moses and his chosen people so they would be safe and could live in peace and harmony.  All God asked was that they would obey and trust him and the Commandments, and if they agreed, he would bless them abundantly.  That promise is still in effect today, and “yes” it still presents as much a challenge to us as it did to the original recipients thousands of years ago.

One way God has asked us to show our trust in him is to provide the gift of “first fruit.”  When we give our best to Him in everything we do, he is faithful to bless us for our faithfulness.  This principle goes all the way back to Genesis and Cain and Able.  Able was a herder, and he brought an offering to God that was his first-born lamb.  God accepted this because it was the first-born.  Cain was a farmer, and he completed his harvest first, then he brought to God a bushel basked of fruit that had fallen from the tree to the ground. God did not accept this offering because he wants our best first.

In Exodus 3:2, God says, “Consecrate to Me all the firstborn males… both man or beast.  It is mine!  For the livestock, if an unclean animal such as a donkey (for example) was first born, it had to be redeemed by the sacrifice of a clean first-born lamb. That is the only way it would be acceptable to God.  Do you see how this principle still holds true today?  Man is born unclean because he is a descendent of Adam.  Christ is the clean (sin free) sacrificial lamb who’s blood was shed to redeem us.  And the sacrifice of Jesus put an end to all sacrifices.  His payment forgives our sin forever.

Four hundred years before the birth of Jesus Christ, God spoke through the Prophet Malachi and addresses the principle of giving our first-fruit to him. He also is specific in his challenge and the promised blessing. “I am the Lord, and I do not change.  Ever since the days of your ancestors, you have scorned my laws and failed to obey them.  Now return to me, and I will return to you,’ says the Lord God Almighty. You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me.  You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me.  Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple.  If you do’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘I will open the windows of heaven for you.  I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in.  Try it!  Let me prove it to you!  Your crops will be abundant…your grapes will not shrivel before they are ripe.”  (Malachi 3: 8-11)  Could God be more specific about his desire to bless us for our faithfulness?

The term “tithe” means 1/10^th.  But to receive the blessings from God, he wants our tithe to be our first-fruit, unlike Cain’s.  His promise to us is that if we give to him in faith our first 10%, he will bless our remaining 90% “with a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in.”  It is very important to see what God blesses.  It is not our amount: it is our faithfulness, it’s our trust in Him to do what he says he will do!! 

Everything we have comes from God; our gifts, our talents; our breaks in life; our salvation. It’s all his, and from him.  We are just stewards of these gifts while we’re here, but how we use them will have eternal consequences.  He gave us his best… “his only begotten Son.” So why would we hesitate to give him our best?  Remember, it’s all about the heart…our heart.  Giving to God first is how we say, “Thank you for what you’ve done for me.  And it gives him the opportunity to do what he loves to do in return…to bless us!!

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)