Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers… this question about our salvation is perhaps the most frequently asked question I receive from both believers and non-believers.  From believers, I believe this question is rooted in the fact that they know they’re still “falling short of God’s glorious standard.” (Romans 3:23)  From non-believers, I believe they are concerned about not having the “fun” they think they’re having now, and they’re already concerned about establishing a “plan B”… just in case.  So let’s look at what it means to “be saved”.

The first and most important question to ask is, “what are we being saved from?”  And the obvious answer is, “our self.”  Jesus said he came “to set the captives free”.  (Luke 4:18)   And what captives was he referring to?  Us!  We are born with a sin nature, meaning we are born with the focus of “self”.  If you doubt that, look at a baby when he/she first comes out of the mother’s womb. What is the first thing a baby does?  Cry.  What does the baby learn to do when it wants something? Cry.  What is the first thing a baby becomes aware of? “SELF”.  The truth is, the baby can go from the cradle to the grave with the focus on “self” and miss the whole panorama God has planned for it, unless along the way it becomes aware of its own insufficiency.   Living with the focus on “self” rather than on God is referred to as “living in sin”, and therein lies the problem.

Living “in sin” means we are following “our plan” and not “God’s plan” for our life, so what inevitably happens is somewhere along the way we all realize that something is missing. Consequently we try to fill that “hole in our soul” with alcohol, drugs, affairs, money, power, prestige, cars, boats, homes, and we discover we still aren’t “happy”.  In fact, many times we discover these things only exacerbated our misery, and we are now facing predicaments we just can’t overcome through our own effort.  This is when many of us are willing to cry out that famous prayer of surrender… “God help me”, and this is also that moment of truth found in James 4:10: “When you bow down (come in humility) before the Lord and admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor.”

So here’s what happens when we are saved.  We’ve become willing to turn our will and our life over to God’s will for our life.  Neil Anderson, author of “Victory Over the Darkness”, refers to God’s two fold plan for our life.  First, he wants us to accept his Gift of Grace.  Second, he wants us to begin the process of Sanctification, meaning he wants us to become more Christ-like in our thoughts, words and deeds.

When we accept God’s Gift of Grace, we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  At the moment we say “I do”, an incredible transformation takes place in our spirit.  2 Corinthians 5:17 describes this event: “We become a new creation in Christ. The old has gone (our sin nature); the new has come.” (the Holy Spirit)  At this moment we become “Justified” (made right) with God, meaning our sins are forgiven; we inherit eternal life; we are grafted into God’s family – we are now his child; we receive the indwelling Holy Spirit; we are now worthy and acceptable in God’s eyes; we are a Saint (more to come on this subject); we are heir to all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly realm; and we are heir to all the promises in the Bible.  Wow!  How’s that for hitting the jackpot!!  2 Peter 1: 3 describes this new state of being: “As we come to know Jesus better, his divine power (Holy Spirit) gives us everything we need for living a godly life.  He has called us to receive his own glory and goodness.”  Now that I have laid this ground work, we are ready to deal with the topic of this blog regarding our salvation

As new believers, we quickly become aware of the battle we are in as a Christ-follower.  As long as we were participants in this fallen world (meaning before we accepted God’s Gift of Grace), Satan pretty much left us alone because he already had us where he wanted us.  But once we made a decision to pull away from the Dark Domain and walk in the Light, we now have a target on our back and satan isn’t going to give us up without a battle.  But fear not, because Jesus told us: “In this world you are going to face trials and tribulations, but be courageous because I’ve overcome the world.”  Since Jesus has overcome the world, so have we overcome the world because we are in Christ.

Bear in mind, we are in a process of becoming more Christ -like, and like any process, there are ups and downs.  No doubt satan is a formidable foe, and he knows all the right buttons to push, and he knows our vulnerabilities. But since there are still strongholds in our mind that are filled with old habits and old thought patterns that we developed when we lived independently of God, many times the enemy uses them against us as he presents his lies and deceptions.  When we fall victim to his tactics, many times we respond in despair just like Apostle Paul did in Romans 7: 14-25.

But here is the good news in all of this. When I listed above what it meant to be in Christ, one of the blessings was the new title, “Saint.”  When this term is used in the New Testament, it means to be a believer; to be sin-free and set apart for sacred purpose.  Even more important, it means that now, even though we fall short of God’s glorious standard, it is not counted against us as sin because Jesus already paid the price for our sin.  In God’s eyes we are a Saint who has fallen short in the process of becoming more Christ-like.  All God wants us to do is get up and continue down the road to Sanctification so we can complete the process of being set apart for a sacred purpose.   As long as we are in the process of becoming the person God created us to be, our salvation is totally secure!

But there is one unforgivable sin and the Bible is very clear about this. Mark 3:28-30;22  tells us: “I assure you that any sin can be forgiven including blasphemy; but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven.  It is an eternal sin.’ He told them this because they were saying he had an evil spirit.” The Pharisees said, “He’s possessed by Satan, the prince of demons.  That’s where he gets his power to cast out demons.”  In other words they were demeaning the Holy Spirit’s power by crediting it to Satan.  Hebrews 10:26-30 also tells us: “Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received a full knowledge of the truth, there is no other sacrifice that will cover these sins.  There will be nothing to look forward to but the terrible expectation of God’s judgment and the raging fire that will consume his enemies.  Anyone who refused to obey the Law of Moses was put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.  Think how much more terrible the punishment will be for those who have trampled on the Son of God and have treated the blood of the covenant as if it were common and unholy.  Such people have insulted and enraged the Holy Spirit who brings God’s mercy to his people.  For we know the one who said, ‘I will take vengeance. I will repay those who deserve it.”  I believe that is evidently clear.

As long as we are intent in honoring God with our choices, therefore becoming the person he created us to be, our Salvation is guaranteed.  If however, we deliberately continue sinning after we have experienced the truth of God’s mercy and grace, and we walk away from our faith, as if to say, “Jesus sacrifice was not enough for me”, we would be guilty of blaspheming the Holy Spirit.  Bear in mind, Jesus is the one who referred to this as an eternal sin.

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

May God Bless Ya abundantly,

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

Good Morning Meetpastordan Readers… I was laying in bed last night asking the Holy Spirit for guidance concerning today’s blog, and “woosssshh”… He  poured out a spiritual download  of topics for the next few blogs. How awesome is that!  I’ve found Him to be absolutely faithful to show up as my counselor and guide – just like Jesus said he would – when my intent is to honor God with my endeavor.  What an incredible gift from a loving God!  In all honesty, I’m the first to admit that I don’t in any way consider myself to be a “writer”.  In fact, I argued with my webmaster when he was building my website, because I told him there was no reason to include a blog capability since I had no interest in using it. But…he did it anyhow.  So three plus years and 189 blogs later, I’m quite clear that my role is to sit at the keyboard, and my Pal, the Holy Spirit, does the rest.

I’d like to reference Chapter 7of Romans (vs. 15-25) to provide a message of hope to all of us who struggle with Apostle Paul’s dilemma.  Bear in mind that the person providing this litany of pathos is the same guy who wrote 2/3 of the New Testament.  And what makes this even more surprising is that everything before and after this cry of desperation is the most beautifully inspired presentation of the Gospel of Grace ever written. (But for the purpose of this blog, it shows that anyone can be vulnerable to this kind of torment.)

So here’s what Apostle Paul reveals: “I don’t understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I don’t do it.  Instead, I do the very thing I hate…I know I am rotten through and through so far as my old sinful nature is concerned.  No matter which way I turn, I can’t make myself do right.  I want to, but I can’t.  When I want to do good, I don’t. And when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway. But if I am doing what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing it; the sin within me is doing it.  It seems to be a fact of life that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong.  I love God’s law with all my heart.  But there is another law at work within me that is at war with my mind.  This law wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.  Oh what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin.”

The answer to this pathetic quagmire is in the next verse, which I will come back to a bit later.  Now I want to reference 2 Corinthians 12:6-10 because I want to propose a connection.  “I have plenty to boast about and would be no fool in doing it, because I would be telling the truth.  But I won’t do it.  I don’t want anyone to think more highly of me than what they can actually see in my life and my message, even though I have received wonderful revelations from God.  But to keep me from getting puffed up, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from getting proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away.”  God’s answer is in the next verse, but again, I will come back to that a bit later.

Apostle Paul also addresses the sin issue that we all face in Galatians 5:17: “The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just the 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.”

So what do we conclude from these examples?  Well, in my mind it tells me that none of us – and I mean none of us, regardless of who we are, or who we think we are because of our pedigree – are immune from satan’s lies, deceptions, schemes and accusations.  If we are intent on becoming the person God created us to be, we have a target on our back, and satan is relentless is his pursuit to shipwreck our walk with Christ.  That’s who satan is, and that’s how satan works!  To dismiss his work in any way is to make yourself vulnerable to the torment Apostle Paul experienced in Romans 7 and again in 2^nd  Corinthians.  And satan never fails to show up at our moment of vulnerability, whether its pride, fear, anger, jealousy, doubt, guilt, shame, remorse etc, he’s there to stir it up!

When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, 2Corinthians 5:17 tells us what happens to us spiritually.  “We are a new creation.  The old is gone (our sin nature); the new has come.” (Holy Spirit) We are now “Justified” with God, meaning we are made right in his eyes, because we are in Christ. 2 Peter 1:3 explains what our identity in Christ means: “As we grow in our relationship with Jesus, his divine power (Holy Spirit) gives us everything we need for living a godly life.”  We are now equipped to bring honor and glory to God as we begin the transformation of becoming more Christ-like.  But how we progress in that endeavor depends on our choices, as revealed the Galatians Scripture above.

Remember, Jesus was very up-front about this journey.  He told us in John 16:33: “Here on this earth you will have many trials and sorrows.  But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” Because we are in Christ, we too have overcome the world.  1John 4:4 tells me that “the Spirit that is in me (the Holy Spirit) is greater than the spirit in this world” (satan) We just have to know that Truth and be willing to stand on that Truth.

But remember, even though we are no longer slaves to our sin nature, no mental delete button was pushed at our salvation.  The mind is still filled with strongholds (responses to life that we learned when we were living independent of God), and these strongholds must be demolished and replaced through conscious choices that bring honor and glory to God. (Ref. Galatians Scripture above.)  This is what Apostle Paul was wrestling with in Romans 7.

But here’s the good news.  Our God is a loving God.  In his plan for our salvation, he included the indwelling Holy Spirit so we could rise above our circumstances to be victorious in this world.  1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us that “…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 by calling on the indwelling Holy Spirit to empower us with wisdom, insight, strength, courage, patience, perseverance – whatever it is we need – to make choices that honor God and help us transform into the person He created us to be.

Therefore, the answer to Paul’s final question in Romans 7, vs. 25 is: “Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.”  Concerning  Paul’s “thorn in his flesh” –which I believe was his human nature (a messenger from satan) raising its ugly head to keep him from getting too “puffed up” – God’s answer was “My gracious favor is all you need.  My power works best in your weakness.”  I believe Paul’s weakness was pride, therefore his awareness that he was still vulnerability to his own human nature kept him humble.  And of course the Scriptures from Galatians 5 above remind all of us of the constant battle we face daily in our walk with Christ.  And I love that it so accurately points out that it’s all about us making intentional choices that bring honor and glory to God.

God has showed his immeasurable love for us by giving us the gift of Jesus Christ so we can enter into an eternal relationship with him.  But he also took into account the struggles he knew we would face while we are still on this earth, so he gave us the indwelling Holy Spirit to empower us to become the person he created us to be right here, right now.  That’s why Apostle Paul exclaimed this answer to his dilemma in Romans 7:  “Thank God!  The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.”  We can all shout a resounding ,AMEN, to that Truth!

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

May God Bless You abundantly…

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

Good Day, Meetpastordan Readers…I’ve just finished my quite time at my desk with the Holy Spirit.  I‘ve come to depend on these moments as I start each day, because there is nothing like the confidence that swells up inside me as I declare my intent to bring honor and glory to Him throughout  my daily activities.  I just ask him to give me the wisdom to get out of the way so he can work through me to accomplish his purpose.  And here’s what I have discovered; He is faithful to provide what I need… when I let him.  Am I perfect at this? No, but I’m certainly getting better.  When I’m plugged in and trusting Him, I see James 4:10 coming alive in my life: “When you bow down (come in humility) before the Lord and admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor.”

As I was preparing to write today’s blog, I had three ideas going around in my head.  One topic was “the subtle difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant”; another was “Don’t be Afraid; Trust me!”; and the other was “Love is the Answer”.  What came out of my quiet time with the Holy Spirit  was… “aren’t they all interwoven?  Isn’t love always the answer? When we realize that, isn’t it easier to trust? Isn’t that why the New Covenant was given?  So, here goes….

We are told in Ephesians 1:4-5,10: “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.  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.  And this is his plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ – everything in heaven and on earth.”  Hummm…so why do you think he had a plan for our salvation already worked out even before he created the world (or man)?  Could it be that he knew –even before he created us – that we were going to go astray?  After all, he created us for a relationship with himself, so he knew he would have to give us free will so we could choose to enter into that relationship.  But I suspect that because he IS God, in his omniscience he knew exactly what was going to happen.  He knew that his proudest creation was going to take the focus off Him and put it on “self”, therefore allowing SIN to enter the world.

God gave us (Mankind) from creation to 2017 years ago to wrestle with the dilemma of SIN.  In fact, on Mt. Sinai he even gave us ten rules to live by so his people could live in peace and harmony with one another and bring honor and glory to him.  But unfortunately those ten rules proved to present the ultimate challenge to our “human nature” (self-centered nature), and instead of becoming the people God created us to be, we continued a downward spiral until we reached the pathetic state referenced in Romans 5:6. “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.

Two paragraphs ago, in Ephesians 1:10, it stated that, “at just the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ.”   And what was “just the right time”?  When we became “utterly helpless.”  The important thing to notice here is that God didn’t wait for us to clean up our act to become worthy of salvation.  No indeed!  Romans 5:8 declares that “God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners”, and verse 10 refers to us as God’s “enemies”. This attests to His unconditional, unending, unfailing love for us, because Mankind proved, without a shadow of a doubt, that we could not live a sin-free life through our own effort.  So God, in his loving kindness, gave us his Gift of Grace so we could become Sin-free and be able to come into his presence for an eternal relationship.  Now that spiritual connection that was severed when sin entered the world can be restored when we choose to become a “a new creation in Christ.”

Now let’s look at God’s plan for our salvation. When I think of the difference between the New Covenant and the Old Covenant, I always think of the old advertisement for Chapmans ice cream, which said, “it’s that subtle little difference that makes ALL the difference in our ice cream.”  So it is with the difference in the Covenants.  Under the Old Covenant we “did” to “get”.  In other words, we were trying to please God through our works in order to get his blessing.  Remember, God gave us his standard at Mt. Sinai. The problem was, and still is, that Mankind can’t measure up, because if we break even one of those Commandments we’re guilty of having broken them all. Just think about it; do you ever gossip? (bear false witness against your neighbor); do you ever covent? (become discontent with what you have and want what someone else has); do you ever use fowl language?; have you ever committed adultery (either physically or in your mind)?; do you have any idols (false gods) that you put before the one true God?(money, power, prestige, your job, an addiction etc.)  The problem with these challenges is they affect the state of our heart and we become consumed with anger, frustration, envy, greed, hatred, jealousy, hostility, manipulation, etc.  When this is the state of our heart, we are not in he process of becoming the person God created us to be.

Now let’s compare the New Covenant with the Old Covenant.  The New Covenant is not about us doing something to earn God’s approval, it’s about accepting God’s Gift of Grace through faith.  This is explained succinctly and accurately in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten (of the same substance) Son; that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but will have eternal life.”  That IS the New Covenant.  We don’t do something to get something, because when we accept God’s gift of Grace, we immediately inherit everything we need in Christ. (Notice in paragraph 3 above, in Ephesians 1:4 it says that “God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.”  At the moment we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, “we become a new creation.  The old is gone the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)  At that moment our sins are forgiven; we inherit eternal life; we are grafted into God’s family; we are given the indwelling Holy Spirit to empower us to become the person God created us to be; we are worthy and acceptable in God’s eyes; we are a Saint (set aside for a sacred purpose); we inherit all the Spiritual blessings in the heavenly realm; and we inherit all the promises in the Bible.  2 Peter 1:3 tells us that the more we grow in our new relationship with Jesus, “his divine power gives us EVERYTHING we need for living a Godly life.”

Because God knows we’re only dust and that our human nature is weak, he has given us the indwelling Holy Spirit so we can rise above our circumstances in this world to become the person he created us to be. Life is all about choices.  God has a plan for our life, and we’ll call that plan A.  Our human nature has a plan for our life, and we’ll call that plan B. Unfortunately for the new Christ- follower, this new life is a constant battle between staying in line with God’s will (plan A) and resisting the lure of Satan’s plan B.  Unless we trust in the Holy Spirit to guide our path and lead us to Plan A, we will crash and burn because we’re no match for Satan and his powerful schemes.  But the Holy Spirit IS, as revealed in 1John 4:4: “He that is living in me (the Holy Spirit) is greater than he that is in this world”. (satan)   Standing on that truth is how we become the Masterpiece referenced in 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”… even before he created the world.  The answer for our success as a new Christ-follower is to get out of the way and trust the Holy Spirit to empower us to make choices that bring honor and glory to God.  And that, My Friends, is God’s ultimate plan for our life.  The more we do this, the more we are walking “in the Spirit.”

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

May God Bless Ya abundantly…

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

Danny Silk, author of “Keep Your Love On”, used this title statement as the basis for his book regarding marriage relationships.  He goes on to tell us that “connecting” is an intentional behavior.  If we choose to connect, the relationship has the potential of growing and staying healthy.  If there is disconnection, the opposite is true.  To no one’s surprise, this is not only true of marriage relationships, but it is true of all relationships.

Step11 in the Twelve Step recovery program states this process beautifully.  It tells us that “we sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for his will for us and the power to carry that out.”  This statement, of course, follows the assumption that one has already come to grips with step 2 (We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity) and 3 (We made a decision to turn our will and our life over to the care of God, as we understand him) as Truth.  (Notice that step 2 does not define “higher power” and step 3 challenges us to come to know the “God of our understanding.”) Since the Twelve Step program is not in the business of perpetuating any particular religious belief, it leaves it up to us to do the seeking. But nonetheless, the content of the message in both steps is true.

For those of us who are followers of Jesus Christ, that is a no-brainer.  Our higher power is Jesus Christ, and the God of our understanding is God Jehovah; the true God of the Bible; the Creator of all things.  But our challenge is to “stay connected” and to grow in that relationship, and step 11 speaks directly to that process.  Notice that it is all about intentional choices, and even more specifically, about making choices that bring honor and glory to God.  Let’s take step 11 apart and examine the four sections.

“We sought through prayer and meditation”.  This puts the onus on us. In other words, it’s up to us to initiate the process (or contact).  This is substantiated in Jeremiah 29:13: “When you seek me wholeheartedly, you will find me”, and again in Matthew 7:7: “Keep on asking and you will be given what you ask for.  Keep on seeking and your will find.  Keep on knocking and the door will be opened.”  Prayer is the pathway for communication with God, and under the New Covenant Christ-followers can come directly to the Throne of God.  And if we meditate (think deeply and focus our mind the Truth found in Jeremiah and Matthew), that Truth can fortify us help us keep seeking.

“to improve our conscious contact with God.”  We stand on the Truth found in Deuteronomy 31:8: “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord is the one who goes before you.  He will be with you; he will neither leave you or forsake you.”   We know that God is always with us and we know he is our source of strength.  Therefore, why would we choose (make a conscious effort) to seek guidance from any other source.   After all, “if God is for us, who (or what) can be against us?  (Romans 8:31) When we are seeking God, nothing pleases him more. This is confirmed in James 4:10: “When we bow down (come in humility) before the Lord and admit our dependence on him, he will lift us up and give us honor.”   God exalts the humble.

“praying only for knowledge of his Will for us”.  That truth is also addressed in James 4:10 above: “and admit our dependence on him”.  God’s Will for our life is inexpressibly greater than our will.  If we fail to seek his Will, we will never experience the panorama he has in store for us.  1 Corinthians 2: 9 speaks to this: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”  And Romans 12:2 reaffirms this: “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you 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.”  When we are in line with His Will, anything we ask for will be granted.  I want to state one more time for emphasis, it does not say “anything we ask for will be granted”.

“And the power to carry that out.”  Here’s the truth about the power to carry it out.  God is our biggest cheerleader.  He loves us unconditionally, with a love that is unending and unfailing.  He wants us to win, but he knows we’re only dust.  After all, we had from Creation to 2016 years ago to wrestle with Man’s eternal dilemma – SIN – and we proved ourselves to be “utterly helpless” in that battle.  Therefore, with the coming of Jesus Christ he implemented his plan that was put in place even before he created the world (and man).  (Ref. Ephesians 1:3-14)  And that plan centered on Jesus Christ being the sacrificial lamb to pay the ransom for our sins. In other words, Jesus Christ came to do for us what we proved, without a shadow of a doubt, we were utterly helpless to achieve through our own effort. 

When we accept his Gift of Grace, not only do we receive forgiveness of our sins and eternal life –  which seals our eternal destiny – but we also receive the indwelling Holy Spirit to empower us to rise above our circumstances and life issues to become the person He created us to be.  After all…He knows we’re living in a fallen world and that we’re still in these fleshly bodies that are prone to lustful thoughts and pleasures; and he also knows that we have a powerful foe – satan- and that we’re no match for his lies and schemes.  Therefore, as Christ-followers we have the indwelling Holy Spirit to empower us to be victorious over our trials and tribulations. Because of this gift, we are already victorious in this life.  We just have to realize that Truth and take authority over our circumstances.  Jesus told his disciples in Luke 10:19: “I have given you authority over all the powerful schemes of the Enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them.  No harm will come to you.”  That is reaffirmed in 1John 4-4: “The Spirit that is in me (the Holy Spirit) is greater than the Spirit that is in this world.” (satan)

The more we connect with our source of strength, Jesus; and the more we stay in the Word; and the more we call on the Holy Spirit to empower us to become the person God created us to be, the more Christ-like we become.  According to Neil Anderson, author of “Victory Over the Darkness”, God’s will for our life is two-fold: first is to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, and second is to continue our growth in His Truth to become more Christ-like.  The Gift of the Holy Spirit is our secret weapon for succeeding in that endeavor.  Ephesians 1:14 tells us, “The Holy Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us everything he promised, and that he has purchased us to be his own people. This is just one more reason for us to praise our glorious God!”  How totally awesome is this connection!!!

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

May God Bless You abundantely,

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

Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers… In this life of only a few short years – only a “blink” in the eternal scheme of things – I’ve learned quite a few valuable lessons.  Some have been life changing; others have been life saving. But one of those valuable lessons that has been both life changing and life saving was learning to discern the difference between a contradiction and a paradox.

We all know that a contradiction is something that has aspects that are illogical or inconsistent with each other, or in other words…both can’t be right.  A paradox, however, is a statement, proposition, or situation that seems to be absurd or contradictory, but in fact is, or may be, true.  For instance, in the matter of war, victory and surrender are contradictory.  But I belong to a recovery program that holds to this fundamental paradox: the only way to win is to surrender. In this case, one depends on the other.  Not only is that paradox true in the recovery program, but in order to become the person God created us to be, it is absolutely essential that we grasp the truth of this paradox in this matter as well.

There is a song that I learned in church when I was a child, and it became one of my favorites.  It’s title is “I Surrender All”. All to Jesus I surrender; All to Him I freely give; I will ever love and trust Him, In His presence daily live. (Refrain) I surrender all, I surrender all; All to Thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all. All to Jesus I surrender; Humbly at His feet I bow, Worldly pleasures all forsaken; Take me, Jesus, take me now. (Refrain) 

Unfortunately when I was belting out this song in church, I totally missed the message.  I was much more interested in picking out harmony notes to go along with the melody than scrutinizing the words. But today when I see those words, I realize the awesome truth and the life saving message contained therein. In fact, this message is the key to becoming the person God created us to be.

Whether we are walking into a recovery room and admitting our powerlessness over whatever we put in “the blank” (alcohol, drugs, women, cars, gambling, pornography, money, power,  etc.) or whether we hit our bottom and cry our “God help me”, it all begins with humility.  Finally, at that moment, we have come face to face with our own insufficiency and realize we do need help.  We are ready to surrender.

The truth is – and  none of us realize it, nor do we really care –  but at that moment we are experiencing  the truth of a powerful promise found in James 4:10: “When we bow down (come in humility) before the Lord and admit our dependence on him, he will lift us up and give us honor.”   We have just taken the first step in a process that can change and save our life.  I used the word “can” rather than “will” in the previous sentence because whether that step produces the desired end result depends on our willingness to surrender to the process.

There are many reasons people ask for help. In the recovery sense, perhaps it’s a spouse or a boss that has given an ultimatum: “Either YOU get help  or we’re through”; or you get a bad medical report with the threat of liver damage; or the police offer you the option of getting help or going to jail. Now it makes sense to you to do this… but just until you get the “monkey” off your back.  Unfortunately there is nothing in your thought process about changing YOU. You just want relief from your uncomfortable circumstances and you’re already looking forward to “getting back to life as usual”.

Sometimes it’s not much different in the Spiritual sense. Perhaps your own mortality is becoming more real to you, so you ask yourself this probing question: “What if Bob, the Christian up the street, is right and I’m wrong?  Hummm?  Fire insurance probably makes sense in this circumstance.  So you make a decision to accept Jesus as your Savior, and you feel good about securing your eternal destiny.  Yes indeed…forgiveness of my sins and eternal life…this is good!  Maybe in your own mind you decide to seal the deal by becoming an avid church-goer,  then you even volunteer to serve on the finance committee.  But Monday through Saturday it’s pretty much “business as usual”, but truth be told…you’ve been wondering, “why am I not experiencing the ‘abundant life’ and the peace and serenity that Jesus promised “.

In Neil Anderson’s book, “Victory Over the Darkness”, he states that “God’s will for your life is two-fold.  First and foremost he wants you to accept his Gift of Grace, Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior; and secondly he wants you to participate in the process of Sanctification – becoming more Christ-like.” This is how we become the person he created us to be; and this is how we become useful in furthering His Kingdom right here and now on this earth.

When we accept God’s Gift of Grace, Jesus Christ immediately becomes our Savior.  At that moment we are Justified in God’s eyes because we are in Christ, meaning our sins are forgiven and we’ve inherited eternal life; we now have the indwelling Holy Spirit; we are grafted into God’s family; we are now worthy and acceptable in His sight, not because of anything we did, but because of the ransom paid on our behalf by Jesus at the cross; in God’s eyes we are no longer a sinner but a Saint (sin-free and set aside for a sacred purpose); we are heir to all the promises in the Bible and heir to all the Spiritual blessings in the heavenly realm.   Now at this point we have been fully prepared to participate in the process of Sanctification, but as of yet we haven’t taken the first step.  And whether we take that first step depends on our willingness to surrender to Jesus as our Lord.  (At this point it might be good to look back to paragraph three and focus on what I’ve underlined. This is all part of the Sanctification process.)

No doubt the idea of “surrendering”, or Jesus being Lord  (first and foremost) is frightening to most people.  Our first thought is, “But what about me.  I don’t want to give up my control to anyone or anything.”  That’s YOUR human nature talking.  But here’s another paradox for ya… it’s about us getting out of the way and letting, or better still, depending on the Holy Spirit to set US free.  Romans 12:2-4 addresses this: “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you 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.” The fact is…God’s Will for your life is so much greater than yours, why should you be afraid.  He wants the very best for us, as stated in 2Peter 3-5:  “As we know Jesus better, his divine power (Holy Spirit) 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 you will escape the decadence all around you caused by evil desires and that you will share in his divine nature.   So make every effort to apply the benefits of these promises to your life. Then your faith will produce a life of moral excellence.”

God gave us the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit to do for us what we proved we were “utterly helpless” to do for ourselves.  He knows we are living in a fallen world, in these fleshly bodies, and he knows we are no match for the devil.  That’s why the walk to sanctification is not done through our own effort, but  by us getting out of the way and trusting the Holy Spirit to empower us to become his masterpiece, as referenced in Ephesians 2:10: “For we are now 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.” A-men!

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

My God bless you abundantly,

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

Good Morning Meetpastordan Readers…I am really excited about this second part to the subject I started last week.  As I stated then, I wanted to introduce you to “our” enemy and his methods and tactics.  But before I jump into the “how to win this battle” part to today’s presentation, I want to let Neil Anderson share some fundamental truths so we can have a platform on which to stand.

In his book “The Bondage Breaker”, Anderson tells us that “the only power satan has over us is the power we yield to him.” He goes on to say: “Before we received Christ, we were slaves to sin.  Now because of Christ’s work on the cross, sin’s power over us has been broken.  Satan has no right of ownership or authority over us.  He is a defeated foe, but he is committed to keeping us from realizing that.  The ‘father of lies’ can block your effectiveness as a Christian if he can deceive you into believing that you are nothing but a product of your past – subject to sin, prone to failure, and controlled by your habits and emotions”.

The truth is…Christ came to set the captives free (us), and we have “everything we need for living a Godly life” (2 Peter1:3), “but if satan can keep us in bondage by his deception and schemes – and even cause us to doubt the truth of Scriptures – we will live our life accordingly.”  Another truth is…we can stay in bondage to the lies we believe, or we can realize the authority we have in Christ  and rebuke satan just like Jesus did…with the truth of the Scriptures!  Here’s a great one with which to start. (Jesus was speaking to his disciples then, but this truth also applies to his disciples today – us). “I have given you authority over all the powerful schemes of the enemy.  You can walk among snakes and scorpion and crush them.  Nothing will injure you.”  (Luke 10:19)  Now let’s revisit the conception of this plan.

“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 to himself  through Jesus Christ.  And this gave him great pleasure.”  (Ephesians 1:4-5)  Just take a moment and let those two verses soak in.  Even before He created the world and Man, God had a plan for our salvation.  I guess it’s not surprising for a majestic God, who’s omnipotent, omniscience, omnipresent, Alpha and Omega, Godhead of the Trinity, and Creator of the Universe, to know that even before he created us, we were going to use our free will for something other than for a relationship with Him.  And it happened immediately.

As I wrote in last week’s blog, satan and his minions were cast out of heaven and down to earth after a failed attempt at challenging God’s authority.  So who should show up in the Garden but satan himself disguised as a serpent, and he deceived Eve in the same manner in which he deceives us today.  His lie always casts doubt on God or the truth of his word.  “Did God really say you must not eat any of the fruit in the garden?  You won’t die!’, the serpent hissed. God knows that your eyes will be opened when you eat it”  Then he always wraps the caveat in the most alluring and tempting manner.  “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!”  With that choice came the end of Paradise and the beginning of self-centered “sin nature”, “or human nature.”

In Ephesians 1:10, we are told that “at just the right time, He will bring everything together under the authority of Christ – everything in heaven and on earth.”  Romans 5:6 tells us specifically about “just the right time”. “When we (Man) were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.”  Wow!  “Utterly helpless” is quite an indictment on Man’s inability to overcome the dilemma of Sin through his own effort.  But that was no surprise to God. After all, he knows we’re only dust.  But again, because of his unconditional, unending, unfailing love for us, he already had a plan in place for our salvation in the person of Jesus Christ.  He did for us what we proved without a shadow of a doubt we were incapable of doing ourselves.  Overcoming the issue of SIN!

God knows the struggles we have with our flesh, the fallen world in which we live, and he is well aware that we are no match for satan.  Therefore his salvation plan not only seals our eternal destiny (forgiveness of sin and eternal life), but also includes the gift of the Holy Spirit so we can honor Him right here, right now by becoming the person he created us to be.  Ephesians 1:13-14 tells us: “And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.  The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us everything he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people.”  2Corinthians 3:17-18 reinforces this: “Wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, he gives freedom.  And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more.”   This is wrapped up in 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.”

Luke Skywalker had the “force” with him.  Superman had power and ability far beyond that of mortal men.  How many of us have walked out of those movies and wished we had that same ability to be an action hero?  I know I certainly did, but then reality set in and I had to admit it was only Hollywood.  That’s not reality.  But today I’ve changed my tune.  The fact is…we have a force within us that allows us to be God’s action hero right here and now.  All we have to do is plug into that force, and get out of the way.  That’s what is meant by walking in the Spirit, or living in the Spirit.  And here’s how we do it.

The Holy Spirit does not take over our life or fix our life for us.  He empowers us to do that.  That’s how we grow in our walk to become more Christ-like.  It’s all about our free will and making conscious choices that bring honor and glory to God.  This battle is described perfectly in Galatians 5: 16-18: “So I advise you to live according to your new life in the Holy Spirit.  Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.  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.  But when you are directed by the Holy Spirit, you are no longer subject to your sin nature.”

So whether we are faced with an addiction issue, a relationship issue, a health issue, a financial issue or an anger issue…any issue, we do this.  We say, “Holy Spirit, give me wisdom, insight, courage, strength, patience, perseverance…any combination or anything else you need…eyes to see, ears to hear, an open mind… BECAUSE I want to make a choice that brings honor and glory to God, OR I want to become the person God created me to be. James 4:10 promises this: “When you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor.”  Nothing more does God want than for us to get out of the way and be dependent on his gift (the Holy Spirit) to guide us into all truth; to comfort us; to be our guide.  Just like Jesus said to Jarius when they got word his daughter had died “Don’t be afraid. Trust me.” (Mark 5:36)  That’s what walking in the Spirit is.  The more we get out of the way and trust the Spirit, the more we experience the abundant life, joy, peace and serenity that Jesus promised.  It’s not about you…it’s all about Him!

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

May God Bless you abundantly…

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

Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers…This coming weekend I have the opportunity to return to the Saint Louis Wind Symphony to conduct the second half of their concert.  What a privilege and thrill it is to stand in front of such esteemed musicians again.  In my new role as Conductor Emeritus, I will return once or twice a season to conduct on a concert…and I’m already looking forward to the next visit.  While it was a hard decision to step away from “my baby”, it has proven to be the right decision because Meetpastordan has taken on a life of its own, and I get the same sense of fulfillment here as I did when I was conducting. I definitely consider myself twice blessed.

One of my favorite Christian authors, Neil Anderson, made this statement in his book, The Bondage Breaker: “I feel one of the short-comings of the modern-day church is shying away from presenting the reality of the Dark Domain.”  He goes on to say that many pastors avoid this subject because people are frightened by the message, and because there are those who just don’t believe it. In other words, it doesn’t get high marks from the listener… sorta like the messages on giving.  But the fact is…this is a not only a real topic, it is a serious topic.  So let’s begin by examining who the devil (satan) is and why he is here. (I have made a choice –a personal one – not to capitalize the name of the enemy because I don’t want to exalt him by doing so – grammatically correct or not.  My choice.)

When God created the world, we are told that He examined it and declared that it was good (Genesis 1:31). This means that even the angelic world did not have evil angels or demons in it at that time. But by the time of Genesis chapter three, we find that satan, in the form of a serpent, was tempting Eve to sin. Therefore, sometime between the events of Genesis chapter one and Genesis chapter three, there must have been a rebellion in the angelic world with many angels turning against God and becoming evil. That rebellion did happen, and it was led by satan himself.

The Bible gives this information about satan prior to his fall.  He was created by God and his name was Lucifer, meaning “star of the morning”; he held the highest ranking position in the angelic host; he was exquisitely beautiful and possessed great wisdom; he was given a position of great power and influence; and he was called “the guardian cherub.” Isaiah14:12-15 describes satan’s fall.”How you are fallen from Heaven, O Lucifer, star of the morning! You have been thrown down to earth, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into Heaven; I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north ; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.’ But instead, you will be brought down to the place of the dead, to the lowest depths of the Pit”

Lucifer, the most exalted cherub, became satan- the tempter, the father of lies, the accuser of the brethren and the great deceiver – when he coveted what he didn’t have, and he challenged God’s authority.  That’s why Jesus tells us in Luke 10:18, “I saw satan falling from heaven (to earth) as a flash of lightening.”  But when satan fell, he did not fall alone. He took1/3 of the heavenly host with him who participated in his failed attempt to gain control of the heavenly realm.  They account for the fallen angels, or demons, that now do his bidding. As a result, satan is a fallen, but powerful, spirit-being with a well-organized network of demon powers to help him accomplish his purposes. Those  purposes, according to Jesus, are to “steal, kill, and destroy” (John 10:10).

When we are born into this world, we are born into an eternal morality play that began at Creation and will continue until the second coming of Christ.  We are participants in this play whether we want to be involved or not, and its title is “Good vs. Evil”.  We participate in this play by the choices we make, and those choices categorize us and ultimately determine our eternal destiny.  We can choose to follow the Truth (God’s Word) which leads to eternal life, or we can choose to follow the “father of lies” which leads to death. It’s all about exercising our free-will.

At the outset, satan has some advantages.  We are born into a fallen world, and we live in these “fleshly” bodies. When we come into this world, we are born with a “human nature” (or sin nature, as the Bible refers to it.)  If you doubt that, let me give this example. The first thing a new- born baby becomes aware of is “self”.  When the baby cries, it gets held, making it feel safe and warm; or it gets nursed, satisfying its hunger.  It soon learns that crying results in “self” satisfaction.  The unfortunate truth is, we can go from the cradle to the grave with the focus on “self”, and miss the whole panorama God has available to us unless we make a conscious effort along the way to change from our plan to His plan.

Let me define these three words right now: Sin, Sin Nature or Human Nature. They all mean the same thing, and that is…that we live with the focus on “self” rather than on God.  Remember… at Creation God’s “proudest creation” was  Man, and we were spiritually connected to Him.  Man was born into Paradise, and everything was provided by God.  Adam and Eve wanted for nothing. But that all changed when sin entered the world.  The serpent (satan) deceived Eve by convincing her that God was holding something good from them. “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 good and delicious, and it would make her so wise!  (Genesis 3: 4-6)  So Eve took the fruit and shared it with Adam.  Pretty crafty, right?  Well, that’s how he works, and he is the master of deception.

For those who are still unbelievers, this whole story about satan makes no sense. I know that first hand because I was a non-believer for half a century, and I was totally convinced this story was a fabrication by the church to keep it’s flock in line.  After all…I wasn’t bothered by the devil.  But what I have come to realize now is that satan didn’t bother me then – or other unbelievers – because he already had me where he wanted me – separated from God.  But when we make a choice to move from the Dark Domain into the Domain of Light (Jesus), we find out very quickly about the reality of satan.  He isn’t going to give us up without a battle, and we believers have a target on our back.

1Peter gives us this warning.  “Be careful!  Watch out for attacks from the devil, your great enemy.  He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour.  Take a firm stand against him and be strong in your faith.”  And again, in Ephesians 6: 11-13 we’re told to “put on all of God’s armor (the truth of the Bible) so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the devil.  For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those might powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.  Use every piece of God’s armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle you will still be standing firm!

This week I wanted to introduce you to your enemy.  The first rule in winning a battle is to know who you’re fighting.  So I ask you to take heed.  He is a formidable foe!  If you short-change him, you are vulnerable to his wiles, and that can have catastrophic consequences.  Unfortunately many Christ-followers fall prey to him due to lack of knowledge.  But the good news is…we’re already victorious!! Next week I want to expand this topic and talk about how to defeat our enemy.  So check back in  next week for the good news in part 2.

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… This past weekend Pam and I had the privilege of travelling to Cibola Vista Resort and Spa, about twenty miles outside of Phoenix, AZ, to be part of our close friend’s wedding.  I was asked to officiate their wedding, which took place in the Presidential Suite at 6:00, just as the sun was setting behind the mountains. The sky was spectacularly colored with golds and oranges.  What a backdrop!  We were on the balcony with the triple sliding doors opened to allow the family to view the ceremony from inside the room.  What a beautiful event!

But besides the wedding, there were other events that highlighted our trip to the desert.  None of these were planned, but they were none-the-less “divine appointments.”  I’ve discovered that these happenings are possible anyplace. It’s just a matter of us opening the door, or walking through a door that someone else opens.  And this brings me to the “word” that is the subject of this blog: “EVANGELISM”.

In my previous life (before Christ), I was the target of many well-intentioned evangelists.  And I gotta tell ya…I was always curious how they picked me out of the crowd.  Was it my behavior, my blood-shot eyes, the smell of booze on my breath…who knows?  But I was targeted more than a few times by someone who was more than anxious to tell me, “You’re a sinner!”  You’re going to burn in hell!”  And the answer was always their religion, and their intention was converting me on the spot!

Needless to say, I was not a willing recipient.  Therefore, by the time I finished telling them what I thought about  them!, I’m sure they wished they would have chosen the guy beside me.  It was never pretty…and it never worked.  That was my impression of “evangelism”; at least it was until I discovered Bill Hybel’s book entitled, “Just Walk Across the Room.”  Wow!  What an eye-opener.

In this book he talked about just walking across the room and meeting someone.  It was about showing an interest in them; asking questions and making a friend.  The intent is not to assault them, but to get to know them. And IF the conversation comes back to us and we have an opportunity to “introduce” ourselves, talk about our life before Christ, and – if appropriate – what happened and how our life is different today.  The whole point is…take time and let things develop naturally.  Our purpose is to “plant seeds” and let people see the love of Jesus in us.  The “watering”of these seeds may not even happen until a later conversation.

I am involved in a new Bible study process called T4T (training for trainers).  It developed in China, spread to Africa, and is beginning to flourish here.  It is about training people to fulfill the “Great Commission”, and the methodology is very much like the “Just Walk Across the Room” approach.  One aspect of the T4T approach that has helped me, is being able to tell my story in less than two minutes.  Here is mine for an example.

“For the first 55 years of my life I pursued my life-long dream of becoming an orchestra conductor. I achieved that goal in my mid-20’s and spent the next thirty years enjoying the success and benefits that came from my position.   I was very comfortable in that role and achieved what the world considered “success”, but there was always something missing. There was that proverbial “hole in my soul” that I tried to fill with alcohol, drugs, women, power and more material things…but they never really filled the void.

In 2000 I was caught on tape, and for the first time saw myself as others had been seeing me.  Needless to say, that was a shocking wake-up call, so the next morning I attended my first  AA meeting.  In desperation I cried out to God; “Please help me stop drinking!  I know I can’t do it myself.”  That was April 21^st, 2000, and I haven’t had a drink since that day.

Needless to say, that got my attention, so I began the journey of searching for answers.  In 2002, I met and accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and my life has never been the same.  In Him I’ve found the fulfillment, joy, peace and serenity I always wanted.  In 2007 I became an ordained Pastor, so today it is my privilege to share his message of love and salvation with others.”

So this leads me to the other events in the desert.  I’ve long since lost my fear of “sharing my faith”, but I’m always mindful of the “make a friend” approach.  So… Pam and I were sitting at the snack shop beside the pool and we struck up a conversation the waitress.  She and Pam hit it off, and the conversation flowed easily between them.  The more comfortable Jane became with Pam, the more she revealed about her life, her divorce and her issues with her children.  She became teary eyed more than once, and she kept apologizing, but Pam encouraged her.  I had been pretty quiet up until this point, but then Pam asked her about her faith.  She indicated she had tried to hold on, but now she felt totally lost and alone.  That’s when Pam said, “Why don’t you talk to Dan too.  He’s a Christian counselor”.

For the next two hours we talked and encouraged Jane (between customers),  but then it came time for us to start getting ready for the wedding.  She told us she was working until 10:00 that evening and asked if we would come back , which we did.  The point of this story is…at the end of our evening conversation, Jane thanked us profusely for just taking the time to show an interest in her, and for lifting her up and encouraging her with hope, prayers and hugs.  According to her, “you two were a God send.  Thank you!  Thank you for taking the time.” (and yes…she was “in Christ”, but  life got in the way and she drifted away.)

The point is, we are called to be God’s Ambassadors; to be Jesus’ light in this fallen world.  We have a message of hope and salvation that hurting people desperately need and want to hear.  There is really nothing to be afraid of.  In fact, you will be – as Jane said – a God-send to those who need to hear Jesus’ message of hope.

Thank you Jesus for the opportunity to serve you in such a loving way.  From the resort to the airport we had a Jesus-filled conversation with Jerome, our driver, who opened the door by mentioning his church.  Then the couple sitting beside me on the plane asked what took me to Phoenix.  I told them I went to officiate a wedding, so the next question was, “Are you a Pastor?” That opened the door for a wonderful conversation all the way to St. Louis dealing with church, faith and life issues.  They both were Christians, but like so many… they were just overwhelmed with life.  Our conversation about the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit was as enlightening and welcomed by  them as it had been by Jane the day before.

Jesus left us with these marching orders, known as The Great Commission (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 Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.  And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

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… Yesterday was my second rehearsal with the Saint Louis Wind Symphony for the February 5^th, concert.  (For those who are calendar watchers, I realize that is the same day as the Super Bowl.  Unfortunately the NFL didn’t check with our rehearsal schedule before they picked their dates, but we are accommodating them by starting our concert an hour earlier (2:00).  That should allow all the NFL fans to attend our concert and still make the big-game kick-off at 5:30)  The improvement in the music from the first rehearsal until yesterday just highlights the musical skill and commitment of the players.  I’m really looking forward to this return engagement, and I invite you all to come as my guests. 🙂

As I have mentioned before, there are many times when I think I have a subject in mind to write about, but when I sit down at the keyboard, a new subject comes into my mind so strongly that I can’t ignore it.  Such was the case today.  Now that I’m in that mode, I think it is a great follow-up to the two part series that precedes this. “HE IS UNDOUBTEDLY YOUR SAVIOR; BUT IS HE YOUR LORD?

Since I usually use the term “Christ-follower” in both writing and conversation, many people have questioned why I do that.  I’ve certainly thought about it, and have concluded that I make a conscious effort to do it for this reason.  To me, “Christian” is a label that says you have made a choice to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior.  I applaud that; I think it’s a great choice; and it certainly beats any counterfeit alternative because it promises forgiveness of sin and eternal life.  In fact, it is those two promises that draw most people to Christianity.  And well it should.  It seals your eternal destiny.

If that’s all you want out of your choice, then you’ve got it.  But what about your life right now?  Are you happy, joyous and free?  Are you living the abundant life Jesus promised?  Do you wrestle with doubt, fear, guilt, shame or remorse?  If your answer is “yes” to any of these questions, and if you are wondering “why” this is still happening, let’s examine the difference between the label “Christian”, and the way of life called “Christ-follower.”

Many people believe that when they accept Jesus Christ as their Savior, their life will “just change for the better.”  That is certainly possible, because when you say “yes” to God’s Gift of Grace, you are immediately “Justified”, meaning you are made right with God because your sin debt has been paid in full.  Apostle Paul refers to this in Romans 5:10-11: “ For since we were restored to friendship with God by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies (sinners), we will certainly be delivered from eternal punishment by his life.  So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God – all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us in making us friends with God.”

2 Corinthians 5:17 defines “ justification”: “We are a new creation in Christ.  The old has gone (we are no longer slaves to our sin-nature); the new has come (the Holy Spirit.)  We have been transformed because we have a new identity “in Christ.”  Therefore our sins are forgiven; we inherit eternal life; we are gifted with the indwelling Holy Spirit; we are , worthy and acceptable in God’s eyesot because of anything we did, but because of what Christ did for us; we are now a “Saint” (not a Sinner) because  we are covered with the  blood of Jesus; we are heir to all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly realm, and heir to all the promises in the Bible.  This all happens in the blink of an eye, and prepares us to participate in a process called “Sanctification.”

Sanctification is the process of becoming more Christ-like, and if one chooses to be involved in the process, one has to be an active participant. The difference between the label “Christian” and being a “Christ-follower” is wrapped-up this choice.  For many Christians, accepting Jesus as your Savior is enough, and it usually includes going to church, but life goes on as usual.  That’s why many unbelievers will say, “I don’t know what the big deal is…my friend “Bob” is a Christian, but I don’t see any difference in his life style than mine.”

But choosing to be a Christ-follower is the desire to grow in knowledge and wisdom so we can become more Christ-like… right here, right now, because it is in that process that we begin “living life to the fullest.”   2 Peter 1:3-4 describes this: “As we know Jesus better, his divine power (Holy Spirit) 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 you will escape the decadence all around you caused by evil desires and that you will share in his divine nature.”  The more we grow in our knowledge and understanding of Christ and his teachings, the richer our life becomes.  That’s why Jesus said in John 8:32, “if you follow my teachings you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” 

Being a Christ-follower is about living life to the fullest and being set free.  It’s about us getting out of the way and living in the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.  Most Christians are aware of the Holy Spirit as part of the Trinity, but unfortunately when it comes to the indwelling Holy Spirit and the empowerment He gives us, many are unaware.  To that end, I would like to recommend three books that I have used in many small group studies that provided a really clear, concise presentation of this truth.  “Classic Christianity” by Bob George; and two books by Neil Anderson that are a companion set; “Victory Over the Darkness” and “The Bondage Breaker”.  These books can be life-changers.

While forgiveness of Sin and eternal life seals our eternal destiny, we are still living in a fallen world; we are still living in these “fleshly bodies”; and we have a formidable foe who wants to steal our joy  and shipwreck our effort to become more Christ-like.  God’s salvation plan includes the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit because he wants us to succeed at becoming the person he created us to be, and he wants our choices to bring honor and glory to Him. The Holy Spirit doesn’t fix our problems for us, but he empowers us to rise above our circumstances and make Godly choices by relying on the Holy Spirit to empower us with wisdom, patience, insight, strength, courage, perseverance – whatever it is we need, so we can “escape the decadence all around you caused by evil desires.” (Ref. 2 Peter 1:3-4 two paragraphs up)

Our awesome God is a loving God who wants us to grow in this process of becoming more Christ-like so we can reap all the rewards and blessings he has in store for us.  In fact, 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 reveals this truth: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.  We know these things because God has revealed them to us by his Spirit…”  And to refer to a message by a well know Pastor, T.D. Jakes, “God loves to bless you.  God wants to bless you!  But he’s not going to give you those blessings until you are ready to receive them.”   And what better way to become ready to receive all God has for you than to grow in the likeness of his Son.  And when we are in that process, it is our way of saying “Thank you, Jesus” for all you have done for me.  What could be more pleasing to God?

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

May God bless Ya…

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

Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers…Yesterday I had the privilege of going back and conducting the Saint Louis Wind Symphony.  Since I stepped down last July as Music Director/Conductor, I am now Conductor Emeritus, which means once or twice a year I will conduct on a concert.  The February 5^th  concert will be my first time back, and yesterday was the first rehearsal.  What a treat to see all my friends and hear their wonderful music-making skills come alive.  Needless to say…I am blessed to be able to do this, and it got me pumped up again.  It was just like the good ol’ days… 🙂

Last week I started the first of a two part series entitled, “Undoubtedly He Is Your Savior, But Is He Really Your Lord?”.  I talked about what it means to make Jesus the Lord of your life.  This week I want to talk about how we do that.  If you missed last week’s presentation, I would encourage you to peruse it too.  You can find it at http://meetpastordan.com/he-is-undoubtedly-your-savior-but-is-he-really-your-lord-pt-1/

When we make a decision to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are immediately justified (made right) in God’s sight.  2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us exactly what happens at that moment. “We are a new creation in Christ.  The old has gone (our sin/human nature) and the new has come (the Holy Spirit).  We now, at that moment, have everything we need for living a Godly life.  For instance, we have a new identity: we are in Christ, which means our sins are forgiven; we have inherited eternal life; we are worthy and acceptable in God’s sight: we now have the indwelling Holy Spirit; in God’s eyes we are now a Saint (more on that later); we are heir to all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly realm, and we are heir to all the promises in the Bible!  All of that happens in the blink of an eye.  At that very moment, Jesus Christ is your Savior.  But whether he becomes your Lord is strictly up to you.

You are now equipped with everything you need to become the person God created you to be.  Ephesians 2:10 describes this. “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”.  To reference  once again Ephesians 1:4-5, “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.”   That plan was set in motion 2016 years ago with the coming of Jesus Christ to be our Savior.

We are now totally prepared for a new journey, and that journey is the process of  being transformed from the person we used to be into a person who is striving to become more Christ-like.  The official “churchy word” for this process is “Sanctification”.  (wowzer!  try working that into a sentence and see how far the conversation goes. 🙂  This process is also the definition of a “Christ-follower”, which means we want more out of the relationship with Jesus than just fire insurance.  We want to follow His teaching and His example so we can be set free.  In John 8:32: “Jesus told his Disciples, ‘if you follow my teachings you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”  And what did Jesus teach?  He taught about love, forgiveness, mercy, grace, patience, tolerance, acceptance, kindness, and service to our fellow man.

At this point you might exclaim, “Wow!  How can I do that in this fallen world where everyplace I look I see lying, cheating, stealing, bullying, anger, hostility, hatred, envy, sexual immorality, deceit, addictions, and sheer unchecked evil!” As a Christ-follower, we are told “not to conform to the patterns of this world, but to let the Holy Spirit transform us by changing the way we think.”  (Romans 12:2)  Jesus was very honest when he told us about this journey.  He said in John 16:33: “In this world you will have many trials and sorrows.  But take heart, because I have overcome the world!”

So the truth of that statement is… because we are in Christ, we too have overcome the world.  We just have to know that is true, and live our life accordingly.  After all, “we were not give a spirit of fear and timidity, but one of love, power and self control.”  (2 Timothy 1:7)  It is by overcoming the trials and tribulations in this life that we mature and become more comfortable being led by and walking in the Spirit.  The more that happens, the more Christ-like we become.

Remember, when Jesus was walking on this earth, he had given up his Lordship to become one of us.  Therefore, he lived his life here totally dependent on God.  In fact, he said in John 5:19, “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.”  Jesus life here modeled the truth of the Word, and his example is what we are to follow.  Since Jesus was dependent on the Father, he wants us to be dependent on the Holy Spirit.  That’s why the indwelling Holy Spirit was given to us; so we could rise above our circumstances and challenges to become the person God created us to be, and to bring honor and glory to Him through our choices.

Being led by the Spirit and living in the Spirit is about US getting out of the way so the Holy Spirit (the essence of Jesus Christ –Ref. John 14-18) can live through us.  From Creation until 2016 years ago, we (Mankind) showed without a shadow of a doubt that we were INCAPABLE of meeting God’s standard through our own effort.  In fact, Romans 5:6 refers to us as being “utterly helpless” in our own effort to overcome sin.

So how do we do this?  How do we call on the Holy Spirit to empower us to rise above our circumstances or to overcome our trials and tribulations?  Well, first we have to be in Christ.  Then we stand on the truth of James 4:10: “When we bow down before the Lord and admit our dependence on him, he will lift us up and give us honor.”   We say, “Holy Spirit, give me wisdom, insight, patience, strength, courage, perseverance – whatever it is, any one or combination of these things I need to face my problem – BECAUSE I want to bring honor and glory to YOU through my choices,OR I want to become the person YOU created me to be.”

When our motivation for what we are doing is to honor God, his Word says he will answer those prayers. 1John 5:14 tells us: “Anything that we ask for, that is in line with his will for our life, will be given to us.”   Let this last verse sink in.  Think of the power you display when you get out of the way and TRUST the Holy Spirit to work through you.  The more you do this, the more you will grow into that person God created you to be.  Galatians 5: 22-23 tells us that “when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, we will experience love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”  This is the source of the peace and serenity we all desire.

Keep in mind, this is a process.  It doesn’t happen overnight.  And as a new Christ-follower, we all will stumble and fall short along the way.  But don’t lose sight of this truth. The sin issue was solved 2016 years ago at the cross.  Because you are in Christ, our short-comings are no longer counted against us as sin.  We are no longer a sinner, but a Saint (one who’s sins are forgiven; one set aside for a holy purpose) that falls short.  All God wants us to do now is get up and keep trudging down that path of transformation.  At this point we can call on the Holy Spirit and say, “Holy Spirit, this is no  longer a short-coming I want to repeat, please help me with wisdom, courage, strength, patience –  whatever it is I need, because I want my actions to bring honor and glory to you!

This is being led by the Spirit and living in the Spirit.  And this, My Friends, is how we experience the abundant life Jesus promised us, which is characterized by joy, peace and serenity.  Enjoy the journey!  And enjoy life to the fullest!

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)