Good Morning, my Friends.  This is one of those days when I rolled out of bed at 0-dark-thirty, and feel great!  I’m energized; I have a cup of hot coffee beside me; my two favorite pooches, Glenn and Cliff, are stretched out beside me, and I get to write about one of my favorite topics. So…as they say, I’m ready to roll.

I have talked before about how privileged I feel to be part of Grace Church St. Louis and the incredible respect I have for Pastor Ron Tucker.  For the past month we have been engrossed in a message-series entitled, “New Creation Realities”.  What a liberating topic!  When we, as Christians, grasp the truth that we are, in fact, a “new creation”: the old is gone; the new has come (2Corinthians 5:17), and that our “new identity” is based on who we are in Christ, it will absolutely rock our world!  And it is this reality that empowers us to rise above this fallen world to live the life we are called to live as Christ-followers.

Two fundamental truths of Christianity are: God is love; and God wants a relationship with us…each and every one of us; and eternal relationship, regardless of who we are or what we have done.  (Take a minute and just let that truth sink in.)  Those two Scriptural facts are the foundation of the “Gospel of Grace”, as succinctly presented by Apostle Paul in Romans 3: 21-25, 27-28. “But now God has shown us a different way of being right in his sight – not by obeying the law, but by the way promised in Scriptures long ago.  We are made right in God’s sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins.  And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done.  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 His anger against us.  We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us.  Our acquittal is not based on our good deeds.  It is based on our faith in Jesus Christ.” (my underlining)

The stumbling block with the Gospel of Grace is it is too simple.  “Surely there must be more”?  “I know I have to do more than just accept God’s “gift of grace”.  OK…God might forgive some people, but me…with my background.  Not a chance!  The good news is…that thinking is based on lies.  The truth is…God wants to save you.  He wants to save you for his Kingdom by saving you from yourself!

Since God is Love, an intrinsic part of his character is to be merciful, as described in Romans 5: 6, 9-11. “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.  And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s judgement.  For since we were restored to friendship with God by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be delivered from eternal punishment by his life (and raised to eternal 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 reconciling us to God.”

The concept of mercy can be a hard one to grasp.  Our human nature wants to “get even” when we are wronged, and that idea is certainly reinforced by the culture in which we live. For instance, how often have you heard, “I have no pity on that person”, or “I hope he gets what’s coming to him”, or “he deserved that”?  While all of us have probably made such statements – and to our way of thinking it is right and natural, but God doesn’t always see things the way we see them.  For instance, He spoke through the prophet Isaiah and revealed, “My thoughts are completely different from your thoughts; my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.  For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”

God’s revelation through the prophet Isaiah is exemplified in verse 11 in the paragraph above.  When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.”  (Notice Apostle Paul includes himself when he used the word “us”, reinforcing the truth that ALL of us fall short of God’s glorious standard.)  Being helpless is one thing; being utterly helpless points out the depravity of the human condition as seen through God’s eyes. (It’s important to notice here that He didn’t wait for us to clean up our act!)  And while He doesn’t define at just the right time, we had from Creation to 2015 years ago to wrestle with the dilemma of mankind: SIN, meaning living with the focus on our self rather than on God.  God’s plan, even before the world was created, was to send a Savior to do for mankind what he knew we would be incapable of doing for ourselves.  Ephesians 1:4-5 explains His plan this way. “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.”

That last sentence might come as a surprise, but it again reveals God’s loving and merciful nature.  When He created us, he created us in his image and for a purpose.  And that purpose was for a relationship with him.  HE wanted (wants) a relationship with us.  HE loved (loves) us.  And HE gave us “free will” so we could choose to love him back and enter into that relationship.  But there is one issue that stands in the way of that relationship blossoming, and that issue is SIN.  We can’t come into the presence of God if we are stained with sin, as revealed in 1Peter, 1:15: “You must be holy…as God is holy.”  Why?  Because sin spreads, contaminates, kills and destroys.

Holy means “to be set apart for sacred use; standing apart from sin and evil” (NLT concordance) Since man, of his own volition, cannot achieve sin-free status, God’s Gift of Grace transcends that problem.  If we believe that Jesus Christ is who he claimed to be – the Son of God, who came as a sacrificial lamb to pay the ransom for our salvation – and we accept him as our Lord and Savior, we become a new creation in Christ. We are immediately grafted into God’s family, meaning we are his child; our sins are forgiven; we are promised eternal life; we are worthy and acceptable in God’s sight; we are heir to all the covenants and promises in the Bible; we are heir to all the Spiritual blessings in the heavenly realm.  Now when God looks at us, he doesn’t see a sinner…he sees Jesus Christ because we are covered with His blood.  All barriers that stood between us and God have been removed, as explained in Romans 8:1-2: “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.  For the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you through Christ Jesus from the power of sin that leads to death.” 

Not only is our eternal destiny sealed when we accept God’s Gift of Grace, but the power to live the life we are called to live – right here, right now in this fallen world – is only made possible by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  This is also part of God’s salvation plan.  He wants us to be his light in the world’s darkness.  So when we call on the Holy Spirit to empower us to change our desires so we can become “God’s masterpiece by doing the good things he planned for us long ago” (Ephesians 1:10), the Holy Spirit will make it possible for us to rise above our circumstances in this world and bring honor and glory to God through our decisions and actions.

Regardless of who we were, our new identity today is based upon who we are in Christ_.  And as hard as it is to grasp, God always finds a way to make our mistakes and weakness his/our strength. The more that becomes a reality, the more we experience the rest and abundant life Jesus promised.  It’s all about us getting out of the way so Jesus can live his life in and through us.  Only God could have conceived a plan so perfect.

The God we serve is a God of Love, Mercy and Grace. As Watchman Nee would say, I would like to close with two Scriptural facts.  “Nothing is impossible with God”. (Luke 1:37)  And Zephaniah 3:17: “The LORD your God is with you, HE IS MIGHTY TO SAVE. He will take great delight in you; he will quiet you with his love; and he will rejoice over you with singing.”  That is not only good news…that is extraordinarly good news!!

So my question to you is…have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?  If no…why not?

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)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of my fondest childhood memories is recalling our church body being emotionally caught up in the singing of the traditional hymns.  I always liked the iambic pentameter-type writing, the simple harmonies, and especially the emotional rush I got from being part of that collective spirit.  The piano was often out-of-tune, or the organist would play her share of “colorful notes”, or take liberties with the printed rhythm, but that never distracted from our zealous praise and worship.  I still find myself mentally singing, or if alone in my car, bellowing out those time-honored hits!

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

What a Friend we have in Jesus,  All our sins and griefs to bear!  What a privilege to carry,  Everything to God in prayer!

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

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

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

To drive home the power of the first sentence, I will defer to John 15:13: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”  That display of faithfulness was the ultimate display of Jesus’ love for us.  And that display was also God’s plan, “even before the world was created” (Ephesians 1:4) so that we could be sin-free and worthy to come into His presence  and spend eternity with Him- not because of anything we did, but because of what Jesus did for us.

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

Think about the power of that truth.  Now that we are in Christ, we inherit everything that resulted from Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. We are sin free; we are forgiven; we are worthy and acceptable in God’s eyes; we become His child; we are the righteousness of Christ (only because we inherited His glory); we are heir to all the promises and covenants in the Bible; and “heir to every blessing in the spiritual realm.” (Ephesians 1:3)  AND, because Christ is in us, “I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” (Galatians 2:20)  Therefore, since we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (the essence of Jesus Christ) in us, we are no longer slaves to our sin nature.

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

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

Now let’s look back at the hymn and the rest of the truth in verse 1.  “All our sins and griefs to bear,” and “O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we often bear”.  Jesus told us in Matthew 11:28-30:  “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you.  Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light.”  For instance, when two oxen are yoked together (usually a younger one on the inside and an older one on the outside), one is learning from the other.  When we are yoked to Jesus, we learn THE truth, and that truth sets us free.” (John 8:32)

Once we realize the work was done by Jesus 2015 years ago and no longer do we have to work to earn God’s approval and acceptance, we can finally find “rest” because we are in Christ.  Our eternal destiny is sealed.  And because we have Christ in us in the form of the Holy Spirit, we can rise above this fallen world to become God’s masterpiece as explained in Ephesians 2:10: “For we are God’s masterpiece, created anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”  Now add to that this exclamation point of truth. One of God’s many promises tells us we are already victorious because, “He that is in me (the Holy Spirit) is greater than he (satan) in this world.!  Do you see that?  We are already promised victory because we are no longer slaves to our sin nature.  We can now count on the Holy Spirit to empower us to make decisions that are pleasing to God. 

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

“But we should never be discouraged because we can take it to the Lord in prayer.”  God’s salvation plan is absolutely perfect.  Our eternal destiny is sealed because we are in Christ, and the indwelling Holy Spirit empowers us to rise above this world and become the person God created us to be. And in so doing, we bring honor and glory to God.  When we are in line with God’s will, he will hear and answer our prayer.

So, “have we found a friend so faithful… who will all our troubles share?”  Absolutely!  Jesus Christ, who laid down his life for our salvation!  He said he came to give us rest, and he said he came that we may have life, and have it abundantly.  Only when we understand who we are in Christ and grasp the truth of that new identity – a Child of God, forgiven, acceptable and worthy in his eyes, the righteousness of Christ, heir to all the covenants and promises in the Bible, and heir to all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly realm – can we begin to experience both the promised rest and abundant life. I encourage you at this point to scroll back a few paragraphs and once again compare the stark difference of life directed by our sin nature (or “human nature” as our politically correct culture describes it) and a life directed by the Holy Spirit.  Then ask yourself the source of your life; which list describes your life??

The good news is… “Jesus does know our every weakness.  He knows we’re only dust. (Psalm 103:14)  He knows that because, as the Son of Man, he experienced the brokenness of this world…Oh, did he experience it!!  He knows what we face as his followers.  But even if we stumble…even if we fall, “if we take it to him in prayer”, the Holy Spirit will give us the wisdom, patience, perseverance, courage strength, whatever it is we need to continue to grow in the likeness of Christ.  As long as we turn to Him as our source of strength, we can count on him to empower us to be the person  He created us to be.  And that, my friends, is the goal of a Christian life!  Amen!

May God Bless Ya…and please feel free to respond to this message, and to “like” and share this with other social media friends.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m so sorry this is a day late.  Early yesterday morning we were awakened by a minor explosion in our house.  The good news is…everyone is OK and the house is OK, but cleaning up the mess was timely and tedious. Consequently, everything yesterday was off schedule.  But I’m bright and chipper today, so happy Belated Memorial Day.

If you are middle-aged (or even a bit older), you probably have had moments when you look at the world around and think, “What happened to the world I once knew?”  Everything is so crazy today.  How did that happen?”  No doubt the world is changing at warp-speed in terms of technological advances. That in itself a bit daunting!  And if you don’t keep up, it’s easy to fall further and further behind the maddening crowd. Now couple that with the moral decline of our culture; the economic uncertainty of today; a government that has become more intrusive in our personal lives; and a volatile world stage, and you have the recipe for exasperation extraordinaire!  No doubt there are times when the alarm sounds at 0-dark-thirty,  the overwhelming temptation is to pull the covers over our head and assume the familiar fetal position.  “I can’t face another day!”

So how did this happen?  Well, it happened gradually.  Over the years we all saw small changes that caught our attention, but if they didn’t affect us personally, it was just as easy to turn our backs and say, “that is none of my business” or “I’m not going to get involved.”  But those little changes have cumulatively led to big changes (and challenges), so now when we realize they ARE affecting each one of us, the task of turning the tide is daunting indeed!  It’s easy once again to find ourselves saying… “what can I do?  It’s too big for me!” (hum…Moses said the same thing.)

So when we are faced with a dilemma, we always have choices.  Whether it is a personal dilemma or a social dilemma, we first have to decide: “where am I going to turn?” and “who can I trust?”  In today’s culture, there is an attempt to woo us into believing that the government will take care of us.  But is that true?  Can we trust that solution?  My belief is…let the track record speak for itself.  But that is only my belief; each one of us has to ask ourselves that same question and qualify the answer in our own minds.

In today’s culture, lying, cheating and stealing have become a common occurrences.  That is unfortunate because it has numbed our sensitivities to its insidiousness.  It has also created a cynicism toward  traditional values.  That is again most unfortunate because I believe the answer lies in time-honored values that have proven themselves to be worthy of such distinction. Sometimes the newest, latest, greatest intellectually-driven philosophy spouted by the social icons of our generation, is nothing more than intellectual drivel. Such popular spokespeople for the cause might be actors, sports figures, or our politicians.  And no doubt their spew might sound good to the vulnerable (those looking for “something” or  “anything”), but it is,unfortunately, rooted in the fallibility of man…and we all have seen the fallibility of man in the world around us.  It seems that those who are perpetuating the myth have themselves fallen for the original lie… “you can be self-sufficient; you don’t need  God.”(Genesis 3:5)

Looking back to the truths of the Bible, or referring to the governing documents of our Founding Fathers, is considered by a large portion of the intelligentsia to be “old fashion”, “out of touch”… or even worse, “intellectually challenged”, meaning out of touch with the “new world” vision.  For those not grounded in the truth of God’s Word, such labels can be intimidating.  No one wants to carry such a burden, so it is easy to start doubting oneself and asking, “am I right in what I originally thought?  I have to admit, this new age thinking can sound pretty enticing?”

But when you ask yourself that question, you have just opened the door to satan’s playground, and nothing does he like more that deceiving us by creating doubt and ambiguity.   And he is the master!  Therefore our only shield for such an encounter is found in Ephesians 6:10-13: “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on all of God’s armor (the truth found only in God’s Word) so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. ¹² For we^] are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.”

If we look up “truth” in the dictionary, we will find a definition that includes such terms as “fact”, “reality” and “consistent”.  That definition IS God’s Word.  But the only way to accept that truth is to experience it…to experience it coming alive in our own life and shaping our reality.  And contrary to the popular thinking of today’s culture, His Word IS timeless.  Jesus was very specific in John 8:32 when he told his Disciples: “if you follow my teaching, you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”

And what did Jesus teach?  To love God; to love our neighbor, forgiveness, mercy, grace, and service to others.  (hum…are those things evident or lacking in today’s culture?)  But experiencing the truth of God’s Word is predicated on the first two words:  “IF YOU…”  And therein lies the answer to the moral decline of our culture.  Not many people step-up to that challenge today. After all…our culture believes itself to be too sophisticated to yield to the confines of a musty old book! Proverbs 3:5-6 warns us of that trap: “Trust in the Lord in all you do; do not lean on your own understanding.  Seek His will in all you do and he will make your path straight.”

Whether speaking to individuals or speaking to nations, God’s Proclamation has been resounded by prophets of old and by current religious leaders: “Turn from your sin and turn to God!”  The history found in the Bible tells us that when we, as individuals or as a nation, are in line with God’s will, we are blessed; when we are out of line with His will, we will suffer the consequences of our decision.  Allow me to list some Biblical truths that are relevant to this discussion; truths that give us hope in this crazy, messed-up world:

2 Chronicles 7:14: “Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land.”

Jeremiah 18: 8-10: “But if I announce that I will build up and plant a certain nation or kingdom, making it strong and great, but then the nation turns to evil and refuses to obey me, I will not bless that nation as I had said I would.”

Luke 13:3, when Jesus was speaking to a crowd, “…And you will also perish unless you turn from your evil ways and turn to God.”

Ezekiel 18:21:  “But if wicked people turn away from all the sins and begin to obey my laws and do what is just and right, they will surely live and not die.”

Romans 22-24: “We are made right in God’s sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins.  And we can ALL be saved in the same way, no matter who we are or what we have done.  For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard.  Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us NOT GUILTY!”

James 4:10:  “When we bow down before God and admit our dependence on him, he will lift us up and give us honor.”

Luke 1:37: “For nothing is impossible with God!”

On this Memorial Day, let’s take time to give thanks for all the brave men and women who have willingly stepped up to protect the freedom we now experience.  The powerful statement, “Freedom isn’t free”, is much more than a bumper sticker; it is a willingness to sacrifice whatever necessary to protect the freedoms as outline in our Founding Documents.

And let us also pray earnestly for God’s mercy and grace for our country; a country that has clearly turned away from God.  Let us pray for revelation in the minds and hearts of our leaders that they may realize their own insufficiency and turn to God for wisdom.  And let us pray for courage and leadership from our Churches that they will stand firmly on the truth of God’s Word.

Happy Memorial Day to one and all.

May God bless ya,

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

 

Isn’t it interesting that we sometimes make assumptions, but then find out what we thought to be “the case” turns out not to be “the case”.  For instance, take the matter of listening and hearing.  When a group of people attend and hear the same presentation, not everybody hears the same message.  Well…in reality they did hear the same message, but how they processed and related to the words depends on various factors such as maturity, background, and/or previous experience.

For example, I grew up in a small fundamentalist church in Ohio.  The message I remember hearing week after week reminded me that I was a sinner who had better clean up my act or God was going to punish me.  The emphasis was on sin with the threat of Hell, so I had was encouraged to make frequent pilgrimages to the alter to confess my sins and ask for forgiveness. Needless to say, I became a regular guest.

But unfortunately for me, I had an active teenage mind filled with new and exciting teenage thoughts, so I was always waiting for God’s hammer to drop. I was fearful of this God, and in my mind I knew he didn’t like me or what I was doing or what I was thinking. It was also at this time when I began looking around the church and realized that the person collecting the offering, reading the scripture or directing the choir was the same person who, Monday through Saturday, was a frequent customer at any of our local bars and was often embroiled in local scandals. The concept of hypocrisy came to life right before my eyes.  So needless to say, when I left home and was college-bound, I had my fill of “church”.  I couldn’t wait to strip off that bondage and spread my wings to take flight.   I maintained that attitude for the next forty years!

I followed my passion, which was music, and it was good to me throughout my career.  But most of my adult life, however, was spent in a Barnum and Bailey world enjoying, not only the opportunities and thrills of music-making, but also the opportunities and thrills of partying.  And truth be told…I became a hardy partyer and couldn’t get enough of all that entailed!  But like every other story that follows this self-indulgent path, mine too came to a crashing end. But even at this point, I was one of the lucky ones.  I found my way to the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous.  And true to its purpose, AA became the beginning of a new life that I had never planned for, and certainly would have never thought possible. But it did become possible because 1. I learned to listen; 2. I learned to take direction and 3. I became willing to pursue the answer to “what if”.

So if I sum-up my life prior to the AA experience, it was a life that was self-centered, self-serving, and self-absorbed.  My quest was to fill my need for more, more, and more.  So how does one get from this place of darkness into the light?  Well…I believe it begins by realizing our own insufficiency. (This is also referred to as “humility”.)  Unfortunately, we are most susceptible to this “new concept” in a state of brokenness, which usually follows a traumatic experience such as the loss of a loved one; the loss of a job; a divorce, the consequences of an addiction, an arrest, exposure of our secret life, etc.  When we are out of our own options and have no other place to go, that famous prayer of surrender, “God…please help me!” opens up the door for a miracle.

The door opened because this time our plea is different from our previous prayers: “God, help me not to get caught tonight”; God, help me get…;  God, help me do…”  No, those prayers were all about you asking God to bring YOUR plan to fruition…help me, me, me!  This time your heart is different.  You are broken; you are humble.  This time your plea is professing YOUR need for God.  This truth is exemplified in James 4:10, “When you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor.”  Jeremiah 29:13 reinforces that message: “You will seek me and you will find me if you seek me with all your heart.”  Our hope is in the truth of that message.  How do I know that?  I experienced that truth come alive in my life.

I spoke earlier about the possibility of “what if”.  For me the miracle of the AA program began by teaching me to listen and to re-think.  Remember, prior to this I was self-sufficient; totally sold on the gospel of Presgrave, even though there was no basis for that gospel other than it was what I believed to be true.  Well, so much for that gospel.  It took me deeper and deeper into darkness, and finally to my place of brokenness.

At this point there had to be a choice; more of the same, or “what if”?  “What if ” the 12 Step process is the answer?  “What if” what these people are saying is true…even though I didn’t like listening and re-thinking?  “What if” the lifting of the compulsion to drink from me was a miracle?  “What if” God, the one these AA people are talking about, really is loving and forgiving?  Well, I wanted that elusive something I saw in them, so I decided to take the plunge.  But I still wanted the answers to the “what ifs”, and it was that part of the journey that added a whole new dimension to my understanding of truth.

While I certainly thank AA for giving me the second chance at life and for opening my eyes and my ears to new ideas, I believe it was that groundwork that opened my heart to what followed.  About two years into my journey, I was asked by a friend in recovery if I had found God yet?  “Well, I believe I’m getting closer” was my reply.  He invited me to go with him to his church the next weekend.  He said he found something different there that kept him coming back, and he encouraged me to give it a try.

At this point I was amenable to giving church another try.  I had certainly become enlightened to my faulty past thinking, so I was willing to go with an open mind and heart.  As I sat and listened to the message that Sunday morning, it was like it was written specifically for me.  Instead of being a musty two-thousand year old history lesson that I felt had no relevance to my life, it was like the scriptures were written that very morning.  It was about how to apply the truth of these scriptures to everyday living.  There was no mention of sinning and Hell, but the emphasis was on God’s gift of grace, Jesus Christ, and what he did for me.  I heard that I’m a child of God and he DELIGHTS in me. (Wow…that got my attention!)  It was about carrying this message of truth and inviting hurting people to church.

When I left church that morning, I was cautiously optimistic.  I had the church bulletin with me that listed the Scriptures Ron used to build that day’s message, and I wanted to read them myself to be sure he had not embellished them in any way.  At home I had (someplace?) one of my Mother’s Bibles. It was the KJV and I really struggled with that presentation, so on the way out of church I stopped at the bookstore and purchased a Life Recovery Bible (NLT) so I could go home and check out the Scriptures.  I was satisfied with my findings, and was hooked.  I have been a willing student ever since that life changing experience with God’s Word.

The reason I am writing this is because I have come to believe that not everyone hears the message.  In many cases they just aren’t ready to hear it.  They are still following their own gospel and haven’t yet come to grips with their own insufficiency. I say this because I believe if I had stopped by church before the AA experience, I too may have missed the message because of my preconceived notions and my previous church baggage.  I believe people hear the message when they’re ready to hear the message.  In other words…it takes what it takes.

But the good news is…whenever we are ready to seek God with the intent of repenting (meaning ready to change direction; ready to change our ways), the God I know today is waiting with open arms, just like the Father in the story of the Prodigal Son. (Luke 15:11-32)  And more good news…God meets us wherever we are.  As Jeremiah 29:13, (stated above) tells us, “if we seek Him we will find Him.”  And the more we seek Him and develop a relationship with him, more and more truth of the scripture is revealed.  As Jesus stated in John 8:32, “If you follow my teachings you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”

I want to close by quoting Apostle Paul.  “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.” (Romans 12:2)  And finally, Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”  That is inspirational, no doubt, but when you understand that Paul was in prison at the time he wrote it, it takes on an even deeper level of inspiration.

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

May God bless ya…

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For those of you who have visited my website or have followed my postings, you are aware that my journey of transformation began in the rooms of a 12 Step Recovery program.  After a thirty-eight year spree of alcoholism, the compulsion to drink was lifted from me in the blink of an eye on April 21, 2000.  At my very first recovery meeting the seeds of “what if” were planted, and the willingness to pursue “the answer” took on a life of its own.  My life has never been the same since that awakening. 

I have thought on numerous occasions about “how” such an unbelievable chain of events – and with such impeccable timing – came “to be”, and I can only credit the hand of God for what I now believe was nothing-less-than a miracle.  Me…a self-absorbed, know-it-all whose life had been committed to getting what I wanted; as much as I wanted; when I wanted it; and without any concern for the collateral damage, “miraculously” became willing to change. In my mind I KNOW there is only one answer, because nothing – absolutely nothing – about that scenario bears any resemblance to my former self!

But I’ve discovered that’s how God works. His faithfulness is exemplified in James, 4:10: “When you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor.” Wow!  That’s exactly what happens.  When we come face to face with our own insufficiency, our hearts soften and a sense of “willingness” sets in.  That’s when most of us surrender to the famous “prayer of brokenness”:  God help me!  But this time it’s different!  This time it’s not about getting the monkey off our back. This time we have come face to face with this truth: I am not god, but what I want and need more than anything else right now is to feel His presence…to know that He’s real; to know that he hasn’t written me off because of who I am or what I have done.

Get ready my Friends, because when we reach this point of surrender, it’s time for a Prodigal Son moment.  What I – and millions of others – have discovered at this moment of truth is this: the Father who has been waiting and hoping for the return of his lost son meets us – not with a wagging finger ready to point out our loathsome failures – but with open arms and with the beautiful message we were hoping beyond hope to hear: “Welcome Home, my beloved son.  What took you so long?  Have I got a feast planned for you!”  There it is!  The miracle has been unwrapped, and will continue to unfold as long as we participate in the process of transformation.

But with anything new, we have to keep the fire burning and the embers glowing. In other words, we have to keep adding new wood and fanning the flames or those embers will eventually die out.  You see…miracles are opportunities: opportunities to experience something new; opportunities to change.  The miracle we experience as the result of our “prayer of brokenness” gives us an opportunity to experience a second chance at life.  How that plays out depends on whether we decide to participate in the process of transformation.  Willingness is the answer.  Without willingness, you’re toast!

What got us to this point is the reality of Step 1 in the Twelve Step process.  We admitted we were powerless over “____” (alcohol, drugs, money, work, power, prestige, cars, boats, women, anger, jealousy…) and as a result our lives have become unmanageable.  In other words, we realize we are slaves to our “addiction”.  The actual truth is…we no longer have the “addiction” but the addiction has us!  We have no other place to go. We have come face to face with our own insufficiency; our own brokenness.

As hopeless as that reality is, the solution is in Steps 2 and 3.  We came to believe that a power greater than our self can restore us to sanity. The Big Book of AA states, “the reason we need a higher power is to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.” As Christ-followers, we know that there is only one higher power: Jesus Christ.  (I will elaborate on this in later paragraphs.)

Step 3 states:  We made a decision to turn our will and our life over to the care of God…as we understand him.  That last part is crucial.  You had better come to know your God: what defines his nature; what does he say; what does he says about us; what are his standards; are there promises; if so, how we can achieve those promises?  Let me be clear…the God I am writing about is the God Jehovah, the God of the Holy Bible.

When we come to the realization that our quagmire is a result of our own will (our own making), there is something “welcoming” about turning our will over to His will, especially if we grasp the reality of the word “care.”  That was a stumbling block for me.  Even though I saw and read “care”, what I heard in my own mind was “control.”  Please don’t make that same mistake.  It could not be more untrue.  In fact, God gave us free-will and has always honored that…for better or worse.

But “care” is only shrouded in goodness.  If someone has a caregiver, what does the caregiver do?  Well, he looks out for their best interest; he sees their needs are met; he keeps them safe…just like God’s relationship with Adam and Eve in the Garden.  They wanted for nothing.  God wants to be our caregiver too, but in order for that to come to fruition, we have to participate in the process of relationship building and change.  Let me state one Biblical truth here.  God is defined in by one word in the Bible. Love.  God is love.  So if that defines his nature, the only thing he can beget is goodness.  Think about it.  If you truly love someone, do you generate evil toward them?  Of course not.  This is reinforced by the Biblical fact found in Romans 8:28: “God works for the good in all things for those who love him and are called to his purpose.”

Now let’s talk about the reality of Step 2 and how it is the pivotal point of our successful experience with both sobriety or our walk with God.  In successfully carrying out either endeavor (or hopefully both at the same time), we have to overcome three obstacles. 1. We live in these fleshly bodies and are subject to lustful desires.  2. We live in this fallen world and temptation abounds at every turn.  3. And we have an evil enemy (satan) who is hell-bent of shipwrecking our best efforts. He is not called the accuser of the brethren for nothing, so he will fill our head, if we let him, with such lies and deceptions that we won’t know up from down or black from white.  If we doubt or underestimate the power of these three nemeses, we are almost certainly doomed to failure.  But…….

Step 2 IS the key to success in both our walk in sobriety and our walk with God if our higher power is Jesus Christ.  As Christ-followers, we know that when we accepted Him as our Lord and Savior, something supernatural takes place at rebirth.  It is explained in 2Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old is gone, the new has come.”  What that means is our “old self” (our sin-nature…or human-nature, as our culture calls it) is taken away supernaturally, and in its place comes the “new creation” – the new self.  The indwelling of the Holy Spirit (the essence of Jesus Christ) replaces our sin-nature and we are no longer slaves to our old self.

Jesus told his Disciples it was better that he was going away because he would ask the Father to send to them the Holy Spirit.  He explained it in John 14:16-18: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor (Teacher, Guide, Comforter, Encourager, and Advocate) who will never leave you.  He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.  The world at large cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him.  But you do, because he lives with you now (IT’S ME) and later will be in you. (the Holy Spirit) No, I will not abandon your as orphans. I will come to you.”  This, my Friends, is God’s gift to all Christ-followers so we can successfully rise above this fallen world and our circumstances to become the “masterpiece” we are destined to become.  Ephesians 2:10 tells us: “…he has created us anew in Jesus Christ so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

The Holy Spirit is part of God’s salvation plan for us.  He wants us to successfully rise above this world and its temptations to be his light in the darkness. The Holy Spirit does not do the work for us, but empowers us pick up that shovel and start casting our mountain into the sea.  Whatever challenge we are facing, if we call on the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom, patience, courage, strength, perseverance – whatever it is we need to overcome the challenge we are facing, if our motivation is to be the person God created us to be and bring honor and glory to Him, the Bible’s promise to us is he will hear our plea.

1John 4:4 reinforces that promise: “The Spirit that is in me (Holy Spirit) is greater than the Spirit of this World. (satan)  Wow!  I’m already promised victory.  Then Jesus made it perfectly clear John 16:32: “But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”  And because we are in Christ, we too have overcome the world. We are proclaimed victors here too  when we call on the Holy Spirit to empower us to do more than we could ever do of our own volition.  This is God’s gift to us.  Now that we know we have it, let’s change the world!

Do you use your supernatural power?  Do you realize you can be your own Superman when the motivation is to honor God?

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)

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I have mentioned in previous messages, when we are in Christ, the sin-issue ceases to be an issue.  To drive that point home, let me state emphatically that Jesus Christ paid the penalty for our sins – past, present and future – at Calvary! This is clearly and succinctly stated in Romans 8:1-2; “…there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. ² And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.”  

So does that mean we no longer have to be concerned about how we live our life?  Or does it mean that since we are saved, we can continue living the way we did before we were saved without consequence?  I’ll let Apostle Paul answer those same questions; “Of course not!” (Rom. 6:15)  In fact, as a new Christian we have to be very intentional about how we live, because there is more to God’s gift of grace than forgiveness of sin.  Now that we are “a new creation in Christ” (2 Cor. 5:17), meaning that at conversion our sin-nature was replaced with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we are faced with the challenge of living the Christian life in this fallen world.  To meet that challenge our focus must shift from who we were as “sinners” to who we are today as “Saints”. (explanation below)

Unfortunately, many Christians still live the same lifestyle after conversion, seemingly unaware of their new identity in Christ.  Here are the common reasons people get stymied.  We still live in these fleshly bodies and are tempted to yield to our carnal passions and desires; we are still living in a fallen world that espouses standards quite contrary to God’s standards; and Satan, the great liar and manipulator, is hard at work in each of us trying to sabotage the new Christian life we have chosen to pursue.  Remember, before you decided to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you were a slave (not my word, but Apostle Paul’s in Rom. 6:17) to your sin-nature. Satan had you right where he wanted you; in his grasp.  The devil does not give up without a fight, and as Christians, we’re vulnerable to his tactics.  (Reference Ephesians.6:10-18)  This tells us to put on “the whole armor of God (the foundation of scriptural truth) so that we will be able to stand firm against all the strategies and tricks of the devil.”  Then we will be able to defeat Satan the same way Jesus did when He was tempted in the wilderness; with the TRUTH of God’s Word!

One of Satan’s most effective tactics is to try to convince us we are unworthy of God’s gift of grace.  Since there is no mental delete button to push after conversion, if we keep focused on who we were before we accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior, we can get mired in guilt, shame and remorse.  We all have a past; we all lived in sin, and like it or not, we are still going to continue to fall short during our new walk with Christ.  But take solace in the truth of this mini-gospel found in Rom. 3-21-25:  “We are made right in God’s sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins.  And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done.  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.”  And did God wait until we cleaned-up our act to step in on our behalf?  No!!

Rom. 5-6 tells us, “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.”  God provided a savior to do for us what we could not do for ourselves.  He did this because he is a God who loves us beyond our ability to comprehend, and he wants a relationship with us – an eternal relationship.  Rom. 8:38 tells us, “nothing can separate us from the love of God.”   So now when we fall short  -, and we all will – it’s not about continuing to plead for forgiveness, because that issue has already been solved.  Now it’s about asking the Holy Spirit to empower us to become the person God created us to be.  Our goal now is to become more Christ-like each day.

What we have been talking about is who we were before salvation.  After salvation (accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior) we are a new creation in Christ.  We also have a new identity.   Rom.1:7 refers to those of us in Christ as Saints, meaning holy…without sin; set aside as acceptable to God.  Now we can come boldly before God without any fear of condemnation; not because of anything we did to make ourselves acceptable to God, but because of what Jesus Christ did for us 2015 years ago.   Now when God looks at us he no longer sees a sinner, but instead he sees a Saint because we are covered with the blood of Jesus.  That, my friends, is why the sin issue is no longer an issue!  It was laid to rest at the cross.

But as we pursue our new journey, we know that satan will go into warp speed to try to derail our best effort to change.  Therefore we should be prepared for an onslaught of his lies and temptation.  But rather than fret, we can gain courage from our new identity in Christ: we’re a Saint, loved unconditionally; we’re forgiven; we’re worthy and acceptable to God.  And our gift from God for this very purpose is the indwelling Holy Spirit, who empowers us to step out and meet these challenges with boldness and confidence. Now we can confidently stand on the truth of John 4:4; “He that is in me (The Holy Spirit) is greater than he (Satan) that is in this world.  That is a promise from God!

We are told in Galatians 5:17-18, “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.”  But as we learned from the scripture above, we are already promised victory because the Holy Spirit will empower us to make the right choices and live a life that brings honor and glory to God.

When we realize the power of the Holy Spirit in our life, we are confident that we can become the “masterpiece” referred to in Ephesians 2:10: “For we are God’s masterpiece.  He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”  Now we are capable of becoming the person God created us to be.  Once we begin experiencing our new identity in Christ… we become keenly aware that we are no longer in bondage to our sin nature.

Before I close, I want to be very clear about the role of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit empowers us to do the necessary work to be pleasing to God.  The Holy Spirit does not do the work for us, then tap us on the shoulder and say, “problem solved, now enjoy your life.”  No!  He empowers us to do the work.

So whenever we are facing our personal mountain –  whether it is a mean person, an unkind boss, loss of a job, an embarrassing situation, or satan’s lies,etc. –  we call on the Holy Spirit to give us the wisdom, patience, strength, courage, perseverance… whatever we need, to cast that mountain into the sea.  Whenever our motivation is to bring honor and glory to God, His promise is to help us succeed.

My question to you today is…do you allow the Holy Spirit to empower you to be victorious?  If not,  why?

Feel free to give feedback to this posting.  And please feel free to “like” this and share it with other social media friends.

May God bless ya,

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

The Bible is the source of all truth, and that truth is proclaimed by its very description: The Word of God.  Therefore, because God is Love and because he wants a relationship with us, He chose to reveal himself to mankind through this source.  And because God is God – omnipotent, omniscience, omnipresent, Creator of the universe, Alpha and Omega, the Godhead of the Trinity – it is no surprise that he also knows something about relationships.

For instance, he knew that in order for a relationship to come into existence, both parties must choose to participate.  But in this case it is a bit more complicated than a relationship between two people, because God is a spirit who exists outside our five senses.  So how can we (as finite humans) relate to, come to know, and ultimately come to trust someone we can’t see or touch?

God chose to speak through prophets and scribes throughout the ages, revealing himself to us through his Word.  He has told us: 1. who he is; He is Love – “we love because he first loved us” (1John 4:19)

2. what he thinks; “my ways are not your ways, my thoughts are not your thoughts. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, my ways and thoughts are different from your ways and thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8,9)

3. what he thinks about us; “We are his proudest creation” (Ephesians 2:10)

4. what his standards are; The Ten Commandments

5. what his plans are for us; “I know the plans I have for you…plans to prosper you, not to harm  you; plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

6. what his promises are; “we are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm” (Ephesians 1;3)

7. how we achieve those promises; “we are heir to all of God’s promises because we are in Christ.” (Ephesians 1:14)

Apostle Peter talks about the authenticity of the Word.  “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophets themselves or because they wanted to prophesy.  It was the Holy Spirit who moved the prophets to speak from God.” (2Peter 1:20-21, 19)  This idea is expanded in 2Timothy 3:16-17; “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives.  It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right.  It is God’s way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing He wants us to do. 

Our term “word” comes from the Greek word “logos” meaning logic, rational thinking or truth.  Therefore if the Bible is God’s Word, it is His truth.  And the wonderful thing about the Bible is…it meets all of us wherever we are in our journey.  When we open our minds and our hearts to the words on the page (logos), those words begin directing us to the fulfillment of God’s plan, which Ephesians 1:6 tells us “has always been centered on Jesus Christ.”

Because God is God, he knew man’s sin-nature would lead us to our own destruction.  But because God is Love, his plan was always to send a Savior to do for us what he knew we could not do for ourselves.  Romans 5:6 vividly portrays our sorry state of being: “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.”

Jesus was and is the answer to man’s sinful nature, and therefore the answer to eternal life.  When we make a decision to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, “we become a new creation; the old self is gone; the new life has come.” (2Corinthians 5:17)  And that new life is made possible by the gift of the Holy Spirit.  You see, God’s salvation plan is absolutely perfect.  Because we are now in Christ, not only do we have forgiveness of our sins and eternal life – which gives us incredible peace of mind about our destiny – but we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to empower us to rise above the world around us and live the life we are called to live right here, right now.

The natural man (prior to our re-birth) does not receive the things of the Spirit of God.  “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them because they are spiritually discerned. (1Corinthians 2:14)

Therefore, because God’s words are “spirit and life” (John 6:63), to understand them beyond the logos level requires the Holy Spirit.  The logos level of experiencing the word gives us indispensable information, but there is another level of experiencing the Word that turns the information into revelation. That is referred to as the “rhema” Word of God and is explained in Hebrews 4:1-13: “The Word (rhema) of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword; it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit…it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart [the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.”  This is when the truth of Scripture comes alive in us and prepares us to handle people and situations in an enlightened way that brings honor and glory to God.  This is done by the indwelling Holy Spirit who empowers us to rise above our self and the world around us to meet life’s challenges.

For instance, people and relationships are always a challenge, right?  As Christ-followers, we are called to love our neighbors and to forgive our enemies.  But how do we do that?  I gotta be honest right here and tell ya…there are some people I find it hard to even like; and there are some I have found it really hard to forgive.  But here is one truth that has come alive in my heart and has become a cornerstone in my platform of faith: “He that is in me (the Holy Spirit) is greater than he (satan) that is in this world.”  (And no doubt satan wilI show up at my encounter doing everything in his power to thwart my efforts.)  But I have meditated and ruminated on this scripture until its truth has become as real to me as my need for water.  That scripture tells me I am already victorious!  Therefore, when I know (or even suspect) I may encounter a challenging situation, I call on the Holy Spirit to give me wisdom, courage, strength, patience, perseverance – whatever it is I need – to handle this matter in a way that brings honor and glory to God.  When my motivation is to honor God in the way I handle life’s challenges, I have experienced the truth of that scripture time and time again.

Apostle Paul was very specific in Romans 12:2: “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. (through new information and through revelation.) Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.”  As we begin to experience the truth of God’s Word changing us, first through the logos, then through the rhema Word of God, we begin building a platform of faith on which we can build our new life.  When we start standing on this platform and become confident about stepping out in faith, we begin living “in the Spirit.”  Galatians 5:16-23 tells us what it is like to live in the Spirit’s power: “The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants.  And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires.  These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict.  When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, out-bursts of anger, selfish ambition, envy, drunkenness, wild parties and other kinds of sin. But when you are directed by the Holy Spirit, you are no longer subject to your sin nature. The Holy Spirit will produce this kind of fruit in us:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”  

We honor an awesome God when we let the light of Jesus shine through us in our daily walk.  He gave us an incredible Gift of Grace, not because we earned it or even deserved it, but because he loves us and wants us to spend eternity with him.  The gift of the Holy Spirit was part of that gift and allows us to get a glimpse of heaven on earth right here, right now. For instance, when the truth of Jesus’ message to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; trust Me.” (Mark 5:35) comes alive in our hearts and becomes a truth we know we can absolutely stand on, we begin living in “in the Spirit.”  And the result is what everyone is looking for: peace and serenity! 

So my question to you today is…do you get the difference between logos and rhema?  If so, meditate on the truth of Jesus message to Jairus.

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

May God Bless Ya…

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

As I was leaving a recent AA meeting, a young lady stopped me and asked, “What caused you to change your thinking from a nonbeliever to a believer in Jesus Christ?”  She went on to tell me that she and her husband believed in God (of “some sort”, her words), but they both struggled with the idea of Jesus. Their stumbling block was, “how could any rational, intelligent person accept a story that sounds so much like a fairy tale?  Is Jesus really such a “big deal.”

Wow! I totally understood that question because there was a time when I struggled with the same issues.  But the fact is…today I realize that at that time in my life I was knee deep in ignorance.  Not ignorance in terms of stupidity, but ignorance of “the” truth.  My transformation followed the path of the Jesus’ directive to his Apostles found in John 8:32: “…if you follow my teachings, you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”  

For the first half century of my life, I was a devotee to the gospel of Presgrave.  I considered myself an intelligent guy; I was self-sufficient and life was good. But, as is usually the case with the proud and arrogant, at some point we come face to face with our own insufficiency, usually when we discover that our plan has taken us places we never have intended to go.  That was true in my life.  So in my state of brokenness I cried out, “God help me”, and the God that I thought had abandoned me because of my unworthiness wrapped his arms around me and said, “Welcome home!  I’ve been waiting for you…what took you so long?”

But back to the opening question.  I told the young lady I  believed that if any rational, intelligent person would open the Bible to the Book of Matthew and started reading, and if they connected the dots along the way, they could not come to any conclusion other than  ‘ Jesus is not only a big deal; Jesus is the ONLY deal’   But  I also suggested that before she and her husband continued to wrestle with the truth of Jesus Christ, they should first get clarity in their own mind  about God.  I believe that unless they understand that God is Love and he wants a relationship with them – an eternal relationship, they’ll have a hard time grasping the significance of Jesus or why he had to come into the world.

I am reminded of Apostle Paul’s visit to Athens. As he was walking throughout the city he was troubled by all the idols he saw on display.  But he noticed one that had the inscription “to an unknown god”.  When he later met and debated the philosophers, he told them: “…I was walking along and I saw your many alters.  One of them had this inscription on it, ‘to an unknown god’.  You have been worshiping him without knowing who he is, but now I wish to tell you about him.” (Acts 17:23)  The undeniable message here is we all must have a clear conception of our God.  How can we trust him if we don’t know  what he says; what he says about us; how he thinks; what his standard is; what his promises are, and how we can achieve those promises.

There are two foundational principles from which everything else written in the Bible springs.  The first: God is love. The  second: God wants a relationship with us – an eternal relationship.  If these  two principles are not  stated  this clearly and succinctly on every page of the Holy Bible,  they are interwoven in the scripture.  But even before the issue of an eternal relationship between God and man can be  considered, the issue of sin had to be resolved.  Why?  Because sin contaminates, spreads, kills and destroys. If you doubt that, just look at the world around you.  Does this look like paradise?  And remember, when God created the world and man, he proclaimed both to be good.  Therefore, the anger, hatred, lying, poverty, sickness, suffering, disease and even death were not part of God’s creation.  All of that ugliness is a result of sin entering the world.

The severity of the sin- issue is revealed in 1Peter 1:16:“…we have to be holy because God is holy.” (holy meaning to be sin-free: to be set aside for sacred use)   In other words, we cannot come into the presence of God if we are stained with sin.  But because God is Love, and because he knows our human frailty, his plan was always to provide a Savior to do for us what he knew we could not do for ourselves.   Romans 3:21-22 tells us: “But now God has shown us a different way of being right in his sight – not by obeying the law but by the way promised in Scriptures long ago.  We are made right in God’s sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins, and we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done.”  Romans 5:6 also states, “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.”  The author doesn’t elaborate on what constitutes “just the right time”, but I believe we can derive a clue from being “utterly helpless.” 

Once we come to understand that God is Love and how much he loves us, we can begin to see how vitally important Jesus is in his plan for our salvation.  Our only other route to eternal life is to live a sin-free life through our own effort, and in reality there is no chance of that happening.   That’s why Jesus told us, “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)  This is also why Jesus is not only a big-deal, but the ONLY deal! 

God’s promise to us is if we seek him we will find him. If we knock the door will be opened. The amazing truth is, God meets us wherever we are in our journey.  If we abide in Him, he’ll abide in us.  It all begins with our willingness to restore the original relationship that was damaged by the fall of man,  but once we do it, we are wrapped in His arms.  And just as I experienced, he is waiting with open arms to welcome us home.

My question to you today is, “Is Jesus Lord of your life?”  Is he really a big deal?

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

May God Bless Ya…

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

Every Sunday when I walk out of Grace Church St. Louis, I thank God for the solid Biblical teaching that is delivered weekend after weekend by Pastor Ron Tucker. His message this past weekend was “The New Creation”, and it was the nuts and bolts of who we are in Christ.  Wow!  How refreshing to bask in the glow of that reality. But after all, it’s called The Good News…and for a very good reason.  Regardless of who we are, or what we have done, or whatever tribulation we are facing, there is only one answer, as revealed in Ephesians 1: 4: “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.”  And Romans 5:6 repeats that message: “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.” In other words His plan always was to provide a redeemer, Jesus Christ, to do for us what He knew we would not be able to do for ourselves. 

For the past three weeks I have written about the importance of knowing what we believe, and the importance of standing firm in our faith.  When we look at the assault on Christianity from within our culture today, as well as the Christian Holocaust that is evident in other parts of the world, I believe a time is coming when our faith may be all we’ll have to sustain us.  Therefore, today I want to shift the focus from the ever-present challenges to our faith, to rejoicing in God’s unfathomable Gift of Grace and his plan for our victory.

But first let’s define the term “Christian”.  A Christian is one who has made the decision to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.  Period!  That’s it.  That may seem so obvious that mentioning it might appear to be redundant, but I have talked to many Christians who are wishy-washy as to whether they have actually made that decision.  They know they are good people and they know they’re involved in the church. but unfortunately such actions as regular church attendance, directing the choir, teaching Sunday school, tithing regularly, or serving on church committees do not figure into the definition of a Christian. God’s unfathomable love for us can only be understood by his Gift of Grace and how we get it.  And it’s not through our work or because we deserve it; its because God chose to save us.

I know there is a popular notion in our culture that there is more than one way to God. There are many ways to refute that error, but 1Peter 1:16 is very specific: “For he himself said, ‘You must be holy because I am holy.” (Holy means to be sin-free; to be set aside for sacred use.)  In other words we cannot come into the presence of God if we are stained with sin.  So our choices are to live a perfect life through our own effort, or to accept the ransom paid for our salvation by Jesus Christ on the cross.  Jesus provided the exclamation point to that question with this answer.  “I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me!”  (John 14:6)

Sin entered the world when Adam and Eve chose to disobey God in the Garden. From then until today, man’s sin-nature (meaning our inborn inclination to live our life with the focus on our self rather than on God) has kept man separated from God.  But because God is a God of love and one who wants a relationship with us – an eternal relationship, he was willing to sacrifice his Son to pay the ransom for our sin. Romans 3:22 tells us, “We are made right in God’s sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins.  And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done.”

When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we experience the miracle of the “Great Exchange”.  2 Corinthians 5:17 explains that transformation: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come.  The old is gone; the new is here.” In other words our sin-nature is replaced by the life-giving Spirit, the Holy Spirit.  This is evidence that we are now in Christ.  We are set free from slavery to our old self because the Holy Spirit can empower us to live the new life we are called to live as Christ-followers. (I underlined “can” because even though we have that power, we still must call on the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom, courage, strength, patience, perseverance, whatever we need to overcome our challenge.)  But when our request is in line with God’s will, we can have confident assurance he hears our request.

This is the difference between a Christ-follower and any other product resulting from a “religious effort.”  The Holy Spirit is our teacher, our guide, our comforter who will lead us into all truth.  Jesus spoke of this when he told his disciples in John 14:17: “…The world at large cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him.  But you do, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.” The underlined part is of utmost importance because Jesus knew that his Disciples drew their wisdom, strength and courage from him, and he wanted them (and us) to know that he is “in” us in the form of the Holy Spirit.  That is why we can stand firm on the promise found in 1John 4:4: “…the Spirit that is in me (the Holy Spirit) is greater than the Spirit in this world.” (Satan.)

Jesus tells us in John 6:63: “The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.  1Corinthians 2-14 expands that statement: “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. They are foolishness to him and he cannot understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”  In other words, unless you have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the life changing Word of God will not come alive to you.  Why?  Because only the Spirit can reveal spiritual concepts.

As Christ followers, not only do we inherit forgiveness of sin and eternal life, but we are grafted into God’s family.  We are his child; we are worthy and acceptable in his eyes; we are heir to all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly realm and all the promises in the bible.  And the icing on the cake is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  This is how we can rise above the trials and tribulations of this world to become the masterpiece referenced in Ephesians 2:4: “For we are God’s masterpiece.  He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” 

So my question to you today is, “Do you have the Holy Spirit in you?”  Do you rely on him?

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

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

 

 

 

This is the age of political correctness!  And unfortunately that cultural hallmark has taken its toll in virtually every aspect of our life, and sadly, the Church has not been immune from that very malaise. As a result we have seen even well-known preachers and televangelist suggesting the Word of God be re-evaluated, and perhaps even restated, to make it more palatable for today’s culture. I personally am appalled at that form of apostasy. We are told in Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”  Therefore, I believe this is not a time to consider soft-pedaling God’s Truth, but rather a time to stand firm on that rock.  With all the craziness that is rampant in today’s world, many people are looking for hope; something they can really count on.  I know of nothing that offers more hope and provides more peace and serenity than the Word of God?

In my blog two weeks ago, I asked the question, “What Do I Believe?”  Last week the blogging question was, “Can I Stand Firm in My Faith?”  I’m personally concerned about our culture when it comes to those two questions.  I find myself asking, “What do we as a culture ‘believe in’ or ‘stand for’ today?”  If, in fact, that question cannot be answered clearly and succinctly by most readers right now, to me that indicates our great nation is at risk!

In this upside down world in which we live, I believe we are at a critical juncture.  But rather than face that reality, way too many people prefer to bury their head in the sand, or even worse…immerse themselves in the latest TV trash; or turn their attention to the latest Hollywood fad; or protest what in their mind is the latest “social injustice”.  Well, my Friends… I believe it is time for the Church (meaning all Christ-followers) to wake up to our charge of carrying the Good News to a world that is hurting, and not soft-pedaling that message, but proclaiming it in all of its glory!  All indications are that we are coming into a time when perhaps the only thing we can count on to sustain us will be our faith.  And woe be to anyone who is without it!

The Bible is a treasure trove of prophecies, many of which were written hundreds of years before the birth and death of Jesus Christ, yet were fulfilled with pin-point accuracy at the occurrence of those events.  But there are many of those prophecies concerning the end times that can be repeated again in this age, and still some others that are in the process of being fulfilled right now.  For instance, what is happening in the Middle-East  today, especially with Israel and its Arab adversaries, was prophesied thousands of years ago.

When the Jewish Temple was destroyed the second time  in 70AD, the Jews were scattered throughout the world. But we find this written in Jeremiah,16:14-15, centuries earlier: “But the time is coming”, says the Lord, “when people who are taking an oath will no longer say ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who rescued the people of Israel from the land of Egypt.’ Instead they will say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the people of Israel back to their own land from the land of the north and from all the countries to which he had exiled them.’  For I will bring them back to the land that I gave their ancestors.”  On May 14, 1948 the new nation of Israel (complete with the original Hebrew language) was reorganized in the original Promised Land. And within hours of their declaration of independence, war was declared by their Arab neighbors.  The Arab population was about 20 million people; Israel was about 1 million people.  But Israel won that war and expanded its territory by 50 percent.  The same thing happened in 1967 and 1973.  No doubt the Lord is still honoring his covenant with Israel.

The crux of the problem in the Middle-East has always centered on the control of Jerusalem.  Both the Jews and the Muslims want it because it is considered “holy ground” by both religions. And no doubt it is also considered holy ground to the Christians because this is where the events that form the foundation for Christianity took place.

But today we see a new threat emerging in that part of the world called ISIS, which is a radical form of Islam.  That movement is growing in strength and numbers day by day, and their stated goal is the extermination of both Jews and Christians.  If that were not disconcerting enough by itself, at the same time we see an unfortunate naivety on the part of our country, and in many of the Western European countries, concerning ISIS and their commitment to their stated goal.  Make no mistake about their commitment!  All we have to do is look at the Christian holocaust that is taking place in that part of the world right now!  And the saddest part of this commentary is the fact that something of such horrific proportion is seemingly being ignored by world leaders.  In fact, some even try to deny the existence of “radical Islam”!

I recently heard Dr. Michael Brown, founder of FIRE School of Ministry in Concord, N. Carolina and world-renowned Messianic Jewish Apologist, speak on the myth of Islam.  And the myth he was referencing is the belief that Islam is a religion of love and peace, and he went on to provided the foundation for ISIS as contained in the text of the Quran.  According to him there are 109 verses that call for Muslims to war with non-believers for the sake of Islamic rule. I will now reference a few examples of those passages.

Q2-191:  “and kill them wherever you find them and turn them out from where they have turned you out.”  Them in this passage refers to infidels – those who do not adhere to the teachings of the Quran.

Q47-4: “So when you meet (in fight for Allah’s Cause) those who disbelieve, smite at their necks til’ when you have killed and wounded many of them, then bind a bond firmly on them.” (ie. take them captive)

Q5-33:  The punishment for those who wage war against Allah and his Messenger (Mohammed), and strive to make mischief in the land is only this:  that they should be murdered or crucified or their hands and feet should be cut off on opposite sides or they should be imprisoned.  This shall be a disgrace to them in this world and in the hereafter they shall have a grievous chastisement.”

Q9-5:  “Fight and kill disbelievers wherever you find them; take them captive; harass them; lie in wait and ambush them using every strategy of war.”

Q8-39: “So fight them until there is no more Fitnah (non-Muslims) and all submit to the religion of Allah alone.”

No doubt Muslims hate us for our immorality, our support of Israel, and for our military presence in Arab territories.  They have clearly stated their intent to wipe Israel off the face of the earth and to raise the ISIS flag over the White House.  If that didn’t get your attention, perhaps this will do it: the only guarantee of salvation found in the teaching of Islam is to die in battle in the name of Allah.

Compare that to the teaching of Jesus Christ. Jesus taught us to love God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our mind, and to love our neighbor as our self.  He taught about forgiveness, mercy, grace, kindness, compassion, and service to others.  His teaching is about love and relationship with God our Father.  And because we are in Christ, we can come boldly into God’s presence “with no fear of condemnation” (Romans 8:1); and we are guaranteed forgiveness of sin and eternal life with God, Jesus and all Christ-followers.  AND…the icing on the cake is our inheritance of the indwelling Holy Spirit to empower us to live the life He has called us to live in this fallen world.

Other than expecting a total commitment to Allah, who is definitely not a father-figure, there is nothing in Islam to compare to God’s love for us and his salvation plan for all believers.

That my Friends is THE message of hope for the weary. And that’s why we as individuals, and as the Church, must carry that message to non-believers with all its power, glory and splendor –  never watered-down and never compromised.  And we must never forget that our role is to carry the message in love, and to let Jesus’ light shine through us. (Remember: people would much rather see a sermon than hear one)  And once we have planted the seeds, our role is to count on the Holy Spirit to bring revelation to the open heart.  It’s a formidable task, but the time of harvest is now and the days are getting shorter.

So my question to you is, “What do you think our culture “believes in” or “stands for” today?

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

May God Bless Ya…

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