I don’t know about you, but when I look at the world around me and I see where the prevalence of “worldly thinking” has taken us, I wonder if Sodom and Gomorrah was any worse than the culture we live in today.  Then I take solace for a moment when I think of James 4:6, 10 “…God mocks the proud, but exalts the humble” and “When you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor.”  However, try as I may, my next thought usually turns to: “OK God, I’m ready to see YOU mock the proud.  When are you going to bring this downward spiral into moral degradation to an end?”  That seems right doesn’t it?  I mean righteous indignation!  After all…hasn’t there been enough lying, cheating, stealing, bulling, ridiculing, finger pointing and cover up from every sector of society?  And this includes the institutions we used to put our faith in including the government, business, finance, education, the news media, and unfortunately… even religious icons.

So where is God?  Why isn’t he stepping in to straighten out this mess?  After I allow myself to participate in this “stinkin’ thinkin’” – many times for an embarrassingly longer period of time than necessary – I finally come to my senses and wake up to the truth.  God is still in charge.  He is sovereign, and he has a plan.  And as hard as it is to see any good in this plan from my perspective right now, I try to think of how the Christ followers must have felt the day He was crucified.  That was definitely their darkest day.  But did any good come from that event?  Absolutely! The price for the sins of all mankind was paid that day and we were restored to righteousness with God through the sacrifice of Jesus.

Was Jesus looking forward to his crucification?  Absolutely not!  In fact, Matthew 26:39 tells us Jesus fell face down praying, “My Father!  If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken from me. Yet I want your will, not mine.”  Hard as it was, Jesus submitted to his Fathers plan because he knew him intimately and he trusted in him.  That is the answer and that’s the example we, as Christians, are called to follow. That’s why life in this world is not only hard, but sometimes frustrating, and always challenging.  Bob George, author of Classic Christianity, refers to the Christian life as “impossible to “do” through our own effort.”   But the more we grow in our knowledge of the truth of His Word and in the intimacy of our relationship with God, the more we understand that God’s redemptive plan for mankind was, and is, perfect.  And to reinforce the truth that “God is love” (1 John 4:8), this plan was always in place, “even before creation itself” (Ephesians 1:4), because He knew we would be unable to live a sinless life of our own volition.

In God’s ultimate wisdom, he gave all mankind a means of restoration to himself wrapped in a plan that was so simple anyone could understand it and achieve it.  All that is required is a humble heart.  Paul discusses this in 1 Corinthians 1:18-19: “I know very well how foolish the message of the cross sounds to those who are on the road to destruction.  But we who are being saved recognize this message as the very power of God.  As the Scriptures say, ‘I will destroy human wisdom and discard their most brilliant ideas.” And again in vs. 21: “Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never find him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save all who believe.” And again in vs. 25: “This “foolish” plan of God is far wiser than the wisest of human plans.”  In that conflict of attitudes is the “rub”; worldly thinking vs. God’s thinking.

God’s plan for our salvation was and is simple.  He was willing to offer his Son as payment for our sins so we can spend eternity with Him.  All we have to do is accept his Gift of Grace and the sin issue is put to rest FOREVER.  From that point on, the focus is not on our sins and our sinful nature, but rather on how to LIVE a life that is pleasing to God through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.  Paul discusses this 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. But when you are directed by the Holy Spirit, you are no longer subject to your sin nature.”  Unless one chooses to submit his will to God’s will, he will continue to live his life under the influence of his human nature, which the scriptures, ironically, refer to as “sin nature”.

The fact is…the truth of God’s Word and the Gospel of Grace are perceived differently by each listener.  To some it is “the very power of God himself” (Romans 1:16); to others it is foolishness.  There is no denying that the message of Christianity is currently under assault around the world, and that is certainly true of our country today.   There can be many reasons offered for this malady, but I believe the problem is rooted in moral decay, breakdown of the traditional family structure, materialism, technological advances and, of course, humanism (the idea that we don’t need a Deity; we can be our own god). 

The sad truth is…the truth of God’s word is inconvenient to the way our culture wants to live.  To some the truth of the message convicts them of their lustful desires; their selfishness, or perhaps their desire for power and wealth.  Some find it to be exclusive.  “What do you mean Jesus is the only way?  I believe there are many ways to get to heaven.”  And many find the message of freedom in Christianity to be challenging.  For instance, the Gospel of Grace tells us that the sin issue was solved at the cross and all we have to do is accept it.  But that is much too easy.  There has to be more to it than that.  Yes, Jesus paid the price, but you’ll be a better Christian if you DO, this and this and this. 

So let’s return to the dilemma I presented in the opening paragraph.  Yes…living a Christian life in this fallen world is indeed a challenge.  And perhaps others have shared my thoughts concerning, “OK God, why do the proud look like they are amassing more and more power and the good guys (us) seem to be bearing that brunt.  When are YOU going to put a stop to this?” 

What I eventually come back to is the fact that as Christ-followers, we have the incredible gift of the Holy Spirit to empower us to rise above the world around us.  That IS our power as a Christ-follower. That is why we don’t have to give into the desires of our flesh; to temptations of our enemy; or the ways of the world.  When we call on the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom, discernment, patience, courage, strength, perseverance, whatever it is we need to accomplish His purpose, we become Jesus’ light in this fallen world.  Even if the message is not enthusiastically received, that’s our calling as a Christ follower.

When we look at the culture we live in today and the behavior that results from worldly thinking and teaching, we see what is described by Paul in Galatians 5:19-21.  “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, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin.”  Now contrast that with vs. 22-23. “But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”  Surely this will be perceived as desirable!

Jesus described in the beatitudes the person after God’s own heart.  This is a humble person; one who is aware of his own brokenness and his need for God. “Blessed are the poor in spirit (those aware of their brokenness) for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn (willing to repent), for they will be comforted.  Blessed are the meek (seeing the needs of others), for they shall inherit the earth.  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (longing of the human soul for more of God) for they shall be filled.  Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.  Blessed are the pure in heart (those filled with God) for they shall see God.  Blessed are the peacemakers (repairers of relationships), for they shall be called sons of God.  Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake (faithful to the truth of Jesus) for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:2-12)

Obviously God desires and exalts the humble, because it is in the state of humility we realize our own insufficiency and our need for him.  Therefore our challenge is to keep the focus on these truths: knowing full well that He is in charge; that He does have a plan from which good will come; and in the end we all will have to account for our behavior in this life.  Our role is to focus on forgiveness.  God’s role alone is judgment.  When we have that in perspective, we live in the victory of a life that’s happy, joyous and free!

May God continue to bless you! 

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

The wonderful thing about a blessing is…you never know when you might be the recipient of one.  For instance, I knew I wanted to write something appropriate for Father’s Day weekend, so Saturday I began sketching an idea in my mind. However, yesterday when Pam and I attended Grace Church St. Louis, I discovered that Pastor Ron Tucker had the same plan.  As always, his message was outstanding, but even better…the church bulletin included references he used for his presentation.  I am telling you this because my message today is going to be a combination of Ron’s hard work interspersed with my perspective.  In other words, I see no reason not to pass up such a blessing and no need to reinvent a perfectly good wheel!  Oh yes…and since the clock on my desk reads 11:56 pm, I can still legitimately wish all fathers a “Happy Father’s Day” as I get started.

If you have read many of my postings, you know that I have stated many times my belief that there are two fundamental principles undergirding everything written in the Bible.  And those two principles are: (1.) God is love and (2.) God wants a relationship with us. Even if it is not stated that clearly and succinctly, those two principles are inter-woven in the scripture itself.  I personally find that to be the very essence of God’s Word, yet the magnitude of those two statements is so far beyond our finite ability to comprehend, many times it just eludes us.  I mean…GOD, who spoke the universe into existence; the creator of all things seen and not seen; the omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent One loves and wants a relationship with ME?  How could that be?

First of all, I know who I am and what I have done, and I know I’m not worthy of such opulence!  It sounds good, “but”… So when you couple our sense of unworthiness with the Old Testament view of God (“The Lord your God is a devouring fire”, Deuteronomy 4:24) or a church theology that puts the emphasis on fire and brimstone rather than Grace, it is not hard to see why so many people find the simplicity of this message to be a fairy-tale. And we must never forget, this is also the time when Satan, the “accuser of the brethren” (Revelation 12:10) makes his presence known. He never misses a chance to convince us we’re not worthy of God’s love and relationship!

Romans 5:6 tells us how God showed his unconditional, unending, unfailing love for us, and at the same time guaranteed our eternal relationship with Him: “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.”  There is so much power in that one verse: “utterly helpless” shows the lost, pathetic state of mankind; “just the right time” tells us that God stepped in to conquer the sin issue that led to man’s pathetic state of existence; and “sinners” tells us we were on the fast track to eternal damnation.  Romans 6:23 reveals the sad state of man and God’s solution all in one verse: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”

It is no wonder Jesus turned the world upside down when he delivered his first sermon.  “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.” “Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted.”  “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” (Matthew 5:3-10)  His teaching was so radical and contrary to that of the world and of the Jewish religion because, as the religious elite were about to learn, it was not about laws and sacrifices, but about man’s dependence on, and relationship with God.  Not a distant, unapproachable God, but a God who longs to commune with us…just like he did with Adam and Eve in the Garden; a God who desires our humility and a contrite heart. Not only was Jesus going to reveal, through his teaching and the way he lived his life, a God he called “Father”, but in the prayer he taught his Disciples to pray, he indicated God was also “OUR Father, who art in heaven” (Matthew 6:9)

What? the Pharisees shouted.  They proclaimed this to be blasphemy!  Immediately Jesus was declared public enemy number 1 by the religious leaders, and it was only a short time after this that they began plotting how to get rid of him.  Jerusalem was divided.  Some were astounded by his confidence and authority; others thought he was crazy!

Jesus, of course, never altered his message.  He only taught that God is love; full of mercy; and full of grace.  Jesus emphasized the God who spoke through the prophet Jeremiah (29:11-14): “I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.  And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.  I will be found by you, says the Lord.”  It was always about love and relationship. And Jesus NEVER wavered when speaking of who He was or why he came.  He stated very clearly in John 14:5-6, “I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.” 

What we must never forget is that Jesus’ sacrifice was the ransom paid so ALL mankind can have the opportunity for eternal life.  Was Jesus statement exclusive?  No!  The opportunity is there for anyone…everyone!  But the statement of fact is…no one can come into the presence of God if they are stained with sin, so man’s only other choice is to try to enter the Kingdom of God through his own effort.  But how did that work before Christ came?  Remember…utterly helpless; just the right time; sinners! 

God’s love, mercy, and grace are actually unfathomable through human effort.  It is only  through revelation that we grow in our understanding and relationship with God through Jesus Christ.  Outside of that relationship, we can try to relate to God in human terms and many times that is how we relate or related to our human father.  Therefore fathers, as leaders of your household, you have a responsibility of modeling to your children your “abba” Father just as Jesus modeled him to the world.  Proverbs 24:3 tells us, “It takes wisdom to have a good family, and it takes understanding to make it strong.”

The understanding the author is talking about is not worldly teaching or human intellect, but the truth found in God’s word.  That is our guidebook for living.  2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us, “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 God wants us to do.”  As fathers, our role is multifaceted.  We have to be our family’s provider; their protector; and their hero.  But the most important role we have is to be a Godly example in the way WE live our life.

One of my father’s favorite “sayings” I heard over and over as a child was: “Danny, there’s more to kids than just having them.” It was many years before I finally grasped the magnitude of that statement, but clearly it was a reference to love and relationship – and that takes time, commitment, patience and involvement.   As Jesus said, “If you know me, you know my Father also.” (John 14:7)  That is the example we are called to emulate with our children. And what we can never forget is…our children model what the see – or don’t see – in us.

May God bless your effort, and fathers…enjoy this day dedicated to you!

I find it interesting how the interpretation of words can change depending on their context.  For instance, the opening verses of Psalm 139: 1-3, 7 can provide a wonderful sense of comfort; a sense of peace and serenity. “Oh Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.  You know when I sit down or stand up.  You know my every thought when far away.  You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest.  Every moment you know where I am.  I can never escape your spirit!  I can never get away from your presence.”   It is indeed wonderful to know God is always with us, charting our path and guiding our steps.

Now think of the connotation those words would have if instead of thanking God for his presence, the writer had been writing about a government or other ruling agency.  In that case the implication would probably not result in a sense of peace and serenity, but would most likely instill uneasiness about the invasion of our privacy.  Same words; different sources. Our response to anything generally depends on our previous experience with a source.

Isn’t it interesting to think that at Creation God could have made us all perfect boys and girls.  Had he done that, we would always be in line with His will, and we would still be living in Paradise.  But He didn’t do that.  Instead, even knowing this decision was a double-edged sword, he gave us free will so we could make our own choices. Why would He do this?  What if man were to choose the wrong path and go astray?  Well…all we have to do is look at the world around us for the answer.  Does this world look like paradise to you?

In Genesis we learn that God created us for two purposes:  1. Man was given dominion over the earth, and 2. man was created for a relationship with Him.  However, a relationship only happens when two people choose to engage in that mutual endeavor.  There is no doubt that God loves us. In fact we are told in 1John, 4:19, “We love because He first loved us.” That was the whole purpose of creating man.   God gave us something no other species of the animal kingdom had; the ability to engage in rational thinking.  The point of my engaging in this line of thought is…God values freedom.  While he could have made us perfect and we would all be following his plan, he chose instead to value our freedom by giving us free-will.  And what is even more amazing…God never extends his will to trump our free-will.

Since we have the freedom to make choices, we quickly learn to make our new choices in light of the experience that resulted from our past choices.  For instance, when we put our hand on a hot surface and get burned, we learn not to do that.  If we trust in a statement made by someone and we experience that statement to be true, we start to believe (trust) that person.  This is how we develop faith, and faith guides our future choices.

By standing on the example of God’s value of free-will and freedom, the founders of this great country stated in the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable* Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”  According to the Declaration of Independence, and supported by the Bible, these unalienable rights are granted to us by God Almighty.”  Therefore, no man or man-made entity (government or religion) should have the audacity to act in a manner contrary to God’s design.

Freedom should be man’s most precious possession, and protected at all cost.  The framers of the constitution were well aware of the challenges that lay ahead for this young republic concerning our individual liberties, as revealed in the following discourse: “At the close of the Constitutional Convention of 1787, Franklin was queried as he left Independence Hall on the final day of deliberation. In the notes of Dr. James McHenry, one of Maryland’s delegates to the Convention, a lady asked Dr. Franklin, “Well Doctor what have we got, a republic or a monarchy.”  Franklin replied, “A republic . . . if you can keep it.” 

That is still our challenge today. Our Constitution created a limited representative republic.  A republic is different from a democracy in that a democracy decrees the majority can directly make laws, while in a republic, elected representatives make laws.  Basically, in a pure democracy, the majority has unlimited power, whereas in a republic, a written constitution limits the majority and provides safeguards for the individual and minorities.

It seems to me the answer to the question concerning liberty and individual rights can be found in the motivation of the grantor. God’s motive for granting us free-will was grounded in love.  He wanted us to choose to love him back once we came to know him; knew we could trust him; and knew we could count on him.  That motivation can stand up to any scrutiny.

A man-made entity is, unfortunately, subject to the flaws of man.  Those flaws, however,  can be minimized if the entity is willing to humble itself and seek God for guidance. To return to the framers of the Constitution, it is well-known that the Constitutional Convention reached a point of grid-lock concerning State’s representation that threated further progress.  Benjamin Franklin appealed to the men to adjourn for four days and during that time, “to seek God’s guidance through prayer.”** Upon their return, there was unity in the ranks and the Constitution was completed. Wow!  Can you imagine that happening today?

I believe there is a message in that scenario, and its truth can be found 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.”  When we, as a man or as a nation, are in line with God’s will, we are blessed.   God wants us to love him and our fellow man: that is his charge to both mankind and nations.  (2Chronicles 7:14; Jeremiah 18: 7-10)

Many times agendas can get cloaked in, or can sound like they are rooted in fundamental truths, ie. “looking out for our fellow man”, when in fact the agenda is driven by an entirely different motivation.  Let’s look at Step III of Alcohol Anonymous.  It states very clearly God’s intent:  “We became willing to turn our will and our life over to the CARE of God.”  Care in this statement is rooted in love.  It’s about Gods desire to look out for us; to be our protector and our shield.  We know that because of our experience with the source.

Another source, however, can make the same statement, but the motivation behind that statement might be wrapped in a different agenda. Perhaps the agenda of that source is actually power and control.  So once again we could find ourselves confronted by the same dilemma one could experience with the opening few verses of Psalm 139 if we did not know the source.

So what is the answer?  We have to know our source.  If our source has proven itself to be worthy of our faith, trust and obedience, we would most likely have a sense of peace and serenity about following that path.  However, if the source has been proven to be deceitful and untrustworthy, peace and serenity gives way to uneasiness, and that too helps us make this and future decisions.

And the final litmus test must be, “Does making this choice cause me to relinquish any of my freedoms – freedom of choice or otherwise?”  Remember, God gave us free-will and his will never trumps our will.  Can we say the same thing concerning other sources?  It is definitely worth our scrutiny.

May God continue to bless you! 

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

*Unalienable (or inalienable): cannot be bought, sold, or transferred; cannot be conveyed; unable to be disposed of, unforfeitable, untouchable.  Wikipedia Legal Dictionary

**WallBuilders LLC; Franklin’s Appeal for Prayer at Constitutional Convention

Can you imagine a coach telling his team, “Stop tryin’ so hard!  You’re getting’ in the way of our victory.” or a military commander saying, “raise the white flag.  That’ll lead us to victory.”  Sounds preposterous, right?  Well in terms of the world’s perspective, it is preposterous.  But Jesus gave us an insight to the contradiction of “the world’s perspective” and the “Kingdom of God’s perspective” the first time he sat down to teach.  In the famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus proclaimed to the crowd, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”  But the real attention-getter was, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.  Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven…” (Matthew 5:3-5, 11-12)  While the crowd had never heard teaching like that – and no doubt many of them wondered if Jesus was crazy – many were also astonished by his confidence and insight. “He taught with much more authority than the teachers of religious law.” (Matthew 7:28)

In my opinion,  two reasons the Gospel of Jesus Christ is so hard to grasp by unbelievers is because it is contrary to worldly thinking, and because of its simplicity.  For instance…in my own case, I considered myself a pretty smart guy for many years.  The Gospel sounded like a fairy tale to me.  I mean…who in their right mind could believe a story like that?  And in the end it wasn’t about what I did or didn’t do, but what someone else did on my behalf…and all I had to do was believe it?  That just defied common sense.  To be honest, in the back of my mind I hoped it could be true…but I also knew my past.  And in light of my past, I knew I wasn’t worthy of such a gift.

When I look back on that perspective, I readily admit it was a result of my own ignorance.  Not ignorance in terms of stupidity, but ignorance of the truth.  I really had never read the Bible, and the God I learned about in my youth was a God who was just waiting to punish me for my indiscretions.  Unfortunately for me, it seemed like everything I wasn’t supposed to do was what I enjoyed the most!

SO THE ANSWER IS…

Today I believe that if any rational, logical, thinking person will allow themselves to be exposed to the truth of God’s word and will start reading and connecting the unmistakable dots, the conclusion is inevitable.  Jesus was always the answer to mankind’s dilemma with sin.  (Sin in this case is a noun, meaning it is a self-centered way of living rather than a God-centered way of living.)  Man had from creation to two thousand years ago to rise above the squalor of this fallen world, but unfortunately we kept sinking deeper and deeper into the death-knell of sin.  That condition is clearly defined in Romans 5:6: “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.” 

Two fundamental truths from which I believe everything else written in the Bible spring from are: 1. God is love, and 2. God wants a relationship with us…an eternal relationship with us.  Apostle John refers to God as “love” in 1 John 4:8: “The person who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”  And Revelation 4:11 tells us “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”  God’s pleasure is for us to enter into a relationship with him, but he also knows that in order for us to enter into that relationship, we first have to come to know who he is; what he thinks; what he thinks about us; what his standards are; what his promises are; and how we receive those promises.  That’s why God chose to reveal himself to mankind through the Holy Bible.

2 Peter 1:21 tells us, “For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” And again in 2 Timothy 3:16 we read: “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right”.  In other words, if we want to come to know God and to learn about his truth, the Bible is the source.  It is the only book in the world that makes such a claim…to be the Word of God.

As soon as we begin connecting the dots found in scripture, it becomes clear that they all lead to the same place.  To Jesus Christ!  And why is that?…because Jesus IS the answer to man’s issue with sin.  Jesus himself proclaimed in John 14:6: “I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.”  Sin is the issue that keeps man separated from God.  As long as we are stained with sin we can never come into His presence, because sin spreads, contaminates kills and destroys.  Just look at the world we live in today.  This is the result of sin entering the world.  Does this look like paradise to you?

SO HOW DOES SURRENDER EQUAL VICTORY?

We have two options.  One is to try to earn our way into heaven by being good enough.  But how did that work under the Old Covenant (before Jesus Christ)?  Refer to Romans 5:6 again: “While we were utterly helpless Christ came at just the right time to die for us sinners.”  That tells the whole story.  Utterly helpless reveals our pathetic state; just the right time tells us God stepped in because he knew mankind could never be good enough to live up to his standard; and sinners means we were on the fast track to eternal damnation!  Remember: God is Love; He wants an eternal relationship with us.  Romans 6:23 reveals our fate and our hope: “For the wages of sin is death, BUT the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord”.   I love that scripture!

So the paradox of the day is quite simple. It is not about our work and effort that makes us acceptable in God’s sight.  It is about the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. His death paid the penalty for the sins of ALL  mankind – past, present and future. God’s gift of his Son for our redemption is his ultimate show of his love for us.  Our acceptance of his Gift of Grace is our ultimate show of trust and faith in him.  Now that we are covered with the blood of the sacrificial lamb, when God looks at us, he no longer sees a sinner, but he sees us in Jesus Christ.  So by surrendering our effort and accepting the work already done by Jesus, we become victorious over death and receive eternal life.  How awesome is that?

So paradox has become clear.  The only way to be victorious over the lure of Satan and this fallen world is by surrendering to God’s Gift of Grace.  Besides forgiveness of our sins and eternal life, we also are promised the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to empower us to rise above the world around us.  That brings to life 1John 4:4:” The spirit that is in me (the Holy Spirit)  is greater than the spirit (satan) in this world.”  The sooner we grasp that truth of this  paragraph, the sooner we can begin experiencing the “abundant life” Jesus promised us.  A-men! 

My question to you today is… have you experienced the truth of that paradox??  You’ll know it if you have.   Feel free to chime in with your thoughts.

May God Bless Ya…

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

Good morning, Meetpastordan Readers…It’s 5:00 am, and Cliff and Glenn – our pooches – and I are huddled in the office getting ready to start writing my weekly blog.  Hot coffee is beside me; they are stretched out in their favorite pillow, so we are ready to get down to business.   I had one topic ready to go this morning, but during the night I tossed and turned with another thought concerning the importance of today’s Memorial Day celebration.  So the latter, My Friends, is going to take precedence.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In September of 1988 Bobby McFerrin recorded “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”, the first a-cappella song to ever reach the #1 spot on the Billboard charts.  He very wisely tells us, “in every life we have some trouble, when you worry you make it double.”  Isn’t it funny how many times such great prescriptions for living are wrapped up in small, bite-size morsels?  Take Proverbs for instance: “Listen, my child, to what your father teaches you”; “Don’t stay in the company of wicked people”; “Plans go wrong for lack of advice”; “Keep away from angry, short-tempered people.”  Certainly “words of wisdom” for living a wholesome, happy life and McFerrin’s contribution can also be found in those proverbial words of King Solomon.

One of today’s cultural mantras  is certainly aimed at  slowing down and taking time to smell the roses.  Clinical studies have shown beyond any doubt that stress, worry or anxiety contribute to many of the woes in our life, both physically and emotionally.  Webster defines anxiety as “a tense emotional state characterized by fear of something”, then goes on to produce a lengthy list of culprits from which we can choose to fill-in the blank.  But the illuminating part is… once we define the culprit, the negative effect of stress and anxiety in our life tells the whole story.  It clouds our ability to think or to concentrate; it has a negative effect on productivity which can adversely affect our job situation; it can negatively impact our personal relationships; it steals our peace, serenity and joy; it adversely affects our health; and finally, it is a totally waste of our precious time.  So to follow the advice of one of the proverbs listed above, let’s turn to the source of truth for the answer to one of today’s critical problems…stress or anxiety!

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TELL US?

In Philippians 4: 6-7, Apostle Paul tells us, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.  Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.  If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand.  His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ.”  Wow!…that about covers the topic.  Instead of worrying and trying to handle all our “stuff” through our own volition, we are told to simply pray!  Why?  Because prayer unlocks God’s power. It is through prayer that we will experience His peace…the same peace that will guard our hearts and minds.  This is much more than a scripture in a book.  This is a scriptural fact. It is a promise!  Notice the promise begins with, “If you do this…” and then goes on to say we will experience something “far more wonderful” than we could ever imagine or produce through our own effort.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to empower us to be victorious as we face any “mountain” that stands between us and being the person God created us to be. 1John 4:4 tells us, “He that is in me (the Holy Spirit) is greater than the spirit in this world.” (evil, ie. Satan) That is a promise telling us that we are already victorious! God is our Abba Father, our daddy.  He wants to care for us because we are his children.  Nothing pleases Him more than when we humble ourselves and turn to him for HELP!  After all, he told us “he would never leave us or forsake us”, (Deuteronomy 31:6), and that too is a scriptural fact!

In the Philippeans example above, verses 8-9 tell us to, “fix our thoughts on what is true and honorable and right.  Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable.  Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”  Paul tells us if we put this into practice, “God’s peace will be with us.”  Hummm…modern psychology tells us whatever information we put in our head sets up our expectations and our actions follow.  Paul, wise man that he was, told not only the Philippeans, but also the Corinthians the same thing 2000 years ago.

Step 3 of the 12 step recovery program states this so very clearly and succinctly: “We became willing to turn our will and our life over to the CARE of God.”  James 4:7-8, 10 states, “So humble yourselves before God.  Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.  Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you. When you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor.”  Humility is key in this relationship.  The sooner we learn to be dependent on God’s loving kindness and realize that his desire is to bless us; to guide us; to comfort us, the sooner we can begin relying on, or resting in that truth.  This is often referred to as “turning it over to God”, but my experience in questioning that statement has more-often-than-not illuminated the responder’s lack of understanding of the statement itself.  “Turning it over” does not mean, “Well God, I have this problem so I’m giving it to you.  Oh yes, tap me on the shoulder when it’s solved so I can get on with life.” No!  That’s not what it means.

The indwelling of the Holy Spirit empowers US to “cast that mountain into the sea.” Whatever trial or tribulation we are facing, if we ask the Holy Spirit to empower us with wisdom, strength, courage, patience, perseverance – whatever it is we need to accomplish the task at hand that is in line with God’s will for our life, his promise to us is… He will enable us be victorious.  As God told Apostle Paul, “my strength is made perfect in your weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)  That’s the purpose of the Holy Spirit…to empower us to be in the game; to grow in wisdom; to be transformed.

ANXIETY vs FAITH

There is an obvious theme here that is hard to miss.  Anxiety has its roots in fear. Sometimes that fear stems from not being in control; not feeling adequate; or just fear of the ‘unknown’.  The abundant life Jesus promised and living a life that is happy, joyous and free has its roots in faith.  Our faith, confidence and security come from, and continue to grow, as we experience the truth of God’s word come to fruition in our own life. In The Normal Christian Life by Watchman Nee, the author refers to the scriptures as scriptural fact; scriptural truths that are there because God wanted it to be there so we could experience him and his plan for our life.

Remember…all of this is ours because we are in Christ.  This is the great paradox.  The only way to find freedom is to surrender. When we turn our will over to His will and accept his Gift of Grace, that is when we begin experiencing a life that is happy, joyous and free!  Jesus gave us the same message in Matthew 11:28: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.”  This rest that Jesus is referencing is the peace and serenity we have all been searching for and hoping for, but heretofore we have been looking in all the wrong places.  Turning it over and having faith in God’s plan is the only enduring pathway to freedom.

Let me close with 1 Peter, 6-7:  “So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and in his good time he will honor you.  Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you.”   Wow! It IS as easy as Bobbie said it was. “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.”

So my question to you is…have you turned it over yet?  Do you get the concept?

Best wishes and do feel free to respond.

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

Did you ever notice that when life is “good”, people often say, “Thank God”?  That is a respectable gesture – and the recipient of the praise is certainly worthy.  But even that expression isn’t always forth-coming.  In fact it is probably just as common to pass the accolades around during good times and say, “I want to thank my parents; a friend; my team mates; an organization etc. 

Now let’s look at the flip-side of that scenario.  In my experience, I suspect I have heard the opposite expression, “Where is God?” or “Why does God cause these things to happen?” with equal, or perhaps with even greater frequency during times of trials and tribulations. There’s no doubt that during those challenging times we are all looking for answers because we believe our comfort will come through the answers. We want to know the reason; who is responsible; the consequences etc.  And if we don’t get the answer – or in some cases the answer we want – we often assign the blame ourselves to give us the needed sense of relief.  When that happens, too often God becomes the fall guy.

Trials and tribulations are life’s biggest challenge, for believers as well as for non-believers.  Too often people get lost in deep philosophical discussions regarding these matters. And many times they  get totally lost in an intellectual abyss that fails to produce the comforting “answer” desired.  Therefore, since I’m a simple guy, let’s just review some basic truths that often get overlooked in our time of need.

1John 4:8, tells us clearly and succinctly that, “God is love.” This truth is reiterated throughout every page of the Bible. To anyone who opens and reads the book, it is impossible to miss that message.  And as we know from our science class, whatever “is” begets the same.  For instance, have you ever seen – or even heard of – an apple tree producing peaches; a bird producing a butterfly; a dog producing a cat?  Of course not! And why?  Because it’s in their DNA.  Whatever “is” produces more of its own kind.

Therefore, if God is love, then he can only produce what is consistent with love, such as goodness, kindness, compassion, mercy, grace, joy and truth.  Remember, God created us in his own image and declared that “his creation was good in every way.” (Genesis 1:31)  Think about it.  When you love someone, aren’t you good, kind, compassionate, etc. to them?  Could you imagine hurting someone you love?  Well then…consider this.

Life has been described as a drama of “good vs. evil”, and we have been described as unknowing participants in that production.  As my friend “Willie the Shake” stated it, “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances.”  So if that’s the case, the author of “good” has been identified.  So who is the author of evil?

To find that answer, all we have to do is review the story of creation.  Adam and Eve were God’s proudest creation.  He put them in the Garden of Eden (which was paradise) and he was their care-giver.  Everything was perfect.  He was their provider; they wanted for nothing.  That was His divine plan.

However, as we know from the story, man came face-to-face with evil in the form of the tempter who deceived them into disobeying God.  SIN entered the world at that moment of disobedience and has been the dilemma of mankind ever since.  So who is the author of evil?  The great deceiver himself, Satan! And make no mistake, evil begets hatred, anger, tragedy, disease, pain, suffering and death.  Is God responsible for any of this???  Absolutely not!

As I am writing this, I think back to what would have been my own receptivity to the content before I became a follower of Jesus Christ. For the first half-century of my life, I considered myself a pretty smart guy.  I was self-sufficient; was considered successful; and in my own mind I had all the answers.  Anything that didn’t fit into my paradigm of thinking was considered rubbish, and I didn’t hesitate to point out my own omniscience.  In other words, this answer I am giving today would have been much too “fairy-tale like” or “too simple” to satisfy my inquisitive mind.  Well, that was before I had a radical encounter with the truth found in John 8:31-32; “And Jesus told his disciples, if you follow my teachings you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” The truth in that statement did set me free, and to my surprise, the truth is pretty simple.  

Satan is described in John 10:10 as,“the thief that comes to steal, kill and destroy”, and again in 1 Peter 5:8, “your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”  Make no mistake about it…Satan is real.  If you doubt that, try making a decision to turn from the ways of the world and begin following Jesus’ teachings. You’ll find out immediately how powerful and on task Satan really is.  As long as you’re following the patterns of this world where he has dominion, he has you in his grasp.  But try breaking free, then I know you’ll encounter a lion.  How do I know that?  Because I encountered the lion.

 So you may be asking yourself, “what is my role in this “good vs. evil” drama? Am I just a pawn in the game?” The answer is…we do have a role to play because we have “free will”, but our choices have rewards and consequences.  For instance, let’s take the issue of death.  Our life style and our choices can certainly play a huge part. But again, there are other factors that contribute to the end result that we have no control over.  For instance, our DNA (our predilection for certain illnesses); accidently stepping out in front of a car; perhaps our bodies through the aging process just ware out; or perhaps an acme safe fell from the clouds and struck us, etc. King Solomon had it right in Ecclesiastes 3 when he said, “there is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven: a time to plant a time to harvest; a time to grieve a time to dance; a time to live and a time to die.”

While none of us like to hear this, an integral part of life is trials and tribulations. This is where our growth takes place in our walk with Christ. As James 1:3-4 tells us, “For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.” So when we are facing these trying times – and we will continue to face them right up to our time to exit – we have one of two choices.  We can either shake our fist at God; get angry and blame him; or we can stand on the truth of Jesus’ teaching found in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me all who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest.”  God’s promise to us is, “he will never leave us or forsake us” (Deuteronomy 31:5) and Jesus’ promise to us is he will comfort us.  Our source of strength, courage and comfort is found right here in these Biblical truths.  So let’s lay the blame for evil where it belongs.  Romans 6:23 makes the contrast crystal clear: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”

This past weekend, I lost one of my closest friends to the insidious disease of cancer.  It’s also a time when I struggled a bit with the questions we just discussed.  I needed to write this for myself as much as I wanted to share the truth with you.  What I know is that Eddie knows a lot more about God and truth right now than I or anyone else on this side knows.  That’s my greatest comfort at the moment.  Eternal life is a gift from  a loving God!  Amen!

May God Bless Ya…

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

I look at the world around me and I often wonder, “Why did God give us free will?  He didn’t have to do that.  He could have programed us differently at Creation and would still be living in the Garden.”   Obviously the down side of that is we would be rather robotic, but everything is a trade-off.  There would be no anger, not hatred, no disease, no famine, no poverty, no war…no death!  Ooops, that would have created a major population problem, unless of course God would have stopped creating when the world reached its sustainable population level.  Ooops… I don’t like that plan either.  If that were the case, He would have stopped creating many, many generations ago.  Yikes!  I wouldn’t even be here…and neither would you!  Bad idea!  So I’ve proven to myself yet one more time…He is God!  I’m definitely not.

But surely God knew we would mess-up this “free-will” thing, right?  Of course he did, but that was all part of his Divine plan.  Giving us “free will” was no doubt a double edged-sword, but without it we could not choose to engage in a relationship with Him – to love him back!  As I have stated in many previous postings, I believe there are two fundamental principles from which everything written in the Bible emanates.  And they are: (1.) God is love and (2.) God wants a relationship with us – an eternal relationship.  We are told in 1 John 4:19, “We love because he first loved us.” Creating us, and creating us in His image, was an act of love.  Revelation 4:11 tells us, “…we were created for your honor and glory…and for your pleasure.”  His pleasure comes through a relationship with us.

Man was God’s last creation on Day 6, and he proclaimed his creation, “excellent in every way.” (Genesis 1:31).  And because he had special plans for us, he gave us something no other animal has. All other creatures live by instinct, but man was given the ability to think rationally and to make choices.  You see…God wanted us to choose to love him back, knowing full well that that ability could be used for undesirable purposes too.  But our being able to choose “relationship” trumped the downside, so God, in his infinite wisdom, always had an alternative plan (a Divine plan) to rectify that situation even before the world was created.

If you were to ask anyone if they would rather have the ability to choose than have someone else tell them what to do, I suspect the unanimous answer would be, “yes!”  But with that freedom there is a responsibility for the choices we make.  And in that reality is the rub.  While people want the right to pick and choose according to their own desires, often times these choices lead to unwanted, or unexpected consequences. For example, Jim made a choice to drink alcohol and drive, then wondered why the accident happened; Terri made a choice to smoke, then wondered why she was diagnosed with lung cancer; Scott made a choice to have sex, then was surprised to find a pregnancy resulted.*  Like it or not…our life is the sum total of the choices we make.

Oh yes, I know someone is reading this who is thinking, “But you don’t understand my circumstances!”  While I admit, some of us are victims of our circumstances and have it harder than others, but I would point to the quadriplegic basketball team as an example of those who refused to let their circumstances “imprison” them.  While no doubt “stuff” happens, it is our response to the “stuff” that shapes our lives and defines who we are from that moment forward.  Again it’s all about choice.

WHERE IS GOD?

Let’s not forget there is a sovereign God who is first and foremost a God of love.  Does He have a Devine plan for all eternity? Yes.  Is it a perfect plan? Yes.  Did he say, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)? Yes! And did not the wise man say, “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord will guide his steps.” (Proverbs, 16:9)?  Of course he did!  Then why do we find ourselves in terrible or even disastrous situations?  In other words…Where is God?

Let me point out that God’s plan for Adam and Eve was to live in the Garden communing with Him.  They were spiritually connected; God provided for all their needs; it was paradise!  All that was required of the Mayor of Eden and his Chief Assistant was to remain obedient to God.  But, as we know, that didn’t happen.  By their one act of disobedience, SIN entered the world and the spiritual connection between God and man was severed (by man).  They were cast out of the Garden and every generation since Adam has been born spiritually separated from God. Ouch!  But the Good News is… that spiritual connection can be re-established any time man wants to restore it. 

 Let me refer to the story of the Prodigal Son. (Luke 15: 11-32)  The father in the story (a metaphor for God) did not prevent his son (a metaphor for mankind) from making the choice to leave home.  The son reaped the consequences of his actions, and when he had crashed and burned and saw no way out of his squalor, he turned to his father and asked for forgiveness.  The father greeted him with open arms and said, “Welcome home, son.  I’ve been waiting for you.”  (Notice the repentance was initiated by the son.) The same is true for us.  Whenever we become willing to be obedient to God’s plan for our life, we can restore that spiritual connection with God anytime we are ready. The proclamation from the Old Testament prophets to the Billy Grahams of today has never changed: “Repent (change your mind)!  Turn from your sin and turn to God!…” (Matthew 3:2)

Step 3 of the 12 Step Recovery Plan states this so beautifully and succinctly; “We became willing to turn our will and our life over to the care of God, as we understood Him.”  The word in that step that opened my mind to its true meaning is “care”.  Not control, but “care”.  And what does a caregiver do for us:  looks out for our well-being; keeps us safe; is sure our needs are met, etc.  God wants to be our caregiver just as he was Adam and Eve’s caregiver.  And what do you think is God’s first order of business when we turn to him for help and guidance?  Well…since we are sinners by nature and it is SIN that has kept us separated from Him, he wants to clean us up so we can become he person he created us to be.  This is so beautifully spelled out in Romans  5: 6, “ When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners”, and again in Romans 3:22-25: “ We are made right in God’s sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins.  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.  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.”

Those four verses are a mini-sermon in themselves.  They very succinctly present the Gospel of Grace, meaning we did nothing to earn God’s favor and we certainly didn’t deserve it.  But this was His Divine plan for mankind. Did he know we would fall short of his glorious standard?  Of course He did. But this is his answer to our sin issue so we can spend eternity with Him in heaven.

IT’S ALL ABOUT CHOICE

It’s all about choice.  While Christ paid the price for our sins, we have a decision to make.  If we choose to accept His Gift of Grace, we are grafted into his family.  We are now his child; we are sin-free; we made the righteousness of Christ; we are worthy and acceptable in God’s eyes; our eternal destiny is established.  Roman’s 8:1 tells us, “There is no condemnation for those who belong to Jesus Christ.”

Should we decide not to accept this gift, we continue to be spiritually separated from God, meaning the focus is on our self and our own pleasures rather than on God.  This, biblically speaking, defines SIN, and the result of continuing that course is clearly spelled out in Romans 6;23,“For the wages of sin is death…”.  But the Good News also is found at the end of that very same verse,“…but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” 

GOD IS LOVE

Even when we have to deal with unpleasant circumstances, God is still on the throne.  The answer is always the same, regardless of our circumstances.  1 Corinthians10:13 tells us, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” In other words, when we are in line with God’s will, he will find a way to use us to bring honor and glory to his kingdom.  In that capacity we will find and experience a joy, peace and serenity that here-to-fore was never possible.  That’s why Apostle Paul could write the epistles of Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians while chained in a Roman prison. Obviously his circumstances were considerably less than pleasant, but the joy in his heart allowed him to write letters of love and encouragement to fellow believers who needed to hear his message.  Paul also stated in Philippians, 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”  The good news is…. so can YOU. 1John 4:4 reminds us, “He that is in me (the Holy Spirit) is greater than the spirit in this world.”(Satan).  A-men!

So my question to you is… “Who are you today: a result of your choices or your circumstances…or other?

May God Bless Ya, and feel free to respond to this message.

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

Today I want to talk an aspect of the Gospel of Grace that, the more I learn about it and study it, the more I am enthralled with its depth of meaning.  When Jesus’ disciples asked him to teach them to pray, the model is what is commonly referred to today as the Lord’s Prayer.  After the initial adoration of, “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed by your name”, the next sentence is my topic of discussion for today; “thy kingdom come, they will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”  What is meant by “thy kingdom come…on earth as it is in heaven?”

The first century Jews were certainly watching and hoping for God’s kingdom to come.  They had been praying for a Messiah who would bring an end to Roman rule and restore Judea as an independent nation, a nation that would again experience victory over its enemies.  No doubt the concept was attractive – and there was a variety of speculation about how this would be done, although no clear-cut plan of implementation was ever in place.  Unfortunately Jesus’ didn’t fill the bill for “their” Messiah. But even worse, the nation of Israel was not restored; and the temple was destroyed; and the Jews were scattered.  Even now – 2000 years later, the Jewish hopes are still unfulfilled.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we know His kingdom was not, and is not, a kingdom of this world.  As Jesus proclaimed in Mark 1:13, “At last the time has come.  The Kingdom of God is near. (meaning, It’s me!)  Turn from your sins and believe the Good News.” And later Jesus tells Nicodemus how to enter into His Kingdom in John 3:3, “I assure you, unless you are born again, you can never see the Kingdom of God.”  Jesus took a term that was well known to first century Jews, “the Kingdom of God” and turned it into a truth that is clearly defined in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.” The Kingdom Jesus was talking about in the model prayer above is found in him and in his teachings. He is the door through which we must pass to enter into God’s kingdom.

While the message of forgiveness of sins and eternal life is the linchpin of Christianity, the great news that accompanies the Good News is…we don’t have to wait until we die to begin experiencing God’s Kingdom on earth.  We are told in Ephesians 1:3, “…we are heir to all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly realm because we are in Christ.”  And what are some of those blessings?  Well…our sins are forgiven; we are a new creation in Christ; we are made the righteousness of Christ; we are now acceptable in His eyes and therefore can come boldly before the throne of God without any fear of condemnation; and we are grafted into his family and are now his children (which makes Jesus our brother.  Wow! Try wrapping your head around that.)  Plus, we are also heir to every other promise in the Bible, so in reality, our eternal life (can) begin right here and now.  Why?  Because we are in Christ!  (Why is the word “can” in parentheses?  Only when we get this truth from our head to our heart, and it begins affecting how we live our life, do we begin experiencing the blessings of eternal life right here and right now.)

So as followers of Jesus, we are called to be obedient to his teachings and to be his light in this fallen world.  I gotta tell ya from personal experience, those are two formidable challenges!  But don’t be discouraged.  God knows us better than we know ourselves, and he is well aware of our human short- comings. Therefore, His plan for our salvation goes beyond forgiveness of sin and eternal life, and the next part shows itself to be the key ingredient for Christians committed to living the “abundant” life Jesus promised in this fallen world.

On the eve before his crucification, Jesus was telling his disciples again about his impending death.  He knew this message struck fear in the hearts of each of men sitting around the table with him, that’s why he told them in John 14:16-18, 26:  “I will not abandon you as orphans.  I will ask the Father and he will give you another Counselor, 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 and later will be in you. The Holy Spirit will teach you everything and remind you of everything I myself have told you.”

This message is vitally important.  Jesus knew as he looked at these twelve men, they were a weak lot. But he also knew that the job of carrying the message of his teachings, hope and salvation into the world would rest on their shoulders.  He was keenly aware that they drew whatever strength they had from him.  That’s why he revealed to them in the scripture above, “you don’t need the Holy Spirit now because he lives with you (meaning it’s me!). But later the spirit will dwell in you to be your comforter, counselor, teacher, guide and will lead you into all truth.”  In other words, the Holy Spirit would empower them to accomplish their mission in the world after He is gone.

So…you may be asking yourself, “How does that translate for to us in 2014?”  As followers of Jesus, we were given our marching orders in his last statement before being taken up to heaven: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always until the end of this age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)   Jesus knew what this world was like.  He certainly experienced persecution, and he also knew that not everyone would be receptive to his message.  That’s why he bluntly told his disciples in Matthew 10:16, “I am sending you out like sheep among the wolves.” That statement is as true for us today as it was when Jesus proclaimed it to his Apostles.  We are also called to be his ambassadors to the world around us, but the good news is…God, in his loving kindness and through his perfect salvation plan, has already prepared us for victory.

An incredible transformation takes place the moment we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  Our old self (our sin nature) is taken away from us and replaced with a new spirit, the Holy Spirit. The purpose of the Holy Spirit is to empower us to live the life we are called to live in this fallen world.  Not only are we to be Jesus’ ambassadors in terms of carrying the message, but we are called to live to a different standard than the one proclaimed by the world. So think about this.  Prior to our conversion to Jesus Christ, we were “slaves” (not my word but Apostle Paul’s word) to our sin nature.  We just did what came naturally. We were #1!  We were subject to the desires of our flesh; we were caught up in the worldly portrayal of life.  We were right in line with Satan’s plan, but also on the road to destruction, as pointed out in Romans 6:23, “the wages of sin is death…” 

The Holy Spirit is a life-giving spirit. This is clearly portrayed in Galatians, 5: 17-18:  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 we are directed by the Holy Spirit,we are no longer subject to our sin nature.” This, my friends, is how we rise above, and become victorious in this fallen world.  It is not because we commit ourselves to try harder.  It is because of the Gift of Grace we received at rebirth.  Now we call on the Holy Spirit to empower us to do what we have heretofore not been able to do ourselves.  1 John  4:4 tells us, “He (the Holy Spirit) that is in me is greater than the spirit in this world.” (Satan)   See…we are already victorious!

This is how we experience the “abundant” life Jesus promised us.  This is also what it means to experience His Kingdom on earth right here, right now. The joy; the fulfillment; the peace and serenity that results from living the spirit-filled life surpasses all understanding, but I believe it is what we ALL are seeking. Unfortunately, many of us – including myself – “looked for love and validation” in all the wrong places for way toooo long!  My prayer today is…that you find God’s truth much quicker than I did, because when you find it…there’s no mistaking it!!  May God bless you in your endeavor.

 My question to you is…Are you experiencing the spirit filled life?  Why or why not?

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

Well, the Easter season is behind us now, and if most churches followed the traditional path, you heard the awesome message of Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins and his resurrection so we can have eternal life with God, Jesus and all the believers who died before us.  What an awesome, inspiring and comforting story that is!  If your church service was anything like the one Pam and I experienced at Grace Church St. Louis, both the Good Friday service and yesterday’s celebration of His resurrection, you walked out of the service elevated to new heights and thanking God for his gift of grace.  No doubt there is peace and serenity that comes from knowing and understanding our destiny as followers of Jesus Christ.  A-men!

That sounds like an idyllic picture, doesn’t it…knowing our destiny; being filled with hope? And to top it off, it was a beautiful Easter Sunday.  Every lawn, tree and flower was manicured for the occasion.  The only problem with this glimpse of paradise is…I was stuck knee deep in the “wilderness”. And regardless of what I did; what I said; who I pretended to be, I was racked with fear, guilt, shame and remorse and could not – even with prayer – dig myself out of this pit.  That state of worthlessness had actually prevailed throughout the past week.  And what was the cause?  I kept looking for, and praying about the cause, but I was getting NO answers.  God and I seemed to be separated “as far and the east is from the west”, to use a familiar phrase.

Generally I’m a happy spirit.  I love people; I enjoy life and when I tell people “I’m really good” or “I’m great”, I mean it!  Now don’t get me wrong… I too have experienced my share of bumps along the way, but I’ve always bounced back with a new zest for life!  But this one has me befuddled.  I’ve asked myself more than once, “Where is God?”  Why isn’t he answering my pleas for help?”  HELP! But the radar screen is still blank.

My pattern in these situations usually starts off with a mild depression, but this one has progressed to a self-deprecating, self-loathing proportion.  Last week I began a mini-course on End Times Prophecy.  It is a fascinating class, luckily with an ingratiating instructor, and I enjoy the material, except we are moving fast. I had a busy schedule last week, so I haven’t spent much time digesting and codifying the information in my own mind to get it all compartmentalized and straightened out.  However, at the end of the week I met a friend of mine, someone I really respect, and he asked me about the class.  Unfortunately my hazy feedback was considerably less than stellar, but his input into the topic highlighted how much more he knew about the subject matter and how little I still know about it.  Self-deprecating experience #1.

 The previous week Pam and I hosted a group study at our house, and it was my turn to lead the group.  I had a topic already prepared, but the afternoon of the study I decided to change the topic to something I recently heard from someone else.  I thought it would be of interest to the group.  I got distracted in the afternoon and really didn’t devote the usual preparation time, but I continued with my plan counting on an energized group discussion to carry us through. Ugh!  That never really happened, but judging from the glances and the facial expressions, my ability to effectively lead that night was certainly called into question. Ouch!  Self-deprecating experience #2.

Even in my counseling sessions this past week, I felt less than on-the-mark.  Again, even though I prayed as I always do to ask God to keep me out of the way so he can effectively work through me, I felt less than adequate in that capacity.  In fact, in one instance it came clear to me that I had faced and made the same decision a client and I had just discussed, that we just concluded was contrary to Biblical teaching.  Ouch again!  Self-deprecating experience #3.

I definitely can relate to Apostle Paul’s dilemma in Romans 7.  I want to please God, but sometimes the more I pray and the harder I try, the greater the chasm between us.  I don’t want to be where I am right now, but none-the-less, here I am and I seem to be paralyzed at the moment.

I started to write this blog last night.  I went to bed about 8:45 pm and got up at 11:30 to begin writing on a completely different topic.  To say the “well was dry” would be an understatement.  About 3:30 am I returned to bed feeling exhausted and discouraged.  Oh what a wretched man I am!  But this time I wasn’t quoting Apostle Paul, I was talking about this worthless person lying in bed feeling a million miles away from anything.  I lay awake for a while asking God to please give me the topic he wants me to write about.  I thought I had it, but I was willing to admit that perhaps I missed His message to me.

I had a dream during my brief time slumber last night.  I saw an image of a rock.  I saw it first from a distance, but as I drew closer to it I realized there was a hole in the rock.  The closer I got to the rock, the more I could see inside the hole, and I could make out a figure, more like a shadow, then the face of Jesus, as I visualize him, appeared then slowly disappeared.

When I awoke this morning, I remembered the dream, but as I thought about it, my first interpretation was, “of course Presgrave…you’re as dumb as a rock!”  It’s embarrassing to say, but I entertained that thought for a while and rode it a little deeper into the pit. It wasn’t until I got back from my morning walk with Pam, Cliff and Glenn (our dogs) and sat down at the computer did I get some clarity.  I didn’t turn on the lights in my office and I didn’t position myself in front of the computer.  I just leaned back in the chair and once again asked God, “Please help me.  I can’t get out of this quagmire without you.  Oh yes, and about that dream??”  David wrote in psalm 46:10, “just “be still and know that I am God”,  so my intention was to put that verse into practice.

The rock represents Jesus Christ.  As I got closer to it, the opening in the rock represented the opening in the cave (the rock) where Jesus was buried.  The shadow may have been an angel; it may have represented Jesus in the tomb, but the face of Jesus disappeared when he walked out of that tomb and conquered death. I believe that dream is the same message to me that I wrote about in a previous blog entitled, “Why Would I Accept Jesus?”  I was telling my story of a return trip from Ohio to St. Louis when I was contemplating all the way from Columbus Ohio to Indiana the truth of what it means to accept Jesus as Lord of my life.  Just before reaching Richmond, IN, I looked over to the south side of I70 at the beautiful wooded area and saw a clearing in the middle of nowhere with the biggest billboard I had ever seen proclaiming in crimson red, JESUS IS REAL.  That was one of those ah-ha moments!  I remember thinking out loud at the time, I get it God.  I get it!

The same way Apostle Paul reached his clarity when he struggled with his humanness in Romans 7, 24-25, “Oh what a wretched man I am.  Who will free me from this life that is dominated with sin?  Thank God!  The answer is Jesus Christ.  I experienced once again today that same clarity in my own life.  What made this experience a bondage breaker when the previous prayers seemed to get lost in space?  Perhaps it was reaching a state of both brokenness and humility where admitting my short-comings, my doubts, and my fears might be of help to someone else.  In the Book of James 1:2-4 we are told, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect…” We hear the same message in Romans 5: 3-4, “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us – they help us learn to endure.  And endurance develops strength of character in us, and character strengthens our confident expectation of salvation. The truth is; our faith grows in our trials and tribulations

The fact is, all of us are human and are subject to all the temptations of this fallen world.  Satan knows our weaknesses and he never misses an opportunity to show up and do everything in his power to ship-wreck our relationship with God.  Apostle Paul has experienced it; I have experienced it; and I know everyone, regardless of who they are or what title they proclaim, has experienced it. As much as we don’t want to hear it, and as much as we certainly don’t want to experience it, it’s in our time of adversity that we grow in endurance and character.  It takes whatever it takes to get out of that dark place, but we have choices. We can shake our fist at God and be angry; we can persecute ourselves; or we can turn to what we know to be the truth of God, which is: “Nothing can separate us from the love of God. Death can’t, and life can’t.  The angels can’t and the demons can’t.  Our fears for today and our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can’t keep God’s love away.  Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Jesus Christ”. (Romans 8:38-39)  JESUS IS REAL!  We can never hear that message too often!  Thank you, Jesus!

May God bless you all.

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