“Why do you call me good?…Only God is truly good.” (Mark 10:18 NLT)
One of the most helpful insights the Lord has given me is the realization that I’m capable of anything – ANYTHING – given the right set of circumstances. The murderer, rapist, human trafficker, child molester, you name whatever is the vilest “crime” you can conceive, and I’m capable of that if I allow my mind and heart to be subtly led away from the mission of loving God and loving others. And before you judge me too harshly, so are you, my friend, so are you.
John MacArthur wrote: “The Cross is proof of both the immense love of God and the profound wickedness of sin.”
So, what do we do? What’s the answer? Space doesn’t permit me to print the verses, but 2 Peter chapter 1 outlines many ways that, if followed, will help keep us on track. The short answer is, love God and love others as you love yourself.
Jen Wilkin wrote: “We must love God with our minds, allowing our intellect to inform our emotions, rather than the other way around.” Couple that with what Bob Goff said: “We make loving people a lot more complicated than Jesus did.”
Our communications with others often carry some agenda, which essentially translates – we want to promote our preferences. If, by God’s grace, we set aside our agendas and simply love others for who they are, not who we’d like them to be, it will have a profound effect, not only on them, but on us, for Christ’s sake.
When it comes to sin’s subtle inroads into my life, my biggest battle is setting aside my personal preferences in favor of the directives of my Savior, found in His Holy Word, the Bible. I must stay close to Jesus by faithfully reading His Word, worshipping, spending time with His people and serving the needs of those in my sphere of influence.
I learned something at the church I attended in Texas that really resonates with my spirit. It said: “We do life together in groups, we serve together in teams and we do outreach through community partnerships.” My quote may not be exact, but the heart of the message to me is – we’re in this faith journey together and the goal of sin’s subtle pull is to keep us apart. We must not let that happen to us as His people, His Body, His family. We cannot allow sin’s subtlety to allow us to contribute to the disunity of God’s people, His picture of love and acceptance to the world, by shifting our focus from Jesus and what He did for us.
I believe Craig Groeschel was right when he said: “God is not calling us to (just) go to church; He is calling us to be His Church.”
“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil.” (1 Peter 5:8a NLT)
One of the definitions of “subtle” in Webster’s dictionary is: “working insidiously; not easily detected.” Sounds like satan to me. The Apostle Peter warns: “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith.” (1 Peter 5:8-9a NLT)
What is the greatest enemy of our soul? What nailed our Savior to the Cross? What is it that if not dealt with through the forgiveness of the Lord will not only separate us from Him, but from one another? Sin! And through what avenue will sin rear its ugly head more often than any other? Through our preferences! We like what we like, we want what we want, and we don’t like it if we don’t get our way.
But aren’t we delivered from all of that when we’re saved? The Lord Jesus paid the full penalty for our sin on the Cross, but the appropriation of that saving grace isn’t a one-prayer-for-life proposition. Jesus gave us everything we’ll ever need (His Spirit) to defeat the enemy, but as long as we’re in this body of flesh we’re susceptible to sin. What’s the answer?
Who is the roaring lion most often looking for? That straggler, the stray, the one who has wandered away from the “flock.” Church attendance isn’t simply a privilege we too often take for granted, it’s a lifeline of defense against the enemy. Small Groups aren’t simply a good idea, they’re my fellow soldiers with whom I prepare for battle. They’re the ones with whom I plan my strategy and build my defense, not just against satan, but against the sinful subtleties that lurk in my own soul, that I may never recognize unless and until someone I love and trust points them out to me.
Perhaps the most subtle threat to our walk with the Lord is when the devil has us believing we’re a good person. In Matthew 19 and Mark 10 there is a story of a rich man who comes to Jesus and he says: “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus responds, “Why do you call my good?…Only God is truly good.”
That troubled me for some time because I thought, if anyone has the right to accept someone’s evaluation of Him as good, it was Jesus. But I believe what the Lord was emphasizing was, no one is good apart from the presence of the goodness of the Father in them. Thus, the goodness displayed through our lives isn’t an expression of our goodness, but the goodness of the Father, for which none of us can take credit.
“I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one…” (John 17:21a NLT)
Perhaps you’ve heard the expression: “The quickest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” My wife “shines” on many fronts. She’s beautiful, smart, deeply loves her family and is committed to the Lord and His Church. But, to me, one of my wife’s most distinguishing and endearing qualities is – she’s an awesome cook. We sometimes eat out, but I rarely eat a meal that is as good as what I get at home. I believe it’s safe to say, I prefer my wife’s cooking. The fact is, I prefer my wife.
Life is filled with preferences, not only in what we eat, but in virtually every area of our lives. We have automobile preferences, political, clothing, housing, animal, people as well as religious preferences. The list is virtually endless. But at the end of the day our preferences are just that – preferences. What’s my point?
If we’re not extremely careful, we’ll slowly allow our preferences to become “law” and expect others to conform to what we believe to be “the best.” So, what began as a simple preference now becomes an expectation of others. We see this in government, in schools, businesses, families and in the Church. What’s the end result? Division! The devil’s playground.
In John 17 we see Jesus’ final prayer before He’s betrayed, tortured and murdered. I believe the theme of His prayer is reflected in verses 21-23: “I pray that they (us) will all be one, just as you and I are one – as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.” (NLT)
What did Jesus mean when He said “I have given them the glory you gave Me?” Psalm 19:1 (NLT) says: “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display His craftsmanship.” This same theme is echoed in Psalm 97:6 (NLT): “The heavens proclaim His righteousness; every nation sees His glory.” What’s my point? Jesus gave US His glory, the glory the Father had given Him. WE (every Christ-follower worldwide) are the outward, physical display of Christ’s presence on earth, in much the same way as Jesus was the embodiment of the Father in human flesh while He was on earth.
If those apart from the saving knowledge of Jesus are ever going to find Him, they must see His “glory” revealed and evidenced in the individual and corporate lives of those of us who profess His holy name. Unity, our oneness with God, and the oneness of God’s people, is a picture of the Father’s love for His Son when we yield our preferences to God and let Jesus shine through our love and devotion to Him and to one another, not simply in OUR church preference, but in the corporate family of God worldwide.
“So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. (1 Peter 1:6 NLT)
Based on what I mentioned in yesterday’s Post, what’s my “take-away,” the “profit” of my faith-building pain? One very valuable benefit of that painful season was that it taught me to never doubt in the darkness what I know to be true in the light.
Though the doctor’s advised my son, because of the chemo and radiation treatments, that he’d likely never become a father, at age thirty-nine he fathered Hannah Christine, now almost seven years old and my only grandchild.
The profit of pain for me is the hope that whatever life sends my way, I have a Savior who loves me and is for me. Nothing catches Him by surprise and every pain is a potential platform upon which the Lord can do what only He can do in my life. He is faithful and true and He always keeps His promises. His Word is reliable and filled with wisdom that will guide and sustain me in every season.
I’ve learned that there are insights and understandings that can be gleaned from pain that can be learned in no other way. I’ve learned that our circumstances are God’s friends, partnering with Him to help us conform more perfectly to the likeness of our Savior, which is God’s will for all who follow Him (Romans 8:29).
Steven Furtick said, “Some of the reasons you gave up were not because it was hard, but because you didn’t know you were winning.” Sitting by my bed, sobbing tears of regret and loss, I didn’t feel like a “winner,” but because of Jesus, I was and am!
Peter saw things in his pain and heartache that led him to say in his first letter, chapter 1, verses 6-7: “So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead (emphasis mine), even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold – though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.” (NLB)
I love the oft quoted words of C.S. Lewis: “We can ignore even pleasure. But pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”
If this is a season of pain for you, hear the word of the Lord for you: “Be still, and know that I am God!” Psalm 46:10 (NLB) Find a quiet spot and listen for God’s “megaphone” to speak hope, courage, wisdom and healing into your weakness and fear. Know you are loved and the Lord is with you, for you and He has plans for you that are too incredible for you to comprehend in this moment. Satan is a liar and a deceiver who hates you and will seek to silence the voice of truth. Immerse yourself in God’s Word, worship and fellowship with others who can love you and give you the loving support you need in this hour. You are not alone – never have been – never will be!
“so that the world will believe you sent me.” (John 17:21b NLT)
One of the many things I love (prefer) about Hope Church is the diversity. To me it’s a picture of the New Testament Church. The first century Church saw people from all walks of life – Jews and non-Jews (gentiles), slave and free, religious and heathen, male and female, rich and poor, young and not so young – in short, people who, because of their station in life, had many different preferences (see yesterday’s Post). Yet, because of their newfound love and acceptance in Jesus, they came together, sharing not only their lives, but their possessions and resources to help each other fulfill their common mission of reaching the world for Jesus – “so that the world will believe you sent me.” (John 17:21b NLT)
I’ve only been attending Hope Church for less than a year, but from the moment I stepped into the building for the first time, I sensed the presence of the Lord in a powerful way. I came filled with expectation because of my preferences, but I found the presence of the Lord so profoundly evidenced in the lives of those who greeted me, welcomed me, exhibited the “glory” of God so unmistakably that all of a sudden my preferences didn’t matter anymore. Was the worship what I expected? No, but I loved it. Was the Pastor’s message exactly what I expected? No, but the Lord spoke through him right to my heart. Was I uncomfortable as I suspected I’d be in that large setting? Only for a second or two.
The love of Jesus was so richly at work in the lives of those with whom I worshipped, the Lord’s presence so pure and impactful that all my thoughts centered on praise and worship of the only One whose opinion really matters. Suddenly the preferences of all of us present were lost in the joy of worshipping together. The glory of God was put on display through our united expressions of worship. And don’t misunderstand, just because I “prefer” Hope Church, I’m not implying that we’re the only church where the glory of God is on display.
What am I trying to say? Satan is a liar and a deceiver. He’s a defeated foe who is destined to be separated from the grace and goodness of God for all eternity, and his whole focus is to “steal, kill and destroy” (John 10:10) the unity of God’s people by causing us to take our focus off of Jesus and put it on our own preferences.
“And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.” (Ephesians 3:18 NLT)
When my then sixteen-year-old son was diagnosed with leukemia, can you imagine my first response? Unbelief (I couldn’t believe what my ears were hearing), followed shortly thereafter by lots of fear. Why? Where was my faith? I was a pastor, supposedly “filled with faith,” yet in those moments of terror my heart and mind were more focused on the “storm” my son was facing and my fear of his impending death, than the God who has authority over every storm.
I’m grateful He didn’t, but the Lord Jesus could have asked me, as He asked the disciples on that stormy lake, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (Mark 4:40 NLT) But had He asked, in my mind’s eye I think I would have responded, “My son’s life is on the line, of course I’m afraid, but what does my faith have to do with that?” And though I may not have been able to see it then, as the disciples in that boat very likely couldn’t make the connection, I can see today with crystal clarity, my faith has EVERYTHING to do with it. Why? How so?
Because every step of progress we make on our journey with Jesus is taken by faith. Our journey begins by faith, develops by faith and will one day end by faith. And every “storm” we face has only one purpose – to build our faith. Why? To enable us to see Jesus more clearly (“Who is this man?”– Mark 4:41 NLT) so that we may follow Him more closely, understanding that when He is present, fear has no place in our heart or mind.
Fear negates faith. When we’re filled with fear we eliminate our capacity to have faith. Does that mean we should never fear? Of course not. Fear can be a legitimate and needed response in certain circumstances. But even then, if we’re paralyzed by fear, it will actually add to, not help us to resolve the problem.
When the disciples had reached the limits of their knowledge and ability; in other words, when they had reached the end of themselves and their ability to save themselves, they turned to Jesus. And regardless of their expectations and in spite of their fear, Jesus responded, the storm subsided and the disciples’ lives were saved.
Do you think the disciples’ faith was stretched that day? I believe it was, just as my faith was stretched through the three plus years my son endured chemo and radiation treatments. To what end was the disciples’ faith stretched? Of those original twelve disciples, with the exception of Judas, who betrayed Jesus and subsequently took his own life, and John, who died in exile because of his faith in Jesus, every other of the original twelve died a martyr’s death.
Do you think they ever feared again? Of course they did, but they didn’t allow their fear to overshadow their faith. And when the day came for each of them, as it will for each of us, to decide who will rule their lives – fear or faith; themselves or Jesus – they chose faith, they chose Jesus. It ultimately cost them their lives, but they deemed their life a small price to pay for their great expectation of an eternity with Him in heaven.
What do you expect? When the storms of life come, and they will, who will you turn to for help? And what will your expectation be? Simply to have the Lord “save” you from the immediate circumstance? Or to allow Him to build life-changing faith in you?
My prayer for myself and for you, is as Paul prayed in Ephesians 3:16-20 (NLT) for the Ephesian believers: “…that from His glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.”
“Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (Mark 4:40 NLT)
The Summer following my college graduation, my wife and I did an internship at the church she had attended growing up. We stayed with her parents, so our expenses were minimal, and we were excited the church was paying us $75 a week.
After we’d served a number of weeks, a couple in the church offered us the use of their condo in North Carolina. We were very appreciative, because with our limited funds we had no expectation of getting any kind of vacation. No one had ever done anything like that for us before, so when we opened the door of the condo we both stood in amazement – it was beautiful! We’d been surprised by grace and the condo was far nicer than we imagined.
In Mark 4:35-41 the writer tells of a time when Jesus and His disciples were crossing a lake, and a fierce storm arose and the waves began to crash over the sides of the small craft, threatening to sink it. Ironically, while the disciples were frantic, literally fearing for their lives, Jesus was fast asleep. The context suggests they were trying their best to bail the water out of their boat to keep it from sinking and not to disturb Jesus, but they soon discovered it was a losing battle. At that point, in desperation, they awakened Him.
As I read this story it caused me to ponder the question, “What were the disciples expecting when they went to Jesus?” Did they merely want Jesus to lend them a hand bailing? It was early in Jesus’ ministry, and He had only done a few miracles, so were they really expecting Him to rise up and calm the wind and waves?
The Bible says, “The disciples woke him up, shouting, ‘Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?'” (NLT) It seems their expectation was less focused on the storm and more on their own well being. Implicit in their despairing cries was the attitude, “We’ve done all we can and it’s obviously not enough. Is there anything You can do to assist us?”
I can’t know with certainty, but it seems they had a pretty low level of expectation at that point, especially in light of their response following Jesus’ rebuke of the wind and the calming of the waves when He called out, “Silence! Be still!” After the threat had passed, Jesus asked the disciples, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
Jesus demonstrated unbelievable, unimaginable and certainly unexpected authority over the wind and waves, so much so the Bible says “the disciples were absolutely terrified. ‘Who is this man?’ they asked each other. ‘Even the wind and waves obey him!'” I believe it’s safe to say how Jesus responded to their need was far greater than their expectation.
While pondering this story I was reminded of our trip to North Carolina and our amazement at how much nicer the condo was than what my wife and I expected. Why? Because like the disciples, our faith hadn’t been stretched enough to realize what a great and powerful Savior we serve. So, my thoughts turned to Jesus’ question, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
Does that seem an odd question to you, given the circumstances? Does the disciples fear seem indicative of a lack of faith to you? Wouldn’t you have been just as fearful? I’m quite confident I would have been? Yet Jesus is making an undeniable connection between the disciples’ fear and their lack of faith. Why is that important?
“If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.” (John 14:15-16 NLT)
After my divorce, to say I struggled would be an understatement. But among the most glaring evidences of my struggle was my lack of finances. Nearly every month I made my way to the office of the apartment complex where I lived to explain AGAIN why my rent payment would be late. On one such occasion I was stunned and delighted when the young woman in the office said: “Oh, you don’t need to worry about it this month. Your rent has been paid.” Of course, my first thought was – “Who would do this for me?”
It took a while, but I finally figured out who paid my rent and was able to express my gratitude, but I still didn’t make the connection that ultimately led me to the “real” Person behind that kindness – the Holy Spirit!
Of course, in a general sense, we give thanks to God when things like that happen, but it doesn’t always lead us to the third Person of the Godhead. We’re good with our “Good, good Father,” and we’re grateful for the sacrifice of our Savior, Jesus, as well we should be. But we sometimes get confused and uncertain about the role of the mysterious third Person of the Trinity. Who is He and why is His ministry SO vital in our lives today?
In the upper room, while Jesus was seeking to explain to His beloved disciples what was about to happen (His death, burial, resurrection and ascension), He assured them that it was actually a very good thing that He was “going away.” In John 14:15-16 (NLT) Jesus said: “If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.” And in verse 17 Jesus gets very specific: “He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.”
Notice a couple of things in these verses. First, Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as “He,” not “it.” It makes me cringe when I hear, sometimes believers of many years, make reference to the Holy Spirit as “it.” But also notice the word Jesus uses to describe the Holy Spirit, “Advocate.” In the original language it was the word “Paraclete,” which can also be translated Comforter, Encourager or Counselor. Paraclete literally means, one who will stand by you, and the picture painted is a courtroom where you are on trial, but you’re not alone. The Paraclete, brilliant and informed regarding the law and the details of your specific case, comes to stand by you and defend you.
Where the plot thickens is in Acts 2 when the Holy Spirit comes in power. Listen to Luke’s account beginning with verse 1: “On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.”
That’s when we begin to get nervous. Why? What’s the implication? God did, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit something new, something none of them had ever experienced in all their time following Jesus – He took control of them and enabled them to do something none of them believed they could do! In this case, the Holy Spirit enabled those early believers to speak in languages they’d never learned. Why? Because the situation called for this dramatic, yet essential application of the Spirit’s power.
There were thousands of visitors who had come to Jerusalem for the Jewish Festival of Pentecost, many from different parts of the world, who spoke different languages than the common language spoken in Jerusalem at that time. So, what needed to happen? God needed to enable His children to share the good news of who Jesus was and what He did with all of those visitors in a language they could understand – THEIR LANGUAGE! And the only way that was going to happen was through the miraculous intervention of the Paraclete – the One who would come along side those empowered believers, enabling them to do what they could never have done in their own strength or ability.
HELLO! Isn’t that exactly what the Holy Spirit is longing to do in our lives today? But how? By enabling us to “speak the language” of those in our spheres of influence who don’t yet know our Savior. How do you think it will ever be possible to reach the 92% of our city, who have yet to know our Savior? How will we reach our loved ones, neighbors and friends if we can’t learn to communicate with them in a “language” they can understand?
But there’s a catch. “Okay, I’ll bite, what is it?” You have to be willing to yield the most precious thing you possess. “Oh no, not my iPhone!” Nope, worse than that. “My Beamer?” Nope. “My job? My spouse? My kids? My health?” Nope. The CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE!
Those early believers were in that upper room in Jerusalem, in obedience to a directive the Lord had given them. They chose to submit to the Lord’s authority in their lives, unknowing and uncertain as to what that might mean. Do you think they were scared out of their wits when the wind started howling, the place started shaking and they heard themselves and their friends speaking what seemed to them to be gibberish? Of course, but you know what? It all made perfect sense when 3,000 Jews from all over the then known world yielded their lives and allegiance to Jesus. Being scared was a small price to pay for 3,000 souls.
The Holy Spirit is the Friend we may not have known we had, who will show up at unexpected times (though He actually lives in us and never leaves us) and bless us in unexpected ways to do for us what we can’t do for ourselves, to enable us to bless those we are seeking to reach for Jesus. It’s a win, win, win!
The greatest adventure I’ve ever known is following Jesus and yielding my life completely to His control through the ministry of His Holy Spirit who fills and empowers me. And just as the Holy Spirit led those two men who paid my rent to bless me, He’s led me countless times to bless others to His glory, honor and fame.
Are the souls of our loved ones, neighbors and friends worth yielding control of your life to the vital ministry of the Holy Spirit? I’m not going to lie, I don’t know what that will look like exactly. But I can assure you, based on the authority of God’s Word and nearly 60 years of following my Savior, whatever the cost, it’s worth it. And by the way – you’re not in control anyway!
“But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent.” (2 Corinthians 11:3 NLT)
The “deceiver,” as satan is sometimes referred in the Bible, is no respecter of persons and, like David Copperfield (see yesterday’s post), will create illusions believable by anyone, given the right circumstance. Remember, every illusion is based on false belief, causing us to believe something that seems true or, in our minds, should be true, but isn’t. There are many “illusions” related to the church.
The devil would have us believe the Church is only interested in money; that Christians are exclusive and love to judge others; that everyone who attends church is kind, nice, thoughtful, caring, loving, on the one hand, or hateful, hypocritical, uncaring, prejudiced, ______________ (you can fill in the blank) on the other. I wrongly assumed church leaders always put Christ first, that for them His will was supreme. I didn’t understand that church leaders, like everyone else, are human first, then Christian. I didn’t realize, though I should have, if I’d only taken a closer look at my own heart, that church leaders, like every other Christ-follower, struggle with issues of self-worth, value and independence (tempted to follow our sinful nature rather than the will of God).
May I let you in on a secret? There are people who love church and are faithfully devoted to the church, who haven’t yet met Jesus. There “religion” is church, not Christianity, not following Jesus. There are those who have “prayed the prayer” and “received Christ,” but they don’t have a clue as to what that really means. They don’t understand discipleship and devotion to Christ alone. They haven’t come to grips with what it means to love Jesus more than they love their own life. So, what’s the point? No one has arrived. Everyone is on a journey. Make sure Jesus is your focus, not just your involvement in church.
So, what’s the answer? Be cautious, but don’t quit. The Lord has made it clear to me that another person’s life choices are not to be my focus, that’s His department. My mission isn’t to judge another person’s decisions, only to love them as Christ has loved me. How does that translate? If you’ve been hurt by someone who professes to know Jesus, but doesn’t always live like Him, shift your focus. What does that mean? It simply means, focus on Jesus. How do you do that?
Read the Bible regularly, especially in the New Testament, beginning with the Book of John. Become a student of Jesus. Learn how HE lived, what HE taught, what HE expects of you, then follow HIM, one step at a time. But perhaps equally important, find someone you can trust who truly loves Jesus, and ask them to help you understand what it means to follow Jesus. Learn together. Walk with Jesus together. Life in Christ was never meant to be lived alone, but in community. That’s why He gave us the Church.
After my heart had been shattered, I wasn’t sure I ever wanted to serve in a church setting again. My temptation was to so focus on the ones who hurt me (deceived me), that I missed the many others who had loved me, prayed for me, sacrificed for me and cared deeply about me and my family. In short, those who genuinely loved Jesus and, though not perfect, sincerely made an effort daily to live as Jesus lived. Finally, by God’s grace and with His help, I was able to forgive those who hurt me and realign my focus on Jesus. Where did that lead me?
Ultimately, the Lord led me to Hope Church here in Las Vegas. My wife and I have been attending Hope Church for 10+ months now and we love it. Is Hope Church perfect? Of course not. As long as I’m attending, it will never be perfect, because, like every other person who attends, serves or leads, we’re all in the same boat – we’re all flawed by sin; we’re all in need of a Savior – EVERYDAY! Will you meet someone at Hope who may hurt you in some way? Possibly. I haven’t meet one yet, but I’m assuming they exist.
What I’ve found are loving, caring, considerate people who love Jesus and are laying their lives on the line every day to serve others. The deeper I look into the “inner workings” of the church, the more there is to appreciate and admire. The structure of the church, the church’s stewardship of money, people and other resources is as Biblical and as functionally correct as any church of which I’ve ever been a part.
Wherever you are on your faith journey – from no faith to a lot of faith – you are welcome at Hope Church. Our mission is: “We exist to connect people to live the life of a Jesus follower.” I’m learning every day, through every message delivered by the Spirit-led, Bible-centered and skilled teaching staff at Hope, through every Small Group meeting and through my daily investment in time alone with my Savior, that there’s only One who is perfect, and it ain’t me!
“But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” (2 Corinthians 11:14 NLT)
Have you ever been to Las Vegas? What enters your mind when you think of that city? Glitter? Glamour? Gambling? Though Vegas itself held very little appeal to us, my wife and I now live there because of our son and daughter-in-law. On a visit, before we moved to Las Vegas, I saw an advertisement for a performance by David Copperfield, who at the time was purported to be among the best magicians who had ever lived. What does he do? He creates illusions. He makes things seem like something they’re actually not. He’s famous for making the Statue of Liberty “disappear.” Did he actually do that? Of course not, but he flawlessly created the illusion. He caused people, if only for a moment, to believe he did.
Do you understand that Satan does the same thing? He’s a master of illusion, of disillusionment. What does that mean? It’s ironic, because the term “disillusion,” according to Mr. Webster, literally means: “to free from illusion or false ideas,” but can also be defined: “to take away the ideals or idealism of and make disappointed, bitter, etc.” Has that ever happened to you? It has to me.
I entered Pastoral Ministry in the mid 1970’s filled with idealism and hope. I believed every believer was virtuous, honest and trustworthy. I believed Elders and leaders of churches always had the Lord’s best interests at heart and selflessly served to promote Jesus’ fame. I was wrong.
In my first role as a Senior Pastor I was greeted warmly and, for the most part, accepted and loved. Things actually went well the first few years. The church grew steadily and it became apparent we needed to add staff. It was a small church and, while the pastor’s choice had weight, the congregation’s vote ultimately determined whether or not the candidate would be selected. The young couple I had chosen came and did a superb job of sharing their gifts and talents. The church responded positively and warmly. It seemed obvious they would be a perfect fit for our growing congregation. Again, I was wrong.
The vote was taken and resulted in only 51% in favor of them coming to serve. I’m still deeply saddened as I bring it to remembrance. I was young and oblivious to the tactics of the “saints.” Unbeknownst to me, the word had been spread to those who weren’t even current attenders to “come and vote,” with the clear implication to vote against the candidating couple. I had asked each board member if they would give the couple their support and every person said “yes.” But following the announcement of the vote, one of the board members came to me, and standing right in my face said: “I just wanted you to know who’s really running this church.”
My heart was broken. I’d been deceived and it almost cost me my ministry. I served the church a few more years, but my heart wasn’t in it and I finally resigned and took a secular job. I was disillusioned, broken, spent. My idealism was evaporated and I felt like an empty shell. Questions flooded my mind, but I learned a lot in that season about the frailties of man and the Adamic-nature with which each of us wrestles, not only as I viewed it in others, but as I experienced it in my own life.
How easy it was for me to see the “gnat” in another’s eye and miss the “plank” in my own. How easy it was to be so focused on the sins of others, that I overlooked my own sinful attitudes and actions, to the peril of my own walk with the Lord. Have you ever let that happen to you?
Walking With Jesus 