Cornerstone Bible Fellowship Pastor's Blog

2012-03-05T10:33:00.000-06:00

I did not read this before yesterday's message, "Allowing Death", ... but I wish I had.Click on the title and read it. Have everyone you know read it...Finding Comfort in the Midst of Grief

"I had always turned to the Bible when I had problems, but after losing my husband I was hesitant"

written by CBF member, Sabrina Beasley

2012-02-29T11:56:00.000-06:00

Here's "The 45 Year Marriage Dance" as promised. I'd love to read your comments after you watch it!

The Marriage Dance #3

2012-02-20T15:38:00.000-06:00

Timely, extremely practical, and CHALLENGING! Get the audio and the notes (ppt slides) by clicking here.

Putting it all together... This coming Sunday is the final message in this series and we will look at what makes a marriage dance a thing of beauty and why we should settle for nothing less in our marriages!

SNEAK PEAK: Also this Sunday, you won't want to miss a sneak peak at our next sermon series: "DEATH and all of his friends".

The Marriage Dance #2

2012-02-15T14:26:00.001-06:00

Want to get caught up on The Marriage Dance? ... RIGHT click HERE and select OPEN IN A NEW TAB to listen to message #2: The Partners and then watch the presentation below...

The Marriage Dance #1

2012-02-15T11:37:00.001-06:00

Want to get caught up on The Marriage Dance? ... RIGHT click HERE and select OPEN IN A NEW TAB to listen to message #1: The Instructor and then watch the presentation below...

Do you know this Cornerstone couple?

2012-02-06T09:41:00.003-06:00

First of all, one of the reasons we have such a fantastic Children's ministry at CBF is the hard working, servant spirit of Pastor Eric and Lisa Day. Even when one of the Teaching Pastor's asked them to put in extra work to help him out with a message on Sunday, they not only agreed, but they hit a home run! It was fantastic! I hope you were here to see it.We are so blessed to have this wonderful couple leading our children's ministry. Be sure you thank them!
___________________________

Secondly, does anyone look at a burned out forest and conclude: "trees were just a bad idea in the first place. I think we should all stop planting trees!"? It's true, some marriages have burned up. But remember this: your marriage is a part of God's good creation!
___________________________

Now...do you know this Cornerstone couple? They stopped me after one of the services yesterday and said that the whole service really hit home with them. They met at a dance 45 years ago. He was playing in the band, she had been on the dance floor all night. At the end of the night, he asked her to dance with him.

He was the last boy she danced with that night. Neither dated anyone else since that dance.

One year later they married.

For 45 years they have been doing the Marriage Dance.

45 years later, they remember that night like it was yesterday.

The Marriage Dance

2012-02-02T17:02:00.000-06:00

The Marriage Dance starts Sunday morning!

Moving to the Rhythm of Love
Each Sunday Morning in February @ Cornerstone Bible Fellowship

Invite a friend! Here's a link to more info: The Marriage Dance

Not a dancer? Neither was I...

Click here to watch Alicia and I at our first ever dance lesson...

YouVersion goes LIVE at CBF this Sunday!

2012-01-19T15:54:00.002-06:00

Sunday morning follow along with the message and answer a pre-service poll question with the YouVersion App on the LIVE tab and look for "Sunday Morning @ Cornerstone Bible Fellowship"!

The Unborn Life

2012-01-18T10:09:00.000-06:00

Click here for information on the 34th Annual March For Life

I just read an article by Charles Swindoll published in the latest edition of Christian Counseling Today entitled "What the Bible Says About the Unborn".

Here's a summary of his points:

God sets apart human life as unique, distinctive and valuable. (Genesis 1:26-27)
He therefore preserves and protects human life as no other life on earth. (Exodus 20:13; Psalm 8:4-5)
That kind of life begins at conception and continues to develop in the womb, where God is at work, shaping the child into the precise kind of person He desires him or her to be. (Psalm 139:13-16; Matthew 1:18-21)

His conclusion: "Today, the major part of the pro-choice argument is that a woman's rights take over or have precedence over the life within her, as though she were solely responsible for the conception of life with her. She is not...not really. ... Therefore (following the summary points above) because it is God's will that every child's life be protected after birth, it is certainly His will that such protection apply to the child in his or her prenatal state."

Among the great points made by Swindoll in the article was this one from Luke 1:35 where the angel of the Lord says to Mary "...the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God." Did you catch that? "the holy one to be born" (emphasis mine). Before Jesus birth, while still in Mary's womb, he was already a person, a life, the savior, the holy one. He was not a blob, tissue, or just "a choice". He was God's son and God knew him, just like God knows every person he creates from the moment of the miracle of conception.

The Kingdom Assignment

2012-01-11T16:11:00.002-06:00

20 Cornerstonians are on a "Kingdom Assignment"! What did you think of Sunday morning?!?

Building a Successful Stepfamily @ CBF

2011-03-30T14:51:00.003-05:00

From Successful Stepfamilies founder Ron Deal:

Our goal: To break the generational cycle of divorce by strengthening stepfamilies. One of the ways to prevent divorce in the next generation is to prevent redivorce in this generation.

Go to http://www.cbf.us/min_stepfamily and register for the CBF Building a Successful Stepfamily Conference April 8 & 9 with Ron Deal today!!

Operation Christmas Child

2010-11-23T14:27:00.000-06:00

Sounds like an intense special ops rescue mission doesn’t it? Because of CBF’s willingness to give, 319 children will be shown the love of Christ through small toys in small shoeboxes. Most importantly, they will hear the Gospel presented in their own language and given a chance to be truly rescued. What a great mission we accomplished as a body. Let us continue to give and sacrifice for one another so others will see and know the Giver of Life.

Next year’s goal: 500 boxes.

Advanced Notice - The Smart Stepfamily

2010-11-11T11:51:00.002-06:00

On April 8 & 9 of 2011, Cornerstone will be hosting the Smart Stempfamily Conference featuring author, counselor, and speaker Ron Deal.

Registration brochures will be available shortly after the first of the year.

As an early promotion of our upcoming stepfamily conference I wanted to let you know that Focus on the Family will be airing three radio broadcasts next week, Nov. 15-17 on the topic of becoming a smart stepmom. Laura Petherbridge and Ron Deal are featured in at least two of the broadcasts (there is a panel of stepmoms for the third) and the book is the featured product. Also, next Wed, Nov. 17 she and Ron will doing a live webcast with Focus on the Family.

To help our community as well as church members get excited about our upcoming conference, I want to you let them know about the broadcasts.

To listen to the audio broadcasts, listen online or get info: http://listen.family.org/daily/A000003006.cfm

To watch the live webcast (or watch on demand later): http://www.focusonlinecommunities.com/community/webcasts

To learn more about The Smart Stepfamily conference that is coming to CBF in April, visit www.successfulstepfamilies.com

Start spreading the word of this great upcoming resource for families! Questions are welcome.

--Barry

Plagued by Questions! (Not really, but I liked the play on words :-)

2010-11-02T15:16:00.012-05:00

What a great Sunday this past week! If you missed the “boxed” announcements by Cody Van Scyoc, then you missed a “never seen before at Cornerstone” moment! Be sure to check the web site for the specifics of Operation Christmas Child! (And then be sure to ask someone who was here about the shoe-box announcements!)

I’ve received a several questions from last Sunday’s message (titled: "I Lived a REAL Horror Story!") that I have answered personally and wanted to pass on for all who may have similar questions. Feel free to add to the questions or discussion below. Thanks to those who asked these because in the words of your first grade teacher, “there are no bad questions!”

Q1: Was Pharaoh predestined to be a unbeliever? "But I have raised you up for this very purpose,..." did he stand much of a chance, if demonstrating this lesson was God's purpose for his existence?

A1: This issue is directly related to the issue in Dave’s message from a week ago: Who hardened Pharaoh’s heart? God?(As is indicated 10 times in early Exodus) or Pharaoh himself (as is indicated 9 times in early Exodus). The answer we are left with is “yes”. God hardened it and Pharaoh hardened his own heart and how those two co-exist is one of the mysteries that is unrevealed to us for now.

And so, your question is very similar in that it asks “who’s responsible” for Pharaoh’s unbelief?

I like this description from Michael Patton:

“That the Bible teaches the doctrine of election/predestination (henceforth, election) is not at issue for the Christian. All Christians believe in election. After all, it is in the Bible! The question is not, Does the Bible teach election? but, What does election mean?

There are two primary positions with regard to the doctrine of election:

Conditional Election: God’s election is based on the foreseen faith of the individual. God “elects” people because they first choose him. (There are other variations, but the essence is the same.)

Unconditional Election: God’s election is not based on anything in the individual, but on God’s mysterious sovereign choice. This choice is not without reason but is unconditioned with regard to any foreseen goodness in the elect.”

For centuries, Christians have taken one side or the other on this question. As Dave pointed out last week, there are problems with both views if either is taken in the extreme.

A problem believing only in conditional election is that it seems to leave God out of the equation. According the strict adherents of this view, He simply set up the terms of the deal and individuals either accept it or not and that choice is totally up to us and every person ever created has the exact same ability and choice. People were all created with the same opportunity to believe, the difference being what each one does with that opportunity. With only this perspective, we can end up on one end of the spectrum which is “open theism”, the idea that the future is totally dependent, and only dependent, on mankind’s choices. In this extreme, we are either the all-stars and think way too much of ourselves and our choices, or we are totally depressed because we can’t do anything good enough to change ourselves or the world!

The problem with unconditional election is that is seems to leave any individual choice out of the equation. According to this view taken in its extreme everything about the world and the individuals who inhabit it has been predetermined before the world began. Therefore everyone who believes does so not because they made any choice to believe, but only and solely because God chose them. Conversely, those who don’t believe (i.e. Pharaoh) were never given any opportunity to believe, never had and never will have any ability to believe. People were created to believe and be saved or they were created to not believe and be condemned, neither of which has anything to do with their own choice. This can lead to “fatalism” which means the belief that nothing any of us does matters at all because God has predetermined it all and He’s responsible, not us. Those on this extreme can get apathetic about everything and just say “It doesn't matter what I think or do because God's will is being played out and I have no choice or influence on anything”, or very prideful because they have been chosen (and therefore must be more loved by God) and others weren’t.

In scripture, both views are articulated. As humans, we tend to want to do away with this kind of tension and once-and-for-all prove one view or the other totally right and the other totally wrong. Is it possible for any of us to actually hold these two views in exact balanced tension (50% -50%)? Probably not or at least very few of us so most people who study God’s word seeking truth will tend to lean at least a little toward one view or the other (and for some, which way they lean may depend on the last verse they just read!).

So here’s a difficult answer (but the only one I have for you): Yes, he was predestined to be an unbeliever AND, yes, he was given a real and true opportunity (free will choice) to obey, repent, believe, and be saved… just like you and I.

Great question!

Q2: Here's a question born from Sunday's message from Exodus 9:6 from "The Plague on Livestock":

⁶ And the next day the LORD did it: All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died. and 9:9-10 from "The Plague of Boils": ⁹ It will become fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, and festering boils will break out on men and animals throughout the land." ¹⁰ So they took soot from a furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses tossed it into the air, and festering boils broke out on men and animals.

and 9:20-21, 25-26 from "The Plague of Hail":²⁰ Those officials of Pharaoh who feared the word of the LORD hurried to bring their slaves and their livestock inside. ²¹ But those who ignored the word of the LORD left their slaves and livestock in the field. ²⁵ Throughout Egypt hail struck everything in the fields—both men and animals; it beat down everything growing in the fields and stripped every tree. ²⁶ The only place it did not hail was the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were.

If "All the livestock of the Egyptians died", in the "Plague of the Livestock", then how is it that more animals died in the next two plagues? The notes in the NIV Application Bible asks the same question of verses 20, 21 and proposes an answer "If all the Egyptian livestock were killed in the earlier plague, how could the slaves of Pharaoh put their cattle inside? The answer is probably that the earlier plague killed all the animals in the fields, but not those in the shelters."

But this doesn't seem to be consistent with the word "All" in verse 6. I wondered if maybe the Egyptians confiscated at least some, maybe most, but probably not all of the Israelites livestock after "The Plague on Livestock" and before "The Plague of Boils"?

A2: I have come across 3 possible answers to what seems like a contradiction in terms related to livestock left alive after Exodus 9:6. (Yours, that they may have confiscated some from the Israelites is now 4!) They are:

Time – The plagues probably took at least 9 months from the first to the last, plenty of time for a wealthy country to replenish their livestock (only to have the Lord decimate them once again in another plague.)

2. The Hebrew word kol (“all”) shouldn’t be taken to mean every single one, but rather as a from of “all over the place” or “all sorts of”. (See commentary notes below). So the livestock not in stables at the time died, those stabled for weather or other reasons were unaffected.

3. "Livestock” is different and less broad than the later referenced “beasts”. (See commentary quote below.)

I really appreciate the detailed reading of the text from last Sunday! What a great example to us all to meticulously comb through God’s word for all that He would teach us through it!!

Barry

Notes from selected commentaries on question Q2:

“This apparent contradiction is not due to inconsistency among the plague accounts, multiple contradictory sources for them, or any similar cause. It is due simply to the fact that the Hebrew word kol, usually translated “all,” can mean “all sorts of”⁸⁸ or “from all over” or “all over the place.”⁸⁹ In this verse the better translation of the full expression would be “all sorts of Egyptian livestock died” or “Egyptian livestock died all over the place.”- ^[1] Douglas K. Stuart, vol. 2, Exodus, electronic ed., Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2007), 223-24.

“There is no need to press the expression “all the livestock” (v.6) to mean each and every one and then find there are no Egyptian cattle left for the seventh plague (vv.19, 25), for it is already plain in v.3 that the plague affected only those cattle “in the field.” Normally the Egyptian cattle were stabled from May to December inclusive, during the flood and the drying-off periods when the pastures were waterlogged. Thus some of the cattle were already being turned out to pasture down south; so it must have been sometime in the month of January.” - Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., "Exodus" In , in The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Volume 2: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1990), 357.

“The speculation that this sixth mighty act is somehow a variant account of the one preceding it and the question whether there would be any animals left outside Goshen for this infection (cf. Rylaarsdam, “Exodus,” IB 1:903; Hyatt, 115) are likewise beside the point at hand. Even the terminology employed in the two accounts, מקנה “livestock” (9:3–4, 6–7) and בהמה “beast” (vv 9–10) denies a discrepancy; the former refers to domesticated grazing animals of the species listed in 9:3, the latter to beasts of all kinds (BDB, 96–97). But more important still is the cumulative sequence of theological assertion. The point of these narratives, both singly and in compilation, is not animal husbandry and stylistic verisimilitude, but their declaration of the Is-ness of Yahweh.^{” -}John I. Durham, vol. 3, Word Biblical Commentary : Exodus, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2002), 122.

⁸⁸ That כול/כל can mean “all sorts of” or the like is well known. E.g., it is usually translated either “all sorts of” or “all kinds of” in modern Eng. translations in the following sampling of contexts from early and late biblical Hebrew: Gen 4:22; 24:10; 40:17; Exod 35:22; Lev 19:23; Deut 6:11; 2 Kgs 8:9; 1 Chr 18:10; 22:15; 29:2; 2 Chr 2:14; 32:27–28; Neh 9:25; 13:15; 13:20; Ps 45:13; Prov 1:13; Eccl 2:5; Ezek 8:10; 27:22; 39:20; 47:12. The semantic range of nt Gk. πας is similar: more often than not it means “all,” but in a wide variety of contexts it means “all sorts of” or “all kinds of,” one of the most important being in 1 Tim 6:10, which does not say that the love of money is the root of all evil but the root of all sorts of evil. Plenty of evil has nothing to do with the love of money; but there are few evils that people will not resort to if the money for doing them is great enough.

⁸⁹ So commonly in the Hb. expression “all Israel,” which in many contexts refers only to representatives (e.g., 1 Sam 12:1; 1 Kgs 18:19; 1 Chr 11:1; 15:3) or soldiers (Josh 8:24) or leaders from all segments of the nation (2 Chr 1:2) or the like, not literally to “every single Israelite.”

IB The Interpreter’s Bible, ed. G. A. Buttrick (12 vols.; Nashville: Abingdon, 1951-57)

BDB F. Brown, S. R. Driver, and C. A. Briggs (eds.), Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Oxford/New York: Clarendon/OUP, 1907; reprints with corrections, 1955; corrected ed., 1962)

A Convenient Faith

2010-10-18T13:54:00.000-05:00

Sunday, October 17, 2010
MOSES: Out of Africa
#6
“A Convenient Faith”
Exodus 4:29 – 6:9
Teaching Pastor: Barry Wingfield

The thrill of anticipated victory…the agony of apparent defeat.

Contrasting Powers



Contrasting Responses



God calls believers to obey to His Word regardless of the circumstances we face.

We fail when we submit to

1.       Our past failures
2.       The “successes” of the opponents of God.
3.       The costs of obedience.

We succeed when we submit to

1.       The Word of God
2.       The Presence of God
3.       The Plan of God

All circumstances will ultimately be used to accomplish YaHWeH’s plan. (How?)

1.       He is God.
2.       He is the Redeemer.
3.       His promises are true.

The thrill of anticipated victory…the agony of apparent defeat.

Contrasting Powers

Contrasting Responses

God calls believers to obey to His Word regardless of the circumstances we face.

We fail when we submit to

1. Our past failures

2. The “successes” of the opponents of God.

3. The costs of obedience.

We succeed when we submit to

1. The Word of God

2. The Presence of God

3. The Plan of God

All circumstances will ultimately be used to accomplish YaHWeH’s plan. (How?)

1. He is God.

2. He is the Redeemer.

3. His promises are true.

Overcoming Failure

2010-10-12T15:53:00.002-05:00

Think of a failure in your past that haunts you, undermines your confidence, or makes you feel unusable by God. The longer we live, the more likely a prominent episode will creep out from the shadows of our mind: decisions we wish we could take back; relationships we wish we could restore; help we wish we had obtained as passions or addictions consumed us. Let's face it, we all have or will experience failure.
During a recent conversation, a friend expressed similar regrets while entertaining an invitation to "share his testimony" with his small group. He recalled so many dark days in his past that he felt unworthy, unusable, and inferior compared to others who seemed to "have it all together." Our conversation reminded me that for every Joseph in the Bible, whose character seemed flawless, there was Judah, the womanizer, Jacob, the liar, Abraham, the coward. For every Daniel who boldly and consistently obeyed the God of Israel, there is David the adulterer / murderer, Solomon the polygamist, and Jonah, the racist. For every Apostle John who was loyal at the cross, there is a Peter, cursing and hiding in the shadows. It seems that more often than not, God takes the broken and flawed among us and works the amazing.
This does not excuse sin, nor should it minimize the pain and grief that results from disobedience to God. This does, however, bring hope to all of us as we discover that the God who forgives, is the God who restores, and the God who restores, is the God who longs to make eternal significance out of our life.
What has kept you from serving God?
What mission is burdening your heart, but your reluctance is tethered to a past failure in your life?
Read Exodus 3:1-10 and visualize Moses, not as the triumphant General with his staff extended over the Red Sea, but rather see him as the timid shepherd on the verge of discovering what God can do through him. Any further insights?

Beating around the Bush – Part 2

2010-10-11T13:07:00.000-05:00

Exodus 3:11-4:31

Teacher: Dave Reynolds

1. God Appears to Moses (3:1-6)

2. God Appoints Moses (3:7-10)

3.    God Answers Moses (3:11-4:17)
When Moses doubts his ____________ (3:11-21)…

God says, “you don’t need ____________ – you need _______!”
When Moses doubts their ______________ (4:1-17)…

God says, “rely on my ___________, and not your _______________.”
4.    God Assures Moses (4:18-4:31)
By confirming His Word to Moses through:

A.   _________________

B.   _________________

C.   _________________

10-03-10: Beating Around the Bush: Part 1

2010-10-06T13:11:00.000-05:00

MOSES: Out of Africa

“Beating Around the Bush: Part 1”

3rd in a Series

Teacher: Dave Reynolds

1. God Appears to Moses (3:1–6)

God sets apart ___________ and __________ men and women to be used for His ___________.

2. God Appoints Moses (3:7–10)

The ______________, ______________ God uses set apart men and women to proclaim the __________ _________ of ________________.

What often obstructs our usefulness as messengers of good news?

Our _______________: too busy trying to survive

Our _______________: too preoccupied with past failures

Our _______________: too overwhelmed with the task

(To be continued)

Rejected Leadership

2010-09-21T09:41:00.000-05:00

Sunday, September 19, 2010

MOSES: Out of Africa

2nd in a series

"Rejected Leadership"

I. Moses' Rejected Leadership

Moses' 1st forty years (Exodus 2:11-15):
Moses learned what was worth fighting for, but not whose fight it was.

Moses' 2nd forty years (Exodus 2:16-22):
Moses learned how to shepherd a family and a flock.

Through all of Moses' years (Exodus 2:23-25):
God was working to rescue His people through Moses' spiritual leadership.

II. God's Spiritual Leadership

Spiritual leadership (SL) principles according to God:

Self-assumed SL . . . isn't.
Brokenness is a required precursor to SL.
SL is learned in the obscure.
God is the source of SL.

Spiritual leadership development for every believer:

Enroll daily in Service Theological Seminary.
Pray for the Shepherd's heart
Seek to spiritually lead the flock you've got.

Dry Powder

2010-09-13T14:48:00.000-05:00

Sunday, September 12, 2010

MOSES: Out of Africa

1st in a Series

"Dry Powder"

A Scary Start (Ex 2:1-4)

An Impossible Rescue (Ex 2:5-10)

An Exceptional Model for Faith:

Faith in God when facing trouble is bringing all of your God-given talents and resources to bear and then trusting God for the result.

Do you trust God's gifting? Utilize it!

Do you trust God's prompting? Follow it!

Do you trust God's choosing? Accept it!

How to Get Rich and Have Everything!

2010-08-03T14:20:00.002-05:00

Sunday, Aug 1, 2010

“How to Get Rich and Have Everything!”

7^th in a Series

LIFE: Upside Down

Teaching Pastor Barry Wingfield

Remember how you used to define what “rich” was?

2 Cor 6:10(b) “poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.”^{^[1]}

The one word, sure fire, can’t miss, 100% guaranteed, full proof way to get rich quick and have everything: POVERTY

2 Cor 8:1-9

How the poverty of Christ equals riches for you:

1. The gospel is free to you, but it was bought at the highest price.

1 Cor 6:20; 7:23; Acts 20:28; Rom 8:32
Too often we treat the grace God has poured out on us like a child who goes to a famous art museum and is handed a what he thought was a copy of an original masterpiece but which was actually the priceless original itself, who within 5 minutes goes from admiring it, to adding to it with crayons, and then to leaving it under his bed with other trash and forgotten toys.

2. You can’t buy salvation, but it will cost you everything.

Philippians 3:7-8

Matthew 13:44-46

Jesus isn’t teaching that it can be bought, but rather the new attitude toward life that is lived out by the one who recognizes its value.

Again, too many Christians tend to live like they bought the pearl on ebay at an online auction for .01 because no one else bid on it! “Hey, look! I got the deal of the century! A valuable pearl, one I know I could probably never afford to buy in a store, but I got it for a steal, and you know the best thing about it? I didn’t have to hawk all my stuff to get it!”

(If it doesn’t, then it’s cheap grace.)

Our family visited the first and longest running Nazi concentration camp from WWII this summer. It was a very sobering experience that reminds everyone who visits such a place of the depth of evil that exists in the human race. Yet one concentration camp victim would be executed, not because he was Jewish, not because he was a communist, not because he was sick or had physical malformations.

What’s so ironic about this 20^th century theologian who wrote about cheap grace is that his words were published in 1937 and just 8 years later, in 1945, he would demonstrate to the world exactly what costly grace was all about when he spent his last days in a Nazi concentration camp and experienced a martyr’s death. Dietrich Bonhoeffer earned his seminary doctorate in his early 20’s and then spent the next several years travelling the world studying the church. He studied in the US in New York and then traveled through the deep south visiting mainly in black churches with some of his closest American friends who were African American themselves. He also studied the Catholic Church in Mexico and Rome (including a visit with the Pope), and took pastor positions in Spain, London, and Berlin, all of which occurred before WWII began. Before he, or anyone else, had any idea that he would die a martyr’s death for his convictions in a Nazi prison camp by hanging. As early as 1936, Bonhoeffer was distraught over what he saw Christians around him buying into. They were living lives on the basis of what he saw as “cheap grace”: (The Cost of Discipleship, pg 44-47).

"Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our Church. We are fighting today for costly grace. Cheap grace means grace sold on the market like cheapjacks’ wares. ... Grace without price; grace without cost! The essence of grace, we suppose, is that the account has been paid in advance; and, because it has been paid, everything can be had for nothing.... 45

Cheap grace means grace as a doctrine, a principle, a system. It means forgiveness of sins proclaimed as a general truth, the love of God taught as the Christian 'conception' of God. An intellectual assent to that idea is held to be of itself sufficient to secure remission of sins.... In such a Church the world finds a cheap covering for its sins; no contrition is required, still less any real desire to be delivered from sin. Cheap grace therefore amounts to a denial of the living Word of God, in fact, a denial of the Incarnation of the Word of God. 45-46

Cheap grace means the justification of sin without the justification of the sinner. Grace alone does everything they say, and so everything can remain as it was before. 'All for sin could not atone.' Well, then, let the Christian live like the rest of the world, let him model himself on the world’s standards in every sphere of life, and not presumptuously aspire to live a different life under grace from his old life under sin....

Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession.... Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate. 47

Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man’ will gladly go and self all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble, it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him.

Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: “ye were bought at a price,” and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.

Costly grace is the sanctuary of God; it has to be protected from the world, and not thrown to the dogs. It is therefore the living word, the Word of God, which he speaks as it pleases him. Costly grace confronts us as a gracious call to follow Jesus. It comes as a word of forgiveness to the broken spirit and the contrite heart. Grace is costly because it compels a man to submit to the yoke of Christ and follow him; it is grace because Jesus says: “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

3. To die rich you have to live poor.

To one claiming to seek the eternal life found through Christ, we find a very challenging response from Jesus.

Matthew 19:16-22

Lights fade to black at the slowing of the reading – immediately play VIDEO at the end of verse 22.

The lie that the rich young man bought was that to die rich, you have to live rich! NOT TRUE Jesus says. In fact, if you are so bent on living rich in this life that you’re unwilling to live poor, then you’ll NEVER be truly rich!!

I think a valid conclusion we can draw from Paul’s teaching and example as well as from Jesus own words is that…

Living poor is a mark of a Jesus follower.

(It has nothing to do with how much money you have, but it has everything to do with what you do with your money and other blessings.)

“Ok, so how, exactly, does one ‘live poor’?”

Paul wants the church in Corinth to know what living poor looks like for them as they live for Christ.

First he challenges them in 8:10-11.

Then he tells them what is really going on with his request in 9:6-15.

Living poor means being rich in

1. Good deeds (vs. 8)

a. Everything supplied to us from God has been given by him so that we would have what we need to overflow with service to Him. Ever wonder why God has blessed you with so much? Now you know.

2. Generosity (vs. 11)

a. Thankfulness to God is directly proportionate to the generosity you exhibit. Not only will others give thanks to God for what he’s has provided through you, but I also believe that you will never be truly thankful for any blessing that you’re unwilling to generously share with others. Don’t have money to give? Do you have food, clothing, or shelter to share with a brother or sister in need? With a stranger in need? Know any Samaritans traveling your path to Jericho?

3. Giving Life (vs. 15, 6:10)

a. Paul’s whole reason for living poor wasn’t for bragging rights, but for the opportunity to be a vessel, a tool, a clay pot in the master’s hands so that the riches of heaven could be poured out on those he was sent to present God’s indescribable gift to. You and I have been given so that through us the riches of heaven might be given.

Ever hear a church described as a “rich church?” What is usually meant by this is the size of their property, how many seats in their worship center, how ornate the fixtures, the blue book value on the average car in their parking lot.

I’ll confess, and I think every honest pastor would, there are some weak moments when I desire our church to be rich in those ways.

And then God’s spirit corrects me in one way or another and reminds me that a church’s wealth has nothing to do with any of these things. He reminds me that a church of 20 that is rich in good deeds, generosity, and the giving of spiritual riches can be wealthier than a church of 20 thousand that lacks these things.

Church, if God grows us from 500 to 1000 in 2 months and quadruples our budget and building, gives us 20 teaching pastors and a staff of 100, our wealth will remain solely fixed on our daily commitment to living poor because of our wonderful, indescribable, invaluable riches we have in Christ.

The example of the gospel itself is the giving of life through the giving up of life. We have been given life through Jesus life that was given up for us.

The Holy Bible : New International Version, electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), 2 Co 6:10.

Sorrowful, Yet Always Rejoicing

2010-08-03T14:18:00.001-05:00

Sunday, July 25, 2010

“Sorrowful, Yet Always Rejoicing”

6^th in a Series

LIFE: Upside Down

Teaching Pastor Barry Wingfield

Why does God allow the saved to endure sorrows?

1. To show we follow the Man of Sorrows. (Isa 53:3; Matt 5:11-12; John 15:20, 1 Pet 4:13)

2. It refines and grows our faith. (1 Peter 2:6-7)

A reality sometimes hard to swallow:

The reality is that both unbelievers and believers experience joy and sorrow.

What’s the difference?:

Where do our joys come from?

1. Life in the Lord (Acts 16:31-34; 1 Peter 1:8)

2. Spiritual Treasure (Matt 5:11-12)

3. Unity and Fellowship in Christ (Phil 2:2-3)

Where do our sorrows come from?

1. Division between believers (2 Cor 2:4)

2. Godly sorrows (sin in me) (2 Cor 7:7-11)

3. Rejection of the Gospel (Rom 9:1-4a; 10:1-4; Phil 3:18-19)

What is a Christian to do with joyless sorrow?

1. Check your life to see if there is a sin root to your sorrow

2. Check the location of your current treasures

3. Check your connection to the God of all comfort (2 Cor 1:3-4)

How do we express joy in the midst of sorrows?

1. Through joyful expression (Phil 4:4)

2. Through thankful tears (Rom 12:15)

3. Through comfort given to others (2 Cor 1:5-7; 2 Cor 8:2)

Death at Work

2010-07-19T11:16:00.002-05:00

Sunday, July 4, 2010

“Death at Work”

5th in a Series

LIFE: Upside Down

David Higgins

2 Corinthians 6:9(b)

Suffering is normal for a believer.

John 15: 18-20

Hebrews 11:32-38

Paul chose daily to die to self

Dying to self is not natural to us, so why do it?

Jesus commanded it.

Why wouldn’t we?

When we choose to die to self we truly begin to live.

Three reasons to endure:

Privilege
Urgency
Future glory

Know the difference, die to self, live the difference

Blessed to be HOME!

2010-07-19T09:10:00.002-05:00

Alicia and the kids and I were given the great blessing of being given a trip with my entire family (mom, dad, brother and sister and their families) during the last 10 days or so. We had a wonderful time and are thankful for the experiences we were blessed with.

A big THANKS to Oliver Shipman and David Higgins for letting God use them over the last two Sunday's to teach from His word so powerfully. I've already heard the good reports of the encouragement and challenges that they issued for living a life that is truly UPSIDE DOWN!

I also appreciate the elders and church as a whole for encouraging a brief time away. I have realized the need to plan more regular times of refreshment for my own sake and also for the sake of the body here at Cornerstone. It was good to spend extended time with my siblings and their families and especially my mom and dad. Some of you know that my dad has Parkinson's and also has been recently diagnosed with some type of lymphoma in his leg and shoulder. He has surgery scheduled for July 23rd to remove and identify they type and so I appreciate your prayers for his recovery. We are all very thankful he was able to travel safely with the family on this trip. We were able to visit the town of Ipswich, England where 40 years ago he and mom served as missionaries. We were even able to see the house they lived in and met a very nice Indian family who now lives there.

****************************************

Remember Haiti? Remember the generosity of this body as we collected and sent funds to aid that country in its recovery? One of the organizations through which we sent funds was Compassion International. We recently received an update on how our contribution has helped.

Because 1 in 50 Haitians lost their lives in this disaster, the level of need has been almost incalculable. In addition to providing shelter, medicine, counseling, and church support, Compassion has used funds like we sent to provide 7,800 gallons of cooking oil, 180,980 pounds of pasta, 255,000 pounds of rice, 31,000 pounds of beans, 62,400 pounds of peanut butter and sugar, and 187,200 pounds of oatmeal.

For a visual of the impact of gifts such as ours have made and continue to make, check out this video: www.compassion.com/haitirelief

***************************************

Music and Drama Camp 2010 is underway and the rafters are rattling as I type! What an encouragement to see over 100 children plus dozens of student and adult volunteers involved in this ministry! Pray that the Lord will once again be exalted on the praises of his children!!

Love to all. Blessed to be home...

Barry

How to Lose Your Life

2010-07-01T14:30:00.001-05:00

Sunday, June 20, 2010

“How to Lose Your Life”

1^st in a Series

LIFE: Upside Down

Teaching Pastor Barry Wingfield

Do you remember as a kid exploring different ways to view the world?

Spinning on a merry go round until you couldn’t see straight?

Wearing 3-d glasses for days after you saw your first 3-d movie?

I remember the “hanging bars” on the playground in elementary school. They were really chinup bars, but after school a friend of mine and I would have a contest to see who could hang up side down the longest without falling off or giving up. The first few attempts were pretty weak, but after several days of practice and developing our technique, we became quite skilled at hanging upside down until the our faces were beet read and we couldn’t get down if we wanted to because we had no feeling left in our legs from the loss of blood flow and we were too dizzy to reach up and grab the bar with our hands and flip over, so we just hung there. After a little boredom, we would talk about how different everything looks upside down! The sky was the ground, people and cars stuck to the “roof” because there was now a ceiling over everything, balls on the playground bounced “down” then stuck to the ceiling, and the kids that came up to talk to us looked really funny and we would laugh at their mouth that was at the top of their heads and spoke with their chins going up! You could see inside their noses and their eyelids closed up when they blinked. They were all so weird! The whole world was weird!

The life that Jesus lived and taught, when compared to the ways others lived life and the principles they lived by, seems very much like a life lived upside down. In fact, many of the things Jesus said were the exact opposite of what most people knew to be common sense approaches to understanding and living life. Jesus teaching, and that of his followers later, was illogical, absurd, contradictory, and seemingly impossible! In summary, he taught a life that to everyone else seems very much UPSIDE DOWN.

There are several in this room who are red-cross certified in first aid or as a first responder. Being one of those myself, and having taken the certification course at least 3 times as an adult, I’m always amazed with the simplicity of the instructions of how to save a life. I’m sure I’m over simplifying this, Kathy don’t take my card away if I miss this, but basically it boils down to three things: breathing, heartbeat, and blood flow. Very simple things can be done to maintain these three systems until professionals arrive.

In an UPSIDE DOWN fashion, before Jesus taught how to save a life, he first taught how to lose it. Three very similar statements by Jesus break this teaching down for us:

Three Upside Down ways to lose your life according to Jesus…

1. 1. Find it

Matt 10:37-39(a) Whoever finds his life will lose it

(Define it on your own terms)

2. 2. Save it

Luke 9:18-24(a) ²⁴For whoever wants to save his life will lose it

Luke 17:33(a) ³³Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it,

(Spending all efforts on self-preservation)

3. Love it

John 12:20-25(a) ²⁵The man who loves his life will lose it,

(Loving the life the world offers)

What this means is that a person’s life really can be lost.

We get confused! We see smiling faces on People magazine, TV and movie stars talking endlessly about their “wonderful” lives, even your friends on FaceBook who are constantly trying to “one up” all their other friends by extolling their successes or vacations or parties or whatever… and we begin to believe that they have “found” themselves, that they’re being successful in “keeping” it and that they truly “love” these things because they are what make their lives complete!

We tend to speak about half of the spiritual reality of life: people need to be saved. Yes. Why? Because if they aren’t, then they’re lost. Really lost. Without purpose. Without God. Chasing one fleeting promise or dream after another. Trying to create a life worth living out of momentary physical or emotional pleasures. Believing lie after lie and not knowing it.

If living the wisdom of the world is the way to lose your life, it’s also the way to waste a saved life. (Ineffective for the kingdom, selfish more than giving, displaying anger and resentment and jealousy more than joy and peace and thankfulness.)

Colossians 3:5-10

Jesus was focused on those who were lost because he came to find and save them. Lk 19:10

Even though he comes to us bringing and offering salvation from being lost, he comes to us with a life worth finding and keeping…he still allows us to pursue our own life if we love it more than Him.

Luke 18:18-23

¹⁸A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

¹⁹“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. ²⁰You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’^a”

²¹“All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said.

²²When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

²³When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth.^{^[1]}

Conclusion

• Am I trying to find my purpose in human relationships or human achievement?

• Am I spending most of my energy and time and thoughts on ME?

• Am I falling more in love with this world?

The answers to these questions matter…!! If these answers are YES or even MOST OF THE TIME… then I may be going my own way…!!

^a ^a Exodus 20:12-16; Deut. 5:16-20

^{^[1]} The Holy Bible : New International Version, electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), Lk 18:18–23.

Preparation

2010-07-01T14:27:00.001-05:00

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Let the Worshipers Arise

6^th in a Series

Preparation

Here’s a dangerous question: Is it possible that we are more comfortable worshiping God than we ought to be? In her book Teaching a Stone to Talk, Annie Dillard worries that we have forgotten how dangerous it is to come into the presence of the living God. She writes:

On the whole, I do not find Christians, outside the catacombs, sufficiently sensible of the conditions. Does anyone have the foggiest idea what sort of power we so blithely invoke? Or, as I suspect, does no one believe a word of it? The churches are children playing on the floor with their chemistry sets, mixing up a batch of TNT to kill a Sunday morning. It is madness to wear ladies’ straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares; they should lash us to our pews.³

In The Chronicles of Narnia, an allegory by C. S. Lewis, the author has two girls, Susan and Lucy, getting ready to meet Aslan the lion, who represents Christ. Two talking animals, Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, prepare the children for the encounter.

“Ooh,” said Susan, “I thought he was a man. Is he quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”

“That you will, dearie,” said Mrs. Beaver. “And make no mistake, if there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or else just silly.”

“Then isn’t he safe?” said Lucy.

“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver. “Don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? Of course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the king, I tell you!”^{^[2]}

The message of this passage, then, is readiness for meeting with God and preparation for the worship of God. What exactly is required to approach the God of gods, King of kings, and Lord of lords?...

Preparing for God’s Presence involved:

1. Consecration (Ex 19:10-11) anything that is “consecrated” has two things happen to it:

a. Separation (make known as different - offerings, Levites, days and even years)

b. Cleansing (this was both ritualistic and behavioral – symbolic and literal – vs. 10)

Just as the temple of Solomon was consecrated from all other structures by these two things according to God’s word, so too are all believers to be consecrated from the world by their calling to be separate and pure: 2 Corinthians 6:14-17

2. Attention (Ex 19:12-15) God used two things to “get their attention” or “get their minds right”

a. Boundaries (I Peter 1:13-16)

b. Abstinence (I Cor. 7:5 – can be a “sexual fast” used to promote prayer.)

3. Patience (Ex 32:1; 33:14-17)

a. Their lack

b. His display

God’s people are called to continually prepare for and continually live in a state of worship.

“The problem with being a living sacrifice is its tendency to get up and crawl off the altar.”

Preparing to worship with God’s people:

1. Set aside time

a. Between Sunday mornings.

b. On and for Sunday mornings.

2. Call your attention to God

a. By removing obvious distractions

b. By listening to Him beforehand.

3. Be patient

a. The Lord moves on His timetable (2 Peter 3:9)

b. With each other

³ ³ Annie Dillard, Teaching a Stone to Talk (New York: Harper & Row, 1982), pp. 40, 41.

Brokenness

2010-06-07T13:54:00.001-05:00

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Let the Worshipers Arise

4^th in a Series

Brokenness

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Psalm 51:17

Worship in Spirit and Truth

The exaltation of God, the presentation of an offering of praise to His Presence, reflects the reality of the condition of the worshiper: Broken.

Psalm 51:16-17

Worship is the presentation of brokenness to the healer.

Story of David, Bathsheba, & Samuel

Brokenness is not

depression (it’s more like constant recognition)

Psalm 51:1-3

Depression is feeling sad about everything all the time. It’s feeling sad about things that you would normally find joy in! Brokenness is a constant recognition of sinfulness. It’s a constant awareness that in and of myself, there is no way for me to stand justified before God. I understand that I will never reach the point of perfection, or completely sinless living, and therefore the only posture I can ever approach the King of Heaven with is that of the “tax collector” and sinner who says “have mercy on me, a sinner.”

It’s not only constant recognition of my sin, but it’s also constant submission of my will to the Father’s will, it’s the submission of the “right” to lead my own life and instead live a life that is led by God’s Spirit.

A broken spirit, a broken heart, a person living in brokenness before God will not only not be depressed, that person will be joyfully thankful for God’s leading in their life!

self-loathing (it’s more like sin loathing)

Psalm 51:4-6

Self-loathing, or self-hatred is never encouraged in scripture. I think that anyone who hates what God created as good, who hates what God loves, is not Godly! Self loathing comes from a focus on the wrong thing. It comes from a focus on a person’s comparing themselves to other people. They notice every little thing in or about themselves that someone whom they are trying to impress or imitate would find flawed. This is not brokenness.

Brokenness comes from a focus on a person’s comparing their behavior and attitude to that of Jesus Christ and loathing or hating my sin that tarnishes or falsifies my imitation of Him.

It’s not just in my outward behavior that need to allow God to do a makeover, but even “in the inner parts…in the inmost place.” I need to call the sin that’s in my heart and in my mind what it is: sin. I need to hate it in my thoughts just as bad as I would hate it in my behavior! (To God, they’re both sin! Matthew 5:27-28). David should have recognized the lust on the rooftop, stopped right there, fell on his knees and prayed to God: “have mercy on me, a sinner.”

We have no problem hating the sin of adultery and it’s horrible effects on a marriage and the difficult road it paves for a couple to walk down, but we need to equally hate the lust of our eyes guys, or the lust of our emotions, gals, as we hate the sin of adultery!

The reality is that men today have “David’s rooftop” on every computer and tv in existence. And men, if we don’t hate the idea of cheating on our wives in our thoughts and with our eyes, then we are not yet broken worshipers of the Exalted God of Heaven.

Hopelessness (it’s more like desperation for restoration)

Hopelessness is the sense of knowing that there is no future better than the present. (So if the present is bad, the future is bad or worse as well.) Brokenness is desperation for restoration to the one who is your hope for life now and in the future!

Psalm 51:7-15

Brokenness is what the estranged son of a rich father came to after realizing that all of his youthful plans to really live life the way it was meant to be lived, with fun, and friends, and “gusto”, had led to absolutely no where. A brokenness so complete that he acknowledged that had no right to even consider himself his father’s son.

Luke 15:17-19

This leads us back to where we started…

Restoration begins at the confession of brokenness.

For many of us, this is harder than it should be…

Philip Yancey, in his book "Reaching for the Invisible God" describes the way God not only doesn’t hear needed confessions, but actually gets blamed for things instead:

"When Princess Diana died in an automobile accident, a minister was interviewed and was asked the question “How can God allow such a terrible tragedy?” And I loved his response. He said, “Could it have had something to do with a drunk driver going ninety miles an hour in a narrow tunnel? Just How, exactly, was God involved.”
Years ago, boxer, Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini, killed a Korean opponent with a hard right hand to the head. At the press conference after the Korean’s death, Mancini said, “sometimes I wonder why God does the things he does.”
In a letter to Dr. Dobson, a young woman asked this anguished question, “Four years ago, I was dating a man and became pregnant. I was devastated. I asked God, “Why have you allowed this to happen to me?”
Susan Smith, the south Carolina mother a couple years ago who pushed her two sons into a lake to drown and then blamed a fictional car-jacker for the deed, wrote in her confession: “I dropped to the lowest point when I allowed my children to go down that ramp into the water without me. I took off running and screaming, ‘Oh God! Oh God, no! What have I done? Why did you let this happen?”
Now the question remains, exactly what role did God play in a boxer beating his opponent to death, a teenage couple giving into temptation in the back seat of a car, or a mother drowning her children?
Is God responsible for these acts? To the contrary, they are examples of incredible human free will being exercised on a fallen planet. And yet it’s in our nature as mortal, frail, fallen people to lash out at one who is not, that being God."

Are all negative or sorrowful events in life a result of our sin? No.

But why are we quick to question God for being responsible for the sins we commit?

Let us be worshipers who present their brokenness to the only healer of our hearts and our souls.

When there is evil in my life for which I am responsible, “why did you God?” is not the place to start…the place to start is “Have mercy on me, O God…cleanse me from my sin…against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight…Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”

Expression

2010-06-07T11:34:00.002-05:00

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Let the Worshipers Arise

5^th in a Series

Expression

2 Chronicles 20:13-30

At least 11 different verbs that described active participation in worship:

Hadad- to bend in reference to

Nafal – to prostrate before

Shakah – to fall before or do homage to royalty

Halal – to boast in the Lord

Gadul – to call out in a loud voice

Yadah – to hold out the hand

Renah – to chirp or creak or sing

Tehelah – to sing a hymn

Carach – to kneel

Simkah – to be gleeful

Samach – to brighten up

2 Chronicles 20:4

Faith in God seeks expressions of worship.

Worship is expressed through

1. Mood

a. weeping - Psalm 6:6 I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. ^{^[1]}

b. afraid – Ps 56:3 ³ When I am afraid, I will trust in you.

c. joy – Ps 28:7 My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. ^{^[2]}

d. downcast – Ps 42:11 Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. ^{^[3]}

2. Art

The Art of Worship

The art of language.

Psalm 35:28 ²⁸ My tongue will speak of your righteousness and of your praises all day long. ^{^[4]}

; 40:10; 49:3; 71:24; 119:46; 145:5, 11, 21.

The art of posture (and movement).

28:2 Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place. ^{^[5]}

47:1 Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy. ^{^[6]}

5:7 But I, by your great mercy, will come into your house; in reverence will I bow down toward your holy temple. ^{^[7]}

30:11 You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, ^{^[8]}

The art of music.

Psalm 150:1-6

¹ Praise the Lord.^a

Praise God in his sanctuary;

praise him in his mighty heavens.

² Praise him for his acts of power;

praise him for his surpassing greatness.

³ Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,

praise him with the harp and lyre,

⁴ praise him with tambourine and dancing,

praise him with the strings and flute,

⁵ praise him with the clash of cymbals,

praise him with resounding cymbals.

⁶ Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord. ^{^[9]}

27:6; 33:2; 45:8; 57:7; 81:2; 95:2; 98:4-5; 144:9; 147:7

9:11; 30:4; 33:1,3; 47:6-7; 66:2; 68:4; 105:1-2

The recognition of the art of creation.

Psalm 148

¹ Praise the Lord.^a

Praise the Lord from the heavens,

praise him in the heights above.

² Praise him, all his angels,

praise him, all his heavenly hosts.

³ Praise him, sun and moon,

praise him, all you shining stars.

⁴ Praise him, you highest heavens

and you waters above the skies.

⁵ Let them praise the name of the Lord,

for he commanded and they were created.

⁶ He set them in place for ever and ever;

he gave a decree that will never pass away.

⁷ Praise the Lord from the earth,

you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,

⁸ lightning and hail, snow and clouds,

stormy winds that do his bidding,

⁹ you mountains and all hills,

fruit trees and all cedars,

¹⁰ wild animals and all cattle,

small creatures and flying birds,

¹¹ kings of the earth and all nations,

you princes and all rulers on earth,

¹² young men and maidens,

old men and children.

¹³ Let them praise the name of the Lord,

for his name alone is exalted;

his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.

¹⁴ He has raised up for his people a horn,^b

the praise of all his saints,

of Israel, the people close to his heart.

Praise the Lord. ^{^[10]}

3. Truth

Ps 19:7-11

The law of the Lord is perfect,

reviving the soul.

The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,

making wise the simple.

⁸ The precepts of the Lord are right,

giving joy to the heart.

The commands of the Lord are radiant,

giving light to the eyes.

⁹ The fear of the Lord is pure,

enduring forever.

The ordinances of the Lord are sure

and altogether righteous.

¹⁰ They are more precious than gold,

than much pure gold;

they are sweeter than honey,

than honey from the comb.

¹¹ By them is your servant warned;

in keeping them there is great reward. ^{^[11]}

The expression of worship should contextualized by

1. 1. Giftedness (1 Chronicles 15:22)

2. 2. Individual Convictions (Rom 14:5-6)

3. 3. Group participation priorities (1 Cor 14:26-33)

The worshiper of God is called to:

1. 1. Avoid judgment of other biblical worshipers (Rom 14:13)

2. 2. Overcome your barriers of expressing worship to God (2 Sam 6:15-22)

3. 3. Join all creation with meaningful expressions of worship (Luke 19:40)

^{^[1]} The Holy Bible : New International Version, electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), Ps 6:6.

^{^[2]} The Holy Bible : New International Version, electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), Ps 28:7.

^{^[3]} The Holy Bible : New International Version, electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), Ps 42:11.

^{^[4]} The Holy Bible : New International Version, electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), Ps 35:28.

^{^[5]} The Holy Bible : New International Version, electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), Ps 28:2.

^{^[6]} The Holy Bible : New International Version, electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), Ps 47:1.

^{^[7]} The Holy Bible : New International Version, electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), Ps 5:7.

^{^[8]} The Holy Bible : New International Version, electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), Ps 30:11.

^a ^a Hebrew Hallelu Yah; also in verse 6

^{^[9]} The Holy Bible : New International Version, electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), Ps 150:1–6.

^a ^a Hebrew Hallelu Yah; also in verse 14

^b ^b Horn here symbolizes strong one, that is, king.

^{^[10]} The Holy Bible : New International Version, electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), Ps 148:1–14.

^{^[11]} The Holy Bible : New International Version, electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), Ps 19:7–11.

2010-05-24T08:15:00.001-05:00

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Let the Worshipers Arise

3^rd in a Series

Exaltation

The first Psalm in scripture declares the worshiper’s reason for exalting God:

The Lord is my strength

Psalm 21:13

Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength; we will sing and praise your might.

Psalm 30:1

I will exalt you, O Lord, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me.

The Lord gives me a reason to sing

Psalm 34:3

Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.

Psalm 40:16

But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, “The Lord be exalted!”

The Lord saved me

Psalm 18:46

The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior!

Psalm 70:4

But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, “Let God be exalted!”

When I exalt God:

I acknowledge God has always been over all.

Psalm 57:5

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.

Psalm 57:11

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.

Psalm 97:9

For you, O Lord, are the Most High over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.

Psalm 99:2

Great is the Lord in Zion; he is exalted over all the nations.

Psalm 108:5

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let your glory be over all the earth.

Psalm 113:4

The Lord is exalted over all the nations, his glory above the heavens.

I declare God to always be the most important thing in my life.

Psalm 118:28

You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you.

Psalm 138:2

I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.

Psalm 145:1

I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever.

I call all who hear me to join in his praise.

Psalm 107:32

Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people and praise him in the council of the elders.

Psalm 148:13

Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.

Psalm 34:3

Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.

His rightful place in my life

…gives me right perspective.

…removes my pride. (Luke 18:10-14)

…gives me purpose.

2010-05-24T08:08:00.002-05:00

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Let the Worshipers Arise

2^nd in a Series

Presence

If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.

(Moses to God in Exodus 33:15, NIV)

The most awesome experience of life is being in the presence of God.

God’s presence with His people is completely sustaining.

Worship is the response to the awareness of God’s presence.

Awakening our awareness of God’s presence:

Aspects of God’s presence:

1. God’s omni- presence

a. This is sometimes called God’s “Awesome” presence

b. God in Job 38:2-7, He is the God who was before, was in, and is in everything.

c. Paul in Acts 17:24-28

d. Hebrews 4:13

2. God’s abiding presence

a. Or God’s “residing” or “indwelling” presence

b. This is the presence that Moses wouldn’t leave without; it’s personal

c. It’s David’s sense of God’s presence in Ps 139:7-12

d. This is the Holy Spirit living in each Christian!

e. Jesus promises this presence to all who come to him: John 15:4-5

f. Paul in Col 1:27

3. God’s manifest presence

a. God’s specific and actual intervention in the world at a point in time

b. In scripture it was often miraculous in nature (Acts 4)

c. It is God’s response to the prayers and cries of his people in a certain situation

d. Most vividly displayed in the person of Jesus Christ (John 1:14)

e. This is most observed in the church today in the form of Spiritual Gifts (I Cor 12:7-11)

Arena’s for practicing the awareness of God’s presence:

1. In my thoughts:

a. This is the most fought over arena for many Christians. It is why Paul commands us to be intentional with how we worship God in our thoughts: Philippians 4:8

2. In my words : Colossians 3:17

3. In my actions: Philippians 4:9

2010-05-24T08:04:00.002-05:00

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Let the Worshipers Arise

1^st in a Series

Offering

Two elements used in early (patriarchal) worship to God…
…an offering and an altar.

What made gifts offered acceptable and pleasing to God was…
Gen 4:2(b) – 7
1) the condition of the heart of the worshiper reflected through obedience, (Heb 11:4)(Matt 5:23-24)

Gen 12:7,8; 22:1-14 (1^st use of word “worship” in scripture)

2) the worshipers reliance on God’s promises, direction, and provision, (Lk 21:1-4)

3) and the cost of the gift to the worshiper.

(Cheap (costless) gifts demonstrate self-reliance and lack of faith in God.) (2 Sam 24:24)

1 Peter 2:5 (4-10)
What are pleasing gifts (sacrificial offerings) to God now?
Heb 13:15-16 –
1) Lips that openly acknowledge his name

2) Sharing resources with others as they have need

3) Financial support for the ministry of God’s word

4) Our lives

WHY IS GOD PLEASED BY OUR GIFTS? They (our offerings) demonstrate our love for him. They (our offerings) are our loving him.

Isn’t God giving gifts to us his demonstration of love for us. Isn’t the gift of Jesus Christ the act of God loving us? (John 3:16; James 1:17; Matt 7:11; 2 Cor 9:13-15; Eph 2:8)

So doesn’t it follow that the loved by God love him back by the same means he has loved us?

We are made in his image, he gives to what he loves, and we are made to give to what we love. (The best of all we have…that’s all we are capable of, we can never give to God something that he needs or that sustains him) The act of giving to what we love is “worship”.

WHY IS GOD PLEASED BY OUR GIFTS? They (our offerings) demonstrate our love for him. They (our offerings) are our loving him.

2010-05-04T08:12:00.003-05:00

Sunday, April 25, 2010

HOPE

“Response to Hope”

5^th in a Series

Teaching Pastor Barry Wingfield

A believer’s response to the resurrection HOPE found in Christ is worship and the making and teaching of other worshippers.

Matt 28:16-20 : “they worshipped”; Jesus gave the great commission
Mark 16:15-20: Jesus gave the great commission, the apostles followed it
Luke 24:45-52: Jesus commissions them as his witnesses; they worshipped and continually praised God
Acts 1: Reaffirms the witness commission, tells of their obedience.

Notice the two aspects of this RESPONSE:
It is both spontaneous and intentional.

Our spontaneous RESPONSE to the hope we have been given in Christ is motivated by (or comes from) faith in the resurrection, love for God, and joy in salvation.

Our intentional RESPONSE to the hope we have been given in Christ is expressed in obedient and holy living, love for others, and sharing the good news with others.

And it's all WORSHIP!

Sermon Outlines on the CBF BLog

2010-04-27T16:53:00.002-05:00

We've had so many suggestions to post the outlines from Sunday sermons on our web site, that we're going to experiment with using our blog for that purpose. This will also allow a forum for questions or comments from each weeks message. To use this to follow an audio message, simply print this post, return to the CBF homepage and click on Sermon Audio Archives.

So here we go...

Sunday, April 18, 2010
HOPE
“Return to Hope”
4th in a Series
Teaching Pastor Barry Wingfield
Luke 22:34-33; John 21: 1-19

The Sea, Charcoal, & Jesus

Before
Miracle catch
Wants to run from Jesus
Denies Jesus by the fire

After
Miracle catch
Runs to Jesus
Peter restored by the fire

Jesus and the making of Peter

The Call : A new name & a new purpose

The Fall: A bad turn & the resulting failure

The All: A restored relationship, A focused mission, & Follow-through

When my Hope feels Lost…

I may have turned from faithfulness.

I may have become self-focused.

There may be suffering I am called to.

Satan is at work.

When my Hope Returns…

I am enduring (or returning) in faithfulness.

My focus will be on the welfare of others.

I am honored to suffer.

I am strengthened by Christ’s work in me.

The Road to Hope

2010-04-07T11:30:00.003-05:00

What a great Easter weekend the Lord blessed us with! Friday night was moving and powerful, Saturday the kids and their parents were treated to fun with a focus on Christ, and Sunday morning we "raised the roof" in worship and praise to our risen Savior!

God was (and continues to be) at work through this past weekend as evidenced by the guests you invited (we had a bunch!), the joy in your hearts (the smiles and love were contagious!) and also the emails, posts, and phone calls that have come this week. May the Lord be praised for the life-changing hope he has given us through the resurrection of Jesus his Son!

The great thing about this hope we share is that it's not a thing of the past, it's a thing of the present and the future.

Why not invite again those who came with you this past Sunday as we examine the resurrection appearances of Christ over the next several weeks?

THIS SUNDAY: "The Road to Hope"
In this message from God's word we will see how the resurrection of Jesus reveals the way to get on, and stay on, the road to Hope. (Read Luke 24 for a preview!)

Because of our common hope in Christ,

Barry

aWake

2010-04-06T11:16:00.003-05:00

I’m not a morning person. I sometimes pretend to be around the older crowd, but i’m not fooling anyone. For some reason I desire to get up early, though. I have this weird feeling down inside that if I wake up early, then I won’t look lazy.

Different eras in my life call for different sleeping patterns though. In elementary school, my mom would come in my room and wake me. In junior high, she would scream from the bottom floor (we slept on the second). In high school, it was sort of the same thing. I never used an alarm until college. My phone became my mom in college. It’s a lot easier to hit the snooze when the alarm isn’t your mother.

Dad woke me up differently. He would only wake me up occasionally if mom had left early or was out of town. He would quietly open the door, stand there for a second, and calmly say my name until I woke. It was as if it didn’t matter if I woke up, it was my choice. Sometimes, I would not even know he had opened the door. It was calm…refreshing…soothing…like sunlight.

I wonder what Jesus felt like when he was raised from the dead? He was fully God, yet fully human. I wonder if he felt the same way I feel when I wake up each morning? Did he slip in and out of dream like consciousness for a second? Or did his mind sort of just “click” back on? Did he rub his eyes? Did he yawn? Did he hear a knock on the stone? Or did God say in a calm voice, “Jesus…it’s time to wake up”?

What if God created us to go to sleep each night and wake up each morning to better understand the resurrection? It’s not entirely “out there” to think God wants to remind us of the most important day in history when Jesus was raised from the dead by allowing us to wake up each morning.

After college, I got to a point in my life where the sunlight would actually wake me up. I love the way the sun slowly but softly peeks over the horizon and trees. Then it simmers through the window. It calmly creeps in through each blind blade and says “Cody…It’s your Dad, wake up.”

Psalm 57:8- Awake my whole being, Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn! I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations.

-God, wake me up with the Harp and Lyre. Help me rise each day to sing your praises loudly.

-Cody Van Scyoc
www.codyvanscyoc.tumblr.com

"Mom, Dad, Help!!!

2010-03-17T12:58:00.001-05:00

It seems that the statistics just get worse. And if you extend them they get “worser”. Though that word usage is incorrect, it does communicate.

But you are wondering about what I am concerned is getting worser. This morning in my favorite meeting of our staff week, we discussed some statistics, trends and overall info from Religion Among the Millennials a report of the Pew Research Center. The report, dated February 2010, is most informative as to comparative trends among the US population and its generational components regarding worship attendance, religious practices, religious attitudes, etc. We intend to look closely at these over several meetings to glean what we can that might be helpful in shepherding our people.

Something additional was noted. Though not the focus of the report, we observed that the percent of people unaffiliated with a religion substantially at the beginning of adulthood was alarmingly increasing. For example, when boomers reached adulthood, 13 percent said they had no religious affiliation. When Gen Xers reached adulthood, 20 percent said they had no religious affiliation. As to millennials (those born post 1980) the percent is 26. This is startling!!

But what does it tell us and what should we do about it??

One conclusion that is easily reached is that whatever is happening in the home, the primary influence in early life, is meeting with dismal successes. Increasingly the effectiveness of the home is diminishing as it applies to the critical inclusion of religion in life.

What does that say mom and dad? It says, better redouble those efforts at living right before the kids and teaching them the value system that leads to success in life as measured by God’s word.

What does it say to the church today? It says that our shepherding must be directed in a significant part of teaching time and programming toward helping parents in parenting toward “Christ in my child’s life”.

Wow!! “I have no interest in Christ or anything thing about Christianity or any other religion. I’ll be fine without God.” This position has doubled in 30 years to over one fourth of our population at age 20. Amazing!! We’re not doing well!!

I wonder if we will just write about it, think about it and then . . . do nothing.

Ice Follies

2010-02-17T12:15:00.003-06:00

It occurred to me how much I enjoy spending time at our local elementary school while it was closed last week due to all the ice. I experience some great teachable moments and of course there are many times when I am the one being taught while I am there. I enjoy watching the kids grow throughout the year and hear how their goals and dreams change over time.

While sledding with my youngest son during the day that I was home and ice bound last week, I realized something that had not occurred to me in quite a while. Am I encouraging my son or misleading him? Speaking the truth in all things is one of our family watch words. Have I been honest with my son or have I misled him? This thought hit me rather hard on this day.

My youngest son was born with a club foot, which required surgery early in life, and as a result one foot is two sizes smaller than the other. He can run, jump, and play with the best of them, but he can’t quite do everything that other children can do. Because of a lack of a tendon, he can’t stretch or point his foot downward very well at all. This has not slowed him down, but it might later in life.

After sledding, we spent the evening making Lego airplanes and my son said how great it would be to become a pilot one day. Having worked on, in, and around aircraft for over two decades, I told him that on most aircraft the brakes are at the top of the rudder pedals and it requires you to exert pressure on the top of the pedals in order to stop the aircraft. I explained to him that his foot may not allow him to do that. Was this a life crushing moment? I don’t think so. I told him it’s possible that he could still fly planes, just maybe not the ones that he is dreaming of.

This brings me back to the elementary school; I have attended many fifth grade graduations over the past three years and frequently hear about dreams. Each graduation ceremony the principle will tell the children that they can do anything and become anything they want to do in life. Is this true? It is certainly encouraging, which is what we should always strive to say and do, but is it true?

No one knows your child better than you. As parents, we steer our children into the direction of truth. We strive to encourage them and build them up. Paul speaks about spiritual gifts in I Corinthians 12, but it might just as well be an example of physical gifts. We may not be able to do the things that we dream about, but we certainly can encourage and build each other up in truth and in love.

A REAL Message of Love

2010-02-13T09:07:00.007-06:00

When I was growing up, February 14 is the day to which I would look forward because I knew there would be a chance that one favorite person in my school class would hand me "a valentine". Do you remember those days?

Beyond the paper heart covered walls, the endless pounds of chocolate contained in fancy heart shaped boxes...or the small boxes of crunchy hearts carefully engraved with inspirational sayings like, "You're groovy", there was always that moment before the end of the instructional day when true love had the possibility to blossom via the arrival of a small folded card...

...a card that bore the picture of a Disney character or some other sweetly drawn woodland animal with a pronouncement of two words that made the innocent heart of a young man leap for joy:

"Be mine."

Life altering, love-filled words all delivered, of course, through a small opening carved into a decorated shoe box.

Those were the days, the days when sweet strains of "All you need is love" could be heard up and down the halls of J.E. Rhodes Elementary school, sung by boys and girls who didn't have a clue as to what true love really meant beyond the folded cards and the seating order at the lunchroom table.

Now, let's fast forward to the days of electronic living, life insurance, mortgages and just a little more grey hair.

Beloved, rather than going through the purported real history of St. Valentine's Day and it's connection to the church, what I would rather do is to remind you (and me) of a love that is really and truly mind-blowing. A message of love not found in the creases of a folded card, but between the covers of a well-worn leather bound book. A love expressed from eternity past and continuing through eternity future.

It's demonstrated by the One:

Whom the Scriptures say "is love". (1 John 4:16)

Who walked in the Garden called Eden in the cool of the day, looking in love for the man Adam and the woman Eve after they had disobeyed His commandment. (Genesis 3:8)

Who sent His Son to be THE sacrifice, once and for all, to redeeem...to purchase...all those who would call on His Name. (John 3:16)

Who rose again from the grave and ascended into Heaven where He now sits at the right hand of the Father. (Acts 2:32-33)

Who said, "If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me..." (John 14:3)

Who said, "I am making everything new!" (Revelation 21:5)

And here is His Valentine's message to you and to me:

Isaiah 43:1

"...Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, You are mine."

Now, that's a REAL Valentine's message of love.

Salvation

2010-02-02T17:17:00.002-06:00

Here's a quick look at Salvation from the beginning of Romans. What do you think?

2010-01-26T16:10:00.000-06:00

I want to tell you about a city, a well known, popular, the-place-to-be, kind of city. It was on the coast as you might expect. At the time it was the 4th largest market in the world. The city arena seated 24,000 people for public events and sporting spectacles, larger than many of todays Verizon sized arenas. Sports and athletics were almost worshiped in this city. The education system of this city was legendary as it boasted one of the largest libraries and collections of literature from all over world. The city was proud of its sophistication. Commerce was booming and sorcery, astrology, and sex were selling. This city contained the largest building ever dedicated to sexual expression and the worship of sex. In fact, it was at the time called one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

And then something began happened that sent shockwaves throughout the political, social, and economic cultures in this city.

A preacher arrived and for 3 months spoke in churches that he was familiar with, until they kicked him out and set out to publically discount his message. He then just rented a public facility and continued to speak about Jesus everyday to anyone from this city who would listen. And listen they did. Even though this preacher spoke against the sex trade that sustained much of the economic foundation of the city, even though he claimed that only through Jesus could anyone be saved and that any other person or object that men and women worshiped didn’t even exist and was therefore worthless, even though this preacher was unimpressed with their culture their politics and their famous personalities… the people listened. This preacher and his message and the lifestyles that those who believed him were rejecting and giving up were the talk of not only this city but the whole region of the country!

And then the businessmen who were seeing their bottom line affected by the life changes that people were making decided that they couldn’t afford to sit back and let their industries go under. One man who was adamant about stopping this preacher called together his union of other businessmen and made his case. They agreed, got very vocal, and took their cause to the streets of the city. It worked. It wasn’t long before they had almost the whole city convinced that because of this preacher and his message their entire way of life was threatened with extinction. They couldn’t find the preacher so they grabbed two of his workers and took them to the arena. The whole city followed just to see what was going on. Racial tensions began to boil, chanting and yelling ensued, and the whole place was about to go up like a match. A city official stepped in front of the crowd after a couple of hours and spoke some plain truth to those in the arena. He told them unless they each were ready to face rioting and maybe other charges; they had just better go home now. And they did.

The preacher decided after this event that 3 years was enough and it was time for him to move on to share his message with other cities. The believers in Christ who remained in this city were many. This new church would become a strategically important outpost of truth in an increasingly dark and troubled world.

As with most spiritual movements, over time the purity of the message of the gospel that the preacher had shared began to fade. The culture of the city overall was still carnal, worldly, greedy, and sexually perverse. Leaders in the church that the preacher had planted began to try to make peace with the larger culture. Maybe it wasn’t so bad to let a little of the city’s influence effect the life of this church. After all, they had lived in this city a long time and they understood the political, social, and economic ramifications of totally rejecting the long held and long esteemed way of life of this city.

The preacher heard of the weakening convictions and moral and spiritual compromises that the church had allowed to take root. So he sent someone to lead this church on a course correction. Imprisoned for his faith and his preaching in another city, the preacher wrote a letter to his protégé because he had heard of the opposition he was facing from the city, it’s culture, and those in the church who had led the movement toward a politically more palatable tolerance of all beliefs in the church that had once so proudly and effectively stood solely on the gospel of Jesus Christ as it’s only message.

What could one person do against such odds? Could one voice make a difference? The situation was complex and his opponents were well read and made convincing arguments. The protégé of the preacher was relatively young and inexperienced compared to the preacher. So the first letter the preacher sent to him contained instructions on what he was to do in facing these enormous odds, how to respond and react to accusation, and perhaps most importantly, how to prepare for a difficult mission that many would rather run and hide from.

The preacher: Paul

The city: Ephesus.

The instruction from Paul to Timothy: train yourself in godliness (1 Timothy 4:7)

Our city is not that different. Our call to represent truth in word and deed is consistent with Timothy’s. God has a plan to use you and to use Cornerstone to make a deep impact with the gospel in a secular society that seeks to crowd out the voices of Truth.

Are you ready?

How’s your DEW60 this week?

Angry Over Sin

2010-01-19T16:40:00.002-06:00

Initially its shock and sadness; the loss of life, the devastation; how can it be? “Why” comes first. After why, the real reason sets in. Sin. Evil led to sin that led to death . . . and the pattern continues to this day. When sin entered the world death was not far behind. In the meantime, sorrow and pain and loss and misery and many more results of sin came along. Why? The answer – man made his choice and made it poorly. That choice to sin, to violate the command of our Holy God, was the beginning and we have not yet reached the end. At some point it all just makes us angry – and it certainly should.

Our Lord Jesus got angry about this very thing – this thing of sin. In John 11:33 we see our Lord angry over the result of sin entering the world. He sees death and sorrow. He sees some who weep as if they have no hope and others with hope yet sorrowful and miserable all because of the work of the evil one in the lives of our Lord’s own created images of Himself. People who were knit together by this Holy God with a love exceeding our deepest thoughts and feelings and imaginations. Yes, He was angry. Angry that sin – for a time – would have its way.

How angry are you about sin? Your sins, the sins of others, the sins of our society – how angry? The killing of babies goes on. Man’s chosen excesses continue. Many other failures of man continue. How angry are you about sin? Angry enough to change your ways? Angry enough to work to change our society’s sinful laws and practices? Angry enough to work to help victims of man’s own poor choices? What will you do?

Jesus got angry. He did something about it!! Will you?

Doulos

2010-01-14T14:10:00.002-06:00

It’s easy to say we are followers of Christ and miss what that entails. Paul said he was a doulos. Unlike a normal household servant, a doulos was a slave (yeah it’s Greek). And a slave had no rights. They were like property. Or like a CD player. If it messed up you could just chuck it. Except they did not get chunked, they got killed.

And Paul addressed himself as a doulos (Romans 1).

For definition’s sake, a slave was completely consumed with the will of their master.

This was their purpose.

To Give

Work

Sweat

Serve

Bleed

and Die for their master.

Are you a doulos for Christ?

Be consumed with the will of the Master.

--Ben

For Your Children’s Sake (Reading the Bible Through as a Family Adventure)

2010-01-05T15:22:00.018-06:00

A few days ago, my twelve-year-old son—prompted, in part, by Barry Wingfield’s recent sermon, DEW60—said to me: “Daddy, we should read the Bible through this year together.” His words moved me with a sense of excitement and anticipation that I hadn’t experienced since I bought my iPhone! (My goal every year is to read the Bible through in a translation I’ve never used before, so that I might see with fresh eyes the stories that I’ve heard for so many years. So this year, my son and I have chosen the New Living Translation.) We're only a few days into it, but it's already been a rich blessing.

Thus, I propose to you Three (Random) Reasons to Read the Bible Through as a Family.

1. Biblical literacy in America has reached an all-time low.

Let me offer just a couple of examples: In January 2009, following the BCS Championship Bowl, in which quarterback Tim Tebow came out with John 3:16 written on his eye black, the top Google search for the next week was ‘John 3:16.’ Could it be that the Bible has become so unfamiliar that its once-most-recognizable verse is now completely foreign. Brian Lowery commented:

Isn't it awfully telling that people actually had to look up John 3:16 on Google to know what it says? It used to be that you could bank on people knowing at least a few biblical texts, and John 3:16 was one of them. It has, after all, been broadcast at pretty much every professional game long before Tebow smeared it on his face-often on poster boards, and usually by a guy wearing a rainbow wig. People saw it and thought, Yeah, yeah, yeah. 'For God so loved the world.' I get it. Now, was that a first down? But last night a good part of America saw the text and thought, What the heck does that mean?

Well, if people don’t know John 3:16, at least they know who Adam and Eve are, right? Don’t count on it. A friend of mine is a professor at a Christian university, and in one particular class when he mentioned Adam and Eve, one student innocently raised his hand and asked: Weren’t those the first missionaries to Africa? (Yes, I did say, Christian university!)

Clearly biblical literacy can no longer be assumed. If we want our kids to know the Bible, the simplest way to make that happen is to read it together with them.

2. The tenets of Atheism are promoted largely by those who didn’t know their fathers.

This is fascinating to me. Nearly all of the renowned atheists that we read about in our erstwhile philosophy classes (e.g., Nietzsche, Hume, Russell, Sartre, and Camus) grew up without fathers. So what we have in their writings and provocations may very well be them projecting their fatherless experience upon God, and thus concluding that God doesn’t exist. Michael Wittmer says this: "How our children perceive us and our love towards them goes a long way toward how they understand the love of their heavenly Father.” And what better way to show our children that we love them than by (the doubly beneficial effort of) introducing them to the story of a God who reveals himself on every page of Scripture, and who is deeply interested in them.

Plus, as with any literature, reading the Bible prompts questions, and questions spark dialogue. After only a few days of this reading plan, my son and I have already had four or five conversations about faith, spirituality, and God. We’re not just learning about God, we’re doing it together. And if ninety percent of being a good dad is just showing up, then it doesn’t matter if we have all the answers (of course, we won’t!); at least, we’re taking an interest, and that's huge.

3. You (and your children) may discover that the Bible is not what you thought it was.

"Now, some people think the Bible is a book of rules," says Sally Lloyd-Jones, "telling you what you should and shouldn’t do. The Bible certainly does have some rules in it. They show you how life works best. But the Bible isn’t mainly about you and what you should be doing. It’s about God and what he has done.

Other people think the Bible is a book of heroes, showing you people you should copy. The Bible does have some heroes in it, but (as you’ll soon find out) most of the people in the Bible aren’t heroes at all. They make some big mistakes (sometimes on purpose), they get afraid and run away. At times, they’re downright mean.

No, the Bible isn’t a book of rules, or a book of heroes. The Bible is most of all a Story. It’s an adventure story about a young Hero who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure. It’s a love story about a brave Prince who leaves his palace, his throne–everything–to rescues the ones he loves. It’s like the most wonderful of fairy tales that has come true in real life!

You see, the best thing about this Story is–it’s true. There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all the stories are telling on Big Story. The Story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them. It takes the whole Bible to tell this Story. And at the center of the Story, there is a baby. Every story in the Bible whispers his name. He is like the missing piece in the puzzle–the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together, and suddenly you can see a beautiful picture."

2010 won’t be the first time I’ve read the Bible through, but it will be the first time I’ve read it through with my son. I’ve offered three reasons that I’m excited about this, but I can think of many more. As you strive to do your DEW60 (Diet, Exercise and Worship) in 2010, why not bring the family along! You may take your family on a journey that's unlike anything you've ever experienced.

A Christmas Tradition

2009-12-22T17:00:00.001-06:00

It is Christmas time and some things never change. A feeling of excitement and eager anticipation bubbles up in our children and many adults look forward to traditional family gatherings. A sense of wonder surrounds the season; I hope we don’t miss it!

Jesus' birth was prophesied nearly seven hundred year before it occurred. The Jewish women of Jesus' time knew there would be one blessed woman who would give birth to the Messiah. Great anticipation for the coming King swelled in their hearts, but most of them missed it!

Christmas time is upon us. Through our carefully planned celebrations and traditions, we remember the coming of the Messiah, the Babe in the manger, the God of the universe taking on human flesh. In the middle of all those wonderful Christmas traditions, remember to spend some time thanking God for the wonderful gift of His Son. Don't miss it!
Isaiah 7:14, 9:6, Micah 5:2

What's the Big Deal about Christmas?

2009-12-15T16:17:00.012-06:00

Have you ever truly, truly pondered the significance of what we celebrate at this time of the year - the birth of Jesus?

OK, I realize that almost every person who reads this blog would probably say, "Pastor, of course I have. Christmas is the celebration of the birth of our Savior! It's God taking on flesh, born to be the sacrifice for our sins."

And you would be correct.

But there is more.

Do you realize how utterly wild the Doctrine of the Incarnation truly is? I mean, think about this: the Incarnation of Christ is one of the most astounding truth claims that sets Christianity apart from all the other world religions, including Judaism and Islam - a God who takes the initiative in becoming covered with flesh in order to redeem sinful human beings. One of my favorite writers, C. S. Lewis, said it like this in "Mere Christianity": "The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God."

So what's the BIG DEAL about Christmas?

In the Christ child of Bethlehem, God enters into human history and reveals Himself up close and personal. The astounding truth is that in Jesus Christ, God is encountered in a real, personal, historical, and tangible way.

In his book, "Understanding Jesus", Alister E. McGrath reflects upon the ultimate significance of Christmas:

"What sorts of things does the incarnation tell us about the ‘God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ’? Perhaps most obviously, it tells us that the God with whom we are dealing is no distant ruler who remains aloof from the affairs of his creatures, but One who is passionately concerned with them to the extent that He takes the initiative in coming to them. God doesn’t just reveal things about Himself - He reveals Himself in Jesus Christ…. The incarnation speaks to us of a God who acts to demonstrate His love for us. That ‘God is love’ (1 John 4:8) is a deep and important truth—but far more important is the truth that God acted to demonstrate this love. ‘In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him’ (1 John 4:9). Actions, as we are continually reminded, speak louder than words.

Beloved, the Nativity is more than a story about a place where a baby was born and wrapped in cloth. It is more than just a tale of two people who couldn't find a room to rent. It's more than a star-filled night, and it's more than shepherds and wise men.

The word "nativity" means "the event of being born". And when you think of WHO was born on that night, then everything has changed for all of the history of mankind. For those who know Him as Redeemer, Savior and Lord, it changes every aspect of the way we live. Like nothing else, it radically invades our lives...not just to remodel or to 'spruce up', but to rebuild from the inside out.

THAT'S the big deal about Christmas. It's the gift given to you from Someone who loves you more than you can imagine.

May you experience the life-changing power of that Big Deal everyday of the year.

Genealogies

2009-12-11T08:28:00.002-06:00

It got really cold this week. So before I went to the office, I had a little chi tea my wife (Melissa Van Scyoc) made me. As I looked at my newly decorated tree, thoughts of Christmas overwhelmed me; not the Clark Griswold kind of thoughts, but about my next youth lesson centering on Jesus’ birth. I decided to read The Christmas Story (even though He was probably born around September of our Calendar).

In Matthew, he starts out honestly…what seems to be like boring genealogies. In fact, it reminded me of the book of Numbers. I usually just skip over random people’s names I can’t pronounce, and since the whole passage is pretty much filled with names like that, I have always skipped over it. I decided to read it this time. The words flowed over my tongue like poetry even though I struggled to say some of the names. After monotonously reading over So-in-so Begat So-in-son, the passage ended with “Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.”

I had unfortunately missed this incredible passage in which Matthew decided to begin his entire Gospel account. From Abraham, to David, the Jews had been waiting for this moment. Matthew was showing us—no proving to us—that Jesus was from a line of Royalty. The line prophesied the Messiah would come from the line of Abraham (Gen 22:18), through the tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:10), and the family of David (2 Sam. 7:12-13). Matthew was introducing a King! Then Matthew not only shows Jesus’ natural connection with his Foster father Joseph, he proves to the Jews Jesus’ divine heredity. Jesus was Royally Divine. I could think of no better way to begin a story of Jesus at Christmas than to prove to the world He is who He says He is…the Christ.

So this Christmas when I eat the cookies and drink the milk Santa did not, I’m going to read the beginning of Matthew to remind myself I serve a King.

I’ll end with a few definitions that changed the way I pray and see my Savior:

The three names assigned to God’s Son:
Jesus= Savior, from the Hebrew Joshua.
Christ= Anointed, Greek equivalent to Messiah
Immanuel=Describes who He is-God With Us-Jesus is God.

So when Matthew ends the genealogy with “Jesus was born, who is called Christ,” he is distinguishing Jesus from any other person on earth. That’s a good reason to celebrate.

Merry Christmas

In Him,

Cody Van Scyoc

Automatically React - Correctly of Course

2009-11-23T16:04:00.003-06:00

The college football world is full of discussion about LSU's last minute failure to even know what to do. With one second left, no time outs, trailing by two points and within a chip shot of the Ole Miss goal line, the LSU coaching staff knows not what to do. The quarterback spikes the ball - the last thing that should have been done - game over. Not knowing automatically what to do in each circumstance is unacceptable for any coaching staff in big time college football.
But this scenario caused me to think - do I know what to do in each circumstance where life is pressure packed? And even if I do know what to do, will I do it?
Spiritual training is necessary to be able to handle life, particularly the pressure packed decisions that life brings. Usually we have more than one second to make up our mind - but that is not the point. The point is that with proper training, even the most pressured decision can be made within the will of the Father.
The word of God, the privilege of prayer, the fellowship and counsel of the other believers - all of this is training for life - day in and day out - but also for those pressured times in life. "Back date that report Jerry". "This is just a gift - but I expect your support in return." "Let's go - she'll never know."
With proper training - proper preparation using God's tools and methods - even the most pressured situation is easy - "No". "I cannot do that".
John 5 says, "The Son can do nothing by himself." Why was that? He COULD do what he wanted. But he chose to not do anything contrary to his Father's will. How about you? Are you so cued into the Father that you CAN DO NOTHING BY YOURSELF? If so, you are well prepared for the one second decisions - the pressured decisons - that life will bring. Know what to do in those last seconds because you have prepared for just those moments.

"I've Just Got a Peace about It."

2009-11-10T16:28:00.005-06:00

Does having peace about a certain situation mean you're making the right decision? It's one of the most oft-cited reasons that people use for doing something. On the flip side, many times people elect not to do something because they just don't have peace about it. But could a feeling of peace actually lead you astray?

In his superb book, Decision Making God's Way, Gary Meadors explains that the word 'peace' occurs over ninety times in the Bible, yet is never used scripturally as "an internal barometer for gauging God's will." In other words, a feeling of peace is never presented as the reason to do something. Instead, "peace is a product of doing right, not a reason for action."

Sometimes we have to make hard decisions that are morally correct, but leave us torn up inside, lacking peace. At other times, we may have a peace about something that is unbiblical; during those times we always submit to what the Bible says, and put our feelings behind us.

A Different Look at the Other Side

2009-11-05T15:55:00.002-06:00

“A Different Look at the Other Side”

So many times I find myself frustrated by the way “the world” looks at life. I see so many people searching for truth and I see various “worldviews” putting their best sales pitch forward to try to win their allegiance. So, not having anything else to chose, people buy what the world is selling. The idea that you can determine for yourself what truth is, the idea that there really aren’t consequences for sinful or foolish decisions, the notion that we don’t really need God to make the world work.

I meet people who have bought into these world views and my first reaction (if I’m honest) is, “I’m right and you’re wrong… Now I don’t want to hear what you have to say, but listen to me, because I’m going to tell you the truth…” My second reaction isn’t that much better, “ Who is the person responsible for teaching them this nonsense…” and my anger and contempt grow. At this point I need to pause. My anger and contempt aren’t going to do very many people much good, and it’s exactly the way the world expects “Christians” to react.

Over the last several weeks I have been going through a class with some of our members here at Cornerstone. We have explored some of the “Great Thinkers” that have shaped many of these different worldviews, and as I looked at their lives and the influences that shaped them, my anger turned to sorrow; sorrow not only for the millions, if not billions, of people who have followed in their footsteps, but sorrow for those individuals themselves. I am struck by how many of them started their lives pointed toward God and Christ, people like Charles Darwin and Friedrich Nietzche. I look at their lives and feel a sort of pity.

My prayer is that I can engage with people in such a way that they may see a changed life and therefore see a more accurate picture of who God is. I think the way we do that is to recognize that humankind has been created in God’s image, every one of us. Instead of getting angry and feeling contempt for a fallen world, I feel more and more as if I should lament over it… much in the same way Jesus lamented over Jerusalem in Matthew 23. “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent it! How often I would have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not!”

I am convicted to have the eyes of God and look for ways to “be” Christ to any and all who are looking for Him!

"What does God want from me?!!?"

2009-10-28T11:17:00.003-05:00

“What do you WANT from me?!?” How many times have you heard someone (yourself?) ask this question? Too many wives pose this question to their husbands, and too many husbands pose it to their wives. And if numbers could go that high, we might be able to count the number of times parents are asked this by their teens! It’s usually asked in frustration from repeated failed attempts to please someone, only to be told time and again that you simply don’t measure up to or understand the expectations. This typically leads from frustration to anger, from anger to disillusionment, and from disillusionment to giving up.

“God, what do you want from me?” Some ask this thinking that God is withholding a life of painless living until we behave good enough to deserve it. So they try and try to do enough good things in order to earn God’s favor or blessing or approval. And when they fail, or when they don’t receive the blessing that they have asked for from God, this question returns again and again. It starts as a curious question “God, what do you want from me?” and over time becomes a desperate question, “God, what do you WANT from me?!?!”

Know anyone questioning whether or not they will give up on a relationship with God? Do you ever feel that God needs something from you that you’re not giving? Is it because you don’t know what it is, or is it because you don’t have it to give? Regardless, do you ever feel that the only way off of this merry-go-round of trying to meet God’s expectations is to just let him go? That life would be so much better if you stopped trying to earn God’s blessing and approval?

So stop.

Stop asking this question.

What if we started asking a better question?

Consider praying this one for the rest of this week: “God, what do you want for me?”

This Sunday we will answer this question.

Know anyone who needs to know the answer?

Forward this to them and invite them to come with you Sunday Morning as we study God’s word together.