Faith based upon what is happening in our lives is...

Communion thoughts January 3, 2016
Circumstantial faith (Most ideas inspired by Andy Stanley- Faith, Hope, and Luck series)

The summer before my Freshman year in college, I became frustrated with things in my life.  One might say I was at a low. My parents had been fighting more than usual and I lacked confidence in how to handle life.  So, I went out to a local lake where there was a pavilion and decided to go through Proverbs and pray for God’s guidance.  I wanted to write out a moral code- create a standard from which to live.  I felt very close to God at that time.  By the end of the week, a lot of prayer time and spiritual clarity had been attained and right before I left on the last day, I went out to the end of the dock and decided to throw a hook in the water.  I sat at the dock moving the hook up and down as I prayed.  After about 15 minutes of witnessing bluegills swim up to the hook, inspect it and then swim away, it was clear they weren’t going to take my imaginary bait…after having a very great “moment” in prayer, something made me think to ask God to make a fish bite the hook.  So I said “God, make me a fisher of fish.”  I know…what a weird way to say, “God, make a fish bite my hook.”  With no bait, suddenly a fish immediately attacked my hook!  In less than a second after I said the word “fish.”  I about fell off the dock into the water and couldn’t believe what had happened.  I felt like I was part of a New Testament miracle!  At that time, that “miracle” made me feel like God was guiding me and that He was with me.  Then I decided to try walking on water….that didn’t go so well.

Looking back, I really believe God either knew the fish was going to bite my hook and that the Holy spirit moved me to pray that prayer, or He made the fish bite the hook.  It sure gave me a boost in confidence.  However, there have been plenty of circumstances in life that have occurred- circumstances involving pain, sadness, and hardship that might have made me interpret God’s presence in my life differently. 

Is your faith impacted by your circumstances?  Have you ever felt closer to God when things are going the way you thought they should go?    Has your faith ever waivered depending on your circumstances?  If I get that job…then God is with me and I love him.  If I get an A on the test or if my test comes back negative…then I have no problem believing in God.  We’ve heard amazing stories of answered prayer.  Friends are healed, the check comes in the mail, in younger years…”shew, I didn’t get caught”, the cop didn’t pull me over, she said yes, a fish bites an empty hook…these circumstances seem to strengthen our faith.    But what do we do when our prayers aren’t answered?  What happens to our faith then?

As we focus on the cross and we remember His sacrifice for our salvation, may we remember our faith is based, not upon whether or not God answers our prayers the way we think they should be answered, but upon a man who died on the cross and came back to life.  This moment is about an amazing miracle that set us free.  This moment is what drove the growth of the early church before the bible existed and through intense persecution.  Our faith has nothing to do with us or our circumstances.  May we stay here…in this moment…when our circumstances make us want to doubt.

Hebrews 12:2-3   Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning it’s shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.  

  

What does church mean to me? A story about the Arthur David Beltz (son of Arthur Elmer Betz) Family

I shared the following story at my church (Louisville Christian Church) on November of 2015.  I wasn't sure I wanted to put the story online, but after my uncle, Bill Beltz, published his  book, The Buried War, I decided it might be a nice complimentary segment for those who would like to know more about Arthur David Beltz (the son who lived in Alliance Ohio).    My Mother and Sister have given permission for this information to be shared.

Born in 1951, Art was one of nine kids.  His father, who came home from WWII’s battle of Bougainville, would use alcohol to medicate his wounds.  This would lead to aggressive behavior toward his family which fueled a lot of anger in Art’s life and assured there was no father-son relationship for him from which to grow.

Art’s loving Mother and brothers and sisters did the best they could.  His mother, raising a family of nine kids, was rarely home as she worked as a school teacher in another town trying to raise money for the family.

Raised mostly by his older brothers and sisters, Art began smoking at nine and drinking soon after.  At the age of 10 he would walk/hitchhike from his home in Harrisburg, Ohio to the Hartville swamps for employment.  Work was very important to him as he quit high school when he was a sophomore so that he could help support the family. 

He was part of a very strong network of friends who had a reputation as one of the fierce “Maximo boys.”  They would use whatever means necessary to assure “justice” in the neighborhood prevailed.  There were no rules or curfews from which they were governed. 

As Art grew older, one of his buddies would make a difficult request.  His friend had been drafted to go to Vietnam and believed if his leg was broken he would not have to go.  To try to save his buddies life, Art took two hard swings with a baseball bat that would send his friend to the ED, but would not break his leg.  His friend would go to Nam after all.

Relationships were important to Art.  He was 17 when he began dating a 13 year old cheerleader.  After four years of adventurous and dysfunctional dating, they would become pregnant and have a baby girl when she was 17…. She would graduate from Marlington High School as a Junior and they would begin their lives together.

What might we expect to happen next?   At a time when teenage pregnancy was shunned, what might the outcome have been during this young couple’s lives? 

At that time (1972), a new church was being started by a church planting organization known as Northeastern Ohio Association of Helpers.  The church was being planted in Washington township on the south west side of Alliance.  The pastor- Ed Smith, and his wife Bonnie, were meeting in people’s homes to share Christ and teach them about their new church that was part of what was called the Restoration Movement.  Ed and Bonnie had connected with Art and his wife Charlene.  (Ed and Bonnie would later be integral in starting Louisville Christian Church) 

They met with them in their apartment located in the rougher part of town 1010 and a half South Liberty-on the Northeast side of Alliance.  Ed and Bonnie would be one of Art’s first glimpses of a Godly marriage and Ed would become one of Art’s closest examples of how a loving father behaves.  Meeting in the YMCA in Alliance,  Ed, Bonnie, and their new church family would soon lead Art and Charlene to Christ during an evening church service.  When the church was given the option to join the new couple in Minerva that night to watch their baptism, the whole church drove to first Christian Church in Minerva to support them. 

As baby Christians bringing many habits and teenage tendencies into their future marriage, they would need all the loving support they could get.

As they grew, there were many challenges.   Alcohol would continue to influence the family leading to intense moments of concern for physical harm.  Ed and Bonnie would offer their homes as a safe haven for Charlene, her little girl and new born boy (1976). 

Art loved his family, and wanted to give his children the life he never had…but, it would take a little time and lots of love from his church family before he would decide to quit drinking.  That process would be painful, but would eventually lead to victory.  

As much as I would love to say life was better once the drinking stopped, the marriage still experienced many tumultuous moments.  There are always two sides to the story and I love my parents with all my heart.  They loved us with all their hearts, but loving in a marriage takes time, practice, education, mentors, and determination.  Art and Charlene had determination to work through problems they didn’t even know existed.  In the 80s and 90s, the word Bipolar was hardly heard.  It wasn’t until the mid 2000s that my Mom would receive this diagnosis.   

It was Bipolar tendencies mixed with post alcoholism behavior that lead to many heated moments in our home.  Once Ed and Bonnie moved from Beechwood on to help plant other churches, Vernon and Gina Russel would become the next pastoring family and become best friends of Art and Charlene.    Vernon would often come over to the house during those intense times providing a strong sense of relief, peace, safety and security to me.  Whenever he showed up, I knew things would be better. 

As time went on, my parents would serve the church in many ways.  They would grow and truly work out their faith with the help of many brothers and sisters in Christ.  We actually had a great time together as a church family.  My sister and I would eventually be lead to Christ and were given a very strong foundation from which to grow. 

The Church would demonstrate love to my parents through patience with imperfect behavior, helpfulness during times of emotional need, prayer support during moments of uncertainty, friendship, and presence consistently no matter what.  Through our church in those younger years, we learned about forgiveness even when the same mistakes would occur over and over, hope that Christ would change us with time, patience when it seemed like progress was far away, unconditional love with our imperfections, and how to be a friend and love others. 

Similar to the way Paul was accepted into the new church in Acts, my family was accepted into the church family at Beechwood.  I am 100% confident that changed our lives for eternity.

Now, the challenge is for us to do the same for others here at Louisville.   

Why do we say short prayers?

Communion Thoughts November 8, 2015- inspired by Andy Stanley's "Permission to Speak Freely" podcast in 2007 and God's word.

Communion Thoughts November 8, 2015

What do you do when you know your will is not God’s will?

For instance:

·         You know God wants you to apologize, but you don’t want to.

·         You know He wants you to donate time or money, but you don’t want to.

·         You know He wants you to tell the whole truth, but you would rather leave some parts out.

·         Maybe it’s a health issue.  You are praying for healing for someone, but it just isn’t happening. 

What do you do?   Jesus prayed.  Jesus prayed a lot.  The length of Jesus’ prayers seemed related to the alignment of His will and God’s.  For instance:

In John, when Lazarus had been dead four days we read that Jesus wept.  Then he said a quick prayer:

John 11:40-44New International Version (NIV)

⁴⁰ Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

⁴¹ So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. ⁴² I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”   ⁴³ When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” ⁴⁴ The dead man came out…

 

That was a quick prayer.  God, I know you want Lazarus to be healed and I am just praying so other people know you are doing this and not me. 

What about when Jesus’ will did not align with God’s will?  The night before he was betrayed, Jesus prayed long enough for his disciples to fall asleep three different times.   What was His struggle?  The will:   

Matthew 26:38-42New International Version (NIV)

³⁸ Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”  ³⁹ Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”  ⁴⁰ Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. ⁴¹ “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”   ⁴² He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”

 

Trying to align our will with God’s will is not always easy.  Jesus sweat blood and He was part of God.  What determines the length of your prayers?   How do you wrestle with God’s will when it is not in alignment with yours?  As we prepare for communion and reflect on His sacrifice.   May we remember how the spirit is willing, but our flesh is weak.  May we connect with Him in a way that gives us power to do His will.

Prayer: Make us willing to do your will.

 

In life, do you tend to play offense or defense?

How many football fans do we have here?  What an exciting time.  Do you enjoy watching your favorite team play offense or defense?  With offense, there is a high level of anticipation and uncertainty.  Are they going to run the ball up the middle or around the outside.   Are they going to throw a short pass or a hail Mary.  Will the coach call the plays you think he should call?  So many variables come into play.

From a spiritual perspective, do you tend to play offense or defense?  There were many who played offense in the Bible.  When Noah built the ark before it had even rained, he was playing offense.  When Moses lead the Israelites out of Egypt, he was playing offense. When the Israelites marched around Jericho, crossed the Jordan and covered their doors with blood at Passover, they were playing offense.  When David attacked Goliath, he was playing offense.   When we get to the New Testament, we discover the parable of the talents.  There, we find that Jesus highly encourages us to play offense.  What does playing offense or defense spiritually have to do with communion?

During communion, I confess I tend to pray about the things that I did over the last week that I shouldn’t have done.   Thinking about the things I shouldn’t have done and trying not to do them is playing Defense.  I am working on training my mind to focus more on things that I should do.  I am working on moving toward the offensive moves He may want me to make.  I believe playing offense allows us to use God’s gift of grace the most and naturally draws us closer to Him. 

Can you relate?  Do you tend to focus on the things you shouldn’t have done- a more defensive way of thinking, or do you tend to think about the opportunities God is laying before you- a more offensive way of thinking?  What amazing journey does He have in store for you next?  These offensive adventures may create a high level of uncertainty and may significantly complicate our lives.  Playing offense will certainly make us uncomfortable. 

Now, during communion, as we contemplate the power behind His resurrection, may we contemplate those spiritual opportunities we are facing.  May we consider how playing offense may spur us to know Him more and draw us closer to Him.  And, as Jonathan said on his way up a cliff preparing to attack the Philistines, “perhaps the Lord will act on our behalf.”

Power from the foundation of our faith

This is a great time to explore the power behind the foundation of our faith.   Have you ever thought about how people became Christ followers the first 20-50 years after He arose then ascended to heaven?   40 days after Christ ascended to heaven, there were no new testament scriptures, no typewriter, no radio, no tv, no phone, no internet, no texting, no facebook, and no twitter.   Yet, several were martyred for the sake of belief in Christ and His resurrection.  In fact, it is believed that:

·         Thomas was killed with a spear.

 

·         Bartholemew was scourged and beheaded

 

·         James was beaten, stoned and clubbed to death,

 

·         Andrew was crucified and was bound to the cross instead of nailed,

 

·         Peter was crucified upside down

The bottom line was that these men knew a man who claimed he would die on the cross.  That man did die on the cross and then He came back to life.   They believed in the power of the foundation of our faith.  They believed that if any man could die and come back to life- that was something worth dying for.  That is also something worth living for!

The power of the foundation of our faith is the resurrection of Christ.   That power fueled the spread of Christianity in the earliest of days and is with us today.  Scriptures tell us that power can:

·        Do immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imagine (Eph 3:20)

·        Allow us to forgive and to be forgiven. (Col 3:13)

·        It can set us free from guilt. (John 8:31-31)

·        That power can free us from the power of sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

·        It can help us demolish strongholds in our lives and allow us to stand our ground. (2 Cor 10:4)

·        That power allows us to take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ. (1 Cor:10)

·        It enables us to not conform any longer to the patterns of this world. (Rom 12:2)

·        But that power can allow us to be transformed  by the renewing of our minds. (Rom 12:2)

·        It helps us to consider it pure joy when we endure trials. (James 1:2)

·        That power gives us the strength to press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus . (Phil 3:14)

·        It allows us to never be lacking in zeal, but to keep our spiritual fervor serving the Lord. (Rom 12:11)

·        It makes us relentless in our pursuit of love for God and each other. (Mark 12:30-31)

·        That power propels us forward as we Go and make disciples of all nations. (Matt 28:19)

As we focus on Christ’s sacrifice this morning, may we also contemplate the power behind His resurrection for our community, church, and our selves.

Love surpasses knowledge!

Do you ever feel intense pressure to make Mother's Day just right?  How do you honor someone adequately who has such an influential part on all our lives as Mothers?  To make my wife's Mother's day as good as possible, I thought I would get advice from our kids.  I asked them, "what do you think we should get Mommy to show her we love her and to surprise her in honor of Mother's day?"  My six-year-old, Isaac, quickly volunteered the idea that we should buy her a four wheeler.  My four-year-old, Rachel, suggested we buy her earrings, a necklace, and flowers.   My two-year-old, Liam, added that he thought we should buy her a chicken! 

As silly as some of their ideas were, they were motivated out of love.  No matter what we would have given Amanda, even if it was a chicken, she would have lovingly accepted it…because of how much she loves her kids.  In fact, we often here it said that “there is no greater love than the love of a mother for her children.”  

While mothers certainly have a huge capacity to love,  there is even a greater love!  The love God has for us.  In Ephesians 3:18-19, Paul prays we will know this love.  He prays we will have the power to know how wide, how long, how high and how deep is the love of Christ and to know His love that surpasses knowledge.   

This kind of love is amazingly vast.  Huge love!  I heard the amount of love that Christ has for us is similar to the amount of water available in the ocean for a sea bird.  All the small sips it will take from the ocean in it's life span will never come close to sipping all the water it has available in the ocean.  All our attempts to understand Christ's love will never come close to grasping how great it is.  This morning as we take communion together, I encourage you to pray that He will help you know His love that surpasses knowledge.

But...THAT'S NOT FAIR!

Protects.  Trusts.  Hopes.  Perseveres.   It never fails that when I sit up front in church, Rick will share a heart wrenching story that will make me battle back tears in front of the congregation and my wife.  Last week I was not just a little misty, I felt like I was going to need a Kleenex!  Of course I would never ask for one.  I have a feeling we all could relate with the story he told of the young lady blogging about her trials with infertility. 

Amanda and I could directly relate, however, we all have had those life is not fair moments!  Like Rick said, it is false for us to believe that just because we are Christians life will be fair.  He spoke to my heart when he said we need grace and that we actually don't want life to be fair.  It got me wondering, what do you, my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, do when life is not fair? 

What do you do when a loved one becomes sick or passes much earlier than they should?  That's not fair!  What do you do when you discover a grim diagnosis?  What do you do when those you love, the very people who are supposed to be helping you, turn on you?  What do you do when a job promotion continues to pass over you year after year? It's just not fair!  What do you do?

Two things I try to do during my "life's not fair moments" involve directing my focus.  The first thing I try to focus on is Christ and the second is His definition of love.  I try to remember that, of all people to have the right to say "life's not fair," it was Jesus Christ.  Communion time reminds me of that.  

Protects.  Trusts.  Hopes.  Perseveres. Christ death on the cross was not fair, but His resurrection was to protect us from God’s wrath:  Christ’s death on the cross was not fair, but His resurrection proves we can trust the promises of Christ and God’s word.    Christ’s death on the cross was not fair, but His resurrection provides us with hope in salvation in spite of our sin.   Christ’s death and resurrection demonstrates love as perseverance…Matthew tells us He could have called 72,000 angels to destroy the world and set us free.  But, if He had, He wouldn’t have accomplished His purpose on earth…to save us from Sin. Fortunately, Christ didn't get what He deserved. 

Christ’s resurrection proves that His love never fails!  God is love.  Christ is love.  Love defeated death.

In addition to focusing on Christ, I try to focus on His definition of love.  The same love that defeated death now lives in us.  When I am lacking focus, it has really helped me to just say "always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres" over and over.  As we prepare for communion and even for the next 14 days before Easter, if you have a problem with your mind wondering/staying focused, I encourage you to repeat those words. Consider saying those words repeatedly for the next three to four minutes.  Pray them.  Apply them to your life/your battles, your challenges and your hopes.  Imagine what would happen if we as a church body had this kind of love mastered?

Father thank you for your love that always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres and never fails.    Forgive us for falling short.  As we remember your love and sacrifice, As we contemplate your defeat over sin and death, Help us to  catch a glimpse of your love that surpasses knowledge.