trinity_elpaso

Jesus: Our King

Fri, 19 Dec 2025 00:57:17 GMT

In the third and final Advent meditation, we go to Jesus’ trial before Pilate. To prepare us to celebrate the moment of Jesus’ birth, we fast forward to the moment before his death. This make sense, because in this conversation with Pilate we hear from Jesus’ mouth himself the reason why he came in the first place. “My kingdom is not of this world […] In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me” (from John 18:36,37)

Jesus’ statement, however, has proven confusing to many honest Christians. To show you what I mean, let me put on the hat of an annoying nitpicky pastor. I recently received a Christmas card with a well-intentioned message on the cover, but one that was biblically wrong. The friend that got the card for my family had nothing but the best in mind, and only wanted to share their Christmas joy and lighten up our day. It did exactly that! By no means do I want to criticize my friend’s good intention. But the message on the cover was just plain wrong. It said, “Jesus did not come to be a king, but a servant.” Now, that sounds nice. It even sounds biblical! But you know very well that just because something sounds biblical, it doesn’t mean that it is.

Jesus did come to be a king. In the first chapter of Hebrews, the author goes to great lengths to show that Jesus is a fulfillment of God’s promises to establish an eternal kingdom. And in Psalm 2, God the Father says, “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain” talking about the coming of the Son of God. Jeremiah prophecies the Messiah as a Righteous King (Jeremiah 23:5-6). Daniel 7:13-14 portrays the Messiah as the Son of Man who rules with an eternal rule. Isaiah 9:6-7 tells us of the child, the Son who will rule both as King and as God.

So, we can be okay with saying that Jesus did indeed as a King. But my guess is that you had some notion of that already. My friend that bought the card would probably agree with everything we’ve said thus far too. That Jesus is King, and that he has a kingdom, is not a foreign concept to anyone who has been to church longer than five minutes. Next Sunday, notice when we end our prayer to Jesus with the thought that he “lies and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.”

So when Jesus says to Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world,” we say, “Yeah.” Jesus is a King. Jesus has a kingdom. But there’s another misunderstanding that is even more dangerous. It’s in that word “of.” Jesus’ kingdom doesn’t belong to this world. It is not “of” it. But sometimes I wonder if we start to think that Jesus means, “My kingdom has nothing to do with this world.” As if to say, “So do what you want, Pilate. I don’t care. Kill me if you want. My kingdom lives on.”

The “other-worldliness” of Christ’s kingdom becomes an excuse, an attitude, a lifestyle, which sets our spiritual life apart from our “real” lives – as if our faith in Jesus pertains only to matters of spiritual contemplation; as if Jesus only matters to you in terms of how to get to heaven; as if Jesus is so busy preparing a place for you (John 14:1-4) that he doesn’t really have time to pay attention to what’s happening in your life right now. So if you’re going through something, you better tough it out or figure it out, because Jesus has bigger fish to fry than to help you with your silly little problems.

If Jesus were saying, “My kingdom has nothing to do with this world,” he would be instituting a Zen attitude of detachment from reality, and then we would be expected to somehow follow. But nothing could be further from the truth of what Jesus was saying.

“My kingdom is not of this world,” means, “My kingdom doesn’t work the way the world’s kingdoms work. My kingdom isn’t concerned with the same stresses the kingdoms of this world are concerned with.” Worldly kingdoms are about power – obtaining it, keeping it, finding ways for it to flourish. Worldly kingdoms are about winning people’s good opinion, about making good economic decisions, about striking the right deals to keep peace.

Jesus’ kingdom is nothing like that. It is not obsessed with power, because he already has all of the power that can be amassed. He is it. As the eternal Son of God, he has always ruled and reigned over everything. He never could have gained any more power for himself – so nothing in his kingdom is done in order to secure power or win it. Jesus is never afraid of losing power, because nothing can threaten it. Not even crucifixion.

Jesus’ kingdom is not about good economics, trying to win people’s favor by making groceries cheaper. Jesus’ kingdom makes no economic sense if you think about it. He, the king, pays everything. You, the subject, pay nothing. He, the king, sacrifices everything to bring you into his kingdom. You, the subject, do nothing but win.

Here, in this lesson, Jesus the King stands before Pontius Pilate. Pilate thinks he holds Jesus’ fate in his hands. Pilate thinks he has to make a decision, to use his authority to render a verdict. Pilate is at ease, because Jesus is no threat to him. But Pilate is concerned about how people will react to Jesus’ death sentence. Pilate has all the concerns of an earthly king – the concerns of a king “of this world.” Jesus says, “My kingdom is not of this world,” as the one who is really in control. Jesus’ kingdom has never stopped, from eternity and into eternity. Even when Jesus gave up full use of his divine power as king, he did not cease to be king. That means that Pilate stands before the King of the Universe and thinks he has the power to change Jesus’ fate. No, this moment itself is part of Jesus’ kingdom: a kingdom of strength hidden in weakness, of power hidden in humility, of mighty warfare clothed in acts of submission – and moments later, it becomes a kingdom of salvation and victory veiled in suffering and defeat. Jesus’ kingdom is most clearly seen at his cross: Where divine majesty, authority, and power, reveal itself in submission, suffering, and condemnation. To understand your king who came to you in the manger, look to the cross, where he defeats our enemies once and for all.

Jesus’ kingdom does not operate the way a worldly kingdom does, but that doesn’t mean it is completely separate from this world. In the hospital room, Jesus continues to reign. In the marriage counseling session, Jesus continues to reign. In the principal’s office, Jesus continues to reign. Along the fault lines of war-torn nations, Jesus continues to reign. At the graveside of one you’re going to miss dearly, Jesus continues to reign. Because Jesus’ kingdom is one of unseen victory, even when all signs are pointing to defeat. Jesus’ kingdom is one of his unseen presence with you, even when you feel most alone. Jesus’ kingdom is one of undeserved grace and love, even when you feel most unlovable.

If you want one more picture of how unworldly Jesus’ kingdom is: look at its weapons, its tools. Through a simple sprinkling of water, a person’s heart is forever changed as they go from death to life. Through a small bite of bread and sip of wine, your sins are forgiven and your unity with God re-established. Through the simple sharing of Scripture, bonds are tightened, and the Holy Spirit continues to shape your mind and thoughts. This is how Jesus reigns: through the means of grace. Because he’s not just making citizens for this life, nor for the next election: he’s making citizens for eternity. That means wherever the gospel is, there is the kingdom of Jesus. Wherever the body of Christ assembles around Word and Sacrament, Jesus is reigning through his kingdom of grace. Wherever sinners are set free from the guilt of sin by our sharing of forgiveness in Christ’s name, there is the kingdom!

Jesus: Our Priest

Sat, 13 Dec 2025 15:27:13 GMT

It doesn’t matter if you’re contesting a speeding ticket, if you’ve been framed for murder – If you need a lawyer, you want a good one. But how can you tell if the lawyer you’ve hired might not actually be that great? Over time, maybe you notice that they aren’t very honest. They make you question if they actually care about the truth, or if they just want to win the case. Or, you notice that they’re not very competent. They’re always late to appointments with you. When they show up, they haven’t showered, and there’s alcohol on their breath. When you find out that your lawyer is neither ethical nor competent, you have to terminate their services. It doesn’t matter what the type of case is, you don’t want a bad lawyer representing you!

Last week, we talked about the need for Prophets – stand-ins, whose job it was to represent God and speak his Word to the people. This was necessary, because no one can hear the holy voice of God and survive (Exodus 20:19). But who will plead our case before God? Who will be our stand-in before the Almighty Judge?

The good news is: there are plenty of options; plenty of lawyers willing to stand in for you. That is, there are plenty of methods people suggest on the best way to appear before God. Be a good person, mind your own business, do no harm to others, and you should be good. Come before God with receipts to show that we are making progress – like you’re on probation that has to show you’re making positive strides by showing up to counseling appointments, taking care of our families, volunteering, etc. Otherwise, God will be mad with us.

Whether we are getting this message from the outside world, or have settled upon it for ourselves, this is a lot like a lawyer who barely passed law school – they have the general idea right, but fall far short of what the law actually says. And if we follow them, we’ll realize their incompetence when the jail cell door slams shut.

We don’t understand the charges – we have fallen short of the glory of God. We incompetent lawyers neither understand the law or the Judge. It’s not just general goodness that will get the charges off, it’s total holiness. Anything else will get us laughed out of court, right to our own condemnation.

This was the purpose of the Old Testament priesthood. Men from the Israelite Tribe of Levi were chosen to represent the people before God – not in court, but in worship. Through sacrifice and prayer, the priests of the Tabernacle and Temple presented the people’s case to God, begging him to relent on his charges. Through the priestly system, God was teaching the human race the true letter of the law: total holiness, or condemnation. Total perfection, or blood would have to be shed. There are no other options. And a lawyer that presents a different way to win God over is either intentionally lying, or just incompetent.

So, Jesus had to be born. Jesus’ birth is like our first meeting with a new lawyer, one unlike any we’ve seen. As we watch Jesus walk and talk, we’re getting to know who this guy who will represent us is. He’s talking about the Judge like he knows him. Have they worked together before? Has this lawyer presented other cases before this judge? It seems deeper than that. When you hear this lawyer talk, you can tell that he is on very good terms with this judge. You flat out ask, “Do you two know each other?” This lawyer says, “Know him? I’m his son!” Now, that could fill you with dread. Is the lawyer going to collaborate with his dad to send you right to jail? Is this system rigged against you? Quite the contrary. This Lawyer (this Priest) and his Father, the Judge (God) are working together to get the charges dropped. There is only one way that you will be allowed to go free, and that’s exactly what they’re going to do for you. But they’re going to do it in a way that doesn’t violate the truth. This is not shady business, after all. They will work together to uphold justice, but bring you mercy.

Paul explains how Jesus did this in Galatians (4:4-5): Jesus was born under the Law to redeem those under the law. Since God requires righteousness, the charges would not be satisfied unless righteousness were offered. So, Jesus became our righteousness, representing us as if we had truly obeyed the Law (which Paul explains in 2 Corinthians 5:20-21). He had to be born a complete human being, full of weakness and humility, to embrace and live out the law of righteousness that God requires of all of us. This was a choice Jesus made. As God himself, Jesus had all of the holiness and none of the sin. He had nothing to gain for himself by becoming one of us. But if we were going to escape the condemnation we deserved for not being the righteous beings we were meant to be, that righteous obedience had to come from somewhere! So, as a human being, Jesus rejected temptations of lust. He served his neighbor. He loved his human mother and father. He cherished time in prayer and in his Father’s house of worship. He honored and respected his human leaders. He gave his body and soul rest. He was content with what he had, even when it was very little. He did all this as a human being, storing up the perfect righteousness to deliver on our behalf before the judge.

Then, he died. He chose death. Just as Jesus didn’t need to come, be born, and live under the Law, he most certainly did not need to die as if he were a guilty sinner. Just as Jesus chose a human life to provide the righteousness you lack, he chose a brutal death and the condemnation of hell to take away what you deserved.

The Judge and Lawyer are indeed working together – God the Father and God the Son are indeed in cahoots – not against you, but for you. Throughout eternity, the three persons in the Trinity devised this plan to save you from your own unrighteousness.

Other theories of how you can be saved – other lawyers’ methods of representing you – fail, where God has succeeded. Some suggest that God will just forget about your sin because he’s merciful and doesn’t care anyway. But this falls far short of the holy justice of God who hates sin and cannot abide it. God can’t violate his own character. He remains just. In Jesus and on his cross, God’s justice is satisfied, because the righteous requirement of the Law is met, and the wrath against sin is poured out on Jesus instead of us.

Some suggest that you really can do what God’s law requires, and you can represent yourself. Not only is that impossible because we are too sinful (it minimizes God’s justice!) but it discredits God’s mercy. Jesus has dispensed God’s mercy to you completely and fully by his life, death, and resurrection. You can’t count on your own obedience to get for you what Jesus has already won and given to you freely! So, take it from Jesus: he is the only one who can properly represent us in God’s courtroom, as both the one who offers his righteousness for ours, and his atonement for our sins.

The priests of the Old Testament were effective at teaching us how badly we need representation before God. They taught us that only by sacrifice can sin bet atoned for. But the sacrifices themselves never effectively atoned for any sins (Hebrews 9:9). Nor were the priests effective lawyers in the courtroom of God. They were sinful themselves! They couldn’t truly stand in for the worshippers they represented, because they had their own sins to answer for. And each priest passed away. Jesus comes along with no sins of his own, only with righteousness, and the sacrifice he offers for you is his own precious blood. Jesus is our true representative.

He responds to every demand of the Law, “I did it for him / her. I have made restitution for them myself.” He says to the condemnation sin deserves, “I will serve it. I take it upon myself.” And because he came back to life, is resurrected and ascended, his redemption hasn’t gone away. It never will. The blood he shed continues to speak on your behalf. As your risen and ascended Lord, Jesus continues to represent you in God’s court – speaking of the righteousness he has given to you as his gift through faith. You will never have to worry about how God feels about you again – it’s Jesus who has redeemed you, and he lives.

The question is, who else would you want representing your case before God? This is God’s own Son. Who else would you want pleading your case than the one who intimately knows what it’s like to be human? Who else would you want approaching the Father than the one who intimately knows the Law and its requirements? Who else would you want in the front of that courtroom, as your great High Priest, than the one who chose to be born, chose to be subjected to the Law, chose to die so that he could rise – all for you?

Jesus: Our Prophet

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 18:53:01 GMT

A boyfriend and girlfriend enter a church. After a ceremony, they leave husband and wife. What happened? Words happened. A soldier enters a change of command ceremony, but leaves with a whole new set of responsibilities and honors conferred upon her. What happened? Words happened. When a pastor pronounces a couple man and wife, or an officer pronounces a soldier as the new leader, a new reality is being constituted – and simply with words! Words clearly have tremendous power.

But sometimes they fail, don’t they? You told your son to finish his game and come sit at the table. He did not. What happened? Were your words not enough? You poured out your feelings with words to your best friend, hoping he would give you sympathy, but instead reacted coldly. Was there something wrong with your words? Not necessarily. But sometimes words fail because of the hearer.

And no one knew this better than the prophet Moses. As God’s chosen leader for the Israelites, time and again he saw them listen to God one minute only to abandon God in the next. At the base of Mt. Sinai (aka Mt. Horeb) Moses watched the Israelites fling themselves headlong into disgusting idolatry only moments after receiving instruction straight from God’s mouth. God did not overlook that incident. He punished the idolatrous Israelites swiftly and terrifyingly – so terrifyingly that they begged Moses to stay between them and God like a scrawny kid hiding behind a bigger kid.

Moses stayed in his position as mediator between God and Israel, as a prophet whom God would give his words to bestow. So Moses led with words. Words were the tool that God gave Moses to guide Israel. That’s the job of a prophet, after all. Moses tells the Israelites to expect this situation to continue:

15 The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. 16 For this is what you asked of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the Lord our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.”

17 The Lord said to me: “What they say is good. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. 19 I myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name.

Like Moses, God would send more prophets. You may know some of their names: Elijah and Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, Amos, Daniel, Ezekiel. Each of them came with powerful words. Each of them came with the message God had given them to speak. Just like Moses, each of them experienced the bitter disappointment of their countrymen despising the message. They were laughed at, threatened, beaten, pursued within an inch of their lives – and many of them martyred for that powerful word. Time and time again, the hearers are the weak link.

Is that the way it’s going to be this Christmas? Are we going to be the weak link in communication again? I say “again,” because even in my most earnest moments of wanting to hear God’s Word and take his message to my heart, that same heart struggles to understand and put it into practice. Each year, you and I both struggle to take home the true meaning of Christmas – that it is more than just a busier time of year and a weirder time at church. With how hard-headed the human race can be, it’s surprising that God keeps “trying” with us; keeps speaking to us. If the Christmases before are any indication, this Christmas is going to be just as much of a challenge to my hardheadedness to hear the meaning of it all.

However, consider this: in a wedding, if the groom-to-be is daydreaming during the pronouncement of marriage, does he leave that church a single man? No. If a soldier sneezes during the words that confer her new command upon her, does she leave unemployed? No! The power of the words remain, because in that moment, their power doesn’t depend on the hearer. It’s when you’re commanding your kids to get off the Xbox that they can choose not to listen. When words are used to declare a new reality, though… that’s different. These verses aren’t just speaking about the long line of prophets to come. They are ultimately true, and true in the fullest sense, in Jesus Christ.

As the Son of God in human flesh, Christ was set apart as a prophet. God the Father “raised him up” from the same stock as the rest of the human race. He is like us in every way, yet without sin. He is our empathetic Savior, in the trenches with us. But unlike Isaiah, Amos, Elisha, Jeremiah, or Ezekiel – men called out of other occupations in order to become prophets of God – this prophet is born into his prophetic ministry. Even the circumstances of his birth declare a powerful prophetic message: Your God comes to you not in rage or vengeance, but in gentle humility.

This is a message worth listening to. And the way that we “listen” is both by hearing what Jesus has to say and watching what he does, since his actions bear witness to his message. His actions speak just as loudly as his words. And his message is not, “Do better,” or “Get your act together.” We already had that message! And we already terrified by its implications: “We can’t do better, we can’t get our act together, so what will happen to us?”

But Jesus arrives in the manger on Christmas Eve as the Living Word, to communicate a new reality – one better than a pastor pronouncing over a couple that now they are married, or even that a soldier now has her dream job. Jesus arrives as a prophet, as a living and breathing prophetic message that, “God and sinners are reconciled.” He declares it with his words, speaking “Your sins are forgiven.” He proclaims it with his actions.

Jesus did not come only to command. Jesus came to declare: good news to the poor; freedom for the captives; release from darkness for the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor; to comfort all who mourn (Isaiah 61:1-2). He came to speak the new reality of grace and peace into being.

And while Jesus’ living messages of our need for salvation, and the certainty of God’s grace are not fully different from the prophets of the Old Testament, he does speak in a unique way. Instead of a man given the words by God to speak to us, he speaks as God himself. He says things like, “Truly I say to you…” He speaks not just about human kingdoms but a heavenly kingdom, revealing to us through many parables what the kingdom of heaven is – speaking as someone who personally knows!

Jesus comes to show us why we really matter to God, why we know he is truly with us, and how we know we’re saved. In the end, we are saved by his ultimate declaration from the cross, “It is finished.” Those powerful words sealed your fate for all eternity. You are his, he has declared it. He was born so that he could speak these words. With the power of God himself, speaking through a human mouth, he has declared to you the everlasting peace of God’s unconditional grace.

That means that any other human mouth that declares the same thing does the same thing. You have in your possession this powerful word. You have in your heart, mind, and soul the powerful declaration to forgive sins. Jesus even says that when you proclaim the same message of grace and peace, he is declaring it through you. When you forgive sins, he forgives them. When you proclaim comforting release from the darkness of guilt and shame, he proclaims it through you. Who wouldn’t want to listen to a sweet message such as this?

And why wouldn’t we celebrate the moment the eternal God was born into our human race in order to speak to us this blissful comfort of the gospel? So maybe remembering the reason for the season won’t be that hard at all. In fact, Jesus’ word has a way of powerfully piercing through our stubbornness and getting into our hearts. Rest assured he can and will do so again through the gospel this Christmas.

Pastor Mike Cherney

You Are Ready to Talk About Jesus

Fri, 14 Nov 2025 00:50:11 GMT

Telling a story about your best friend is easy. Recounting Jesus healing the paralytic man is hard (Mark 2:1-12). Talking about what kind of woman your mother was is easy. Talking about what kind of Savior you have in Jesus is hard. The person hearing these stories about your friend or your mother might not know them. They aren’t likely to be personally affected by your stories. You can speak freely without concerning yourself with the impact your stories leave. This is not the case with Jesus. We share Jesus in order to leave an impact. After all, he is not only our Savior, but he is the Savior of our conversation partner as well!

One thing that makes talking about Jesus hard, however, is this: When you talk about Jesus, you’re talking about someone about whom your conversation partner probably knows something about. You may have had a conversation where someone challenged you with questions to dispute the historical evidence about Jesus and the Bible. Maybe you’ve had someone pose a theological or ethical dilemma to you that you couldn’t solve. Maybe you even have experienced the cold laughter of a critic of Christianity, who says they’ve “heard it all before” and have no time for “Bible-thumpers.” In these cases, consider this as an explanation for what just happened: you encountered your conversation partner mid-stream. They’ve heard some things about Jesus or the Bible before, so you’re jumping into a conversation that has already begun.

I believe that this is the cause of one of the biggest roadblocks to sharing our faith. During our Sunday Morning Bible Studies over the last few months, we’ve been discussing the art and science of conducting good conversations with people, perhaps to win an audience for our presenting the gospel. But several times along the way, you (participants in the study) have indicated to me that fear of being asked a question you don’t know the answer to is one of the greatest and most common sources of anxiety surrounding evangelistic conversations. I can see why!

Our culture can be so snobbishly intellectual that we often feel bad (as in, morally guilty!) for not knowing every answer to every question. Our conversation partner may not mean any harm, but when we’re caught off guard by a sincere, deep question, we feel like we’ve failed. We’ve internalized the message that it’s a sin to not know everything. We might even feel like we’re letting Jesus down in these moments.

When Peter wrote, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you…” I don’t think he was talking about philosophical arguments for the existence of God. Instead, that verse ends with “…to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15). This means that you are ready to bear witness for Christ as soon as you have an answer to the question, “Why do you have hope?” Because you have found your source of hope in the gospel. Compare these thoughts to Colossians 1:21-23

“21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.”

Both Paul and Peter are referring to our hope which comes from the gospel. The gospel is nothing more or less than the powerful (Romans 1:16-17) message of reconciliation to God through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection. You have the gospel. You’re ready to talk about Christ, because through the Word, you know him.

Only the gospel can change hearts from stone to flesh (Ezekiel 11:19-20). Only the gospel can pierce through intellectual snobbery and create humble, childlike faith (1 Corinthians 1:20-25). Only the gospel can take an enemy of God and turn him/her into a Spirit-led soul living in Christ’s peace (Romans 8:7-10). When anxiety threatens to get in the way of your witness, remember that this gospel is powerful and effective, and it is exactly what your unbelieving friend or relative needs. Your witness will be effective not when you have all the answers, but when you present the good news of Jesus.

I don’t mean any of this to say that seeking answers to thoughtful questions is pointless, however. God has gifted many Christians with intelligence and tact to speak to those who are intellectually curious about Christianity. If you trust in the power of the gospel, yet still find yourself anxious to prepare to meet some deeper questions, you might want to consider reading one of these works! I certainly have not read every volume in circulation on these topics, but here are some titles I have personally found helpful.

Clearing a Path for the Gospel: A Lutheran Approach to Apologetics by Arthur Eggert and Geoffrey Kieta.

This book is definitely on the intellectual side of things, but it takes a measured and humble approach to defining and tackling argumentative issues you might encounter with a more philosophically advanced conversation partner.

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis.

This timeless classic presents core beliefs of Christianity in a delightful and at times playful way. Lewis is a master of metaphor and down-to-earth language, and it shows in this valuable work. Although some of his personal beliefs don’t match ours, the core humble attitude of the book is worth imitating in our conversations.

The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism by Tim Keller.

This book walks the middle road between intellectual density and overt simplicity. Keller has a pastoral and loving tone behind his purposeful and honest confrontation of some of the logical assumptions that can mislead a person from hearing and trusting the gospel.

Dear brother or sister reading this, you are safe and rescued by the powerful gospel of Jesus Christ. The Lord who died and rose for you now speaks to you through his powerful Word of promise, hope, and comfort. Cherish this message for yourself, and share it with others as often as you have opportunity. I pray that, if you make use of any of the books I mentioned above, they only assist you in our mission to bring the good news to hurting people – and to do so confidently!

Pastor Mike Cherney

All Saints’ Day – Luke 6:20-26 – Saints Depend on God for Everything

Tue, 04 Nov 2025 18:23:21 GMT

20 Looking at his disciples, he said: “Blessed are you who are poor,

for yours is the kingdom of God.

21 Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.

Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.

22 Blessed are you when people hate you,

when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil,

because of the Son of Man.

23 “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven.

For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.

24 “But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.

25 Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry.

Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.

26 Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you,

for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.

Do you like your life? Where you’re at right now – is it satisfying to you? Think for yourself – don’t answer how you think you should, but how you truly feel! Do you like your life? Now, if you answer, “Yes. I do like my life.” I have a follow-up question for you: What if things stayed exactly the same? What if your kids never got older; never moved out of your house; your job stayed exactly the same as it is right now; the people in your life stayed exactly the way they are forever – how do you feel as you imagine a world of no change? Because even if you answered, “Yes! I love my life! It’s so much fun!” – the idea of nothing ever changing, though? That sounds like a nightmare.

Because life is a lot like a board game – like Candy Land. You want to progress, move forward. There’s a place for contentment – being happy with what you have – but then there’s being stuck – feeling like you can’t move beyond the square you landed at – having the same misunderstandings with the same people, working the same job every day over and over – feeling the same temptations and loneliness with no end in sight. That’s painful to think about.

Isn’t that why we want to go to school, and maybe even more school after that? Why single people date, why thrifty people save, why we plan? We want to progress. We have goals that we pursue – marriage, kids, a more fulfilling job, a different house – because we don’t want to be stuck!

We are great at dreaming of what life should be like. We human beings are fantastic at seeing opportunities for growth, identifying problems. I wonder if the disciples were thinking that way before Jesus spoke the words of today’s Gospel. Jesus had chosen twelve of his disciples and designated them as Apostles. By changing their title from disciples to apostles, Jesus changed the focus of their relationship to him – from disciples, students, learners to apostles, emissaries, preachers, participants in his ministry. And they get right to it. They don’t have to relocate themselves, because droves of people are flocking to Jesus from all over – both from Jewish regions like Judea and Gentile regions like Tyre and Sidon. People of all backgrounds rush to Jesus – they are healed, their demons cast out, and the gospel is preached. This is an exciting time!

So I wonder if the disciples – now Apostles – maybe thought to themselves, “This is great! Where are we going to go next with this? Jesus, how do we build upon this ministry effort?” If this same event happened in our day, a marketing team would spring forward. Agents would be calling Jesus asking to represent him. Someone would suggest he write a book and do a book tour. He would be overwhelmed with invitations for speaking engagements. Someone would be curating a social media profile and amassing a huge following. So if the disciples had this same energy, this same excitement to get things going and keep amassing a following, they would be disappointed by what Jesus says to them,

20 Looking at his disciples, he said: “Blessed are you who are poor,

for yours is the kingdom of God.

21 Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.

Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.

22 Blessed are you when people hate you,

when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil,

because of the Son of Man.

Jesus takes away the vision for the future and forces us to look at the present. He says to his disciples and to us that we are blessed. Don’t look for it in the future. Look at the Candy Land square your feet are at right now. This is a blessed place to be.

Um, okay? I’m ready to hear why, Jesus. Because right now, I look at my life and I see a lot of good – don’t get me wrong! – but I also see a lot of pain. I see a lot of failure. I see a lot of suffering. I can’t just think of a few things I want to be different about myself and my world, the list is actually endless. I see how I get in my own way, and how the behaviors of others around me affect me – especially those with authority over me. So, if you have a special secret to how to have a blessed and happy life, I’d love to hear it Lord.

Jesus says, “No, that is the blessing. The poverty you feel – not just financial poverty, but of energy, of willpower – that helplessness that you feel -blessed are you when you feel that. You’re hungry, maybe physically but also emotionally – needing to be filled up. When you cry, you’re blessed. And that thing that can make life feel like hell on earth – being ridiculed, bullied, made fun of, ostracized, alienated from your social community – that’s actually a good thing. And you should skip and dance when that happens to you.”

And you and I say, “This isn’t exactly what I signed up for. Jesus, I came to you to help me with these things – I am exhausted, tempted, stressed, in pain. I’m grieving. I’m guilty. I’m afraid. I’m at a loss. I’m overwhelmed. And I feel helpless – and your response is just to say, ‘Good’?” Is Jesus telling us that we have to accept the pain that we feel in our lives without wanting them to improve?

Notice how that makes you feel. Take note of what’s happening inside you as you consider what life would be like if you had to just accept the pain without hoping it would change. We have goals. We don’t want to be stuck on this same Candy Land square forever, we want to get somewhere. What if that’s what Jesus wants to do with these words? What if he wants to cause that cognitive dissonance? So that we take a second and ask ourselves, where the sadness or the disappointment in these words are coming from?

You and I didn’t come out of the womb with the goals we have now. The American dream of great job, happy marriage, two kids, a two car garage and a dog and a cat – that’s not inscribed on the human heart! But the water we’re swimming in teaches us what direction to go. A lot of the pain I feel in my life is because I don’t feel like I’m heading in the right direction, but have I ever stopped to think about whether or not it is the right direction? Or do we ever think about how we’re being taught to see ourselves as less-than in the present just because we’re not at a certain spot on the Candy Land board?

But we dwell on the future because the pain of the present can be too much. Maybe your answer to the question, “Do you like your life?” was “no! I don’t! I’m in pain!” And so it’s easy to dream of a better life in our future and envision how to get there, because the pain of the present is too much for us to handle. And as painful as that is, we often think to ourselves, “There’s gotta be something I can do about this.” But do you realize what you’re doing when you say that? You’re feeling all the very real and raw pain of human life, but you’re not letting go of the responsibility to make it right. No wonder you’re suffering, crushed under the weight of the pain you and everyone you love feel – because you stand under the weight of having to be the one to fix it.

If we’re led to believe that there are certain things we can achieve for ourselves and then everything is fine, then Jesus has a harsh message as his sermon continues:

24 “But woe to you who are rich,

for you have already received your comfort.

25 Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry.

Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.

26 Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you,

for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.

Jesus has nothing against people with wealth – some of the most prominent people in the early church had wealth. Nor did Jesus have a problem with eating, or laughing, or having a good reputation. These are all good things. The trick here is when Jesus says, “Now – fed now; laugh now, et cetera.” When you believe that you can make your life perfect in this life by meeting a few goals, Jesus is saying, the worst thing you can possibly do is meet them. The worst place to be is to love your life now and not want anything to change – not feel friction of any kind, not experience and form of need. Because the “now” is going to pass, and become the past. Your present moment of greatest joy is going to end. Then you will stand in the Judgment and Jesus will say, “Where were you? You estranged yourself from me. You had no need of me.” And you’ll say, “No I didn’t, Jesus! I loved you! I prayed to you. I sang to you. I did all that for you.” And Jesus will say, “You accepted me as a side character, as an advisor, as an advisor, when I am the Lord. You found comfort in your wealth or your friends or your job instead of primarily in me.” Because what did the false prophets Jesus refers to say? They preached messages like this: “Of course God will bless us! He has to! We have goals, and he must help us fulfill them!” They didn’t preach God as he actually was: a God who can call us blessed even when we don’t feel it or know how it will work.

Now, don’t get Jesus wrong. He is preaching to you and to me as one who intimately knows what it’s like to be physically and emotionally poor. He knows what it’s like to hunger. He knows what it’s like to be slandered and ostracized. He knows these pains greater than we ever will. So we should listen when he describes us as “blessed” when we experience them too.

Because Jesus showed what it’s like to be fully dependent on God. In human relationships, co-dependency is a very damaging thing. That is, when you depend on a human being for your entire emotional wellness; when you have no sense of yourself but you’re entirely wrapped up and preoccupied with how someone else feels. It’s harmful and damaging to have a relationship like that, primarily because human beings let you down. When you depend on a human being to make you feel good, they can’t always do that because they don’t always feel good. They can’t always anticipate your needs or your emotions. They can’t always give you what you want. So you learn to take care of yourself and to not burden your relationship as much.

But God is incapable of letting you down. It sounds weird to say God can’t do anything, but understand what I mean: It is not in God’s nature to let you down. He is perfectly powerful, infinitely loving, eternally gracious. If you have ever felt let down by God you can rest assured that it’s more because you misunderstood him and less because he actually let you down.

So when you realize that you are poor and hungry, emotionally and socially starved, completely on your own without a help in the world, feeling scared because you see where you need to be in your life and aren’t sure how you’re going to get there – you are blessed. You are in a happy position, because you realize that your help must come from somewhere else. It must not come from people. It must not come from money. It must not come from yourself.

Why does Jesus say that you are blessed when you’re feeling these terrible feelings? Because there is an answer to them. There is someone who is ready to comfort you when you’re crying, to feed you when you’re hungry, to award you with the riches of his kingdom when you’re poor – it’s simply no one other than God Almighty in heaven, by whose name alone we are saved.

Today we’re celebrating All Saints’ Day. Sometimes, when someone passes away, we say that they have been “sainted.” So, we remember those who have passed away with saving faith in their hearts, and now they’re with the Lord. Who comes to your mind? Think of a saint that you miss dearly, and you feel their absence from your life every day.

Certain memories return to you. Moments that didn’t seem all that important at the time, but your heart aches with grief because they meant so much to you. The way they used to smile at you or talk to you. The things they used to do to help you. They way they thought. The wisdom they had. And if you could have heard their thoughts, they were certainly not thinking, “I am leaving a big impression on your life right now!” they were just being themselves.

And now they enjoy the presence of the Lord. They closed their eyes in death, and when they opened them again they were with Jesus – free from hunger and pain, free from those things they put up with in life, entrusting that God would take care of them. They now enjoy the object of their faith: the freedom of being in the presence of the Lord. Their tears are wiped away by Jesus himself. Their pains soothed by the comforts of heaven. All this is theirs, and it’s going to be yours too. You so look forward to joining them in heavenly paradise one day. You’re counting on it!

But you are a saint, too. One doesn’t become a saint when they die, but when they come to faith. You and your deceased loved ones were sainted the moment God brought saving faith into your hearts.

As you think about the moments you cherish with your departed saint, and wish you could have more of – consider this: you are living those moments in someone else’s life right now. Those moments you wish you could get more of from the person you missed, you’re giving someone else those moments in your life right now. Someone else is going to miss you terribly when you go home to heaven, and someone else is going to comfort themselves in their grief by Jesus’ promise that they will join you.

Is that hard to believe? Do you find yourself resisting the fact that you could be doing someone that much good and be that important to someone else?

Well, you’re important to God. Yes, you, even you, are important to him. Your loved ones who have passed on were important to him. You are important to him now.

You know, preparing a sermon is not a simple task. Every week, millions of pastors around the world pour over these texts, and the best of the best know how to treat what the text says as most important. Don’t just say what you want to say or notice what you want to notice, but what the text itself says.

But there’s something that grabbed my attention with this lesson and it hasn’t let go. It’s how it all begins. Jesus’ eyes turn to his apostles, to his disciples. Now, maybe this is Luke’s way of just telling us whom Jesus was talking to with this sermon, but I can’t shake the impression these words leave upon me, and I hope they leave the same on you.

Jesus’ eyes turn toward you, and when he opens his mouth to speak to you, he acknowledges your feelings. He says, “I know you’re poor. I know you’re hungry. I know you suffer. I know you’re trying to do the right thing. I know you’re being mistreated because of it.” And he says to you, “You are blessed, because I am yours. You can depend on me to dry your tears and to feed your soul.”

And you who depend on Jesus for all – you saints – yours is the kingdom of God. Depending on Jesus is not weakness or failure. It’s not losing your sense of self in the relationship with God. But it’s becoming a part of the kingdom. Trusting that God is doing good through you. God is leaving a Christ-shaped impression on the lives of others – countless others! – through you, and in ways you will never fully realize.

When you hug your kids, you don’t always say, “I’m doing this because I love Jesus.” When you ask your coworker how her weekend was, you don’t think, “I’m showing curiosity in her life because I love Jesus.” Maybe sometimes you do, but usually it’s not such a conscious decision. And yet your dependency on Christ for everything frees you to show love to others, interest in others, patience with others, even when it hurts and even when it’s hard. And you trust that when you are doing that, you are leaving behind moments that seem small to you, but aren’t small to the people you touch. You are leaving behind impressions of the kingdom of God, which you became a part of when you came to faith. You are showing what it means to depend on Jesus in big ways and little ways. And since there’s more than enough Jesus to go around, God may very well use you to lead others to depend on him, too.

That’s what it means to be a saint.

TEENS, SCREENS, THE BRAIN, AND THE BIBLE

Sat, 25 Oct 2025 05:17:48 GMT

The following blog post was written as part of Pastor Cherney’s master’s studies in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Can you already notice the irony? When you read the title of this post, I’m sure your mind swarmed with every piece of advice you’ve gotten about how to parent teens through their use of screens. I’m assuming you already know that screen time affects our brains. It’s almost comical that we’re accessing information about the harm of screens … on screens.

Screens are, of course, here to stay. And they’re not all bad. They can bring us together as we sit with our sons and daughters for family movie night. With a screen, your son can let you know that practice might run a little long – which you appreciate, because now you don’t need to rush to pick him up. We can even access the Bible and religious content with our screens with the Bible YouVersion app and Christian accounts on YouTube or Tiktok. You can watch or listen to our sermons with your screen, too (Just visit the “Sermons” tab on this site!). So, no matter what we say, screens are not themselves the enemy.

But like all tools, we need to be educated in order to use them wisely. When we’re teaching our teens how to use and appreciate their screens, it helps to know a little bit of science to back up our parenting decisions.

THE BRAIN OF A TEEN

As our children enter adolescence, their brains are developing rapidly. The shift from pre-teen years (“middle-childhood”) into adolescence is characterized by a rapid increase in social awareness (Erford 2022, p.240). That is, developmentally speaking, the teen’s attention turns toward their peers. By the time a child becomes a teen, she has grown dramatically in her emotional intelligence and social awareness, being able to take other people’s perspectives into account and think about other people’s needs (Erford 2022, p.238-240).

The teen’s brain develops in more sophisticated ways. The teen is able to think more abstractly than before, to hold ideas and concepts in their head, to consider possibilities, and to use their creative imagination in new ways (Erford 2022, p.257-258). They are more concerned than ever with discovering right from wrong, and their own relationship to morality (Erford 2022, p.261). The teen is able to think more seriously about big concepts like justice and how human beings should relate to each other (Erford 2022, p.260).

THE EFFECTS OF THE SCREEN

But they aren’t quite into adulthood yet (sorry, guys). Although teens likely reject anything that seems to them like hand-holding from their parents, they still need guidance and teaching. The parental role might shift a little bit, but it is definitely still needed! Think of how the speaker in verses like Proverbs 3:1-10 expresses his desire to guide and safeguard his child by offering this teaching. This is God’s way of speaking to us through that inspired book, but it also reflects the concern any parent has for their son or daughter. We want what’s best for them!

The increase in social awareness is a two-edged sword. Our teens are as socially aware as ever, but that concern can lead them astray. This is where screens come in. A study conducted by West, Puszczynski, and Cohn suggested that increased screen usage across the board was related to increases in anxiety (West et al. 2021). This includes video games and TV, but when we compare these findings to another study (Khan, et al. 2022) it’s social media that correlates to the highest levels of anxiety in teens. Exposure to social media for more than one hour per day was associated with decreased self-esteem, decreased satisfaction with school, and negatively affected body-image (Livet et al. 2024).

Think about it. If you’re flooded with people’s highlight reels, their painstakingly curated photos, their faces gone through fifty different filters, it affects you! You don’t have to be told that this is the way you need to look, act, or live. The “likes” speak that demand clearly enough. While it’s true that ridiculous beauty standards can be transmitted to our youth via film and TV, social media takes the cake for commanding our youth what society thinks they should be like and what they should care about.

Let’s be honest, these effects can be true for adults too! But think about the flood of social feedback teens are faced with when they open a social media app. This even happens without their intention. Of those teens that participated in the study by West et al. (2021), the biggest reason the teens gave for using screens was to cope with boredom.

“SOCIAL MEDIA” IN THE BIBLE?

You might be wondering what the Bible has to say about this. After all, the Bible was written thousands of years before social media was invented. However, there are multiple places where the Bible warns of the psychological and spiritual effects of comparing ourselves to others. In Psalm 73, Asaph is deeply troubled when he observes wicked people finding financial and social success. Psalm 37 encourages us to take our eyes off of the success of others and focus on the Lord. Early we mentioned the book of Proverbs, which is full of encouragements and warnings against focusing too much on other people’s lives (for example, see Proverbs 3:31, Proverbs 24:1-2, Proverbs 24:15-16). The New Testament is also full of encouragements to avoid taking on the priorities of the social world around you, but rather to focus on God’s goodness (see 1 Corinthians 1:27-31).

PARENTING ENCOURAGEMENTS

There was one finding from the study by West et al. (2021) which struck me the most: when researchers compared the anxiety levels of the students who participated in the study, the ones most impacted by screens were adolescent boys who witnessed their parents heavy use of screens. This sugge sted that youth (especially boys) were more deeply affected by their parents’ relationship with screens than their own – or at least that they had the potential to be. As a father of two wonderful boys (although they’re not teens yet), this was a dart through my heart. We can talk all day about our children and screens, but what about us parents? What kind of examples are we setting? Even if you’re not a parent, what impression are you leaving on the youth in your life by your screen-related behavior?

Romans 8:1 says that there is no condemnation for us. The sacrifice of Christ on his cross is full and free, and even covers over our sins of setting bad examples for our kids. None of us are perfect parents, and our imperfections are forgiven by Christ. So now, without guilt or shame, let’s talk about what we can do for our youth. When we listen to the research that’s being done regarding teens and screens, we can come up with a few things to consider going forward.

IDEAS TO TRY

Be okay with boredom. Many adolescents reported using screens to cope with boredom. Boredom itself is not the main issue, but coping with it is. Nor is boredom a sin. Nobody ever died from being bored. When screens are readily at hand, they are a convenient excuse to avoid sitting and twiddling one’s thumbs. But a constant refusal to be bored might result in a teen who isn’t used to (or even capable of!) just sitting with his thoughts.
Set limits. The majority of the teens who participated in the West et al. study (2021) reported that their parents didn’t enforce any boundaries with screen use in the home. They were able to watch tv and look at their phone in bed without restriction. Since we know how much prolonged screen time can affect the developing teen’s brain, this seems like a simple necessary step to help them. You might anticipate some resistance. We don’t want to become the enemy. So…
Let the teen in. Maybe there’s some room for negotiation and curiosity. Ask your teen, “What’s your relationship with social media?” “When you find yourself online for a long time, how do you usually feel afterwards?” “What difference do you notice when you take a break from screens?” Ask about their impressions and thoughts about you and your screen usage – and be ready for the answer! Maybe it’s time for a joint-agreement that when everyone’s at home, the screens get put away, and instead we focus on quality family time.
Recognize their need for connection. Teens want to grow socially. Some of the information we’ve discussed shows that teens prioritize meaningful interactions, and that social media isn’t getting them there. What can you do as a family that reinforces connection? What opportunities to connect with other teens can they explore with your support? Remember that screens themselves are not the enemy, but rather what we do with them. So, don’t discount the power of a family movie night.
Remind them who they are. We are all being constantly bombarded with messages about who we should be and what we should be doing. Teens are getting all of these messages too, but at a time when they’re struggling to figure out who they are in the first place. If you aren’t already having devotions at home or regularly discussing their relationship with Christ, now is the time to start. Let your teen hear God’s voice speak to them above all the noise, telling them that they are beautifully and wonderfully made, and that God created them because he wants them on this world so they can know him and his love (Psalm 139:13-14).

FINAL THOUGHTS

Maybe you try all of the above and it blows up in your face. After a few months of doing your best to monitor your own screen time, to include devotions in your family schedule, and to try to talk through these issues with your teen, their screen-related anxiety has not been cured. That’s okay, and it’s not a sign that all has been lost. However, it might be a signal that it’s time to seek some professional help – for you and your teen. Research has strongly suggested that therapeutic treatments such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which target a person’s thinking patterns and reactions to information like social media, are extremely effective at reducing social anxiety in even younger children (Muris & Meyer, 2001).

Finally, consider what kind of messages you and your teen are getting on a daily basis. It can be easy to browse social media mindlessly, but as we’ve seen from the research, this subjects us to so many other opinions about what our lives should be like. It impacts how we view ourselves. My final encouragement would be to find as many ways as possible to let God’s voice be the dominant one in your day-to-day. If it affects your teen to see you on your phone, what would happen if your teen witnessed you reading your Bible instead? If your teen is watching you to “set the tone” for their relationship with technology, what can you show them about their relationship with God? Taking them to church where they can hear, sing, and pray about God’s love for them, talking about the sermon or service on the way home, and including more conversations about God’s love throughout their week are all great, necessary steps to letting God’s voice for them ring louder than all the noise they’re going to hear. I don’t doubt that it will help you too.

FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION

If you’re hoping to continue this conversation, watch this lively discussion of the nuances of the Bible’s teachings and their bearing on our use of screens hosted by Time of Grace ministries: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjYEgM9DlG4

If you’re tired of the villainization of screens and are interested in a more balanced approach to parenting your teen into a healthy relationship with screens, consider watching this Ted Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3XLnHHPVI8

Sources:

Erford, B. T. (2022). An advanced lifespan odyssey for counseling professionals . Brooks/Cole.

Khan, A., Lee, E.-Y., & Horwood, S. (2022). Adolescent screen time: associations with school stress and school satisfaction across 38 countries. European Journal of Pediatrics , 181 (6), 2273–2281. https://doi-org.blcproxy.mnpals.net/10.1007/s00431-022-04420-z

Livet, A., Boers, E., Laroque, F., Afzali, M. H., McVey, G., & Conrod, P. J. (2024). Pathways from adolescent screen time to eating related symptoms: a multilevel longitudinal mediation analysis through self-esteem. Psychology & Health , 39 (9), 1167–1182.

https://doi-org.blcproxy.mnpals.net/10.1080/08870446.2022.2141239

Muris, P., & Mayer, B. (2001). The revised version of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED-R): Treatment sensitivity in an early intervention trial for childhood anxiety disorders. British Journal of Clinical Psychology , 40 (3), 323.

https://doi-org.blcproxy.mnpals.net/10.1348/014466501163724

Nagata, J. M., Al-Shoaibi, A. A. A., Leong, A. W., Zamora, G., Testa, A., Ganson, K. T., & Baker, F. C. (2024). Screen time and mental health: a prospective analysis of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. BMC Public Health , 24 (1), 1–13.

https://doi-org.blcproxy.mnpals.net/10.1186/s12889-024-20102-x

Nesi, J., Rothenberg, W. A., Bettis, A. H., Massing-Schaffer, M., Fox, K. A., Telzer, E. H., Lindquist, K. A., & Prinstein, M. J. (2022). Emotional Responses to Social Media Experiences Among Adolescents: Longitudinal Associations with Depressive Symptoms. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology , 51 (6), 907–922. https://doi-org.blcproxy.mnpals.net/10.1080/15374416.2021.1955370

West, S., Puszczynski, R., & Cohn, T. (2021). Exploring Recreational Screen Time and Social Anxiety in Adolescents. Pediatric Nursing , 47 (3), 133–140.

https://doi-org.blcproxy.mnpals.net/10.62116/pnj.2021.47.3.133

The Art of Giving: Conclusion

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 21:21:39 GMT

There! Now that we’ve cleared up all the misunderstandings above giving an offering, we are all ready to worship God in this way with regularity and joy! I’m just kidding. We’ve only touched on a few of the false conceptions that are possible. Because giving is an act of sanctification – a fruit of faith, thankfully offered to God in response to the gospel – it is something to “grow into.” There may still be misgivings, questions, and reluctance. Some readers may have been seriously hurt by church leaders who prevailed too strongly upon their debit cards and bank accounts. To those, one blog post will not be sufficient to restore the act of giving to its Scriptural, rightful place. For others, giving was never properly explained as a fruit of faith, not an act that earns goodness from God. To those, I pray this discussion has been helpful. I write this post as one who is himself growing in the act of giving. May God continue to shape our understanding of how to use our gifts to his glory.

Giving to God is not a science. The act of giving looks differently among Christians, just as their acts of service and fruits of faith look differently. There are no hard-and-fast equations. We can’t say that giving an offering ensures that you’ll get rich in return (maybe God will choose to bless you in this way, maybe not). We can’t say that giving will come easy once you have a more stable income (your sinful nature will likely resist no matter how much income you have). We can’t say that you should never feel concerned or self-critical over your giving (is there ever an amount that will properly express your thankfulness to God?).

So, I would say that giving is much more of an art. After taking in all of Scripture’s guidance about how to approach the act of giving, we proceed using our best judgment. We start with the gospel, meditating on what wonderful things God has done for us through Jesus Christ. We then look at the gifts God has given to us: our finances, our time, our personality gifts. We envision how to respond to God’s goodness with these gifts. While there are some acts of giving that will look very similar among various Christians (for example, we all give of our time when we attend worship and Bible study together), each one of us goes through our own process of deciding how best to respond to the gospel with our gifts. We submit our hearts to God for audit, recognizing that there are often mixed motives within them (Psalm 139:23-24). We rely on God to work within us and through us even as we thank him (Philippians 2:13).

After all, this is about our relationship with God – not about securing it for ourselves with offerings, because it is already secure in Christ. Rather, it is about living out a relationship of worship with God, expressing to him and to the world what he means to us. To that end, let’s close with these verses from Hebrews:

“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” (Hebrews 13:15-16)

God bless you as you find joy in God’s pleasure over you for Christ’s sake, and as you respond to this gospel with thanksgiving!

Pastor Mike Cherney

The Art of Giving: Misunderstanding #5 – We live under the Tithe Law (giving one tenth of one’s gifts).

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 21:19:56 GMT

This is a very common conception of the offering, and up to this point it might appear that we also teach the tithe – the practice of giving one tenth of one’s goods as a matter of the law, and not to deviate from that percentage. This is commanded to the Old Testament Israelites in passages such as Leviticus 27:30. But Christ has set us free from the letter of the law (Colossians 2:14, Colossians 2:16-17, Galatians 4:4-5). When the New Testament commands the act of giving, percentages are not mentioned. What is mentioned, however, is that giving be proportionate (1 Corinthians 16:2), generous (2 Corinthians 9:6), done with joy (2 Corinthians 9:7), and a good work sprung from trust in the Lord (2 Corinthians 9:8-11). This is not as specific as the tithe rule. It requires one to spend time reasoning out what a manageable and reasonable gift looks like for them, while still reflecting the thanksgiving and generosity that they wish to communicate in response to the gospel. In many households, ten percent remains a useful benchmark for giving, but must not be treated as a law. Some households will not be able to afford that amount. For others, “proportionate” giving means giving much more than ten percent. It is a lot easier for church leaders to make hard-and-fast rules to “keep people in line,” rather than offer these general encouragements. However, if we remember that giving is an act of worship in response to the gospel, we will avoid strictly laying down ground rules that Scripture no longer enforces. Instead, we will focus on sharing the beautiful gospel with our members, friends, and community, and allow the Holy Spirit to create and nurture the gospel joy that inspires acts of thanksgiving. Likewise, if someone’s giving is “off-kilter,” we don’t want to address their giving with the desire that they “get those numbers up.” That would convey that our worth in God’s family comes from our works. Instead, we express concern over their connection to the gospel, and nurture their relationship with Jesus through Word and Sacrament. Then, and only then, can we discuss what a proper response to the gospel looks like in our giving.

Go to next post in this series

The Art of Giving: Misunderstanding #4 – We give ONLY to keep the church running.

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 21:13:52 GMT

This misunderstanding is based partly on truth, but becomes misguided when it is treated as the main issue. Like millions of churches across the world, our church is a not-for-profit organization. We rely solely on the offerings of members to keep the doors open and the air conditioner running. It would stand to reason, then, that we should encourage giving so that the work of the church can continue, don’t you think? After all, the Levites (ministers in the tabernacle and temple worship of the Old Testament) were to rely on the offerings of the rest of the tribes of Israel for their livelihood (Numbers 18:21). The Apostle Paul encouraged offerings so that Christians in dire financial need could be provided for (1 Corinthians 16:1-2). There is a practical side to giving an offering. However, this should not be divorced from the attitude of thankful worship described above. Above all, giving an offering is a fruit of faith inspired by thankfulness in response to the infinite grace of God. It is an act of worship. The opportunity to praise God in this way does not cease when the church’s bills are paid off any more than your need to come to worship services ceases when church attendance is up.

Go to next post in this series

The Art of Giving Misunderstanding #3 – Giving an offering if optional.

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 21:12:32 GMT

In Romans 12:4-8, Paul lists generous giving as but one example of service that God equips people to render within the church. This could lead to the thought that giving is optional for Christians. That would be misguided. Proverbs 3:9 says, “Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops.” Wealth takes many forms. For the Old Testament believer, their material blessings primarily took the forms of crops, flocks, and herds. For most modern Americans, God bestows wealth in the form of finances and material blessings. The directives in both Old and New Testaments to praise God by bringing an offering from our wealth are so thorough that one can hardly ignore or side-step the issue at hand. It is true that our whole lives are to be offered to God as thank offerings for what he’s done (Romans 12:1). It is also true that God is more concerned with the attitude of the heart than with the dollar amount given (see passages above as well as Mark 12:41-44). But it is also true that God’s design for showering us with material gifts is that we honor him in front of others by giving a portion back through this act of worship we have been calling “an offering.” As Psalm 50:23 says, “Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me.” Not all Christians are capable of giving the same amount, or even the same proportion of what they have (we’ll talk about this more in a second), but God’s Word is so full of directives about giving that it is hard for any one of us to exempt ourselves. To put it another way, God seems to be completely comfortable telling us what to do with our money. After all, we only have it in the first place because he gave it to us (see the response to Misunderstanding #1).

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The Art of Giving: Misunderstanding #2 – God doesn’t care about your offerings.

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 21:10:15 GMT

If the discussion is about how we’re saved, how we know that we have a good relationship with God, then offerings have no place in that discussion, nor any work that we do. But it does not follow that offerings have no significance whatsoever. Placing a financial gift into the collection plate or box, or donating through our online service, is a work. We are saved purely by God’s grace through faith, and not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9). God loved and saved you apart from anything to do with your potential to “pay him back” with a weekly offering. Jesus gave up his life as the atoning sacrifice for your sins without consideration of your cash flow or income bracket. But when the conversation shifts from “how we are saved” to “how do we thank God for our salvation” or “how do we live out our identity as God’s people,” offerings do have a part in that discussion. Offerings do not provide God with anything he needs, but they are expressions of our heart’s orientation toward him. In both Malachi 3:8-10 and Psalm 51:17-19, giving a sacrificial gift is presented as a way of demonstrating one’s repentance (sorrow over sin and seeking salvation only from God). Giving of what we have is also a communication of our confident trust that God will continue to provide for us. He may supply our needs extravagantly, far above what is necessary. He may only give us our daily bread (Luke 11:3). That’s for him to decide. What’s always true is that God will always provide in some way, shape, or form (Psalm 145:15-16). We have previously defined faith as a trust relationship with God. What better way to say, “I trust you, Lord, and I thank you,” than to give?

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The Art of Giving: Misunderstanding #1 – God needs our offerings.

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 21:08:13 GMT

Psalm 50:9-13 says,

“I have no need of a bull from your stall

or of goats from your pens,

for every animal of the forest is mine,

and the cattle on a thousand hills.

I know every bird in the mountains,

and the insects in the fields are mine.

If I were hungry I would not tell you,

for the world is mine, and all that is in it.

Do I eat the flesh of bulls

or drink the blood of goats?”

What did offerings look like before money was invented? The Israelites in the Old Testament worshipped God by giving of their crops, herds, and flocks. In these verses, God makes it clear that the purpose of these offerings was not because he gets hungry and needs to be fed. He is the immortal, eternal, completely self-sufficient God. Sometimes I really think of myself as an asset to God, as if I provide him with something to him that he otherwise would not have had. Or that God relies on my gifts and service to be able to “do his thing.” These thoughts are delusions that come from my (our) selfish pride. There is a part of our hearts (the sinful nature) that would love to assure ourselves of God’s love because of what we do. But to believe this would amount to believing that God’s love is for those who are worthy – who give enough, serve enough, and are generally good enough. The person who gives millions of dollars to their church no more deserves God’s love than the one who gives fifty cents. It is God’s grace (his decision to unconditionally love sinners) that has saved you, not your actions (Ephesians 2:8-9). Whenever we fall prey to these delusions in the equation of God’s salvation, we should remember David’s words. When his eyes feasted on the beautiful offerings the Israelites brought for the construction of the temple, “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand” (1 Chronicles 29:14). As the hymn goes, “We give Thee but Thine own.”

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The Art of Giving (A Discussion of Offerings) Introduction

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 21:06:24 GMT

The average child enters the “why” phase around two- or three-years-old. I don’t know about other parents, but when our sons hit this phase, I found that being constantly asked “why?” forced me to reckon with an uncomfortable truth: I don’t know. I want to say, “I don’t know.” I don’t hold the rationale for my actions on the tip of my tongue. So, when my two-at-the-time son would demand justification for my commands, I would often be left scrambling to provide an answer.

I wonder if this isn’t why many churchgoers bristle whenever they hear a pastor or church leader talk about giving an offering. It is a given, even perhaps a cliché, that the topic of giving offerings of money will come up at church. Why, though? Why do the pastors and teachers in the church have the right to tell me what to do with my money? Why is something that is considered too personal to be appropriate for most polite conversations commanded openly in churches? I think that the command is well known, but the rationale is not. If a two-year-old saw you giving an offering and asked you, “Why?” are you ready to give an answer?

It’s important to have a grasp of the rationale that supports the practice of giving. Historically, misunderstandings on the part of church leaders and church goers alike have created no shortage of issues between these groups. It is also important because, as I experienced last Sunday when we discussed this in Bible class, there is tremendous potential for consciences to be needlessly burdened. This post is written as but one step toward greater understanding. It will not serve as an exhaustive study of the practice of giving throughout Scripture. I hope that the following discussion prompts you and me to set aside some misunderstandings that we may have had by returning to the basic question, “What does God say about this in the Bible?”

I’m going to take a straightforward approach, listing what I view to be some common misunderstandings about church offerings and answering them with Scripture. If you think of more misunderstandings that are not listed, I would love to hear them!

In the posts that follow, these are the misunderstandings we will tackle together:

Misunderstanding #1 – God needs our offerings

Misunderstanding #2 – God doesn’t care about your offerings

Misunderstanding #3 – Giving an offering is optional

Misunderstanding #4 – We give ONLY to keep the church running

Misunderstanding #5 – We live under the Tithe Law (giving one tenth)

I hope and pray you are blessed through this discussion! Please stick around for the entire conversation ��

Pastor Mike Cherney

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Who Am I to You? (A Discussion of the Pastoral Ministry)

Fri, 06 Jun 2025 19:13:06 GMT

Sometimes, people aren’t sure what to call me. And that’s fine. I will answer to “Pastor Cherney,” “Pastor Mike,” and even just “Mike,” without any issue. Why people call me what they do has various possible explanations. For some, “Pastor Mike” is a simple way to get out of trying to pronounce my last name. For others, “Pastor Cherney” rings with the formal respect they were taught to show clergymen. Still others enjoy the familiarity of calling me “Mike,” just as they would call their doctor, “Vanessa,” and their boss, “Rolando.” And while I still am given pause whenever someone calls me “Reverend Cherney,” it’s all the same to me. But if people ask me, “What should I call you?” I usually tell them, “I like being called ‘pastor,’” Does that sound like a power play? It is not meant to be. Here’s why:

Far more important than getting the title correct, we must understand the pastor’s role in your life (you and I both!). But sometimes there is confusion about this. Is the pastor the CEO of the congregation? Is he the members’ coach in spiritual matters; their cheerleader in Christian living? Is the pastor a servant to the congregation, its leader, or some combination of both? Is the pastor the resident psychological counselor? Is the pastor the chief social activist? Is the pastor a public relations officer for the congregation or for Jesus? Should the pastor run a church like a general manager of a Target, or like a “Mom and Pop” bakery shop? Is a church like a family, and the pastor is the dad?

In individual churches across the globe, the pastor says “yes” to one of those questions. And every example can be found. It almost seems like no two churches are alike, because no two pastors are alike. Each one of us seems to take a slightly different approach to leadership, teaching, counseling, decision-making, and community engagement. Is this a bad thing? Not necessarily. Only when the pastor and his personality take precedence over the power of the Word have we run off-course (that was my attempt at alliteration).

Pastors and churchgoers alike absolutely must anchor their view of the pastor’s role in what Scripture says. Here are three considerations to ground your understanding of what your pastor is to you that are based on Scripture.

#1 Every church member is a missionary (not just the pastor). This first fact clarifies what the pastor is not. The pastor is not the only evangelist, the only public relations officer for Christ, that a church has. He is certainly not the only one called to have the kind of compassion for others that drives one to share God’s Word with them, whether they are strangers to the faith or straying from it. That call was given to all Christians by Christ (see Matthew 28:19-20, Matthew 18:15-20, John 20:22-23). That is why Scripture calls all believers “priests” (1 Peter 2:9, Revelation 1:5-6) –representatives of God’s love to the world in speech and deeds. In some respects, what the pastor is called to do will look exactly like what every Christian should do (love and serve people by sharing Christ with them), just in a more formal and public way.

#2 Jesus wants his church to be shepherded by leaders. When the Apostle Paul gave his tearful goodbyes to the church leaders in Ephesus, he gave them this charge, “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood” (Acts 20:28). If there’s any passage from which we got the term “pastor” this is a major one. Paul says that it’s the Holy Spirit that has charged these individuals to the oversee the flock. They are called to shepherd them. Since the word “pastor” means “shepherd,” it becomes the primary metaphor for what a pastor is to the congregation: a loving shepherd guiding them in the right direction; a caring leader called to tend to them and oversee them. Passages like 1 Timothy 3:2 and Titus 1:9 show that the way a pastor does this is by teaching the Word of God. A church may need its windows washed and the carpets vacuumed, and while a pastor certainly can do these things, his role as a shepherd has to do with ministering with the Word and Sacraments.

#3 Shepherds ensure the church maintains healthy order. It’s true that every member is a missionary, and every member has the calling to be Christ’s witnesses to the world. It’s also true that when the church assembles for worship and ministry, leadership is a blessing. When you arrive at church to attend service, you don’t have to wonder who will jump up and start preaching and what their qualifications are. When a child is born in your family, you don’t have to wonder whom to call to inquire about baptizing them. This is the point Paul makes in passages like 1 Corinthians 12:27-30, 1 Corinthians 14:33, 1 Corinthians 14:36-38, and 1 Corinthians 14:40. When the church gathers together in worship, study, and outreach efforts, a qualified and called public minister leads the way so that you may be blessed. Our church body (the WELS) ensures qualified pastors are meeting the needs of congregations worldwide by requiring many years of study of Scripture before they take up this important task. Passages like 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and Titus 1:5-9 make clear that not just anyone should be called into leadership, but only those who have been tested, educated, and qualified for it. Could a non-pastor lead worship? Could a non-pastor preach? Could a non-pastor conduct a Bible study? Could a non-pastor baptize a baby? Absolutely. There are many ways in which members can get involved in the public ministry that would be God-pleasing. There are some hypothetical situations that might be permissible, but of questionable practical value (like making a church leader write and preach a sermon). There are some situations that might seem appropriate, but would actually be harmful (like a churchgoer recruiting other members to their home Bible study without the pastor’s knowledge.) The rule that governs these cases is: maintaining good order for the sake of the whole church.

If any of the above has sounded like a power-trip; like I’m trying to assert my dominant authority over you, the reader, I sincerely apologize. This is not my intention. It is not Jesus’ desire that pastors dominate their flock with tyrannical authority. Nor is it his will that pastors steer their flocks according to their own charisma and personality. The pastor is foremost a sinner-saint just like everyone else in the congregation. And just like everyone else, he relies on God’s grace constantly. However, also like everyone else, he has a role to play in God’s family.

In our previous devotion, we examined Ephesians 4:11-13, 15. There, we were told that Christ himself established church leaders, not for domination and tyrannical rule, but because the church is his own body (Ephesians 4:15-16). Each part has a crucial role to play. Some are leaders and some are not. Some have prominent, public functions to fulfill (like preaching and teaching). Others participate in private but vital ways (like supporting the ministry generously with offerings and prayers). I would encourage you to read 1 Corinthians 12:12-27. As you do, you will see that no part of this body of Christ is superior to another. We just have different roles.

So, you can call me “Mike,” or “Pastor Mike,” or “Pastor Cherney,” or even “Reverend Cherney” (although that one is still taking some getting-used-to). What you refer to me as is not what’s important. What brings joy to my heart (or WOULD bring joy to my heart if it’s not true yet) is to be your pastor. Not because I’m better or holier than you, but because Christ has given me to you to be your shepherd.

Pastor Mike Cherney

Embodied (A Discussion of Church and Ministry)

Thu, 29 May 2025 19:03:19 GMT

Don’t worry. The irony is not lost on me. Here I am, trying to write a blog post describing the function and role of the church. Here you are, reading this post off of a screen or a print-out of our Newsletter (Shout out to Susan for preparing it!). Unfortunately – and I do mean unfortunately – for some, this may be their only experience of church: words written by someone they will never meet in person – despite the desire held by every pastor that prepares content like this: that it will lead the viewer and reader to connect to the ministry in deeper ways (I’m assuming).

I don’t think writing this devotion is a waste of my time, nor of yours in reading it. If you’ve had faith related questions answered or your trust in Christ deepened by online content, that must be counted as a win! But don’t we find that Scripture pushes us to engage in deeper ways as well?

I’d like to focus primarily on one of these “push” passages. The Apostle Paul wrote that “Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. […] Speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-13, 15). Dwelling on this passage together, we can reach a few important conclusions:

Conclusion A: The church and its ministry are all about Jesus. If that’s obvious to you, that’s good! Nothing is more obvious than your and my need for Christ, because “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Scripture reveals that there isn’t a single person in this world that can save themselves apart from Christ (this is the message of the Law). “And all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24), which means that salvation and love (the message of the Gospel) are fully available to all through Christ. To be the church Jesus wants and designs means that every ministry endeavor that is undertaken must guide sin-sick souls to the refreshing waters of the gospel. Then, the church is fulfilling its God-given role.

Conclusion B: Life is challenging, and so is living in the light of this gospel. We need guidance, support, and fellowship. Just think about this devotion series! We’ve walked through tons of essential doctrines that Scripture teaches and the Lutheran church preaches. How many times have you wondered, “So now what? What does this mean for my life now? For my day tomorrow? How do I take this and follow through with it? How do I treat people who don’t believe this truth? What if I don’t fully understand this yet?” For this, Christ has given us each other. He gives pastors. He gives parents. He gives members of church council. He gives church elders. He gives Sunday School teachers. He gives older, wiser believers who have been around the block (so to speak) and can mentor youth. He gives young (and “young in the faith”) members with fresh perspectives that challenge us to consider truths from different angles. He gives us the truth of Law and Gospel to ground us. He gives us each other to “spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (Hebrews 10:24).

Conclusion C: Jesus designed an embodied ministry. (Hopefully you caught the pun.) Modern technology offers a superabundance of methods to connect, learn, and grow – and none of these should be discredited! However, as research conducted by secular scientists seem to suggest, when anonymous communication via internet replaces person-to-person, face-to-face interaction, we suffer. Our emotional well-being, our growth, and our self-images can be harmed. That makes sense from a Biblical perspective. It’s hard to envision the growth, the sharpening, the “spurring one another on,” and the specific answers to that question “So what now?” to happen meaningfully without person-to-person interaction. Just as Jesus took on a body to make God’s love real and personal in your life (1 John 4:12), the church becomes Christ’s body, where the gospel is lived and shared through in-person worship services, person-to-person fellowship and study, and concrete community efforts.

But just because this is how Christ wants the church to be, doesn’t mean the church is always great at it. Pastors can be caught leading people to themselves rather than to Christ. Churches can be caught chasing recognition and cultural relevance rather than chasing Christ. Leaders and members can focus more on their favorite, comfortable ministries above the central gospel message. Leaders can think they’re showing members how to “live for Christ,” when they’re actually bullying them to fall in line and not make noise. Their methods of leadership can suffocate members from airing questions, voicing doubts, confiding about their temptations and their laments. The church and its members can get so caught up in learning their Bibles that they forget about reaching the lost (i.e. doing what is commanded in the Bible). Pastors can start to think that their charisma, charm or whit is what people show up for on Sunday, rather than the gospel. We can focus so much on our version of what “love” is that we forget about the call to speak God’s truth. We can focus on our preferred version of the “truth” that we forget the call to speak it in love (read Ephesians 4:15 again). All of these things can happen without our knowing the errors we’re committing.

In fact, it happens a lot. As I have listened to the stories of people who were willing to share their journey with the church, I’ve heard some common themes. To some, church was an obligation to them, and they left it as soon as they could. For a variety of reasons, it was not the place of rest and encouragement Christ designed it to be for them. Some have been harmed by a church or a church leader. In errors that rank anywhere from a lack of social awareness to outright abuse, they mishandled their calling to shepherd people to Christ. The ones who are sinned against in this way are left with such a strong impression of church hypocrisy and lovelessness that they are left, for a time, unwilling to think of church as a place of healing and help.

In response to these things, let me get personal. My heart breaks for the hurt that church leaders and churches cause every day because they fail to lead people to Christ using his Word. There is also reason to become afraid, because I know that of the mistakes mentioned above, I have committed every one of them – sometimes all in one day! If the success of the church rests on me – my charisma, my strength, and my faithfulness – it is doomed. However, God responds to my heartache and fear about the human element in his church the same way he responds to yours: go to Christ. It’s his Church. It’s his Body.

This Sunday we’re celebrating Christ’s Ascension into heaven. After he rose from the dead, and before he was taken up into heaven, he chose his parting words to us carefully. In Luke’s account, Jesus declares to us the centrality of his redemptive work for the life of the church when he says, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things” (Luke 24:46-48). Matthew adds to this discharge of duty a tremendous comfort, when Jesus says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20).

The message we are given, that we are ‘witnesses of,’ and to which the entire Bible points, is to the immeasurable and unconditional love of Christ for sinners. My weakness as a leader and pastor doesn’t subtract from the glorious message of the gospel – it proves it. My weaknesses prove my need for forgiveness of my sins just as much as any of the people I pastor. Our struggles to live out our callings as Christ’s church only prove the necessity of his presence and work. The fact that we fall short of Christ’s ideal prove to us that none of us is Christ, that we all need him, and refocus us on the gift that this ministry is founded first-and-foremost upon Christ’s work, Christ’s love, and Christ’s message. Where we’ve deviated from these, repentance is required. Where we have failed each other, forgiveness must be asked. Where there is confusion, returning to Christ through the Word and Sacraments is the solution. And--- wouldn’t you know it? -- as we respond to our weaknesses in these ways, we are being the Church.

We hope that you are blessed by online faith-related content. We also hope, and pray, that you enjoy the deep blessings that come from the person-to-person ministry that is founded upon and fully centered on Christ.

Pastor Mike Cherney

Life’s Biggest Moment (A Discussion of the ‘Last Things’)

Thu, 01 May 2025 18:38:42 GMT

A major blessing of being a pastor is that I get to be present for many big moments in people’s lives. I appreciate the trust and honor people give to me when they ask for me to officiate their daughter’s quinceañera, to baptize their child, to perform their wedding. These joyful moments in people’s lives bring ample opportunity to give thanks to God and ask for his continued blessing through special devotions and services.

Funerals are the type of “big moment” that any pastor should expect to be called upon to officiate. Funerals seem to engender a different set of emotions. This was shown in our discussion during last Sunday’s Bible study hour. When asked to describe what the word “funeral” means to them, the participants’ responses indicated a complicated mixture of feelings of grief, loss, mourning, and somberness alongside feelings of celebration, love, remembrance and even worship. Participants discussed with me the complicated nature of holding both of these categories of feelings in our hearts when we have to say goodbye to a loved one. The circumstances of the loved one’s passing will change the intensity and nature of our grief, but the same core idea is there: we don’t want to have to say “goodbye,” but when forced to do so, we look for something to bring us some joy to answer our tears.

It is popular to shy away from the subject of death, and we can certainly see why. As a consequence of sin, death is the unwelcome intruder into God’s good creation (Genesis 3:19, Romans 5:12). It burdens every relationship; every achievement; every endeavor with the looming threat of separation from this life (Ecclesiastes 12:1-7).

But if we continue the trend to avoid speaking about death, we will miss out on a lot of encouragement from Scripture. Yes, death has arrived as a consequence of sin, but by suffering the eternal, spiritual death we all deserve, Christ has removed its sting (1 Corinthians 15:55-57, Romans 6:8-10). Through faith in Christ, death has no power to stop us from experiencing the eternity of joy and bliss that await us in the life to come (John 11:25-26). When we pass away in Christ, our souls join believers throughout the ages in the unimaginable and eternal joy of being in Christ’s presence (2 Corinthians 5:8, Revelation 21:3-4).

It would seem wise, then, to hear Scripture’s witness about what happens when we die, because doing so will equip us with the greatest comfort possible when faced with grief over the death of a loved one, or fear for our own death. At his crucifixion, Jesus spoke to the criminal being crucified next to him. Upon hearing this man’s confession that Jesus has a heavenly kingdom beyond this world, Jesus responds by assuring him that he will enjoy the presence of heaven through the gift of faith in the gospel “today,” that is, immediately upon his death (Luke 23:42-43). Consider also when Jesus taught about the rich man and poor Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31), an account that describes Lazarus’ entrance into heaven after death, but the rich man’s sentencing to hell (Luke 16:22-23). The Bible teaches that the moment we die, our souls separate from our bodies and are taken to their eternal places: heaven for those who die in faith, hell for those who do not. This likely produces some questions in your mind, so hang on for a moment.

It could be supposed that because our souls and bodies separate upon death, our souls are what matter and our bodies do not. But that would miss the point of Scripture, and even more comfort. In the soaring “Resurrection Chapter” of 1 Corinthians 15, Paul describes the necessity for our bodies to join us in heaven. That’s what Jesus will accomplish on Judgment Day aka “The Last Day.” According to passages like 1 Corinthians 15:53-57 and Philippians 3:20-21, the final act of Jesus’ redemption is to raise and glorify our bodies, uniting them with our souls so that we enjoy a body-and-soul life of perfection with him in heaven’s bliss.

What will that look like, feel like, sound like when it happens? What will heaven be like? These questions are posed to me regularly, and I wonder if my response of “I can’t say for certain,” is disappointing. It shouldn’t be. 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 and 1 Corinthians 13:11-12 show that our sin-darkened imagination can’t comprehend what eternal, perfect happiness heaven will be like. That’s the point – it is incomparable to any joy this world has to offer. We’ll just have to see when we get there.

Imagine standing by the graveside of a dead Christian, and these Scriptures are preached to you and your fellow mourners. What comfort there is to know that you will see your loved one again! What peace to hear that they are not suffering, nor did they simply stop existing, but they live on in the presence of their Redeemer!

We would never want to command people not to feel sad at their loved one’s passing, as if they aren’t supposed to miss them, or prevent them from meditating on the ways sin and its consequences have altered our world. But we can use grief and pain to drive us back to the cross. We don’t grieve as those who have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18), but that doesn’t mean we don’t grieve (Romans 12:15). We let Christ dry our tears with his gospel, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t allowed to cry (Psalm 6:6). Feel your feelings, brother or sister, and take them to Christ (1 Peter 5:7).

What about the time we have before our death or before Judgment Day? Far from telling us to sit around and wait for Jesus to come back, the fact that heaven awaits us after death is frequently used as a motivator for living out the lives of service that we are called to, and that demonstrate the gospel to the world (See 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11 for example).

What about those who don’t believe? Often this question is posed to me as a request for information, which is completely appropriate. We should talk about the need for saving faith. But isn’t this question also a “marching order”? It’s true that amazing things await those who are in the Lord when we die or when Jesus comes back. Isn’t it terrible to think that there are others who won’t experience that? While we can’t cause the gospel to take root in the hearts of others (1 Corinthians 3:5-7), God will use our witness to bring others to this saving faith. I realize that some churches have used the fear of hell to motivate their members to evangelize their friends and neighbors, but instead of going that route, simply think of this: after meditating on the beauty of the message of Christ’s victory over our sin and death, the promise of greater things after this life and of purpose and meaning in this one, after receiving the gift of being able to grieve as one who has hope, don’t we want that for others? If there are others who have not tasted of that joy found in God’s eternal goodness, don’t we want them to? As you share the goodness of this eternal hope, who knows?, maybe you will get to be present for one of life’s biggest moments in someone’s life: the moment they realize that God loves them and that they’re going to heaven.

There are so many parts of Scripture that use what we’ve discussed today for comfort and encouragement. I’ve only referred to a handful of them. Please consider joining us for the larger discussion of these things throughout our Sunday Morning Bible Classes at 9am and worship at 10:15am!

God bless you!

- Pastor Mike Cherney

Koinōnia (A Discussion of the Doctrine of Fellowship)

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 19:07:29 GMT

What does basketball have in common with relationships? In both, boundaries are crucial. Try to imagine what a game would look like without the players’ knowing what’s in-bounds or out-of-bounds. That same level of chaos and disarray that came to your mind is what happens when someone doesn’t respect the boundaries of the workplace environment, or those of the person with whom they’re out on a first date, or those of someone who just walked into church.

I know I’m not the first to point out the necessity of boundaries. It seems that we have recently entered a new level of collective consciousness of the need for boundary-setting and boundary-respecting. This can only be a good thing, especially when everyone understands what boundaries are for.

I asked the participants in our Sunday morning Bible study to describe healthy boundary setting as they understood it. What unfolded was a masterclass in social skills and social awareness. They told of the loving intentions behind healthy boundaries – that one shows love for another person by respecting their privacy or personal space. They told of the need to pay attention to body language and social cues that indicate that you may be crossing a line in conversation, or about to. Above all, what rose to the top of the feedback I received was the idea of protection. Boundaries are set to protect something good, whether for the one setting them or the ones called to respect them. The most important thing that boundaries protect is the relationship between the boundary-setter and the boundary-respecter. We want to keep that relationship as good, healthy, and reciprocal as possible, and that’s why we set boundaries.

Boundaries are not always interpreted that way, though. Sometimes drawing a line that you wish not to be crossed is seen as an affront. Someone might even say, “You mean I can’t do X? Are you saying that you don’t want to do Y? I thought we were friends!” And no matter how you strain yourself explaining, “We ARE friends! That’s why I’m telling you this!” the hurt feelings don’t seem to go away.

Sometimes, “You can’t talk to me that way,” sounds like aggression when it’s really protection: of the relationship, and of yourself.

If this is a risk we’re willing to run in our various relationships, from our deepest friendships to our freshest acquaintances, then how about at church? What kind of boundary-setting and boundary-respecting is appropriate within the family of God? What about between those within the church and outside of the church?

First, let’s talk about the goal. What are we trying to protect with social and biblical boundary setting? For this I’d like to share a little Greek. The word “Koinōnia” is the Greek word that encapsulates the blessing that comes with gathering with people of common faith. In 1 Corinthians 1:9, Paul uses this word to describe what we have with Jesus our Lord – translated “Fellowship.”* In 1 Corinthians 1:16-17, Paul says that when a church family eats the bread and drinks the wine in communion, we are conducting a Koinōnia in the body and blood of Christ – translated “participation.” In Philippians 2:1-2, Paul says that Christians who join together in the love of Christ have a “common sharing” (Koinōnia) of the Spirit. In Philippians 1:3-5, Paul thanks God for the “partnership” (Koinōnia) fellow believers share in gospel ministry.

After examining these passages, participants were asked to share what other words came to mind when they consider the concept of Koinōnia. Responses included: “Joyful shared participation,” “common sharing,” “family,” “united participation,” “being in common faith,” “a congregation,” “intimate,” “the Body of Christ.” Three words stood out above the rest: “Community,” “Unity,” “Togetherness.”

To summarize, Koinōnia is the word used in the Greek of the New Testament to describe that beautiful joint-partaking in the truth of the gospel enjoyed by brothers and sisters united by faith. Koinōnia is observed in the mutual joy the flows in response to the truth content of the gospel. Koinōnia is expressed in partnership in gospel ministry efforts. Koinōnia is expressed at the communion railing when brothers and sisters of the same faith kneel to receive the sacrament together.

I then asked the participants to tell me when they feel Koinōnia at its best. Each person had a different moment to call out. One participant said that they feel it most strongly when we jointly confess our faith in worship using the Apostles’ or Nicene Creeds. Another said it was when we confess our sins in the service and hear the announcement of our forgiveness in Jesus’ name. Another said receiving the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper together when it feels more pertinent. Another referred to those efforts we undertake together to serve our community, as in our upcoming Easter for Kids event.

Do you notice what all these examples have in common? They are a group participation in the gospel, fueled by gospel joy, and informed by gospel truth. And they are all joyous, blessed events. The blessings of Koinōnia are so great that it is worth Paul commanding us to do everything we can to be united in teaching and belief (1 Corinthians 1:10, Philippians 2:1-5). The blessings of Koinōnia can only come in their fullest form when a church family is first and foremost rooted in the truth of the Bible (Ephesians 4:11-16).

While some church bodies might de-emphasize teaching and doctrine and increase emphasis on community outreach programs and services, the Bible’s perspective is that the two are inseparable. There is no partnership in gospel work without first partnership in the gospel teaching. Or, if you’ll allow me to stick to my Greek vocabulary here, there is no Koinōnia expressed in action without the Koinōnia that comes from observing and believing the same doctrine. The same goes for receiving the sacrament of Communion together, as this is an expression of the Koinōnia we have in the gospel.

When you read the New Testament, it can be easy to become lost in the warnings against those who teach or believe false doctrines (see Romans 16:17, Titus 1:5-11, 1 Timothy 1:3-5, and 2 Timothy 4:1-5). If those passages were taken in isolation, one could start to think that we’re supposed to hate people who believe differently than we do. One could even suppose that we’re called upon to judge hearts! – that if we deny someone the chance to commune with us, we’re denying them their dignity, or if we deny the chance to participate in joint study or prayer with people of other denominations or faiths, that we’re being mean, stand-offish, stuck-up, and judgmental.

Does that sound at all similar to when someone offers you a beer two or three times, but you politely decline each time? Does it perhaps sound similar to how someone responds when you tell them you don’t want to talk about politics? Or when you deny your date a kiss because you’d rather get to know them better before showing physical affection? As we’ve discussed, some respect such boundaries. Others take them personally. If they do, that doesn’t mean you weren’t loving in your boundary-setting.

It's the same with Koinōnia. What we have in the gospel is so good (Psalm 133). When there is no unity of doctrine, Koinōnia cannot thrive (Romans 16:17). We must maintain that while we cannot judge hearts (1 Samuel 16:7), while faith is an inner, invisible phenomenon (John 3:8), and therefore we are not to condemn those who profess faith in Christ but may still cling to false doctrines. However, faith always expresses itself in some way, through words or action (Romans 10:10, Matthew 12:34-35). Anyone who believes in Jesus as their Savior is going to heaven (Romans 10:12-13). God knows those that are his (2 Timothy 2:19).

But we are called upon to react to the confessions of faith we hear from others (2 Thessalonians 3:6), and to avoid giving even the appearance of unity in doctrine where there isn’t any (Romans 16:17). If we can help correct false doctrine and belief, of course we want to do that (2 Timothy 4:2, James 5:20). We want to participate in the gospel and in reacting to its content with acts of service and love, as much as possible, and with as many as possible! But the first step to Koinōnia in practice is always Koinōnia in doctrine.

This is by no means an exhaustive treatment of the topic of fellowship, nor of the concrete practices that result from these thoughts. It is our church’s mission to establish Koinōnia by digging into the Law and Gospel message of the Bible together as a family, and seek to put it into practice. But doing so is not always clear-cut! We would love it if Trinity could be your safe place to explore what God says about you and how God would guide you to live in response to that beautiful news. In other words, we would love to have Koinōnia with you!

For more about this, join us any Sunday for Bible class at 9am or worship at 10:15am!

Pastor Mike Cherney

*The translations referenced above are taken from the NIV(2011).

We Need the Trinity (A Discussion of the Three-in-Oneness of God)

Fri, 28 Mar 2025 17:39:17 GMT

I am so thankful that there are people in the world who know how an internal combustion engine works. I am grateful to God that the secret knowledge of how to repair such an engine has been passed down through the generations ever since this technology was invented. When my own vehicle is having issues, there is someone out there who is capable of helping me fix it. There is no doubt that aspects of my life would improve if I understood more about how a car works and how to fix it. Sad to say, I just don’t. And yet, I survive.

Because when my son needs to go to the hospital, knowing how the car works is not nearly as important as knowing how to drive it. When the ball rolls into the street, and the basketball player chases after it, understanding how hard one needs to press on the brakes to stop the car is more important than understanding how the brake mechanism works. When surprised with a crisis or emergency, knowing how to use the technology or information is much more important than knowing how to explain the information.

That’s why the goal for this discussion will not be to explain the doctrine of the Trinity in a as satisfying a way as your mechanic (or you!) can explain how an engine works. Everyone who has tried, throughout the history of Christianity, has failed.

Unlike an internal combustion engine, God is not an invention of mankind. His thoughts and ways are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9); his knowledge, his being surpasses ours (Isaiah 40:13-14). Every time we confess God to be almighty, divine, the “LORD,” we recognize how superior he is to us (Isaia 40:28).

So, why bother? If God’s essence cannot be fully comprehended nor explained, why even try? Why “invent words,” as we are often accused of doing with the words “Trinity” or “Triune,” which don’t appear in Scripture (which is true, they don’t)? Why did the early church fight tooth and nail to against trinity-deniers, to protect a doctrine that is by nature incomprehensible?

First and foremost, because God reveals it to us. The words Trinity (noun) and Triune (adjective) do not occur in Scripture, that’s true. But the concept is all over Scripture’s pages. We get little glimpses of it in the Old Testament. In Genesis 1:1-3, God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all present in the creation of the world (compare with John 1:1-4). God commanded the priests of Israel to pronounce a three-fod blessing over the congregation, and Isaiah has a vision of God’s glory where he hears the three-fold praises of the angels, “Holy! Holy! Holy!” understood by many to be hints at the trinity (Isaiah 6:3). (There is more we could say about the Trinity in the Old Testament, but we’ll stop there for now.)

The New Testament reveals the Trinity a bit more explicitly. At Christ’s baptism, God the Son was being baptized while God the Father spoke, and God the Holy Spirit appeared as a dove (Mark 1:9-12). The three-fold blessing that hinted at God’s three-in-oneness in Numbers becomes more explicitly trinitarian in Paul’s closing blessing when he says, “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Corinthians 13:14). Peter summarizes the contributions of each person of the trinity in his gospel preaching (Acts 5:30-32).

The Bible never attempts to explain how it is possible that God can be only one God (Deuteronomy 6:4) and yet also exist as three, distinct persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). However, God’s Word does reveal this truth to us, despite the difficulty in comprehending it. See 1 Corinthians 2:7-10, where Paul describes the truth of Scripture to be “a mystery” and “the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.”

So, if God is so far above us that we can’t understand him, and if he picks what to reveal about his incomprehensible will and nature to us, and if he chose to reveal the fact that he is triune to us, doesn’t it make sense to conclude there must be a good reason?

Return to the example above. If I know how to explain an internal combustion engine, that’s great. It’s more important that I know how to use it, especially when in crisis.God reveals the truth of his triune nature to us, because this is a truth we need to know. This is information that we can and should use, because we’re in crisis!

To a humanity that is in crisis of identity, God reveals, “I have formed you, created you, and love you, you are mine” (see Isaiah 43:1). He says, “I will always protect, preserve, and provide for you,” (see Psalm 145:15-16). These are activities ascribed to the person of God the Father.

To a human race that is in crisis of belonging, of acceptance, knowing we need love but not knowing where to find it, God reveals, “I am a God of grace, of unconditional love. I don’t hate you, but love you everlastingly,” (see John 1:14,18). To a human race plagued by gnawing guilt and agonizing shame, God creates a relationship of safety, of forgiveness, of everlasting and eternal life (see 1 Timothy 2:5-6). This is what we ascribe to the person of God the Son (Jesus).

To a human race in a crisis of direction, of ignorance, in need of guidance and hope and comfort, God reveals, “I am with you. You are mine. I will yoke myself to you and always be with you. I will lead you,” (see Galatians 5:22-26, 1 Corinthians 6:11, Romans 8:4 and 8:9). This is what we ascribe to the person of God the Holy Spirit.

Simply observe how Paul uses the work of God the Father to reach the hearts of the people of Athens in Acts 17:22-34. See how the forgiveness and love of Christ is used to spur us on to similar acts of service and love to one another in Ephesians 4:32-5:10. Go to Romans 8:14-17, 8:26-27, 15:14-16 and 1 Corinthians 2:9-16 to be comforted by the truth of the Holy Spirit’s work. The trinity is a doctrine to be studied, certainly, but it is a beautiful doctrine that begs to be used!

That’s why leaders in the early Christian church fought tooth and nail to protect it. The stakes were high! To abandon or misrepresent the doctrine of the trinity meant depriving anxious souls of the comfort they need, wayward wanderers of the direction they sought, and depressed and lonely hearts of the belonging and love that is so clearly there. That’s why it was worth their time to come up with three Creeds (the Apostles, the Nicene, and the Athanasian) that succinctly and directly express what Scripture teaches about each member of the Trinity. This is that important.

Next time you worship with us (and I so hope and pray that this is soon!) count for yourself how many references to the trinity there are in the service. More than that, observe how the doctrine of the trinity is used throughout! See for yourself how beautiful this doctrine is. Put it to good use. After all, that’s why it’s there!

This was a very quick discussion of a complex topic. If you have more questions and thoughts, we’d love to keep the discussion going! Join us any Sunday for Bible class at 9am, and service at 10:15am, and/or reach out to us directly via the Contact page. God bless you!

Pastor Mike Cherney

“Who Do You Say I Am?” (A Discussion of Christ’s Two Natures)

Sat, 15 Mar 2025 00:35:56 GMT

Before you continue, we recommend reading the previous post: “I Hope So” (A discussion of the Fall into Sin and God’s Promises of the Savior) if you haven’t already!

The disciples were a band of misfits. Each of the Jewish men Jesus called into his close fellowship came from a wildly different background, different levels of education, even different political persuasions. It would be superficial to conclude that they, being Jewish men residing in the Mediterranean area during the first century, were all exactly the same. What they did have in common, though, was Jesus. They were entranced by the authority, the teaching, the power, and the love of this man.

Jesus is on his teaching and healing tour. He’s aware that the day of his crucifixion draws near. While traveling, Jesus asks this band of misfits, his students, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

In our Sunday morning Bible class, we asked each other the same question. Who do people say the Son of Man (one of Jesus’ favored titles for himself) is? The answers covered it all. We observed that, of course, many maintain that Jesus never existed, despite the extra-Biblical (“outside of the Bible”) historical evidence that supports that he did. Others accept that Jesus was a real person, and that he was an influential figure. However, there’s a lot of confusion about the extent of that influence and the type of influence he had. People will talk about Jesus the same way they talk about Martin Luther King Jr., an important man who stood by his beliefs even when it cost him everything, and through whose legacy the world greatly improved. People will equate Jesus with prophets and important figures from other religions, as if he’s just Christianity’s “guy” as much as Mohammed or Buddha are the “guys” of Islam and Buddhism, respectively.

Thus is the basic gist of what you hear about Jesus “out there.” During the same Bible class, we asked each other, “Who is Jesus to you?” and the answers were very different. Far from, “A teacher,” or “An influential figure,” or even, “A man who may or may not have existed,” participants finished the sentence “Jesus is…” with: “My friend,” “My shield,” “Protector,” “The Light,” “Patient,” “Nurturing,” “Selfless.” Now, before you say to yourself, “There’s nothing uniquely Christian about those perspectives. Many people believe Jesus was a positive character,” let me ask you this: How crazy would it sound if you said that Martin Luther King Jr. was not just an important historical figure, but that he is your personal friend, your protector, your teacher? For one thing, he was killed in 1968, decades before I was born, and maybe you too. It would be ludicrous to believe that you have a personal relationship with someone so removed from you in terms of life, time, and geography.

The answers the participants gave to the essential question, “Who is Jesus?” showed that they feel a personal relationship with him still, even though he was crucified close to 2,000 years ago. I don’t think that sounds any less ridiculous than the way the disciples answered the same question when Jesus himself asked it. After collecting their responses to his poll of who the people say he is (Matthew 16:13-14), he turns the question on the disciples, “But what about you? … Who do you say I am?” and Peter, often the spokesperson for the disciples, declares, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God,” (Matthew 16:15).

By confessing this about Jesus, Peter was declaring all the prophesies of the Messiah and Savior to be fulfilled in Christ (we talked about this in the previous post titled “I Hope So”). He declares that Jesus is not just the mascot of a new religion getting off the ground, but that he comes from – is the “Son of” – God himself. Which means that Peter believes God almighty to have given his Son into the world, which means that God has initiated his plan of salvation in the world through Jesus Christ.

Clearly, Jesus is so much more than just the “guy” of Christianity. The writer to the Hebrews records, that Jesus was “made lower than the angels for a little while,” that is, that he came from heaven and submitted himself to life as fully human (Hebrews 2:9). He became a mortal man so that he could live under the weight of the expectations of God’s holy law (Galatians 4:4) perfectly in our place, and so that he could die the death we sinners deserve (Hebrews 2:9). The writer to the Hebrews concludes, based on this, “In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. 11 Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters” (Hebrews 2:9-11). Because Jesus was truly human, he is the Savior that sits beside me. As the participants in our bible class pointed out, he is our nurturing and gentle friend.

Peter declared his faith that Jesus, a true, flesh-and-blood human being, is also the Son of God. That this man standing before him, whom he had seen eat and drink, go to sleep, and maybe even excuse himself to take bathroom breaks, is not just a man. Compare this to what John, another disciple, later wrote about Jesus, “John writes, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning” (John 1:1-2), and “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14), and “No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known” (John 1:18). While Jesus became 100% human, he also remained 100% God. As Paul wrote, “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form” (Colossians 2:9).

This is crucial. If Jesus were just human and not God, his righteous life and innocent death would have no significance in my life. He would just be an important guy, another tragic martyr lost to human cruelty. However, if Jesus were just God and not human, then he would just be another “angel of the Lord” appearance as we see in the Old Testament. He would have just been a vision. He wouldn’t be the empathetic Savior who suffers for me and with me that he claims to be.

Jesus is more than just the mascot of the Christian religion. He is God himself. That’s why participants in the Bible class were able to say that he is, “omnipresent” (a fancy word meaning “everywhere”), “all-powerful / omnipotent,” “truth itself,” “eternal,” “all-knowing / omniscient,” because he truly is God himself.

Don’t get lost in the theological jargon. Jesus isn’t just God. He is your God, and my God (John 20:28). He isn’t just a deity figure of this particular religion, he is your brother (Hebrews 2:11), who came to bring you into God’s grace (John 1:17-18). If you’re having trouble wrapping your head around that, then take a break. Don’t try too hard to solve it logically, but think about this: How does it make you feel about the rough week you’re going to have at work, to know that Jesus, though God, suffered through many rough weeks of his own? How does it make you feel, when you are burdened with temptation, to know that Jesus felt the constant nagging of temptation as well (Luke 4:2)? How does it make you feel to know that even though your sin separated you from God, God himself bridged the separation by becoming a human just like you (Ephesians 2:14-18)?

Remember this the next time you feel far from God. No matter how ashamed of yourself you feel, God is not ashamed of you (Hebrews 2:11). No matter how distant you feel from God, his grace is not distant from you. No matter how weak you feel in your own flesh and blood, Jesus is powerful for you. That’s the difference that recognizing the two natures (1. human nature, 2. divine nature) of Christ can make.

Permit one final observation: This band of misfits, of wildly different people, called “the disciples,” were united by one thing: the importance and specialness of this Jesus character. Not all of them hung onto that truth. In fact, one of them betrayed that same Jesus, handing him over to death. It still is worth observing the tremendous power Jesus has to bring different people together. If you are looking, you will see the same phenomenon in any church that teaches “Jesus” rightly. You will find people from wildly different backgrounds, having different tastes, maybe even different political persuasions. My prayer is that, when you enter such a church, you’re able to see what unites them: that each worshipper is enamored and captivated by this person called Jesus Christ. And I pray that you become as enamored and captivated by the grace of the God-Man, too.

Let’s talk more about this. Visit us any Sunday for Bible Class at 9am (your input and participation just might get featured in a future blog post!) and worship of our Savior at 10:15am. God bless you with the peace that comes from knowing Jesus!

Pastor Mike Cherney

“Keep Talking” (A Discussion of Prayer & Confession)

Tue, 04 Mar 2025 16:28:17 GMT

I have a friend who likes to talk on the phone. Many times, he responds to a text with a phone call. Many times, he calls out of the blue, saying, “I just wanted to see how you’re doing.” The conversation that follows is sometimes short, sometimes long, but always delightful. Rarely do we have important information to share with each other, but his desire to chat and shoot the breeze with me shows me where I stand. It’s his way of showing what kind of friendship we have.

Not everyone is the same way. Not every friendship needs constant communication to thrive. Some friends are as close as ever, sending each other memes on Instagram all day long, with hardly a word about their personal lives. Others can drop an email update here and there, and still feel like the best of friends. The way “close communication” looks will vary from person to person, but in any relationship it has to be there.

The applications to prayer are fairly obvious. Recently, I began a bible study on the topic of prayer by asking each participant to describe what it is. Not surprisingly, each answer had something to do with conversing with God. Wouldn’t you have said something similar? It is widely understood that prayer is as simple as speaking to God.

When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, this is exactly the way he described it. He said, “When you pray, say: Father…” (Luke 11:2). Open up the chat and start typing. Dial the phone and start calling. To begin to pray is as simple as beginning to speak to a friend. And when you do, you can address God as your “Father.”

This sounds so basic and familiar to Christians and non-Christians alike that the significance behind Jesus’ instruction can be lost. The Bible shows that our sins have separated us from God (Isaiah 59:2). Our natural, default stance toward God is nothing close to the warmth and friendliness that Jesus implies in Luke 11. When it comes to God, our sinful nature defaults to hostility (Romans 8:7-8).

So then, how do so many people get it in their heads that we have the right to talk to God? Clearly something has changed. In Romans 8, Paul chronicles the journey we have taken from being God’s adversaries to his friends, from enemies of God to his children. It is because God has set us free from our sin that he has also set us free from our own hostility toward him. God has ended the separation between us and him through Christ (Romans 8:1-4). He sends his Spirit into our hearts to bring us into this beautiful relationship (Romans 8:9-11). This relationship is expressed by our actions of thanksgiving for what Christ has done (Romans 8:12-13), and by our crying out to God for help and mercy (Romans 8:14-17).

We have the right to pray, to talk to God, expressing our needs, our desires, our anxieties, and our sorrows, because we now stand in a beautiful relationship of grace thanks to Jesus. Without this faith relationship with God, the separation our sins created would remain. Without Christ’s righteousness covering over us through faith (Galatians 3:26-27), we would not have the right to address God as anything but our Judge. That is why, without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6), and therefore impossible for the unbelieving heart’s prayers to be heard. But through this faith which is God’s gift to us (Ephesians 2:8), we pray confidently, knowing that for Christ’s sake, God hears us (1 John 5:13-14), and he will answer our prayers according to his gracious will (1 John 5:15).

While it’s true that God doesn’t necessarily give us exactly what we ask for, he does answer each prayer. He may determine that what we ask for is not what’s best for us (2 Corinthians 9:7-9). He may seem to delay in giving us what we ask for, because of his superior timing and wisdom (1 Samuel 1:3-20). Or he may give us exactly what we request (James 5:17-18).

This is why “talking to God” is still a great definition of what prayer is. Yes, we are invited to sincerely talk to God about our hopes and wants. And as we do, we are expressing what we believe about God. It’s not too far a stretch of logic to say that if you call upon God’s name in your troubles (Psalm 91:15), that means you believe he will help you in your troubles. Nor is it out of line to assume that if you pray to God for your daily bread (Luke 11:3), you’re saying that you believe he is the one that provides for your needs (Psalm 145:15-16). Each prayer that you pray is, at its core, an expression of your faith-relationship with him – an expression of what you believe God can do, and who you believe God is.

This is also why we have the ability to do something else that, when you think about it, is completely ridiculous. God hates sin. We’ve discussed this in previous devotions. God is holy and pure and cannot abide our natural unholiness and impurity. Yet Jesus commands that our prayers should include confessing our sins (Luke 11:4). If God were only just and angered by sin, this would be a trap! It would be as if Jesus were commanding us to call our local judge and confess to crimes we’ve committed, sending ourselves to prison!

Thankfully, God is not only just, but he is also gracious. He solved our sin-problem for us through Jesus. He has established a relationship of love with us through Christ, and part of that relationship is the continual forgiveness for our sins Jesus affords (1 John 2:1-2).

What a miraculous change, that we can bring the sins we’ve committed against God straight to God! Not only so, but we have the promise that he hears every confession and responds with merciful forgiveness for Christ’s sake (1 John 1:8-10)! God invites us into such a relationship of honesty, openness, and acceptance, that we are free to admit our deepest, darkest secrets to him, and trust in his forgiveness! We want to continue to confess our sins to God in our prayers, always remembering that we stand in the grace of Christ.

For a beautiful example of using God’s gift of prayer to confess deep and dark sin, read Psalm 51. In the first six verses, David expresses the full extent of the problem, essentially saying, “I am all wrong, and I have done wrong. I don’t even deserve to be praying to you right now, God!” But in the next verses (Psalm 51:7-12), he finds shelter in the merciful character of God. David trusts that God forgives him, because of the kind of God he is. Finally, (Psalm 51:13-19) David makes a plan to respond to God’s love by sharing the news of it with others, and by going to worship and praising God’s name with other believers. This is why we sometimes speak of confession, or “repentance” as a three step process: 1) opening up to God with a humble and “all-cards-out” diagnosis of our sin problem, 2) seeking refuge in God’s forgiveness and trusting in his love, and 3) making a plan to go forward in that love, showing our thankfulness to God for his forgiveness. Number 3 can include attempting to right whatever wrongs we confessed in number 1, as Zacchaeus did when he repented of his sins (Luke 19:8).

We have the right to confess our sins directly to God, but doing so out loud to one another is of great benefit (James 5:16). It can be hard to say a silent prayer of confession on your own and trust that you’re forgiven after you’ve said “amen.” This shows the wisdom and grace of God in giving us the privilege to pronounce forgiveness to one another (John 20:22-23). We become mouth-pieces of Christ himself whenever we have the opportunity to speak the tremendous comfort of sins forgiven (2 Corinthians 5:20). So, while confessing sins to a church leader or fellow Christian is not a new law, it is encouraged throughout the New Testament as a blessing to make use of, to give a brother or sister in Christ the chance to pronounce that beautiful forgiveness to you. This is also why each of our worship services begins with a group confession of sins and pronouncement of forgiveness (called “absolution”).

Above all, it’s about expressing what kind of relationship we believe to have with God. We believe in a God who listens (Proverbs 15:29). So, speak to him often! We believe in a God who answers prayer. So, present your requests to him (Philippians 4:6)! We believe in a God who is merciful, who forgives. So, confess your sins to him freely (1 John 1:9)! We believe in a God who gives us brothers and sisters to be his conduits of love to one another (Ephesians 4:11-13, James 5:16). So, make use of these gifts by talking about your sins to a brother or sister you trust!

In your relationship with God, be like my friend. Let your love for God and the confidence in what you know to be true about him resonate in frequent prayer.

Have more thoughts and questions about prayer and confession? Let us know by contacting us! Or join us for Bible Class any Sunday at 9am, and/or our worship service full of prayer and praise to God at 10:15am. God bless you!

Pastor Mike Cherney

"Do This" (A Discussion of Communion / The Lord's Supper)

Fri, 21 Feb 2025 03:14:27 GMT

Two women are out to dinner. These lifelong friends are celebrating the fact that one of them just turned 60. The birthday girl places a small, neatly-decorated box on the table. She pushes it across the table toward her friend. The other woman’s mind is abuzz with questions. “Aren’t I supposed to get you something?” “Why are you giving me this?” “What is it?” “Isn’t this a bit unnecessary?” “What is the meaning of this?” The questions in the brain aren’t able to exit the mouth. She is simply speechless. Her friend says, “Open it.” As the questions finally tumble forth, the birthday girl isn’t interested in answering them. She simply says, “Just open it.”

By giving us Communion, Jesus slides the gift across the table. During a meal that commemorated God’s salvation and redemption (Exodus 12:1-28), Jesus gave us a new gift in quite the same vein (Mark 14:13-16, John 1:29).

Jesus, the true Passover Lamb (John 1:29, Revelation 5:6), was celebrating the meal that pre-figured the redemption he would soon accomplish, when he took bread and said, “this is my body,” and took wine, saying “this is my blood” (Matthew 26:26-27, Mark 14:22-24, Luke 22:19-20). At this, the disciples’ heads are all abuzz with questions, like: “What did he just say? What does this mean? This isn’t part of the ‘Passover script,’ is it?”

Jesus has just slid the gift across the table. We, along with the disciples, are wondering, “What in the world is going on?” What is this thing, or these things, Christ has just placed before us?

One way in which many have made sense out of this gift is to assume that when Jesus said this, he was is establishing a symbolic memorial meal; to establish a recurring tradition to meditate on the significance of Jesus’ flesh-and-blood death. As satisfying as this may seem, it assumes that Jesus is speaking in metaphor when he called bread and wine his body and blood. Don’t get us wrong, Jesus is not a stranger to figurative language, but he usually gives us good reason to take his language figuratively, couching his language in context that says, “I’m talking in metaphors now.” Here, however, he doesn’t do that. He just says, “it is.” So, what is it?

Fast forward with us a few decades. Jesus died on the cross (John 19:30), rose from the grave, appeared to the disciples in his resurrected body (John 20:16-31), gave them the commission to go and preach about what they had seen (Matthew 28:19-20), and bam! The Christian church is off and running. Christians did not forget about this meal, this gift, Jesus had bestowed upon his church. They kept breaking bread and passing around wine, calling it Jesus’ body and blood, taking great care over the very Word spoken over these things (1 Corinthians 11:23-26). Some 20-30 years after that Last Supper with the disciples, the Apostle Paul gives instruction to the Christians in Corinth about how to keep on celebrating the meal Jesus gave us.

Paul teaches that the meal (what we call “Communion”) is not only a remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice, but a proclamation of it (1 Corinthians 11;26). There is a right way and a wrong way to celebrate it (1 Corinthians 11:27-29). And as such, it isn’t right to force the unprepared to partake of it (1 Corinthians 11:28), or those who don’t understand its meaning (1 Corinthians 11:29), or those who don’t have “communion” with the church family with whom they partake of it (1 Corinthians 10:16-17). Taking all these things together with Jesus’ own words at the Last Supper, it’s clear that the Christians that gathered to celebrate this meal never thought of the bread and wine as anything less than the actual body and blood of Christ.

Is your head abuzz with questions? Probably, just one: “How? How can bread and wine be Christ’s body and blood?” But the gift is in front of us. If we get stuck on the “How?” we may miss the “Why?” which Jesus gave us right away. If you read the passages from the Gospels, you caught it. Jesus gave us Communion “for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28). Through Communion, Jesus gives you the gift of a tangible expression of forgiveness. God is so good that he doesn’t just express his love for you with words, but with actions (which we call “sacraments”). He gives you a way to taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8). We call it “Communion” first and foremost because the relationship of communion with God is strengthened through it.

The second reason it’s called “Communion” is the next big blessing behind the sacrament. It is given to strengthen our bond with the family of believers (1 Corinthians 10:16-17). That’s why the imagery seen in many churches is so powerful - a semi-circle of communicants gathered as if at a table together as repentant sinners seeking God’s goodness in what he promises to give. Taking this fact together with Scripture’s warnings against taking Communion without proper preparation (see passages from 1 Corinthians 11 above), celebrating Communion is to be done only with fellow Christians who have made their unity public by becoming members of the same church or church body.

Q: Isn’t it unloving to withhold Communion from someone who wants it?

A: It may seem that way at first, but given that Jesus gave us this gift, we want to use it the way he says to. If the birthday girl in the example above gave her friend a thin silver necklace, she wouldn’t be happy to see her friend use it to try to floss her teeth. At the same time, if someone desires to take Communion with us, we are so glad for that! And we will want to begin establishing unity as soon as possible. There is no other way to do this than to examine Scripture’s teachings together through meetings that we call “Bible Basics.”

Q: You haven’t explained how bread and wine can be Jesus’ body and blood, though!

A: You’re absolutely right! The “how can this be?” aspect of Communion is not spelled out for us. We simply trust that this is what we receive in, with, and under the bread and the wine. Without the real presence of Jesus’ body and blood, this sacrament would not carry with it the promise to forgive our sins. Since the Almighty God who can do all things declares to me that this is what I receive in Communion, I’m going to take what he says for granted even when it contradicts my reason.

Q: How do we know that what we’re receiving Communion the right way?

A: Scripture urges that we celebrate with those with whom we’re in fellowship with (1 Corinthians 10:16-17), that we examine our own hearts with honest repentance before approaching (1 Corinthians 11:28), and that we recognize what we’re receiving (1 Corinthians 11:29). Lets say you’re a member of our church, waiting in the pew to be invited up by the ushers for Communion, and you want to make sure you’re well prepared. Simply ask yourself, “Do I know that I’m a sinner in need of forgiveness?” if the answer is “yes,” then follow up by asking, “Do I believe that in Communion I receive forgiveness?” If the answer is “yes,” then you’re ready! Also, remember how Baptism is effective because the Word is there (“in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit”). You know that you are receiving Christ’s true body and true blood in, with, and under the bread and wine when the Word is present, commonly called “the Words of Institution” (when Jesus said, “take and eat,” “take and drink”). The Word of God is what makes Communion powerful to forgive sins, not the person giving it nor the people receiving it.

Q: Aren’t you teaching that there is another way to be saved and forgiven other than Jesus’ death on the cross?

A: Refer back to our discussion of Baptism (the devotion called, “Prove It!”). It is always and only faith in the gospel that saves. This faith is created and strengthened by reading and interacting with Scripture, through Baptism, and as we discussed today, through Communion. These are not three ways to be saved, but three means that God uses to connect us to his gracious salvation!

There are likely many more questions about this wonderful gift Jesus has given us, and we would love to continue the conversation with you. We hope you join us for Bible class any Sunday at 9am and worship at 10:15am. For now, come back with us to our example of a birthday dinner. Jesus has slid the gift across the table. Our head is abuzz with questions, “What is this? How can this be?” but the most important question has been answered: “What is it for?” Jesus says, “This is for you. This is for your forgiveness of sins.” Before we ask another question, simply hear his voice. Like the birthday girl finally cut off her friend with, “Just open it.” Jesus cuts off our doubts and our apprehension to receive such a tangible expression of his love with simply and lovingly saying, “Do this.”

Pastor Mike Cherney

"Prove it!"

Fri, 14 Feb 2025 18:25:46 GMT

By the time you read this, Valentine’s Day will likely have passed. How did it go for you? Which outcome do you most resonate with?

A) You knocked it out of the park. You went the full nine yards for your beloved

B) You did your best, but because of financial or time constraints, you’re worried about whether your efforts were effective.

C) You are glad it’s over, because you can’t stand the commercialization and greed of those who profit off of your romantic love

D) To you, Valentine’s is a sick and unwelcome reminder of love lost, or loneliness.

Allow me to suggest that all Valentine’s Day activities and attitudes center on the need for proof. If you are in the A category, you feel that you satisfactorily proved your love to your beloved. If you’re B, you did your best, hoping it was enough to prove your love genuine. If you’re C, you likely said, “I shouldn’t have to prove that I love my significant other to anyone!” If you’re D, Valentine’s Day instead is proof that there’s something missing from your life, because you have love to give, but nobody to give it – to prove it - to.

What is proof if not the point at which our questions cease, our doubts are calmed, and our curiosities satisfied? You can tell me that the moon is made of cheese, but only when you present some moon cheese for me to taste are you lending me proof. Today we’re discussing how baptism is proof that God’s love and salvation are ours.

Assuming you’ve read our devotion series up to this point (if not, pause here and circle back to previous posts with “A discussion of…” in the title), you’ve walked with us on a great biblical journey. You went to the Garden of Eden with us, where all mankind’s problems first began (Genesis 2-3). You heard with us God’s plan of salvation (Genesis 3:15). You have seen with us that only through the person and work of Christ do we have any hope of salvation, but that Jesus came into the world to bring exactly that salvation we’re so desperate for (John 3:16-17). You heard with us that “faith” is that trust-relationship with God that connects you to Christ and saves your life by changing it entirely (Galatians 2:20). And all this is done for you as a free gift of God’s grace (Ephesians 2:8).

God, in his infinite grace and wisdom, has not stopped there. He has given us proof of this new reality in the gift of baptism . We get the word “baptize” directly from the Greek βαπτιζω, which means “to wash.”* Jesus’ relative John prepared the masses to understand the significance of his distant cousin’s arrival by baptizing them (Mark 1:4-5), pouring water over the baptized, or immersing them completely (we’re not told whether John and later baptizers always did either or both, just that water was always used), connecting this action with “repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Mark 1:4). Jesus himself began his ministry of teaching and healing by being baptized by John (Matthew 3:13-15). Why? Because this was a new era for God’s people, and God was showing believers to look to baptism for blessing, which Jesus (having set aside full use of his divine power in what theological bigwigs call his “state of humiliation”) benefitted from. Sure, Jesus did not need repentance for the forgiveness of his sins (Matthew 3:14), but by being baptized in his humble state, he showed that baptism is for blessing.

Jesus accomplished our salvation by living out the righteousness that God’s Law requires (Leviticus 11:44). He suffered death to remove our guilt (Isaiah 53:5). He rose from the dead, affirming that we are at peace with God (John 20:19). After all this, some of his last words to his disciples before ascending into heaven gave the answer to the “so now what?” that was lingering on their minds:

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

Jesus’ parting command to his disciples was to make more disciples. He commanded that they carry forward the ministry of baptism, of washing people with water in the name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, for the forgiveness of their sins, and to accompany that baptism with teaching and growing in the faith.

What is the meaning of this baptism? Is it just what you do when someone is ready to become a Christian, to show that they are really serious about their walk with Christ? Consider what Jesus says in John 3:5-6, “Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” We are born in sin (Psalm 51:5), and sin’s cycle will continue into future generations unless someone intervenes. Jesus says that baptism (water and the Spirit) is how that cycle is disrupted. It makes a child of “the flesh” (a common metaphor for sin in the New Testament) into a child of “the Spirit” (a common metaphor for that trust relationship with God, faith – See Romans 8:14-17). Jesus is teaching that baptism itself bestows the faith relationship with God we so desperately need.

Not convinced? Read Titus 3:4-7, where Paul calls baptism, “the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Spirit,” and declares that baptism “saved us,” by pouring the benefits of Christ on us generously. Baptism bestows the blessings of what Christ has done onto the person being baptized.

Still unsure? 1 Peter 3:21 teaches that baptism “saves you” by connecting you to the work Jesus has accomplished for you, and thereby becomes your “pledge of a clear conscience.” Therefore, your baptism becomes your PROOF that God loves you, that you are his child, and that you are saved.

Wait a second! I thought we said that we are saved by God’s grace through faith alone (Ephesians 2:8), that faith only comes from hearing the gospel (Romans 10:17), and that the gospel alone is the power to save people (Romans 1:16-17). Can we really be so bold as to suggest there is another way to be saved other than hearing the gospel?!

Pardon my facetiousness, but we’re not saying that there are multiple ways to be saved. There is only one way to be saved, and that is through faith – a trust-relationship with God that connects you to God’s love. But the emphatic statements of baptism’s blessings show that this washing of water and the Word is a method God uses for giving the gospel! Many come to faith by hearing and believing the gospel. Many more come to faith because they were brought to be baptized. The faith is the same. The delivery method may have been different.

Now, for some rapid-fire questions!

Q: If you come to faith by hearing the gospel, do you still need to get baptized?

A: Not only does Jesus want us to be baptized (Matthew 28:19), but look again at the passages cited above, and notice the blessings that it gives. The better question is, if I trust in God’s Word to provide me with these great blessings, why wouldn’t I want to receive them?

Q: If someone passes away without a chance to baptized, are they condemned for the simple reason that they were never baptized?

A: Remember this: God saves a soul by giving that life-giving faith in the gospel. God is able to accomplish this in someone’s heart through hearing the message (Romans 10:17). Although we would want such a person to be baptized in order to receive its blessings, we would not assume that they would go to hell if they passed away before having that chance to be baptized.

Q: If someone is baptized by a church leader who later is found out to be a false teacher, or they are baptized in one denomination but now desire to become a Lutheran, do they need to be re-baptized?

A: After looking at all the passages about baptism above, where did you notice that the power to forgive and save comes from? It never comes from the person doing it. It always comes from the Word that accompanies it. If a person is baptized in a church that does it “in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,” then that baptism was effective. After all, what church leader can boast of such great character and perfection in teaching that they themselves give baptism its power? Answer: none.

Q: If someone gets baptized and trusts in this for their salvation, doesn’t that eliminate any need or encouragement for godly living, since they can say, “I’m going to heaven because I was baptized”?

A: Far from it! Read 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Romans 6:1-4, and Galatians 3:26-27. In every case, the fact that you are baptized is used as proof that you should fight against sin, you should reject temptation, you should live for God! These passages essentially say, “Sin is not who you are anymore! Live who you are, as a baptized child of God.” God saved you by his grace first and foremost. We never earned it or deserved it, so why would we need to earn or deserve God’s salvation after it’s given? Rather, God has changed our lives and hearts. We want to live out that newness of life by listening to God’s Word and following what he desires (Galatians 2:19-21).

There are many other questions and topics surrounding baptism that we could talk about, and should. I hope you are able to join us for these discussions on Sunday mornings at 9am, and worship at 10:15am. For now, let me close with this thought:

Baptism is about proof. Many people falsely teach that it is your moment to prove that you’re ready to follow God, that you’re really serious about your relationship with him and are ready to fully commit. That’s not the Bible’s perspective on baptism at all. Baptism is about God proving his love to you. Whether you’re a full-grown adult or a newborn baby, God washes you and purifies you through baptism, totally forgiving your sins. He makes your heart a home for His Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19), and declares you his own dear child (1 John 3:1). Baptism is not your gift to God, but his gift to you. Therefore, your baptism becomes your moment to look back on for comfort and assurance that God’s grace, salvation, and love are all yours in Christ.

Pastor Mike Cherney

P.S. Are you interested in baptism, for you or a loved one, and want to talk more? Please get in touch with us! Email pastormike@trinityelpaso.org, or pay us a visit and speak with Pastor Mike or a church leader! We would be honored and overjoyed to help!

*William Arndt et al., in A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 164.

“I Hope So” A discussion of the Fall into Sin and God’s Promises of the Savior

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 17:11:26 GMT

Do you care who wins the super bowl on Sunday? On Sunday, even if you turn the game on just for kicks and giggles, you probably have opinions about who will win and why. Many will have strong feelings about who the victor should be. Yet no matter how certain a Chiefs or Eagles fan may be in their team’s imminent victory, there’s always going to be a shred of doubt. The probability that one team will defeat the other may be great, but it is never 100%. Until the game is over, any opinion about who should win remains a hope.

For such a positive word, “hope” is not a fun place to be. “I hope she’s the one,” implies that your buddy is taking a bit of a risk in trusting his long-term girlfriend. “I hope we get there on time,” betrays more than a hint of anxiety. While there’s any probability that things will go wrong, it’s hard to relax, no matter how much evidence we may have to the contrary.

At first glance, the beginning of the Bible paints a pretty bleak, maybe even “hope-less” picture. After God creates a beautiful and perfect world (Genesis 1-2), the very first humans mess it up. They run it off the rails with a simple act of rebellion and disobedience (Genesis 3:1-11; Romans 5:12). Adam and Eve were given a simple command: don’t eat the fruit of this one tree, otherwise “you will die” (Genesis 2:15-17). Many have puzzled over why God would jeopardize his perfect creation with this command. Martin Luther explained that the tree Adam and Eve were to avoid became their “church,” as their willful act of obedience to God’s command would have been like singing a hymn to God. God provided Adam and Eve (and their future generations of children) a method of praising him, of submitting their wills to his, of declaring, “This is how I show the world what you’re worth to me, God!” God created human beings for relationship. He gave them a way to express that relationship.

But it was through that good command that Satan (the serpent – see Revelation 12:9 and 20:2, and 2 Corinthians 11:3) slithered his way into the equation and tempted Adam and Eve to sin (Genesis 3:1-5). As he does to all people of all time, his primary goal is to attack our relationship with God. He desires our demise (Luke 8:12). As with Eve, his primary method is to lie (John 8:44), to get us to believe that God’s will is not good, that God is holding out on good from us. He attacks the very foundation of our lives: our relationship with God. And, sad to say, he succeeded.

It is not an overstatement to say that all mankind’s problems of all kinds can be traced to this singular moment in history and its resulting consequences. When Adam and Eve gave in (they weren’t forced, but rather compelled by Satan’s temptations), the effects of sin were immediate. They gained knowledge, alright, but like I don’t know what it’s like to be attacked by a shark and never want to, they gained knowledge no one wants: knowledge of shame (Genesis 2:25 and Genesis 3:7), of strife in their formerly loving relationship (Genesis 3:12 and Genesis 3:16), of physical pain and turmoil (Genesis 3:16-19).

All creation suffers because of sin (Romans 8:22). It has corrupted our nature (Psalm 51:5), but that doesn’t get us out of any blame. We willingly give in to sin’s demands (Ephesians 2:3, Romans 7:18). We are the problem.

This is a pretty hopeless and bleak picture, isn’t it? If this were all we had to say, what hope do we have? Does this not confirm our experience, though? Haven’t we lived long enough to see that human beings often cause more problems than we solve? Aren’t you and I more often our own worst enemy, because we can’t keep up with being the people we know we should be? The statistics are not in our favor.

Now, if you asked me, “Is there any chance of salvation, of help?” what if my reply was, “hopefully!” What if all we could say was, “There’s a chance.” It might be an exciting way for the movie to set up an exciting climax to its story, that the main characters have to take a huge risk to defeat the bad guy or make it home safely, but that’s not much help when I’m face to face with the guilt and shame I know I’ve caused.

That’s why, even when humans messed everything up, God was quick to provide hope. But this hope is worlds apart from the way we use the word. God provided certainty. Even when he was enumerating the consequential effects of mankind’s sin, God offered a promise. He quickly made his plan of salvation known, so that Adam, Eve, their children, and their children’s children could know what to look for and expect. Read Genesis 3:15. He promised a Savior: a singular descendant of Eve (“your offspring… he”), who could come and defeat Satan (“he will crush your head”) through a great sacrifice (“you will strike his heel”). God was quick to reveal that despite the greatness of Adam and Eve’s sin, all was not lost. There was the sure and certain hope that a Savior was on his way.

Over the course of history, God continued to teach about this Savior to people who despaired of their own sins and inadequacies, and looked to God for hope. He promised Abraham that the coming Savior would come from his family line (Genesis 12:7). He promised the Israelites that he would send a Prophet to reveal God’s true love to them (Deuteronomy 18:17-18). He promised David that his descendant would be an everlasting King (2 Samuel 7:12-13). He promised that this offspring would be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14), and that he would bear the sins of all people (Isaiah 53:4-11). There are many more prophesies about the coming Savior, but these are sufficient to show that God continually held this promise before mankind. He was teaching people to put their full and certain hope in God’s fulfillment of this promise.

I hope you sense how different this is than if God said, “Hang on, I’m going to try something,” or “Let’s see if this works.” No, God said, “You have sinned, but I have the solution figured out already. I will send a Savior to forgive sins and restore the relationship with me that was broken because of it.” The probability of God doing what he says is %100. Every prophecy and prediction about the kind of Savior God would send is fulfilled in Christ. This means that hoping in God is always certain. As the writer to the Hebrews says, “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (Hebrews 6:19a).

The four Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, each take great pains to show how humanity’s expectations are fulfilled in Christ. Whether you’re an Old Testament Israelite waiting for the Messiah (or “Christ,” as both words mean “Chosen / anointed one”), a New Testament believer watching Jesus teach and preach, or a 21st century Christian reading this blog right now, all of us rest in the hope of what Christ accomplished.

Could it really be that all our deepest hopes and desires are fulfilled in one person, Jesus Christ? Can it be that I am fully and completely saved from the sin that is my own fault by the work that Christ accomplished for me? Can it be possible that my relationship with God is restored for me? The answer is, “Yes.” “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ” (2 Corinthians 1:20a).

A significant portion of your life as a believer will be spent growing and personalizing this hope more and more. This hope is one that deserves to be unpacked more and more through worship and time in the Word. We only had a chance to mention a few of the promises of a Savior in the Old Testament, but truly the entire Bible centers on Christ and his fulfillment of promises. For further review, read the accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry called the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John – we recommend beginning with Mark!). Check out chapters like Romans 5. Read the Psalms (start with Psalm 1 and keep going!) and continuously ask yourself, “How do these Psalm-prayers model a heart that hopes in God?”

Join us for Bible class any Sunday morning at 9am, as it is part of our dedicated time to unpack how the hope of Christ informs our lives! The task of growing in this hope is joyous and it is great, and we’re committed to doing it together!

Pastor Mike Cherney

*(See Martin Luther, Luther’s Works, Vol. 1: Lectures on Genesis: Chapters 1-5 , ed. Jaroslav Jan Pelikan, Hilton C. Oswald, and Helmut T. Lehmann (Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1999), 105.)

"...For the Bible Tells Me So" - A Discussion of how God Reveals the Truth

Wed, 29 Jan 2025 23:45:17 GMT

This devotion accompanies themes that have been studied in the previous week’s Sunday morning Bible class. Over the next few weeks, join us at 9am on Sundays at Trinity for the following discussions!

After commanding her ten-year-old to pick up the dirty laundry on his bedroom floor for the seventh time, mom is getting tired of repeating herself. And when her son protests for the seventh time, “Why do I have to do this right now?” she is out of patience. She resorts to a classic play straight from the book millions of other parents and says, “Because I said so, that’s why.”

However, her son adeptly launches a counter-attack that she didn’t see coming. “But mother,” he says, “Your logic is flawed. That I should obey you because you say so is a classic example of the circular fallacy.” “The what?” the mother asks, growing evermore frustrated. “Your argument is that I should obey your authority because you have authority. Logically, this doesn’t make sense!” If this were the conversation we were met with, we’d join the mother in shouting, “Just do it already!”

The circular fallacy is familiar to most Christians, because it’s exactly the fallacy we’re accused of committing. Over the last blog posts, we learned the horrible truth that we are by nature sinful (Psalm 51:3-5), but that God has laid on Christ the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:6), crucifying it on the cross and therefore setting us free from sin (Romans 6:6-7). We learned how we are connected to this glorious forgiveness by God-given faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). This newly-established relationship with God expresses itself in our thankful actions and our desire to serve God and neighbor (Ephesians 5:1-2, 8-10).

“And then we lived happily ever after,” right? We’re saved by Christ alone. We’re saved through Faith alone. We aren’t saved by our good works, but we live them out as expressions of thankfulness to him. Easy peasy!

As you have undoubtedly learned, these matters may be so simple that a child can understand them, but living them out is the hard part (see Paul’s description of his and our struggle to live as we ought in Romans 7:7-25, and Galatians 5:16-26). How do we navigate the struggle to live as well as we should, know Christ as well as we should, and be God’s people as we know we should?

The answer is simple. The Word of God serves as our constant companion to ease our doubts, calm our troubled conscience, and give us direction as we struggle to live as people of God and leave his mark on the world.

How can it do all that at once? Well, because it’s the Word of God, of course! God inspired (“breathed into”) human authors his enduring Word to reveal to us the truth of sin and grace (2 Timothy 3:15-16, 2 Peter 1:21).

How do we know he did? Why, he tells us, of course (see passages cited above)!

Now, isn’t that “the circular fallacy”? Isn’t it flawed logic to say that I should trust what the Bible says because the Bible says to trust what it says? Maybe it doesn’t seem like the most logically airtight argument in the world, but that doesn’t make it false by any stretch. Allow me to explain:

Almost all systems of belief center on one truth: we should be good. You can believe in one god or many gods. You can believe in no gods at all, or consider it an open question. No matter what, most approaches to life boil down to that fact: we should behave well.

Have you ever wondered why most religions (and even forms of atheism) basically boil down to that same point? The Bible explains that this is because mankind can easily observe and conclude that some powerful person or force created this world (Psalm 19:1-4, Romans 1:20). Haven’t you also noticed that basically everyone has some idea of right and wrong? Before opening a Bible or any religious text, each person has a conscience by which they try to live rightly (Romans 2:14-15).

The problem is, if that’s all you’ve got, there are still a ton of unanswered questions and unsolved problems. Who gets to define what “right and wrong” actually are? What about when I do everything “right” but still feel bad about myself? Where are we going when we die? If there is a god, who is he/she? We cannot answer these questions if all we’ve got is our own senses and intellect.

This is about as far as most faith systems get us. Most. The Apostle Paul affirms in 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 that nobody could have cooked up who God actually is and what he actually does for us. John 1:18 affirms that salvation from sin by God’s grace through faith alone had to be revealed to us. This needed to be revealed to us.

We should trust what God says about us, the world, and our lives, because these words come from God. Does that challenge our human logic? Sure, why shouldn’t it? Jesus’ life-saving obedience of God’s will for you, death for you, resurrection for you, and current all-encompassing reign for you is a lot more than I could have ever come up with for you. And it’s a lot better. That’s what all other faith systems other than the truth of the Bible lack: grace, unconditional love.

Since this truth is revealed in Scripture, I better hang onto that Scripture! Since this divine, transcendent, out-of-this-world reality of full and free salvation comes from God’s Word, I want to stay in God’s Word! My whole life I want to be singing that song many learn to sing in their childhood: “Jesus loves me. This I know, for the Bible tells me so.”

The Bible, then, becomes our constant companion. God speaks through it to soothe your troubled conscience with the Gospel, pointing always to his grace through Jesus. God grows your faith by deepening your understanding of who he is and how he works. He gives you guidance as you seek to turn your thankfulness to him into action.

You’re reading this blog on the website or newsletter from a Lutheran church, so I hope you don’t mind a little more talk about Luther. Martin Luther recognized and taught that there are two main teachings in the Bible: the Law and the Gospel. When I read the Bible and discover that I’m not as well-behaved as I thought I was, that’s the Law at work. The Law reveals God’s will for his creation. When I see what God really wants from me, I am compelled to give up the charade of being “good enough for God.” That’s a good thing, even if it feels awful. It is good because it prepares me to hear the gospel, which is Scripture’s proclamation that God has saved me purely because he wants to, because he loves without conditions, and he promises to always love me and forgive me for Christ’s sake. These two teachings work together to keep us mindful of who God really is, how he really works, who we really are in Christ. “Jesus loves me. This I know, for the Bible tells me so.” Once I’m comforted by the gospel, and looking for ways to say “thank you” to God, the Law returns, not to slay me all over again, but as a useful guide to help me find my direction as God’s dear child.

I might need to come up with better ways to explain why obeying my commands is a good idea than saying, “Because I say so,” but do we really need any other explanation for how we can be sure God loves us than “Because he says so”? And knowing that this is the God who wants what is best for me, whose will is always good (Psalm 106:1), who is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does (Psalm 145:17), do I really need any more justification for following what he has to say than, “Because he says so”?

I realize that this may bring up a whole host of other questions. I should hope that it does! I likewise hope that you’ll join us in our discussions of these things in our 9am Bible Class every Sunday Morning. You are welcome to reach out to us at any time. We would love to continue the conversation with you!

God bless you through the revelation of his love that he gives in his Word!

Pastor Mike Cherney

"You Can Sit With Us" A Discussion of Faith and Works

Fri, 24 Jan 2025 23:30:55 GMT

A high school cafeteria can be a scary place. More than just a place to find nourishment for the second half of the school day, one’s behavior in the cafeteria is governed by unwritten rules and invisible forces. Getting a tray of food is not the hard part, but what happens after. Where you park that tray of room-temperature pizza and baby carrots is the most important thing you do in that cafeteria – in the eyes of the rest of the students, anyway. Where you sit says a lot. Whom you can or should sit next to is thoroughly scrutinized.

Apparently, the religious group known as the Pharisees had not outgrown this adolescent obsession with such scrutiny. Mark records for us that they were viciously critical of Jesus for no smaller a reason than the people with whom he chose to sit and eat. “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” they asked (Mark 2:16). Jesus sat with the lowest of the low – the social outcasts.

Jesus knew he would fall under that kind of criticism. He sat with these people intentionally. He wanted to show by a simple but friendly gesture of sharing a meal that the love and forgiveness he came to bring is for everyone. He replied to his critics, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17). In other words, if you catch Jesus showing love to people who don’t deserve it, good! You are noticing why he came in the first place. Since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, all need to be justified by God’s grace. Thanks to Christ, we are (Romans 3:23). We are saved by God’s grace alone (Ephesians 2:8).

So everyone is going to heaven, then, right? Because Jesus came to save all people from their sins (1 John 2:2) why isn’t everyone’s relationship with God restored? John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,” so doesn’t that mean we are all saved?

That Jesus has done the work of justifying the whole world (Romans 3:23), of reconciling the world to God through his sacrifice (2 Corinthians 5:18-19), of atoning for all sins (1 John 2:2), is an objective fact. But don’t forget how the most famous verse of the Bible ends: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Faith is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8) that connects you to the work Jesus accomplished for you, summarized by the term “gospel” (Romans 1:16-17).

But what even is faith, and how do we get it? Faith is confidence (Hebrews 11:1). It is trust (2 Corinthians 4:8). Faith is as simple as looking at Jesus and saying, “That’s my Savior!” (John 3:14-15). “Faith” is another way of talking about the trust-relationship with God that flows from understanding that he has saved you from all your sins (Psalm 13:5-6).

In Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the titular vampire is only able to enter the homes of those who willingly invite him in. A lot of people think that’s how Jesus works, too. But clearly, in the sinful state we inherit, we are incapable of inviting him into our hearts. Before this trust-relationship with God happened, we didn’t know God nor wanted to (Romans 1:21), and if we did, we would have opposed him with all our might (Romans 8:6-7, see also Ephesians 2:1). So clearly, if it were up to us to make this relationship with God happen, we have no chance. We are too far gone on our own to accept God into our own hearts or make a decision to follow and trust in him.

But Jesus barges into our lives and wins us into his kingdom by his love. He makes a home of our hearts through his glorious gospel (Ephesians 3:16-19), freeing us from our sin-darkened minds by showing us the light of his love and grace. He does this through the gospel (Romans 10:17, Romans 1:16,17). Through the gospel itself, Jesus changes our hearts from enemies of God to his trusting children; from spiritually dead to spiritually alive; from dreadful objects of wrath to heirs of eternal life (Romans 9:9-11,14-17).

This is how much God loves you: not only does he forgive you your sin, but he uses the message of your forgiveness to breathe the breath of life into your heart, so that you are now able to rest secure in him. The reason some aren’t going to heaven is not because Jesus didn’t die for them. Nor is it because God doesn’t want them to be saved (1 Timothy 2:3-6). It is because of their own rejection of the gospel (John 3:17-20).

Do you have to understand all 66 books of the Bible in order to be saved? Do you have to be able to explain deep theological concepts? Or is it just enough to know the name of Jesus? The key word to remember here is “trust.”

As soon as a baby emerges from the womb, she trusts in her mother. A severely disabled patient trusts the compassionate nurse that attends him. Trust does not depend on intellect. The kind of trust we’re talking about is a spiritual thing, not just an intellectual thing. Remember that Jesus described saving faith as simply looking to him and thinking, “That’s my Savior” (John 3:14-15). A baby, a double PhD Philosophy professor, or a fourteen-year-old struggling to find his way through freshman year are all capable of relying on the goodness of God to save them.

If I’m saved apart from anything I can do to earn or deserve it, and the faith that I have in my heart didn’t get there by my decision or inviting it in, but is a gift from God, what kind of life am I supposed to live?

You will notice that Scripture answers this question very thoroughly, but if we forget what has been said previously, we’ll miss the point. Yes, God has plenty of things to say about the kind of people we should be, but remember that you are different now. Now you have been changed, taught by God himself to rely on him for all goodness, for love, for salvation, and for his strength – apart from anything you can do (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Scripture’s encouragements for how we should live can be summarized this way: “Live as the person you now are.” I wish we had more time to discuss this. For now, see Ephesians 4:1-6, Ephesians 5:1-10, Romans 8:1-17. There are many other passages, but those will be a great start. When Jesus sat with the tax collectors and sinners, he loved them despite their sinful failures. He showed his forgiveness, and then would have explained how to live in the light of that forgiveness (see the example of Zacchaeus in Luke 19:9-10).

We would love it if you joined us as this conversation continues in our Bible class at 9:00am every Sunday morning. We also would love to hear from you on this or any topic, so please get in touch with us!

God bless you with rest, knowing that your relationship with him is secure in Christ. May God give you guidance and courage to live out that relationship every day!

Pastor Mike Cherney

"WASH YOUR HANDS!" A Discussion of Sin and Grace

Fri, 17 Jan 2025 16:13:03 GMT

If you want to get to heaven, you need to wash your hands. If you think that last sentence sounds too ridiculous to be believed, you might be surprised by Matthew chapter 15. In Matthew 15:1-3, a religious group called the Pharisees criticize Jesus’ disciples for eating without washing their hands. This is a good practice for sanitary reasons, but it was more than that to them. The Pharisees had attached ceremonial, religious, even moral significance to simple actions like scrubbing between your digits.

To be fair, the Pharisees would agree that the opening sentence is ridiculous. They would say, “Hey, we’re not saying that washing your hands gets you into heaven! We’re just saying it’s really important for maintaining a morally and spiritually pure life before God.” Which raises the question: what’s the difference?

Jesus answers the Pharisees’ criticism with a deeper criticism. It’s not just ridiculous to think that keeping your hands clean is the same as keeping your soul clean. It’s completely backwards. Jesus reveals the ugly truth that “the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them” (Matthew 15:18-20). The problem of moral impurity cannot be solved with some hand soap, because it goes much deeper.

As the Word of God incarnate (John 1:1-14) Jesus echoed with authority the Bible’s teachings about sin. Passages like Psalm 51:3-6 reveal that from the first second we exist, we have this inward problem of impurity. Passages like Isaiah 64:5-9 show that this sin creates a dreadful separation between us and the God who created us and expects righteousness out of us. We might think that the real “sinners” of the world are those that do the big bad stuff, but Jesus revealed in Matthew 15:18-20 that every sin begins at the same place: with a corrupt heart. Because of the corruption of sin, we fall far short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). We don’t do the things we know we should (sometimes referred to as “sins of omission). We find ourselves doing the things we know we shouldn’t do (“sins of commission”) (James 4:17, James 2:10, Romans 7:15). Some people might appear to be more morally upright than others. Some may be more helpful to society while others are dangerous and commit horrible acts against other human beings, but as long as we’re talking about the righteous moral standard God requires, no one has met it (see Isaiah 64:6 again). Clearly, if it’s our task to live as perfectly moral people, we are unfit to the task.

Therefore, if we have any hope of a salvation, we need something much more powerful than handwashing. If we are going to find any possibility of release from the guilt of our sin, it’s going to have to come from somewhere other than us.

That’s the irony of Matthew chapter 15. The Pharisees badgered the disciples for not washing their hands. They were oversimplifying the solution to sin. Anyone who really faces the guilt of what they have done knows that resolving to be better on one’s own is hardly any comfort. The Pharisees were so committed to their program of self-righteousness that they missed who was standing right in front of them. It was Jesus, the Word incarnate, the Son of God in the flesh who rebuked them. Why was Jesus standing there, in the flesh, to begin with? Because as John 3:16 says, Jesus was sent to save us. Why? “Because God so loved the world.” Titus 3:3-7 reaffirms that, yes, we were in a very bad situation beforehand, but God saved us through the justifying work of Jesus Christ. Why? Because of his kindness and love. 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 states that God’s solution for our sin was not to just clean up the surface, but to take the corruption and dirt in our hearts and crucify it on the cross of Christ, while at the same time awarding us with the righteous perfection of that same Savior. God’s expectation of perfect moral purity? It’s done, completed. Not through you, but through Christ on your behalf. The punishment your sin deserves? It has been served by Christ already (Romans 8:1). Our Designer’s purpose for us to live as his righteously perfect people? It is accomplished by Christ. All because of God’s mercy; his love; his kindness; his decision, in alignment with his character, to unconditionally love sinners and desire to save them. That’s what we call “grace.”

But what does this mean for our lives now? Does it mean that we can do whatever we want, now that we’re forgiven? How do we calm our troubled consciences that continue to pester us about past wrongs? Do I get to take any credit for the good things I’m doing for the Lord?

For questions like these, please read passages like the ones mentioned in the study above. Also, consider joining us for Bible class on Sunday, January 19, 2025 at 9am for a discussion of how what we believe about salvation means for how we should act in our lives.

May the God of grace fill you with the assurance that your sins are indeed totally forgiven in Christ!

Pastor Mike Cherney

Acts 27-28

Fri, 03 Jan 2025 20:01:15 GMT

HOW TO USE: This blog is written to serve as the basis for discussion. Find a partner or group to read through it together! Take turns answering the questions and listening to each other’s answers. Comment, email, or share your insights from your discussion with us!

Here we are! This is our last Bible study post on the book of Acts. Luke finishes his account of the life of the early Christian church in the same way it began, by showing us how God’s gospel conquers all challenges and obstacles.

These last two chapters are an insightful portrait of the Apostle Paul. As you read Acts 27 and 28, see what you catch about Paul’s character, his faith, his leadership, and his commitment to gospel outreach.

More importantly, see what you catch about the commitment of Jesus himself to bring the message of salvation across borders, for the salvation of souls.

Read Acts 27

Take a closer look at verses 25 and 26. How does Paul demonstrate his faith that God controls the outcome?
The entire experience must have been absolutely harrowing for the 276 passengers on board. Yet, when it was all over, how would they think of Paul now?
Jesus does not promise to block every disaster from harming us like he uniquely did to Paul and his travel companions. However, what opportunities might you have to testify to what you believe by showing calm confidence in the Lord through troubling times?
Recall Acts 23:11. What was the purpose for preserving Paul’s life through this dangerous storm?

Read Acts 28:1-16

Compare the snake bite incident with Acts 14:11-19, when the Lycaonians mistook Paul and Barnabas for Zeus and Hermes. What do you make of the frequent encounters between the gospel and local superstitions? How have you seen that conflict play out in modern times?
Paul and his companions must have been relieved to set foot on dry ground after their terrifying journey! Yet the work of the gospel ministry continues. What themes from Acts are repeated here in Luke’s telling of Paul’s activity in this new area?

Read Acts 28:17-31

Paul wants to keep his modus operandi of speaking first with the Jewish leaders in the community. However, dude to the strict terms of his arrest, he is unable to visit the local synagogues. How does Paul demonstrate his flexibility and commitment to get the gospel message out there?
How does Paul show kindness to his opponents in the way he recounts his previous conflicts?
Paul reasons with his fellow Jews that “Moses and the Prophets” point to Jesus. This is another way of referring to what we call the “Old Testament.” How have you seen it emphasized that the Old Testament also centers on Christ at church (in worship, study, art, etc.)?
Paul is no longer able to be the street evangelist he once was. Instead, he adopts an approach that we might call “hospitality ministry.” Which method of sharing the gospel best fits your personality: going out and witnessing to new people, or welcoming them into your home? What are the benefits of both?
What does it mean to you to “proclaim the kingdom of God … with all boldness and without hindrance”?

Congratulations! You’ve studied the entire book of Acts with us! Please send us your takeaways from this wonderful account of the life of the early Chirstian church. What do you think the most important key theme is from this book that any modern Christian church must know?

God bless your meditation and discussion!

Pastor Mike Cherney

Acts 26

Fri, 20 Dec 2024 21:08:08 GMT

We are nearing the end of our time together in the book of Acts. Throughout this exciting account of the early life of the church, we’ve witnessed the rapid growth of the Christian community. We’ve seen how leaders adapt to change and address growing pains. We’ve witnessed important people like Peter and Paul assert the importance of believing the message about Jesus and living accordingly.

Now, as you read Acts 26, you’ll notice that all along, we were never far from the essential building blocks of the faith. As you read Paul’s testimony before King Agrippa, you’ll see that the essential message of Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection was always the driving force behind everything the Apostles accomplished.

This is an especially timely reminder right now, as we get ready to celebrate Christmas! May this devotion study motivate you to take what you hear in church on Christmas to heart as the theme of your whole life: that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners such as you and me (1 Timothy 1:15). And may God prepare you like he did Paul to testify to that truth before many people!

Read Acts 26

Once again, Paul asserts that Jesus’ resurrection from the dead was a real, historical fact, and as such is the foundation of all gospel preaching. (For more beautiful explanation of this important fact, see 1 Corinthians 15:12-58.)

Paul’s personal testimony include a few details that were left out of previous accounts of his conversion.

What does Paul mention about his past life that highlight the amazing quality of his story?
How does a Christian stay mindful of her/his story “before Christ” without recycling guilt over past sins?
When Paul asserted Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, it got him into trouble. How does Paul show that there is no room for differences of opinion about this central fact?
Since King Agrippa was familiar with Old Testament doctrine (to some degree), Paul begins to make it more personal to him in verse 27. How does this show Paul’s fearlessness in sharing the gospel?
When Paul does this, King Agrippa immediately resists (verse 28). Why do you think he reacted this way to Paul’s witness?

Take a look at the following passages. What echoes do you see repeated from Paul’s personal testimony in Acts 26?

Colossians 1:12-14
Ephesians 2:19-20
Ephesians 3:1-10
Galatians 1:15-16

Imagine a friend asks you to basically summarize what you believe the Bible to be about. Using what you read in this study (and/or your study of Acts thus far), what 3-5 points would you bring up to summarize the truth of the gospel?

At the time of this devotion’s being written, we are very close to our celebration of Christmas. How does Paul’s testimony about the gospel prepare you to celebrate the reason Christ was born?

God bless your meditation and discussion!

Pastor Mike Cherney

Acts 24-25

Fri, 13 Dec 2024 21:34:47 GMT

I believe that public speaking is not a skill that occurs naturally to anyone. You may see a niece or nephew parade around the house with a microphone and think, “They are going to be a star someday!” I have pastor friends who have caught their kids performing the service to an audience of stuffed animals. The desire to perform or speak in front of a crowd seems to come naturally to many, but the skills to do this well only come with practice and training. That’s my opinion, anyway.

In these next two chapters of Acts, we’ll follow Paul into a public speaking situation that would make any of us incredibly nervous. He has to plead his own case before the most powerful people in the known world. When you read, observe Paul’s cool and collected attitude, and think about how God has been preparing him for this moment through years of practice and training. Think about what gave Paul the confidence to stand before these powerful people and assert his innocence, and catch that same confidence for yourself – because the same God that prepared Paul for this moment is at work in your heart through the gospel!

Read Acts 24

· Since Roman rulers would not care about matters of interpretation of the Bible, Paul’s accusers have to paint him an enemy of the state and a dangerous man to the Roman empire. They carefully choose their words in order to deceive Felix into thinking they are the good guys and Paul and his followers are the bad guys. How do you observe this deception at work?

· Paul’s accusers never gave him the courtesy to hear him out, but instantly decided he was a threat and needed to be extinguished. Where do we see this type of “Us versus you” thinking still at play today? How can Christians fight this mentality when trying to reach the non-Christian community around them with the gospel?

· In what verses do you see Paul doing his best to bridge the gap and do away with the “me versus you” mentality?

· Paul declares that his goal is to keep a clear conscience before God and man (Acts 24:16). What is his motivation for doing so?

· While Paul clearly believed and taught that we are saved by God’s grace alone and not our own works (Ephesians 2:8-9), he refuses to take God’s grace as a license for acting poorly. How does Philippians 3:12-14 explain Paul’s perspective on the kind of character a saved-by-grace Christian will have?

· Paul had the opportunity to share this perspective with Felix and his wife Drusilla, but apparently hearing about living a life of good character while waiting for the resurrection was scary to them! What do you think they found so intimidating about this teaching?

Read Acts 25

Things were looking good under Felix. Paul probably thought that his case would be eventually dismissed and he could go on with his life. However, Felix procrastinated the case so long that it was transferred to Festus, who had a different attitude and demeanor.

· At first glance, it would appear that Paul is a hot potato passed between different rulers. None of them want to hang onto him for very long, because his case is so confusing to them. However, what might God have in mind for allowing this convoluted judicial process to continue this way? What comfort or encouragement might that give to those of us who wait for justice?

God bless your meditation and discussion!

- Pastor Mike Cherney

Acts 22-23

Fri, 06 Dec 2024 17:04:26 GMT

Proverbs 15:1 says, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” This verse slays me! To keep control of my temper can feel like it requires super-human strength. When other people fail or mistreat us, it feels far easier to dig back at them, doesn’t it? A passive-aggressive comment comes out of our mouths before we can even think. A critical or irritated expression covers our face, so that anyone paying attention can tell how frustrated we are. Sometimes, we’re ashamed to admit, we even think about violence as the right response to what has been done to us. God, forbid us from carrying that out!

Jesus doesn’t have a short temper (Isaiah 53:7). He came as our gentle Savior (Isaiah 53:9). Rather than respond to our anger with anger, he forgives us by his own willing sacrifice (Ephesians 2:13).That means that every time we act gently toward others, even our enemies, we are imitating our Savior (Ephesians 4:32).

As you read these two chapters from Acts, keep your eyes open for how Paul shows his faith in Christ by responding gently to his enemies’ aggression. Think about how you will want to imitate Paul’s example, who was imitating Christ’s example, this week.

Read Acts 22

This retelling of Paul’s conversion and call (Acts 22:1-21) neatly summarizes important truths we’ve been tracking in the book of Acts.

· How does Paul’s speech summarize not only his personal story, but the entire purpose of the gospel ministry?

Remember that the crowd was fired up at Paul because of his association with Gentiles (see Acts 21:28). When Paul finishes his speech, they come after him even more enraged (Acts 22:22-24).

· Even when people disagree on religious issues, violence is never an appropriate response. What do you think possessed these people to abuse Paul in this way? What do we have to guard our own hearts against so that we don’t fall to the same trap (Proverbs 4:23)?

It was illegal to flog a Roman citizen with the scourge (or “flagellum”), which was undoubtedly what they were going to do. The Jewish leaders had already crossed the line; if they went any further they’d be in danger of punishment from their Roman superiors. Paul’s would-be flogger had to bribe his way to get his citizenship, but Paul likely got his from his father’s side. Paul had to be taken before the Sanhedrin (the Jewish ruling council) to at least get a formal conviction before any more violence could occur.

· What strikes you about the way Paul handles this situation? How can we imitate Paul’s qualities when we feel mistreated?

Read Acts 23

The scene in Acts 23:1-11 is full of tension, not just between Paul and his accusers, but between the members of the ruling council themselves! Some believed in the resurrection from the dead (the Pharisees) and some strongly denied it (the Sadducees).

· What do you notice about the way Paul conducts himself? How does he show his humanity? How does he show his faith?

· Explain why Paul wasn’t just stirring conflict when he brought up the resurrection of the dead. Use 1 Corinthians 15:12 and 1 Corinthians 15:20-22 to help explain why this was worth mentioning at this time.

The tension builds in Acts 23:12-35, and will continue to build through the rest of Acts.

· FOR FURTHER READING: Compare what you’ve read from Acts 23 with Luke 22:47 to Luke 23:49. What are the similarities between what happens to Paul and Jesus? What are the major differences?

· Even though God’s name and activity are not directly mentioned here very often, how can we see the protective hand of God over the Apostle Paul throughout these events?

· For what purpose was God protecting Paul?

· Through what means did God protect Paul?

In summary,

· What did this lesson show you about how the Christian should respond to injustice and mistreatment? (See 1 Peter 3:8-12)

· What did this lesson show you about keeping a clear conscience before our abusers, yet remembering where our cleansing of conscience come from? (See Philippians 3:7-14)

· What comfort or encouragement would you give to someone who is currently suffering injustice or mistreatment?

Acts 21

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 23:55:10 GMT

For starters, take a moment to think or talk about your favorite team of heroes. From the Ninja Turtles to Sailor Moon, or the Magnificent Seven, teams of heroes get things done. You likely serve or have served on some sort of team yourself, at work or in your family. So, you’ve noticed that real-world teamwork is a lot more complicated than just using your weapon-of-choice to join in on a big brawl against the enemy. Real teamwork requires communication, forgiveness, and understanding. Real teamwork involves real human beings.

As you read Acts 21, notice how far Paul is willing to go to show that he’s a “team player.” Contrast that with what other teams ask of you, how some teams demand your allegiance yet are unworthy of it, and how other teams fail to properly trust its members and therefore are unsuccessful. When you read Acts 21, you’ll begin to track a series of events through the rest of Acts that prove that teamwork in the Gospel is always effective, and is always worth being a “team player.”

Read Acts 21:1-16.

Notice how hard it was for the believers to say goodbye to the Apostle Paul. How does this testify to the strength of the relationship Paul had with the people he served?
Notice that none of the prophets were trying to dissuade Paul from his journey. They were simply illuminating what would happen when he got to Jerusalem. When Paul’s horrified friends realize that there’s no convincing him to stay, they simply pray, “The Lord’s will be done.” It’s one thing to entrust our selves to the Lord’s will with whatever suffering he may have in store for us. It can be even harder to pray “Thy will be done” when it comes to what our loved ones have to go through.
What encouragement does this section give you to keep on praying “Thy will be done” no matter the circumstances?
How does this sections prove that praying for our brothers and sisters’ wellbeing is never separate from taking care of their physical and emotional needs?

Read Acts 21:17-26

The controversial intermingling of Jewish and Gentile Christians was still a hot topic, and Paul found himself in the crosshairs. The Jerusalem Christians were doing their best to manage this controversy, and Paul had the opportunity to help them out. If he could be seen assisting these four men fulfill their purification rites (not for theological reasons, but for reasons of practice and sensitivity) then any accusation that Paul no longer cared for Jewish traditions and culture would be squashed wholesale.
What reasons could Paul have to refuse performing this act of service? Why do you think he was so willing to go through with it?
How does Paul continue to show his gospel attitude in his willingness to be a team player?
In what way was this a “team” worth “playing” for?
What guidance does this account give for the kinds of demands a church should make on its members? What kind of “team playing” should a modern church expect of its members? Of its leaders?

Read Acts 21:27-40

It was a public offense to bring Gentiles into the innermost court of Herod’s temple, but an offense Paul had not committed. This was all a misunderstanding made worse because of the heightened tension between Jews and Gentiles, and the slander against Paul that was already common. You can tell that this was an emotionally-charged environment by how quick some are to rush to this riot, and how accustomed they are to uprisings and revolutions (see verse 38). The prophecy about what Paul would go through had come true.
How can you tell that even if Paul knew this would happen, he would not have done anything differently?
Even when we do our level best to be team players for the gospel, what do we need to be prepared for?
Notice how calm and polite Paul’s speech seems to be, even as he is likely bruised and bleeding as he speaks. What encouragements should we take from this?

God bless your meditation and discussion!

Pastor Mike Cherney

Acts 20

Mon, 18 Nov 2024 17:58:27 GMT

I am thankful that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will not be able to take my job. ChatGPT can write a sermon or bible study in seconds. Some forms of AI can even make phone calls. It can organize a calendar. It might even be able to plan a year of worship services. But I am not worried that AI will take my job. Being a pastor requires one thing that cannot be achieved artificially: relationships.

You may be a pastor or not. You may be curious or terrified about how AI will impact your profession. But you have something that makes you irreplaceable: you have the gospel message of Jesus Christ. This gospel powerfully creates relationships based on peace, forgiveness, salvation, and unconditional love. It is a message God wants all humans to hear, and he uses humans to do it. AI can perform nuts-and-bolts ministry-related tasks, but it will never be able to replace your ability to speak the living gospel to someone’s heart through your relationship with them.

As you read Acts 20, notice all the ways that gospel-relationships uplifted the hardworking Apostle Paul and his ministry team. Notice how “human” these Christians are, and how the love of Jesus formed them as the “body of Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:12-26) in wonderful relationships. Notice also the practical ways the church designed to ensure that those relationships would continue to be nurtured with the gospel.

Read Acts 20:1-12. After the uproar in Ephesus, it was time to go. Luke can give a detailed account of the travel log, because he was present for much of it (follow the “we” passages such as Acts 21:6 for clues about which events Luke played eye-witness to!).

When the group arrived at Troas, they “broke bread.” Based on what we’ve read in Acts so far, what is involved with this simple phrase? (see Acts 2:42-47 as well)

What was the longest conversation you’ve ever had? What was it about (if you’re comfortable sharing)? Why do you think these people were willing to hear Paul talk “on and on” (verse 9) through the night? What do you suppose the conversation was about?

Was the “revival” of Eutychus natural or miraculous? Either way, what is the point of including in this narrative?

Read Acts 20:13-38. Even though his travel schedule is absurdly busy, Paul arranges a meetup with the Ephesian elders. What he had to say to them was urgent and absolutely crucial for their continued leadership. Almost every word of his address applies to modern leaders in the church as well.

In verses 18-21, what is the right job description of a good church leader? Which parts are easiest to overlook or miss?

In verses 22-27, what is the attitude leaders should have while they execute their task? How does this apply to all Christians as well?

In verses 28-31, Paul frames the church leader’s task in terms of a shepherd taking care of sheep. In many ways, this is the perfect metaphor for the task (hence why public ministers are called “pastors,” which means “shepherds”). Take a look at the following metaphors people may use to describe church leadership or the public ministry. In what ways are they accurate? In what ways do they fall short, or can be misleading?

A pastor is a CEO; his church is his company

A pastor is a father; his congregation are his children

A pastor is a Drill Sargent; his congregation are soldiers in training

Others?

Finally, verses 32-38 show us how powerfully the gospel unites us. Examine these statements thinking about what you read. Do you agree or disagree? Why or why not?

“You should put your faith in God, not in human beings.”

“You should find a church that has a likeable pastor.”

“Church is where you go to get your faith fed. If you form relationships with other people there, that’s just a bonus.”

God bless your meditation and discussion!

Pastor Mike Cherney

Acts 19

Sat, 16 Nov 2024 18:30:05 GMT

Discuss or meditate on this thought: What does it mean to be “teachable”? Are there some situations in which it is more beneficial to be teachable than others? Is “teachability” ever a bad thing? What personal traits are required to be truly “teachable”?

In this chapter of Acts, you’re going to get a lot of examples of people who are teachable and people who are not. The fact is, none of us know everything – not even about the Bible. But we dare not use that as an excuse not to grow. Follow along with Acts 19. As you do, think about what it means to be a teachable Christian, what you stand to gain when you are, and what you stand to lose out on when you aren’t. Enjoy!

Read Acts 19:1-12. Paul encounters some people who are confused and who need help. We’re not positive how they received their Bible instruction, but it was incomplete. Sure, the baptism John the Baptist did was important, but even he taught that it was nothing compared to the baptism inaugurated by Jesus (see Mark 1:4-8). Once they are brought up to speed, God the Holy Spirit showed his approval in a way that is typical of the early life of the church, as you’ve noticed by now in your study of Acts.

This section may be one of the best cases to point to whenever someone says, “It doesn’t matter what doctrines someone holds to, as long as they are sincere in their relationship with Christ.” How so?
This section may also be great to respond to the notion, “I love Jesus and I want others to know Jesus, too. I just feel uncomfortable telling people what to do or believe.” What are your thoughts? Did Paul tell them what to believe? Is that what we’re doing when we witness to others?
How did Paul distinguish between confused Christians and opponents to the faith? How do we tell when someone is simply struggling to walk with Christ and his people, and when they are “obstinate”?

Read Acts 19:13-22. Although not everyone believed in the Jesus Paul preached, they couldn’t doubt that there was real power in Jesus’ name.

Some people tried to exorcise demons in Jesus’ name, but failed. What was missing from their efforts that would have made them more successful?
James 2:19 tells us that even the demons know who Jesus is, and Luke 8:28 shows that demons fear Jesus’ power. Yet, as spiritually evil forces, they will never be able to acknowledge or glorify Jesus for his saving love. They will always hate and fear it. Therefore, what advantage do you have over demons? In other words, how do you make sure you know Jesus better than the demons do?

Read Acts 19:23-41. This section gives us a clue into the economic and religious life in Ephesus, a place where statues of gods and goddesses were popular, as was the deeply-seated beliefs in powerful spiritual forces. Folks like Demetrius could make a killing selling religious paraphernalia that would make people feel protected from dark forces, or like they were on the gods’ good sides. For Paul’s full response to these ideas, read the letter he wrote to the church in Ephesus (the New Testament book of Ephesians).

Does any of this sound familiar? Can you think of religious enterprises that seem to profit off of people’s fear of darkness, or their desire to ensure they’re on God’s good side?
Name all the ways in which Paul’s preaching of only one true God would be counter-cultural in a place like Ephesus.
Paul was not happy that his teachings caused wide-spread controversy. He even tried to reason with the rioters! The city clerk had to intervene before this civil unrest got out of hand, as it would result in consequences for everyone from the Roman authorities. Reflect on the events of this whole chapter and discuss or meditate on the Christian’s role during times of civil unrest – even when that unrest is caused by faithful gospel witness. What can we apply from Paul’s example?

God bless your meditation and discussion!

Pastor Mike Cherney

Acts 18

Mon, 04 Nov 2024 22:38:46 GMT

You hand in an assignment. Once it’s graded, you get a stern talking-to for not following instructions. The thing is, there were no instructions. You are sent on a work order. The customer complains because it wasn’t done to their satisfaction. The problem is, they never made their preferences clear when the order was submitted. You get broken up with because you didn’t respond to your significant other’s big news in the appropriate way. The problem is, you didn’t realize it was big news from the way they were revealing it to you. Sometimes we can’t catch a break. Sometimes we make honest mistakes. Sometimes we could really use a little grace, a little patience; someone to meet us where we’re at.

When we are confident in our actions, we don’t like our motivation to be questioned. But when we make mistakes or seem to be out of the loop, then we would love for someone to read our intentions and notice where our heart is at.

In Acts 18 we see Paul’s tremendous skill in reading people’s hearts. More than that, we see how vital it is to a congregation’s life not to punish people for being out of the loop or make mistakes, but to gently and lovingly bring them along, with kind, compassionate --- even forgiving -- instruction.

Read Acts 18:1-17

Paul reads the hearts of his opponents in the Corinthian synagogue, and performs the most obvious display of disapproval he could – shaking the dust off his cloak. Compare this action to what Jesus says in Matthew 10:14.

How can you tell this was not just Paul losing his temper? What must he have already gone through to reach the point of “giving up”?
In Matthew 18:15-20, Jesus gives us instructions on how to deal with stubborn clinging to sin among fellow Christians. In what ways are we permitted – even commanded – to read intentions? Where is the line at which it becomes inappropriate or gossipy?
By the end of the section, Paul sees that Jesus’ special encouraging promise came true. Talk about a time when you were tested, but you witnessed a comforting promise in God’s Word hold true for you.

Read Acts 18:18-28

Don’t fall to the temptation to gloss over Paul’s travel itinerary. Notice how Luke (the author of Acts) describes what Paul is doing in each area he travels too. What do you find significant about the word choice?
In the cases of Priscilla, Aquila, and Apollos, we see that Christianity was spreading rapidly around the Roman Empire – so much so that people Paul hadn’t met before we being drawn into the faith. Yet, as is often the case, new converts didn’t always understand every article of the faith right away. Apollos was stuck thinking that John the Baptist’s baptism was the most important, even though it had served its purpose already, and Christ-instituted baptism was now the norm in Christianity (see Matthew 28:16-20). Notice how Priscilla and Aquila, and later the church leaders address Apollos’ confusion:
They DON’T accept Apollos’ position as a difference of opinion
They DON’T punish or ridicule Apollos for his misunderstanding
They DO seek to teach him and advance his knowledge of the faith
They DO this privately in the warmth and comfort of their home

Knowing that each new Christian will have some level of misunderstanding, how must a congregation imitate this practice described in Acts 18?

God bless your meditation and discussion!

Pastor Mike Cherney

Acts 17

Mon, 04 Nov 2024 21:48:03 GMT

Your four-year-old’s voice pipes up from the backseat of your car. Time slows down as you hear those infamous words uttered in such a small and sweet voice. You’ve joked about this moment before, but now it’s happening to you. You would give anything to get out of this conversation, but you can’t. You’re stuck in the car with your kid who has just asked you, “Where do babies come from?” What do you do?

You know what not to do. You know what you could say, but shouldn’t. You have known the answer to the question ever since you took your first biology class in high school. Ignorance is not what stresses you out; rather, how to frame your answer in an appropriate way that will satisfy your child’s curiosity, but save the troubling details for a later date.

It’s hard to meet people where they’re at. Whether you’re answering your child’s complicated questions, or you’re trying to explain a concept to someone who barely speaks your language, you leave the conversation mentally exhausted or even frustrated.

Therefore, when you read Acts 17, notice Paul’s tremendous ability to meet people where they’re at and speak to them on their level. Put yourself in his shoes, and imagine the effort he’s expending in this chapter to talk to people in terms they might understand. Then, imagine yourself going and doing the same thing, not in answer to awkward questions, but to the most joyful and important question, “So, what has Jesus done for me?”

Read Acts 17

Standing before a congregation of Jewish folks in Thessalonica, Paul connects the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah with their fulfillment in Christ. Standing before the Athenian elites, the foremost intellectuals of that part of the world in that time, he can’t start with the Old Testament, but instead finds common ground in the philosophies popular at the time. From there, Paul ventures to explain the significance of Jesus’ work.

How do Paul’s methods explain what he means by “I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22b)?
Why do the Berean Jews get kudos for “fact-checking” Paul’s teaching? What about their process of “fact-checking” is the most worthy of imitation?
To what degree is it appropriate to “second-guess” your spiritual leaders (pastors, teachers, etc.)?
Paul was educated in the Hebrew Scriptures, and probably philosophy as well. Not all of us have access to high quality education, though. Brainstorm the ways we can learn about the thoughts and experiences of the people in our communities. What are your favorites? How can you use what you learn about how people think to do what Paul did: venture to explain the significance of Christ in words they’ll appreciate?
From a business point of view, getting a few converts after his big speech in Athens might not have been worth the trouble and the ridicule. However, from a Kingdom point of view, the results were outstanding. Explain how this can be true.
How far should a church be willing to go to meet people where they’re at? Is there a point at which a church can err by doing this too much? Where is that point? On the other hand, what dangers befall a church that isn’t willing to us “all possible means” in order to “save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22b again)?

God bless your meditation and discussion!

Pastor Mike Cherney

Acts 16

Mon, 04 Nov 2024 21:35:31 GMT

I feel very focused right now. I have eaten my breakfast and drunk my coffee. My kids are occupied in the next room. My wife is contentedly working on her own project in her office. I have devoted the present moment to writing, and I feel determined to get it done.

Yet my noble attitude is suddenly tainted with irony when I realize how many times I have checked my phone (always conveniently at my side) in the past five minutes. My dogs are playing happily, but with loud grunts and huffs. My own mind betrays my efforts by calling to attention the other tasks I know I need to take care of today.

I know for a fact that I am not alone in this experience. We could bemoan the distractions available in modern America that make productivity an uphill battle. But we don’t even need to go that far. We are our own worst enemies in this fight to be productive. We can distract ourselves with just our own brains, thank you very much.

Imagine how hard it must have been for Paul and his companions to do mission work. There was no selling manual of Christian ministry yet (other than the Old Testament); they were very literally writing it themselves. At each new city, it was unclear if they would be met with warm embraces or the hurling of sharp rocks. In such a volatile setting for mission work, how in the world do they stay focused on their task?

The same way we navigate the mission work Jesus has called each of us to as we minister to our customers, students, coworkers, soldiers, and families. We remain tethered to God’s guidance. We fight distraction by listening to the words of our loving Savior. We enjoy his loving forgiveness that covers over our weakness to always stay the course. And we follow his noble, sacrificial, loving lead.

As you read Acts 16, notice how much good Christians are able to do when they refuse distraction and simply notice where they are, who needs help, and follow Christ’s lead in how to help them.

Read Acts 16

More important than the Holy Spirit’s method of communication (whether by direct prophecy or vision, we aren’t told) is the fact that Paul and his companions submitted their plans and designs to God’s guidance. In every age, the Holy Spirit does promise to speak his direction through the inspired Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Tell of a time when God’s Word guided you to change your plans.
How does a church remain open to God’s direction as it designs strategies of ministry?
How do we as individuals or as congregations submit our plans to the Lord’s greater plan? (James 4:14-15)

Luke records three remarkable conversion stories from Philippi: the wealthy and generous Lydia, the suffering and oppressed demon-possessed girl, and the burly retired soldier, the jailor.

What similarities do these conversion stories do you notice? What differences distinguish them from each other?
What of Paul’s strengths must we mimic in our own mission work?

As citizens, Paul and Silas enjoyed legal protections against the kind of public humiliation they were subjected to. It’s unclear why they reveal their citizenship after their release. Maybe Paul tried to relay this information before, but his voice was drowned out by the clamor of his accusers. Maybe the events of Acts 16 happened so quickly that he had no chance to state his citizenship.

Even after their public humiliation, their cheerful voices in prayer (which almost certainly was always out loud in the New Testament) and singing hymns echoed in the halls of that dark prison. The content of what they believed that they prayed and sang softened the hearts of their fellow prisoners and the jailor himself (he clearly figured that these men knew something about salvation!).

What could have gone wrong if Paul and Silas decided to sulk or bewail their misfortune instead of show this public joy?
What applications do you make about the way Christians should behave in the midst of mistreatment and suffering?
Every worship service for which we gather at Trinity essentially seeks to accomplish the same goal as Paul and Silas in prison. How so?

God bless your meditation and discussion!

Pastor Mike Cherney

Acts 15

Mon, 04 Nov 2024 21:27:31 GMT

When someone wants to join a church, what should they have to do? Does it seem inappropriate to require anything from people who just want to participate in the church’s ministry? Isn’t the gospel for everyone, and couldn’t making new members jump through hoops prevent people from hearing it?

To be sure, the message of salvation through Jesus is one everyone needs to hear. Therefore, we must share it with everyone. However, we don’t want to info-dump about Jesus without sticking around for the inevitable follow-up question, “So, now what?”

The Gospel of Luke shared the importance of the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. The book of Acts, Luke’s second work, is a worth answer to the “So, now what?” question. Throughout the events of Acts, we have seen that the gospel is the Holy Spirit’s tool to change hearts (Romans 1:16,17). And we have also observed that where that gospel is preached and believed, communities form. The gospel creates relationships. “Churches” spring up in their proper sense (“church” in the New Testament means “gathering” or “congregation”). But when those churches form, the question, “So, now what?” resurrects. What do we do when we gather? How do we minister to people who are now coming to Christ, leaving behind various religious beliefs and practices? How should we conduct ourselves so as to fully enjoy the fellowship of being one in Christ?

A church’s requirements for membership should never be an attempt to withhold the gospel from anyone. Instead, they will be the conscientious and Scripture-led answer to the question, “We all believe the gospel of Jesus. We want to enjoy the fellowship with each other that the gospel creates. So, now what?”

Read Acts 15 to see the budding Christian Church work through their first major issue of what it means to belong to Christ and to belong to each other.

What was the issue that kicked off this controversy?
How did Peter reveal what was at the heart of this issue?
James (the half-brother of Jesus) was recognized as a prominent leader in the congregation at Jerusalem, not because of his family relationship to Christ, but because of his character. How does he show his gifts as a Scripture-led leader of the church?
How do Peter, James, and the leaders show their reliance on God’s Word to guide them through issues that arise in the church?
How do Peter, James, and the leaders show concern for the diversity of the church?
How do Peter, James, and the leaders show their understanding that they are supposed to be conduits of God’s grace?
Why was it wise to draft a letter?
Of the things new Gentile believers are supposed to avoid, “food sacrificed to idols,” eating food with blood still in it, and meat of strangled animals were all Old Testament Levitical laws (Leviticus 18:16-18) that found their fulfillment in the work of Jesus (Colossians 2:16-17). However, the Jewish Christians would have been so engrained in these dietary practices that they would still consider eating these things disgusting. Even though nothing is wrong with eating these types of meats, why is it wise to still ask that they not be served at church pot lucks? How does this show the concern for fellowship and cohesion?
On the other hand, they mention that Gentile should abstain from sexual immorality (sex outside of marriage). This is not a matter of conscience, but is God’s clear plan for human sexuality. Yet, the Gentile Christians were so engrained by their hypersexualized culture that the reminder was absolutely necessary,
What things does the church have the right to advise against, even though they may not be sinful in themselves? Is there a line that churches may cross in meddling too much in non-Scriptural areas of its members lives? If so, where is that line?
If new members don’t fully understand God’s will for their lives and the sins they should avoid, how should the church go about helping them grow in that understanding? Is there a right way and a wrong way to do this? If so, what are they?
What is the blessing of working through these tough conversations together? How must we imitate the leaders in Acts 15 as we do?

God bless your meditation and discussion!

Pastor Mike Cherney

Acts 14

Thu, 31 Oct 2024 13:48:09 GMT

Salespeople are not always liars, but sometimes they are. Sometimes, a care salesman will exaggerate how useful the features of the new Ford will actually be to you. He might also skip over negative aspects that would dissuade you from buying it – like the fact that the previous owner never changed the oil, or that the speedometer is broken.

But even good, honest salespeople know to highlight the positives of their products. Who would buy a knife set from a person that says, “These knives get dull within a week. There are too many; you will only really use two out of the set of thirty. Honestly, I don’t even know why you would buy this”?

If we were trying to “sell you” Christianity, this chapter is not going to do it. You’re about to see the most gifted and positive Apostles in the early church be brutally mistreated for simply being positive and gifted Apostles! But in the book of Acts, you have already seen the beauty of the gospel and the community it creates. Nobody needs to oversell the benefits of knowing where forgiveness of sins and eternal life come from. Quite the contrary, the beauty of the gospel speaks for itself so well that Paul and Barnabas were willing to be treated as less than human simply for believing it and sharing it with others. They felt that it was worth any suffering or negative outcome. How about you? Examine your own heart as you read Acts 14, and find encouragement in your own struggle to accept hardship for the sake of the beautiful gospel.

Read Acts 14:1-7

How does this section show that the teaching that Paul and Barnabas did was more important than the miracles and healings?
Although they were only done in service to the gospel preaching, what purpose did the miracles serve?
What does “speaking boldly for the Lord” look like in our churches? What does it look like in our relationships?

Read Acts 14:8-20

When Paul saw that the crippled gentleman “had faith to be healed,” it seems that Paul somehow concluded that this healing would be understood properly as connected to the preaching of the gospel. And it was, even if only for a select few.

The crowd that witnessed this miracle were used to stories of mythical gods like Zeus and Hermes appearing in various forms. There were even a few stories of humble people welcoming strangers into their home for dinner, only to find out later that they were these Greek gods themselves! The reason that Paul and Barnabas took a few minutes to understand what was happening was because they were not familiar with the language of this Gentile (Non-Jewish) area.

Do you think it would be tempting for Paul and Barnabas to sit back and enjoy all the positive attention? Why or why not?

In their preaching, Paul and Barnabas do not attempt to prove that Jesus is the Messiah promised by the Old Testament. Instead, where do they begin? What do you supposed to be the reason for the different tactic?

In a few short years, Paul had gone from a man who approved the stoning of Christians (Acts 7:54-60) to suffering this brutal execution method himself! Talk about how the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ is the only reason for this drastic life change.

Read Acts 14:21-28

The strong fellowship we have been reading about in Acts is expressed in many ways – sometimes in communal meals, joyful worship, and fervent group prayers; other times in joint sorrow and shock at the sufferings endured by early church leaders.

How do the Apostles’ words eliminate any hope that faith in God will lead to a lucrative life?
How would the Apostles’ words encourage these Christians, who also likely suffered for the gospel?
How do the Apostles’ words encourage you in your upcoming week?

God bless your meditation and discussion!

-Pastor Mike Cherney

Acts 13

Thu, 31 Oct 2024 13:42:41 GMT

The gospel is unstoppable. That was what you read about in Acts 12. Human beings won’t overcome the message of Christ’s forgiveness, and that even the worst human tyrant can’t stop God from changing hearts and creating gospel joy. Does this mean that the church can just sit back and watch God bring people through the doors? Does the fact that God loves and provides for people mean that the church can ignore the needs of others? Of course not.

As you read Acts 13, be encouraged by the power of God’s Word to bring people the joy of the gospel as it has for you. Be empowered to be witnesses of the forgiveness of sins to the people in your life!

Read Acts 12:25-13:3

Last time, we read about Herod’s attempts to stop the gospel from spreading. Now, we see those attempts were futile.

What reminders do we get in this section about who is in charge of the gospel ministry?

What do you notice about the way ministers are chosen in this section? What’s different about that and the way our churches get pastors today? What is the same?

Read Acts 13:4-12

The way that Elymas opposed the message of Paul and Barnabas is not spelled out in great detail, but in any case, it was a very unwelcome distraction to their witness.

While Paul’s reaction may seem unnecessarily sharp, it was necessary for the sake of the Proconsul. In what other situations do we need to cut away distractions so that we can witness the gospel clearly? What is at stake if we don’t?

Read Acts 13:13-52

Reading these verses help you see how the “sermon” in the Christian church took shape. In the preaching of Peter and Stephen, we observed these great Apostles base their message on Old Testament history, and show how it is fulfilled in Christ. Their messages concluded with application to their relationship with God.

A preacher should take note of the format of these messages. What are the most essential parts of a good sermon?

Although the message was met with mixed results, the missionary team didn’t give up on this mission field. They shook the dust off their feet, as a warning against those that reject their message (compare with Luke 9:5). But later on they return, apparently to follow up with the new converts (Acts 14:24). If a church is going to be effective at reaching people, whether those people accept the message or not, how should it follow through with its work?

God bless your meditation and discussion!

-Pastor Mike Cherney

Acts 12:1-24

Sat, 14 Sep 2024 00:41:48 GMT

What makes Christian music, movies, or books “Christian”? Is it that they mention theology, or God’s name? Is it that they reference Bible verses?

Every movie, every song, every book reflects a perspective on life and spirituality, whether the author realizes it or not. Maybe during our study of Acts you have noticed that God is only referred to directly here and there. At first glance, the focus appears more to be on the human beings working in the church. Don’t be so easily fooled. Instead, notice in Acts chapter 12 the Bible’s teachings that underpin everything that happens: Specifically, eternal salvation, bearing the cross for Christ’s sake, and the futility of earthly leaders’ pride and conceit. Watch as God’s truth is “proved right” as He works beneath these world events, and trust that he will continue to do the same now and always.

Read Acts 12:1-19

The death of the Apostle James is treated with one quick sentence. Peter’s miraculous prison break gets nineteen verses. Yet, both are accounts of God’s rescue. As James’ brother John wrote later on, “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on” (Revelation 14:13). James’ own ears had heard Jesus say, “The one who believes in me will live, even though they die” (John 11:16). Note: the James mentioned in Acts 12:17 is not the same that was martyred, but rather the human brother of Jesus and the leader of the Christian church in Jerusalem.

In what ways did both James and Peter experience God’s rescuing power?
If God promised to keep believers from suffering and give them long earthly lives, then he would have failed both James and Peter. Yet, God’s promise of eternal life is much greater. God is interested in much more than blessing your temporal life. He is playing for keeps; for eternity. How do the “rescues” of James and Peter both demonstrate this?
The reaction of Rhoda to Peter’s rescue mimics the disciples’ reaction to Jesus’ resurrection appearances (John 20:19-29). Peter’s rescue was not a recognition of his worthiness of God’s favor, but more of a demonstration that God had more ministry to accomplish through him. What other evidence could the disciples recall from the events of Acts to reinforce their belief that God is a rescuing God?

Read Acts 12:20-24

Once again in Acts, an earthly event is viewed through a spiritual lens. A doctor could have pronounced Herod’s cause of death as heart failure, an aneurism, or some other sudden life-taking event. Herod most likely did not live a healthy lifestyle by today’s standards. Yet Luke (the author of Acts) refuses to view his death as a purely medical or accidental event.

This chapter has been a lesson in the fact that all our times are in God’s hands, whether believers or unbelievers – faithful witnesses, or vicious tyrants. How does this encourage you about your time of service on earth? How does this comfort you when you witness tyranny, injustice, and cruelty? What does this make you want to ask God for in your prayers?

God bless your meditation and discussion!

-Pastor Mike Cherney

Acts 10 +11

Thu, 29 Aug 2024 16:49:58 GMT

What does it mean to be a “Christian”? Since Christ’s name is right there in it, it must mean to be associated with him somehow. But how? So far in the book of Acts, you have read a ton of solid, Christian preaching and teaching about how Jesus is the fulfillment of Old Testament hope and expectation, and ushers in a New Testament era of joy and peace through the gospel. You’ve seen how the message of Christ was life-changing for Paul; how for Stephen it was worth dying for. But in these chapters, you will observe how the message of Christ’s love and salvation challenges our assumptions in amazing ways. God’s unconditional love demands that we as his church reflect his nature in the way we reach outsiders.

Read Acts 10:1-23

The gospel had reached Caesarea through the preaching of Philip (see Acts 8:40), even converting a member of the Roman army! Notice that Cornelius is called a devout and God-fearing man before his good works are mentioned. He believed in God for salvation and showed his faith through generosity and an active prayer life. When God speaks to Cornelius, he first congratulates him for the fruitful works his faith has brought forth, comparing them to the rising aroma of an Old Testament sacrifice (“Memorial offering”).

What encouragement do you take from knowing that God sees your efforts to live for him and is pleased?

Read Acts 10:24-48

The Jewish people were taught to observe strict dietary laws (see Leviticus 11) to show their separateness from other nations and cultures. This was a pointed illustration of the purity and separateness that would come from belonging to Christ. But since Christ had already come, the dietary laws had served their purpose. Jesus declared all foods “clean” in Matthew 7:17-19.

The Jewish community may have falsely understood the Old Testament to teach that God’s love was only for one nation – Israel. What realizations did Peter have regarding who can benefit from salvation through the work of Christ?

Read Acts 11

Immediately, Peter is called to account for his interaction with Cornelius. The divide between Jew and Gentile was still very strong. It took hard work and a lot of growth for the Christian church to put the universal love of Jesus into practice. For a great example, read the book of Galatians to see Paul desperately try to heal this divide. Yet it was the fact that the Holy Spirit had filled the Gentiles’ hearts faith in Jesus as their Savior that removed any doubt that they were also saved by God’s grace.

What kind of damage can be dealt if a church is more concerned with their own culture and traditions than with what God teaches in his Word? How does a church avoid that danger?
From your study of the book of Acts, what does it mean to be a “Christian”?
Discuss how important it is not to just wear the name “Christian,” but to show what that means.
Once again, God sought after one “lost sheep” named Cornelius (see Jesus’ parable in Luke 15:1-7). While the church is growing by the thousands, why is it important to see the Apostles’ ministry to individuals? How does that teach us to think about church work?

God bless your meditation and discussion!

Pastor Mike Cherney

Acts 9

Fri, 23 Aug 2024 17:19:26 GMT

Shame is like a hallucinogenic drug. It gets into your brain and warps your reality, convincing you that you are unlovable, and that God will never forgive you. It tells you that you must hide your guilt or hide yourself. If shame got free-rein, we would hate the way Christ and his Word expose our guilt when it talks about sin.

I hope that when you read Acts 9 you notice how Jesus breaks through shame to bring love, forgiveness, and purpose. Only a love like that of Jesus can say to Saul/Paul, or you, or me, “I know what you’ve done, but I love you and forgive you, and I want you in my gospel kingdom.”

Read Acts 9:1-9

Saul’s plan was cruel, but to him it seemed necessary. He left with the full support of his religious leaders. They all wanted to stamp out what they saw to be a heretical cult called “The Way” (probably meaning “the way of salvation,” see John 14:6). However, Saul’s plans are forced to change when Jesus himself confronts him on the way.

· Jesus says that he is the one Saul (hereafter referred to as Paul) is persecuting. Every bit of pain Paul caused was felt personally by Christ himself. How will remembering that Jesus identifies with your pain give you strength in the coming week?

· It took a personal confrontation with Jesus to change Paul’s life entirely. Talk about (or think about) the first time you heard and believed that Jesus is your Savior. Say a prayer of thanks to God that he met you “on your way” like Paul, and changed your life!

Read Acts 9:10-19

· How does Jesus show his “master plan” for Paul? How is that in line with the events of Acts?

· What can we commend about Ananias’ response to Christ’s commands?

· Imagine the vulnerable position Paul was in! Now that he realized how terrible his persecution of Christians was, he’s having a crisis of identity, guilt, and shame! How would Ananias’ companionship for that period of several days have helped him find his footing in his newfound faith relationship with Christ and his church? Thinking on that, what should a church be ready to do for new converts?

Read Acts 9:20-31

· How does Paul show that he was the perfect “man for the job” of being a missionary in Christ’s church?

· Jesus had said that Paul must suffer for the sake of the gospel. It didn’t take long for that to come true. Yet how does Paul react to his suffering?

· The disciples had mixed reactions to their newfound brother Paul. Yet how did some show that they wholeheartedly accepted him? How will you show new converts or guests at your church that you love and accept them, no matter their past?

Read Acts 9:32-35-43

Compare this reading to Jesus’ miracles in Mark 2:1-12 and Mark 5:38-43. Once again, through the leadership of Peter, Jesus shows that his power and presence continue in the life of the church.

· Notice how Luke is careful to include individual’s names and, when able, their occupations. How does this reinforce the overall notion in Acts that the “church” consists of flesh-and-blood human beings?

God bless your discussion and meditation!

Pastor Mike Cherney

Acts 8

Sat, 17 Aug 2024 00:06:16 GMT

“Well. That was good while it lasted.” A teenager says this about a cheeseburger you ate too fast. Parents say this about the quiet time they had while their kids stayed in their beds. The early church could have said this as soon as they learned of Stephen’s brutal murder (which you read about in Acts 6 and 7). As Acts 8 begins, it seems as though the good times are over. Has the joy of the gospel been defeated? A good man was murdered for his testimony to the love of Christ. People deeply mourned for him (Acts 8:2). A new wave of persecution against the church broke out.

However, the message of peace and forgiveness through the gospel broke out just as fiercely. There was a man who at first took the driver’s seat in this persecution campaign against believers in Christ. His name was Saul (which was his Jewish name. His Hellenistic name was Paul). Based on his own conversion to Christ and observation of how God spreads his Word, that same Saul / Paul would later write “God’s Word is not chained.” (2 Timothy 2:9)

As you read Acts 8, observe the ways God spreads his Word even in times of grief, pain, and persecution.

Read Acts 8:1-8

“Saul began to destroy the church,” is an ironic statement. On the one hand, he was causing real, bodily harm to Christian families. On the other hand, there was nothing Saul could do to stop the Lord of the Church from spreading his gospel. Nor is there anything anyone can do to stop Jesus from ruling over all things, and ruling in the hearts of believers through the Truth!

· What made this new era in the history of the community of believers both terrifying and exhilarating?

Read Acts 8:9-25

God fiercely condemned sorcery back in Deuteronomy 18:9-13, and for good reason. Simon made his living performing sorcery. He didn’t fill arenas pulling rabbits out of hats or making wallets disappear, but somehow had access to occult powers. We can tell this was dark stuff, because he was able to “wow” the Samaritans to the extent that they gave him divine honors. Simon’s conversion to Christianity was his joyful escape from those occult forces.

· In what way is his conversion to believing in Jesus a testimony to the gospel’s power over dark forces and “magic”?

· Look at the reason Simon wanted to follow Philip. What potential problems does his amazement with Philip’s works present?

Peter and John are called in to check out what’s going on in Samaria. By laying their hands on these new converts, they were communicating acceptance and solidarity in the gospel. We can see the Holy Spirit’s wisdom in waiting to make himself known until Peter and John could do this. It gave the opportunity to demonstrate in no uncertain terms that in Christ, neither Jew nor Samaritan nor anyone else is barred from coming to Jesus for the forgiveness of sins! (See Galatians 3:26-29)

· Return to Simon the Ex-Sorcerer. What personal hangups are keeping him from understanding the significance of this event?

· Give some examples of things that, though not bad in themselves, a church could focus too much on and miss the point of their purpose.

Read Acts 8:26-40

What a contrast of characters in Acts chapter 8! Simon was interested in power, prestige, and showy displays of the Spirit. Although he indeed “believed and was baptized” (verse 13), he had a long way to go in his faith.

· What are the differences between how Simon and the Ethiopian Eunuch came into the community of believers?

· Although Peter and Philip used different approaches, how did they both fulfill their calling as churchmen as they responded to each individual’s needs at the time?

· What instruction and application comes to mind about how the modern community of believers should respond to the different needs of outsiders?

God bless your meditation and discussion!

Pastor Mike Cherney

Acts 6 + 7

Fri, 09 Aug 2024 17:14:05 GMT

Life is like a windy country road which constantly takes turns in directions you would never expect. You have figured out by now that life requires you to be flexible to meet new challenges, great and small. It is no different in the life of a congregation of believers. In these chapters of Acts, you’ll read about new and unforeseen challenges to the early Christians: one that seems insignificant, and one that seems terrifying and drastic. They both fall under the same umbrella: we rely on Jesus Christ, the Lord of the church, and the Savior we believe in and share, to give us strength to meet challenges great and small.

Read Acts 6:1-7

“Hellenistic” means these Jews spoke Greek as opposed to Aramaic or Hebrew. Many who fit into this group were not Jewish by birth, but converted to believing the Bible’s teachings later on. The Hebraic Jews would have been those steeped in Hebrew culture and tradition as well as the Hebrew Scriptures. Notice that the group of believers are still technically “Jews” so far. Followers of Christ would not be called “Christians” until later on (see Acts 11:26). Using this term at this point to describe believers does not mean that they didn’t accept Jesus as the Messiah, but that they cherished the Old Testament Scriptures and understood that they pointed ahead to Jesus’ work.

Separation between Non-Jewish and Jewish social groups was expected up until this point. The way the gospel of Jesus brought people of all cultures together was beautiful, but much like today it often produces awkwardness. At worst, differences among God’s people give occasion to our sinful nature to treat others poorly or unfairly simply because of their background.

How did that awkwardness (or possibly sinful attitude) show itself among the early Christians here?
How do we defend against the temptation to think less of people who are different?
What wise thought-process led the apostles to delegate handling the problem to others?
What principles should our congregations follow for…
o Identifying similar problems (WHAT)
o Figuring out what needs to be done (HOW

o Delegating the right people to solve it (WHO) ?

Read Acts 6:8-15

The narrative of Acts now turns to a man named Stephen, because what happens to him and through him will dramatically change the trajectory of the early Christian church.

How does Stephen exhibit the same virtues and sufferings we’ve observed in the other apostles so far in Acts?
What is the charge his opponents bring against him? Keep this in mind as you read and/or skim Chapter 7

Read Acts 7:1-53. Skim it quickly or read it in depth, whichever you have time for.

TL;DR – Stephen eloquently explains important hallmarks of Old Testament history to show that Moses was a servant of God, but not the Messiah. When the actual Messiah came (as the fulfillment of Old Testament promise), these “pious” religious folks rejected him, thereby rejecting God, and their own salvation.

Read Acts 7:54-8:1

Killing Stephen by stoning was a drastic reaction to his preaching, but shows the group’s stubbornness to repent and accept his strong admonitions not to keep rejecting God’s goodness. Notice the presence of the Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) all in verse 55.

How did the Trinity provide the strength for Stephen to face a painful death?

What painful or stressful event is coming up on your calendar in which it will be important to remember that the Triune God will be with you to give you strength?
What else do you notice about how Stephen met his martyrdom? What attitudes does he model that we should strive to imitate?
Saul was present at the killing of Stephen, but later on becomes an apostle himself, preaching the same Savior that Stephen did. What hope is there for even the most stubborn and persistent sinner?

God bless your discussion and meditation

Pastor Mike Cherney

Acts 5

Fri, 02 Aug 2024 20:16:26 GMT

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” The source of this proverb can be traced to Africa, but that’s about all we know about where it came from. However, the timeless truth of this proverb can be seen in action in the book of Acts. Last time, we saw how important it is to have a group of like-minded people in your fellowship to help you through those tough times when you have to go against the grain. In chapter 5 of Acts, although Peter does most of the talking, we’ll see how far the Lord brought his blooming church. They are able to go far, because they are not alone. The early Christians have each other, but more than that: they have God. You do too!

Read Acts 5:1-11

This is a perplexing and alarming section of Acts. Since Peter is never reprimanded for his actions or words, we’re going to assume they were the right things to do and say in this situation. Some extra detail would certainly soothe the alarming aspects of this reading, but we’re not given those. God certainly wants us to take away what we can from what the lesson says, and leave the rest in his hands, trusting that if anyone understands the hearts and minds of all who were involved, it’s God (see Isaiah 55:8-9).

The reason this couple’s sin was so serious was not that they withheld money (although it was certainly common for the believers to share everything they had), but that they wanted to give an impression of their generosity that was false. Peter fulfills his duty as a witness of Christ to preach about the seriousness of sin, without which the sweetness of the gospel cannot be fully enjoyed.

· What are the common ways we are tempted to give false impressions about our faith? Why is that such as serious offense?

· Even though this event struck fear in people’s hearts, it showed that the church’s priority was not the budget line but the sincere faith in people’s hearts. Even though preaching about sin and hell can scare people, openly discussing what the Bible says about them is a blessing to people. How so?

Read Acts 5:12-26

The believers are able to find public places to enjoy fellowship. There was a particular space in the temple complex at Jerusalem called Solomon’s Colonnade. It was something like a patio structure in the temple courtyard where they could enjoy fresh air and visibility, but still be somewhat shielded from the elements.

· The lesson shows the advantages and disadvantages of this choice of location. What were they?

· What about this reading suggests that even the “disadvantages” were part of the Lord’s “game plan” for the church?

· Similarly, what could happen if you took this Bible study and met with a few friends in a public place to discuss it?

Read Acts 5:27-42

Clearly the Apostles are not going to budge, but many of the temple officials are not going to give in and believe the message either. In this tense conflict, Peter seizes the opportunity to give a bold confession in verses 29-32. That confession is not met with amens and applause, but wrath and violence. Gamaliel, an influential teacher and likely the same one who instructed Paul (Acts 22:3) gives a sensible answer to soothe his comrades’ fury.

· Summarize Gamaliel’s point in your own words. How does his wisdom apply to us today?

The Apostles preached nearly the exact same message as in verses 29-32 multiple times already in Acts. Sometimes, people heard it and converted. Here, people heard it and became violent.

· What strikes you about the Apostles’ responses to their preaching?

· How do you suppose they were able to stay grounded, not getting to high on their achievements, nor getting too low when met with resistance?

· This week, what will you do to ground yourself in the same way?

God bless your mediation and conversation

Pastor Mike Cherney

Swimming Against the Stream

Fri, 26 Jul 2024 00:12:09 GMT

There was a time in my life when I would never let you catch me wearing a backwards baseball hat. Now, I find myself flipping it around without even noticing. What happened? I used to think wearing a backwards hat meant a person was immature or arrogant. Thankfully, that perception has changed. Based on what I had seen, heard, or observed, I assumed that if I flipped my hat around, I would be laughed at or criticized. Eventually, public opinion seemed to me to have changed.

It’s slightly embarrassing to admit that my thoughts or behavior could be subconsciously influenced in this way, but this is only human. We naturally fall in line with the people around us, like a run of salmon swimming together in a stream. It takes a lot of courage to swim in the other direction!

In this week’s chapter of Acts, consider how Peter and John “swim against the stream.” In Acts chapter 3, they made a big “splash” as they healed a crippled man. They deflected the natural admiration the crowds had for them in order to seize the opportunity to preach about Jesus. They saw their ministry as a continuation of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus swam against the current of sinful mankind’s expectations and wants, and instead gave us something brand new: the gospel of future hope and present peace.

Read Acts 4:1-22

These Jewish leaders guarding and operating Herod’s temple in Jerusalem would have been scripturally-learned, highly influential men. The Sadducees are especially mentioned, because they did not believe in the resurrection of the dead (see Matthew 22:23-33). That explains their disgust and outrage at Peter and John’s teaching. In Acts 3, Peter and John acknowledged that Jesus really suffered, really died, and yet was once again really alive and active at the present time.

· Although they know that the Sadducees would be especially bothered by their teaching of Christ’s resurrection, Peter and John repeat this fact again in verse 10. Why do you think they doubled down like this?

· The Jewish leaders concluded that Peter and John were uneducated men, and that they had personally been with Jesus. How do you think they were able to observe these things? Why did these observations puzzle them even more?

· Here was a confrontation between highly-educated, influential community leaders versus two ordinary guys. What gave Peter and John the courage to swim against the current like this? How does that encourage you?

Read Acts 4:23-31

If we get into trouble for something we’ve done, it’s natural to feel embarrassed. If we are punished unjustly, it’s natural to feel angry and hurt. However, Peter and John react to their run-in with the powerful Jewish leaders with great rejoicing. Instead of seeing themselves as “going against the grain,” they understood that the animosity they received was the typical response of people who choose to go against God’s power and authority.

· How will these verses encourage you the next time you feel isolated or alone for wanting to do what’s right?

· Peter and John pray that their experience not diminish their task of preaching about Jesus. What kind of boldness are you in need of? Go to God in prayer and ask for it!

Read Acts 4:32-37

· Explain how the behaviors of these joyful Christians go against the grain of what may be considered “normal.”

· Explain how important it was for this group of believers to support each other after Peter and John’s experience. In what ways are you able to find that same fellowship and support with like-minded believers? If you don’t have any, please contact us or consider visiting us for a service!

God bless your discussion and meditation!

Pastor Mike Cherney

Helping People with Jesus’ Truth

Sat, 20 Jul 2024 02:42:45 GMT

Before his death and resurrection, Jesus ministered to people. He spent immeasurable hours showing them two things: 1) his compassion and love for every human being, and 2) his power as the Son of God to heal sicknesses, cast out demons, and meet the immediate needs of humankind. Jesus prepared us to look to him to solve our problems so that we could observe that same compassion and power at work on the cross, where he met our greatest need: our need for forgiveness. (Read Mark 1:21 through Mark 2:17 for a few examples of this.)

Read Acts 3:1-12

Peter and John are able to continue Jesus’ miraculous ministry. However, there is a key difference: Jesus’ miracles pointed to his power as the Son of God; Peter and John’s miracles point not to their own power, but back to that of Christ. Point out a verse where Peter and John make this difference clear.

Discuss with your partner or group:

Agree or Disagree: “Psalm 118:9 says, ‘It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.’ Therefore, we should never look to human beings for help and guidance, only to Jesus.”
How would a church leader be tempted to make it more about them than about Jesus?
How does this section of Acts encourage you to do good in Jesus’ name (even if you can’t perform miracles)?

Read Acts 3:13-26

Jesus always accompanied his miracles with teaching and preaching. However, Jesus’ teaching was not always what the people were ready or willing to hear (Read all of John chapter 6 for a great example of this). Once again, Peter and John demonstrate that their ministry continues that of Christ. Or rather, Jesus is continuing his ministry through them!

Peter and John make clear connections to the Old Testament, saying that Jesus fulfilled the expectations of Abraham, Moses, Samuel, and all the prophets. This is a bold claim! They teach us that the entire Bible points to Christ for the purpose of “turning us from our wicked ways.” Jesus saved us from our own wickedness by bringing us into a right relationship with God through the forgiveness of our sins (1 Peter 3:18).

Pick out phrases that seem confrontational or potentially offensive. Why do Peter and John find it necessary to say these hurtful things?
Agree or Disagree: “If you really care about someone, you won’t mind hurting their feelings.”
All of Scripture, Old and New Testament, points to Jesus in some way. Look for that the next time you read your Bible!

God bless your discussion!

-Pastor Mike Cherney

Belonging to Christ and Being "The Church"

Sat, 13 Jul 2024 19:34:33 GMT

For the next few weeks, these devotions will focus on events in the book of Acts. If you’re not a Christian at all, you’re new to the “Bible” thing, or a long-time church-goer, we are confident following these blogs will prove valuable. To be completely transparent, my prayer is that the book of Acts shows you the beauty of belonging to Christ, being with his people, and speaking about him with all sorts of friends.

The book of Acts (aka “The Acts of the Apostles”) is a companion piece to the Gospel of Luke. Both books are written by Luke, a man who had a front-row seat to the grass-roots development of the Christian church in the 1st century AD. We believe that God used people like Luke to record his Word (2 Peter 1:21). God wants you to know your Savior. Luke’s Gospel detailed everything Jesus did to fulfill the expectations the Old Testament teaches us to have of such a Savior. Luke’s sequel, Acts, shows us that this same God is powerfully active through the life-changing gospel that tells of the forgiveness Jesus won for you and me.

The questions in this Bible study are designed to encourage discussions about how to grow in the Word, serve others, and share what goodness we have in the gospel. Say a quick prayer and get started below!

Read Acts 1:1-8

Jesus was about to ascend into heaven, yet he had promised to always be with us (Matthew 28:20). Because he’s Jesus (True God), he can be present wherever he says he’s present.

· Discuss how you would handle it when someone (like the disciples) says something that shows that they don’t quite understand what the Bible teaches. Do you correct them on the spot? Why or why not?

Read Acts 2:1-4

The ways the Holy Spirit made himself known were very similar to the times God appeared to people in the Old Testament. Peter and the other Apostles knew without a doubt that God was among them, and would work in them to fulfill their marching orders from Christ.

· Jesus had promised that the disciples “Would receive power.” What was the power they received, and how did they show it?

Read Acts 2:14, Acts 2:29-33, and Acts 2:36-47

Throughout the verses that you’ve read, Luke has made it clear that it was God working through the gospel to change hearts. Find or recall phrases from what you’ve read that demonstrate this focus.

· How did Peter show the crowd their sin (Law) and then show them their Savior (Gospel)?

· Modern churches may focus on membership or offering numbers, YouTube views, or social media followers to determine their ministry success. What’s different about the way Luke celebrates success in verse 47? Why is it important for a Christian Church to keep thinking in this way?

Bye Bye Bye

Fri, 28 Jun 2024 17:00:01 GMT

“The ceiling,” she said to me. Once I heard the teenager at church say this, I was confused. What about the ceiling? “What?” I asked. She replied, “You asked me, ‘what’s up?’ The ceiling is what’s up.” She got me. She was not the first.

I’m not in the habit of reviewing the forms my greetings and goodbyes take, but this gave me pause. I, like many humans, have become so accustomed to my normal greeting form that I forgot what, “What’s up?” even meant.

Did this happen with Paul as well? There is no question that the Apostle who was inspired to write the majority of our New Testament had a form of “goodbye” he preferred. Take a look at this sampling of his parting words in many of his letters:

Philippians 4:23 – “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.”

1 Corinthians 16:23-24 – “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. My love to all of you in Christ Jesus. Amen.”

Galatians 6:18 – “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen.”

Colossians 4:18b – “Grace be with you.”

1 Thessalonians 5:28 – “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.”

2 Thessalonians 3:18 - “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.”

1 Timothy 6:21b – “Grace be with you all.”

2 Timothy 4:22 – “The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you all.”

Titus 3:15 – “Grace be with you all.”

Philemon 25 – “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”

Sense a pattern? Although this was Paul’s favorite way to signal that he was done writing to individuals (Timothy, Titus, Philemon) or congregations (the church in Galatia, Colossae, Thessalonica, Corinth, Philippi), there is no way Paul forgot the meaning of “the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ” and how desperately he wants it to “be with us all.”

As a former persecutor-turned-Apostle (see Acts 9), Paul knew the importance of the grace of Christ. He had the blood of Christian martyrs on his own hands (see Acts 8:1). Christ himself appeared to Paul, wrenching him out of a lifestyle of murderous, blind hatred and throwing him into the light of gracious forgiveness (Acts 9:5-18). Paul never forgot how Jesus saved his soul from the condemnation he deserved for his prejudice, violence, and pride. Therefore, I believe it’s safe to say that no matter how often Paul bade “The grace of Jesus Christ” to someone, it never lost its meaning in his mind. He always prayed this prayer sincerely.

How about you? Have you fallen to the temptation to let church words remain church words? Lord knows I have. I find that the times I’m most likely to empty words like “grace” of their meaning are when I’m forgetting how badly I need them. I forget that I, like Paul, was lost without Christ. I was on a sure road to condemnation. Christ intervened. Why? Because “grace.” Because of a merciful favor, a decision to love the unlovable, an unconditional promise made to an unworthy sinner, Jesus intervened and gave me salvation.

He has done the exact same thing for you. Whether your sins look more like Paul’s, just like mine, or are quite different, Jesus’ grace is the same for Paul, you, and me. He loves you without considering your worthiness. He intervenes in your life through his gospel, teaching you and reminding you of that love. There is not a day in your life when you don’t need the grace of Christ. There is not a day in your life when Christ does not display this grace toward you fully and freely.

So I now wish you with full sincerity: Dear reader, the grace of Jesus Christ be with you always!

Pastor Mike Cherney

Synergy

Tue, 18 Jun 2024 22:35:28 GMT

Synergy. Cohesion. Harmony. Teamwork. There are many business buzzwords that essentially describe the same thing. Leaders want their teams to get along. Each year’s New York Times best-seller list has at least a few volumes on how to make sure your team works well together. Since these books fly off the shelves (or fingers fly to click “purchase and download” on tablets and phones), it would seem that this is a deeply-felt and seldom-satisfied need. Teams need to get along, but more often than not they don’t.

Don’t you find that to be true outside of the business world as well? Even the closest family, the giggliest book club, the warmest and most inviting church group, or the most dynamic faculty in the district will get out of sync. Tempers can flare up. Harsh and hasty words spill out of unguarded mouths half-accidentally. Judgment and unconstructive criticism take the throne. Emotions and motivation plummet.

Business leaders are interested in the “secret sauce” to cohesion so that their teams can remain productive. We all want our families and friends to get along so that we can have more fun and be more at peace. Our experience only confirms what happened at the Garden of Eden: the first casualty of sin’s entrance into the human story was harmony in our relationships (See Genesis 3:8-24).

Books that teach how to create cohesion in a team, faculty, or family will often have great advice to follow, but rarely will treat the source of the issue: sin.

That’s why we can appreciate Paul’s final greetings to the struggling, scared congregation at Ephesus. He says:

Ephesians 6:23-24 – “Peace to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.”

He wants for the Ephesians what we all want: peace and harmony. However, Paul knows how it is actually possible. Peace must come from outside of ourselves. The God who loved us and made us his own through the work of Christ gives us peace by restoring our broken relationship with him. He triumphed over the judgment we deserved by serving it up on the cross of Christ, killing it there.

This means that among us there is no need to resort to judgmentalism and unconstructive criticism, because we have received the joyous peace from God. We have an antidote for high tempers and low self-esteem: the righteousness of Christ that covers us through faith. We are called to reflect the peace of God in the way we treat each other.

We have been loved with an eternal love, so it’s only natural to love Jesus back! How? By loving others, treating them with kindness and compassion, and showing the peace of God that we now have by being peaceable people. Maybe then the secret to true harmony and true “synergy” will start to catch on.

Pastor Mike Cherney

God’s Peaceful Presence

Sat, 15 Jun 2024 00:47:51 GMT

You sit on a comfortable Adirondack chair overlooking crystal-clear waters. The repetitive wash of the surf lulls you into a state of calm. That’s the moment your tooth ache returns. Or say you’re snuggled up in your bed, with freshly-cleaned sheets. The room is the perfect temperature. You’re about to fall asleep with a blissful smile on your face, when a pair of stray cats decide to get into a fight just outside your window.

It doesn’t take much to disturb our peace, does it? Tranquil relaxation is always just out of our reach. There is always something to wrench us from our comfort zone, back into the harshness of reality.

What if there were a way to obtain peace that did not involve “escape”? What if you could have tranquility even within this harsh and often disturbing life? What if it were possible to have relaxation without needing to distract yourself to get there?

Look at Paul’s parting blessing to the church in Thessalonica:

2 Thessalonians 3:16 – “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.”

He wants the Thessalonians, and you, to have peace at all times – whether you’re relaxing on a beach, or working in a coal mine. Paul wishes tranquility for you, whether you’re on vacation or facing the deadlines of the end of the fiscal year. Paul prays that you have blessed harmony, whether you’re firing on all cylinders, “crushing it” at work, or you just had the worst week of our lives.

This peace is only possible through the presence of the Lord of Peace himself. This may not be our first thought when we think about God. We may more readily imagine God as Creator, Holy One, Righteous Judge. All these are true names for God. But Paul calls him “The Lord of Peace” in order that we see what this Holy Creator and Almighty Lord is all about: he’s all about peace! God wants nothing more than to give you tranquility, not just in the form of the sun’s warming rays on your skin and a cool drink in hand, but the tranquility of the forgiveness of all of your sins. God gives you true blessed well-being, not in the form of a big fat bank account and the best insurance money can buy, but the eternal assurance that nothing can separate you from his love expressed through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ our Lord. This is what God does. He gives a peace you can have and hold wherever you are, whatever is going on.

He adds to his blessing “The Lord be with all of you” as a way of confirming that the Lord of Peace brings peace wherever he’s present. We make God present among us whenever we gather in his name (Matthew 18:20). God is present wherever the Word and Sacraments are administered (John 17:17). The Word that you hear, learn, share, and take to heart goes with you wherever you are. Therefore, God is with you, and so is his peaceful presence.

The Award Goes To...

Thu, 06 Jun 2024 17:23:57 GMT

Would you rather be the best stamp collector in the continental U.S., or be that friend that everyone else can rely on? Would you rather be internationally renowned for being able to slice perfectly uniform pieces off of a loaf of bread, or be looked at as the best employee your office has ever seen?

Recognition is great. My guess is that you already knew how good it feels to be recognized for your skills, for the value you bring into other people’s lives. However, we appreciate when certain aspects of our personality are recognized more than others. I love you and I care about your opinion of me, but if you say, “Wow you know the perfect way to clear your throat, Mike!” it’s not really going to change my week.

We want our best qualities, our hard work will be recognized. We hope that it will. We sometimes drop hints and go out of our way to showcase them. We want to know it wasn’t all for naught.

Conversely, we don’t want our failures to be recognized. We want those to be ignored, understood, justified, or excused.

It would seem, then, that there’s a pretty big problem here with our relationship with God. We want to be recognized for our hard work, but what of our deeds count for anything before God? God, who is holy, recognizes holiness. On the other hand, we don’t want our failures to be highlighted. However, God’s holy character only throws our unholiness into greater contrast. So if we want our failures to be excused and looked over, and our hard work to be recognized, we won’t get either from a Holy God.

That’s where the Gospel’s foreign beauty hits us. Jude closes his letter to his Christian brothers and sisters this way:

To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. (Jude 24-25)

Our failures are not brushed over or excused. They are punished on the cross of Christ. The guilt of our sin completely removed from us. It is not our duty to work hard enough to be recognized before God, we are already declared sufficient, holy, justified before God on account of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection.

Jude imparts upon us a confidence that when Jesus comes back, we will be recognized! Picture a Divine Award Ceremony, where you are rewarded with infinite riches for being blameless, without fault. Who of us can say we’ve earned it? But holiness, blamelessness, righteousness is draped over you. You are recognized for what Christ has done for you.

While we wait for that great day, the same Holy God who gives you forgiveness and holiness to you as a free gift is working in you right now, protecting you, growing you, and establishing you in that gospel. He doesn’t wait on the podium, or at the judge’s table, to see how you do. He works through his Word to teach and guide you. Through the gift of faith, he dwells in your heart to do amazing things through you. So while we hope to be recognized for some of our achievements here on earth, there is no question that we are recognized in God’s sight as holy, blameless, worthy, and valuable for the sake of Christ.

Mine!

Fri, 31 May 2024 18:47:38 GMT

"Mine!" I watched with detached amusement as my younger child hoarded a bag of gummy bears, jealously protecting them from his older brother. My older son, no doubt reciting a mantra he had heard at school, declared, “Sharing is caring! Sharing is caring!” But to no avail. The gummy bears would not be given up.

Who was right? Sharing is indeed caring. Giving so that others can enjoy your blessings is a profound show of empathy. However, giving you some of my gummy bears demands that I accept having fewer gummy bears for myself. There are limited resources, here! And that’s why my younger child gave the classic response, “No! Mine!” Which means, in this context, “I have dominion over this. This is just for me. Therefore, it is not for you.”

Paul writes this closing blessing toward the end of his letter to the Christians in Rome:

Now to him who is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith— to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen. (Romans 16:25-27)

Now let me ask: what do you think of his calling it “my gospel”? Does it fit the same meaning as my son jealously guarding his gummy bears from his brother? Is Paul saying, “This good news about Jesus’ lordship, messiahship, unconditional forgiveness, and endless promise of victory and blessing – it’s just for me. It’s mine to share as I wish, if I wish"?

If that were so, would Paul “proclaim” it? A verb reserved for shouting things from a mountain top or in a public square, or heralding through the streets? If Paul intends to jealously guard this good news, would he rejoice in the fact that “all Gentiles” (that is a term for non-Jewish folks used in the New Testament) will come to know it? I think not.

Sharing is caring, and that is most true with the gospel. Jesus cares about you so much that he shared in your humanity. He took your sin from you and crucified it on his cross. He rose from the dead so that you will share in eternal life and victory in his name. He has guaranteed a perfect relationship with God apart from anything you have done. You share in the grace of God. This is “your” gospel. Take it. Own it. Make it all yours.

But the gospel is not a limited resource, like gummy bears or gasoline. You can spend all day long sharing the good news of God’s love with people, and it doesn’t deplete God’s grace for you even one ounce. Quite the contrary: as you share the message of “your gospel” with anyone and everyone (whether they know it already or not), you will find that you grow to love the truths rolling off your own tongue more and more. I am so thankful for my brothers and sisters at church who share their gospel joy in bible class and worship! And I am positive that they would agree that it never diminishes, no matter how much they share their joy in Jesus.

Because the gospel is “mine” and “yours” in the sense that it is “for me” and “for you.” Not in the sense that it belongs to us and us alone. It came from God, after all. It is revealed on the pages of Scripture so that we can learn, know, and trust in our Savior’s message. We grow in that message. We serve on the basis of that message. We share that message. It is the ever-flowing stream that never runs dry. Food for the soul that never runs out – not for you, nor for anyone else. Yes, it’s all yours to enjoy, but share what’s yours freely!

Don't Be Careful What You Wish For

Sat, 25 May 2024 13:56:34 GMT

Mr. and Mrs. White are visited by a friend back from his travels to distant lands. Over dinner, he unravels one of the treasures acquired on his journey: a mummified monkey’s paw. He explains that the paw had been magically enchanted to grant wishes, but ominously warns about the dangers of tampering with fate. Curiosity overwhelms the White family. To see if the legend of the monkey’s paw is real, they make their wishes. Each wish is granted, but with horrifying consequences. The lives of the White family is forever changed because of the monkey’s paw, and not for the better.

So goes the short story written by W. W. Jacobs in 1902. It illustrates the old phrase, “Be careful what you wish for.” In Christian circles, we might say, “Be careful what you pray for.” The idea goes: if you pray for patience, God may throw you into a situation where you are forced to practice patience. If you pray for your finances, maybe God will cause a staff shortage at work, meaning you have to stay extra late working tons of overtime hours. If you pray for a spouse, for children, for your dream job. God may grant any of these, but you may find out that these require much more responsibility and diligence than you were prepared to accept.

Is God really like the monkey’s paw? Do we really have to be careful what we pray for? Not in the slightest. Read these verses to see why:

20 Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, 21 equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (Hebrews 13:20-21)

The monkey’s paw incurred unforeseen, horrific consequences to each wish. That’s not a problem with God, because he is not a God of terror and fright, but of peace. We needn’t worry about God’s disposition toward our prayers, because through an eternal covenant of love, fulfilled and culminated in the work of Jesus Christ as our atoning sacrifice, he has established his forgiving grace as the norm and foundation for our relationship with him. God is never “out to get you.” God doesn’t give you more than you bargained for with a sly smirk, and a whisper of “Gotcha.” He has declared his love for you on the pages of Scripture. If that’s the God who hears your prayers, then you can count on whatever answer comes to be the most loving one possible.

So continue on with the writer’s wish that this loving, gracious God, give us absolutely everything we need to do his will. That’s a bold prayer! Be careful what you pray for, right? Wrong! Because we know God loves us fully and freely, we can say to him, “Call me into whatever situation you have for me, Lord. Give me everything I need to live a life that says ‘Thank you’ back to you. I may not be ready to suffer, to work hard, to accept responsibility, but make me ready Lord. I trust in your goodness.” This is the bold prayer we can always pray, because God never abandons us.

Maybe sometimes we think of prayer like a chess match: that we make our move, asking for what we want, then God reacts to us and makes his move, awaiting our response. Frankly, it’s not. Prayer is an expression of faith. It simply is talking to God. And when you recognize that your relationship with God is not “give and take” but that God gives you everything you need (even when he takes away, it is for your good!), you can talk to him accordingly, saying, “Even if what’s next in my life is scary and hard, God, give me what I need to get through it. Help me meet it with the joy and confidence that can only come from you.” And it is that same God that you’re talking through that will work in you what is pleasing to him through Jesus Christ, His Son, Our Lord. Amen.

No Genie Needed

Wed, 15 May 2024 16:33:19 GMT

If a genie offered to grant you three wishes, what would you wish for? This is not an easy question to answer. The three-wish limit forces you to prioritize. Wouldn’t it be simpler if the genie offered to grant just one wish?

The problem is not that we can’t come up with more wish ideas. The difficulty lies in deciding which outweigh the others. Do you wish for your debt to go away? But then, what about your dream car? Do you wish for world peace? But what about your grandparents’ health struggles?

While we’re great at identifying problems, we’re not so great at prioritizing which are more worthy of our attention. So, we’ll check emails when we really should eat something. We’ll answer a phone call simply because it might be important, even if it interrupts family time. Every problem can seem like a “now,” problem.

Now, I could quote you a passage from the Bible commanding us not to worry (there are plenty of them: Matthew 6:25-27, Philippians 4:6, 1 Peter 5:6-7, John 14:27 to name a few), but instead let’s continue in the vein we started with the last devotion in looking at closing blessings. See the words the Apostle Paul with which the Apostle Paul closes his second letter to Christians in Corinth:

14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (2 Corinthians 13:14)

These people, the Corinthians, had no shortage of problems. Paul addressed many of them at length throughout the two inspired letters in the New Testament. If the Corinthians had their chance, they might ask a genie to give resolution to the rampant in-fighting in the church, a superabundance of flashy spiritual gifts, or for financial stability.

However, Paul makes their wishes for them: grace, love, and fellowship. Because he’s not talking to a genie (which aren’t real, by the way), nor is he expressing a wish or a far-off hope. He’s bestowing a parting blessing upon these troubled Christians, speaking a desire from his heart that he has no doubt will be fulfilled, because of the name of the Triune God whom he invokes.

In the name of the Lord Jesus (the Second Person of the Trinity), we have the guarantee of grace: unlimited and unconditional forgiveness from the very God we have sinned against. We have love from God our Maker (the First Person of the Trinity), who looks upon us not as his rotten and wayward children, but his most prized possession; his cherished creation. We have fellowship (in Greek the word means “sharing” or “close relationship”) with God the Holy Spirit (the Third Person of the Trinity). In essence, our three deepest needs are met. Our three most pressing existential crises are already resolved. Paul is sure of it!

That helps put things into perspective. There’s plenty of issues that crop up, problems we are tempted to ruminate on, relationships under strain. Do yourself a favor, and measure these worries and issues up to the overwhelming grace, love, and fellowship the Triune God has accomplished for you, in which you now live. The biggest problems are resolved for you by your Triune God, so he will certainly carry you through everything else. No genie needed.

It's Gonna Be May

Thu, 02 May 2024 20:40:33 GMT

The first week of May is quite silly. Justin Timberlake’s countenance graces our newsfeeds, forever echoing the lyrics, “It’s gonna be me (may).” Star Wars fans wait with baited breath to bestow that cringeworthy pun, “May the Fourth be with you.” And millions of Mexican Americans brace themselves to explain to well-meaning celebrators that no, Cinco De Mayo is not “Mexican Independence Day.”

Whether you’re Timberlake himself wishing for a genie to grant his wish to erase that line from music history so that your May can begin in peace, or you’re that well-meaning celebrator now embarrassed over your struggle to keep international holidays in order, or you’re that student for whom May simultaneously signals the beginning of the end and the doom and gloom of semester finals, May begins in a very quirky way.

Upon the beginning of this quirky month, however, I want to remind you of how our worship service ends. At Trinity, as at most Lutheran churches, every service ends with some form of parting blessing. Usually it’s the one taken from Numbers:

22 The Lord said to Moses, 23 “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:

24 “ ‘ “The Lord bless you

and keep you;

25 the Lord make his face shine on you

and be gracious to you;

26 the Lord turn his face toward you

and give you peace.” ’

27 “So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.” (Numbers 6:22-27)

This command that God gave to Moses to give to his brother to give to his sons (a game of Levitical “Telephone!”) comes in the middle of many ordinances describing the way God wanted the Old Testament Israelites to worship and live before him. What’s curious to me as I re-read these verses is that we are not given the time or occasion in which the priests are to bestow this blessing on the Israelites. God just says, “This is what you say,” without answering the question, “When?” And the more I think about that, the more I love it.

We choose to end our services with this so-called “Aaronic Blessing,” but we could just as well begin the service with them. We could put this text on our church sign; as a bumper sticker on our cars; we could use it as a greeting and salutation like many cultures do.

Is there ever a time when you do not need to hear it? Is there ever a time when you don’t feel the need to be reminded that God blesses and protects you constantly? Could there ever be a time when it doesn’t delight the heart to remember that when God’s face turns toward you, it shines with a bright smile of affection and grace? Could you ever get sick of hearing that God lives to give you peace through Jesus Christ? Of course not!

So whether you’re embarrassed over some lyrics you sang twenty years ago, or how for lack of cultural sensitivity stuck your foot in your mouth (as I have done more times than I can count), or you’re nearing the “beginning of the end” of your year or semester, or you’re just trying to make it to tomorrow, God bless you. God keep you. God put his loving eyes on you. God give you the peace that comes from a clear conscience because of what Jesus has done (1 Peter 3:21), the peace that transcends all understanding (Philippians 4:7).

Good Friday – Psalm 22

Sat, 30 Mar 2024 15:33:55 GMT

My God. Two words. Five letters. So many possibilities. Is it what you utter when you look in horror at what the wildfire did to your property? Is it what you say when you’re on your feet in your living room, with barbecue sauce on your cheek and beer on your breath, when the last play of the game was full of so many silly mistakes that your team gives up an easy win and therefore a shot at the playoffs? “My God.” Is it what comes out of your mouth, muffled by your fingers and tears, because you just did it again?

“My God” seems too meaningful a statement to use only when we’re shocked. Even the deepest horrors evoke a “My God,” and yet if we’re going to invoke God’s name without any intention of actually talking to him, that is a serious sin, as God will not hold us guiltless for using his name in empty and meaningless ways (Exodus 20:7).

We will hear this cry twice this evening. You heard the first from David. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” You can’t ignore the anguish behind these words. These are the words of one who feels betrayed, set up for failure, left in the lurch – by none other than God! How is this not worse than saying “Oh my God” when taken aback by a jump scare at the movies?

David accuses God of forsaking him… as if he shouldn’t; as if God wouldn’t be in his rights to abandon him. How can David take this attitude with God? What can David grab hold of to urge God to be there for him? What can any of us use as leverage to get God to be good to us? Certainly not our past! We cannot say to God, “Don’t forsake me! I don’t deserve it! I’ve been too good to you for you to abandon me!” There is not a single one of us that can say that with a straight face. Yet David leans upon God as if his absence isn’t right, isn’t exactly what David deserves, isn’t exactly what every sinful human being deserves for breaking God’s law over and over again every day for our entire lives. “Why did you abandon me?”

You want to be careful what you say around some people, because they have a finely-tuned sense for inconsistency. David comes dangerously close to accusing God of being inconsistent. He says, “Our ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob all put their trust in you, and you saved them.” He means to say, “So what about me? You have this history of helping people when they cry out to you, but as for me – I’m shouting out day after day, night after night, and am getting nothing!”

Here’s the thing: to insult God for not answering prayer is disrespect to him and blasphemy. But to expect God to answer prayer, to implore him to help, to beg him for rescue – that is not dishonor, that’s exactly what God’s name is for. The emptiest way we can use God’s name is to not use it at all. The most shameful disrespect of God’s character is to forget his character entirely and carry on as if our pain, our problems, our suffering, are none of God’s business. David refuses. David bursts into God’s throne room and demands that he hears him and helps him. How opposite of me that is. I retreat into my little turtle shell when pain, temptation, my own guilt get the better of me. Sometimes we think that God is forsaking us, when what’s actually happening is that as soon as the going got tough, as soon as we started facing fire for our faith, as soon as we got hurt, we forsook God.

David doesn’t rely on his goodness to get God to rescue him, but God’s goodness. He says, “God, you’re the one that made me. You’re the one that made me trust in you. I didn’t ask to be born. I didn’t ask to be yours. You made this happen. You caused me to trust in you even in my most vulnerable years. Well guess what? Here I am vulnerable again. Under attack by dangerous threats. I am worn out. I am weak. I am miserable. I am guilty. I am hard pressed on every side. You got me into this mess called life on planet earth. You get me out of it.”

David is a man whose options have run out. He has learned that even as king of Israel, his riches, his army, his family, his renown, even his own piety cannot save him. Trouble still comes. Danger is still real. You have realized the same thing. You can earn all the money you want, buy all the guns you want, practice all the right habits you want, have all the best stuff and even really good friends – and trouble is still there. You still get depressed. You still get so anxious you can hardly stand it. You still do things that make no sense, do not fit your goals, and leave you feeling disgusting, worthless, and shameful. You and I and David have this in common: our only hope is to turn to the God that made us. To bring him our rawest of emotions, our deepest of struggles, our greatest despair, and to dump it on him as viscerally as David does here.

There is a sweetness to the words, “My God,” a certain kind of love. Crying out God’s name is one thing, but crying out that this God is “My God,” “your God” is another. We hear the true irony of this cry when it comes from Jesus on the cross, who cried “Eli Eli, lema sebachthani!” which means, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me!” in Aramaic. The language Jesus grew up speaking, because this cry to God the Father grows up out of a very dark place, a place of the deepest kind of pain. The wounds were one thing, but the feeling of being truly abandoned by God the Father – that is a pain that is unimaginable. Yet it was the reality for Jesus on the cross. David placed his suffering into the context of God’s history with mankind. What about Christ’s suffering? After God had rescued Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and countless others from their own sin, why does he seem to break the pattern when it comes to his own Son, who had no sin to be rescued from? Why does Jesus prevail upon God his Father with those words of relationship, “My God!” and hear no answer?

Because the entirety of human history hinged on this event. All of God’s promises hinge on this cry of Jesus from the cross. The Father abandons his Son on the cross, in the place of all sinners who deserve to be abandoned. The Father punishes the Son for the sins of the entire human race. That is a brutal pain that cannot be depicted on a movie screen or a canvas, but is put on display in the guttural cry of a dying man, “Lema sebachthani” The Father sacrifices the Son. The Son willingly gives his life, and by his cries we see what giving himself up meant: giving himself up to an unbearable separation. To be completely cut off from God’s goodness. He went through it for you. So that God can become your God. So that you will never be cut off from God’s goodness, no matter how much you’ve sinned. No matter how far you’ve fallen, God will never abandon nor forsake you. He is your God, your God. No matter how much you deserve what’s happening to you right now, it is not the sign that God has changed his mind, and now he’s going to treat you according to what you deserve. By the anguished cries and sacrifice of the Son, he has removed your guilt forever. By abandoning Jesus on a cross, you have the promise that you will never be abandoned. No matter where you have been, no matter where you’re going, God will be there too, with all his goodness and his love, with all his forgiveness.

David saw that salvation, that rescue. He switches tone halfway through the Psalm, showing his prayers were answered; showing that even when it seems God abandons his children, he never actually does. David demands that we tell about how God saves people over and over and over again, never abandoning his beloved creation. He shows that his prayer was not a disrespectful shameful one, but shows us how to use the right and privilege we now have as redeemed children to cry out to God our Father, as our Father, and beg him for help. He shows us what it means to live what we confess: that we are lost without God, helpless and weak – but since we have God’s guarantee of love and rescue, we can cry out to him ; we must cry out to him; we must demand his rescue and forgiveness; we must take up his name on our lips; we must entrust our whole selves: body, mind, and soul, into his care – because he alone can be trusted to actually help us. He will never leave a single cry unheard, unanswered. He will never leave his children uncared for.

Nor did he do that to Jesus. He did not leave Jesus on the cross; did not leave him in the grave; did not abandon him to the realm of the dead that he should see decay. But that’s a story for a different day. That’s the next scene in this redemptive drama. For now, we follow Jesus’ body to the grave and marvel at what he was willing to go through for me and you. We take our seats and watch through Jesus’ seven words from the cross what he was willing to go through to put the words “My God, My God” into our mouths whenever we are in pain or suffer. To teach us to use those words not in an empty way but in their fullness: that we can lean into God as our God and expect nothing but rescue and love from him. We pause here, but we do not stop. Our journey tonight ends on Sunday. So, come with us now.

Holy Thursday – Mark 14:12-26

Sat, 30 Mar 2024 15:24:20 GMT

Your picky eater skeptically scowls as he pokes at the chicken on his plate. You know what he likes. You know he would like this. You know he can’t just have mac-n-cheese every night of the week. But as he takes longer and longer to even put a shred of that chicken to his tongue, you get desperate. You command, “Just eat it!” and that’s it. Your outburst ensures he’s never going to try it. It has now become an emotional issue.

There are different schools of thought on how to handle picky eaters. Go the hard way, offering the black-and-white choice in hopes that the kid learns that a cup of peas is better than a cup of nothing. Rewards work for some people: offering a heaping helping of ice cream if they at least try what’s on their plate.

What method you handle this problem with will differ, but the problem is clear: how do you get a kid with a limited palate to accept your prediction that she will love a dish, when she seems so sure she will hate it? How do you deal with someone who is happy with their ignorance and unwilling to accept your guidance into the unknown?

How does Jesus do it here? It wasn’t a wild guess that an observant Jew would want to celebrate the Passover properly, but time was of the essence. It was the morning-of, and the disciples weren’t sure about the logistics of the situation. But Jesus has thought of this already. He gives them step-by-step instructions, that once they follow, they find out that Jesus, once again, was a hundred steps ahead of them. That’s how much he cared about this meal he would celebrate with his disciples. However, this was but the first time that day that they would see that Jesus has more information than they do.

The disciples secure the room, the herbs, the bread, the fruit, the wine, the lamb. They get to work preparing. To find the room and get everything ready took from morning to night. Then comes the time to sit and start. Now, the Passover meal had always had a set agenda. The host would take each food item, before distributing it would speak a prayer or message, and the guests would partake. Wine and lamb meat were not every-day things. The disciples’ mouths are watering. This is a joyous party that they’ve celebrated every year of their lives, and now they’re excited to celebrate it with their dear mentor.

But their smiles fade and the color drains from their faces as they hear his opening remark. Their hearts begin to pound when he uses that word, that awful word. What could Jesus have said that would have crushed their joyful spirits so much as his announcement that one of them sharing the table would betray him? And even though he sees the shock and horror in their eyes, he ruthlessly declares again that it is one who shares the intimate friendship of partaking in this most special meal who would squander that same fellowship in an act of betrayal.

One after the other they deny that they could be that one. “I will never betray you!” While there was only one Judas Iscariot, you don’t have to read too far ahead in Mark’s Gospel to realize they were exaggerating their loyalty to Jesus, as we all do. Like a groom promising faithfulness on his wedding day, not realizing that this means even when an attractive female keeps trying to catch his gaze and seeks ways to get him in private conversation. Like a soldier making promises of faithfulness to his duty, except for when there’s a high probability that if he exaggerates his back pain he can get medically discharged. Like a recently-confirmed teen who once stood here and promised faithfulness to the Word of God all her life, except for when the church her friend goes to doesn’t make as big of a fuss about closed communion or fellowship and she is drawn in by their kindness.

A picky-eating kid has the problem of not being open to new experiences that might delight and surprise him. We are picky with our truths, and it’s usually the ones that make us feel good or look good – picking truths that emphasize how loyal we are, how compassionate, how ethical our decisions are – not accepting that there’s a much darker side to being human. We are capable of much worse betrayals than we realize. It starts with defecting from the truth we’re given from the One who knows better. Even when he tells us how things are going to be, we might say, “Surely not!”

And although he is that One, Jesus doesn’t elaborate what that act of betrayal was going to be. If he outed the betrayer, maybe they would have tried to stop him, tie him up, kill him if they had to. But he won’t give any clues. Except for this one: The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”

Jesus doesn’t talk like normal people talk. That’s because he knows a lot more than your average person. Therefore, he has more to say than your average person. Your average host wants everyone at the table to be relaxed, happy, and having a good time. When Jesus is the host, he wants to serve us what is good. What is good always involves revealing what we need to know, whether or not we are too satisfied with the truths that we’ve picked to hear it.

Judas needed to hear this. Like God calling to Adam and Eve in their shameful disobedience, “Where are you?” Or to Cain, whose hands were still covered in his brother’s blood, “Where is Abel?” Jesus is calling to Judas, already well underway in his shameful plot of betrayal, as if to say, “Where are you? Where is your heart? I can see you, Judas. Your sin is not as secret as you think it is. I know you’re going to do it. In fact, it is so certain that you’re going to do this that it has become a part of an eternal plan written in the will of God, written in Scripture, but I am calling out to you, even though I know you won’t listen.”

Jesus knows more than we do. Jesus knows evil. He sees it. He hates it. He wants to get rid of it, wants us to get off the path of evil, will call out to us to repent of it and escape it whether we hear that or not. He knows evil, even meets it face to face, but is never overcome by it. He is the seed of the woman stepping out into the path to be bitten by the snake so that he can in turn crush its power over us and fulfill God’s promises of salvation. He is the mommy holding the spoon full of things we don’t understand, but calls us to trust that what he serves is good – what he says is good, even when it hurts and scares us.

And out of love, a love that understands what we do not– out of a love the goodness of which has to be tasted to be seen, he takes bread. He gives thanks, calling our attention to the gracious providence of God Our Father that sustains our lives and hearts, all according to Passover Protocol, but this is not: as the bread is broken and given, he says, “This is my body.” Brothers and sisters, steel your hearts. Keep yourself from hearing these familiar words in the comfort of their hundreds of utterances. Be as amazed as the disciples were that such a person could say such a thing about food. “This is me,” as he breaks it and gives it as fully as his body would be beaten given over to death. Given for you, as he passes his bread-body to the friends gathered in fellowship around the table.

The disciples are not comfortable in this moment. They are confused. Instead of an explanation, Jesus takes the cup. Passing a cup of wine was Passover Protocol, but this was not: “This is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many.” Pause for a moment with the disciples at the evening they are having. Jesus is filling each person’s plate with heavenly things – revelations of God’s will and how he will use betrayal in his plan of salvation – and now, upon a holiday filled with festive spiritual hope, during a meal that thousands of worshippers are celebrating across Jerusalem, recalling the Passover lamb that saved their ancestors from death and slavery, Jesus speaks this word of covenants and blood, but not of lambs, nor bulls, nor goats, but of himself. His body and his blood are the new covenant. This new covenant of hope and peace. Of forgiveness and rescue. Of the kind of freedom that a celebrater of the first Passover could only imagine. Jesus brought it to reality. His sacrifice for all people, ratified through the faith that yoked your heart to this new covenant of God’s contract to be gracious to you and bless you and make his face shine upon you.

If you think it’s hard to get a toddler to eat a new food, how about getting a stone-cold sinful human heart to understand, love, and trust in a new unfathomable spiritual reality? That God can use evil and betrayal for good? That rescue from the dominion of the devil’s darkness is not only possible, but your new reality in Christ? That a body that goes broken to its grave is your salvation, and that blood spilled on the ground at Golgotha is a covenant with God, an eternally-binding agreement that God makes with sinners never to leave them nor forsake them, never to punish nor eradicate them?

Jesus loads up our plates with good things, but they are things we have never seen before, things we could never know unless they were fed to us. We are the hospital patient that is so weak he can’t feed himself, so he has no choice in the matter of what food is lifted to his lips. Jesus does not abuse the power of giving us whatever he wants us to eat. He fills us only with good things.

In a few moments, Jesus himself will be placed in your hands. “This is the true body of our Lord Jesus Christ, given into death for the forgiveness of your sins.” Jesus’ blood in a small cup, “Shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins.” You are not a spiritual toddler. You’ve had this meal before. You know its goodness. You know you need the medicine, because you know the lostness it saves you from – the sinful ignorance it cures, and the covenant of your Savior’s blood it ratifies.

Jesus says, “it is.” We have already become used to accepting that Jesus knows more than we, and tells us things that are hard to understand and yet true. Should we stop now? Should we question that what we receive in this Supper is anything other than his body and blood in with and under bread and wine? Would a Savior who has spoken such unfathomable spiritual truth now pause to accommodate our rational minds by saying, “It’s just a symbol guys”? Do his words, “Given for you” only apply to the cross? Do they not apply also to his continual giving of himself for our forgiveness and blessing at each celebration?

As Paul states, is this not a participation in his very body and blood, to be enjoyed as the disciples did: among a group of struggling sinners who fail and fall and are in need of strength? Is this not God’s communion with us and our communion with each other as joint-partakers in an eternal covenant of freedom and salvation?

So, the toddler tries the chicken, and immediately his eyes are opened. He is reminded of all the good things he has ever eaten, how this is the same yet so different. His trust in his mommy is ratified because he now has this extra piece of evidence that she can be listened to, that sometimes she knows things that he doesn’t, and can speak to greater realities of deliciousness than he can imagine for himself.

The table is almost ready. We are almost ready to celebrate. You are almost ready to hear those magnificent words spoken through a man but spoken by your Savior: This is my body and blood. This is the new covenant of grace and righteousness and forgiveness. And the most amazing thing that you could hear, Jesus also speaks, “I give this … for you. All this: myself, my body, my blood, faith, forgiveness, life, fellowship with me, solidarity with each other – I give it for you.”

Psalms of Confession and Hope - Psalm 107

Fri, 15 Mar 2024 23:25:33 GMT

We are storytellers. I noticed this when some friends came to our house from out of town. The husband seemed to have a story for everything. He recited tales about his relatives, his child, his neighbors. He is a good storyteller. Each account that he unfolded was entertaining, funny, and sparked discussion.

I don’t consider myself as good of a storyteller in this specific way. Not everyone is as gifted at “social storytelling,” that is: entertaining a group with personal story after story. But we are all storytellers.

Your calendar is a story. It is the story you have written about your life: the journeys you will take; the events you look forward to. At the moment you wake up, you tell yourself prophetic stories about how the day is going to go, about what you are looking forward to (or not looking forward to).

Deeds are the heart of every story. A story advances by what actions the characters take. Your calendar has events on it, but those events symbolize actions you need to perform. Your personal story for today is probably a series of actions you need to perform before the final action of laying your head down for the night. When you pass away, people will remember you by your actions, and that can be a scary thought for many of us! How do we know the story of our lives that will be told will be a good one – one where we are portrayed favorably?

This is how: by remembering who the Author is. Psalm 107 recounts the story of God’s interaction with humankind – with those who struggle, those who sin, those overwhelmed with needs. In the middle of the Psalm, the psalmist says: “He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind” (Psalm 107:14-15). At first, this doesn’t sound too good. The psalmist says we were in darkness – the darkness of disobedience and separation from God, because of our rebellious and sinful ways. That’s not the kind of story I like to hear about myself, but the more I honestly reflect on it and my own actions, the truer it appears to be.

Thanks to Jesus Christ, our story doesn’t end with us perishing in darkness. God sends Jesus to rescue us from our own sin and bring us into the Kingdom of the Son he loves (Colossians 1:13). Your story is one of a sinner now forgiven by the blood of Christ – of one who was lost but is now found!

The psalmist commands us to tell that story. The plot-important action in this story isn’t ours, but God’s. He has rescued us because of his love that never fails. He has brought us out of darkness because of his unending compassion. And because we have, no matter what the story of our day, week, month, or life may be – we always have reason to give thanks, because we know that no matter what comes, nothing will separate us from the unfailing love of God in Christ (Romans 8:39).

We are all storytellers, but Psalm 107 invites us to make important choices about what kinds of stories we tell ourselves. Join us any Sunday to hear the most important story of sin and grace, Law and Gospel, freedom from darkness, all because of God’s unfailing love.

Psalms of Confession and Hope - Psalm 102

Fri, 08 Mar 2024 16:15:02 GMT

Whom do you share your failures with? Who is it that you can trust not to judge you harshly when you open up to them about your struggles in your marriage, your financial blunders, or your battles with temptation? If you have such a person in your life, it’s likely a long-time friend; someone who has proven time and again that they can keep a secret and take what you say in the kindest possible way.

In these devotions, we’ve been looking at Psalms of Repentance and Confession. Repentance seems like a very private thing, doesn’t it? To open up about your sinfulness puts you in a very vulnerable position. To admit our weaknesses and failures, to confess that we are by nature sinful and deserve only God’s wrath and punishment – these not only grate against popular self-affirming mantras, but they grate against our very nature (our sinful nature, that is).

So, when the anonymous Psalmist penned Psalm 102, he says that he is like a “prisoner” and like one “condemned to death” (verse 20). We might appreciate how personal and vulnerable he is being. However, a few words prior he states, “Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the LORD” (verse 18). That seems less agreeable. He wants the story of his weakness, failure, and affliction to be chronicled so well that many future generations can hear about how weak and sinful he was. I shudder at the thought that my failures would be so well preserved!

Yet his desire is that the sons and daughters to come be led to “praise the LORD.” Future generations can’t see God’s greatness if we’re committed to proclaiming our own greatness. Future generations can’t be led to trust in God for forgiveness if we communicate that we ourselves don’t need that forgiveness. Future generations will be led to glorify God in heaven when they see him as he is: a God who loves and forgives sinners, a God who rushes to the rescue of the weak and defeated. In order to proclaim this message, we’ll have to be rather open and vulnerable about our weakness! This is not to say that we should dump all of our dirty laundry on everyone we meet. It often is helpful to confess deeply hidden failures to someone (like a pastor) in order to be reassured of God’s forgiveness in Jesus, but it is not necessary to do this with everyone we meet. However, we will be careful not to preach ourselves instead of Christ; our own righteousness instead of that which has been given to us freely through faith in Him.

So, let the story of sin and grace in our lives be chronicled and well-preserved! May future generations see God’s greatness through the message of his great love for sinners like us! May this be our focus throughout Lent, and throughout our lives.

Psalms of Confession and Hope - Psalm 145

Fri, 01 Mar 2024 16:12:42 GMT

Your imagination is an incredible gift. Simply by looking at letters on a page, you can imagine worlds you have never been to. Just by watching a commercial for a local steakhouse, you can imagine what that entrée tastes like. You can think up adventures that you would go on in an alternate universe, or plan a whole future for yourself and your kids. Your brain is capable of some really wonderful things.

Due to sin’s marvelous way of ruining everything, that incredible ability that we have can also be our greatest affliction. You can imagine things alright. You can imagine what “they” are saying about you behind your back after that big flop. You can imagine what disparaging things the people who knew you when you were immature must think of you now. As surely as Seinfeld reruns continue to play on cable TV, reruns of your biggest failures play on the screen of your mind as you try to fall asleep – failures from earlier that day, or from last week, or from decades ago.

As they say, misery loves company. When David says, “Lord … No one living is righteous before you” (Psalm 145:1,2), at least we can know that we’re not alone. At the same moment that you’re beating yourself up over past sins, someone else is probably doing the same. There’s enough guilt to go around. And as David says, standing before a righteous God only casts a greater contrast on our shortcomings.

Why do our brains circulate around our mistakes so much? I wonder if it’s because our mind is trying to “solve” them – pick out something we could have done differently, or remember a detail that might soften the blow of guilt, or worse: try to atone for those mistakes by punishing ourselves with guilt-trip reruns.

The beauty of the Psalms, we are taught what to do with these guilt trips – how to cut off the cycle of shame and self-blame. There is a time and place for apologizing for our sins to the people we’ve wronged, absolutely. But when it’s 2AM and your mind is going off the rails from anxiety over something you’ve done, do what David does in Psalm 145:

He takes his guilt and shame right to God (“I spread out my hands to you; I thirst for you like a parched land” verse 6)

He relies on God’s goodness for relief, not his own (“Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love” verse 8)

Instead of trying to atone for his own sins, he trusts in God’s forgiveness and salvation to carry him out of his misery (“For your name’s sake, Lord, preserve my life; in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble” verse 11).

He finishes by placing his whole self in God’s care, asking for direction (“I am your servant” verse 12).

Let this prayer be your model for the next time your imagination runs wild with guilt and shame over your sin. Because of Christ’s sacrifice for you, you have full access to pray to God boldly. You know God’s love for you is unfailing, because not even death, nor Satan could stop it. You know that God doesn’t hold your sin against you, so when you are tempted to hold your own sin against yourself, bring it to him instead. And if this does happen in the middle of the night (as it usually seems to), after you’ve read Psalm 145, and prayed to God, close your eyes again in the peace and comfort of knowing your sins are forgiven.

God bless your Lenten practice of true repentance, which always results in greater trust in God’s salvation and his unfailing love, which gives us peace that surpasses understanding.

Psalms of Confession and Hope – Psalm 38

Thu, 22 Feb 2024 16:08:33 GMT

Honestly, Psalm 38 is pretty bleak. It might not be one that you have earmarked in your personal Bible to run to at a moment’s notice. David uses poignant imagery to relay his spiritual, physical, and emotional anguish. Verse 5 says, “My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly.” Pretty unsettling.

What God teaches us through David’s Psalm is that there is a spiritual side to everything we go through. David relates his physical weakness and sickness to the spiritual sickness of his sin (verse 3). He reacts to the ways people mistreat him as someone who is trying his best, but still powerless to stand before his accusers (verses 19-20).

Between David’s jolting descriptions of his health issues or his despairing remarks about his weakness, I as the reader am confronted with the question: Which bothers me more? Nothing is more disgusting to our sinful nature than to have to admit that we are powerless before our real problems. Nothing sounds as unacceptable to our sinful flesh than to admit that we are sick with sin and have no solution but to beg God for mercy.

Let Jesus take that sinful flesh up to the cross and crucify it for us, so that we can enjoy the comfort David’s inspired words have to offer. David speaks with brutal honesty about what he suffers, and who of us can’t relate to what he’s saying? Who of us has lived a life free of all troubles – physical, emotional, and spiritual? Yet what does David say throughout his psalm? “Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath” (verse 1). “All my longings lie open before you, Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you” (verse 9). “Lord, I wait for you; you will answer, Lord my God” (verse 15). “Lord, do not forsake me; do not be far from me, my God. Come quickly to help me, my Lord and my Savior” (verses 21-22).

He may not say it as directly as in other psalms, but David bears his longings and sufferings before God with brutal honesty because he knows that God is his Savior and Lord. He can speak of his trials in the most jarring terms available to him, because God hears the cries of his beloved children.

Dear Christian, this is your God – the God who hears you. This is your Savior – the one who responds to your weakness with His strength. This is your Lord – the one who heals your disease of sin with the salve of his forgiving love. This is the God who will (unlike human beings) will never betray you; never turn His back on you, even if you would deserve it! He loves you with an unfailing love, and promises to treat you with mercy that endures forever.

God bless your Lenten worship of the God who responds to our honest reflection and confession with forgiveness and renewal!

Psalms of Confession and Hope - Psalm 32

Thu, 15 Feb 2024 16:05:38 GMT

“Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered” (Psalm 32:1). As you read that verse, which of the following options best summarizes your reaction?

A. “Wouldn’t that be nice?”

B. “I know this, but I wish I felt it more.”

C. “I know this, but it doesn’t speak to what I’m dealing with right now.”

D. “I know this, and it is truly my experience!”

If any of these apply to you, keep in mind that “Blessed” here can also be translated “Happy.” When you replace “Blessed” with “happy” does it make your answer more or less true? If I struggle to feel forgiven in the first place, you’d better believe that I struggle to find happiness in a forgiveness I struggle to grasp!

In Psalm 32, David describes how miserable he was when he tried to keep his sins a secret (verses 3-4). He finally decides to unburden himself and confess his sins freely to God (verse 5), and immediately the burden is lifted. David experiences the truth that “Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven,” because he is that person. As the reader, I might want David to say more about how happy he feels, how at peace he is, how comforted and relaxed he now can be because God has forgiven his sins! He doesn’t really go there, and that’s probably good.

If we become too focused on the emotional outcome of our forgiveness, we can miss the point. Our feelings always follow what facts we’re focusing on. David does command us to “Rejoice!” (verse 11), but only after he has us focus on the fact that God’s love is unfailing (verse 10).

David didn’t just confess his sins to God because he wanted to stop feeling sad. He opened up in honest reflection before the Almighty God, because that is the only thing we can do. But when we choose not to wallow in our guilt, but take it to God; not to stand in shock at our sin, but to bring that sin to the foot of the cross; not to keep our sin to ourselves and hope we can solve it on our own, but entrust our whole selves to the God who loves us – we experience the lifting of that burden of guilt and shame, and learn once again what it’s like to be loved unconditionally by God.

David admonishes us not to act like animals that have to be poked, prodded, and forcibly led to do what the master wants (verse 9). Instead, following the advice of a popular hymn, we gather all our guilt and burdens and “take it to the Lord in prayer,” dumping them off at the foot of the cross of Christ.

God bless your Lenten worship as you join us all in running to God and his grace, unburdening ourselves, and seeking the true happiness that comes from the fact that God’s love for us is unfailing and unconditional.

Psalms of Confession and Hope - Psalm 6

Fri, 09 Feb 2024 15:59:02 GMT

According to a recent news article, Valentine’s week is a very expensive week – and not for very romantic reasons. Many will be buying their Valentine pricey gifts, but some will be forking over many more dollars to satisfy their suspicion. Valentine’s Day is the “busy season” for private investigators. Romantic partners with that gut feeling that something is awry with their closest relationship will hire a professional to scope it out. The private investigator interviewed in the article I’m referencing speaks with utmost certainty that most of the time, the suspicions are proven correct.

Even if you’ve never been in the situation of suspecting “foul play” on the part of the one you love, it’s not hard to imagine the pain. Part of growing close with someone involves opening yourself up to hurt.

The Psalms are expressions of closeness to God. If we weren’t close with him, we wouldn’t pray to him with the words of the Psalms. But there’s fear of hurt, there, too. In Psalm 6, David expresses his fear that God may hurt him. Far from betrayal, this hurt would be the just punishment David and all sinful men and women deserve from God. David begins his Psalm with the words, “Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint; heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.” (Psalm 6:1-2)

Pretty bold, wouldn’t you say? David basically says, “God, you have the right to be angry with me and punish me. But don’t.” Who is David to tell God what to do? Who are we to ask God not to punish us for our sins?

But David can pray this confidently! He says later, “The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer.” (Psalm 6:9). Trusting in God’s mercy, we can be confident with David that God will not betray the relationship he has established with us through Jesus Christ. He will not treat us as we deserve.

And God opens himself up to our investigation! He says, “If you ever waiver in your trust in my salvation, feel free to investigate me!” Dive in to the record of God’s Word, and you’ll see the evidence: He is unfathomably gracious. While we are indeed sinners, Christ died for us!

Every Ash Wednesday we hold a solemn service reflecting on God’s gracious salvation. Often, the service involves a practice called “the imposition of ashes.” The pastor places ashes on the hand or forehead of worshippers, in the sign of the cross, as a reminder that “Dust we are, and to dust we shall return.” This is not a practice to show God how sorry we are. This tradition is for our own sake, as a reminder of the death our sins have brought about – and also the death Jesus died to save us from eternal death! All who wish to participate will be invited forward. Those who prefer not to are free to stay in their seats.

May God shine the light of his love into your heart throughout your Lenten preparation!

Never Alone

Wed, 25 Aug 2021 18:51:50 GMT

When you are in your hour of need, who is it that you want by your side? When your long-time girlfriend breaks up with you, who do you call to unload about it? When you have the worst day at work and school, who is it you want by your side to get your mind off your troubles? When you’re being wheeled in for emergency surgery, who is it you want walking next to you holding your hand?

There is no worse feeling than being alone when you need someone the most. There are few pains greater than needing support, help, and presence, and having no one.

Loneliness is a vicious feeling. Even if you enjoy having some alone time now and again to recharge, you cherish time with your most trusted companions.

But you are never truly alone. Not in that creepy way, like there’s always someone stalking you watching your every move. You are never left alone, without help, without support, without protection. Psalm 91 declares:

1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust.”

If you’ve been joining us throughout these devotions on the Psalms, you have seen with us that God is often pictured like a castle – a fortress, a refuge. God is like a stronghold for you to run into and be safe. That’s a good way to describe God’s presence. He surrounds you. He protects you. The threat of the enemy cannot follow you in. God’s unending love for you leads him to take special care to watch over you. He goes further:

11 For he will command his angels concerning you

to guard you in all your ways;

12 they will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

You go into that operating room, never alone. You move to a new city where you don’t know anybody, but you are not alone. You embark on a new endeavor in your life, full of uncertainty and stress, wondering how it’s all going to work out. You are not alone. God is watching over you. He is surrounding you with his angels. Not a single thing will happen to you outside of God’s care. This next part is talking about you:

14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;

I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble,

I will deliver him and honor him.

16 With long life I will satisfy him

and show him my salvation.”

When you love someone, you want all their problems to go away. But you can’t always help, and it hurts. It hurts to watch someone you love in pain, and to be unable to stop it. But God’s love is so deep and his power so amazing, he is always able to help. Why does trouble still occur? Well, for one, we’re not in heaven yet. There is pain and trouble on earth. But God’s promise is that he will deliver you through all pain and trouble. You may need emergency surgery. You may be rejected. But God will be with you. He will see you through. His angels watch over you. He has provided salvation for you through Jesus Christ, and because of this, one day he will deliver you into heavenly paradise. Till then, live confident in God’s good care and protection right now.

Watch the Video:

At Ease With The Lord

Wed, 11 Aug 2021 17:07:50 GMT

What are some of the most memorable choruses you’ve ever heard? Maybe you have squealing guitar riffs and soaring vocals rush back into your brain as soon as anyone mentions that classic rock song you grew up listening to. Maybe you heard a pop song the other day that had the most satisfying beat drop in the chorus, and now you can’t get it out of your head.

In our Psalms for today, Psalms 42 and 43, there is a chorus that occurs a few different times. It’s a chorus that would be great to have stuck in your head, because it tells you what to do when your soul is downcast.

When I hear the word “downcast” I tend to think of Charlie Brown. This cartoon character has a signature walk when he gets really sad and mopey. His eyes fall just a few feet in front of him. His shoulders slouch. His eyes are haggard. He is “downcast” his whole being is cast down. What does it take to get you to feel the same way?

You lose the fight against temptation again, when you promised yourself “never again.” You may feel worthless, because you can’t live up to everyone else’s expectations of you. You start to feel isolated, because none of your friends seem to be there for you like you need them to.

Wherever you’re at in life, this chorus from Psalms 42 and 43 is the chorus you can remember:

Why, my soul, are you downcast?

Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God,

for I will yet praise him,

my Savior and my God.

Dear friend, you are going through a lot. But you are not without hope. In fact, you have a very big reason to have hope. The kind of hope you can have is that things are not as bad as they may seem. You may feel isolated, but you are not alone. You may feel inadequate, but the weight of the world is not on your shoulders. You may feel stressed, but it is not your job to tie a neat bow on every problem in your life. You have God as your Savior. Yours! God wants to be called your God, and he is yours right now. You’re going through a hard time, but you are not going through it alone – God is with you! You are stressed about how things are going to work out, but God is ultimately in control. You may feel guilty and inadequate, but Jesus Christ crucified your guilt and sin and inadequacies with himself on the cross, giving you the hope of everlasting life. When your soul is downcast, remember who it was that paid the price to redeem and save your soul – God!

This is a chorus you and I should repeat often, because we so easily get tangled up in anxiety and stress all over again. Keep walking with us, and consider joining us for a service and Bible class, so that we can keep each other mindful of who our God is, our Savior, and our giver of hope!

Watch the Video:

Safe With God

Tue, 03 Aug 2021 21:23:48 GMT

As I type this, I am sitting in my office, inside my church, atop the road that leads up the mountain. As soon as I step outside, I can see almost the entire eastern half of the city. But you and I know that it’s not the buildings that make this city what it is, but the people who live in those houses. The lives which individual people are trying to live as they drive their cars across the highway – that’s what makes this city what it is. And two years ago today, this city was in shock. This city reeled in horror as 23 El Pasoans, who were trying to simply live their lives, to go to Walmart and pick up a few things for their family, were gunned down.

This city mourns. Those families were forced to say a most unwelcome and unexpected “goodbye” to their loved ones. The lives of the survivors will be forever changed. And two years later, some are still struggling with deep and pertinent questions like, “How could God let this happen?” and “How can such cruelty and evil exist in the world?” or even “How can we ever move on, free from fear, free from grief?”

I will not be so arrogant as to think I have the perfect answers to any of those questions. However, nor will I be so negligent as to pretend that I, more specifically: my God, has nothing to say on the matter.

One day, as a multitude of people came to Jesus, only probably knowing that he was someone special and nothing more, Jesus’ reaction to seeing them is one to remember. Mark tells us that Jesus looked at this huge crowd staring at him as if they were expecting something, Jesus “had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd” (Mark 6:34). Sheep without a shepherd. Fearful. Lost. Hopeless. Grieving. Struggling to make sense of their lives. Struggling to pick up the pieces after tragic loss. Struggling to be strong in front of their kids. Struggling to keep from losing hope, direction, and any sense of wellbeing.

Jesus looks on you, Jesus looks on this city, and he has compassion. Not just some empty words, a Facebook comment promising thoughts and prayers, but Jesus’ compassion leads to action.

God hates sin and evil, since they are corruptions of his good creation. Jesus wept when he arrived at his friend Lazarus’ grave. It was hatred of sin and all the ways it has ruined our lives that drove Jesus to the cross. It was compassion for you, God’s little lamb, that moved him to answer evil by suffering its full effects on the cross, so that you never will. What is God going to do about all the evil in the world? He has done it. He sent Jesus to die on the cross to forgive you. He sent Jesus to die and the rise from the grave, to guarantee you that this life, corrupted by sin as it is, is not it. When you long for life to be better, for evil to be gone, for suffering and death to be gone, you are hoping for something that Jesus has fully and freely provided for you: eternal life in heaven.

That’s the good that is to come. But God promises to be with you now. He wants you to know that you can feel safe with him in every instance. He loves you and is your refuge. Until you reach that heavenly place, and you finally get to be done with this veil of tears, let the words of Psalm 46 be yours. Meditate on them today, tomorrow, and every day. Set your heart on your heavenly resting place, and trust in your compassionate shepherd and Lord to guard you and keep you safe today.

Psalm 46

1 God is our refuge and strength,

an ever-present help in trouble.

2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way

and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

3 though its waters roar and foam

and the mountains quake with their surging.

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,

the holy place where the Most High dwells.

5 God is within her, she will not fall;

God will help her at break of day.

6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;

he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

7 The Lord Almighty is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress.

8 Come and see what the Lord has done,

the desolations he has brought on the earth.

9 He makes wars cease

to the ends of the earth.

He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;

he burns the shields with fire.

10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth.”

11 The Lord Almighty is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress.

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Psalms of Comfort and Confidence

Fri, 30 Jul 2021 18:03:00 GMT

Hey there! Thank you for joining us for a new series of devotions. Over the next couple of weeks we will take a look at a few of the Psalms of the Bible. For thousands of years, people have gathered together to worship God by reciting or singing together these Psalms.

Today I’d like to focus on some verses from Psalm 27. Imagine yourself standing up in a group of worshippers and saying together:

1 The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life — of whom shall I be afraid?

There you are with this group, proclaiming to the world: “We are not afraid.” Now, I would imagine this provokes a little bit of dissonance in your heart. If you were a first century Christian, hiding in the catacombs because the government and other groups are trying to capture and kill you for your faith, would you find it easy to say: “I am not afraid” with this Psalm verse? Even now, you likely feel like you have good reason to be afraid! Your life stress, your anxieties, the fear of the unknown, and the demands of life can indeed fill you with fear! So how can you stand up and say, “I will not be afraid!”?

This Psalm shows you how, because Psalm 27 is not promoting a blind fearlessness, as if you should walk off the edge of a cliff and expect nothing bad to happen to you. No, Psalm 27 is teaching us to be fearless because of who it is that’s protecting us. It says that since the Lord is your light, your salvation, since the Lord is the stronghold, the big castle you can run into and be protected by its walls – then what reason is there to be afraid? You can be fearless, because of the Lord. Whatever happens today or tomorrow, God will be with you. Whatever happens, God is near you, and he’s here to protect you.

Let’s jump to verses 10 and 11 of our Psalm,

¹⁰ Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me. ¹¹ Teach me your way, Lord; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.

Being somewhat of a sensitive guy, one of the biggest fears I have is the fear of rejection. Do you suffer from this, too? Feeling like someone out there doesn’t like you or has a problem with you, that’s tough. But here’s the huge comfort of these verses: God is not temperamental like a high school friend that you can lose when you forget their birthday. He will not reject you. Even though he would have reason to, since we have sinned against him, God will stay true to his promise to love you and forgive you. Let the whole world dislike you and curse your name, God will still be yours. Your relationship with him matters more than anyone else.

¹³ I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. ¹⁴ Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

You can be strong, confident, and fearless in the Lord. That does not mean that bad stuff won’t happen. You have had days where you feel like you’re sinking through the floor, like life is attacking you, like everyone hates you. You may very well have a few more of those days in your future. The promise of God is not that life will be easy, but that God will always be with you. He will always love you. He will always be there for you. And in the end, he will bring you through all suffering and trouble. Because Jesus is your Savior from all sin and from death, you know that eventually God will deliver on his promise to save your soul from all suffering by taking it to heaven. So now, be strong and take heart! Wait for the Lord!

We only had the chance to look at a couple of the verses of Psalm 27. I challenge you – I encourage you – to end your day today before you go to bed, or start your day tomorrow by opening up your Bible or your Bible app and reading all of Psalm 27. Let God speak to you through his Word to give you confidence to be fearless. God bless your day!

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Spirit Fruits – Self - Control

Wed, 16 Jun 2021 21:28:57 GMT

Hi guys! Thanks for joining us in our look at the Fruits of the Spirit as described in Galatians 5:

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23a)

Today, we’re finishing off our look at each of these fruits, concluding with the last one: self-control.

When you’re sticking to a budget, you need a lot of self-control. You have big goals in mind: you want to pay off your student loan debt, or you want to save up the new Xbox. Accordingly, you hold back on your spending on other things in order to meet that goal. Even though it would be nice to go out to dinner for the third time this week with your friends, you say no. Even though it’s easier to grab a coffee from that awesome coffee shop on your way to work every morning, you choose to make it at home more cheaply.

The role of self-control in sticking to a budget is easy to see, but we also need self-control in almost every aspect of our lives. You control your food cravings in order to reach your weight loss goals. You control your schedule in order to make sure you spend time tending to your responsibilities. You control your temper, and don’t go flying off the handle every time someone does something that upsets you. You control your actions, and avoid doing those things which you know to be wrong, while simultaneously doing what is right, even if what is right seems to you a burden or waste of time.

Or do you? Honestly, how has your exercise of self-control been when it comes to choosing what is noble and good, and avoiding what is selfish and evil? I’m forced to admit that for me, self-control is the hardest of these Spirit Fruits to give attention to. It takes tremendous amounts of self-control to align your desires with what is truly good, and avoid those temptations that are truly bad. It is a struggle, and we all must confess that this struggle has resulted in many losses. Paul describes the intensity of this struggle in another place:

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do… For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. (Romans 7:15, 19)

Doesn’t that sound all too familiar, not being able to do the good you know you should? Thankfully, there is hope. The Bible says about Jesus:

[Jesus], being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:6-8)

Jesus practiced the ultimate self-control. He came to earth as fully God in human flesh, and subjected himself to torture and death to pay for your sins. Every lapse of your self-control – without exception! – is completely forgiven. Jesus budgeted his time perfectly, spending each moment fulfilling all of God’s expectations for your life and behavior. You are forgiven and free in Christ! So now, you see that temptation coming, or that opportunity to serve someone else – how do you muster up the self-control to act the way you should? God doesn’t leave you alone to impress him, he helps you.

it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. (Philippians 2:13)

God himself is at work in you, through faith in Christ, to strengthen you on your walk with Jesus. May God continue to bless you and be with you as you grow in your living of these Spirit Fruits for him!

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Spirit Fruits – Gentleness

Thu, 10 Jun 2021 23:04:02 GMT

Hi guys! Thanks for joining us again for our look at the fruits of the Spirit, as Paul describes in Galatians 5:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23a)

Today we’re talking about “gentleness.” You read a blog post or a tweet and scroll through the comments and you undoubtedly find a lack of gentleness. People are quick to blow the whistle on what they perceive to be bad behavior, or a misspoken word. I am thankful that the misguided things or jokes in poor taste I have said over the course of my life are not posted somewhere people could find them easily, because I could predict people will not react with gentleness.

But as I lament this culture and our slowness to forgive, our quickness to pass judgment – I am forced to recognize the lack of gentleness I’ve had in my life. I have certainly been quick to point out the wrongs in others, even when they are simple mistakes, or they weren’t trying to harm me, but I assume the worst of them. I often lack gentleness with the people in my life who need my loving service, not my harsh criticism. Jesus once said,

“Do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12)

But that passage cuts us like a knife, because we know that the standards of morality and perfect speech we set for other people, we fail to measure up to ourselves. We cry out that society should be more gentle with us, but at the same time treat the people in our lives with contempt.

That’s why it is so comforting to be pointed to our Savior, who was the perfect embodiment of gentleness. Matthew tells a story in his Gospel of how Jesus went around healing the sick, driving out demons, and helping people. This was the fulfillment of a prophecy given about Jesus centuries before he was born. Matthew quotes that prophecy:

“A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he has brought justice through to victory. In his name the nations will put their hope.” (Matthew 12:20-21, Isaiah 42:3-4)

You and I are like bruised reeds, and smoldering wicks. We put up a good front, but we often feel like we’re on our last legs. We’re about to fall off the stalk, or finally be extinguished. But Jesus is gentle with us. John relays this in his Gospel:

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:16-17)

The world is out to criticize, judge, and condemn. Jesus, who alone has the right to judge, does not. Instead, he loves you. He will not snuff you out, he will not snap you off for being less than perfect. No, he is your perfection. He is your Savior.

So you can look at others and treat them not as the rest of the world does, by highlighting their faults and blasting them for their mistakes. You can reflect the way Jesus loves us by practicing forgiveness and gentleness with all those around you. We’d love to explore the gentleness of Jesus with you at Trinity! Get in touch with us and / or join us for a Sunday service at 10:15am. God bless you!

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Spirit Fruits – Faithfulness

Wed, 02 Jun 2021 18:50:01 GMT

Hey there! Thanks for joining us once again to find peace and motivation today in God’s Word. Let’s continue to look at the fruits of the Spirit, described in Galatians chapter 5:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23a)

Today we’re going to take on: faithfulness. If you’ve been to a wedding, you remember the part that comes up about faithfulness, especially if that wedding was your own! At our church, we treat the wedding ceremony as a worship service: there are readings from Scripture, songs, and an encouraging message based on what God says about marriage. Then we get to a really important part. The soon-to-be newlyweds take each other’s’ hands, look into each other’s eyes, and say their vows.

The vows written in the order of service we follow here end with this: “… I promise to be faithful to you as long as we both shall live.” The happy couple says that to one another, they exchange rings, maybe they share a smooch, then it’s on to the post-service celebration.

If you’re married, that was a very special day for you, wasn’t it? You promise to cherish your relationship with this person for as many days as you and they are breathing as your number one human relationship in life, and fight off anything that would threaten it!

Don’t think faithfulness is a key part of marriage? (No one honestly thinks that, I hope!) See how crucial it is when it’s taken away. If you are the victim or the perpetrator of a major breech in faithfulness, I don’t have to tell you about the kind of hurt it causes. Spouses were meant to honor, love, and protect one another, not harm one another by treating relationships with others as more important.

Even more important is our relationship to our Heavenly Father and Creator, God. So how does God approach his vows of faithfulness to us?

Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. (Deuteronomy 7:9-11)

God made a vow, a covenant, with his people, and he is fiercely committed to keeping that vow. As Moses said in Deuteronomy, God has vowed to love those who love him and keep his commandments.

This… could be a problem. God stands up and pledges his love for us sinners who left him at the altar. The Holy God promises to be faithful to a bunch of people who keep messing up, keep turning their backs on him?

Jesus Christ came to renew your vows. Out of unending love and commitment to you, God sent Jesus Christ to live and die for you, to forgive you of your unfaithfulness. Your covenant relationship with God is restored in Christ. Your past infidelity with him is erased, and he is happy to call you his. God’s love and faithfulness always outmatches ours, because that’s the kind of God h e is. Paul says:

If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself. (2 Timothy 2:13)

Whatever your past looks like, as many times as you’ve turned your back on God, know that he does not turn his back on you. You have not out-sinned his great grace. Come and join us as we walk together in God’s unchanging, faithful love, and learn together how to walk in faithfulness to him!

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Spirit Fruits – Goodness

Thu, 27 May 2021 15:27:14 GMT

Hey guys! Thanks for joining us on our walk through the fruits of the Spirit, as Paul describes in Galatians 5:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23a)

Think of someone in your life whom would call a “good person.” Do you have someone in mind? Aren’t they always helping other people, thinking about the needs of others, prioritizing other people’s welfare above their own?

Do you have someone in your life whom you’d characterize as a “good friend”? Whom you could count on to help you move, or watch your dog for a weekend, or to listen if you called them up and needed to get something off your chest?

Being a good person means being a selfless person. The best people you know are the people who make you their priority. Those are good people.

Jesus made you his priority. In John’s Gospel Jesus calls himself the Good Shepherd. He says this,

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. (John 10:11)

Jesus literally set himself aside for your benefit. He put your needs first. And your biggest need was to be forgiven of all the bad in your life; to be saved from your sin. Jesus fulfilled that need by setting his life aside for you. Now you are good with God. You will not be treated as your sins deserve.

Martin Luther once said, “God doesn’t need your good works, but your neighbor does.” As far as God is concerned, you’re good. You were never going to earn his love, but thanks to Jesus you will never have to. He fully and freely is committed to loving and forgiving you all your days. There’s nothing you can do to make him love you any more. There’s nothing he needs from you.

But your neighbor does need you. The people in your life need your goodness to them. Your friend needs someone to be able to talk to when they’re struggling. Your spouse needs someone to treat them nicely when the whole world is screaming at them. Your children need a strong and loving parent to teach them. Your coworkers need someone to brighten up their day with a cheerful, hardworking attitude. Your good works make a huge difference in the life of others. And they are much needed!

There’s a specific prayer some families pray as they sit down to have a meal together. It’s been dubbed “the Common Table Prayer.” It ends with this verse:

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. (Psalm 118:29)

Who is good like God? Who has shown you goodness and love like your Savior Jesus? This is a goodness you won’t find anywhere else. You are good with God. So, go be good to others! God doesn’t need your good works, but your neighbor does!

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Spirit Fruits – Kindness

Thu, 20 May 2021 16:17:23 GMT

Hi guys! Hope you’re having a wonderful day. We’re going through the fruits of the Spirit, as Paul describes in Galatians:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23a)

Today we’re tackling a good one: kindness. Everybody likes kindness, right?

I heard somewhere recently that practicing one act of kindness a day is key to boosting your own self-esteem, happiness, and sense of belonging in the world. Imagine! Being kind to others is actually good for you!

Now I hate to be pessimistic, but I have to ask: if our sole motivation in being kind to others is because it helps us, is that kindness anymore? Don’t get me wrong, being kind to others is an essential part of living well among other humans, but isn’t our motivation to be kind often because it is good for us – instead of purely wanting to help others?

I clear the dishes out of the dishwasher at home because I know it makes my wife happy. Before you say, “Aww,” recognize that my life is easier when my wife is happy. Let’s be real, sometimes our greatest acts of kindness are actually done out of self-interest. You can deduct that charitable donation off your taxes. You volunteer at the food shelter because you’re trying to boost your resume.

These are good things, we don’t disagree with that, but they have built-in incentives. Take away the incentive, and would we still be so kind?

What kind of incentive does God have to be kind to us? By nature we are hostile to him. We sin. Even the stuff we do that seems good, we often do for selfish reasons. But God shows us true kindness. He is kind to us when there is no reason to be, no incentive or benefit for him.

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. (Titus 3:4-5)

God saved you from your sin, when he didn’t have to. God looked upon you and loved you, when you didn’t love him back. God creates a relationship with you through faith, not expecting payback or with any strings attached. That’s true kindness, that’s love.

Because God loved us and showed us kindness when we were in no position to benefit him, we can show kindness to others, even if it doesn’t benefit us. This can start with something as simple as talking to a cashier a bit more kindly – even if you will never see them again! It can be as simple as picking up someone else’s trash, even if no one else is around to see it. Now that you are in this relationship of grace with God, the big stuff is taken care of – your sins are paid for, you live in grace. You can show that grace in the small stuff in your every day. And just so we’re clear: If your practicing kindness leads you to be a little happier, that’s okay! You’re seeing that living the fruits of the Spirit is a much better way of life.

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Spirit Fruits – Forbearance

Wed, 12 May 2021 16:35:25 GMT

Hi guys, hope you’re having a great day. Take a moment with us to hit pause and meditate on the fruits of the Spirit. We find the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23a)

We’ve talked about the first three, and I encourage you to head back and watch those devotions if you haven’t. Today, let’s talk about forbearance.

Now I have to admit, guys, forbearance is a tricky one. I had to go to the dictionary this week to get you a good definition for this word we don’t use very often. Google says forbearance is: Refraining from the enforcement of something (such as a debt, right, or obligation) that is due. Does that help?

Maybe not. How about this: Forbearance is the state of being able to bear up under provocation. Better?

Let’s use an example. Someone is trying to get your goad. Let’s say it’s a bully on the playground, saying horrendous things to you about your height and weight, your family, the clothes you have on, you name it. His goal is simply to get you to snap, to lose your cool. You keep it together. You are demonstrating forbearance. Now, you could smack the guy. Let him have what-for. Let him know he can’t talk to you that way. And maybe no one would fault you for it. But instead you choose to keep your cool, not to lash out, even if others would say he had it coming to him.

That’s a hypothetical example. I made up a fake situation. You know how I know it’s fake? Because under provocation, I do not hold up very well at all. In fact, I am ashamed to admit how easy it is to get me to crack, to lose patience, to let my anger flare up and take control. How about you? Where are you at with forbearance?

As shamefully as we have acted, as short as our tempers have been, and as quick as we are to flare up and show our worst sides in the sight of provocation, God practices forbearance with us. What we deserve for our sins of short-tempered anger and hostility toward our neighbor is punishment. We deserve God’s wrath to come down and give us what-for. But God doesn’t do that. He punished Jesus on the cross in your place. That’s the forbearance of God.

In love, he withholds what your sins deserve from you. In patience, he leads you to see his forgiveness and mercy in Christ. Though God has the right to punish us, he doesn’t. He punished Jesus in our place, and raised him from the dead for our salvation. That’s what Peter says:

Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. (2 Peter 3:15)

When Peter says “patience” there, it’s the same word Galatians uses for “forbearance.” God, withholding punishment from you. God, being patient with you. God, not bringing you what your sins deserve, but instead showering you with love and compassion. Now you have the joy of practicing forbearance with others. Sure, people wrong you. But remember God’s patience with you, and have patience with those around you. We are tempted to have short tempers with those around us. Instead of snapping, breath. Take a moment to ponder the great patience God has with you, even in your weak moments. In the face of provocation, look at Jesus, who is our Savior and redeemer, and also teaches us how to practice patience and forbearance with others.

We’d love to sit with you and talk more about the life-changing forbearance of God, so please get in touch with us! Till then, God bless.

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Spirit Fruit – Peace

Tue, 04 May 2021 15:54:00 GMT

Hi! Thanks so much for being here. I hope and pray you’re having an awesome day. Let’s hit pause together and continue our walk through what Paul calls the Fruit of the Spirit. We find these “Spirit Fruits” in Galatians 5:22-23, which says:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

We spoke last time about joy, today we’re following up with our next fruit: peace.

There are plenty of different ways to describe peace. Peace is the absence of war, when the treaties are signed and the white flags are waved. When a loved one passes away and you hope that they rest in peace, that means that their grave remains undisturbed and respected. I once had a friend who struggled with an important decision and the way he described what it felt like was, “I have no peace!”

The way the Bible talks about peace is not much different. Peace is the absence of strife or war. Peace is a feeling of tranquility, of being undisturbed in your soul, having a feeling of harmony with the world and those around you.

The problem is that this peace seems too far off to obtain, doesn’t it? An absence of strife? We’re surrounded by strife. A feeling of being undisturbed? We hear disturbing news every day! Being in harmony with the world and those in our lives?

It seems as though there is no peace to be found. There will always be wars. There will always be tough decisions to make, to agonize over. There will always be discord, disagreement, and bickering. And that’s just the world out there!

When I pause to examine myself, and reflect on all the things I’ve done, I do not feel at peace. I do not feel this harmony we’re talking about. Do you? Or, like me, don’t you find inner peace really hard to find because of the mistakes we keep making?

So when Paul says that we should have peace, that sounds kind of condemning doesn’t it? Until you realize that true peace is found not by soul-searching, or by digging deep inside yourself. True peace comes from the outside; from some One else.

Christ says:

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world (John 16:33)

Jesus forgives your sins. When he died on the cross, he declared a ceasefire between you and God. Your relationship with God is one of harmony now, through Christ. That is a peace that no earthly circumstance can take away from you, because it was purchased and won for you by Jesus himself – the author of peace.

One of the last things we do at church is called the Benediction, or the closing blessing. It comes from Numbers 6. It goes like this:

The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you, the Lord look on you with favor, and give you… peace. (Numbers 6:24-26)

No matter what burdens you come to church with, the final word is peace. No matter what sins you’ve committed, Jesus’ final word is peace between you and God. No matter what is going on in the world: know that in God, you have peace, all thanks to Jesus. Come hear about this peace every Sunday at 10:15am, or if you’d like to sit down with me and talk about this peace in Jesus, send us a message. God bless your day!

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Spirit Fruit – Joy

Tue, 27 Apr 2021 20:24:30 GMT

Hey there! I hope you’re having a great day. Thank you for tuning in as we’re hitting pause for a moment to soak up some of God’s Word and be encouraged by the difference-making love of God through the Holy Spirit, which in turn gives us what we need to go make a difference in the lives of others.

We’re walking through what the Apostle Paul calls the Fruit of the Spirit as found in Galatians 5:22-23:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

We spoke last time about that first one: love, today let’s move on to fruit number two: Joy.

I want you to think about how your day has been going so far. If you’re catching this message as you are just waking up, you’re taking a break and you found our video or blog, or things are winding down – what kind of day are you having? Would you characterize today as “joyful”? Or something else?

There certainly have been things that have happened or will happen to you today that bring you joy. For me, it’s that first cup of coffee in the morning, or the fresh air as I’m walking the dog, a pleasant conversation with my wife, or a spontaneous hug from my kids. Don’t you find that the little things sort of spark joy in you?

But allow me to share something that continues to blow my mind about Scripture: many verses in the Bible that talk about joy, bring it up in a context of suffering. Let me give you just a couple examples:

1 Peter 4:13 says,

But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.

James 1:2 tells us,

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds

The Bible often tells us to suffer with joy. That when the coffee tastes terrible, the conversations with your wife aren’t pleasant, and your kids aren’t hugging you but they’re pushing away, to maintain your joy. That even if everything is falling apart, and you’re at the end of your rope, to have joy.

How is that possible? Doesn’t this feel pretty unfair, pretty condemning? I think about how often I respond to suffering not with joy, but by becoming miserable. Yes, the big stuff can really set us off – a tragic loss, or a horrible diagnosis – but even the little stuff can send us over the edge, can’t it? Whether the doctor gives us bad news, or we’re cut off on the freeway, it seems like any number of things can rob us of our joy.

That’s why we turn to One Person who kept his joy at all times. Sure, he didn’t always have a smile on his face, but his joy ran deeper than that.

Hebrews 12:1-2 says:

And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

How can we find joy in our suffering? Because Jesus considered it his joy to suffer for us. How can we find resilience when things fall apart? Because Christ is the one who will hold us together. Christ died and rose to give you a source of joy that will never fail you, it can never be robbed of you – no matter how bad the coffee tastes tomorrow morning! It may not mean you will always have a smile on your face. It does mean, however, that you have a Savior who forgives your sins and is with you at all times. So, should you have to suffer, you can do so joyfully, because no suffering will take your Jesus away from you.

Come celebrate this Jesus with us every Sunday at 10:15am. If you’d like to learn more about the Bible or about Trinity, send us a message! God bless your day.

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Spirit Fruit – Love

Tue, 20 Apr 2021 22:59:25 GMT

During these tumultuous times, we’re going to take a moment to slow down and allow Scripture to get us back to basics. We’re going to walk through what Paul calls the “fruits of the Spirit” in Galatians 5:22-23.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Let’s begin with that first one: love.

Don’t you agree that the world could use a little more love? These days, compassion seems to be in rare supply. I think Jesus would agree that the world could use a little more love. Jesus would also challenge us: what have you done to contribute, to help tip the scales?

I look out at the world and I see a shortage of compassion, a shortage of love, but I look inside my own heart and I see the same problem, if not something worse. What about you? Do you feel like you’re at your wit’s end, like you can’t give any more empathy because your supply has run dry? Do you find it hard to invest in other people, because you feel like no one’s investing in you? Do you feel a lack of love within yourself?

When that is the case for us, reading a passage like Galatians 5:22-23 can feel like an unreachable goal. Because we have fallen so far from the loving people we’re supposed to be, maybe we feel that God shouldn’t love us at all.

But that’s where we find some good news. 1 John 4:9-10

9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

God loved a people who were short on love for others, because God loves in a way that is different from the way people do. He doesn’t only love you when you’re being loveable, he loves you even when you’re at your worst, because He is Love. He loves you and forgives you always, through Jesus Christ. And so, he sets the pattern for how we love others.

Rooted in his love, Paul is comparing us to a fruit tree when he says, “The fruit of the Spirit is love.” When you read your Bible and join us for worship, God will fill you up with his love. Then, like fruit forming at the end of a tree branch, you’ll bear the fruit of love for others – even when they’re being unlovable, even when you are tired, even when things are quite crazy.

Does this world need a little more love? Sure it does – especially God’s love. Let’s be filled with God’s love as we walk through his Word together, so that we can love other people.

Watch the Video:

Holy Week Verses – Romans 6:5-7

Fri, 02 Apr 2021 14:15:01 GMT

This week, we’ll be looking at specific verses that unpack the wonders of God’s grace that we see so clearly during these traditional celebrations.

Today, let’s go to another passage in the book of Romans. But first, I want to ask: have you ever died before? Of course not, right? If you were dead, you wouldn’t be able to read this (or watch it) right now! I’m thankful that you are alive and well and can share in this meditation with us. But I want to inform you: you have died already. Not in your body. But you have died, to sin.

You see, on Good Friday, when Jesus went to the cross, he went in your place. When Jesus was pierced with nails, he was pierced in your place. When Jesus hung there, bleeding, suffocating, that was in your place. And when God forsook his own Son (see Psalm 22:1 and Mark 15:34), he forsook him in your place. Your sins – every one of them, from the stealing of a pencil in kindergarten to driving drunk in college, to saying hurtful and hateful words just yesterday – they required payment. A death sentence had to be served. Jesus served your death sentence. It’s as if you did too. You will not die for your sins. You did already when Jesus died in your place.

That means you’re free. That means that sin is no longer your master. Should sin want you to go back and make all those mistakes over again: you can say no, because of Jesus.

It means you’re free. Because just as Jesus’ death guaranteed your death to sin’s hold over you, so did Jesus’ resurrection from the dead guarantee that you will get to as well. You’re free even from death itself. Jesus’ death and resurrection provide you the promise that you too will rise.

That’s the miracle of Holy Week. That all of your sins are washed away by Jesus, and that his resurrection proves that you will rise too.

You are free.

Romans 6:5-7 says:

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. (Romans 6:5-7)

Find peace this week, knowing that Christ’s death has freed you from sin, and Christ’s resurrection has freed you into new life!

We want to invite you to worship with us on Good Friday at 6:30pm as well. We also hope you can join us on Easter Sunday at 7:30am for an early morning service, then at 10:30am for an uplifting song service. Come find joy and peace with us at Trinity this Holy Week!

Holy Week Verses - Ephesians 2:4-8

Thu, 01 Apr 2021 14:15:02 GMT

This week, we’ll be looking at specific verses that unpack the wonders of God’s grace that we see so clearly during these traditional celebrations.

Today, let’s go to a passage in the book of Ephesians. But first, I want to ask: Why do people fall in love? Is it just a matter of getting a crush on someone, then asking the person out, then growing in your relationship until you hit a point where you say, “Wow I think I really love this person!” People fall in love when they get to know someone really well and discover that they’re not just attractive on the outside, but they are admirable, noble, funny, and wise on the inside. Basically, people fall in love when they get captivated by someone else, and by everything about them.

But that love comes under attack when people change. Not just talking about on the outside, but when the storms and experiences of life cause a person’s character to shift, someone can begin to say, “Hey, you’re not the person I fell in love with!” If someone’s love for someone else is only based on attraction, or captivation, that might not be the most solid of foundations for a lasting relationship.

That’s why God’s love is so different. How does God love you? It’s not because you captivated him with something special about you. You’re sinful. It’s not because God was drawn to you by some special qualities you had, we have none! God loves you not because of who you are, but because of who he is. God loves you because he chooses to. God loves you out of his own nature. He is eternal, unchanging. So his love for you is eternal and unchanging too! That’s why we call it “grace.” We say that God’s grace is his unconditional love for sinners like you and me.

Holy Week is the celebration of what God’s unconditional love – his grace – led him to do for us. Even though we had nothing to draw him to us, he went the whole way and sent his Son to die for our sins, and to rise again. For us!

Ephesians 2:4-8 says:

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:4-8)

Find peace this week, knowing that God’s love and forgiveness for you are never going to change.

We want to invite you to worship with us on Maundy Thursday at 6:30pm, and Good Friday at 6:30pm as well. We also hope you can join us on Easter Sunday at 7:30am for an early morning service, then at 10:30am for an uplifting song service. Come find joy and peace with us at Trinity this Holy Week!

Holy Week Verses – Colossians 1:19-20

Wed, 31 Mar 2021 15:05:23 GMT

This week, we’ll be looking at specific verses that unpack the wonders of God’s grace that we see so clearly during these traditional celebrations.

Today, let’s go to a passage in the book of Colossians. But first, I want to ask you: what’s the most important relationship you have? For a while it’s with our parents. Then for many of us we drift away from them during those teen years and start spending more time with friends. You get a little older, and a significant other maybe takes center stage in your life. Whomever you thought of, mom or dad, a best friend, or your spouse, every one of us has someone in our lives that are very, very important to us. It makes our hearts ache when something goes wrong in that relationship. You disappoint your parents. You mess up and break confidence with your friend. Your relationship with your significant other hits a rough patch because of something you did or said. Wouldn’t you give anything to take that back? Wouldn’t you do anything to make things right again and bring it back to the way it used to be?

The Bible says that our relationship with God is messed up, and it’s our fault – not God’s. Think of how special it would be to say that you and the God who created all things and who has power over everything has your back, that you have a good relationship with him. Yet we messed all of that up when we sinned. Our truly most important relationship in the whole world has gone awry, and it’s our fault.

But God was the one to make it right again. Though we sinned against him God is the one that repaired our broken relationship. He sent his Son Jesus – who is God in human flesh – to make things right again. On Friday of this week, we will remember when he hung on the cross. We will remember the price he paid with his own blood to make our relationship with God right again. He did it all for us.

When you look at that cross, you now know that you have peace with God forever through Jesus Christ.

Colossians 1:19-20 says:

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. (Colossians 1:19-20)

Find peace this week, knowing that your most important relationship in the whole world is solid. It’s all good. You are at peace with God through Jesus Christ.

Holy Week Verses – Romans 6:23

Tue, 30 Mar 2021 15:00:12 GMT

This week, we’ll be looking at specific verses that unpack the wonders of God’s grace that we see so clearly during these traditional celebrations.

Today, let’s go to a passage in the book of Romans. But first, I want to ask: what’s the difference between a wage and a gift? A gift is something you get for free. The second you have to pay for it, it’s not a gift any more. Sometimes gifts are surprises. Sometimes, like at Christmas, they’re a part of tradition. But still, they’re free. We’re struggling with this concept at my house, because our three-year-old has come to expect that every time Dad comes home, or Mom takes him out, he gets a treat or a toy. We’re trying to teach him that you can’t expect or demand a gift. It’s spontaneous, extra, done out of kindness.

Now a wage is totally different. A wage is your paycheck at the first and fifteenth of the month (or whenever you get paid). You don’t always say, “Thank you” to your boss or whoever does your payroll for your paycheck (although, it wouldn’t hurt if you did!). It’s expected. It’s demanded. If work doesn’t give you your wages, you have the right to complain. You earned them!

What have we earned with God? Many of us think we’re doing a pretty good job living life as the decent people God wants us to be. We’re not perfect, but we try. But that’s just it: The Bible teaches that just to try is not good enough. The Bible teaches that God demands total perfection. The Bible teaches that anything less than perfection earns death. Even our best efforts to do what’s right are ruined by our misplaced priorities and selfish motives. No, there is only one thing that we earn: death. Sin earns death. Physical death is a consequence of sin (see Genesis 3:19). But so is spiritual death – that means an eternity spent separated from God in hell. Because we keep rebelling against God and his will for us, our sin ruins our relationship with him. What do we earn? Death.

That’s wages. But here’s the good news: Holy Week is about the gift God gives. This week is about celebrating the greatest gift you’ve ever been given. You were on your way to death – physical and spiritual, Jesus suffered both in your place on the cross. Physical death as he was murdered. Spiritual death as he endured the wrath of God against all sin, and separation from him. He did this for you as a gift – not because you earned it or even asked for it. He did it freely. He did it for you. So that when it’s your time to pass away, through faith in Christ you go to heaven forever. Eternal life is yours absolutely free. Now that’s a gift!

Romans 6:23 says:

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

Find peace this week, knowing that your forgiveness comes from God as a gift – totally free, with no strings attached!

Why Do We Say That? – “Hosanna!”

Wed, 24 Mar 2021 17:16:12 GMT

Next Sunday is Palm Sunday, which kicks off the most special week on our calendar, because it means it’s time to get ready for Easter. This is such a great time of year – for anyone who has been feeling beat down by the circumstances of life, anyone who feels like things have spun out of control, anyone with a personal battle that they’re fighting. Is that you? Are you in need of some good news? Could you really use someone to tell you it’s going to be okay? Well, it is. Here’s how we can say that.

This Sunday, Palm Sunday, we celebrate the way Jesus traveled into Jerusalem. See, it was the time of a great festival for the people there, called “the Passover.” As part of their celebration, there were some Bible verses they spoke together every Passover. One of the verses you’d hear the people say is this one:

25 LORD, save us!

LORD, grant us success! (Psalm 118:25)

“Save us!” they shout. The original word they shouted was “Hosanna!” – an Aramaic word that means “Save!” Just a basic call out to God, “God, save!”

“Hosanna” is your word, my friend. Are you feeling beat down? Say “Hosanna!” to God. “Save me!” Are you at your wit’s end, fearing what may come next in your life? “Hosanna! Save me!” Are you guilty, broken down by your own mistakes? “Hosanna! Save me!”

And you want to hear the really good news? God hears us shout for him and he says, “I did. I do. I will.” Jesus rode into Jerusalem, and people laid their palm branches along his path, singing “Hosanna! Hosanna!” And whether they knew it or not, they were witnessing Jesus do exactly that. He went to Jerusalem to save us. In Jerusalem was where he died on the cross, paying for your sins; where he rose from the dead, to give you victory; where he showed God’s true power to save us from the real problems of life.

The Bible teaches:

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. (Titus 3:4-5)

When you shout “Hosanna! Save me!” You’re not asking him to do anything that’s out of his character. He wants to save, he is powerful to save, and he is in the business of saving. He is the MVP hall-of-famer of coming to our rescue.

So when we sing “Hosanna!” together, think of it more like a cheer. If you were sitting courtside, watching your favorite basketball team play, you might get a little excited. Even if they had a clear lead, you wouldn’t keep quiet, would you? You’d at least give them some claps and a shout here and there.

When it’s God up against everything that gets to us – God against our greatest enemies: sin, death, and the devil, he’s got the lead. He’s going to win. Because of his kindness, his mercy, and his power, he saves us. We shout, “Hosanna! Save!” without a doubt that he will. He loves you. He’s got you. He will save you.

Join us for Palm Sunday worship this coming Sunday – in person at 10:15am or on YouTube!

Watch the video:

Why Do We Say That? – “Sin”

Thu, 18 Mar 2021 15:44:23 GMT

The church season of Lent is nearing its end, which means Holy Week is getting closer. We hope you have the chance to tune in or join us in person for each of the special services coming up!

To put the joyful celebration into perspective, we do have to talk about something that’s a little uncomfortable. It’s the word “sin.” I know you’ve heard it before. What is this “sin” talk about? Is it something you need to worry about?

Maybe you hear folks talk about sin as an “out there” thing. Many of us think about sin as an issue that certain groups in society have. Groups that support causes we think to be immoral, they’re the sinners. Or, the worst of the worst of the human race – your Hitlers or your Joseph Stalins – serial killers, murderous dictators, that sort of thing – they’re the real sinners.

Maybe you were always taught that certain things are sins because of how serious they are: cheating on your spouse or driving drunk and accidentally taking someone’s life.

The danger with thinking about sin in these ways is how easy it is to assume sin is somebody else’s problem, and not mine. And, sometimes I can confuse what I find disgusting or bothersome or uncomfortable to be what constitutes a “sin.” However, sin isn’t just the stuff that bothers me. Bad news coming your way: it’s much more basic than that.

In the Bible, Jesus teaches us about what sin is when he lays out on the table what God wants from us. Sin is anything we do, we think, we say – anything about us at all that falls short of what God wants us to be doing with our lives. So here goes, and this is going to sting:

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:48)

Yes that’s right. I need to be perfect, as perfect as God. Anything less is sin. How is that even possible? Many people can say that they lead a good life, sure, but perfect? When perfect is the standard, not just “good enough,” we’re in trouble. When it’s not just the capital offenses that count as sin but any and every little imperfection, this is not good! So whoever I think the real “sinners” out there are, I have to confess that I am one of them. I am not perfect.

But there’s good news for sinners like you and me. There was someone who fulfilled the requirement of perfection. There was somebody who committed no sin, great or small, big ticket item or little slip up. To him, sin really was “somebody else’s problem.” The Bible says this about Jesus:

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Even though sin was not his problem, he took your problem and wore it as his own. Jesus lived perfectly, but as he went to the cross, he took all your sin onto himself. All of your imperfection, he embraced as his. Why did he do this? The Bible says,

God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:19)

You’ve heard amazing stories of forgiveness. Mothers who forgive sons who for years did nothing but disrespect and hate them. Men and women forgiving the people who killed their brothers and sisters. Wives forgiving cheating husbands and working to make their marriage great again.

No one can top God’s story of forgiveness. After all humanity has done to him; after all the ways we fell short of being the people we should be; after all that’s messed up about us – God forgives. God reconciles us to himself in Jesus Christ. This is the best story about forgiveness, because it’s your story.

Join us this Holy Week to hear so much more about this beautiful story of forgiveness. Till then, God bless you!

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Why Do We Say That? – “Alleluia / Hallelujah”

Thu, 11 Mar 2021 01:28:25 GMT

In 1741, an Englishman named George Frideric Handel composed a piece called Messiah. If you are someone who doesn’t like repetition, then as you hit “play” to listen to Handel’s Messiah, you better brace yourself. Get ready to hear the same word about fifty times in the same song. You should be ready to hear “Hallelujah” (alternatively spelled “alleluia”) fifty whole times.

So what does it mean? As you listen to that Hallelujah Chorus in Handel’s Messiah, or as your classmate aces a test and as she’s running to give you a hug she screams, “Hallelujah! I got an A!” It surely is a good thing, but what does it mean?

We get Alleluia from the Hebrew of the Old Testament. Allelu is a command to a group of people: “Praise!” Ya is a shortened way to refer to the Lord. Allelu + ya , then, means “Praise the Lord!”

We can find “alleluia” in a place like Psalm 150:

¹ Praise the Lord.

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 timbrel and dancing,

praise him with the strings and pipe,

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. (Psalm 105)

In Hebrew, this psalm begins and ends with “alleluia!” And the psalmist is commanding: Praise the Lord, everybody! For what? For his acts of power, for his greatness. Praise God for being God!

Why? Does God need our praise? When my three-year-old son puts a banana peel in the garbage, just like I asked him to, I praise him! “Good job, son!” It’s important that I do that, so that he knows what he did was a good thing. He knows that I love him, and approve of the choice he just made.

Is that the kind of praise God needs? No. God does not need you to tell him he did a good job. God does not need your approval in order to have self-esteem. He’s God, and he can get along pretty well without your praise. However, what if praising God is actually good for us? Take Psalm 150 again. When we praise God like the psalmist says, we remember his acts of power and his surpassing greatness. Musicians grab an instrument and strum away to make beautiful music to God. As we praise God, our hearts focus on who he is and what he has done. As we follow the command to praise God, we are actually the ones that benefit! All your problems are put into perspective when you remember that God in charge. All of your guilt is swallowed up by remembering God’s great forgiveness in Christ. All your weakness and worries are enveloped in the unending strength and care God has for you. As you praise God, you are calling to mind all he does for you. He created you. He forgives your sins in Jesus. He’s prepared heaven for you. Praise the Lord!

Did you know that during the church season of Lent, we take a break from saying “alleluia”? Why do you think that is? Lent is a more somber time of reflection. We reflect on our sins and need for salvation so that when Easter comes we can celebrate with even greater joy the resurrection victory of Christ. So we take away the alleluias for a bit to help us meditate. However, that doesn’t mean we stop praising the Lord. The Bible says to us:

…In view of God’s mercy, offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. (Romans 12:1)

We are encouraged to offer up our whole lives as one big worship song to God. Whether we’re happy or sad; singing and dancing, or quietly reflecting; smiling or crying – we worship God – that means, we focus our hearts on him and his greatness. And we’re the ones that benefit from doing that.

That’s what we do every worship service at Trinity, in songs, lessons, prayers, and sermons. We’d love it if you’d come praise the Lord with us. Till then, God bless you.

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Why do we say that? – “Amen”

Wed, 03 Mar 2021 21:28:29 GMT

You hear a lot of Christians say it. You hear it all the time at church. But what exactly does “Amen” mean? I would guess that most people think it is just the word you say when you get to the end of your prayer. So then it would mean something like, “I’m done praying now, amen!” Maybe you’ve been to a church where worshippers in the pews call out “amen!” when they agree with something the preacher is saying up in front.

We find the word “amen” all over the Bible, in both the Hebrew of the Old Testament and the Greek of the New Testament. The first time we find this word in Scripture is in Deuteronomy chapter 27. Moses is giving a list of things for the leaders of Israel to warn them not to do. After each item they warn the Israelites about, the Israelites are commanded to say, “Amen” as if to say, “Yes, we heard you, and we understand.” So “amen” just means “Yes I understand,” right?

There’s actually a little more to that. Fast forward in Israel’s history, good King David is leading Israel in worship. He sings this beautiful song in praise of the Lord, and he says:

³⁶ Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,

from everlasting to everlasting!”

Then all the people said, “Amen!” and praised the Lord. (1 Chronicles 16:36)

When the people said, “Amen!” they joined in with David’s beautiful song praising God. So saying “Amen” is like saying, “I’m taking your words and I’m making them my words too. I agree with you 100%.” It’s binding you to what is being shared. When you hear a preacher speak, imagine his words being written on a piece of paper with his name signed at the bottom. When you say, “Amen!” you’re signing your John Hancock on that paper too.

See, “amen” is related to the Hebrew adjective that means, “true, trustworthy, faithful.” When you say “Amen,” you’re saying, “That’s the truth.”

The truth. The Amen. The final word. All this comes together in the last book of the Bible, when Jesus is called, “The Amen” (Revelation 3:14).

And this is great news for anyone who is having a hard time. Are you struggling to understand God’s will for you in your life? Are you feeling anxious, depressed, emotionally stranded and drained? Are you wondering where you stand with God?

Look to Jesus. During the season of Lent, we’re reading the events in the Bible leading up to the point where Jesus was killed on the cross. We’re looking forward to our Easter celebration of Jesus’ resurrection from the grave.

Jesus is the Amen. Jesus is reliable, trustworthy, faithful. He was 100% faithful in his love for you. He was 100% faithful in his desire to save you from all your sins. He is 100% trustworthy to forgive you, love you, and be with you now. He is 100% truly your Savior from all sin and from death itself. Jesus is the Amen. He is the final true Word on the matter. God loves you and forgives you in Jesus. Amen. End of story.

We’d love for you to join us for worship, as we hear about God’s truly amazing grace. We’d love to be able to show you that God is reliable, trustworthy, and true in his love for you. And when you hear those statements of everything Christ has done for you, continues to do for you, and will do for you in the end – we’d love to hear you say: Amen!

One last thing. When the last book of the Bible was written, a lot of people were suffering. A lot of very disturbing and troubling things were going on. Maybe from where you’re sitting, you don’t think a lot has changed. You are suffering. You feel disturbed. You feel troubled. Jesus’ promise is that sufferings and troubles don’t last forever. That because of what he’s done for you on the cross, he promises to come back and take you with him, through faith, into heaven. And so, let the closing words of Revelation, the final words of the Bible, be your words too, when Jesus says,

“Yes, I am coming soon.”

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

²¹ The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen. (Revelation 22:20-21)

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Why do we say that? – “Atonement / Blood”

Wed, 24 Feb 2021 17:06:06 GMT

Hey guys, thanks for joining us again. Today I want to talk about something you probably don’t hear Christians say that much. The concept I want to talk about is “atonement.” Chances are, when you’re hanging out with your Christian buddy, you won’t hear them drop this word too much. But, it’s pretty crucial to what the Bible teaches. My hope is by the end of our time, you’ll want to say and think about “atonement” a lot more often!

To begin, I want you to picture yourself as a construction worker. You work long, hard hours, running around making sure very important jobs get done. By the end of the day the dust kicked up from the machines and tools has settled and caked onto your sweaty skin and clothes. Let’s be honest, you don’t smell great. You don’t look great either, you look haggard and worn out. You find out, though, that the CEO of your construction company wants to take you to dinner after work to get to acquainted and thank you for your time at the company. Problem is, the restaurant she wants to take you to is suit-and-tie only, and you don’t have enough time to change and freshen up. What are you going to do?

The Bible teaches that spiritually speaking, it’s like we’ve just gotten off of a twelve-hour shift at a spiritual construction company. We are spiritually dirty, spiritually stinky. The Bible says that even when we attempt to do what’s right, it comes out as good as a filthy rag (Isaiah 64:6). God is good, pure, holy, powerful, and eternal. We use the word “transcendent” to describe him because that’s what he is – far above. He’s far above us in our spiritual dirtiness, he is clean. How can we possibly get prepared to sit at his table and enjoy his presence and his goodness?

That’s where atonement comes in. We need some way to get rid of our spiritual dirtiness. God taught the Israelites that to do that is not easy. In fact, blood has to be shed. God told the Israelites,

¹¹ For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life. (Leviticus 17:11)

The Israelites in the Old Testament were given instructions to sacrifice animals before coming to God in prayer and worship. Why? So that they could learn,

without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. (Hebrews 9:22)

The animals sacrificed over and over in the Old Testament showed the Israelites: if you’re not going to bleed for your own sins, someone else has to in your place. This is what it takes to cleanse a person of spiritual dirtiness. Thankfully for us, someone has already bled for us. Someone has already bled for the sins of the whole world. The Bible says,

if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. ² He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:1b-2)

Our righteousness was like filthy rags. Jesus is the Righteous One. Blood had to be shed so that we could sit at God’s table and enjoy his blessing, love, and presence. Jesus was the one to shed his blood on the cross to do that for you. Through the shedding of his blood, there is forgiveness for you. Your sins are washed away. You don’t stink anymore to God. You smell like Jesus to him.

That’s what atonement is. I had a Sunday School teacher teach it to me this way: Jesus came to atone -- make us AT ONE with God. To remove the stench of sin and to give us the promise of God’s love and blessing in heaven forever. Atonement is the word for your AT-ONE-ness with God himself, made possible through Jesus Christ.

This is why when you visit Trinity, you’ll hear us talk about atonement. You’ll hear us talk about blood. It’s through the blood of Jesus that we have a good relationship with God. Your sins are atoned for. You’re forgiven.

Come join us for services to explore everything this word “atonement” means for you and me. Thanks, and God bless!

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Why do we say that? – “Repent”

Wed, 17 Feb 2021 20:05:35 GMT

Thanks for joining us! Pastor Cherney here. Today let’s take on a bit of Christianese, of Church vocabulary, if you will. Have you heard the word “repent” before? It has an ancient feel to it, doesn’t it? I’m picturing gothic architecture, candles, an emotional preacher slamming the podium and saying, “Repent of your sins!” during a sermon. What does it mean to repent?

Now, to be honest with you, we could talk about repentance all day. In fact, one could say that the Bible’s entire teaching focuses on this one word – that’s how important it is!

The word for repentance used in the Greek of the New Testament can mean “a change of mind.” Really? That’s all? So, when I opened my closet this morning and reached for my black shirt and instead grabbed the blue shirt I have on now, that’s repentance? Of course, it’s more serious than that.

To repent means to change your mind about something very important, to come to your senses in a way. See, the Bible teaches that we are born with a disease, and it is terminal. The spiritual disease has name: sin. And it will lead to our spiritual death. In fact, spiritual death is how we start out. The Bible says:

“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins” (Ephesians 2:20)

Repentance means to change your mind, to come to your senses about your sin and where it leaves you. Repentance means that I leave behind any excuse that the bad stuff I’ve done was justifiable or not that big of a deal – it’s sin. Sin kills. Repentance means reading your diagnosis, and reacting appropriately. This is why so many people equate the word “repentance” with feeling sad or remorseful. When we think about what ways we fall short of being the people we should be, it’s natural to feel sad about that.

So here we are, feeling sorry about our sins. What happens now? What can we do? I’m glad you asked. The word for “repent” in the Hebrew of the Old Testament can also mean “to turn.” I drive down the highway and turn off on a particular exit. Why? Because I want to go home! So when we repent, we’re turning from what’s killing us – sin. What are we turning to? Jesus gives us a nice answer to that question. After he died on the cross and rose from the dead, this conversation happened:

^“45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. ⁴⁶ He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, ⁴⁷ and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” (Luke 24:25-27)

We know we have a problem. Sin is our problem. There is only one place to turn. Turn to Jesus. When you do, what do you find? You find the cross, where he paid for your sins. Jesus is the cure to your terminal spiritual illness. Jesus forgives your sin, washes away the guilt of everything you’ve done wrong. You are not going to die for your sin! Jesus did already in your place. So I can tell you to “repent” with a smile on my face, because I’m not just telling you to feel sorry for yourself, I’m telling you to turn to Jesus. You won’t be disappointed.

If you’re in El Paso, I want to invite you to come by Trinity and check us out. See how much this idea of repentance impacts our whole lives! Let’s walk together to the cross, so that we can go together to the empty tomb at Easter. We hope to see you. Until then, God bless!

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Why do we say that? – “In Jesus' Name”

Wed, 10 Feb 2021 23:13:36 GMT

Hello again! We so appreciate you joining us for this journey through common Christian phrases, stopping to smell the roses and unpack the sweet comfort inside sayings some of us have become so accustomed to hearing.

Today we’re talking about what “in Jesus’ name” means. Now, you likely have seen a clip of a TV preacher saying “in the name of Jesus” when something happens. What’s going on there? Is that something we should say, too?

Someone recently said to me that there’s nothing more precious than your name. When my friend said this, what he meant by “name” was: reputation, legacy, identity. Your name is not just the label your parents slapped on you so that you could tell which water bottle is yours to grab after soccer practice. Your name represents who you are, where you’ve been, and even where you’re going.

Jesus’ name literally means, “The Lord Saves.” But what about his name – his reputation, his legacy? Well, the Bible teaches that Jesus’ name is pretty powerful. It says,

“…God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11)

What does Jesus’ name mean? Well it means a whole lot! His legacy surpasses all other legacies. His reputation is greater and more important than anyone else’s. Jesus’ identity as the Savior from the Lord makes him the most important person who has ever lived. As God’s Son, and God himself, Jesus’ name is the most important name.

So what does it mean to call on Jesus’ name?

Have you ever been to a networking event? What’s the point of a get-together like that? You rub elbows with people, grab hors d'oeuvres at the snack table, and exchange business cards. Why? Because you’re trying to create connections that will help you professionally. Imagine you meet someone who says, “Go into such-and-such business on Monday. Mention my name. They’ll take it from there.” You do. You go to the front desk. You mention your new friend’s name, and all of the sudden you’re given the five star treatment, as if you were your friend’s own family.

As powerful as Jesus’ name is, as magnificent as his legacy as the Son of God is, and as jaw-dropping and downright intimidating as his identity is compared to us weak and feeble people, Jesus invites us to “call upon his name.” To approach God, and name drop Jesus Christ.

Jesus invites us to name drop him when he says,

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.” (John 15:16)

I love that. Especially when he says, “You did not choose me, but I chose you.” There’s nothing we did to earn this privilege of a relationship with Jesus. We didn’t win the award to name drop Christ. He gave it to us. That’s why he came, to create a relationship with us. A relationship of VIP access to God the Father; the guaranteed privilege of being able to bend God’s ear and namedrop Jesus when we have a request, and to walk away knowing that God hears us. All because of Jesus’ name.

So when you say your prayers, end it with a little “In Jesus’ name, Amen.” That’s like saying, “God, hear me not for my sake, but for Jesus’ sake,” “God, listen to me with the love and compassion you’ve shown me through the legacy and accomplishment of Jesus Christ,” “God, I know you’re hearing this, because you’ve drawn me to you through the work of Jesus.”

Do you remember what Jesus’ name means? “The Lord saves.” And he does. He did it once at the cross, saving you from the guilt of your sin. He’ll do it again when it’s your time to leave this earth, and he’ll take you up to heaven with him. And the in-between time? He still does plenty of saving. He does plenty of listening. May God continue to come to your aid, lift you up in his promises, and give you peace – in Jesus’ name.

This only scratches the surface of all the things we could talk about in connection to Jesus’ name.

2 Thessalonians 3:6 - In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers and sisters, to keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive and does not live according to the teaching you received from us.

Acts 16:18 - She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.

John 15:16 - You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.

Ephesians 5:19-20 - ¹⁹ speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, ²⁰ always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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Why do we say that? – “Lord-Willing”

Wed, 03 Feb 2021 23:25:23 GMT

Hello! Thanks for joining us in this discussion of things you hear Christians say, but may not realize what they mean. Sometimes, Christians say the darnedest things, but Lord-willing during these videos you’ll get a sense that there’s a lot of beautiful truth behind ordinary phrases.

Did you see what I did there? Let me pat myself on the back for a not-so-subtle segue into our phrase for this talk. Today we’re unpacking some of the truth within the phrase, “Lord-willing.” I hope you hang on with me, because this one gets pretty philosophical. I imagine you’ll have a few unanswered questions when we’re done talking today, and that’s okay.

You may have heard a Christian or two stick a little “Lord-willing” in a sentence. For example, “I’m going to get a new job by the summer, Lord-willing.” Or, “Lord-willing I’ll feel well enough to go on the school ski trip.” What does that mean?

As the Son of God in human flesh, Jesus used this phrase himself. A great example comes from his prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus, because he is true God, knew what was about to happen. He was about to be betrayed into the hands of Roman soldiers, and carted off to meet a brutal death. Because he was human as well, this filled Jesus’ heart with stress and anxiety. He prays to God the Father, asking him if there’s any way possible that he wouldn’t have to face brutal death. Listen to how he finishes his prayer:

“My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will,” (Matthew 26:39b).

He’s saying, “Don’t do just what I want to do. Do what you want to do, Lord.” That’s what “Lord-willing means.” It’s a kind of shorthand for saying, “May God do whatever he wants.” And what does God want? What is God’s will? To find out, we read the Bible. That’s where we see what God’s will is. So, let’s open up the theological can of worms here just a little bit.

The Bible teaches that, “[God] wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth,” (1 Timothy 2:4). That ultimately is God’s desire. That’s what he wants. God wants you to come to know how much he loves you. How much he has done to forgive you and save you from your sin.

That’s why even though Jesus asked God the Father to take the cup from him, he didn’t. Jesus went to the cross. Jesus died for you. That was God’s will. And he wants you to know about the full and free forgiveness Christ has won for you on that cross.

What about the other events in your life? Well, if God has this big and loving desire for you and your family and your friends to know salvation through Jesus Christ, doesn’t that mean you can trust the rest of what he allows or doesn’t allow to happen to be okay?

If you had good parents growing up, you could trust them. You didn’t always understand why they didn’t let you go to McDonald’s, why they didn’t let you sleep over at a certain friend’s house. Even though you got upset, you eventually came to understand that they have good reasons for the way they treated you. They knew something you didn’t. They had in mind the nutritional value of McDonald’s and wanted to make sure you got a better meal. They knew something about your friend’s family that meant letting you sleep over there would not have been safe.

It’s when you have bad parents or guardians in authority over you, who can’t be trusted to do what’s in your best interests, that life is miserable. If you’ve been there, I want to say I am so sorry. I also want to assure you – God is not like that. He is not an abusive parent. He loves you so much that he stopped at nothing to forgive your sins and show you his love with the cross. He can be trusted. He is in control, and he most certainly has your best interests in mind.

That’s why the Bible gives us this encouragement:

You ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that,” (James 4:15).

God can be trusted. If he allows something to happen, he has his reasons for it. If he doesn’t allow something to happen, there must be good reasons for that too. Since God is good, we can trust him. We can say, “Lord-willing” and always allow for the possibility that God might have something different in mind than just our plans for ourselves.

Since God is smarter than us, and has been around for much longer than us (for he is eternal), it’s alright if we don’t always understand what his good reasons for allowing things to happen or not happen may be. But that’s okay. He is God. I am not. We can trust his love. We can trust his will.

So, let’s you and I pray with honesty and sincerity the words Jesus taught us to pray in what has been called “the Lord’s prayer.” In it, Jesus taught us to say:

“your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven,” (Matthew 6:10).

God, your will, not mine, be done. Amen.

Do you have questions, thoughts, or comments after our talk today? Please get in touch with us, we’d love to keep the dialogue going. Lord-willing, we’ll speak again soon!

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Why do we say that? – “God Be With You”

Wed, 27 Jan 2021 17:14:04 GMT

Hello! Thank you for joining us! We’re discussing phrases you hear Christians say, uncovering the truth underneath these phrases. You can find a lot of comfort if you resist thinking of these phrases as cliché or just seeing them as Christian-ese. We’re looking at another big one today, one that maybe sounds a little old school. Today let’s talk about the phrase, “God be with you.” What does it mean when someone says this to you.

We’re used to hearing Christians say this when you leave their presence, right? “God be with you!” a Christian mom might call down to her daughter as she gets into her car to go off to college. What does that mean? What benefit do you get if God is with you in his presence?

We find our answer in the psalms. The psalms were ancient prayer-songs people would learn, and they were recorded and included in the Old Testament of the Bible. Listen to these verses from the psalms:

If the Lord had not been on our side—

let Israel say—

if the Lord had not been on our side

when people attacked us,

they would have swallowed us alive

when their anger flared against us;

the flood would have engulfed us,

the torrent would have swept over us,

the raging waters

would have swept us away. (Psalm 124:1-5)

So the writer of this psalm proves the point in the negative. What is the benefit of God’s presence? Well, the danger of God not being present is pretty scary! If God weren’t on our side, we would be defeated by all our enemies. We would be sitting ducks, as it were. But thank God that he is with us, protecting us from dangers we often don’t know about. You don’t know the germs in the air that you’re not breathing in and are not getting you sick. You don’t know about all the car crashes you didn’t suffer. Thank God that he’s been watching over you, he’s been with you. Thank God that he takes a personal interest in your well-being so as to protect you from evils around you.

But there’s so much more to God’s presence. The greatest evil and the greatest enemy we’ve ever faced is ourselves. All the bad things we’ve done and said and thought. In a very real way we are our own worst enemies, because of the punishment we deserve for the sins we commit.

But listen to how the Bible says God took on this enemy. We learn:

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).

The Word, that is: Jesus Christ, came down from heaven to dwell among us. That’s why he’s called Immanuel: God with us. Jesus, the eternal Son of God, came to live a human life, to defeat your enemy: your own guilt. He has come from the Father to show you the truth of God’s grace: God’s unconditional love and forgiveness for you.

Jesus was with us. He walked among us, as one of us, so that he could save us. And what about now? Jesus says: Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age (Matthew 28:20.)

God is with you. He watches over you, he protects you. He loves you. In Jesus Christ, he forgives you and saves you. You are not a sitting duck. God’s on your side. And he will never leave you nor forsake you.

Thank you so much for joining us for a moment. Please get in touch with us and let us know your questions or what you find comforting about God’s presence! We’d love to hear from you. Until then, God be with you!

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Why do we say that? – “God Bless”

Sat, 23 Jan 2021 17:29:30 GMT

Hello and thank you for joining us as we talk about common phrases you hear Christians say, diving into the reason why we say them, and the truth and comfort that lies beneath them. Today we look at one heard all the time, “God bless.” Now, someone might say, “God bless you” like after a sneeze, or “God’s blessings,” or something. We’re treating them all as the same phrase. What does it mean when someone says to you, “God bless”?

As you may expect, the real question here is that what does “bless” mean?

To answer this question, it helps to go way back in Bible times to the early history of Israel as a nation. As God is giving them teachings to map out what their identity is in him, he gives this command in the book of Numbers (Numbers 6:22-27):

22 The LORD said to Moses, 23 “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:

24 “ ‘ “The LORD bless you

and keep you;

25 the LORD make his face shine on you

and be gracious to you;

26 the LORD turn his face toward you

and give you peace.” ’

27 “So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”

Now there’s a lot there in that passage, but for now let’s focus on that middle phrase. “The LORD make his face shine on you.” What does that mean? Well let’s say you’re at a work meeting, and your boss walks in. If your boss has a history of abusing his power, taking advantage of employees and treating women disrespectfully in the work place, how do you feel when you see him? Your heart sinks. You furrow your brow. Your face “darkens.”

What if your boss is kind, thoughtful, and a good leader? What if your boss just had everyone and their families over to his private cabin over the weekend for a relaxing time? When you see him, you breathe a sigh of relief. You crack a half smile. Your face brightens up!

When God looks at you, may his face lighten up. May it shine upon you! This is more than just a fantasy or wish. When God looks at you, he does brighten up. You and I say, “How can that be, given all the mistakes I make every day? How can God be happy to see me, after all the failures in my past? How can I expect almighty God to consider me and my circumstances and bless me?” See, God has already blessed you in one amazing way.

The Bible teaches, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). God has blessed you before you even knew him well enough to ask for it. Thousands of years ago he sent his Son Jesus Christ to die on a cross and pay for all of your sins. Now, with your sins washed away, he looks at you and doesn’t see you for your sin, but sees you for the forgiveness and love and perfection of his own Son Jesus. God looks at you and smiles. His face brightens up.

The Bible teaches “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17). The God who blessed you with the forgiveness of all of your sins, he does not stop blessing you with more and more good things. House, home, family, money, car, Xbox, McDonald’s – everything good in your life is from God. Even the absence of some blessings does not mean he has forgotten you. It does not mean God has changed his mind about you, or taken away the forgiveness of your sins. Suffering or deprivation in life may even be a blessing itself. But this, my friends, is a topic for another time.

As you think about the way God blesses, do you have questions or comments? We’d love to hear from you. Drop us a line and get in touch with us. We’re here for you. Until then, my friends: God bless!

Why do we say that? - “I’ll Pray for You”

Wed, 13 Jan 2021 17:30:37 GMT

Hello and thank you for joining us as we look at common phrases you most definitely have heard Christians say, examining the reason that we say that, and the comfort behind them. Let’s start with a big one, that I know you’ve heard before. Maybe you’ve even been puzzled or frustrated by it. What do Christians mean when they say, “I’ll pray for you”?

The big question we need to answer is: what is prayer? Prayer is important. Prayer is an action, something that you do. When the Bible talks about prayer, it shows that prayer is a conversation. Prayer is as simple as talking to God.

Talking about prayer, the Bible says: (Philippians 4:6) in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

See, prayer is talking to God. Bringing him your deepest desires, your joys, your thankfulness. But here’s an even bigger question: when we pray, why should God listen?

If your friend at school, a coworker, or your wife all of the sudden stops talking to you, what’s your first question? “Did I do something wrong? Why are you giving me the silent treatment?” Right? Because we know that if we do something to hurt somebody, if we cause a rift in the relationship, there’s no reason we should expect to be able to talk with them. You don’t expect your friend to listen to you tell a story of an amazing play you made on the basketball court if he’s mad you stole his girlfriend.

So why should we expect God to listen to us? I mean, I’ve done wrong. I’m the reason my relationship with God isn’t perfect, it’s because I’m not perfect! That’s why Jesus came. Jesus repairs the rift between you and God by forgiving your imperfection – what the Bible calls “sin.” He shows you God’s love. He makes things right again.

That means when you pray to God in the name of Jesus, he’s listening. You’ve got his full attention. Don’t worry about him being too busy listening to other people’s prayers to tend to yours: he’s God, he can multitask better than you can imagine! He hears you.

The Bible says (1 John 5:14 ) “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” Bring your requests to God. Pray for people. Pray about events. Pray about your requests. Pray about what makes you happy. Pray about what makes you sad. Pray when you feel guilty. Pray when you feel joy.

God loves to listen to prayers. He loves to come to your help. The Bible says (Hebrews 4:16) “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Is there something you’d like us to pray about on your behalf? Can we make use of this gift of prayer for you? Send us a message or leave a comment about what we can pray about for you.

Thank you for joining us! See you next time.

Have more questions? See additional considerations on prayer here: https://wels.net/serving-you/wels-topical-qa/prayer-questions/

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