Crossroads "Unplugged"

Light but No Heat (or as someone said yesterday it's Crossroads "Unplugged").  Due to the unseasonal snowstorm we had No electrical power yesterday (Sunday - October 30, 2011) but we met in the unlit, unheated space of Crossroads, and we had Power...God was there.  Early this morning (Monday, October 31, 2011) while it was still very dark we met for prayer with our flashlights in hand, in the unlit, unheated space of Crossroads, and God was there. 

When you stop and think about it, followers of Jesus have met and continue to meet in some of the most unusual places (forests, catacombs, sewers, homes, tattoo parlors, etc...), for worship, fellowship and to be in the presence of Jesus Christ with each other.

It's easy to have heat without light, just check out any busy church where God is ignored.  His presence is what we must seek (individually & collectively)  for only in Him is there Light.

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. John 1:3-5

The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.  John 1:9

 
If you read this in time, pray for us Today (Halloween 2011) as we bring and shine the Light in Union Center at our Halloween Outreach (3:00pm - 9:00pm if you can join us).  We will be twisting balloons, face painting and giving out tasty candy (over 50 gallons) and the Good News through timely Gospel tracts.  Of course Pastor Presto will be there with Gospel Magic.

Just Ask Gucci

Just Ask Gucci: Design?... then there is a Designer

 I have mentioned Professor Anthony Flew numerous times from the pulpit.  He is clearly the most influential atheist over the last 100 years.  His books and articles are still being used on the university campuses.   So how is it that this most famous atheist is no longer an atheist?  Well that what’s this book

There is No A God

is all about.  A very interesting read by this former Oxford professor who often debated and was befriended by Dr. Gary Habbermas of Liberty University.  I cannot overestimate the weightiness  of the world’s most famous atheist no longer being one, because of the evidence.  One sad note for me personally is that Dr. Flew grew up in an evangelical pastor’s home with a fine witness and education has spent his life apart from God. 

Dr. Flew, who has now passed, said that he goes where the evidence leads.   The Designer's fingerprints are all over the universe.  From the BIG to the small His handiwork is seen.  The Scriptures declare:

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psalms 19:1

Yet our world tenaciously holds onto to evolution in replace of the Creator.  Of unaided apparent design, instead of beauty, design and purpose.  No where is this more demonstrated than in academic circles.  Students regularly ask me questions about Creation and Evolution.  I encourage you to check out the following for further consideration.

Google the following articles:

"Five Questions Evolutionists Would Rather Dodge" by William Dembski

"The Design Revolution: Answering the Toughest Questions About Intelligent Design" by William Dembski

"Ten Questions to Ask Your Biology Teacher About Evolution" by Jonathan Wells (also: "Inherit the Spin" and "Ten Questions to Ask Your Biology Teacher About Evolution with Evasions and Falsehoods"

"Ten Question to Ask Your Biology Teacher About Design" by William Dembski

"Top Ten Questions About Intelligent Design Theory" by the the Discovery Institute

"Design and Darwinism" Wittingshire's Bag End

"What is Intelligent Design" Wittingshire's Bag End

"Who Sees the Evidence of Design?" Wittingshire's Bag End

"Who Sees Holes in Darwinism?" Wittingshire's Bag End

"Is Intelligent Design a Christian Conspiracy?" Wittingshire's Bag End

go to: www.intelligentdesign.org

An AMAZING Word for Your Journey

The Amazing Prophecy of Isaiah 53

Yesterday (Sunday, October 23, 2011) we had the privilege of having Dr. Mitch Glaser, president of Chosen People Ministries, speaking in our fellowship, during a Missions Sunday.  Being a Messianic Jew, Mitch who came to belief in Jesus as the Messiah during the Jesus Movement (really a movement of Jesus) of the 1970s, preached from Isaiah 52 & 53.  These powerful verses of prophecy, spoken through the Jewish prophet Isaiah, more than 700 years before Jesus entered into humanity, are some of the most amazing Messianic prophecies (and there are over 300 Messianic prophecies in the Bible) that reveal our Father's plan and desire to bring us back to Himself.  Consider these words.

Isaiah 52:7-15 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!" Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices; together they shout for joy. When the LORD returns to Zion, they will see it with their own eyes. Burst into songs of joy together, you ruins of Jerusalem, for the LORD has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem. The LORD will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God. Depart, depart, go out from there! Touch no unclean thing! Come out from it and be pure, you who carry the vessels of the LORD. But you will not leave in haste or go in flight; for the LORD will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard. See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. Just as there were many who were appalled at him-- his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness-- so will he sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand.

If you are interested in reading Dr. Glaser's new book: Isaiah 53 Explained go to

www.isaiah53.com

for your free copy.

Danger Will Robinson

It's Dangerous to Follow Jesus

This morning I was reading in Luke account the following:

"I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed! Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law." Luke 12:49-53

Consider the story of James Chalmers, a follower of Jesus and missionary to the Cannibals—James Chalmers (1841 – 1901)

Little did James Chalmers and his missionary colleague Oliver Tomkins know, as they waded ashore at Risk Point on Goaribari Island, New Guinea, that they were walking toward their deaths. It was Easter Sunday, April 8, 1901, and the villagers rejoiced at their arrival, inviting them into the newly constructed dubu (a communal house for fighting men which could not be used without consecration by a human sacrifice) for refreshments. Yet the festive mood was in stark contrast to the piles of human skulls nestled around the crude wooden idols in the corner of the hut. Without warning, the natives attacked and dismembered their two visitors, passing the limbs to the women to be cooked, mixed with herbs. In those few moments, Chalmers and Tomkins passed from Easter faith to Easter presence.

The Pacific islands were one of the first areas to be evangelized in the modern missionary era. Most of the indigenous population lived in primitive conditions, immersed in cannibalism, licentiousness, infanticide, and constant warfare. Yet by the end of the 19th century, most of this region had become Christian through the faithful and sacrificial service of many missionaries who proclaimed the gospel despite the constant threats of disease and death.

Chalmers, the son of a stonemason in the West Highlands of Scotland, was converted during the 1859 revival. Even as a boy he wanted to be a missionary to the cannibals, and eventually he arrived on the settled island of Rarotonga in May 1867, where he served with the London Missionary Society for the next ten years. He was a pioneer at heart and set off for New Guinea (modern day Papua New Guinea) to preach the gospel. For the next 23 years he labored up and down the coast, visiting 105 villages, 90 of which had never seen a white man, and establishing a chain of Polynesian teachers to continue the work. He always went unarmed, knowing this would allay native suspicions while leaving him defenseless in case of attack.

Chalmers, who outlived two wives, longed for the unreached to hear the gospel. “I dearly love to be the first to preach Christ in a place,” he said, and he had the joy of seeing communities transformed by the good news. Declining an offer to work as a government official, he declared: “Gospel and commerce, yes: but remember this: It must be the gospel first. Wherever there was the slightest spark of civilization in the Southern Seas it has been because the gospel has been preached there. The ramparts of heathenism can only be stormed by those who carry the cross.” Despite innumerable hardships, Chalmers counted it a great privilege to sacrifice everything for Christ.

At a time when many churches have championed the prosperity gospel with its “promises” of health, wealth, safety, and comfort, imitators of Chalmers are sorely needed. He sought neither personal protection nor glory; his faith did not rest on riches or long life. Instead James Chalmers lived with his eyes focused on heaven so that others might share his knowledge and confidence in the Savior. It cost him his life, but he would have been pleased with the exchange.

It's Dangerous to Follow Jesus

The Secret... is a Person

The Secret

Listen would you like to know a SECRET?... goes the old Beatles song. 

Who doesn't want to know a SECRET, we almost salivate to know.

Hear the words of Jesus (He is ever revealing SECRETS to us)

 "The knowledge of the SECRETS of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, "'though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.' Luke 8:10

God reveals His SECRETS to His followers.  How else would we know apart from His revelation.

The secret of the LORD is for those who fear Him, And He will make them know His covenant. Psalms 25:14

Knowing God's SECRETS doesn't mean that we are secretive, but we must treat a SECRET as a SECRET.  Hoarding SECRETS would be a way of boasting and the sin of pride.  Like what did we ever do to receive His Grace?  Or what do we really have apart from Him? God entrusts His SECRETS to us.  Everything that God produces has an element of mystery to it. 

So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the SECRET things of God. 1 Corinthians 4:1

For Paul, Christ is God's SECRET now revealed.

in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Colossians 2:3

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, Colossians 2:9

What has happened to God's secret in the church?  We have doctrinalized and systematized Jesus.  He is a Person.  He is the One who created all things, all things are for Him and He holds together the elements of the universe.

For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Colossians 1:16-17

Paul message was one of revelation an labor.

My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, Galatians 4:19

An God offers His SECRET to all who will believe and follow.  To discover that Christianity is actually "Christ in You" is the greatest SECRET of ALL time and the Father's provision for the Christian life.

To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1:27

Your Daily Walk

Walk with God...

One of the writers that God has used in my life in my journey with Jesus is Oswald Chambers.  His devotional: My Utmost for His Highest is read daily by millions of pilgrims.  I share below today's (October 12) reading.  It's possible to walk with God, keep in step with the Spirit and journey with Jesus...

Enoch walked with God . . . —Genesis 5:24

The true test of a person’s spiritual life and character is not what he does in the extraordinary moments of life, but what he does during the ordinary times when there is nothing tremendous or exciting happening. A person’s worth is revealed in his attitude toward the ordinary things of life when he is not under the spotlight (seeJohn 1:35-37 and John 3:30). It is painful work to get in step with God and to keep pace with Him— it means getting your second wind spiritually. In learning to walk with God, there is always the difficulty of getting into His stride, but once we have done so, the only characteristic that exhibits itself is the very life of God Himself. The individual person is merged into a personal oneness with God, and God’s stride and His power alone are exhibited.

It is difficult to get into stride with God, because as soon as we start walking with Him we find that His pace has surpassed us before we have even taken three steps. He has different ways of doing things, and we have to be trained and disciplined in His ways. It was said of Jesus— “He will not fail nor be discouraged . . .” (Isaiah 42:4) because He never worked from His own individual standpoint, but always worked from the standpoint of His Father. And we must learn to do the same. Spiritual truth is learned through the atmosphere that surrounds us, not through intellectual reasoning. It is God’s Spirit that changes the atmosphere of our way of looking at things, and then things begin to be possible which before were impossible. Getting into God’s stride means nothing less than oneness with Him. It takes a long time to get there, but keep at it. Don’t give up because the pain is intense right now— get on with it, and before long you will find that you have a new vision and a new purpose.

LIFE... what's it all about anyway?

What or Who are you Living for? 

The question of purpose eventually comes to all our minds.  There must be more, we ask.  Why am I here?  Is this all there is?  These questions and many more not only arise they can often haunt us.  We must look, as Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes,  beyond the sun.  We must look to God.  And when we do we cannot be bland or casual about life, like the following poem.

 Opportunities Missed
There was a very cautious man
Who never laughed or played.
He never risked, he never tried
He never sang or prayed.
And when one day, he passed away
His insurance was denied
For since he never really lived
They claimed he never died.

Rather we must seize the day (carpe deum).  Especially the follower of Jesus, the love of Christ compels us to live for Him, anything less is just less.  Consider the following written by Dr. Robert Morehouse.

I’m part of the fellowship of the unashamed.

The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line.

The decision has been made.

I’m a disciple of His.

I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still.
My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure.

I’m finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living and dwarfed goals.
I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotion, plaudits, or popularity.

I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded.

I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power.
My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear.

I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed.

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
I won’t give up, shut up, or let up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and preached up for the cause of Christ.

I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me.

And when He comes for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me…my banner will be clear!"

Revival

Revival....

The last real revival that came to America, and we sure could use one now, was back in the 70's with The Jesus Movement, out in California.  Last night I had the opportunity to hear Chuck Smith, the "grandfather" of the Calvary Chapel Movement.  here's what Wikipedia says about Pastor Chuck:

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Jesus movement was a movement in Christianity beginning on the West Coast of the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s and spreading primarily through North America and Europe, before dying out by the early 1980s. It was the major Christian element within the hippie counterculture, or, conversely, the major hippie element within some strands of Protestantism. Members of the movement were called Jesus people, or Jesus freaks.

The Jesus movement left a legacy of various denominations and other Christian organizations, and had an impact on both the development of the contemporary Christian right and the Christian left. Jesus music, which grew out of the movement, greatly influenced contemporary Christian music, helping to create various musical subgenres such as Christian rock and Christian metal.

Pastor Chuck spoke briefly of this amazing time when God The Holy Spirit came in power.  He also had with him the Christian music group "Love Song."  and it's lead singer Chuck Girard.  I still remember listening to their music in my early Christian days at The King's College.  They said last night that were baptizing 1000 every other month during this revival... WOW!!!

And then there was Lonnie Frisbee, who is home with the Lord.  He was very instrumental at the beginning of the Calvary Chapel Movement and the Vineyard Movement. (check out the YouTube below).  May Go visit us again with His presence.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKs3aBuFhVQ

if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

Best Seller

How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. Psalms 119:9

J.K. Rowling is the wealthiest woman in the United Kingdom, and her empire of Harry Potter is worth more than $15 billion.  Her book series about wizards, which began in 1997, has sold 450 million copies in 67 languages.  In comparison, each year throughout the world over 100 million Bibles are sold, and the United Bible Society distributes another 400 million copies, either complete volumes or portions of Scripture.  People recognize the pervasiveness of Harry Potter books, yet every single year more copies of God’s Word are spread around the world than the total accumulated sum of all the books that have ever been purchased from Rowling’s series.  Unfortunately, though, only 28% of Christians have read the Bible from cover to cover.  As one writer noted, it’s the greatest books never read.

"Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Proverbs 30:5