What I Saw God Do in Kenya (You Need to Hear This)

Sharing Some Thoughts on Article 1 of Our Statement of Faith

The Bible Is Not Background Noise

There’s a battle in the church that doesn’t always look like a battle. It looks like noise. TV on in the background. Kids on tablets. Grown adults scrolling. A Bible sitting on the end table, closed and quiet. And yet that Book is the one thing in the room that is actually alive and speaking and I’m convicted how often I act like it’s optional instead of essential.

Our church says, “We believe in the inspired Scriptures, the complete revelation of God for salvation and the authority for Christian faith and life.” 

That little sentence is huge. It’s us saying in a world full of voices where everyone has a hot take or a platform that there is one voice that sits above them all. God’s voice in His Word.

God has actually spoken

I remember one morning lying on the couch, Bible open, notebook out, trying to squeeze in some study time. The kids were all around me, locked in on their screens, Ryguy watching Veggie Tales and Kai Kai listening to Forrest Frank... All noise... bouncing off the walls. And it hit me like a punch. 

I was feeding my soul on Ribeye steak while handing them veggie straws and cheezits.

I was letting them fill their minds with digital junk while I sat with the very words of the living God in front of me... How dare I do that... 

When we say Scripture is “inspired,” we’re not saying it’s just “deep” or “emotional” or “beautiful literature.” 

We’re saying it’s God breathed. The same God who spoke light into darkness has spoken words onto these pages. He used Moses and David and Paul and John but behind them and through them is His voice.

Some thoughts on 1 Timothy 2:5

Christ the One Mediator: How Protestants and Catholics See It a Bit Differently

Christians of all kinds love 1 Timothy 2:5–6.

“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all.”

We all agree on this… if anyone is saved, it is only because Jesus, the Son of God, became truly human, died on the cross, and rose again. The tension starts with this question… if Jesus is the “one mediator,” what do we do with praying for each other, asking the saints to pray, or talking about Mary’s role?

This is not just theory for me. I used to be Roman Catholic. I’ve wrestled with these things in my own heart, and I’ve had to rethink habits and devotions.

Where Protestants Are Coming From

Most Protestants read 1 Timothy 2 and see a clear chain. One God… who wants all kinds of people to be saved… so there is one mediator, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all.

So:

• one God with one saving plan
• one Mediator with one complete sacrifice

For Protestants, “mediator” is a big word. It means the only bridge between a holy God and sinful people. No one else stands in that spot. No one else adds to what Jesus did on the cross.

That was a huge part of what pulled me toward a Protestant view. As I read Scripture, I kept seeing how often the New Testament points me straight to Christ… “come boldly”… “draw near”… “in Him we have access.” I started to feel real relief that I didn’t need to stack extra helpers between me and God, even ones I had honored since childhood.

So in the Protestant world I live in now, people usually:

• keep “mediator” for Christ alone
• still pray for each other and preach and encourage… we just don’t call those things mediating in the same sense

I get the Protestant concern because I’ve seen it in my own heart… if we talk too loosely about “many mediators,” people can slowly lean more on Mary, the saints, or other figures and less on Christ’s finished work, even while still saying “Jesus is first” with their mouths.

Where Catholics Are Coming From

Catholic teaching on paper really does say Jesus is the one Mediator in the deepest way. Only He is God and man. Only His death and resurrection reconcile us to the Father. No saint or angel, not even Mary, can add anything to the Cross.

But Catholics also notice something in 1 Timothy 2. Before Paul mentions the one Mediator, he tells the church to offer “supplications, prayers, intercessions” for all people. So they ask… if Christ is the one Mediator, why does Paul immediately call us to intercede?

They connect it like this:

• Christ alone saves and redeems
• but He also involves His people… letting believers pray, share the gospel, and help others grow… in that sense, we “come between” others and God as helpers pointing to Him

Catholics sometimes call this “mediation” too. They talk about subordinate or participated mediation:

• Jesus is the only Mediator of salvation
• Mary and the saints share in His work by praying for us and leading us toward Him, not away from Him

For me this used to feel very natural. I remember praying that Mary or one of the saints would help me out, trusting they were “closer” and could carry my needs to God. When I started wrestling seriously with Scripture, it wasn’t just my ideas that changed… it felt like I was stepping back from my long held family tradition. That’s part of why I still understand Catholic instincts. I know Catholics who sincerely love Jesus and honestly believe they’re just asking older brothers and sisters in the faith to pray, not trying to replace Christ.

Why the Words Matter

So a lot of the clash is over how wide we stretch the word “mediator.”

• Protestants say… keep “mediator” tight and strong… it belongs to Jesus alone because only He stands between God and sinners as Redeemer
• Catholics say… yes, Jesus is the one unique Mediator… but He can share His work with His body, so in a smaller, dependent way other believers can be called mediators when they intercede

I’ve stood on both sides of that. As a Catholic, I loved the sense of a big family… saints cheering me on. As a Protestant, I’ve tasted the simple peace of going directly and immediately to Christ as my Mediator.

Both sides are guarding something good:

• Protestants guard the sufficiency and exclusivity of Christ
• Catholics guard the richness of how Christ uses His people in each other’s lives

I’ve also seen the downsides. In some Catholic settings, devotions can make Christ feel distant while Mary or a saint feels central. In some Protestant settings, people act like it’s just “me and my Bible,” with very little sense of needing the church. Those real‑life experiences make me slow to mock or flatten either side.

Walking This Out Before God

So where does this leave me now?

First, I want to start where Scripture starts… one God, one Mediator, one ransom for all. Whatever my background, my only hope before a holy God is one Person… Jesus Christ, the God‑man, who died and rose for sinners.

Second, I want to speak honestly about my own journey without assuming the worst about others. I know many Roman Catholics who truly love Jesus and want to honor Him, even if I now see serious problems in how that love sometimes plays out. At the same time, I know I cannot go back to a pattern where the center of gravity shifts away from Christ’s direct, perfect, finished mediation.

In the end, this isn’t just a debate about words… it’s about where a guilty, struggling sinner runs. When I picture standing before God, I don’t lean on a chain of helpers or a cloud of holy figures anymore. I rest on one Mediator, who gave Himself as a ransom for all.

Trusting Him sets me free… free to come boldly to the throne of grace… free to ask others to pray for me, knowing they are not extra mediators but fellow beggars pointing to the same Savior… free to thank God for the believers He uses in my life without confusing their role with His… and free, above all, to rest my whole weight on Christ alone, who will never fail those who come to God through Him.

Joy vs. Happiness: The One Gift You’re Missing This Christmas

The Joy of our Hope

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Download the study guide for Pastor Bruce's sermon from December 7 (Second Week of Advent – Joy):

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Today is the second Sunday of Advent. 

As we considered the HOPE of Jesus' coming last Sunday, today we celebrate the JOY of our HOPE! Joy is the feeling that comes from anticipating something good. Our hearts do not rejoice because of perfect circumstances, but because of the perfect presence of Jesus in our lives.

We are reminded of the Advent themes that are displayed with four candles on the Advent wreath. They are:

• The HOPE (anticipation) of His coming
• The JOY in the message of His coming
• The PEACE that comes as a result of His coming
• The LOVE that is expressed in the reason for His coming

The traditional Advent candles are three purple and one pink, and of course the white center candle that signifies Jesus, the light of the world. 

Purple speaks of the passion of Jesus in His life on earth, while pink represents our joyful response at His birth. Some churches use all one color of candles, (usually red) and just observe the four themes of each candle. Today our celebration is centered on the JOY in the message of His coming.

You have probably heard about the 'source' of JOY, Someone has observed that if we put Jesus first in our lives-Others second, and Yourself last, that that sequence will produce JOY in our lives. 

Yes, I am sure it will, but then again, let's look at the SOURCE of JOY. Real JOY is a 'fruit of the Holy Spirit; so, JOY comes from God! He produces it in our lives. Let us also look at the difference between JOY and PLEASURE. (happiness) Pleasure / happiness comes and goes with whatever is happening in our lives. JOY comes from within. It is steady and abiding regardless of our circumstances.

In John chapter 15 Jesus spoke of 'abiding in Him'. 

He spoke of this after teaching His disciples about the vine and the branches saying that being attached to Him would produce fruit in their lives. He then told them that His JOY would remain in them so that their JOY would be "full." The Greek word for" full" has the picture of something being of full measure overflowing. What was the source of Jesus' JOY? Hebrews 12:2 gives us the answer. "Jesus, who for the JOY that was set before Him endured the cross" John 4:34 gives us the reason for His JOY "to do the will of my Father, who sent me and to finish His work." That was His source of JOY completing His Father's will to redeem mankind. With His promise to His disciples, and us, we are assured that our JOY will be full and overflowing as we are obedient to the will of the Father. That is our calling to do the will of the Father. That produces JOY!

Joy in Hard Times: How God Fills You When Life Empties You

Hope is on The Way

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Today is the first Sunday of Advent. 

Advent is the season when Christians anticipate and prepare for Christmas. It is a time for counting down, remembering the reason for the season, and getting ready for the celebrations that are to come. It's also a time to slow down, reflect, and prepare our hearts and minds for the spiritual meaning of Christmas, rather than focusing on the commercial focus the season has become. Advent is celebrated during the four Sundays prior to Christmas itself, each Sunday highlighting one of the themes of the Christmas story; the themes being

• HOPE of His coming
• JOY in the message of His coming
• PEACE that comes as a result of His coming
• LOVE expressed in the reason of His coming

The term "Advent" comes from the Latin word 'adventus' meaning "coming." 

The earliest references to a season of preparation similar to Advent date to the 4th and 5th centuries in Spain and Gaul. At this time, Advent was a 40-day penitential season of fasting, prayer, and reflection in preparation for the baptism of new Christians on the feast of Epiphany in January. It was a time of preparing for the second coming of Christ and was not initially connected to Christmas, which was celebrated on a different date. In the 6th century Roman Christians began to tie Advent to the coming of Christ at Christmas. The Roman Catholic Church fixed Advent as the four-week period leading up to Christmas in the 9th century. Historically, Advent originally had a dual focus: the first half of the season looked forward to Christ's second coming, and the second half focused on his birth. The practice of observing the four Sundays of Advent spread throughout the Christian church by the 6th century and has continued to the present day in a number of church denominations.

Today's Advent theme is HOPE. 

To the Old Testament people, HOPE expressed their anticipation of the coming Messiah. To us, HOPE expresses the anticipation of the return of our Lord and Savior. Our world today is not that different from the world into which Jesus was born. Jesus came in one of darkest hours of mankind, much like today. Yet, there is HOPE! Jesus is coming again! As we anticipate another celebration of Jesus' birth, we are reminded again that He came for us. He died for us. He is coming again for us. Knowing this, we can rest in the arms of our Good Shepherd, confident that He loves and cares for us. As we prepare ourselves for the celebration of Christmas let us consider again, the message of Advent - 

"For God so loved the word that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life."

When All You See Is Exile: Hope for the Crushed in Spirit

Beware The Dogmas of Division

 Picture this: a family gathering turns tense, not over politics or football teams, but over whether the angels sing or shout at Christmas. Voices rise, fences are built—over something not central to the message that first called us all together.

In the church, too, I've seen friends—brothers and sisters—depart, not because the cross lost its power, but because secondary questions stole the stage. 

What happens when we turn small streams into mighty rivers that keep us apart?

Church history is riddled with tales of division…Luther’s break over justification by faith, yes, but too often also over whether to sprinkle or dunk…Calvinists and Arminians debating the sovereignty of God while a hurting neighbor passes by the window. Disagreements are as old as the disciples… Peter, Paul, and the gentle rebuke, “If you keep biting and devouring each other, watch out….” (Galatians 5:15)

Let’s anchor ourselves in Romans 14. 

Paul writes to believers fighting not about the resurrection or the incarnation, but about eating meat, keeping holy days, and whose custom should rule the room. He pleads, “Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother?” (Romans 14:10). Scholars and pastors remind us…. there are matters we can disagree on, but there’s a weight that belongs to the cross and the tomb alone. The early church wrestled with this…circumcision…food sacrificed to idols… days of worship… The Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 drew the line.. Gentiles didn’t need to become Jewish to belong, but were simply to keep themselves from idols… immorality… and blood… not to burden them beyond essential faith….Even the creeds … Apostles’, Nicene… were formed on truths considered of first importance.

When secondary doctrines like end-times timelines, spiritual gifts, worship styles become tests of fellowship. We drift from the unity Jesus prayed for (John 17). As a pastor-in-training, I'm learning the difference between “dogma” (the fundamental pillars) and “doctrine” (the teachings that flow from them), and then “opinion” (the many branches).

Confusing those, and treating all as gospel ground… this is where division strikes.

In philosophy, this echoes the error of “category mistakes,” treating two things of different kinds as though they're of the same essence. Or think of ethical frameworks: deontology hammers the rules, but even Kant spoke of a hierarchy some duties weigh more than others. 

C.S. Lewis warned of “Christianity and”... whenever we add to the main thing, we risk making the faith unrecognizable. Churches today divide over the millennium instead of marveling at Christ’s resurrection, over which musical instruments are “most biblical,” missing that the true worship God seeks is in spirit and truth. 

In life, unity is not uniformity, my wife and I disagree about how we fold our shirts but that’s no threat to our love. 

Let’s get real. 

When our kids fight over seats at the table, we correct them not because chairs matter, but because family does. When churches fracture over “secondary” things, the world sees us, scratches its head, and misses the Shepherd calling stray sheep home. The ethical call is to “major on the majors, and minor on the minors.” To give grace where God has given room.

Our motto in The Evangelical Free Church of America is, “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.” Not compromise, but clarity—keeping the main thing the main thing.

So, here’s where it all comes together: The good news is not found in a specific style, a secondary interpretation, or an extra-biblical stance. The gospel is that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, was buried, and was raised on the third day—this is of first importance (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). If we trade that in for lesser battles, we subtract from the cross what we could never add with argument. Today, the invitation isn’t to win every debate, but to be found in Christ… sin forgiven, peace given, family found… not by our perfect doctrine, but by our Perfect Savior. 

If you’re listening, and you’ve been wounded by division, hear this: Jesus died for the whole church. He breaks every dividing wall. To be in Christ is to belong… not because you’ve checked every box, but because He finished the work for those who could not. Believe, repent, and trust Him…He brings you near, and makes you family.

So let’s contend for what matters, and hold looser to what doesn’t. May our churches be places of both truth and tender mercy, where the gospel is clear and grace abounds.

FIVE KERNELS OF CORN

 A popular theme of both the Old Testament and the New Testament is THANKSGIVING. 

In Psalm 103 David gives us a list of some of the things he was thankful for. That list is quite extensive; we should read it occasionally. What might you be thankful for?  Have you ever considered making a list of the things you are thankful for as did David? How long would that list be?  My Bible tells me that an “attitude of gratitude” is something I should express each day of the year and not limit it to Thanksgiving Day. Sadly, our society is moving away from gratefulness and slipping into an attitude of entitlement. That’s the trouble with receiving something on a regular basis; we eventually come to expect it, even feeling that we deserve it.  We have been blessed to live in a land of plenty and as a result, we have become complacent and often are completely unwilling to give thanks to anyone for anything. The Bible tells us; “Giving thanks always for all things unto God our Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 5:20)  Another verse tells us; “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord.” (Psalm 92:1) When God’s Word says something is ‘good,’ it IS a good thing to do!

 
In November of 1620 the Mayflower arrived off the coast of New England with 102 Pilgrims who had left England in search of religious freedom. During the first long hard winter, half of these godly people who had risked the arduous trip across the wild Atlantic Ocean died. At one point during that winter when they were clinging to life itself, Governor William Bradford wrote in his journal; “William Brewster, rising from a scanty Plymouth dinner that consisted of a plate of clams and a glass of cold water, offered thanks to God for the abundance of the sea and the treasures hid in the sand.” His reference was to the tide that had washed ashore hundred of clams, which were hurriedly collected and prepared for the meal. The Pilgrims did not have much, but they possessed a great gratitude to God. It was also noted that at one point during that first hard winter, their daily ration of food included five kernels of corn per day per person. One year later, in the fall of 1621 after an abundant harvest; not wanting to forget how God had delivered them from their want, the Pilgrims developed a tradition that was carried on for many years, and in some parts of our country is still observed. Five kernels of corn were placed beside each plate to remind them of the dire straits they had experienced during the previous winter. As we celebrate Thanksgiving 2020, we are challenged with a pandemic. But even facing this, we will have much more to eat than clams and cold water. Perhaps it would be good to place five kernels of corn beside each plate; reminding us again of the real story of Thanksgiving. 

Bless the Lord, O My Soul: The 8 Transformative Benefits of God | Psalm ...

Living With Eternal Perspective | 1 Corinthians

The Greatest Enemy of God

Most people would probably think that Satan is God's greatest enemy. But let's remember that Satan was not always the devil. Ezekiel 28:14 says that he was the "anointed cherub."

His name was Lucifer. Verse 15 says that God spoke of him saying, "I appointed you to be the anointed guardian cherub. You had access to the holy mountain of God. You were perfect in all you did from the day you were created until that time when wrong was found in you. Therefore, I cast you out of the mountain of God like a common sinner. Your heart was filled with pride because of all your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor". So, you see, the original 'sin' actually occurred in heaven with the corruption of this 'anointed cherub!"

Earth was once a paradise placed under the dominion of Adam, whom God created in His own image. In order to "be like the most high" Lucifer sought to become god on earth. In the form of the serpent, he enticed Eve to disobey God by eating from a certain tree which God had forbidden them to eat. Eve gave the fruit of the tree to Adam, and he ate it. This was the moment that sin and death entered God's 'perfect' creation. Through their disobedient act, sin and death were passed on to all humanity. So, sin itself is the greatest enemy of God! Think about it-you and I were born with this inborn enemy!!!

God has never and will never forgive sin! 

Let me clarify that. He has never and will never forgive His worst enemy the willful act of sin! But He will forgive sinners those who commit sin because of their inherited sin nature. Paul wrote in Romans 5:19, "For by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of One shall many be made righteous. Can you say Hallelujah?

Let us also remember where sin comes from it comes from Satan himself! 1 John 3:8 says, "He that commits sin is of the devil." The very next verse tells us, "Whoever is born of God does not commit sin."

Let's remember, God's Spirit dwelling in us will never cause us to sin. God is incapable of sin He is sinless! When He gives us His Spirit at the time we invite Him into our lives, that Spirit within us cannot sin! Oh, the sin nature still hangs around, and Satan's deceit and temptation battles our God-given nature, but we are assured by the Word of God that the Holy Spirit will keep us from temptation and sin. But the question must then be asked. who or what will we yield to? Reading Romans 7 will give us some incite as to how Paul handled this predicament! Yes, the great Apostle Paul battled with his sin nature! But he gave us an "antidote" to this sin problem. He wrote in Romans 7: 24-25, 

"O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? (sin) I thank God-through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Here's another good time to shout Hallelujah! We are blessed!

- Pastor Bruce

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The Thankful Heart

The month of November brings to our minds the thought of Thanksgiving. We are reminded continually in God's Word that thanksgiving is to be a continual attitude each day of our lives. Hopefully, you are practicing this. It certainly is not difficult to say thank you' to God for His many blessings! Here are some thoughts on being thankful.

"Thankfulness is a healer, a multiplier of the good and a dissolver of the negative. Thankfulness is an attracting power for blessings, a lightener of any load or burden, an ingredient that produces miracles in the life of anyone, in any situation. Let the words thank you, God' become a habit. Let them start your day and fill your nights. Thank God in the good times and in the bad. Thank Him when you feel like it and when you do not. Thank God for your many blessings, for the healing of the body and the growing of the soul. Thank Him when you laugh and when you cry, when you feel filled with faith, and especially when you do not! Listen to yourself say this "Thank You, God, thank You, God", and then thank Him again! Begin to develop this in your life so that blessings and miracles can flow into your life. As the bible says "It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord." (Psalm 92:1)

When Joshua went forward to conquer Jericho, his instructions were to encircle the walls of the city for seven days. On the seventh day, the people were to give a shout of praise. (Joshua 6) It was with this shout of praise that the walls of the city fell. Victory was assured! The central truth here is that spiritual victories are not won by conventional means, but by putting our trust in God. Praise and thankfulness are what God responds to, as they are expressions of our faith which allow God to work on our behalf to bring the needed answers in our lives. When Jesus called Lazarus from the tomb, His words were, "Father, I thank you. They were uttered before the healing was evident; before Lazarus walked from the tomb. Jesus said that He spoke those words aloud on account of those who stood by. We should never be afraid to speak audible words of praise and thanksgiving to our wonderful Lord, especially before we face the challenges of life. As praise and thanksgiving surrounds life's situations, we will experience victory inside and out!

THE THANKFUL HEART

The thankful heart is a happy heart - God believing 

The thankful heart is a bountiful heart - God receiving 

The thankful heart is a generous heart - It knows the joy of giving 

The thankful heart is a healthy heart - It is the key to living!

Pray Without Ceasing - Pastor's Pen

 

1 Thessalonians 5:17 is a very short verse.

It simply says, "PRAY WITHOUT CEASING." Paul gives instruction to this in addition to other things that the church ought to be doing. What is he trying to tell us? Well, looking at a few other translations and paraphrases we come up with these descriptions

• "Always keep praying" - Living Bible.
• "Pray continually" - New International Version
• "Pray without ceasing" - Life Application Bible
• "Never give up praying" - Goodspeed Translations
• "Be unceasing in prayer" - Amplified Bible
• "Be praying unceasingly" - Greek New Testament
• "Never stop praying" - Phillips Translation

Praying without ceasing? How do we do that? We can't spend all our

time on our knees praying! That's true, but it is possible to develop a prayerful attitude. This kind of attitude is built upon acknowledging that God's presence is within us and that we can 'communicate' with Him at any time, anywhere. It doesn't have to be a 'formal' prayer, but just simple conversation with God, just like you would talk with me. The child of God should be able to acknowledge God's presence in his life even though he may not 'feel it." Our communication is not dependent upon our feeling, but upon a confidence in knowing He is with us because He said so! Having that kind of confidence will make it natural to converse with God, any time. any place. We develop our 'conversation skill' with God by practicing it!

I think it is pretty clear that God wants to hear from us. Our memory verse from last month confirms this, "CALL upon me and I will ANSWER you and I will SHOW you great and mighty things that you do not know." Can you remember my three points on this verse? There is a PROMPT -There is a PROMISE and then there is a PROVISON. Consider-

• Prayer helps us to trust God
• Prayer helps us worship God
• Prayer draws us closer to God
• Prayer warms the soul to spiritual things
• Prayer is answered by the One we are praying to.

If we are not praying, then we are not communicating with God and we are missing the above points and.... we are missing the blessings of heaven Oswald Cambers has written - "We cannot live spiritually without prayer. Prayer is the refreshing, life giving water for the soul."

Rejoice Beyond Your Circumstances

 

Tonight I'm all in with this study of Philippians… I'm  not getting super far but I did manage to get through 1:12-18 before Tiff came upstairs and RyGuy decided to use my back as a bouncy horse. The circumstances for study are rarely ideal… My mind is rarely clear of distractions but it's encouraging to hear Paul's take on circumstances and how God uses them.

Phillipians 1:12-18 (Legacy Standard Bible)

Now I want you to know, brothers, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel,so that my chains in Christ have become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, and that most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord because of my chains, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will; the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me affliction in my chains. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice

Paul could have easily focused on his chains, his discomfort, or his likely upcoming death.  Instead, he saw something wonderful… his imprisonment was actually advancing the gospel! The imperial guard was hearing about Christ, and other believers were becoming bolder in sharing their faith by seeing Paul's witness. 

What's fascinating here is Paul's response to those preaching Christ. Some did it out of love, while others preached from envy and rivalry. As someone that once aspired to be a pastor, I can't help but think about how this applies to ministry even today. We compare ourselves to other peoples Ministries,  we do mental headcounts and try to quantify our efficacy by baptisms and altar call respondents. We can sometimes let our pride get in the way and warp our motives… But here's what really gets me … Paul wasn't bitter or frustrated… he didn't jump online and start calling out people…His singular focus was that Christ was being proclaimed… Whether through people with pure motives or those with selfish ambitions.. PAUL REJOICED BECAUSE THE GOSPEL WAS ADVANCING.

Tonight my bride made dinner, did laundry and a load of dishes… after a full work day and all while literally growing a human… and if He's anything like his siblings he's probably climbing around everywhere in there… and in spite of all the noise she's showing the grace and love of Christ and it reminds me that our circumstances don't determine God's ability to work. 

Sometimes what looks like a setback is actually God's setup for something greater at least it is here for Paul.

The question isn't whether our situation is comfortable or ideal. The real question is this… Can we see beyond our circumstances to rejoice in how God might be using them for His glory? Paul's chains became a pulpit.. and his prison became a mission field.

Remember, the gospel isn't limited by our circumstances, it advances through them. And in that, we can truly rejoice.

Our Exodus from Sin

Exodus 12:41 tells us "At the end of 430 years the children of Israel left the land of Egypt." While they had their freedom, 430 years had dulled their understanding of who they were. Egypt had not only controlled their labor - it had shaped their identity. The people had been born into bondage, raised in oppression, and conditioned to believe they were nothing more than slaves. For generations they had belonged to Pharoah. So, while they physically walked out of Egypt, their hearts were still in Egypt.

The Exodus of God's people, while a divine intervention, was not so much a physical deliverance, as it was the beginning of a new identity. They would not be totally free until their hearts and minds belonged to God. The wilderness journey was not just about reaching a new land it was about removing Egypt from the people and instilling in them dependance and obedience to God. The 40 years in the wilderness would do that!

We have recently learned from Romans chapter 7, that the old nature of sin still plagues us. Even the Apostle Paul battled the flesh, as do we. We are reminded in God's Word that the battle between the flesh and the new man in us, is an ongoing battle. But the Word of God also tells is us that there is a power within us that is a greater power than the world, the flesh and the devil. The concept of "the world, the flesh, and the devil" refers to three opposing forces to God's will, as found in the Bible, with verses like Ephesians 2:2-3, 1 John 2:16, and 1 Peter 5:8. The world represents systems and societies that oppose God, The flesh refers to our fallen human nature and its desires. The devil is Satan and his forces of evil. These terms represent the spiritual adversaries believers face.

When we decided to follow Jesus, it was the beginning of a journey. Our intent was to follow the Lord and serve Him, but the world, flesh and the devil often impeded our progress. The patterns of our old life don't change overnight. It is the progress of the journey under God's direction that changes us. God has not only delivered us from the life of sin, but He also began the process of restoring us to be the person He intended us to bel Yes, Egypt (the old life) still influences us, but our submission to the Holy Spirit's work will cause the old nature to slowly die, being replaced with the "new man." This new man refers to a redeemed individual who has undergone a transformation through faith in Jesus Christ, being created anew In God's image and righteousness. This transformation involves putting off the old sinful nature, and putting on the new identity found in Christ. This new nature is characterized by a renewed mind, a holy nature, and the ability to live in accordance with God's will. Our decision to follow Christ begins an exciting spiritual journey that aligns our lives with divine principles, resulting in a life blessed and used by the Holy Spirit. I remind you that His fruit is not manufactured by man's ability, but by His supernatural power working in our lives. Have a blessed week!